Newsflash 22 February

Fabric:
New in this week are a few more 1800s prints and several colourful prints that will sit nicely with the Kaffe Fassett fabrics.

Block of the Month:
This week sees the release of our latest Block of the Month. It is in 1800s Reproduction fabrics and is hand applique or English Paper Piecing. It is called "Antique Sampler" and is designed by Sue Daly. It is 72" (185cm) square and costs $65.00 each month for 8 months and is all ready to go now.

Classes:
Michele Hill is coming in early March. We have lecture tickets available for Friday night 2 March from 7.30 so do join us to her about her passion and adventures with William Morris and his designs. Just $20.00 including supper.

There are also a few spaces left in her class on Saturday 3 March. She is teaching her William Morris Indulgence class where she offers eight projects which you get all the patterns for and choose one to work on in class. How generous is that. The pattens include tea and coffe covers. Journal cover, bell pull and four different cushions.

Our first  UFO Day for 2012 is coming up on this Friday, so bring along that unfinished project or for that matter your latest one and spend the day sewing - any time from 9.30am for just $10.00. Tea and coffee provided, bring your own lunch or wander up to the local cafe. We have a few booked in already but there is still space for you and even a friend.

Notions:
Clover Mini Iron - this is a great little mini iron for doing your Freezer Paper Applique. It saves your ironing board getting so hot or scorched as the hot plate is just the size that you need it to be. It is also a great tool to take to class as it is so compact.

Events:
Japan Day is on at the Greenlane Showgrounds on Sunday 26 February from 10.00am.

Newsflash 15 February

We have had a bit of trouble with the email - it has been sentoff the new website and has caused a major problem for the developers of the site.It has only been coming to about a quarter of our data base. So they are busy working away trying to figure what is going on and I am sending this from the old system while they do.  You can catch up on the last few news on the website. Sorry about that.

Fabric:
New this week is a sophisticated baby boy range from Bunny Hill Designs. There are 6 fabrics in the range featuring powder blue, cream and a touch of grey. Plus there is a wide linen fabric with the writing on it - just gorgeous. We have recut our 7" swatch set of Japanese Indigo fabrics.

Notions:
Clover Bobbin holder - this is a stack that will hold 24 bobbins. You can remove one stack if you need to take a small range to class with you. It keeps your threads tidily on the bobbin and it is easy to see which colours you have ready to go -a great little storage system from Clover.

Book:
"Quilts, Quilts and More Quilts" is a great storehouse of quilt patterns, as well as a textbook of all the techniques you will need to make the featured quilts. It is a good source book for quilters who have just started out. For most of the quilts instructions, measurements and requirements are given in four different sizes.Twenty eight blocks and thirty two techniques are included - what a great resource.

Classes:
Karen's Art Class starts on Saturday - this is a monthly class that will help you develop your skills in making Art Quilts. She will be giving you an exercise each month to work on in class to learn a new element of Art - this month she will be looking at adding depth to your quilts. It is just 2 and a half hours on a Saturday morning so do think about joining her.

Tonight is the start of our Cushion Club and we are doing hand applique. Each month we will be doing a new technique - next month is piecing and easy machine quilting. If you would like to join us for the series or as one offs you would be most welcome.

Newsflash 8 February

This has been the week for fabric arrivals - three new ranges and three totally different looks.

Fabric:

First in was some  lovely murky Japanese style florals that go so well with the latest Lynnette Anderson fabrics - the same colour tones, but adding a variety of designs which has really expanded the versatility of that range. I feel a new quilt coming on using these - they are so stunning - maybe  a Block of the Month for next year!!!

The next box contained gold overlays in gold, black, a bluey grey with a tiny touch of taupe - so very nice, especially for our Malcolm fans. For those who haven't caught up with Malcolm - he teaches the most amazing classes for us specialising in using these lovely gold overlay fabrics. You should get him to help you plan a quilt using these one Saturday when he is working behind the counter rather than teaching.

Dr Seuss - we have more of the Cat in the Hat fabric in. Judging by sales last time it will rush out the door. This time we have a big panel (it goes across the whole width fo the fabric) of the Cat on a turguoise  background with lots of writing and a feature block fabric with a variety of characters from the Dr Seuss books and this fabric has good cutting space between each block. Then there are some co-ordinates to go with them. We have another Dr Seuss range ordered too and it should be here in a month or so.

Book:

If you are keen on Civil War or 1800s Reproduction fabrics you might like to make some of the small doll's quilts from Katheleen Tracey's "Civil War Sewing Circle" book. There is at least one that I have on my list to do, to go with the ones I made a year or so ago and oen day hope to display in a pile on a hall table with one on the wall above.

