6 Inspirational Patchwork Shops

It is so important to support our local patchwork shops. There was a time a few years ago when shops were closing because patchworkers were turning to the internet for fabric because the Aus $ was almost equal to the US$. I was guilty but I soon found that the colour was not quite what I thought or the quality was not as good as I would like. There is nothing like touching fabric and auditioning fabric in person.

We are in a COVID lockdown in Melbourne at present and there is nothing like a lockdown to make you appreciate how lucky we are to have great patchwork and quilting shops. I am really missing being able to pop into my local shop, have a chat to the ladies and pick up some new fabrics to play with. I thought I would share with you some shops I like to visit whenever possible.

 Amitie Textiles: 2 hours from home but worth the drive. They have a fantastic range of fabrics, quilt block patterns, sewing projects, yarn and patterns and homewares. And after the long drive their coffee shop is oh so inviting, their cakes, yum.

Bella Fabrics: this one is truly local, I can walk to the shop from home. They have lovely bright fabrics, interesting patchwork patterns, both large and small, books and gifts. They run classes  covering quilting, dressmaking, appliqué, embroidery, EPP, crochet, to name a few.  They also have “sit and sew” two mornings a week, a great way to ensure “me” time in our busy lives.

Nuno Nuno: I am so luck I can walk to this shop too. They have textiles for quilting, clothing, crafting, patterns, haberdashery and handcrafted giftware & accessories. A small shop but very inviting. I love their homewares, they are fresh and a little bit patchworky.

Cutting Cloth: Another bright, fresh Melbourne patchwork shop. They have an extensive range of fabrics, wool, patterns and haberdashery. They also have a large classroom at the back of the shop where they conduct their many classes. Don’t forget to check out their bag pattern range too.

Now I head out of Victoria and spread my wings a bit, something we are not able to do at present but hopefully very soon.

The Patch Works: Hobart, Tasmania. What I love about this shop is that they offer FREE classes to beginners to get them on their patchwork journey. What a great idea, more shops could do this, great PR and you just might have a customer for life.

Den Haan & Wagenmakers: I have really spread my wings for this one, it’s in Amsterdam. My husband found this shop for me when we holidayed there in 2015. The steps up to the front door add to the anticipation. Once inside you are greeted by beautiful fabrics, books and patterns. But there is more, stairs lead to the second floor where you will find quilts lovingly displayed and more fabric.

That is just a small selection of great and inspiring patchwork and quilting shops the world has to offer. I would love to hear about your local shop so when I am able to travel, I might drop in and pick up some fabric to remind me of my adventures.

Two places I am longing to visit are Canada and the USA so please Canadian and American patchworkers help me put together a list of must visit shops for my travels by adding your favourite local shops in the comments.

Happy sewing

Margaret

Rules, rules everywhere there's rules.

When I learnt to make patchwork quilts back in the 80’s I was told there where rules that I should never break. OOOPs I have broken them all and continue to break them on an almost daily basis. Here are the top 5.

Rule 1: Never use white fabric in a quilt. I have no idea how this rule came about, maybe it dates back to times when washing was difficult and white showed the dirt to much, who knows. I stuck to this rule for quite some time until I realised that white actually added a bit of zing to a quilt so now I use it in almost every quilt I make.

Rule 2: Always press seams to the dark side. Yes a good rule and I try and stick to it where possible BUT sometimes my points look better if I press the other way or I press the seam open.

Rule 3: Always wash your fabric before using it. Nee, non, nai, no it does not happen in this house. When I buy new fabric I am always in a hurry to get home to start playing with it. I have bought fabrics that have had a little too much sizing and therefore are a little stiff when hand piecing and I bitch and moan about it but still I don’t pre wash. The rule is also about fabric shrinking, I have never found it to be an issue.

Rule 4: Blue and green should not be seen without something in between. Tell that rule to the horizon where green forests meet the blue sky. No more to be said on that topic, Nature has it sorted.

Rule 5: (The most ridiculous rule of all.) Only ever have one quilt on the go at a time ie do not start a new quilt until you have finished the one you are currently working on. How to stifle creativity, spontaneity, passion, enthusiasm and put patchwork shops out of business. I will happily confess to having more UFO’s than I dare to count. Will they all get finished, probably not , my kids can deal with that issue when I am gone. Did I enjoy starting them, yes. Was I enthusiastic about them at the start, yes. Did I learn something along the way, yes. Did starting a new quilt spark my creativity, yes. So what does all that tell you? That starting something and not finishing it straight away, or ever, is not a totally bad thing, there are positives in there.

So the over-riding message today is : yes there will always be rules no matter what aspect of life you look at and some should never, never, ever be broken BUT some are just crying out to be broken.

Happy sewing