1st May 2015

Out & About

We are in the midst of celebrating/remembering the events of World War 1 and very recently the contribution made by the Anzac troops; well the girls from the textile group E.A.S.T. have put together an exhibition that has been touring the country entitled Between the Lines

Each of the thirteen artists has explored the 1914/18 conflict and undertaken extensive research of their chosen theme. These include a wide range of topics and reflections from life on the Western Front, the role of women, the effects on landscape and nature, allied armies mapping, armaments and the works of writers and artists in 1920’s – a truly fascinating exhibition.

And did you catch the small exhibition we filmed also inspired by World War 1 made by members of the London Quilters?

Quilting Retreats/Workshops

Bridlington in the news today as it’s the start of the Tour de Yorkshire cycle race and if you are in the area then Kathleen Laurel-Sage is teaching ‘Machine Embroidered and Soldered Flower Panel’ next week at the Royal Hotel – there are some last minute places 5/6/7^th May.

We had the pleasure of filming with Kathleen recently – check out Valerie’s Blog post in the Community section.

Interested in joining a retreat? then Jennie, Valerie and Sarah (from Pauline’s Patchwork) also have a few places left next month – 12-14 June – at Dunford House in Midhurst. Just click here for details and if you want to be a bit of a rebel and work on a project of your own – just ask!

You can get more details of this and other classes in our Classified section

For the Textile Enthusiast

Kate Crossley shows you how to create some fantastic fabric with acid etching – much safer and easier than it sounds and she has put together a starter kit so you can have a go!

Handy Tips

Jennie comes up with an interesting use for a pencil with an eraser on the end (!): Valerie helps you with straight strip piecing and did you catch our Throwback Thursday tip about the use of doorstops?– our Facebook fans did.

An easy way to turn a tube of fabric from Jennie Rayment

Book of the Month

This month we have Sew Useful by Debbie Shore as our Book of the Month and for those of you who like to sew things other than quilts – this is a great choice.

The book contains 23 storage solutions to sew for your home – from a keep tidy tote; to a garden tote; a nappy bag and/or handy loo roll holder; needlecraft folder and a Sewing Machine Bag – a wide variety of projects all with well illustrated instructions. Free p&p in the UK for the month of May.

Product of the Month

We are very excited about this new feature; it allows you to purchase our selected product for the month with FREE p&p for UK purchasers for that month PLUS you get free entry into a draw to win a free month’s subscription to the site.

For May 2015 our chosen product is Ruby Red Shot Cotton Charm Packs from Oakshott Fabrics This pack of 5″ squares contains 16 colours, each perfectly graded to flow from its neighbour.

(If you wonder what you can make with it – Valerie used 2 packs to make the quilt for her friends, plus background fabric which was inspired by the modern charm workshop)

Giveaway for subscribed members

This month we have a set of a co-ordinating charm pack and strip roll, in Japanese fabrics, which has been put together exclusively for us by Creative Quilting – aren’t they lovely: