Folk Flora from 3 Wishes

folk flora patchwork

Designed by Caroline Alfreds for 3 Wishes, this new quality fabric is a must for making beautiful quilts and home décor accessories. Featuring a whimsical patchwork of folk fabrics with flowers and butterflies in deep greens and vibrant pinks it is just perfect for patchwork and quilting, tops and t-shirts requiring some structure, accessories and home decor.

Plus you can download a FREE quilt pattern using this collection on the 3 Wishes website!

FREE FOLK FLORA QUILT PATTERN

folk flora free quilt pattern

Dressmaking: A beginner’s guide to patterns.

A sewing pattern is the place for a beginner to dressmaking to make a start.  As well as an envelope containing pattern pieces and instructions there is the envelope itself which is full of information. Not all pattern envelopes are laid out in the same way but the information provided is the same.  To be successful as a dressmaker you need to understand the pattern. 

The back of the envelope shows two measurements:  body measurements and sizes for the finished garment.  You will find fabric recommendations and the amount of fabric you will need for the different sizes.  In addition, there will be drawings of the variations of the garment, sometimes called technical images or line art.  You will also see a list of the notions or haberdashery you will need ie zips, interfacing etc.   The information may also be provided in French or Spanish alongside the English.

Most patterns give you a guide as to how difficult the pattern will be.  Easy/Intermediate/Complex.  If you’re a complete beginner, try an easy pattern to start with.  Some manufacturers have “learn to sew” patterns created with a complete beginner in mind, full of tips and advice.

Fabric & Notions

Recommended Fabric   For you to make the garment and achieve the intended look follow the recommended fabrics.  A flowy skirt or fitted jacket would look wrong in t-shirt jersey.  As a beginner it is important to follow the advice from the designer.  You don’t want to spend hours creating your garment to be unhappy with the finish because of the fabric you’ve chosen.  You may also need a lining fabric and contrasting fabrics.

If you’re unsure, have a chat to any of our staff who’ll be very happy to help.  Visit our website here to see a small selection of what we offer.

Fabric Requirements    This tells you the amount of fabric you’ll need based on your chosen size and the width of the fabric you are buying.  Always buy the amount advised – you don’t want to run out if you make a mistake.  Most dressmaking fabrics come on rolls or bolts in 2 approximate widths: 110cm/44” and 150cm/60”.

Notions     Don’t forget to buy these.  This is things like buttons, zips, elastic, trim. 

Not mentioned on an envelope but needed are needles and threads appropriate for your chosen fabric.  A denim needle will leave visible holes in a chiffon fabric.  An extra fine thread will not be appropriate for heavy duty corduroy.

You can see our haberdashery here and needles and thread here.

Drawings

The line art or technical drawings show you the design details that are not always obvious in the photos.  You will see the variations of the pattern, for example sleeve options, different necklines or skirt lengths.  Things like darts and fastenings are more easily seen in the drawings.

Measurements

You will see two sets of measurements:  the finished garment and your body measurements.  Sizes on the high street are not the same as dressmaking sizes.  Take your body measurements accurately and then look at the pattern for the size you’re going to make.  Many of us fall between sizes.  This is completely normal and you will use a pencil and a curve ruler (also called a French curve ruler:  click here to visit our website) to draw on your pattern to create a smooth cutting line between to two sizes.

The finished garment measurements are intended to give you an idea of how your garment will fit once finished.  These measurements allow you to choose with even greater accuracy the size you’re going to make.

This is where making your own garment allows such flexibility with size and fit.

We sell patterns from 3 manufacturers.  Visit us in store or our website.

Coniston Cutting Mat Bag

We love Bev Mayo’s handy cutting mat bag, and so do our customers! The log cabin design is easy to master with Bev’s helpful YouTube tutorials, and the padding ensures your cutting mat travels well and is protected. Why not get prepared for when both you and your craft supplies can hit the road again!

The bag will fit a 24” x 18” cutting mat with the actual size of the bag being 20” x 24” (51cm x 60cm).  There is room to spare for your cutting ruler and other items so creating patchwork on the move is made a little easier, and you can easily store all your tools together.  The log cabin pattern (and the rest of the bag) is made from four light tone and four dark tone fabrics. You can use your favourite colour scheme – purple and teal are very popular choices. This is also the perfect project to use up your scraps.

Here’s what you’ll need:

25cm of three light tone fabrics

1m of another light tone fabric

25cm of two dark toned fabrics

50cm of two more dark toned fabrics

2 pieces of calico (25″ x 21″)

2 pieces of wadding (25″ x 21″)

2 small pieces of wadding (2″ x 37″)

These are some of our collections that have been used to create this bag by our customers –

plus our range of Jospehine Wall fabrics would work look amazing 😀

Don’t forget to watch the three tutorial videos that accompany this pattern, especially if there are any techniques that you haven’t practised before. You can find all three below. Happy Crafting!

Star Buys 25th Feb – 9th March

The weather here has been so dreary that we can’t help thinking of Noah’s Ark. Nutex’s Little Noah collection of fabric and patterns has been very popular over the last few weeks, so we can’t be the only ones! As the drizzle continues, we’ve decided to take 10% off the whole collection, and we’ve thrown in a few other animal themed goodies too.

There are some delightful quilt patterns from Kid’s Quilts designed especially for this fabric – also with 10% off.

Plus we’ve also taken 10% off Kerry Lord’s amazing Edward’s Menagerie. Crochet your own Noah’s Ark with 40 unique animal patterns.

And we’ve also discounted Stylecraft’s Wondersoft Merry Go Round. 100% premium self-striping acrylic available in both brights and pastels. Only £3.60 per 100g and just perfect for baby and toddler knitting patterns.

