Hello fellow quilters, where has the year gone?

We cannot believe it is already the end of term 4 and another year has slipped us by.

In October we travelled with the shop to Broken Hill to the Silver City Quilters’ quilt exhibition.  Such beautiful quilts, we had a wonderful time, the girls were the best, and we now have some nice new friends.  We look forward to another visit in the future.

We also took the shop out to Gawler for the Gawler textile weekend. The ladies from Gawler Quilting Circle invited us to be part of their exhibition. More beautiful quilts and lovely quilters.  Jen was even taken on a grand tour to the other 2 quilt exhibitions that were on with Heather.  They were amazing.  Terry was “kidnapped” and taken to see the a beautiful exhibition in a garden by the Hilltop Quilters.

We have really enjoyed our travelling shop visits this year.  We have seen so much of the countryside, met such wonderful, warm and welcoming quilters, and seen some fantastic ‘show & tells’ and exhibitions.  We have such talented people here in SA.  We look forward to next years visits, and getting to meet more wonderful quilters.  Be quick to book a visit as our calendar is filling fast.

In November we had a fantastic Melbourne cup day with its thrills and spills.  Everyone loved the new venue, the food was great, and Rachelle did a fantastic job of revealing two beautiful Mystery Quilts.  Show and Tell from last year’s Melbourne Cup mystery was just amazing, so many finished ones.  The shop also had a stall at the Craft & Quilt Fair.  Terry & I had a great time catching up and chatting to all our friends.

Congratulations must go to Rachelle, for her recent awards.

Runner Up Best of Show, 1st in its Category, Excellence in Domestic Machine Quilting, and also announced at the December guild meeting, Viewers Choice.  Congratulations Rachelle for being the winner of this prestigious award.  Nothing better than being picked by your peers.

November also took us to Melbourne for the Australian Quilt Market.

This is a trade show for shop owners to go and see what is new in the patchwork industry.  We took our daughter Alynda (you may have seen Ally with us at the Craft Fair) with us to get a younger persons perspective and to help us with our selections.  We are excited with a new block of the month call “Life is Beautiful” Jen is currently stitching the samples and I will be putting it together.  Look out for this and a new one from Elizabeth Camping early in the year.

Check out our latest workshops, Jen has worked hard, and has some great classes planned for next year.  You will see that there is plenty on offer for all tastes.

Until next time, Hugz and Happy Quilting
Jen and Terry, Julie, Mary and Rachelle.

Maddi’s Fabric Barn has been around for 30 years!  That’s a real treat these days.

The shop has seen many transitions, from drapery to wool to craft and patchwork.

Maddi has spent 25 years in the ‘rag trade’ – 4 years with Bridal and Evening Wear.  She spent 16 years nursing, but the pull back to sewing was far too strong to ignore, and Maddi found herself back with patchwork quilting.

Many of the local kids have learned to sew at the Fabric Barn, with Maddi teaching them the basics of sewing, and continuing on with their crafty skills if they express a desire to learn more – we all know just how contagious patchwork can be!

Maddi’s shares her many years experience, knowledge and skills in her Fabric Barn.

Hobbysew Echuca owner Karen, knew when she opened her store that they needed to provide a wider range of patchwork quilting fabrics for all the local quilters and craft people, including scrapbooking, quilting, embroidery and more.

It seems such a long time ago and time has just flown by since we opened our store in October 1993. Our store is a one stop shop for crafters and sewers alike. We stock a variety of products for scrapbooking, quilting, embroidery or just everyday crafting and haberdashery.

Helpful staff and tutors are always on hand to answer all you queries.

South Fabrics Echuca Patchwork Quilting Fabric Shop has been serving the quilters of Echuca for over 15 years. Liz Taylor of South Fabrics Echuca Patchwork Quilting Fabric Shop has been sewing since she was 15, and quilting has always been a part of her passion.

A local quilt group asked Liz to open a quilt shop in the area so she could share her knowledge and experience in patchwork quilting.

South Fabrics carries a good range of Indiginous and Oriental patchwork fabrics, flannel and kids quilting fabric. With over 4,000 bolts in stock you’re sure to find what you’re looking for.

South Fabrics Echuca Patchwork Quilting Fabric Shop runs regular patchwork and embroidery classes.

Sewing machines are available to the sewers and quilters of Echuca, bringing you the Janome range of machines. Sewing machine service is also offered on all brands.

So why not stop by and visit Liz at South Fabrics Echuca Patchwork Quilting Fabric Shop.

Patchwork Charm is located in Shepparton, a large regional city in Victoria. Situated in the rich farming area of the Goulburn Valley in north central Victoria, Patchwork Charm serves quilters from a wide area of the state. We are open 6 days a week, Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm and on Saturday 10am to 4pm.

Our store provides a broad selection of fabrics with ranges including florals, country, pastels, batik, novelty, vintage and reproduction styles.

We have been serving the quilters of the Goulburn Valley for more than 13 years, and provide classes for beginners and advanced skills.

