It's been a good start to the year, lots of projects being kicked off - our Class List was emailed a couple of weeks ago and the classes are going really well. Be sure to get a copy next time you’re in the shop. Peggy & I have been flat out making up new samples, both for the classes and some new kits we’ve been putting together and of course there’s been plenty of chatter about what events we’ll be hosting this year.
First up, we’ve got Pauline Rogers visiting us again at the end of this month. Pauline’s kindly offered to conduct a schoolhouse lecture & demonstrations on Saturday 27 February and then hold a workshop the next day. I’ve attached a flyer with all the details. We’re also planning a weekend with Sandy Gray from The Silver Thimble, Barcaldine later in the year and of course we’ll visit Clermont for a Retreat. We’ve already chosen the date for the retreat – the weekend of 17 July, so you have lots of time to plan ahead!
There are some really great surprises which we can't wait to share with you ...lots of new fabrics to arrive, new classes and heaps more. A most exciting year ahead!
Because of the number of American bag patterns that recommend Peltex ultra-firm Stabilizer, we thought we’d try it. We now have Peltex 70 Ultra-firm (must be sewn in), Peltex 71 – Single sided fusible stabilizer and Peltex 72 – 2 sided, fusible stabilizer in stock. They’re all 20” (50cm) wide and are priced from $19.60 per metre.
Classes: Fiona’s running a Wrap Skirt Class this Saturday – a very simple project that will easily become a favourite garment for seasons to come.
If you’re like me though, as we get closer to autumn, your thoughts are turning toward the cooler months and what delights you would like to create to keep you cosy. Why not join our 2010 Mystery? We’re going to run it a little differently this year in that we’ll be working on it for five consecutive Thursday evenings, starting 25 February and repeating the sessions on Friday mornings for those who can’t attend at night.
Finally ... have you had a peak at our blog? With loads more up-to-date information and colour photos... it’s a great read! Take a look and leave us a comment – we’d love to know what you think!
All of us here at Peggy & Bev’s Place look forward to a glorious year of patchwork and sewing. Look for our next newsletter with details of our Barcaldine project as well as all our new fabrics & classes.
Hello wonderful Sewers,
This is the newsletter I started & meant to send before I went off for a week’s holiday (to attend the Fleetwood Mac Concert in
Christmas shopping is in full swing at the shop, Peggy’s been working hard, unpacking some gorgeous new fabrics to tempt and inspire. She’s made up some beautiful kits for you to put under your trees (although I see in the time I’ve been away that many have gone, so you will need to be quick). Be sure to let your families know that we offer gift vouchers and we’re also happy to wrap anything purchased for a gift!
Finally, we’d like to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas and a Wonderful New Year. Drive safely & take care, we look forward to seeing you in the New Year.
Bev & Peggy
While Pauline was here she very kindly judged the entries in our 2009 Challenge. Pauline was very impressed with the originality and the creative use of the fabrics for the Challenge. So without further ado the winning entries were:
1st – Maureen Farrelly’s Christmas Tree Hanging
2nd – Bev Gurren’s Octagonal Table Runner
3rd – Ruth Anderson’s Christmas Stocking
Thank you to all our entrants, we really do appreciate your support.
Christmas Opening Hours & SALE!!!
We will be closing the shop at 12:00 on Christmas Eve. The following week we’ll be open - Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday from 10:00 till 1:00pm & we’ve decided to have a Snap Sale to encourage everyone to feel Creative leading into 2010. We’ve decided to take 25% off everything (excluding class bookings) during these three days, so be sure to come in!
Then from Monday 4th January we’ll be open our regular hours from
9:30 – 5:00pm, Monday to Friday and
9:00 – 12:00 on Saturdays.
2010 Classes & Workshops
It looks quite intimidating to actually write 2010, but we’re jumping right in - we’ve planned a couple of classes early in the New Year to get you all going!
