Lavender secret is out

Nicky, of mrsssewandsow.blogspot, has had her Lavender Knots quilt published in Quilt Now. She says:

Your Oakshotts really make the impact from afar and draw the eye in for a closer look at the more detailed Liberty fabrics.  So thrilled it works at a distance and close up.  Liberty and Oakshott make for a winning team!  Hope you like it.

2015-01-Lavender_Knots_3 2015-01Lavender_KnotsFor the curious, the fabrics Nicky used from the Oakshott Colourshott collection were:

Nicky said:

They were a joy to work with! Looking forward to seeing Scandinavia* when it comes out.

*What is this rumour? Hang on in there, more to follow about an exciting new collection soon…

 

 

Christmas Indulgence 6

AnneWilliams

Anne Williams has got her card all planned out:

For the background of a handmade Christmas card I would use the gorgeous Celebes from the Colourshott range. This shimmering light blue fabric would create a wonderful snowy backdrop, the perfect foil for a festive design.

COTX18_Colourshott_Celebes_corner

Wonder if Santa is listening?

My favourite tool, and one I always have close by when either hand or machine sewing, is That Purple Thang, an approximately 6in long plastic ‘purple thang’! One end is flattened into a 1/4in square, which is useful for checking your seam allowance as you stitch and also for holding seams in place as you feed patches through the machine; the other end has a rounded point, which is ideal for pushing, prodding, poking, stuffing… At under £5, perhaps whoever is putting the presents under my tree would like to give me the gift of a never-ending supply…

Christmas Indulgence 5

Rita of Red Pepper Quilts from down under is going traditional with a light twist:

Colourshott 24 Zinnia – fits in with a green/red Christmas theme but will still contrast with: a darker “tree” green, white for snow and red for Santa.

COTX24_Colourshott_Zinnia_corner_270

As for her sewing tool, anybody else discovered the pain free world of basting?

I’ve misplaced my Kwik Klip basting tool so I would love to see this under the Christmas tree. I pin baste my quilts and this tool is handy for closing pins effortlessly, no more sore fingers.

Christmas Indulgence 4

Helen Howes doesn’t actually celebrate Christmas but says a Fast Fat Quarter Ruler is good at any time!

Any card Helen made would be a riot! She just loves all colours and couldn’t pin down just one Oakshott, so here are some little fancies for fun:Macaroons 2 (2).

Christmas Indulgence 3

Over there amongst the Canadian snows (we assume!) Deborah Kemball has gone for a deep, warm colour:

COTX23_Colourshott_MidnightBlue_corner_270

I would choose the Midnight Blue as a background for a handmade card because the Campion red and Zinnia green I would use for the motifs would shine against this deepest darkest blue.

COTX05_Colourshott_Campion_corner_270

COTX24_Colourshott_Zinnia_corner_270

As for a sewing tool – a needle threader for aging eyes!

Hope you get your wish Deborah.

Christmas Indulgence 2

Our second respondent is Leanne of She Can Quilt who said:

If I were making a card with Oakshotts, I would probably pick either Bizzie Lizzie or Lichen as the background. I tend to like jazzier colours for the holidays.

COTX12_Colourshott_BizzieLizzie_corner_270COTX40 frayed corner

As for a sewing tool, all I really want is more fabric. I always love beautifully crafted scissors or hand made sewing notions too, but the truth is I am well set up.

and who doesn’t share those feelings?

Christmas Indulgence 1

We asked some of our fabulous designers to tell us:

  1. which colour from Oakshott Fabrics they would choose as the background to a handmade Christmas card;
  2. and what sewing tool they would like to find under their Christmas tree.

So here’s the first response from Lynne Goldsworthy of Lily’s Quilts

LynneGoldsworthyFor her background she would use: Colourshott white sand because it’s the perfect background colour – soft and warm – and it lets the other colours shine.”

COTX01_Colourshott_Sand_corner

And we hope that she finds under her Christmas tree, “A rotating cutting mat – something I’ve never treated myself to but perfect for trimming small blocks!”

Family in the Pink

Daddy Wore Pink

That’s the name of this quilt Valerie designed for a guild challenge to use at least three sizes of flying geese.  We love the story behind the inspiration; every memory can be an inspiration one day!

“Oakshott reminds me of the suit fabric my dad wore, and back when it wasn’t popular for men to wear pink daddy did. Mama would buy his clothes to wear to church, and he’d always get compliments.”

2014-10Valerie1

Lucky Sisters

What do you do for special birthday when you have six sisters? A quilt of course. Valerie made the following for one of the 50th birthdays and called it Bountiful Bouquet of Blessings:

2014-10Valerie2smallValerie buys her Oakshott from Maria Tamaoka of www.pinwheels.com

 

Red Pepper's Bucket List

This blog on Red Pepper Quilts just got our fingers itching to start one of our own – so striking the way it underlines why traditional blocks are so timeless. We are so glad Rita’s ‘creative mood and timing’ coincided!

2014-11Bucket List Quilt 1

Rita’s tutorial is very clear. Clear enough for you to adapt easily to your own quilt size and colourways, though we love the Colourshotts she has chosen (and that she lists them so clearly!)

“Beautiful Oakshott fabrics! It is difficult to capture in a photo just how lovely the weave of these fabrics is. Oakshott Colourshott fabric has a shot weave with a warp and weft of different tones – which creates a beautiful luminous and iridescent hue.”

Really looking forward to seeing what her sister,  Karen Terrens (long arm professional quilter), is going to do next.

If you are inspired to make your own Bucket List quilt then do send us a photo of your creation.

Top of the Quick Makes

Our newsletter readers were invited to vote for their top two favourite New Colourshott Quick Makes packs and the votes came in for Freesia as a clear winner, followed neck and neck by Derwent and Orchid:

COTXF8P03_Colourshott_Freesia_FatEighthsPack
Quick Makes Fat 8ths Freesia Mini Pack
COTXF8P02_Colourshott_Derwent_FatEighthsPack
Quick Makes Fat 8ths Derwent Mini Pack
COTXF8P06_Colourshott_Orchid_FatEighthsPack
Quick Makes Fat 8ths Orchid Mini Pack

Congratulations to Wendy Dorey, Mary Charman and Sheila Musson for winning their favourite packs. P.S. don’t forget to show us all what you made.

Which delicious bundle of eight vibrant colours would you have chosen?Oakshott Colourshott F8 Mini Packs_groupsm