Notions:

Iron Cleaner is one of our favourite products - it keeps your iron so nice and clean especially if you use  a lot of fusible webbing or freezer paper. It is like a glue stick and wow what a difference it makes to your iron.

Newsflash 1 Febraury

It is great to have our groups back under way - the fun, laughter and stitching at these groups adds a lovely atmosphere to the shop.

Fabric:
We now have Lynnette Anderson's Linen look fabric in stock. This is what she is using for her stitchery backgrounds. It is a lovely oatmeal colour and is 100% cotton. It sits so well with her latest range "Secret Garden" which we also have in stock.

Books:
This week we have an arrival of divine Home Decor and Project books with a modern look. How you would choose which one to buy I have no idea - they are all so inspiring.
"Tilda's Studio" by Tone Finnanger is a stunner and has 50 Scandanavian inspired projects for around your home. Her dolls and softies are gorgeous.
"Fast Fabric Gifts" by Sally Southern is a book packed with gift ideas. It is perfect project book for using up your scraps.
"Quilt a Gift For Little Ones" by Barri Sue Gaudet. This book goes from bunting and blankets to cot quilts amd comforters with plenty of other small items for deorating the rooms of little ones.
"Quilt a Gift" also by Barri Sue Gaudet contains 25 projects from quick to intricate and lots of them use wool fabric and just look so stunning.

Classes:
Karen's new Art group starts on 18 February - this is a geat way to get started on creating your own designs and Karen has plenty of knowledge in this field to share with you. The group meets once a month to develop their skills, share ideas and gain new ideas and inspiration. There are more details on the Classes page of the website.

LIttle Quilts Workday:
Friday 10 February is our first day for this year so we are looking for a really good turn out to kick off our Charity Project for 2012. So bring along your machine and help us sew - we have plenty of fabric to create with or even better plenty of little quilt tops ready to machine quilt. Come any time between 9.30 and 5.00 and stay as long as you can.

Notions:
We have two thimble systems that might work for you. These are different from the usual thimble, so are good for people who have tried a finger thimble and just cannot make it work for them. Thimble Its - this packet has 64 oval self-adhesive finger pads that protect that spot on your finger where the needle always hits. The other is Ultra-Thimble which is a similar system - this is a stainless steel disc with dimples in and a set of self adhesive pads to stick it to your finger.

Newsflash 24 January

Classes:
As many of you will know we have Michele Hill from Australia visiting and teaching for us in March. Michele is an absolute William Morris fan - she makes quilts in his style, designs fabric ranges reproducing his look and teaches William Morris
projects. We have a few spaces left in her class and have lecture tickets available. So be in quickly to take advantage of her New Zealand trip. Details are on the Class page of the website along with a photo of the projects you can choose from for her
class.

Fabric:
The latest range of Michele Hill's William Morris fabric has arrived, in perfect time for her classes. We have cut fat quarters, fat eighth bundles and 7" square sample packs. And of course we have the fabric on the bolt, but it is already selling fast.

Notions:
Asahi Tape from Japan - this is a geat new bias, fusible tape in a really narrow width - absolutely perfect for applique stems. I am sold on it - it is so easy to use compared to trying to make your own. Check out the website for the colours available - News page. $15.00 for a 10m reel.

Groups:
Our group programme starts next week so if you are booked in check out which week your group starts on the Classes page of the website and the drop down menu to either Gathering Room Groups or Teaching Groups. If you haven't booked into one yet,
now is a good time to consider it. There are some great new Teaching Groups on offer - most of these meet monthly. They include:Alison's Embroider and Embellish, Robyn's Jo Morton 1800s Applique, Cindy's Dear Jane Quilt, Robyn's Pin Cushion or Cushion Club, Di or Karen's Art Groups and Robyn's Japanese Block Club. So really there is a big range this year.

Shop:
We have had  a big change around at the shop over the last few days and it is looking new and fresh. We have created some new corners of the shop and moved others. The main areas now include: Japanese, 1800s Reproduction, Solids, French
General, Sale Price, Latest Moda Range, William Morris, Modern Quilts and Black and Whites.

Fabric:
And finally the new order of Shot Cottons is in so these shelves look stunning again.

Newsflash 18 January

Website: Our website has had a make-over during the Christmas break. We hope you enjoy the new look and find it just as easy to work with.

Email: As a result of the new website we also have a new email address: info@patchworkpassion.co.nz so you might like to add this to your address book. Emails sent to the old address will be redirected to come through on the new address for a while.

