How to put fabrics together!

One question I get asked a lot is how to put fabrics together, especially for patchwork.

I always suggest that you start with your 'showstopper', the fabric you know you just have to use - it helps if it has more than 3 colours in it, preferably more, but you must love it!

I have had my eye on this beautiful fabric from Lewis and Irene since it arrived a few weeks ago, I love the detail and the colours but I knew that I would want to put it together with some more vibrant colours to lift the grey tones, this is Butterfly Bright after all!

So, how many colours do you think are in this print, you might guess at a glance perhaps 5 or maybe 6.

In actual fact there are 14 individual colours - and how do you know this? By looking at the selvedge..

Fabrics have dots of colour (or sometimes shapes, such as the butterflies on this print) repeated along the selvedge, these show an equal representation of each of the colours used in the print. It makes it easier to identify the colours which may only have a tiny impact on the fabric but are there, even in the smallest detail.

 This is the perfect tool for colour matching fabrics from different quilting collections to use in a project. Always try to keep selvedges attached to a fabric until you actually use them, this not only protects the fabric, it helps you identify the warp and weft and of course gives you the colour spots.

I soon got to work identifying other fabrics from my shop to put together with this glorious piece. I used another Lewis and Irene fabric with the cowslips on to match with the grey but brought in some vibrant turquoise and lime fabrics too.

What do you think? I like using a mixture of geometric and natural prints and also mixing pattern size for interest. I just need a project to put them into now...

Shall we try another one

How many colours do you think are in this print...

An amazing 16 colours

here is the selvedge with the more traditional circles of colour.

There are so many options with this fabric you could pick out the pinks, the yellows, oranges or the blues and greens.

I went with orange, mint and lime green as I try to break out of my pink and blue/green habit!

I'm not totally convinced with this combination yet so I might play with it in the next few days and see what else I can come up with. When I am happy with my mini collections I will add them as bundles to the webshop to save you some time!

What colours do you love to put together?

Enjoy!

Ali

Shop for Lewis and Irene Fabrics here

If you like my choice of fabric and would like to get an amazing delivery each month you might be interested in the Butterfly Bright Monthly Fabric Subscription Service.

I must use that charm pack!

I opened a beautiful Moda charm pack a while ago and used half of the squares to make this mini quilt - you can read about this on a previous post

The other half of the squares were mostly blues and greens and I soon set to work on a project I'd spotted and pinned on Pinterest ages ago..

There is a patchwork element, a scrunching element, a boxing element and more,

you even have to sew a button on!

I was really pleased with the finished bag - all completed within the day, in between customers, conversations and cups of tea.

If you would like to make one I will be running a workshop on this soon, so watch this space!

Enjoy

Ali

x

A simple zipper pouch in pretty butterfly fabric

Sometimes a collection of fabric arrives and I just have to make something! I didn't have much spare time yesterday between workshops but I was determined to sew this purse which only took about half an hour in total to make.

First I cut the fabric pieces

there are two butterfly fabric pieces  11" by 6.5" 

and two pink fabric pieces 11"by 3.5"

later you will need two pieces of fabric for the lining which are 11" by 9.5"

and of course a zip

I stitched the butterfly fabric to the pink fabric using my new quarter inch foot (a great new gadget - I have no idea why I didn't get one before now!) Then I anchored the fabric panel to a piece of wadding with a line of stitching just below the join to add detail. Repeat for the other side.

I trimmed the pieces down so that the wadding was the same size as the fabric (there are two identical pieces at this point)

I referred to a great tutorial by Melly Sews on how to sew in a zip (there is a link to this tutorial later in this post)

attaching both outer pieces and the lining pieces

Finally there is a line of stitching around the outer and lining pieces (with that all important gap to pull it all through) to sew the whole purse together and you are done!

You can find the tutorial by Melly Sews here my purse dimensions are different and of course I used wadding to pad it out but it is useful to show you how to sew in the zip

I used a fabrics from the Whisper collection by Windham Fabrics which you can buy in my online shop.

Enjoy!

Ali

x

Patchwork and Quilting for beginners - a 10 week course

I am currently about half way through one of most popular 10 week workshops, "Patchwork and quilting for beginners"

The students are all very meticulous and insist on unpicking every mistake which is leading to some truly excellent results!

I am piecing together an example quilt as we go through the weeks, it is always great to have a sampler quilt in the shop to show customers who are interested in the course - and of course its a great way to show off a new collection of fabrics.

For this quilt I am using some of the Moda Fabrics from a recent collection called "For You" - I have chosen mostly the pinks and greys rather than the orange ones this time although I do love all of them!

We are making 6 blocks in total starting with a simple 9 patch, then going on to a friendship star to learn half square triangles

 We use Churn dash to revise the half square triangles before moving onto a railfence block

Flying geese are also on the menu with this Dutchman's puzzle block during week 5

and finally we learn quarter square triangles with this fabulous Ohio Star block.

Next it is on to the sashing,

and then the borders - the quilts really start to come alive at this point!

Finally it is time to layer up with wadding and a backing fabric, before basting and quilting the three layers together.

