Winter Warmth = friends and fabric!

There's been frost on top of the frost here in Castlemaine this week with cold blustery days and chilly nights, but Threadbear has stayed warm and cosy with good heating and great company.  Despite the freezing conditions, we've had lots of visits this week from so many lovely girls all braving the cold in search of that perfect piece of fabric and inspiration.  Threadbear's Passionate Piecers group came town to last Saturday for another great day. We were thrilled to welcome Debra Dorwood as our guest speaker. Debra has been a prolific quilter over the years and a long time friend of Threadbear so it was great to catch up and have her share her gorgeous quilts with the group.

Debra's enthusiasm and energy left everyone inspired

Great colours and a mix of applique and piecing

One of Debra's many designs that appeared in Quilter's Companion

It's always a great time to catch up with friends

Then of course there was a terrific selection of show and tell from the Group. Here's just a taste of the wonderful quilts in the room .

 Marie's hexagons - wow!

Michelle's amazing quilt is all her own design

New in the shop is to tempt us all is "Penelope" ~ soft romantic roses and wallpaper stripes inspired by 19th century french fabrics.  These are so, so pretty in musky soft pink, pale blue, gentle brown and buttery cream. 

Penelope by Erin Turner for Penny Rose fabrics $23.50 metre

Also newly arrived are the Mourning Grays and Purples - although we selected just the purples.  And they are all stash worthy!

Mourning Purples $25.50 metre

So with plenty happening in the shop, we had lots to put in our latest newsletter which is available on our website here.  Sammy was, as always, supervising production and keeping us all in order in between greeting customers in his own special way!  Have a great and cosy weekend everyone!

Welcome Penny Rose!

How exciting to welcome a fabric manufacturer new to us!  This week we've received gorgeous fabrics from Penny Rose Fabrics ~ have a look at these . . .  Really good mini checks are SO hard to find!  Yummy red and warm beige ~ Americana by Carrie Quinn

Americana ~ $26.00

Forget Me Not by Sue Daley ~  The softest of blues in flowers and stripes with a few dark ones to spice it up.

Forget-Me-Not ~ $26.00 per metre

Civil War Times by Erin Turner ~ we've chosen our favourites!

Civil War Times ~ $26.00 per metre

Last but not least, this stunning toile from Aesop's Fable, again by Erin Turner.  

Aesop's Fable ~ $26.00 per metre

Thanks, Dawn!

 We love Show & Tell ~ Dawn visited us with her "Miss Porter's Quilt" ~ pattern by Di Ford Hall.  Picking a binding was very easy with such a stunning quilt.

Val, Sonia, Olga & Heather ~ does Sam look likes he's enjoying it??

Sam gets cuddles from the girls from Melbourne ~ visiting despite the cold weather.

Are you coming . . .

With a late cancellation for Di Ford Hall's Pendle Hill class this Saturday, July 4th, we have ONE seat left!  The goodie bags are packed, the biscuits are baked, all is prepared.  Phone us if you'd like to join us.

Look what's in the bags for Saturday!

Bags packed & ready to go.

We love the mini checks and finally some are coming back into stock.  Here we have a nice rich blue/teal, a deep and medium coral plus lemon and beige.  These are always a very useful texture to add to any project.

Mini checks at $24.50 per metre

Don't we all just love Show & Tell!  This week we had a visit from an old friend, Deborah Dorward, with her gorgeous Trip Around the World.  Thanks for sharing, Deborah.
 

Kurt recognises fabric in Deborah's quilt top.

Back in stock are these terrific battery LED lights.  Perfect to carry to your next day out to stitch with friends.  Choose from red, black or white.

LED lights $34.95

Sam say, 'I don't mind helping, but I maybe you could pack my bed next time!'  Have a great weekend everyone.
 

Just a pillow would be nice . . .

A blast from the past ~

What a lovely surprise when Jo Donelan arrived this week with her Show & Tell.  Out of her bag came her Bowtie Quilt - quilted and bound ~ Finished!  Jo started it 10 years ago when we met at a Waverley Symposium and I was stitching my tiny blocks.  We drew up the templates for her and off she went.  Mine was inspired by a gorgeous antique quilt owned by Jan Gessin Baker shown at Threadbear's Quilt History Study group many years ago.  Yep - it will be quite a while until mine is ready to be shown.

Well done, Jo.  Wish mine was done!

Lovely new fabrics from one of our favourite designers, Judie Rothermel's newest collection of 'Dressing Gowns'.  Eight bolts in this collection ~ they won't last long.

Dressing Gowns ~ $24 per metre

More fabrics just in through our front door ~ four pieces of 'Winter Blessings' ~ yummy reds & greens.