First up we’re going to keep Fiona busy doing her Easy Skirt Making Class on Saturday 9 January – at this stage the class is full, but if you’d like to come along be sure to give us a call as Fiona is happy to do more classes as required. Fiona’s planned other classes for Term One - Buttons & Closures session, a Zippered Session and a Fitted Pants and Skirt/Shirt classes if there’s enough interest.
Basic Sewing Class – this is aimed at very Beginner level. Classes will be held each Tuesday & Thursday afternoon from 2:00pm to 4:30pm, from 5 January. In Week 1, we’ve planned a Pencil Case or cushion, Week 2 a simple Wrap Skirt and Week 3 The Socialite Dress or Top.
This upbeat sampler quilt uses techniques, rulers and templates from Marti Michell. We’ve chosen modern, funky fabrics to make it up but you will choose fabrics to suit your own style. This quilt has an old world charm about it. Each fortnight a new technique will be explored taking us on a creative learning journey, building our skills as we go. Learn how to use your sewing machine effectively, improve your cutting and sewing skills, and make this fabulous quilt along the way
Peggy’s Harem Cushion
Inner City – Friday or Saturday 5/6 February
Designs created with one shape have been favourites of mosaic artists for centuries and the half-hexagon shape is no exception, but with so many set-in seams how would you sew it? Using Marti Michel’s pattern and with Peggy’s guidance you will be surprised at how easy it is.
Finally - This joke comes to you from Linda Allen of the Clermont Patchwork Group:
Last night, my husband and I were sitting in the living room and I said to him, 'I never want to live in a vegetative state, dependent on some machine and fluids from a bottle. If that ever happens, just pull the plug.'
He got up, unplugged the sewing machine, and threw out my wine. He's such an ass!
Have a Great Christmas, Bev & Peggy
www.peggyandbevsplace.typepad.com
Shop 2,
Ph 07 49876590
Hello Happy Sewers,
Another month gone – rushing as always! Lots of new fabrics, books and patterns have started to arrive, with lots more still to come over the next month or so…
In the meantime, we’ve three very exciting events taking place over the next couple of weeks;
A Stall at the annual Emerald State School Craft Fair
Our 2009 Challenge
A visit & workshops by the well known & much respected Pauline Rogers
The 20th Annual Emerald State School P&C Christmas Craft Fair takes place on Friday 27 & Saturday 28th November and we’re having a stall. We’re taking many of the quilts made in classes here, wall hangings, Hand-made Christmas decorations and more for purchase, so be sure to come and see us – we’ll be up on the Stage.
Our Challenge entries have starting coming in, (only a few so far) but it’s very exciting. The prizes are wonderful – including books, fabrics, notions & gift vouchers. You still have time to enter & we’d love to see many more creations from the talented ladies of this area. Just a reminder the rules are simple:
You can make anything you like, taking note of the following rules:
The final item is to be no bigger than 1m square
It must include at least 30% fabric from the Classic Red Collection from Paintbrush Studio (We have several fabrics from this range in stock now, priced at $22.90/m)
It must include at least 1 group of thangles
It cannot be either square or rectangle.
Copyright— if you use a pattern, or something from a book, follow the rules at least acknowledge where your inspiration came from.
The Entry form must accompany your entry, and you must let us know how/who will be collecting the entry.
Entries will be held for display in the shop 10 20 December and will be photographed for display on our Blog – www.peggyandbevsplace.typepad.com
So put your creative caps on, you could make a small quilt, runner, bag, hat, doll, Christmas decoration the possibilities are endless. Entries close 30 November 2009 and will be judged by our mystery judge. Winning entries announced Saturday 5 December.
Pauline Rogers has traveled throughout
To welcome Pauline and give everyone the chance to meet her, we’ve decided to open the shop on Friday night (4 December) from 6:30pm – 8:30pm. Come down, share a cuppa or a glass of wine and be inspired by this talented lady. Don’t forget to bring along your hand/home made creations to share with everyone on the night.