Patchwork By Sea Donates $200 to Bowel Cancer Research

Magazine Donations

Many thanks to our customers that donated their unwanted quilt related magazines. Since we started this in October over $200 has been raised towards bowel cancer research.

These pre loved magazines that were donated were picked up by new owners for just $1.00 each. Amazing the number of people who have taken the magazines, read them, and then donated them back.

To help us to keep this up and running, we are always looking for donations of any unwanted quilt related magazines.

Tarmac Fabrics Patchwork Quilting has been in business for 30 years!

Tarmac has always stocked fabric and wool, and Patchwork Quilting Fabric has been in store for the last 15 years.

Tarmac Fabrics owner, Beryl, has been sewing since she was just 8 years old, making aprons for her Mum and Barbie clothes for her sister.

Beryl studied domestic arts and became a secondary teacher, teaching for 12 years in schools.

Beryl didn’t hesitate when the opportunity came up to open her shop, Tarmac Patchwork and Quilting Fabrics.

If you are looking for some extra company with your quilting, relax and take a break from the farm, enjoy a social outing and share your quilting experience – why not try one of the ‘therapy sessions’ at Tarmac Patchwork Quilting Fabrics

Welcome to 2010! I hope you & yours had great holidays and look forward to lots of exciting times in this new year.

We received boxes AND boxes of fabric just as we closed the doors for the holidays. Have a look at these terrific new reproduction ranges now in stock: Pennock Album, Folklore, and Fairmount Park with most of the very popular Peddlers Pack back in stock, also.

Look for the photos of our lovely day with Di Ford as we launched her newest pattern Ann’s Legacy – A Tribute to Ann Daggs. We look forward to hearing from you or seeing you here in Castlemaine very soon.

Corliss

Fairmount Park – Industrial Revolution 1876-1880
by Windham Fabrics

1876 in America was “the year of the great anniversary.”   This was the year of the nation’s 100th birthday, and there was much to celebrate.

There was tremendous industrial growth after the Civil War, and the country was on the brink of becoming the major manufacturing force of the world.

One particular celebration took place in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park.   Over 100,000 people came to see the great displays of machines, inventions, andamusing spectacles.

The great Machinery Hall covered 14 acres and housedmachines to saw logs, spin cotton and print newspapers.   Most stunning was the 700 tonne Corliss steam engine, generating 2500 horsepower to the hall.

It was said that the intent of this exhibition was to present to the rest of the world that the United States was the leader in technological achievement. $24.25 per metre

Gloria Loughman Workshops

Last year we advised that we had been fortunate enough to secure Gloria Loughman to teach workshops for us in 2010.

We are happy to announce that all the details have now been finalised. The 3 classes chosen remain the same but we can now give a bit more detail for each class.

Friday 16th April – Drawing Nature with Thread.

Capture the beauty of nature using easy to master free motion stitching techniques. Learn how to get the best stitch on your machine then have fun creating interesting textures and outlines. And this is all before lunch!!! In the afternoon, create a small wall hanging, featuring a simple background and luscious machine embroidery. Suitable for all levels.

Saturday 17th & Sunday 18th – Playing on the Surface. Limited spaces are available.

Create an abstract design while improving your machine embroidery and appliqué skills. Choose stunning colour combinations and learn how to use ‘easy to master’ construction techniques. Move on to decorate the surface with a myriad of shapes, providing extra detail with machine embroidery. Based on the skills used to create ‘Kimberley Mystique’ the wall hangings produced in this workshop will definitely be ‘one of a kind’

Monday 19th – Colour is Magic

A stress free class where students have fun experimenting with colour and design. Beginning with structured colour schemes, students will confidently move on to create a simple landscape quilt that features an unusual palette of fabrics. The emphasis will be on colour choice and value, using colours that may never have been seen before in nature but work harmoniously together for a stunning and different effect.

Saturday night – Lecture – The Quilted Landscape

Have you thought about making a quilt to capture your memories of a special place? Perhaps a wonderful holiday destination, a view from your lounge room window or a memory of a special place from childhood. No matter what the inspiration, creating a landscape quilt is an achievable project. The process combines making decisions about design and colour choices as well as incorporating accurate construction techniques. This lecture and slide show will focus on these components, solving the mystery of where to begin.

These workshops and lecture will be held at the Brighton Masonic Hall, 1 Commercial Rd, Brighton. This venue proved very popular for our Melbourne Cup Mystery day, the facilities and lighting are excellent.

Each single day class is $80, while the 2 day class is $160. For those that attend the 4 days of workshops, the lecture on Saturday night will be free, while those that have attended any of the classes individually will be able to come to the lecture for just $5.00 Anyone wanting to attend the lecture only, the cost is only $10.00 For those that have paid their deposits, the balance is now due. Requirement sheets are also ready to be picked up. If you do not live locally, the balance can be arranged over the phone and the requirements can be posted to you.

To enquire or book for these workshops, contact Patchwork By Sea.