Tuesday 16 August 2016

Launching QS Extra Wide Batik Fabric

Extra Wide fabrics are very difficult to get hold of as most manufacturers don't make any and those who do, only make a very limited selection.  These need to be generally ordered months in advance and then just arrive with no notice.  If a fabric is popular and we want to reorder, generally the chances are slim. Batik extra wides are even more difficult to get hold off.

Extra Wide fabrics are approximately 108 inches for standard fabrics and for Batik they are 106 inches wide approx.  They are fantastic for quilt backs, piecing, dress making etc and are of course 100% cotton.

Several months ago we made the decision to source a range of extra wide batiks fabrics of our own and import them from Indonesia.

It was a very long process and the hardest was actually deciding on what to have produced.
I have chosen 20 different colours/designs for our first order.

I asked the factory to send me pictures of them being produced.

the batik process

qs batik fabric

quilt sandwich batik fabric

the Batik process

stampted batik

quilt Sandwich traditional Indonesian Batik

Quilt Sandwich Extra wide batik

Extra Wide Batik

Batik Fabric production

Extra Wide Batik Fabric

Quilt Back

QS Extra Wide Batik Fabric

Traditional Indonesian Batik

extra Wide batik fabric

Quilt Sandwich Batik

Here is a link to a you tube video produced by Moda of the whole process, which really makes you appreciate how much work and effort is involved in this fabric.  Just click the link below.

The Traditional Batik Process


So when the fabrics were ready we then had to arrange shipping.  They took around five weeks by sea to get to the UK. Next they had to have all the correct documentation and payment of import duty and vat in order to clear customs.

This is the first ship which the fabrics started on, on their very long journey to the UK


and today they arrived!

Here are just a few of the bolts now in the store cupboard.

Extra Wide fabric

These extra wide batiks have been specially produced on 40's fabric which is slightly less dense a weave than standard Batik fabric which is generally a 50's.

50's fabric is too tight a weave to use as a backing fabric as the needle can damage the threads when quilting and create holes and in turn this can cause bearding (where the wadding pokes out of the holes).  By using the 40's fabric the needle goes between the threads.

The fabrics are now in the online shop here  - http://www.quiltsandwich.co.uk/#!quilt-backs-shop/c50p   click on the batik section. We have the largest collection of extra wide fabrics in the UK.

Minimum cut as usual is half a metre and in the online shop they are just £21 per metre.
As they are extra wide they are almost 2.5 times as wide as standard width, so in reality this would equate to just over £8 per metre of standard width - which is a superb price for high quality batik.

I shall also be launching these at Harrogate Quilt Show, so be sure to call by. I will be on stand 166 & 167.


Saturday 13 August 2016

Festival of Quilts 2016

This year I took my husband Tim to the Festival of Quilts at the NEC for the first time.

As usual I stayed at The Village in Solihull and drove in each day.

We had a great time meeting lots of lovely quilters we already knew, many of whom have attended our workshops and retreats and many which we had not met before too.  We also covered Sally Holmans stall whilst she went to teach.

We also visited Louise Mabbs. Louise is scheduled to teach at Quilt Sandwich at the end of October  this year - full details are on our website here - http://www.quiltsandwich.co.uk/#!workshops/c24c2



and of course caught up with our regular tutors too - Jenny Rayment, Jan Hassard, Gail Lawther, Angela Madden, Pat Archibald, Lynne Edwards,Kathleen Laurel Sage.

Here are some of the very many quilts which were on show.