Magazine: The latest edition of Quilt Mania is in and it is a 'must have' for those of you interested in 1800s reproduction quilts. It is packed with quilts and ideas for using reproduction fabrics. What a great magazine.

Books: We had two new books arrive just before Christmas - one is called "Freemotion Quilting" by Judy Woodworth. It is designed for people who quilt on a domestic sewing machine or those who have midarm or longarm machines. It is packed with design ideas. It starts with ideas on where to find inspiration for designs and moves through,quilting with feathers, motifs, organic shapes, structured shapes, borders and sashings. Then it finishes with a section on threads, tension, batting and finishing off.

The other book is called "Instinctive Quilt Art" by Bethan Ash. It features ways to make improvisational, vibrant art quilts. It is packed with photos and exercises to help you choose design styles and develop your own ideas and creativity.

Classes:
If this last book sounds exciting you might like to join Karen Davis' new group - "Create Your Own Small Arty Quilts". The plan is for this group to meet once a month on a Saturday and Karen will share her knowledge on art quilting and will lead you through developing your own style and quilts. Check out the website for full details and dates - it is on the Classes page and under the drop down menu - Teaching Groups.

Cindy is running two classes this term based around her new workbox pattern. Last year she ran one on techniques for small piece applique and she will be re-running this one on Saturday 10 March from 10.00am - 12.00noon.

The other class is on putting your box together once you have made the panels and this is on Wednesday 8 February from 7.00pm - 10.00pm. Check out the Classes page on the website for all the details of these two classes.

Fabric:
The latest range of Lynette Anderson fabric "Secret Garden" arrived just before Christmas and it is stunning - murky colours typical of Japanese fabrics. There is a photo on the News page of the website.

Newsflash 14 December

Woollen fabric  - Karen has been dying wool for us, so we have a stunning new range of colours. For those doing projects from the "Pennies From Heaven" book we have lots of pinks, purples and fuchsias for flowers. She has also brought in some stunning new natural plaids - they are beautiful.

Toddlers' Clothes - Tricia has made up Karen's Toddler's Overalls in a summery look. They look so cool. This pattern is for sizes 6 months, 1 year, 2 years and 4 years.

Our Exhibition is getting great feedback - thank you everyone. This new Modern look is really so fresh that it makes such a good display for this time of year. I have put a photo on the news page to give you an idea of how cool it is. If you like this look you can join the Auckland Modern Quilt Guild too. You can get a good description of what it is all about on the website and you can join up to this online interactive group that meets at the shop every 6 weeks.

Woven Taupe Fabrics: We have cut the 7" packs of the new woven taupes. There are 33 fabrics in the pack and the cost is $43.00.

New books:  We have added to our Civil War collection. We already have copies of the "The Civil War Diary Quilt" and have seen some stunning quilts made up already. Now we have the follow-up "The Civil War Love Letter Quilt". This has 121 Quilt blocks in it that are inspired by love and war. While sewing your quilt you can get a glimpse of the soldier's hopes, fears and hardships shared in their letters home as each block comes with a letter.

"Modern Blocks" - this is a great source book for blocks - 99 of them. Blocks include piecing. applique, embroidery and paper piecing and are 12" in size. Each block has a double page spread with a colour photo of the block on one side and instructions for making opposite. This is a really good ideas book.

"Taupe Inspirations"  Kylie Irvine has released her Japanese Flower Garden pattern that we did as a Block of the Month several years ago in this book along with nine other projects. What a lovely Christmas present it would make.

Little Quilt Project: On Sunday I delivered another 80 Little Quilts to NICU and PICU. That makes 699 for the year - how impressive is that - we got close enough to our 700 target. Thank you to everyone for your support for this Community Project. We have some very special ladies out there that make stunning quilts. lovely quilt tops and who do the hand sewing for us - thank to you all - it really does make a difference to those families at Starship. In fact I think the staff there love them as much as the families do - they have so much pleasure choosing one for each baby.

Christmas Hours:

Closed all the Statutory Holidays plus Friday 23rd December

Open Wednesday, Thursday, Friday of the short weeks from 10.00am - 2.00pm.

Back to normal on January 9th.

Happy Christmas everyone.

Newsflash 14 December

New Fabric this week includes a big selection of our woven taupes from Japan. We have 34 new fabrics in. The colours are the traditional taupes, with quite a few lights, some lovely greens and checks. We can cut 7" swatch packs for any mail order people to order from.

Etchings is also new in is a range from Moda. This is just lovely - has a really nice feel too it as well. The colours are teal, grey, cream and red and it is sitting beautifully with the French General fabrics even though it is not one of their designs.

