End of year Show and Tell! Yesterday we had the morning version and tonight we have one for the workers!
Yesterdays was great. We saw a lot of finished quilt as you go items. I think that pretty much proves how that technique above all others sees finished quilts.
And one of those ladies won the Ott Light that was the prize offered to all those who joined in with the Show and Tell.
There were other lucky door prizes drawn from all who came.
We had a range of Fat Quarters for only $3 each and half price Fat 8ths too. Double VIP discounts also added to the fun!
Rosemary proved that she has a great eye for colour when she managed to collect over 20 FQs from the reduced range that all coordinated. Amazing! It looked like a jumble sale to me!
Can't wait for tonight to do it all again!
Friday, November 30, 2007
Friday, November 9, 2007
Singer Catalogue Specials
Your Christmas Gift
Free from Singer
40,000 homes in Canberra are getting a catalogue from Singer with their very special Christmas promotion.
Buy any.... yes.....ANY
Sewing machine, overlocker or ironing press before 15th of January and you will receive a free DVD player
When you buy something for her, you will receive something for him free.
To celebrate this wonderful offer we have added two great new machines to our already extensive range of Singer machines.
Free from Singer
40,000 homes in Canberra are getting a catalogue from Singer with their very special Christmas promotion.
Buy any.... yes.....ANY
Sewing machine, overlocker or ironing press before 15th of January and you will receive a free DVD player
When you buy something for her, you will receive something for him free.
To celebrate this wonderful offer we have added two great new machines to our already extensive range of Singer machines.
Welcome to:
LED screen, 173 built in stitches. Alphabet and numbers. 7 styles of 1-step buttonhole. Automatic needle threader.
5 year warranty and bonus extension table. Extension tables are worth more than their weight in gold when you are working with large items like curtains or quilts.
It is being launched with a huge savings of $700, priced at just $999!!!!(plus the free you know what..)
Plus you can chose to add software to your machine.
- Singer 7470.
LED screen, 173 built in stitches. Alphabet and numbers. 7 styles of 1-step buttonhole. Automatic needle threader.
5 year warranty and bonus extension table. Extension tables are worth more than their weight in gold when you are working with large items like curtains or quilts.
- Singer Futura CE150
It is being launched with a huge savings of $700, priced at just $999!!!!(plus the free you know what..)
Plus you can chose to add software to your machine.
Storage space at the shop is tight so we can not guarantee that the machines will be still there when you walk in on Christmas eve, so please think ahead and buy or layby your machines now!
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Show and Tell Extravaganza
Don't forget to mark your calendars with our Show and Tell dates
Thursday Morning, 29th November
Friday Night, 30th November
What we want to see are all the projects begun in a Hobbysew Belconnen class.
Bring it finished.. or not... for show and tell and be entered in the draw for an table top portable Ott light.
There will be specials, nibbles and a good time.
Let us know if you are coming to help with catering. Thanks.
Monday, October 29, 2007
New Favorite
I just love these sewing caddies.
They are available in two stained timbers. Pine and teak. They have a place for all my little sewing things. Scissors, threads, pins, thimbles, mini hoop and my current applique project.
The large is quite spacious and has a big central storage place that is as deep as the sewing box plus the pull out compartments. It's $125. The small one still has storage for larger bits in the bottom tray but is more compact and the handle slides down to make it even more so. It is $68.95. Think Christmas!
My cunning plan is to put all my bits into one of these, leave it on the coffee table and call it decoration instead of mess!!!
Friday, October 26, 2007
Managers' Special
This week's Managers' Special is our range of 1930's Reproduction fabric.
At $15 per metre they are a fantastic price!
This will run for a week and end 2nd of November when the next special is announced
At $15 per metre they are a fantastic price!
This will run for a week and end 2nd of November when the next special is announced
Monday, October 15, 2007
Tales of Wadding
On the third Monday of the month we hold a free layer and baste class. I always start the class with a walk through our wadding corner in the classroom.
There are so many different waddings/battings available that beginner quilters can feel overwhelmed so I try to describe what you will need from a wadding and which wadding will meet the needs. As I have just run through it all this morning, it is fresh in my mind so I thought I'd try to write it down in an orderly manner!
Are you doing "show off" quilting? Wadding comes with loft. The difference in the height of the wadding as it stands normally and then when squeezed between your fingers is the loft. High loft will give your quilting more definition and low loft will give it a flatter profile. High loft tends to be less dense and low loft more dense.
Washing. Some waddings shrink. Some are easy care, throw-them-in-the-machine and others need hand washing. Some need pre-washing before quilting.
I prefer to do the "worst case scenario" to my materials before I assemble the quilt. That way if they fail the test, I have not wasted my time and effort along with my money!