Pauline will be running two workshops while she’s here – Double Wedding Ring and Blossoming Hearts. Double Wedding Ring is a Sentimental Favorite and Pauline uses the John Flynn method of construction. Blossoming Hearts showcases a vast selection of modern techniques that will open up doors to more stunning quilts. Students will learn the easy way to create stunning effects whilst experimenting with different tools and fabric.
There are still places available if you’d like to come along to make a quilt with instruction & tuition from Pauline.
Classes for November & December
our new class list has proven popular, we’ve arranged several classes so far. As we advised last month, we haven’t set any dates for classes - when we have three or four who’d like to do a particular class we’re happy to contact them to arrange a suitable date. This way no-one misses out. Peggy’s doing a Circles and Curves class next Wednesday for a group of ladies from Tieri. Unfortunately we’re quickly running out of weekends prior to Christmas so we’ve had to postpone Fiona’s Dressmaking Classes to the New Year. She’ll be starting in mid January, so if you’d like to attend be sure to call us.
Already we’ve planned several classes for the New Year and both Peggy & I are excited. As soon as we have all the details, we’ll let you know.
Thangles
we’ve had Thangles in store for a while now and we I enjoy the convenience of using them. (The White Elephant Swap Quilt was made with Thangles).
1. Can I use Thangles for any pattern? How do I do that?
Yes! With the most common method to make half square triangles, you take the finished size and add 7/8" and then cut squares. Then you cut the squares on the diagonal to make 2 triangles. For example, if you want 2" finished, you would cut 2 7/8" squares and then cut on the diagonal. This is the method used by most pattern instructions. Usually you can see the 7/8" number in the cutting directions.
To use Thangles with this method, you take the cutting size and subtract 7/8". That gives you the finished size, which is also the same as the Thangle size. Here is an example: The pattern says, cut 3 7/8" squares for the half square triangles. You take the cutting number and subtract 7/8" to get the Thangles size. 3 7/8" - 7/8" = 3. You need 3" Thangles.
Some designers like to make their half square triangles oversized and then they trim them all up. You have to read the directions carefully to detect this tedious method. Usually, they are cutting the squares 1" larger than the finished size. As an example, they might say cut your squares 3" and then square up all the half square triangles to 2 1/2". This is a 2" finished half square triangle, so you would use a 2" Thangle.
2. What does “Finished Size” mean?
Thangles are sold by the finished size and that means the size AFTER the quilt is sewn together. For example, 3” Thangles will make a half square triangle that measures 3 ½” square before it is sewn into the quilt and 3” after. Another way to think of it is that the raw or unfinished size equals the finished size PLUS ½” for the seam allowances.
3. Why don’t you have to shorten up the stitch length?
Thangles are printed on a special easy tear paper that we get made for us. Unlike doing paper piecing with photocopy or office paper (which is made to be strong), you don’t have to shorten up the stitch length to make our paper tear off easily.
4. Why is the heatproof ink so important?
Thangles are printed with special heatproof ink. This allows you to press while the paper is still attached to your fabric and the ink will not come off on your fabric like photocopy or laser ink will. Both of those inks are heat sensitive, so they will transfer to your fabric. It’s important to leave the paper on for pressing so it can stabilize the bias seam while you press. This also sets the stitches so they will not be pulled out when you remove the paper. It’s the secret to why Thangles are so accurate; the bias seam can't stretch when you press with the paper on!
5. Why are Thangles strip based?
Strip based quilting is simple and easy. Cutting strips is a very basic quilting skill. This also allows you to cut matching squares from the same strips you use to make the half square triangles. It also makes Thangles flat and easy to store.
6. What is so special about Thangles math?
Thangles gets rid of the awful 7/8" math that is normally required for making half square triangles. Instead, Thangles works with straight grain strips that are 1/2" wider than the finished size. This also means you can cut other matching elements like squares from the same strips; you save time and fabric. There is no waste!
