Craft Classes 2015

These are the classes I have for the first term of 2015.
Painting on Fabric
Either 3 Tuesdays 10/17/24 March 7pm - 9pm NZ$45
OR Sunday 22 March 9:30am - 4pm NZ$45
Dianne will show you how to paint and draw on fabric and create and embellish your fabrics using a variety of different paints, stencils, stamps, screens etc. You will learn how to make your own stencils, stamps and screens from everyday items you have around the house. Come along and have fun creating your own new fabrics and changing your existing dated fabrics into something more modern and usable.

You can create skies and landscape backgrounds as well. Above are some examples.

Bunting Quilt
Thursday 12 March 6:30pm - 9:30pm NZ$22.50
There are several fabrics arriving in store that are preprinted panels of bunting. I don't want to make bunting (there is only so much you can have of that around) so I had a play and see what you can create using those fabrics, which are designed in triangular shapes. Here is one example - I made them into rectangles by adding side triangles in background fabric.

If you don't have a bunting panel then I have a triangle template for you to use ordinary fabric to make something like this. There are lots of different settings. Come along and have a play with triangle piecing.

Applique Garden Quilt
Thursday 26th March 6:30pm - 9:30pm NZ$22.50
Dianne designed this applique garden quilt so that you can have fun designing your own garden, including a couple of snails and ladybirds. Make a wall hanging or full bed size quilt, your choice.

You will make as many appliques or as few as you require for the size project you want to work on, use dark or medium background, whatever you desire.

Vinyl Mesh Bag
Tuesday 31 March 6:30pm - 9:30pm NZ$25 + $15 pattern fee
The ladies who have made bags before have loved this class, it is really easy to make something different and useful. With lots of different colours available in the vinyl you can match or contrast to any fabric you want. Come and check out Diannes samples.

Jennies Half Nighter Patchwork Class
Jennie will be setting a date soon for June and/or July so if you are interested in attending the Half Nighter class then please call me to let me know you are interested and I can advise once a date is set.

Symposium is over and now we are back to normal

Well Symposium has been and gone and it went well. I hope many of you had a chance to get there and at least see some of the wonderful exhibitions around Palmerston North. As well as the major quilt exhibition at the Convention Centre there were 7 other quilt exhibitions around town. I know that they were well visited.
Back to normal - well as close as we can get. I have had lots of lovely fabrics arrive in store so do come in and check them out. I will put pictures of them up on the web shortly so if you cannot visit you can order on line.
Dianne

Symposium needs

It is not long now until the National Quilt Symposium being held in Palmerston North 16-21 January 2015. I have been going through the needs lists of the tutors and can offer you many items, either for purchase prior to symposium or take a chance and see if we still have stock at symposium.
The Cut A Round Tool is only NZ$60.
Some items in stock are
- Markal Paintstiks (same as Shiva), a good selection of colours available NZ$15, both standard and iridescent colours. They will last you a long time or cut them in half and share with a friend.
- Clover Fabric Folding Pens, I thought I would get some of these in to try.
- Ultimate Marking Pencil

- Transfer foils, a good selection of colours available
- Lumiere paints
- Dye-na-flow paints (these are due in about 10 days)
- Freezer paper
- Steam-a-Seam Lite is back in stock
- Frixion pens in blue and black (I love these for marking on fabric, erase with heat and bring back with extreme cold, wash once you have sewn to remove completely)
- Vliesofix- lots of metres of this available
- Jo Sonja Textile medium
- Roxanne's Glue Baste It
- Caran D'Ache Neocolour II was pastels
- Washaway, tearaway, clear sewable vinyl
- black and white Kunin felt
- Procion MX Dyes
- brushes - I have a selection or round and angled brushes
and much more.
Why not call in or give me a call (or email) and I will try to help you with your needs lists.
Have a wonderful; Christmas
Dianne

