In Stitches of Williamstown

Full range of cottage garden threads

The full range of cottage garden threads are available --please call 03 9399 4177 or email laura@institches.com.au to order.  $6.60 each including postage within Australia

Rainbow garden family.

   

Pink border family.

 

Green family

 

Mustard family

 

Blue family

 

Autumn days family

 

Early winter family

 

To order please note the number of the thread in the picture below the family name. Prices are $6.60 per skein including postage in Australia.

Star of Wonder is back

After months of waiting, the Nancy Halvorsen panel "Star of Wonder" is finally back in stock.  I have had so many queries about this panel - hurry to make sure you don't miss out.  $16 per panel - please email me or call to order. 

 

Eight great ideas to use your stash

Just a few simple ideas of what you can do with those fabrics in your stash

1. If you have long thin pieces left over from previous projects, cut them into 2 1/2" strips and when you have 40 coordinating strips use these in place of a jelly roll. There are lots of patterns designed for jelly rolls.  If you do this as you use the fabrics, when you are ready to make a strip quilt the strips will be waiting for you.
2. If you have different sized strips (each the whole width of the fabric) you can just sew the strips together to make a strippy quilt without cutting them to the same width- without the preciseness of having to cut them into 2 1/2" strips.
3. Cut 8" squares.  When you have enough (about 128 for a lap quilt) you can make a shaggy edge quilt. This is quick and easy to achieve and suits a scrappy style.
4. For your smaller scraps try some english paper piecing - hexagons are a good place to start.  Just make a few each day whilst watching TV
5. You could even try your hand at yo-yos - the clover yoyo makers make fast work of this (and I can even get the kids to have a go too).  Make a variety of different sizes.  Great for embellishing a bag or quilt. There are also yo-yo animal patterns available.
6. If you have leftovers from a particular project cut the fabric into 2 1/2" squares (or smaller!) and sew them randomly together to make the centre of a scrappy backing for the same quilt
7. Sew fat quarters together in a grid to make a pieced backing (or front come to that)
8. Gather together 9 fat quarters that coordinate, making sure that you have contrasting fabrics.  Make a stack and whack quilt

I'd love to make this a list of ten things.  Do you have any other ideas?  Please post an idea using the "comment" button directly below this post.

Walking in a fabric "Wonderland"

Just arrived "Wonderland" by Momo

• fabric by the metre (see below)
• layer cakes

• promo packs

To order call 03 9399 4177 or email laura@institches.com.au

It's easy?

At the park this afternoon & my gorgeous girl did this & claimed "it's
easy!". I suppose it's all just a matter of perspective.

Sneaky projects

I'm working on a great new project with 11 other shops & 12 fabulous Aussie designers. Can't wait to be given the go ahead to tell you more about it.

I've also started working on redesigning my website which is a huge project in it's own right.

so I don't have much I can show you! Yet... But I'm hard at work behind the scenes...

How much fabric goes with a layer cake?

If you've found a layer cake you love than you might be wondering how big a quilt you can make with it and whether you need to purchase any more fabric to go with it.

How big a quilt can a layer cake make without adding any extra fabric?

Assuming that you don't cut the fabric in any way

• sew 8 rows of 5 squares together to make a rectangle.  Gives a quilt 1.2m x 1.9m approx.  A smallish single?

• sew 6 rows of 6 squares to make a square.  Gives a quilt 1.4m square approx.  A lap quilt - too small for a double or queen sized quilt.
  

How much fabric should I buy to go with a layer cake?

Depends what you are planning to do.  Think about

1. Inner border
2. Outer border
3. Binding
4. Sashing

The amounts below are a guide only.  The design of the quilt will determine how much fabric is required.  Calculations should be done for your particular quilt.

Inner border

• 50-60cm for a 2" finished inner border.

Outer border

• 1.8m fabric would cut into 8 strips each 8.5" wide for an 8" finished outer border.  This would be the border of quite a large quilt so would be ample.

• Alternatively 1.4m fabric would cut into 7 strips each 7.5" wide for a 7" finished outer border.

Binding

• 60cm for binding cut into 2.5" strips.

Sashing

• 1.1m for 2" finished sashing between the blocks should be sufficient for the 6x6 quilt referred to above. (excludes inner border so does not go around the outside of the quilt centre.)

Cottage garden threads

Look at all these yummy Cottage Garden Threads available from www.institches.com.au.  These are all cotton threads (10m long) hand overdyed. They have a short stitch length which means that they change colour frequently. They are designed specifically for stitchery.  They retail for $6.60 per skein.  They should be washed in cold water, line dried and pressed only with a dry iron.

Pink

 

Green family   

Rainbow garden family 

If you are interested in seeing the full range check out www.institches.com.au - I'll load them all over the next couple of days.

They look great stitched out.  Brenda Ryan has started to use them and the samples look terrific!

Bearly Quilting

Exciting News

Julie has started a business so that you can take your quilt top, batting and backing, and quilt it yourself using her long arm machine!

Julie provides tuition and guidance and hires the machine out by the hour.

If you live in the Williamstown / Newport area why not consider giving this a go.  If you get in touch  with me I can put you in contact with Julie.

Ten things to do with layer cakes!

          

Everyone loves layer cakes (Forty 10" squares) but what do you do with them?  Here are ten simple ideas to get you started:

1. Join together in a grid (5 x 8) for a single bed or 6x6 for a lap quilt.  You will need to add borders to make it large enough.
2. Join together with 2" sashing in between - this makes the layer cake go further.
3. Put a two inch border around each 10" square then join together.  This makes a quilt even larger than just using sashing.
4. Set 25 layer cake squares on point - then add setting triangles, two borders and you have a pretty large, simple, effective quilt.  Patterns available.
5. Cut each 10" square into two rectangles.  Join rectangles together into long thin columns.  When joining columns together use a stagger so that you get a "brick wall" effect.
6. As for number 5 but with sashing.
7. Cut each 10" square into two triangles by cutting on the diagonal from point to point.  Join two different triangles together to make a half square triangle unit.  Join in rows and columns in a pleasing arrangement.
8. As for number 7 except set on point.  Super effective for not much extra effort.
9. Lay squares on top of each other and cut more than one at a time to a specific pattern (eg scattered squares).  Pattern available.
10. Make a disappearing nine patch.  Pattern available.  This uses 1/2 a layer cake (plus one 5" square scrounged from your stash) to make a cot quilt  OR use a whole layer cake to make a lap sized quilt.

Want to find out more, or see more details of the patterns.  Buy my booklet on simple layer cake ideas.  This has diagrams and measurements for different sized quilts.
Contact laura@institches.com.au for more details.