My favourite part is always the binding and particularly the hand sewing to give the quilt that professional finish.

Check back later for a photo of the finished quilts and follow us on Facebook or Instagram for weekly updates on how the latest class are getting along!

You can join us on the next 10 week course starting in April 2016 by booking via our webshop.

We hope you can join us and start on your adventure with patchwork!

Fabric Subscriptions

What do you do with all the those craft magazines that arrive every month?

Do you treasure them forever or keep them for a while and then just recycle them? I know I do!

Just imagine receiving the gift of fabric every month instead, whether you use it straight away or add it to your stash for that perfect project you will use it one day!

With our monthly fabric subscriptions we will send you fabric each month in the post - you don't even have to leave the house!

Choose from Gold, Silver or Bronze and receive either 6, 7 or 8 fat quarters a month. The fabrics will always co-ordinate and of course if you love a particular selection you can always top up your order from our webshop.

I think we all have a long "making" wish list and adding ideas to it wont get the projects done, my Pinterest board has over 1000 pins and those are just the ones you can see - not the ones hidden away on secret boards. If I just dedicated the time to making rather than browsing for more ideas I would be so much happier...

Is someone you know approaching a special birthday or perhaps their retirement?

One of our fabric subscriptions would make an awesome present for someone who loves to sew or do patchwork, why not club together with your friends or workmates to give them an amazing gift that lasts and lasts..

A patchwork quilt in a day

I know a lot of my customers work full time and don't always want to come to evening classes so I thought I would compress one of our most popular workshops into a one day workshop to make a mini patchwork quilt.

I have had my eye on this charm pack from Moda since it arrived in the shop so I decided to make the cutting part a bit quicker by using some of the pre-cut squares in this pack. I chose the pink, yellow and turquoise squares, leaving 22 other more blue and green ones for another project later on.

I had to pick some co-ordinating fabrics for the two borders - but this was easy as I have loads of pinks and turquoises in the shop at the moment.

There is always time for a quick tea break when I am sewing!- I love that my tea and teacup match the project in hand!

I was even wearing co-ordinating clothing on that day

It took a bit of fiddling to get all the seams and corners matching up but it had to be perfect as the workshop sample.

A bright pink binding ties it all together.

It took me about 4 hours from start to finish to put this together and I will be running a workshop on 8th March 2016 to teach you how to make one for yourself - why not book a place and join us?!

You will learn how to piece together the patchwork top,layer with wadding and a backing, quilt and finally bind the mini quilt.You may need to finish the binding off at home but we will aim to get the majority of the quilt finished during the day.

You will need to be competent at using a sewing machine to attend this workshop.

See you soon!

Ali

x

Workshops in 2016

I think we all have a long "making" wish list and adding ideas to it wont get the projects done, my Pinterest board has over 1000 pins and those are just the ones you can see - not the ones hidden away on secret boards. If I just dedicated the time to making rather than browsing for more ideas I would feel so much more rewarded.

So many customers of mine say they don't have time to start let alone finish a project - but if you come to a workshop you will get results faster than staying home and constantly putting your crafting time to the bottom of the pile of things to do.

We have taught hundreds of people over the years and nearly every one admits they would never have done the project in their own time and they are always so thrilled with what they have produced.

Whether it is sewing, crochet, patchwork, embroidery, knitting, drawing, dressmaking or needle felting we are sure to have something to interest you more than netflix.

So, stop what you are doing, book a day off, arrange a babysitter, do whatever it takes just book a workshop and find some "me time" to do what you have always said you would do!

Today is the tomorrow you talked about yesterday - just do it!

Churn Dash Quilts

I am a huge fan of modern versions of the churn dash quilt design. I am forever adding new ideas to my Churn Dash Pinterest board hoping to one day find the time to make one!

I really love this pastel rainbow design by CrazyMomQuilts

and this one by Mixiheart

We are starting a course to learn this quilt pattern on Tuesday 19th January, during the 4 week course we will learn how to sew half square triangles, create the blocks, add sashing and a border, and then layer with wadding, quilt and finally bind the finished quilt.

Here is another lovely example by Material Girl Quilts

The course would be suitable for beginners as we will teach you everything you need to know about cutting fabric and sewing up the patchwork top.

To get 10% off the Churn Dash quilt course use code "churn10" at the checkout.

There was a brilliant article in Country Living website this week about how "crafting is good for you" and we can't agree more!

Our workshops are going from strength to strength with lots of customers signing up to learn new crafts in 2016 and we look forward to teaching more and varied crafts as the year goes on. I have heard so many customers say how they "don't have time" to do craft but then they come on a workshop and find the time and don't look back.

We also have regular craft groups each week, Crochet Club meet on a Wednesday night from 7.30-9.30 and we also run a free YarnBee each Friday morning from 10am-12pm.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

I fell in love with this year's "Winter Wonderland" Christmas fabric from Dashwood Studio as soon as I saw it and ordered it over a year ago!

The reds and greens seem perfect to me for a Christmas project and the detail in each design has interest and festive appeal for both children and adults alike.

