Newsletter May 2021

Newsletters

May 18, 2021

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Hello Lovely Ladies!
It has been great to have so many groups through the store over the past few days as women have made their way to and from the Aotearoa Quilts Festival in Rotorua in the weekend. Unfortunately I couldn’t get there myself as I had family home from Sydney, but I have heard great reports from many, and it sounds as though quilting has become quite an art form, judging from the photos I’ve seen posted by several people. Sometimes I think how nice it would be to have an exhibition based on fabric bought from The Eye Of A Needle!
I am curious to know what happens to some of our lovely fabric once it leaves the building, and love it when I get sent photos, or people return with their finished projects.
Some of our shelves are looking a bit empty – partly due to the sale of ‘old’ fabric which we have had for over 2 years (1/2 metre cuts for $8.50), but also due to some ranges being late in delivery which is beyond our control. Carol has been busy going through my stash and sorting little bits that are usable for small projects – the Urban Owls BOM has been a great way to use up excess fabrics, and the Gypsy Wife Sew Along starting in June will also be a great way to use up small pieces that aren’t much use for anything but a scrappy quilt project.
With cooler days and a bit of rain on the horizon, what better time to go through your stash and clean out what you no longer love or require in your fabric collection…

LAURA HEINE FABRIC COLLAGE CLASS

I recently spent a couple of days in Havelock North doing a class with Sue Roper from The Pink Possum in Greymouth. The class was based on techniques and patterns from Laura Heine’s fabric collage workshop and it was most enjoyable choosing fabrics according to colours and motifs, and building backgrounds around that. The 2 days at Duart House were spent sorting fabrics which were then ironed on to Steam-a-Seam, and then cut into shapes which were stuck on to the collage template. There was no sewing involved until I got home, but it was lovely to sit and let the creative juices flow.
I chose the Teeny Tiny Rooster for my collage; there were flamingos, trucks, foxes, caravans, sewing machines and dress forms to name a few – of other patterns available.
My rooster has been much admired since I completed it, and interest for a workshop has been strong, so I am now in the process of ordering patterns so we can hold our own classes at The Eye Of A Needle. I anticipate this will be a very popular workshop, and we may need to hire a separate venue as it could get quite messy! The maximum class size will be 20.

At this point I am still in the planning stage, so firm dates will be posted in the June newsletter – most likely a weekend in August and probably a Friday/Saturday in September dependent on a venue being available. If you have a group that would like to come to Taupo for a weekend workshop, this could be a fun place to start! The workshop will run over 2 days, and we will provide lunch and morning/afternoon tea. The cost is still to be finalised. All patterns must be bought from The Eye Of A Needle and will be a part of the overall class fee.
Watch this space for more information coming soon!

JEN KINGWELL’S GYPSY WIFE – SEW ALONG

The first of our Gypsy Wife Sew-Along meetings is fast approaching with the start date Friday 4th June. If you haven’t already registered by ordering your workbook, you have until this Friday as the final deadline to do so. The booklet will cost around $45. The idea is to get together once a month and stitch a feature block in class, and then you have the following month to make the required number of the same block for your Gypsy Wife quilt.

This concept is similar to a Block of the Month, but you choose your own fabrics (preferably from The Eye Of A Needle), or you can use your own scraps or stash in your chosen colours.
The purchase of a Gypsy Wife workbook from The Eye Of A Needle will cement your place in this class. You can start gathering fabrics you need to make your blocks each month now – the idea of this is that everyone will be making their own Gypsy Wife blocks but will be stitching in the company of others on a regular basis.

The quilt is a sampler, with many one-off blocks, a smattering of square-in-square small blocks and vertical stripes. It finishes throw-sized at 59” x 68”.

Future dates for Kid’s Classes in 2021 will be:

July 13th/15th – Kid’s Beginners Class
July 20th/22nd – Kid’s Advanced Class
October 12th/14th – Kid’s Advanced Class

These classes fill fast, so it’s always a good idea to put the dates in your diary, especially if you know of family or friends planning holidays who don’t want to miss out on the Holiday Programmes we provide for the girls.
Each student will receive their own brand new Bernette ‘Sew & Go 3’ sewing machine that they get to use in class and then take home. We will teach students the basics of how to use their new machine and then work with them to make their own tote bag.
Class Fee: $299 (includes full kit and a brand new sewing machine)
$150 deposit is required to secure a place in this class – maximum class size is 6 students age 10+.
Kids will need to bring their lunch. A sewing kit is also available for purchase for $35 and is highly recommended so all the kids are using the same tools in class.

