Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Upcycling and the Regeneration Game

Nice piece in the Sunday Times this week on Upcycling....

"Up what?" you ask.

Well for those who aren't in the know "Upcycling", according to the author, can be defined as follows...

"The idea is not to use collectable pieces — it’s to take solidly made but rather dull items from periods such as the 1950s and 1970s, and, by using wit and art, give them a new lease of life. The results are individual — no two pieces are ever the same — contemporary and yet classic."


Maybe Kirsty Allsop made riffling through skips a bit more mainstream on her Channel 4 program Homemade Home but it looks set to be a trend that could have strong resonance for those turning over turf for turnips. A typical office conversation at The Cotton Patch kitchen is on how early our beans were ready this year - not a particularly common conversation 5 years ago. Recycling for quilters is easier with the advent of Quilters Dream Green - 28 green plastic bottles can go into your King Size Quilt that won't be going into landfill.

There can be no doubt that those dull items from the 1950s and 1970s can appear to those who lived through the era not quite retro enough (they say that time heals) or without the classic style of Nouveau or Deco but maybe they do have something here. Certainly to the younger generation who think Twiggy must have been the precursor to Twitter, 70's style is pretty much spot on. Bring back the Curly Wurly I say ...oh...they did that already!

So if you want some inspiration and ideas on how to get started follow the link to the article here.

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Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Festival of Quilts 2009 - Amy Butler, Kaffe Fassett et al


Preparations are well underway for the Festival of Quilts at the NEC from 20th to 23rd August. We are delighted that Amy Butler, Kaffe Fassett and Marti Michell will all be joining us again. We also have Sandy Chandler from the States who will be demonstrating the Curve Master, tweezers and seam roller.

Amy and Kaffe will be able to sign copies of their books at the following times. They may be on the stand at other times as well if they are not doing classes and lectures so please stop by on our stand at B25 - we'll have lots of fabrics by the metre, packs and books. There will be some great Show Special Offers so it will be well worth a visit.



Amy's Book Signing Times

Thursday 10:30 - 12:00 and 4:45 - 5:15
Friday 10:30 - 12:00 and 4:45 - 5:15
Saturday 10:30 - 12:30 and 2:00 - 3:00
Sunday 10.00 - 11.00







Kaffe's Book Signing Times


Thursday 11:00 - 1:00 and 2:30 - 4:00.
Friday 11:00 - 1:00 and 2:30 - 4:00.


Our main Cotton Patch stand is just across from Amy and Kaffe at C19 and our demonstrations of hand and machine quilting frames (including the new Bernina frame) will be at B21.



Don't forget that our shop is only 1/2 hour drive away from the NEC so please do visit while you are in the area. The shop is open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday (20-22 August) from 10am to 5pm. To give you an extra incentive to visit, if you spend over £35 on any of those days get a free copy of one of the following books! (Offer is limited to one copy per customer per day.) For directions to the shop please click here.




The Quilt Road by Kaffe Fassett (Ref 4259, normally £15.95)


A collection of 20 projects to suit all skill levels by:- Kaffe Fassett, Janet Bolton, Keiko Goke, Roberta Horton, Mary Mashuta, Liza Prior Lucy, Pauline Smith, Betsy Mennesson, Brandon Mably and Hilde Aanerud Krohg.
This Rowan Patchwork & Quilting book is styled by Kaffe Fassett and photographed by Debbie Patterson in the dramatic Pennine landscape of Yorkshire, amongst the barns and lichen encrusted mossy dry-stone walls that are so characteristic of the roadside scene in this part of Northern England.

The Impatient Patchworker by Jane Emerson (Ref 4395, normally £12.99)


If you like the idea of giving your home an individual touch, but lack of time, the experience or the ideas, then The Impatient Patchworker is just what you need. Jayne Emerson has created a range of 20 quick-to-make patchwork projects that will transform your home in a matter of a few hours. She includes wonderful mixtures of patterns and colours to create eye-catching but simple textiles, including cushions, shopping bags and purses, table runners, cloths and napkins.






Seven Easy Pieces by Kaffe Fassett (Ref 4057, normally £7.95)

A collection of 7 cool and contemporary projects with beginners in mind. The projects use just 10 Kaffe Fassett fabrics so, if there is any left over from one project you can use it to start the next!







We hope you can visit the NEC in August and if you do, we look forward to seeing you there!

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