We usually run a Christmas Table Runner workshop and this year is no different, I knew I had to make one using this collection and here it is. I spent ages trawling through ideas on my Christmas Pinterest board and saved quite a few pins along the way but eventually I settled on a classic Patchwork Star design.

The stars are all made with half square triangles - an easy technique if you know how!

If you fancy making up one of these for your festive table or perhaps as a gift for a friend - you can buy the fabric here in our webshop or perhaps if you would like a bit more guidance you could come and make one in a workshop on either Wednesday 9th December or Tuesday 15th December

We will cover how to cut and sew Half Square Triangles, adding sashing and a border, layering, quilting and binding. That sounds like a lot but don't worry, mince pies will be provided!

I am looking forward to taking this one home although I think with my spillage prone little ones this will be removed from display for actual meal times...

Merry Christmas Making everybody!

Ali

x

Stuart Hillard book signing!

We have been chosen to host an event with BBC2's Great British Sewing Bee finalist Stuart Hillard.

Sherborne's leading haberdashery and making shop, Butterfly Bright, has been chosen from hundreds of applicants to host a visit from Stuart Hillard - one of the most popular semi-finalists from BBC2's Great British Sewing Bee 2013. Stuart's appearance coincides with the launch of his new book 'Sew Fabulous', signed copies of which will be available for those lucky enough to come along to Butterfly Bright in Digby Road between 3.30pm - 5.00pm on Friday 3rd October.

"We are delighted that Stuart is coming to Butterfly Bright as part of his national book tour" says Founder Alison Nurton, "Many of our customers have thoroughly enjoyed the Great British Sewing Bee programmes and we have seen a huge resurgence in the popularity of sewing and other creative crafts. In the 3 and a half years since opening we have taught in excess of 500 people new skills with our extensive range of workshops including patchwork, crochet, knitting, sewing, embroidery and needle felting."

Before he appeared on BBC’s Great British Sewing Bee, Stuart Hillard had sewn and quilted professionally for over 15 years.  He writes, teaches and hosts quilting retreats and workshops and designs and creates patterns for quilts, wall hangings, bags and home décor projects.  On 3rd October he will present a short sewing demonstration as well as talk about his book which explains how to decorate and embellish every room in the house - even the garden!  'Sew Fabulous' features over 40 fun and fabulous patterns for everything from covered headboards, bolster cushions, tablecloths, napkins, aprons, pretty coat hangers and bunting.

Everyone who loves sewing, or who would like to find out more about learning to sew, is invited to come along to Stuart's demonstration and book signing - alongside which Butterfly Bright is staging a workshop exhibition, discounts on Coats' fabrics (for which Stuart is an ambassador) and offers on workshops booked on the day.

Due to the anticipated popularity of this event, numbers will be limited and guests are invited to book their FREE ticket in advance.

You can also PRE ORDER your copy of Stuart's book on our website - every pre-ordered copy will be signed by Stuart and will include a £5 voucher valid until 24 Dec 2014 on any purchase of £50 or more at Butterfly Bright.

A hexi pincushion using paper piecing

we never throw away any "scraps"!

Even the smallest piece of fabric can be used for something at Butterfly Bright and as I needed a new pin cushion for my new sewing room at home I went straight to the fabric scrap basket to pick out some coordinating pieces..

 

I printed and then cut out my hexi templates, I always pin them to the fabric and cut around the template leaving a small allowance

 

 

Then I fold and tack the excess fabric around the paper template trapping the paper inside but not sewing directly through the paper so they are easy to pull out and reuse.

 

Once the hexi's are all tacked you can start to sew them together using an overstitch

 

 

soon mini flowers start forming..

 

 

I machine stitched my flower onto some backing fabric (again from the scrap box), stuffed with toy stuffing and hey presto a new pin cushion!

 

 

 

 

 

 

An alphabet mini quilt in Dashwood Studios 'Flurry' fabric

As soon as we took delivery of the new "Flurry" fabric range by Dashwood Studios I knew I had to find a
project to use them all together!

At about the same time we ordered an Alphabet Di cutter to use with our Accuquilt machine.

They were a match made in heaven and the idea for an alphabet quilt was born!

I appliqued all the letters onto the cream squares first and then played around with the other squares to get a nice even spread of colours.

 It took a few weeks to put it all together, snatching the occasional evening to get my sewing machine out.

The finished quilt is about a metre squared so a little too small for a single bed, but it would be lovely on a cot bed.

This mini quilt will probably be used as a play mat, either indoors on in the garden

but actually I think it will take a bit of persuading to get it back from Daisy who seized possession of it as soon as she saw it!

We plan to sell the fabric pre cut for this quilt as a kit to make up yourself and we will also be running a four week workshop to help people who need a bit of guidance to make one.

Within a few minutes of posting a picture of this quilt on facebook I was asked if we sell them, sadly I don't have time to make any more as running and business and looking after three kids are my priority but I do enjoy the occasional sewing project and I hope it inspires people to try and make one themselves.

The kits are now available in our Folksy shop and the workshop is ready to book on our website

Ali x