Fussy Cutting Fun.

We would like to say a big thank you to all the lovely ladies that joined us on Wednesday for a terrific fussy cutting class with the wonderful Di Ford....we had ladies from NSW, South Australia, Queensland and Western Australia so the country was well represented....thank you to every one for travelling such a long way to join us, it was wonderful to meet all of you and we hope you all had as much fun as we did.  A huge thank you also to Di Ford for a wonderful class full of generosity and inspiration.

Book lovers beware....you will want this book for sure.  "Elegant Quilts, Country Charm" is the newest book from Leonie Bateman and Deirdre Bond-Abel.

This is a fantastic book is full of appliqué designs for both cotton and wool....there are quilts and smaller projects that you will instantly want to add to your "must do" lists...and Leonie and Deirdre's wonderful use of colour will be sure to inspire.  The book is $45.50 and we have copies in the shop now.

We hope you all have a wonderful weekend....after a week of very wild weather in Victoria we hope you all get a chance for some sewing in a warm cosy spot...with something yummy in the slow cooker and a nice red wine close at hand...there has to be something good about winter....Sammy says stay warm everyone and have a good weekend.

3 Cheers for Paula Barnes.

Three cheers for Paula Barnes....we have had a delivery this week of the fantastic "Paula Barnes Companions"....if you have enjoyed Paula Barnes great prints before you will be excited to see these fabrics back in stock...we received 28 of these great fabrics...they have such deep rich clear colours and provide us with pops of colour whenever we are needing rich reds, purples, blues...gorgeous cheddery pumpkins and great cream and brown prints...they are $21.00 and are on our website now.

Here is the last pattern sneak peak...

The final project of the three free patterns you will receive at our Midwinter Midday to Midnight sit and sew on the 19th of July...a little sewing bag that will fit your projects...ready to take along  to sewing days with friends.  We are really looking forward to all the fun this event will bring....we are now fully booked but the patterns will be available on our website by mid July and there will be lots of blog pics of all the fun.

It is a freezing cold, blustery rainy day in Castlemaine today...of course the heater is on and Sammy sure dosnt fancy any outdoor activities today but was very disappointed to hear that indoors it is paperwork all day today...oh no!

Jane Austen Visits Threadbear.

Everyone loves a little bit of Jane Austen, right!......and we don't just mean Mr. Darcy.  We are absorbed in all things Austen today with the arrival of a new Quiltmania book from Benedicte Maurin..."Good Day, Miss Austen.....Quilts, Dolls and More". This is a very pretty book, full of small projects...dolls, and crib quilts....gorgeous cushions, quilts and stitcheries.

If you love the look of old fashioned dollies or pretty pieced quilts with delicate stitcheries well you will love this book and it will be a great book to have in your library for days when you need a bit of Jane Austen inspiration.

Preparations are well under way for our Winter Midday to Midnight sit and sew on July 19th....so call us at the shop if you would like to join the fun....it is $60.00 to book and that includes meals, snacks, 3 free patterns and one starter pack....also included is heaps of fun with old and new friends.

We are busy cutting and packing our starter packs that go with the free patterns you will receive on the day...and we are really looking forward to a fun time...it is always fun when friends get together to sew...and snack of course. Places are filling fast

We hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and we hope you all get lots of sewing done...maybe even a bit of weekend snoozing in a warm cosy spot.....as recommended by Sammy.

12 Whole Hours of Stitching.

Can you imagine the fun we are all going to have on July 19th....yes indeed...12 whole hours of stitching fun. We still have a few places left for our winter, Midday to Midnight sit and sew...so come along and join in, get together with some stitching friends and make a weekend of it, or come alone and make a heap of new stitching friends.  You can of course bring your own projects to work on, or start on one of the 3 free patterns you will receive, including one free starter pack of your choice.  There will be nibbles and snacks plus dinner and supper provided....and just a whole heap of fun.  This event costs $60.00 and you can just call us at the shop to book. 

If the thought of all that sewing fun hasn't tempted you just take a sneak peak at one of the 3 free patterns you will receive...this is Megan's gorgeous cushion....sooooo very cute.

New Paula Barnes fabric has arrived this week...."Red and Blue Tavern" is a great collection of rich reds and blues, with some deep beiges as well.....there are some great small prints in this range plus one bold all over print and a border stripe that just shout out fussy cutting fun.

 

They are $23.50 mt and as usual, if you think this range of reds and blues would be a handy addition to your stash we have 1/8 packs of all 18 fabrics for $54.00....and you can call us at the shop if  you are tempted.

Sammy is already looking forward to Midday to Midnight on July 19th and it seems he has taken a special likening to Megan's new pattern....

so when you receive your free pattern on July 19th you will know it comes with Sammy's special seal of approval.