7. Why the diagonal layout?
The layout allows you to chain sew by sewing off one Thangles strip and onto another. It’s much faster and easier than zig-zagging around one strip at a time. It also means there are no arrows to follow, you can sew them however you like.
8. How do Thangles make block construction faster, easier and save you fabric?
You can make all the pieces for many block patterns from one set of straight grain strips. These strips are cut 1/2 inch larger than the finished size. You never have to do 7/8" calculations and you don't have to make 7/8" cuts. Your squares and half square triangles will match because they were made from the same strips. Because you just work your way down the fabric strips, making squares, or half square triangles, as you need them, there is virtually no wasted fabric. In addition, you never have to cut those odd 7/8” pieces!
That’s all for this month. Except everyone who comes to the shop knows how much Peggy & I love our food, so you’ll understand our excitement with Brumbies Go opening next door to us on Tuesday 24. To welcome them we thought we might have a few specials next week to celebrate. Be sure to come in and see what we have!
Cheers Bev & Peggy
www.peggyandbevsplace.typepad.com
Shop 2,
Ph 07 49876590
15 October 2009
Hello Happy Sewers,
Peggy & I have been busy making lots of exciting plans for the coming months, so we thought it was about time we let you all in on our plans.
First up, we have Pauline Rogers visiting us in December and will be running a workshop on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December – Pauline’s currently attending the Houston Quilt Show, so we’ll let you know more about the workshop/s on her return, in the meantime mark the dates on your calendar… While Pauline’s here she has agreed to judge the entries in the Peggy & Bev’s Place 2009 Challenge. You still have time to enter and there are some wonderful prizes on offer, so why not give it a go.
We are most excited about all our new fabrics
A clean, bright range of hot pink, black, and the sunniest yellow & delicious Lime green all teamed with white. The range is Luna from Gail Fountain & Maywood Studios. They look fresh & exciting and have a lovely ‘feel’ to them!
Reproduction fabrics from the Harmonies range from Jo Morton for Andover Fabrics
Traditional Indigo Japanese fabrics
Quilters Collection from Benartex – this is a great range of plain coloured cottons. But there’s nothing ‘plain’ about them, lovely quality & bright colours.
Collections to arrive over the next two months include Amy Butler’s Love range, Nuance from Paula Nadelstern, Oh Boy from David Walker and Maisey from Andover Fabrics
We are very, very taken with our new ranges of patterns from
Natalie Ross in Stitches – we have her new Flutterby Stitches pattern, a lovely Armchair Caddy & Folder Cover and we have ample supplies of Mr Jolly Jingles & Hangin’For Christmas that we’ll be making at our Christmas Stitch-In on the weekend of 24 & 25 October. There are still a few places left if you’d like to join us.
We’re Just Drooling over the new books in store:
A Stitch In Time – Rosalie Quinlan’s new book has 16 projects – quilts, dolls, canisters, stitcheries…, well worth time & effort, not to mention some great gift ideas included.
We’ve been Inspired by Peggy’s visit to
Peggy’s come home with so many plans and ideas that she’s bursting to share, it’s infectious! I can’t decide whether to start with the 2 1/2”strippers templates or the Hexagon Shapes, Log Cabin or more. The options are wonderful!
Till next month, Bev & Peggy
|
My Quilt My neighbour is washing her windows, and scrubbing and washing her floors… Anonymous |
we’ve chosen two wonderful patterns by Natalie Ross – Just Hangin for Christmas and Mr Jolly Jingles to work on. We thought the only way we’d get them made is if we organized a Stitch-In! Would you like to join us?
Depending on how many we have, we will either work at the shop or we may work at Peggy’s wonderful home. We thought that if everyone brought a plate to share for lunch & afternoon tea, we could then order pizza for dinner and work as late as we wanted. Kits will be available to either project. Cost $100 –includes your kit & pizza for dinner. If you’d like to attend, but work on your own project you will be welcome, cost is $40 including pizza.