To pre-wash, fill the trough next to your washing machine with warm-hotter water and hand agitate. Lift gently from trough and into the washing machine to spin out the excess water. Hang on the clothes line by draping over several lines. Do not let the whole weight of the wadding and water hanging from one line on the clothesline. Poly waddings do not, in general, need pre-washing except for health reasons.
Bed or wall. Soft finish for beds to snuggle in the cold and firmer for art to hold it square on the wall.
Who is it for? At both age extremes washing and use can dictate the wadding. Easy washing in nursing homes is important and midnight washing machine cycles on Johnny's "nye nye" means you may need it to survive the dryer. Open fires in the home might steer you to a different decision.
Fire: Wool is resistant, cotton burns cleanly and poly is a disaster. If open flames are a consideration then that will guide your choice.
Ease of use? Some of the Pellon products come with the capacity to be ironed on without needing basting.
Some waddings used to beard. That is when the fine fibres of the wadding get pulled through from the middle to the quilt top making an unsightly fuzz. I haven't heard of this happening much lately as brands become more accountable. Even so there are some types that have taken extra measures to combat bearding such as Bond Tight which is available by special order.
Some waddings need more quilting.
You also need to be aware that if you are going to hand quilt, the choice of wadding will be crucial to a happy experience.
Cost. You have to weigh up whether the use it is going to get warrants the expense.
So what have we got?
We have a needlepunched poly. (needlepunching process is to reduce the chance of bearding and to keep the wadding stable after quilting and not break apart and form clumps. It comes in two widths, 115cm and 250cm, and is budget priced. It is a bit stretchy around the edges but settles down with a pat. Unbeatable value. I use it regularly in quilts that are just for fun and not heirloom-status.
Quilter's Low Loft is well priced. It has a low profile but will still offer good definition to your quilting. It is fully machine washable and does not shrink nor need pre-washing. It is firmer wadding and would suit wall quilts.
Cosy Cotton is lovely and soft. It feeds through the sewing machine really well as it squishes in and through the c-section of your machine. It is dense and heavy so if you are prone to sore shoulders you may prefer to use the wool.
Once quilted it is immediately gorgeous to wrap around you as it drapes really nicely. The cotton will shrink by 4% and must be pre-washed. Buy 105cm for every metre you need. It is a much safer fire option that then 100% polys. This is my personal favorite.
Nu Wool is a blend of wool and poly. It is dense and firm when it is new. It makes an ideal wadding for wall hangings as the firmness helps hold it flat and tidy against the wall. With use though, it quickly softens until you can not tell whether there is wool or cotton in the quilt by its draping. The firmness means that quilting is less easy as far as fitting it through the C-section, but on the other hand, it is lighter and less tiring to maneuver.
In addition to these we have three Pellon products. Pellon is dense and stable and a high quality product. Many ladies use it behind their stitcheries and stitch through all layers to give the stitching better definition and quilting it as they go. It comes in one thickness as a sew-in products and in two with the iron-on capacity.
Well! I can imagine I will be back to edit this as there is so much to say about waddings, but this will do as a start!
There are so many different waddings/battings available that beginner quilters can feel overwhelmed so I try to describe what you will need from a wadding and which wadding will meet the needs. As I have just run through it all this morning, it is fresh in my mind so I thought I'd try to write it down in an orderly manner!
Are you doing "show off" quilting? Wadding comes with loft. The difference in the height of the wadding as it stands normally and then when squeezed between your fingers is the loft. High loft will give your quilting more definition and low loft will give it a flatter profile. High loft tends to be less dense and low loft more dense.
Washing. Some waddings shrink. Some are easy care, throw-them-in-the-machine and others need hand washing. Some need pre-washing before quilting.
I prefer to do the "worst case scenario" to my materials before I assemble the quilt. That way if they fail the test, I have not wasted my time and effort along with my money!
To pre-wash, fill the trough next to your washing machine with warm-hotter water and hand agitate. Lift gently from trough and into the washing machine to spin out the excess water. Hang on the clothes line by draping over several lines. Do not let the whole weight of the wadding and water hanging from one line on the clothesline. Poly waddings do not, in general, need pre-washing except for health reasons.
Bed or wall. Soft finish for beds to snuggle in the cold and firmer for art to hold it square on the wall.
Who is it for? At both age extremes washing and use can dictate the wadding. Easy washing in nursing homes is important and midnight washing machine cycles on Johnny's "nye nye" means you may need it to survive the dryer. Open fires in the home might steer you to a different decision.
Fire: Wool is resistant, cotton burns cleanly and poly is a disaster. If open flames are a consideration then that will guide your choice.
Ease of use? Some of the Pellon products come with the capacity to be ironed on without needing basting.