Winter Blessings ~ $23.50 per metre

Our clever Megan has assembled a very tempting kit for 'Jane's Garden' ~ pattern by Di Ford Hall.  As we are choosing a range of sashings & borders for this one we have two options: the pattern & pack for everything excluding the border & binding @ $250 plus postage; or add another 2-3 metres and receive the border & binding as well.

Jane's Garden kit

Congratulations are in order!  Well done Margaret McDonald for your prize at the Sydney Quilt Show last week for your stunning quilt:  'Unified'.  

Check out other quilts by Margaret on margaretmcdonald.com.au

 Sam is guarding the Repro Fabric Club stack as his dad cuts & cuts & cuts . . .

Still more Dad?  I'm ready to go home!

Have a great weekend stitching on your favourite quilt.

It's been a busy week at Threadbear....

There has been lots happening in the shop in the past week ~ hence we are a day late with our weekly blog post. Last Saturday Threadbear's Applique Group met here in Castlemaine and celebrated the Group's 7th Anniversary with some special visitors including HRH Queen Elizabeth!  The Union Jack bunting was up, the flags were out in readiness and HRH herself arrived in her best country wear, tweed skirt, wellies, headscarf and sensible coat! 

Everyone had a good laugh and enjoyed catching up over a cuppa and some stitching

Show and Tell is always a favourite with the group; here is just a smattering...

Kaye's gorgeous "Oh Dear Mrs Thompson" aka the Burnt Quilt ~ with her  own centre design and choice of colours. 

Kilmore Quilters' raffle quilt for their forthcoming exhibition - Corliss' Antique Applique Sampler made by Kilmore Quilters

Then on Tuesday, the lovely Pam brought her Miss Matty's Parlour in to show us ~ what a gorgeous array of fabrics Pam!  

And today the our friend Joy arrived with her Miss Matty's Parlour ready to pick a border. Luckily, she brought Libby and Jill to confer with on the best choice.  Thanks also Libby, for showing us your spectacular Texas Star quilt.

Joy's Miss Matty's Parlour

Libby's Texas Star

And speaking of fabric, a few newies arrived this week including these gorgeous purples from Davenport Gardens by Paula Barnes.  Just 4 for our shelves, but all are good useable purples to add to your stash.  Plus, a few new basics also from Marcus Fabrics, ~ all great for applique. 

And as for Sammy,  well he has been incredibly busy at home getting his toys in order, rearranging his blanket, and checking his dinner bowl several times a day hoping for a treat or two.  Have a great weekend everyone whatever you are doing!

Not that we have the Blues . . .

But we do have the Union Blues ~ 1870-1900!  This is a gorgeous new range by Barbara Brackman for Moda fabrics.  With forty pieces in this collection blues are very comprehensively covered from fabulous deep ombre prints to mid blues to blue prints on a warm cream background.  In addition there are yummy olive greens and deep eggplant prints.  

these browns are much warmer & richer than our photo ~ $22 per m

and these blues are brighter & deeper in colour

these are also warmer and less grey than the photo

lovely creamy backgrounds

must be today's photographer!  these are also much warmer in colour

From Andover we have a lovely butterfly print from the Arbor Rose collection.  Can't you just see using this as a background for appliqued flowers and more!
 

$24.50 per metre

Lastly, a one off from the Maison de Garance by French General.  Another fabulous background print  ~ this one is definitely going into my stash.

$23.00 per metre

 Our lovely friend, Pam, brought her very gorgeous 'Miss Matty's Parlour' to show us today.  What a great history of your fabrics, Pam.  Pattern by Threadbear's own Megan Carroll. 

Thanks, Pam!  :))

Sam is so happy to back in the shop now that his mum & dad are back home from a fantastic time away.  

 

Welcoming old friends....

 Newly arrived at Threadbear this week are Jo's Best Friends ~ 44 old favourites from Jo Morton's best ranges over the years.  These are all great reproduction "basics" to compliment your reproduction stash.  We love the colours and the prints ~ some you may already have, some you may want again, or didn't get the first time round. Choose from light shirtings, creamy beige and tan, gold/mustard, medium and dark blues, yellow greens, rich reds and gorgeous blacks.

Gorgeous yellow greens

Golds/mustards and blues

Rich reds and interesting blacks

And look how beautifully Jo's Best Friends compliment the Palampore

 We've had lots of interstate visitors over the last few weeks, and they all seem surprised at how much fabric Threadbear has to choose from.  So for those of you who are too far away to visit us often, here's a couple of photos of the shop taken this morning which looked so warm and inviting on this cold frosty morning. 

Meanwhile, Sam is keeping busy on holiday camp, with a busy schedule of waking up, eating playing, sleeping, walks, playing, sleeping, stretching, sleeping, socializing, sleeping...

It's a such a busy life, he was even dozing off sitting up. Have a great week everyone.