If you live away from Emerald but would like to attend and need accommodation, please give us a call. We both have a couple of spare beds and we’d be happy to have you stay over
Classes for October, November & December
Because everyone has different schedules at this time of the year, the only class actually left on the calendar for October is our Christmas Stitch In,24 & 25 October. All other classes are “on demand.” That means you need to get your name on a list for the class. Once we have 3 or more signed up, we’ll call and schedule the date most convenient for all of you (note due to lack of space available the maximum we’ll have in a class is 5). We have samples of all the “on demand” classes hanging in the shop. These classes are:
You do need a quilt ready for the binding for this class, but it could be as small as a placemat. Joining your binding strips on an angle, machine sewing the binding to the quilt, making a mitered corner, joining the ends of the strips on an angle, and hand sewing a “blind stitch” will all be covered in this class.
Interlocking Hexagons $40 + purchase of the template
This quilt looks much more complicated to make than it is. Peggy’s made it up using fabrics from her Japanese collection, but it would look wonderful made with fabrics for a children’s I Spy Quilt. Using the Marti Michell template, this quilt will go together surprisingly quickly.
Raw Edge Applique $40 + purchase of a pattern if required
Class projects vary from time to time and there are so many patterns available which use this technique.
Learn to smock For beginners and those who have done some smocking. Students will work on a sampler each week and their own projects between times. This would be a series of four, weekly classes so if you’re interested, give us a call to register.
Making & Fitting a Skirt or Pants with Fiona Greentree Fiona’s a wonderful dressmaker with loads of dressmaking knowledge & experience and very skilled with fitting. Under her guidance you can make your garment splashy-dashy or conservative, either way nothing beats an individual garment you’ve made yourself that fits perfectly!
Log Cabin Variations $40 + purchase of the Marti Michell template
Everybody loves log cabins! No curves, angles or bias edges, it’s economical and the design versatility seems endless, both within the block and as the blocks are made into a quilt. Whether it’s the name of the design or how we see the pattern the Log Cabin design seems to imbue people with a feeling of warmth and comfort. More importantly, these quilts can look very complicated, but in fact, are quite easy to make, allowing the quiltmaker to look like a genius. Using the Marti Michell template, this quilt will go together surprisingly quickly.
Bag Making with Christina Rasmussen from Chrishelle Designs. Christina has a collection of her own unique patterns available and is happy to help with bag making techniques.
Just a note before I sign off - we update our Blog most weeks, sometimes daily when we have things to share, so if you are unable to get to the shop, be sure to check the “What’s New this Month” Page & either send us an email, or give us a call. Importantly we welcome your comments & suggestions so don’t be shy, leave a comment on the blog, or let us know.
Cheers Bev & Peggy
Hello everyone – we’re feeling a bit weary here after a wonderful, fun filled weekend stitching in Clermont. We had a marvelous time and the company was just wonderful. Some of us were very productive and keen to try out many different threads & sewing techniques. Others chose to simply work on UFO’s and it was very pleasing to see many projects finished or close to. Either way, we all went home satisfied, weary and keep to plan another weekend!
I’ve posted photos from the weekend on the Blog, so have a look. It’s also the best way to keep up to date with whatever’s happening in the shop as it is updated regularly.
Well Done Peggy, it’s pleasing to see you get recognition for all the dedicated hard work you put into your craft - not to mention the many, many hours.
Peggy’s going to have a class demonstrating all the techniques she used in this original design of her own on 9 October if you’d like to join us.
Inspired from a picture of a quilt made by Gloria Loughman, Ruth has made this one as a gift to celebrate her Grandson’s 21st. Lucky boy, we’re all very envious!
Congratulations Ruth you’ve done a spectacular job!