You can find all of our current Star Buy offers here

Offer valid till midnight on Monday 2nd March 2020. Subject to stock availability.

Feather & Flora

You just can’t really go wrong with birds and flowers, can you?

This beautiful collection from Elizabeth Isles at Studio E abounds with our delicate winged friends silhouetted amongst the flora in rich tones of blues, greens and purples.

There is very much a hint of traditional dying techniques and cyanotype photography in this modern craft cotton.

Not only useful as a blender, Studio E have designed two quilts that wholly use these fabrics to stunning effect. Have a look at these and other free patterns here.

Find our favourite selection of Feather and Floral from Studio E.

Elizabeth’s Studio Glorious Landscapes

Elizabeth’s Studio have some amazing digital print landscape fabrics – I’m sure you all have at least one fat quarter stashed away somewhere! 😂 😉

How about gathering up all those leftover landscapes and trying one of the free table runner patterns designed especially for this collection from the Elizabeth’s Studio extensive project gallery? I particularly like the summer version below, it really makes me want to hide from this cold weather somewhere more exotic.

Check out the other variations and details – https://buff.ly/2H3lack You can also purchase even more glorious landscapes to complete your project here: https://buff.ly/31vTK8x

Bee A Keeper from Studio E

View this collection on Tudor Rose Patchwork

Bees seem to continue to be on-trend in 2020. Who doesn’t love reminding of summer and the importance of these little winged visitors to our gardens? We’re delighted to have new stock of this wonderful collection from DT-K Signature at Studio E. The palette consists of golden yellows, creams and warm browns. Buzzing bees, bee hives and honeycomb designs are some of the coordinates for this line. The feature print is a block pattern with six ten-inch blocks that all feature a different scene.

We’ve got oodles of ideas for projects using this charming fabric, AND Studio E have designed a free quilt pattern to show this fabric off to it’s full potential.

The instructions provided are very clear and comprehensive making this lovely quilt achievable by any enthusiastic beginner.

You can find it here – and make sure you have a look at some of the other free projects offered by Studio E while you’re there.

Click here to find the Bee A Keeper collection on our website

Star Buys 28 Jan – 11 Feb 2020

Just in time for all your Valentine’s projects – Lewis & Irene’s Threaded With Love has 30% off!! A lovely collection of romantic crafty themed fabrics, plus you can find two wonderful FREE patterns using them over on the Lewis & Irene website.

Shop for Threaded With Love at £7.70 per metre

Plus 30% off this selected range of 100% craft cotton – 5 fabrics chosen to enhance your patchwork projects.

Buy them all here

Two adorable cross stitch kits from DMC’s Me To You range featuring hearts, a narwhal and a unicorn – 30% off means that for £11.80 you get everything you need to create these lovely projects.

And finally, how about some Raffia to wrap your special gifts in, or just to enhance a wonderful bouquet? Now just 75p per bundle.

Shop all our Raffia colours

All offers end 11th February 2020 and are subject to availability.

June Newsletter

Show season has started, do come and visit our stand and take a look at our fantastic range of craft products. On the 1st to 4th August we will be exhibiting at The Festival of Quilts Birmingham, and are delighted to offer you the ability to buy discounted tickets to this event using the following unique code FESTIVAL173. Check out the pinned post at the top of our Facebook page to find out how to win a pair of tickets. Then on 29th to 31st August you will find us at West Country Quilt & Textile Show, Bristol.

Whats New In-Store & Online? Click Here to see New Arrivals

If you fancy learning a new craft or furthering your skills in something you currently do, we offer a wide range of regular classes and one-off workshops. New classes for July to December 2019  are being added to our website daily, these can be booked immediately. Click Here to see the latest information

Giving something back…… 
This month we are pleased to support the following events: on Wednesday 12th June Frances Bulmer was joined by some generous folks to make heart shaped cushions which help with pain relief for breast cancer patients at the Primrose unit in Bedford. CLICK HERE to find out how you can help next time.

Also on the weekend of 15th/16th June Chris & Kate will be undertaking their annual 24 hour Charity Sewathon, this year they and their band of helpers will be making as many cushion covers as possible which will be donated to a number of local care homes. They would really appreciate donations of fabric or squares to make the cushions which can be dropped off at Tudor Rose Patchwork.

Schools Out! it comes round sooner than you think……
Do you have a youngster who is interested in craft, take a look at our summer holiday workshop programme? These workshops focus on learning to sew and create simple projects. 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW/BOOK WORKSHOPS

STOP PRESS !!!
Goldwork Moonlit Hare, NEW date Thursday 21st November 2019

Book Online

Baby Quilting Inspiration

Purple Boots has been busy at her sewing machine this month making a gift for her cousin.

A quilt was requested in shades of grey to match their baby decor. Take a look at the quirky foxes and cuddly bunnies Purple Boots created using applique and the repeating theme of a cheeky bird popping up in each square. She has gone though her scrap box looking for coordinating fabric to make the scrappy borders.

All those tiny little morsels work really well against the plainer borders. Because the family want a play mat rather than an heirloom quilt, the quilt has been backed with our supersoft dove grey dimple fleece. A little bit of embroidery brings each if the animals to life. All ready for new arrival!

Check out our range of neutrals on our website. Purple Boots has effectively used a combination of greys and whites. Look especially for Lewis & Irene Bumbleberries, Nutex Moko, Michael Miller Marbles and Sevenberry Marbles, all of which can be seen somewhere in this quilt!

Snuggle up in your own dimple fleece quilt