Some waddings used to beard. That is when the fine fibres of the wadding get pulled through from the middle to the quilt top making an unsightly fuzz. I haven't heard of this happening much lately as brands become more accountable. Even so there are some types that have taken extra measures to combat bearding such as Bond Tight which is available by special order.
Some waddings need more quilting.
You also need to be aware that if you are going to hand quilt, the choice of wadding will be crucial to a happy experience.
Cost. You have to weigh up whether the use it is going to get warrants the expense.
So what have we got?
We have a needlepunched poly. (needlepunching process is to reduce the chance of bearding and to keep the wadding stable after quilting and not break apart and form clumps. It comes in two widths, 115cm and 250cm, and is budget priced. It is a bit stretchy around the edges but settles down with a pat. Unbeatable value. I use it regularly in quilts that are just for fun and not heirloom-status.
Quilter's Low Loft is well priced. It has a low profile but will still offer good definition to your quilting. It is fully machine washable and does not shrink nor need pre-washing. It is firmer wadding and would suit wall quilts.
Cosy Cotton is lovely and soft. It feeds through the sewing machine really well as it squishes in and through the c-section of your machine. It is dense and heavy so if you are prone to sore shoulders you may prefer to use the wool.
Once quilted it is immediately gorgeous to wrap around you as it drapes really nicely. The cotton will shrink by 4% and must be pre-washed. Buy 105cm for every metre you need. It is a much safer fire option that then 100% polys. This is my personal favorite.
Nu Wool is a blend of wool and poly. It is dense and firm when it is new. It makes an ideal wadding for wall hangings as the firmness helps hold it flat and tidy against the wall. With use though, it quickly softens until you can not tell whether there is wool or cotton in the quilt by its draping. The firmness means that quilting is less easy as far as fitting it through the C-section, but on the other hand, it is lighter and less tiring to maneuver.
In addition to these we have three Pellon products. Pellon is dense and stable and a high quality product. Many ladies use it behind their stitcheries and stitch through all layers to give the stitching better definition and quilting it as they go. It comes in one thickness as a sew-in products and in two with the iron-on capacity.
Well! I can imagine I will be back to edit this as there is so much to say about waddings, but this will do as a start!
Friday, October 12, 2007
Managers' Special
OK.... I know this is cruel
You have seen our Oriental fabrics....You have tried hard to resist....
You thought you had triumphed....
.
But Najelle knows your weak spot!
All our beautiful oriental fabrics have the Managers Special banner waving over them for this week only! The special price is $17.97 per metre!
The Imperial Collection by Robert Kaufman is shown but all our lovely, mouth watering orientals are included. Look out for the Indigo prints in particular. Unbeatable at this price.
Watch out for the next special that will commence on Friday 19th October.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Meet the Editors Update
http://www.youtube.com./watch?v=A-bu-YMTuxc
This is where you need to go today! Have a look at the special day we shared with the Editors. It was a massive day and so much fun. If you were there, odds are you will see yourself in the footage. Christine Butt, who won the Huskystar is a star herself and I can see Anne Arnold chatting. Plenty of Helen and Pat Godden. The merest fleeting glimpse of me (Cathy). No sign of Najelle though... obviously too busy helping to be swanning around in the limelight!
This is where you need to go today! Have a look at the special day we shared with the Editors. It was a massive day and so much fun. If you were there, odds are you will see yourself in the footage. Christine Butt, who won the Huskystar is a star herself and I can see Anne Arnold chatting. Plenty of Helen and Pat Godden. The merest fleeting glimpse of me (Cathy). No sign of Najelle though... obviously too busy helping to be swanning around in the limelight!
Friday, October 5, 2007
Managers' Special Week 3 - 5 October
This week our special will be a price cap on our range of marble and batik fabrics. Pay no more than $17.95 per metre but only until next Friday!
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Tip for threading your sewing machine
Mega Quilter
Did you know that when your presser foot is down, the tension discs grip your thread? I was a very middle aged person by the time that piece of information sifted through to my consciousness.But once you know, two things become obvious. You should unthread and rethread your machine with the foot up!
This way you are not dragging thread through the discs to get the thread off your machine.
Most importantly it makes sure your thread is in the discs when you thread your machine and then trapped there once you start to sew- as it ought to be. This avoids many annoying tension hiccups!
Sapphire
If you are lucky enough to have one of the Sapphire machines, you can wind a bobbin while the machine is still threaded. Obviously you need to have the foot raised to let the thread feed freely from the foot and up across the thread path to the bobbin winder. Remember to have your metal A foot on so that the thread does not wear your plastic foot.Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Joy to The World
In response to interest that has been expressed we have arranged to have kits prepared for Joy to the World. The full kit, with 39 fabrics, pattern and postage in Australia will cost $220. If you have a large stash and prefer to work from there, the pattern is $17.70
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