I’ve always liked Saffron Craig’s fabrics even though I think they’re a little pricey – around $28 per metre – but Catherine of Catherine’s Place is running a co-op on them. The most famous fabrics I guess are these Bird Tree ones:
But my favourites are these. Aren’t they gorgeous?
So how does $21.95 per metre sound?
Pretty good? Well if you want that price then you’ll have to get in quick. Catherine’s Place (an occasional sponsor) has a Saffron Craig fabric co-op on BUT there is a catch! IT ENDS TODAY!!
So if you’ve always wanted some of these lovely fabrics (and this is only a taste of what she has listed then head over to Catherine’s Place, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on Current co-op – Fabrics by Saffron Craig and that will take you to where you can explore the three ranges she has on offer, together with co-ordinating Kona solids. Oh, and remember, if your order comes to more than $50 you get free shipping!
I bound it with a lovely jagged Kaffe stripe. Here it is before I washed it. What do you think?
If you click on the second pic to get a larger one and look closely you can see the hand quilting around the bird on the backing.
I’m hoping the quilt might go a bit crinkly after it’s washed. And then I’ll iron my label on. I had some special labels made that you iron on and they become part of the fabric. I’ll show you when it’s done and tell you where you can get them – if I can remember. 🙂
Have you seen the klosjes around the blogosphere? Do you know what they are? They’re small spool blocks (that’s what the Dutch word klosje means). I’ve seen them on many, many blogs including Janet’s of Quiltsalott. I downloaded a pdf pattern from the web but now I can’t find the blog I got it from so I can’t share it with you. I suspect it was Blissfully Stitching but Google Chrome has a had a hissy fit and says it will harm my computer so I can’t go and check it out.
Anyway here they are. Most of the one’s I’ve seen on the web are in vintage fabrics and muted colours. I’m using my Kaffe scraps for mine.
Just a quick update re the pattern. My printer (I suspect) didn’t print it out correctly so it’s not the 3.5″ square it’s supposed to be. It seems to be 3.25″. Anyway I’m not changing it now. I’ll go with what I’ve got.
Shirley Goodwin – a kind-hearted Kiwi Quilter – is collecting healing hearts to make quilts for the families of the miners who were killed in the Pike River mine disaster.
This is the one I have done.
I know many of you may like to participate so here are the relevant details along with the address you should send them to (courtesy of Shirley’s blog).
Please make your block:
with a cream background – calico is fine
6 ½” unfinished size (so they will be 6” finished)
Pieced or appliquéd heart or hearts
Any colours or patterns for the hearts. Some of the quilts will be for children, so children’s fabrics are fine too.
Please send to the address below.
Shirley Goodwin
51 Charles St
Rangiora 7400
New Zealand
Anyway I was reminded of this the other day when I saw this Mr Tiggy tail poking out.
As he heard me exclaim to my husband he left in a hurry.
Looks like MY cat likes to hide in boxes too.
I’ve a quite a few things coming up to show you. I’ve finished the It’s a Hoot baby quilt. It’s all bound and looking cute, and I’ve started some scrap busting, but more of that later.
Back with part 2 of my interview with Linda Franz.
Q. Linda for those of us who have never tried Inklingo I notice you have some free shapes to download. Do we need the special software to use those shapes? A. Good news! No special software. One of my objectives in developing Inklingo was to make sure it would work with any ordinary Inkjet printer and ordinary quilting tools and supplies. Beginners don’t need to make a big investment. In fact, new quilters can postpone the purchase of a rotary cutter and mat, if necessary, and use scissors. You could print diamonds, triangles, and squares in the next few minutes!
Inklingo shapes are big PDFs (hundreds of pages) which open with Adobe Reader. Adobe Reader is free software which is included on most new computers. If you don’t have it for some reason, it is a free, safe, small download for either PC or Mac. Q. Does Inklingo work on dark fabrics? A. Yes, Inklingo works on most dark fabrics. One of the 20 Inklingo colors will show on the wrong side of most fabrics.
Printing a small test page (see left) will help you decide which page/color to use on any particular fabric.
A black batik might be one of the most difficult fabrics to print, but three of the colors often show well enough, especially if you print with a photo setting. There are smart strategies in the first chapter of The Inklingo Handbook (included in the free shape collection!), and on the All about Inklingo blog.
By the way, with some new methods made possible by Inklingo, only some of the fabrics are printed, so you may not need to print the dark fabrics at all. Flying Geese, Sawtooth Squares, and Hourglass are all good examples.
Q. How can I get started? A. Using Inklingo is simple. There is a Quick Start Guide under the Support tab. If you are familiar enough with your computer to find an email and print it, you will be able to find the page of shapes you want in an Inklingo PDF and print it on fabric.
I am so convinced that quilters will find it simple—and will want more shapes—that I made a FREE shape collection with Diamonds, Triangles, and Squares. All of your readers are welcome to order and download the free shape collection, and I hope they will. They will not receive spam and email addresses are never shared.
Great! Thanks Linda. I’d better go and start washing some fabric so I can try it. By the way, Linda has said she is happy to answer any of your questions. You can email her at linda @ lindafranz dot com. I’d be happy to hear you comments too or you can leave questions for Linda here and I’ll be happy to pass them on.
Last year when I visited the US a friend gave me some fabric that had been “Inklingoed” with diamond shapes. It had all the cutting and seam lines accurately marked. I was really impressed.
Then when I joined a designers’ email list I “met” Linda Franz the creative mind behind Inklingo and she agreed to do an interview with me. (In the interests of full disclosure, during the interview process she invited me to be an affiliate and I accepted but I had offered to do the interview before this). I’m sure most of you have heard of Inklingo but for those of you who haven’t, it allows you to print patchwork shapes on fabric with an ordinary Inkjet printer. It means you get totally accurate pieces and you also get the maximum number of pieces from any piece of fabric. Linda has just been granted a patent for her invention which is quite a milestone.