While I’m feeling inspired by these beautiful quilts it’s a great time to mention that we are having a Reveal Night for the Mystery Quilt & the White Elephant Block Swap on Thursday 24 September from 6:30 - 9:30. Everyone is most welcome, please bring along either a plate of food to share or something to drink and anything you’ve made—quilts, hats, stitcheries, even crochet. We just love handmade things! If you live out of town and would like to stay in Emerald overnight, please give Peggy or myself a call, we both have spare beds we’d love to loan as do some of our regular Thursday night ladies.
From Bronwyn Hayes we’ve got some delightful patterns that would make perfect Christmas gifts—Jingle Cones, Christmas Hangers & my favourite The Hot Pad Shuffle and of
course, we also have new Christmas fabrics.
I’m impressed with the Craft Storage Totes we now have! Each contains 4 plastic boxes for embroidery floss, needles, tools etc within a sturdy carry case. Portable & convenient, now you can have everything at your fingertips when you’re on the move.
Have you tried Matilda’s Own High-Loft Waddings?
We also stock Matilda's Own 100% Cotton Wadding in both Natural and Bleached White and also Matilda's Own 60% Wool 40% Poly Blend in Charcoal. IF you're wanting something lighter, we also have O Sew Soft (100% Poly) in 240cm width.
Once Upon a Star by McKenna Ryan
Want to make something really special for Christmas? We have 2 sets left of the 8 patterns that make this stunning design.
Dates to Remember
Each Tuesday to 24 November Dear Jane
Thurs 10—Tues 15 Sept Peggy in Sydney attending Marti Michell workshop
Thurs 17 Sept Quilt As You Go Stained Glass Patchwork
Rulers, Tips & Gadgets 7:00—9:00
Thurs 24 Sept Reveal 6:30—9:30pm
Fri 25 Sept Sleepover Bag 9:30—2:30
Thurs 1 Oct Back to Basics 7:00—9:00
Fri 2 Oct Finishing School
Thurs 8 Oct Opening Doors also 22/10, 5/11, 19/11 & 3/12
Thurs 8 Oct Strip Night
Sat 10 & Sun 11 Oct Strips n Curves for Emerald Patchwork Group
Thurs 15 Oct Not Just Circles 9:30—2:30
Rulers, Tips & Gadgets
Sat 17 Oct Victorian Wedding Quilt (Final Session)
Thurs 22 Oct Do Your Own Thing
Sat 24 & Sun 25 Oct Christmas Stitch-in
Sat 31 Oct & Sun 1 Nov Peggy teaching in Mt Morgan
Sat 28 & Sun 29 Nov Peggy & Bev attending Teacher Accreditation Training with Qld Quilters in Brisbane
Well, Peggy & I certainly enjoyed the Challenge last year and we were thrilled with all the incredibly talented entrants! We’ve put our thinking caps on this year and come up with a new challenge for you.
You can make anything you like, taking note of the following rules:
The final item is to be no bigger than 1m square
It must include at least 30% fabric from the Classic Red Collection from Paintbrush Studio (We have several fabrics from this range in stock now, priced at $22.90/m)
http://www.fabri-quilt.com/products/prints.asp?categoryID=289#categorysearch
It must include at least 1 group of thangles
It cannot be either square or rectangle.
Copyright— if you use a pattern, or something from a book, follow the rules, acknowledge where your inspiration came from.
The Entry form must accompany your entry, and you must let us know how/who will be collecting the entry.
Entries will be held for display in the shop 10-20 December and will be photographed for display on our Blog.
So put your creative caps on, you could make a small quilt, runner, bag, hat, doll, Christmas decoration the possibilities are endless.
Entries close 30 November 2009 and will be judged by our mystery judge.
Winning entries announced Saturday 5 December.
We have three prizes to win:
First is a basket of goodies valued at $200 (including $100 to spend on fabric of your choice from Peggy & Bev’s Place).
Second is a Basket of goods valued at $100, including $50 to spend at Peggy & Bev’s Place),
Third prize is valued at $50.
Items will be judged on workmanship & originality and the Judges decision is final!