Sunday, March 20, 2011

Sunday Stash #89

No introduction required:


Fat Quarter Bundles of Sherbet Pips by Aneela Hoey were available from Fabric Worm and Fat Quarter Shop for just moments before being sold out! I happened to be in the right place at the right time.


 Yardage available in April!

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You will be happily surprised to see that the patchwork fabrics are now on the ground floor.  Yay!  Awesome renovation and a huge range of fabrics ... and the staff are so friendly, nothing is ever too much trouble. 


If you are a RPQ Facebook Fan you may have already seen these fabrics this week.  I stocked up on some great basics. As you can see - lots of dots! 

From top to bottom:
  • Lecien - Color Basics - aqua dot on tomato red
  • Yellow Check and Yellow Dot are both A Day in the Country fabrics.
  • Pink and Blue fabrics with white polka dot Essentials by XLN Fabrics*
  • Tanya Whelan - Delilah - Dots in white
  • Essentials by XLN Fabrics - White polka dot on Black *
* Essentials by XLN Fabrics are very much like Kei Honeycomb both in print and quality, and very reasonably priced.

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And finally a big THANK YOU for all of your very kind comments regarding the baby quilt made last week.  I thought I would answer some of the questions raised in the comments section right here:


I use 100% cotton batting (Matilda's Own) for my quilts.  I am a long time fan of 100% cotton batting because it is a natural fiber with a low loft (height) which makes it easier to work with, and has great stability.  Cotton batting makes for a thin quilt with less bulk and a beautiful drape ~ and that's just how I like my quilts to look.
I have recently trialled a wool/cotton blend batting which is also a low loft batting, but I wasn't too happy with how thoroughly the wool/cotton fibers were needle punched to the scrim, and have therefore reverted back to the trusted cotton batting.


Dense quilting does affect the texture of the quilt but it doesn't overly detract from the drape of the quilt.  My experience is that once the quilt has been washed and used regularly it becomes more and more supple and  drapes gracefully.

The baby quilt is made from 2-patch squares for which I have made up my own block size; the squares are not the same size as the pattern detailed in the book:    Fresh Quilting: Fearless Color, Design, and Inspiration by Malka DubrawskyYou can readily adapt this design to any block size:  make a square of any size by sewing together two equal size rectangles; in this case, sew together two rectangles measuring 2.5 x 4.5 inches.

This is a traditional and  versatile block, and layouts can be varied and blocks tessellated to create a completely different  effect:


Have no hesitation getting your own copy of the book - it has many projects that are colorful, clever and functional.  My quilting book library wouldn't be complete without it!

Signing off from a lengthy post,
Rita

14 comments:

  1. WOW for GJs putting quilting fabric on the ground floor! I've been considering having a day out and visiting them (I'm in Werribee!) but having to take the pram made it practically impossible. Ground floor is sooooo much easier!

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  2. Love the Sherbet Pips - all the fabrics are great and yes, I must follow up on the book - many thanks for the tip!
    Hugs - Lurline♥

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  3. Dense. That's the word I was searching for, LOL. Thanks so much.

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  4. polka dots. *sigh* They are the best. Well, polka dots and stripes...

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  5. Beautiful quilt as ever, Rita and love the Kei equivalent...Kei really is the best dot EVER!

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  6. I'm coming down to Melbourne at xmas time, looking forward to exploring the fabric stores on offer -- I'll add GJs to the list. If anyone has any recommendations, I'd be glad for them. :)

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  7. I wish I lived in Australia :O)

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  8. Thanks so much for all the details. It is nice to learn some of the technical stuff as well as see all the pretty results!

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  9. Wonderful post! Reading your blog always makes me want to move to Australia :)

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  10. Thats awesome,GJ's was my local fabric store but it was always a pain to get my three kids (under 5) up those stairs. What a shame we have moved to Switzerland (3 weeks ago). Will be long time till i get to check it out.

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  11. ohhh I love sherbet pips too, it's been a top seller, those fabrics are gorgeous and I love that book too - bought it for myself for christmas and love the variety of projects in there!

    corrie:)

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  12. oooo, that fq bundle is awesome! I think I might have to order a jelly roll - my latest obsession!
    if you have scraps you want to use up, I'm hosting a mug rug swap over at www.sewhappygeek.blogspot.com and I'd be honoured if you'd join us! (It's my bday pressie to myself)

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  13. Looks like a great book to have.

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  14. Ooooh Rita -- I can't wait to see what you do with your Pips! It's so fun to see everyone finally getting them now -- soon there will be Pips quilts everywhere!

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