Cracker Snaps Available

More cracker snaps have just arrived in store. Not sure what they are?? That's what gives you the bang in your Christmas Cracker. We sell them for $4 a packet of 10 and there is  10% off if you buy 5 or more packets. Have a go at making your own Christmas Crackers- then you will get far better things inside than the ready made ones. They are very easy to make.
My tips - use a paper that is not too hard to pull apart, so maybe a lightweight paper which will easily pull apart and then you can always decorate with the fancy paper around the middle.
 - place your paper face down on the table and then lay a cracker snap down followed by the cardboard tube. I do this so that when it bangs you do not get a black mark on the items in your tube. - place a second tube about 1" away from the first. Roll the paper around the centre tube and tie one end very tightly between the 2 tubes. The second tube ensures that your paper doesn't squash and keeps it very nice and neat. You can push the 2 ends portions together to get that professional look. Once tied you remove this second tube and you should have a very neat and tidy looking end.
- fill whatever you want in the tube and place your spare tube in the end before you tie your last end. Once tied remove the spare tube and you should have a very professional looking cracker. Decorate the centre portion with fancy papers, decorations, glitz, whatever you want.
- enjoy pulling them. If you want to ensure the snap does go SNAP, then hold the ends making sure you have the end of the cracker snap  under your fingers so they do pull apart and bang.
Wishing you all a very merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

We will be closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, open again on Saturday morning, then closed Monday (as we usually are), open Tuesday and Wednesday then closed Thursday and Friday. Do call and visit, we have lots of lovely fabrics arrived in store for you.

Best wishes and seasons greetings to all
Dianne and Colin

Steam-A-Seam available again

Yay, our Steam-A-Seam Lite has finally arrived back in store. It is now 24" wide and one of the backing papers has a grid marked on it. Only NZ$13.80 per metre. Order now.
Dianne

Selection of New Fabrics

I feel bad - I have just seen that my last post was in September. Sorry. I had 4 weekends in a row at quilt shows , which was wonderful but I didn't get a lot done, leaving on Friday afternoons to set up and getting back late afternoon on Sundays.
Anyway - I thought you might like to see what has arrived in store just recently - some yummy fabrics, check these out

This lovely black with grey print from Copenhagen Print Factory is lovely. NZ$27.70pm

It has been a while since we had any Flower Fairy fabrics - but they have arrived

 This first one is the panel From Dawn to Dusk Fairies, 60cm panel $16.30 each

 This allover print is Day Fairies NZ$27 per metre

And this border print Dusk Fairies NZ$28.10 per metre. This is the same on both sides (ie. it repeats from the middle medium blue out to the dark blue on both sides of the fabric)

This unusual fabric from Michael Miller repeats again on the other side of the fabric fold, so if you open out the fabric this design is repeated twice, like a very large border print. I showed it to someone in store the other day and she said it would make a gorgeous dress or skirt. NZ$26.40pm

 Now - one for the boys (grown up ones too). Ford Fabrics, the panel above is NZ$26.60 (90cm wide)

 These 2 different Ford car fabrics are NZ$26.60 per metre

Then we have this lovely Japanese influenced range called Sakura, NZ$26.50 per metre Very unusual in gray and pink tones.

Lovely aren't they?
Now for something very modern and fresh looking -

You can add so many different colours to them and they will stand out beautifully. NZ$21.80 pm

And I finally have more of the vinyl bag mesh colours back in store,. They sold out very quickly and took a while for more colours to come through. Wonderful for bags and totes.
Looking forward to hearing from, or seeing you in store.
Dianne

Patchwork Classes

These are the latest classes I have scheduled. If you are interested in participating then please contact me to book in.
Owl Hand Warmer Tuesday 16 September 7-9pm NZ$15
I designed this cute little owl which can be used as a handwarmer, pop it in the microwave and then in your pocket to keep your hands warm for a while

Machine Quilting Tuesday 30 September or Wednesday 15 October 7-9pm NZ$15
Would you like to learn more about free motion machine quilting or want to practice and improve your skills. Come along and Dianne will assist you. Come to one class or both.

Double Disappearing Nine Patch Quilt Sunday 12 October 10-4pm NZ$40
Many of you have made a disappearing nine patch block, it is fun and easy to do. This is a double disappearing nine patch, just as easy to do. I made 16 blocks in an hour and a half. Yes I sew quick but you to can make them in a short time.

Here are 3 different layouts that I think look great.

Machine Pieced Hexagons Tuesday 21 October 7-9pm NZ$15
It is possible to machine piece your hexagons. Come along and see how easy this can be and how quickly you can piece them rather than sewing by hand.

Christmas Wreath Thursday 30 October 7-9 (to piece and fuse top) NZ$15 and Thursday 13 Nobvember 7-9 (to quilt it) NZ$15
Come and see how to put together a quilt top using pre-fused snippets of fabric and piece borders. Then the following lesson learn how to quilt it.