Q. Linda congratulations on getting the patent granted. What does this mean for Inklingo? A. Thank you, Munaiba. You are right. The patent is a big step for Inklingo. It makes it possible to attract partners and investors, so Inklingo will be able to grow faster. That’s good news for quilters who want more shapes, and for designers and shops.
There are thousands of “Inklingoists” in at least 58 different countries now. Inklingo quilters tell their friends, and they tell their friends. Your interview will help spread the word too. Since Inklingo makes it much easier for new people to start quilting, there are several reasons that is good for the whole industry. For those who have not heard of Inklingo, here is a video which explains everything in 80 seconds. LOL Well, maybe not everything, but Monkey and I think it is worth the time. If you turn on the sound, it will probably make you laugh too.
Q. You said to me once that my Andalusian tile quilt was a good candidate for Inklingo. How so? I thought there were only certain shapes that one could use Inklingo for? A. You are right. The curved triangle is not an Inklingo shape yet, but I am adding new shapes every few weeks, and there are hundreds available already many of them curved (See the Index of Shapes)
Your Andalusian tile quilt is lovely and it is terrific that you found inspiration in the Alhambra. Don’t you think it would be exciting to make a 14th century design inklingoable for 21st century quilters? It could be made available in Inklingo format as soon as you have your pattern ready. The curved triangle shape in your Andalusian quilt could be provided in 3 pieces (as in your quilt), or as a single shape, or both ways. The curved triangle shape in your Andalusian quilt is similar to the existing Inklingo Apple Core Shape Collection which is is another tessellated design found at the Alhambra.
By the way, the shape we call Apple Core is another tessellated design found at the Alhambra. If you print the cutting lines, stitching lines, matching marks and crosshairs on the fabric with Inklingo, no template is necessary. The curves can be stitched with a running stitch by hand or by machine. Curves are much easier to align when there are accurate matching marks printed on the fabric. We could do it in any size you like.
Q. I’ve noticed in your instructions that you say to wash the fabric before you print the Inklingo shapes. Is that an absolute requirement? I ask because I only ever wash fabric if I’m going to applique with it and not always then. A. The reason for washing the fabric is to remove the sizing so the freezer paper sticks better. To feed the fabric through an ordinary Inkjet printer, we iron it to freezer paper. If the freezer paper loosens from the fabric in the printer, it causes jams. (99% of jams are caused by the freezer paper separating from the fabric in the printer. It is simple to avoid jams.) I do not have good success with fabric that has not been washed. You can try it and see what you think.
However, even before Inklingo, I always-always-always-always washed all fabric before I used it. I know someone who worked in a fabric factory and she convinced me that the chemicals and pesticides on new fabric are not good for anyone. Beyond that, I want to know in advance whether the colors will run and make sure the fabric has shrunk, if it is going to. Most quilting fabrics shrink more in one direction than the other, and uneven shrinking is not attractive to me.
It doesn’t take much effort to wash and fold the fabric. I do not iron it until I am ready to use it, and it is enough to swish small pieces or strips of fabric in soap and water and blot dry, if laundry is not convenient.
What’s in it for you dear reader?
This is a long and interesting interview and so I’ve split it into two. Part 2 can be seen tomorrow (hopefully, if I get my act together 🙂 ). But just in case you’re itching to try this out. Here are some links: first to the Quick Start Page, second to some free of Inklingo shapes here and here and third to some instructions. So just click on the links to download.
There are so many interesting blogs around and one could spend many hours reading them. I have some of my regular ones in the blogroll at the bottom of the sidebar on the right but I thought I’d show some others that I read on a regular basis.
First up is the blog of Californian of designer Monaluna. She has some really lovely designs and it’s always interesting to see what her latest inspiration is.
Then there’s Nova at a cuppa and a catch up. She’s showing a really fabulous daisy cushion she made at the moment.
And just in case you thought it’s only women who quilt and blog here are two males of the species who do both. Ryan Walsh at I’m just a guy who quilts and Quilt Dad, John Cary.
I’m sure you’ll enjoy reading these blogs. If you visit please tell them that Munaiba at Sewjournal says “hi”.
Well the Aussie dollar is still holding it’s own against the US dollar. It’s hovering around parity which is great for those of us who live down under. Fabric here is horrendously expensive (think between $22 and $28 per metre!) Fabric in the US has always been attractive and with a high Aussie dollar it’s even more so. So what’s on offer? Here are few bargains I found while trawling the net. (And they’re still bargains if you live in the US because you pay less postage than we do).
15% off Flannel and Holiday Fabrics and 25% of all Moda
This offer comes from my friendly sponsor Wondrous Woven fabrics, they’ve got some really cute flannels including these two:
and some great Seasonal Fabrics too:
To take advantage of this discount you need to use the discount code “holidayshophop” and you must choose the option “Proceed to Checkout” rather going directly to PayPal when you view your shopping cart. Discount Codes don’t work from the Paypal Checkout page. However you will still be able to choose PayPal from the payment options in Step 4 of the checkout process.
Cathy also has all Moda fabrics, including precuts, on sale for 25% off with the discount code “moda25”. You can make your own It’s a Hoot baby quilt at a bargain price!
Don’t forget they also have a whole page of other sale items here.
Other bargains
Hawthorne Threads have some great sale items here.
Fabric Worm have 10% off all Japanese Imports until Monday 22 November.
Bunte Fabrics has 10% off for the month of November. Us the code NOV10 at the checkout.
Q. Linda for those of us who have never tried Inklingo I notice you have some free shapes to download. Do we need the special software to use those shapes?