Here is the Bernette Sew & Go 3 Sewing Machine we like the girls to use in our classes

DEBORAH LOUIE – FUTURE WORKSHOPS

We held a very successful Daisy Path cushion class based on Deborah Louie’s workbook, a couple of weeks ago and the girls did so well and made some wonderful daisy creations.
Several of you have indicated interest in any workshop that Deborah will teach in the future. We had her tentatively booked for August, but unfortunately given the unstable border issues with Australia, Deborah has made the decision to leave any classes in New Zealand until 2022. I will keep the expressions of interest open until we get confirmation of Deborah’s travel plans next year.

BY ANNIE
EVERY DAY, EVERY WAY DIAPER BAG- BACKPACK- PURSE

For all you prospective Grannies out there… this is a fantastic bag for new Mums. The Every Day, Every Way bag has abundant pockets to organise diapers, wipes & bottles. It also has a handy changing pad included in the pattern. There are 4 handle options – padded handles, backpack straps, adjustable, detachable straps for over the shoulder or cross- body carrying, AND stroller straps!
There is quite a bit to sew with this bag, and a lot of hardware necessary to purchase if you make all the straps. We will offer a class to make this bag over 8 weeks. Every second Friday morning, you can come along to a class and make the next component, then go away and get up to the next stage of your bag at home.
The dates will be Friday 28th May, Friday 11th June, Friday 25th June and Friday 9th July. The class will start at 10am and go until 2pm, so you should get quite a bit done in that time.
Because bags like this aren’t always the cheapest to make (but they are pretty amazing once they are finished!), I am prepared for you to pay for the bag requirements and class fee in 4 equal installments, so each time you come to the class, you make 1/4 of the full payment. This will include the class fee and all your fabric & hardware. To register for this class you will need to order the pattern and hardware before the end of May, to ensure we will have everything you need to make the bag in plenty of time.

BERNINA NEWS

David and I recently had a weekend in Lower Hutt at the Bernina Dealer’s Meeting. The dealers all got to play on the new Air thread overlockers – both BERNINA and Bernette have new Air Thread Overlockers which will be launched when the Road Show comes to town on Wednesday 30th June.
I have to say this…if you are in the market for a new overlocker, both of these machines should be strong contenders. I have ordered the bernette b64 as the shop demo machine, and eagerly await the arrival of Bernina’s B850 Air Overlocker which will arrive in store in July. It may find it’s way home to my sewing room in the weekends… it truly is a remarkable machine!
Lock in your diary the Bernina RoadShow in store at the end of June!

FOUNDATION PIECING CLASS WITH MARYANN PATERSON

We have been very fortunate to be able to lock in 2 days with Maryann Paterson to teach a small foundation paper piecing class. Maryann is a Qualified Quiltworx Instructor and has taught a lot of foundation piecing classes at Grandmother’s Garden.

The dates for this workshop are Friday 8th and Saturday 9th October. The class will run from 9:30am – 4:30pm.
The cost of the class will be $60 per day. Maryann will teach techniques to make a Bear Claw Cushion as shown in the photo above. I have 2 samples of her fabulous foundation piecing work that you can view in store.

We need final confirmation of numbers by this Friday so the required number of papers can be ordered for this class.
For all the girls who are doing our Urban Owls BOM foundation piecing blocks this month…if you are enjoying foundation piecing using papers, I’m sure you will LOVE the challenge of Maryann’s class. There are limited places available and this class is now filling fast.

LATEST FABRIC ARRIVALS

We have had a bit of a run on some gorgeous panels lately. This one ‘Something to Crow About’ arrived last week with some quite country coordinating fabrics from Benartex. Let your imagination run wild with fresh eggs, red barns and a very rustic feel.

I am looking forward to a huge delivery of Batik from Australia sometime in June, which will fill up the shelves some-what. We still need to wait patiently for some shipments, particularly fabrics which are arriving 6-8 weeks later than ‘normal’, so it is quite difficult to predict deliveries. We simply need to make the most of what we’ve got!

On a personal note…the lovely home that we have been renting for the past 3 years, is going on the market next week, and so in amongst the busy-ness of shop life, we are packing up and preparing to move house. At this stage we don’t know quite where to! If you know of anyone looking for reliable tenants for a long-term rental, I would love to hear from you. We do have plans to build in the next couple of years, but we’re not quite ready for that step yet, so need to find a new house to rent in between! I’m sure something will turn up, but sometimes it’s more about word of mouth than anything else. Ideally we are looking for a 3-4 bedroom home not too far from town. Thanks – in anticipation…!