Monica Poole’s Top 10 Bag Making Tips!
Why do we love to make handbags so much? Well, a handbag doesn’t have to fit anyone, they are the perfect personalised gift, they’re quick to make and a great way to build on your sewing skills. In a world of mass production, a handmade bag is a great way to express your own creativity […]
Block Masterclass Series: Double Wedding Ring
Although patterns and designs reminiscent of the Double Wedding Ring (DWR) go back hundreds of years, it wasn’t until the 1920s that the first pattern was printed in America. In the following decade, and in keeping with the ‘make-do’ ethos of the day, many DWR quilts were made using small scraps and feedsack prints. They […]
Block Masterclass Series: Log Cabin
Log Cabin The Log Cabin quilt block is arguably the most well-known and best loved of all quilt designs. With its straight seams, it is simple enough for a beginner to sew, and oh-so-exciting for the beginner as well as the more experienced quilter to ‘play’ with the designs 1.LOG CABIN HISTORY Log Cabin quilts […]
Hand Embroidery Workshop
Embroidery uses a needle and thread to make stitches to create a design. You need to learn a number of stitches, which you can find on the Homespun website: www.homespun.net.au/stitch-guide. There are more than 70 stitches in the online stitch guide. The basic stitches most commonly used are backstitch, blanket stitch, satin stitch, French […]
Domestic Machine Quilting with Anita Ellis
Anita Ellis Anita is an accomplished quilting educator who inspires and mentors students around Australia in the art of quilting, on domestic sewing machines, long arm machines, and everything between. When not travelling with her education business, Hillside Quilting, home base is Anita’s studio, set among the gum trees of Warrandyte on the rural edge […]
Tutorial: How to frame hand-embroidery
MATERIALS AND TOOLS Picture frame Cardboard (1.5mm thick) Crafts knife Cutting mat Needle and sewing thread Step 1 Disassemble the frame. Depending on the frame, there will be a glass or acrylic protection. Some embroidery, such as Ribbon embroidery, is too dimensional to be framed under glass. However, no protection means dusting problems, so […]
Creative Inspiration with Paula Storm: Drafting Blocks
Designing your own quilts is so much fun; searching the internet for inspiration for a quilt design or block that you’d like to use, even more so. But what do you do when you can’t find a tutorial or pattern for your chosen block? Don’t worry — you can draft your own quilt blocks. It’s […]
Road Test by Michelle Marvig: Cork Fabric
Driven by Michelle Marvig It is amazing how many things change in the patchwork industry! When I started there were fewer fabric companies, less choice of fabric, smaller machines, no internet. Today we are spoilt for choice, with more fabric than any shop can stock, tools and notions to make our lives easier, and inspiration […]
Road Test: The Clammy 6in by Latifah Saafir Studios
Driven by Michelle Marvig I started making patchwork quilts 27 years ago. Fabrics, quilt designs, tools and expectations have changed so much since I first picked up a rotary cutter. I now find that I teach beginners techniques and quilts that I once thought of as advanced, as the tools available today make construction easier. […]
Creative Inspiration with Paula Storm: Perfect Points
At a recent quilt show I had a chat with a friend, Maria. She is an incredible seamstress; the dresses and heirloom stitching she can do just blows my mind. However, Maria avoids quilting. The reason, she says, is because although she carefully cuts out her pieces, carefully sews together her fabric, and carefully presses […]