Yuwa Pretties for the Weekend.

How good are these Yuwa fabrics....these Japanese fabrics are always absolutely stunning...they are the best quality cottons and their designs always make us all oooohhh and aaaahhhh. Lots of new Yuwa pretties arrived at the shop this week....

Strawberry and cherry lovers will go wild for this fantastic print and just look at this show stopper....there are extra oooohs and aaaahs for this amazing toile....absolutely gorgeous....we will all want some of this for the stash.

The Yuwa prints will be on our website next week but if you can't wait, just ring or email us at the shop.

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Thank you so much Michelle for sharing your fantastic quilt with us...we are so glad you brought it in for us all see....there are some beautiful fabrics in this quilt , including a sensational Dutch chintz border, and we just love Michelle's beautiful centre appliqué block.

 

Now Sammy is all set for the winter months...he has had a visit to the hairdresser for his winter trim and his brand new coat for wet and cold days was a gift from his friends Margaret and Chris...he looks so handsome...and he is looking forward to a great weekend in his new clothes.....hope everyone has a fantastic weekend...with lots and lots of sewing time.

Extra Special.

Last Saturday, June7th, was our regular meeting of the Castlemaine Appliqué Group (CAG), and as you would know by now, we always look forward to these meetings because we know that we are in for a day of warmth, friendship and fun, fun, fun...but my oh my, this CAG gathering was so much more for all who attended...it was a very special day.

Saturday's meeting gave us the chance to hand over a cheque for $10,000 to the Oncology Nurses from North East Health, Wangarratta, who joined us on Saturday....this was the money raised from CAG's first Quilt Exhibition in March this year.  Our contribution will purchase a new Day Treatment Chair as well as a new equipment trolley for the team and patients at North East Health's Oncology Unit. There were tears and hugs throughout the room as the cheque was presented to the four girls from Wangaratta ....and we all reflected on the difference this will make in the lives of so many.

Thanks once again to all those CAG members that worked so hard and volunteered their time to make the exhibition such a success...congratulations to you all..it was a mighty effort..and all we can say now is...can't wait for the next exhibition.

Thanks also go to Louiseann and Di for bringing along their absolutely gorgeous antique quilts to share with us all...after all the emotion of the cheque handover it was a fantastic way to end our meeting......who doesn't love to look at every tiny detail of stunning antique quilts and absorb themselves in the beautiful fabrics, and the tiny little stitches from the past.....they were beautiful quilts and we we're thrilled to be able to enjoy them.

 

Now....just have a look at this pretty, pretty appliqué....what a tempting little sneak peak it is to be sure......It is the centre block of small quilt ~ the start of just one of the three patterns you'll receive if you join the Threadbear girls for their Midday to Midnight on July 19th.  Email Threadbear on: info@threadbear for details.  

And how can we finish any chat about a meeting of CAG with out a photo of Sammy, sitting in his chair in the classroom just waiting for all the pats and cuddles he gets as he catches up with all his friends on CAG days....yes, we saw some beautiful antique quilts and handed over the money raised from CAG's first Quilt Exhibition...but for Sammy it's all about the pats.

Yummy Border Prints.

Last week were all pretty excited when new Dutch Chintz from Petra Prins and Nel Kooiman arrived....all those great new colours and prints sent us wild with delight, but now....feast your eyes on these sensational border prints from Petra and Nel, designed to compliment their new ranges.

 Who does not love a really fantastic border print....and these border prints are just gorgeous...we have the same print in 4 colourways, a dusty red, a great mid blue, a stunning aubergine and a beautiful deep ecru....and as always, the difficult part is making the decision on which colour to buy.  Each is cut at 6" wide x 10 mts long, so there is plenty in each pack for a large quilt.  At  $40.00 a pack they're great value too.

Even more excitement in the shop this week with another fabric delivery, and another really fantastic range of small prints and blenders and backgrounds....

"Softly Spoken" by Harriet Hargrave for Marcus Fabrics is 21 fabrics in the best range of soft pinks, browns and blues..This range ticks all the boxes..it has a fantastic check, great stripes, ideal backgrounds and some pretty florals, great for fussy cutting

"Softly Spoken" is $20.00 mt and these oh so tempting 1/8 packs are $63.00....as always a great way to get a little bit of the entire range.

Our new fabrics will be on the web site next week but if you can't wait you can ring us at the shop any time.

As you can see Sammy has been in the classroom helping us cut and fold all our new fabrics...all our jobs go smoothly with Sammy's help and good company...but it is Friday now.....he has worked hard all week and we just caught him having a great big yawn....time for us all to wind down and think of our sewing projects...hope everyone has a great weekend and hope we all get lots and lots of sewing time.