Liz Wheeler - Negative to positive


Claire Wallace - Transformation

Suzy Sparrowe - A million and one mistakes

Rachel Tyndall - C & G applique samples


Claire O' Rourke - Carousel

Jennifer Green - Labour of  Love


Christine Davidson - All Encompassing Vision


Yvonne McKie  - Florigia



Fine Cell Work - Stella Quilt





Esperanza Blanco Ruiz - My Country House

Joanna Holomiej - The Kitchen Gods Wife

Judith Wilson - Humming Bee


Joy Salvage - Blue Cabin


Cal Boal - Custard Yellow

Annalise Littlefair - The Journey

Pat Scriven 1+1=19



Kay Bell - All Airs & Graces

Lynda Jackson - Changed my Mind Again

Kimberley Follington - New York Beauty




Anne Hill - Never Again



Bridget Corrie - Charlottes's Quilt

Brendan Sanders - Becky's Garden

Judith Lynch - My Old Dutch

anette Chilver - Dresden in Bloom

Elly Prins - Vermere & More



Trudi Wood - Priory Squared



Sandie Lush - Pearl Princess


Valerie Eames- Not a Patch on Jane

Frances Meredith - Nearly Insane

Diane Dixon - Last but not least


Linsey Upton - Tartan Tatoo

Catherine Carlyon - A Sparking Dear JAne


Jenyy Otton - Mediallion Quilt II

Sheena Norquay - Charming Checkmate


Susie Cooke - Southern Girls

Sandie Pirie - My KNOT Garden





Sandiy Chandler & Jo Colwill - Paracombe Quilt

Hilary Beattie - Bulrushes


Bara Bartosova - Geisha




Natalie Manley - Grey Days Reverie

Olivier Battais - Discovered Waters


Isobel Munroe - Light & Shadows

Joke Buursma - The Vuew


Kate Jackson - Theres no Place Like Home

Helen Godden - Galloping Wild & Free





Derek Snoxall and Sheila Wilkinson- Summer Garden





Angela Cotter & Kay Bell - For Lucy

Bianca Ruddy & Drene Ruddy - To Madiba with Love





 - 3rd Prize  Sue Watters & Sandlie Chandlier - Abigail Rose




Juliet van der Heijden - Hunted

Bara Bartosova - Frog





Maggie Farmer - The Wapley HillTree in Winter



Louise Jessup - The Dung Beetle

Mermaids - Claudia Pfeil

3rd Prize Liz Jones - Sunseeker

Paramjit Panesar - Illusion

Lynne Hanson - Colour Wheel

Chris Mason - ISBN Quilt



Brenda Sanders - Atom

Fiona Mcintosh - Sursum Semler

2nd Prize


Mayte Rodrigues Rodrgues - Betelgeuse




Brenda Thomas - Postcard from Devon



Laura Kenshall





FIRST PRIZE WINNERS

Janette Chilver & Mary Telford  - Vintage Moments

Sunset Spectrum - Dyeversity



Robyn Fahy - Paradise in Bloom
Sandie Chadler


Jane Bonnie - All that Remains

Sandra Newton - Other Places


Oksaner Mader - Kaleidoscope of My Life & Love - My First Quilt

Leah Higgins - Ruins 6

Elfrieda Grooten - New Beginning


Holly Neave - Thats the Way to do it

Matilda Tate -Under the \tropical Sea

Burgess Hill School for Girls - Sittin in the morning sun

Malou Cecille Van Draanan Glismann - Sea Views J Pennecamp Beach



Minatures

















Lisa Gibbs - Colours of Namaqualand

Pam Garland - Trio Sonata


Janette Chilver  - Waltzer



Charlott Sundahl - Over the Edge


Diane Dixon - Fire Island Hosta

2nd Place - Fern Rising - Claudia Pfeil
Claudia will be coming over from Germany to teach again later this year at Quilt Sandwich. Full details on the website soon - http://www.quiltsandwich.co.uk/#!workshops/c24c2


Maggie Barber - Hidden Message



Annalise Littlefair - New Beginnings

Jean Bell - Sunburst



Sandy Chandlier - Enigma

Maaike Bakker - Tribute to William Morris
Caroline Wilkinson - Not so much sunshire plenty of shadow


Marcia Baraldi - Blue Metamorphosis


Helena Butcher - Box Section

Rosalind Harvey - Made with Love

Isabel Muzos - Tropical Cardumen


Bara Bartosova - Fata Morgana

Gillian Theokritoff - Floribundance



Creative

2nd place - Kathy Knapp - The Morning Coat



















Japanese Showcase


Russian Showcase













Hope you have enjoyed my photos. If I have pictured your quilt and not named you and would like to be added, please just let me know.

Workshops, retreats and the largest selection of extra wide backing fabrics can be found on my website here. www.quiltsandwich.co.uk  You can also subscribe to our newsmail list to be kept up to date with new retreats. Just send me an email - fiona@royalhotelbrid.co.uk.