Our long tape measures are back in stock - these are 3 metres long and come in a cute little tin. They would make a great little Christmas gift or stocking filler at just $5.00.

Next I must say how wonderful my staff have been while I was away - the shop looked perfectly tidy on my return, there wasn't a long to do" list for me to deal with and everything ran smoothly - THANKS to all six of you.

French General is the latest range to arrive and you all know how excited we get about the fabric from these designers. This range is called "Panier de Fleurs" and it is stunning. It has the faded reds that they are so well known for, a colour they call dove which is a lovely soft grey and indigo. We have florals, striped tickings, plains, heavier weight cottons in plain colours and the linen/cotton florals. And they are all divine - check out the website to see for yourself or come in a and drool with us.

Modern look Bag Kits from Art Gallery Fabrics - yet another talented design house. These kits contain everything that you need to make the bag - pattern, fabrics, zips, clasps, thread, decorative brooch, etc. The only thing that you need to add is the interfacing. We have three designs - Monaco, a little clutch with a gold chain, Milano, an elegant bag to take you to lunch with friends and Verona, your everyday tote.  And the final one is a CD and pattern combination for the Capri Bag, a large everyday tote with adjustable handles.

Top Ten Quilter's Christmas Wish List for you to share with your family:

1 - a new blade for my rotary cutter $13.50

2 - a reel of King Tut Variegated Quilting Thread $21

3 - a collection of six Cosmo Embroidery Threads $36

4 - NZ Quilter Magazine Subscription for a year $42

5 - a bundle of 6 new French General fat quarters $45

6 - the latest quilt book $45 - $82

7 - a class or group fee $55+

8 - Primitive Quilts Magazine subscription for a year $78

9 - an Art Gallery Bag kitset - $125 - $155

10 - a voucher to come  shopping of any amount

Little Quilts: On Sunday I took up another 70 Little Quilts to NICU and PICU at Starship Hospital. That makes a total of 619 for this year, so maybe we can just get enough to equal last year's record or 729. Let's give it a go - can you make one 20" by 24" quilt before Christmas?

Newsflash 23 November

Vietnam Holiday:  Robyn and Mark are getting plenty of exercise while they are trekking  with the

Hmong Hill Tribes in North Vietnam. Robyn managed to find some Vietnamese women doing craft so will have plenty to tell us when she gets home.

New fabrics this week are two lovely fabrics with writing on them,

One has a post card and stamp theme in creams and beige, the other has an advertising theme.

Also there is a gorgeous Beatrix Potter border with coordinating fabrics, all in soft pastel shades.

Stocking Fillers: If you are looking for stocking fillers or a secret Santa gifts there are some really good pin cushion kit sets costing from $10 - $16.

Celebration Special: Also this week we have a basket full of bag handles  at half price, excellent price if you have a bag in mind to make.

Table Mat Class: Malcolm has a place mat class on Saturday 3 December (not 13 December as on the website.)  This class uses your leftovers from Malcolm's previous classes to create a set of table mats. There are four different designs. If you haven't got strata's we will give you some easy notes to follow to create some ahead of the class. The class is from 10am until 2pm.  This class costs $55 and there is still a couple of places.

Little Quilt Project: Thank you to all who offered  with help in finishing the NICU quilts, we will have a good number for the last delivery of the year.

Newsflash 9 November 

New fabric for this week is all in the Modern Quilt look and there are some stunning pieces and ranges. It starts with a really good range for boys called "Bicycles" by Michael Miller. Then there are a few oranges - stripes and bikes. Then some cool stuff for the girls with pinks, reds, strawberries and flowers and owls.

Modern Books: We have a good range of books to give you ideas of what to do with these stunning fresh looking fabrics. They include: 6

"Sweetwater's Simple Home" packed with ideas for homemade items for every room of the house.

"Modern Mix" with quilts, pillows, bags, etc that combine designer prints with solid fabrics.

"Quilts Made Modern" has 10 quilts all with multiple sizes and a variety of colour options.

"The Modern Quilting Bee Block Party" 12 different quilters have submitted designs for this ever so modern quilt popular book

"The Practical Guide to Patchwork" with 12 quilt projects aimed at people just starting out in quilting, but with stunning designs for all of us.

"Life Style" which has 20 projects to make for you home focusing on getting organised particularly if you have young children.

 King Tut Quilting Thread - this is a lovely thread to quilt with by hand or machine.  It is variegated and comes in a big range of colours. The colour changes are about an inch apart so the effect is stunning - no long areas of one colour.

Kaffe Fassett fabrics - two new ones arrived in today - both in blues and purples and very nice.