Fabric espionage......Toile de Jouy or simply "toile
In the French language, the phrase literally means "cloth from Jouy-en-Josas", a town of north-central France.
Toile de Jouy, is a
type of decorating pattern on which a repeated pattern depicting a fairly complex
scene, generally of a pastoral theme such as (for example) a couple
having a picnic by a lake.
Toile de Jouy originated in France in the late 1700s.
The triumph of toile as today's decorative darling is far from simple,
however. When Christopher-Philippe Oberkampf opened a print shop in
France in 1760, reverse images for toile prints were carved into wooden
blocks. Ink was applied to the blocks and then transferred by hand to
un-dyed cotton. Only the rich and the royal, including Louis XVI, could
afford the results of this painstaking process.
Later, in a stunning example of industrial espionage, Oberkampf
discovered in England the secrets of etching designs onto a copper-plate
roller. He and his brothers wrote the directions for this process on
cotton percale fabric, using an alum solution tinted with red dye, and
then dipped the fabric in vinegar to render the writing invisible until
after they crossed the Channel. By utilizing their stolen information,
the Oberkampfs significantly expanded both their market and their fame.
Napoleon himself bestowed on them the Legion of Honor.
A more detailed history of toile can be found here
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 Top Ten List of Reasons to buy Fabric
#5
If you leave the guestroom empty someone might actually stay in it.
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Fall Stash Dash
October 2,3 &4th, 2009
Dash around the Olympic and Kitsap Peninsula's as you pick up your free fat quarters at each shop. This year's color theme is yellow and blue and you will receive a free fat quarter at each shop. Get your passport stamped at each of the six shops and you will be eligible to win the grand prize of a Singer Featherweight Sewing Machine. Prizes also include six second prized of fabric donated by Timeless Treasures Fabrics and Maywood Studios and gift certificates from the participating stores. Maps and driving directions available from the website. |
September Fab Shop Hop
Go to our website and click on the link to register for the September online Fab Shop Hop.
Great Prizes and lots of fun shops.
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New Fabrics ....
Nature-ology from Studio E Fabrics. Another wonderful group from Studio E fabrics. Yardage, fat quarter packs and jelly rolls available.
Aurora- This group of fabrics from Robert Kaufman fabrics is rich and vibrant with a dusting of gold metallic on each print. There are three , Jewel, Earth and Pewter and there are fat quarter packs for each colorway which include fat quarters of Robert Kaufman's silk and cotton blend fabrics for dazzling accents.
 Full Sun II is by WillowBerry Lane for Maywood Studio Fabrics. The
popular Full Sun collection is freshened up with a smooth-as-butter
color palette. Subtler sunflowers, butterflies and stripes in rich
browns, creamy yellows and soft blues recall summer mornings in the
garden
See more new fabrics here......
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Now... Titanium Coated Needles for the Home Sewing Machine
Titanium-coated needles have
been available for longarm machines for many years, but
these are the first titanium-coated Topstitch style needles made for
home machines. Superior Threads (USA) and Organ Needle Company (Japan)
have applied the latest technology of titanium-coated needles to the
Topstitch style for home machines. These new titanium-coated needles
have an ultra thin coat of titanium nitride layered on the surface to
extend their productive life by five to eight times that of
conventional needles. Most professionals recommend changing the needle
every project or, if you count, every 8 hours. Imagine having a needle
that will last 40 to 60 hours. This is equivalent to saving 80% on the
cost of needles. The topstitch needles have an elongated eye as well as a sharp point which make them perfect for piecing and quilting woven fabrics like cotton.
SUPERIOR Titanium-coated Topstitch #80/12. Guaranteed to last 5-8 times longer
than regular needles. Pack of 5. Recommended for piecing and quilting with fine threads. Use with 50 wt threads, invisible threads and bobbin weight threads.
SUPERIOR Titanium-coated Topstitch #90/14. Guaranteed to last 5-8 times longer
than regular needles. Pack of 5. Recommended for medium weight threads. Use with quilting weight threads such as Signature and King Tut threads and metallic threads.
SUPERIOR Titanium-coated Topstitch #100/16. Guaranteed to last 5-8
times longer than regular needles. Pack of 5. Recommended for 30 wt.
and heavier threads used for quilting and embellishing.
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Class Schedule - Register Now
Wool Appliqué Workshop
Instructor: Lauretta Ehling
Class Fee: $7.50 per session
One Sunday a month from 12:30 to 3:30 pm
Sept. 13, Oct. 11, Nov. 8, Dec. 13
This
is your chance to get started working with wool, work on one of the 2009
Wool Block of the Month Projects, finish up old Wool Block of the Month
Projects, or start a new wool appliqué project of your own choosing.
Whatever you choose to bring to class you will have the advantage of
Lauretta's wool appliqué expertise at your disposal. She will be at
each session of the workshop to advise, to lend color advice and to
offer troubleshooting help. Give yourself a Sunday afternoon to work
with your wool, enjoy the camaraderie of working with others and take
advantage of Lauretta's vast wealth of experience working with wool.
 Accidental LandscapesInstructor: Barb Schultz One session class: Sunday, October 18, noon to 4pm Discover
the secrets of creating a fabric landscape accidentally using Karen
Eckmeier's layering and topstitching technique. You'll find out how
to capture the feeling of a scene in simple layers, create a landscape
based on a favorite photo, postcard, color palette, memory or vacation.
Surprise yourself with lively, exciting compositions. Accidental
Landscapes Book required for class.
 Ink WorkshopInstructor: Barb Schultz Class Fee: $45.00 includes class kit One session class: Friday Sept. 18,11 am to 4 pm Learn
to use Tsukineko All Purpose Inks, Veracraft Stamp Pads, and Fabrico
Markers to create an assortment of affects including rubbings,
stenciling, hand dyed fabric and appliqué' enhancement., Looking for a
product to paint on fabric without changing the hand? This is it... and
it's permanent when heat set. Fix "hiccups" in machine embroidery as
well as those little "pokies" that come to the top in machine
quilting. The possibilities are endless. Use it with aloe vera gel to
create stunning wash affects or with shaving cream to stencil,
silkscreen, and marbleize. Come and join us for a day filled with new
ideas, solutions to old problems and plenty of inspiration. This is not a
construction class so no sewing machine is required. The supply list
is small, most things you already have around home. Ink products and
samples will be provided for use in class.
Borders
and Binding
Instructor: Lauretta Ehling
Class Fee: $35.00
Saturday, September 12, 10:30 am to 2:30 pm
Lauretta will demonstrate and
lecture on the ins and outs of adding borders to your quilts so that the
resulting quilt is square and flat. You will receive instruction and
have an opportunity for hands on practice in binding techniques using
both straight and bias binding.
Beginning Machine Quilting - Walking Foot Basics
Instructor: Peggy St. George
Class Fee: $45.00
One session class: Saturday, September 19, 10:30 am to
4:30 pm
Learn the basics of machine quilting, using your walking
foot from this accomplished and experienced machine quilter. You will learn by
hands on practice with a small quilt top. Instructions for the nine-patch quilt
top are included in the class and Peggy will guide you through the process of
pin basting your quilt and quilting the blocks and borders. You will learn a
variety of designs to complete your quilts with confidence.
Free Motion Quilting
- Beyond the Basics
Instructor: Peggy
St. George
Class Fee: $45.00
One
session class: Tuesday, September 22 10:30 am to 4:30 pm
Here's a
brand-new class for those of you who have taken the beginning Free
Motion Quilting class or already have basic free motion skills and
want to learn more designs and enhance your free motion quilting
skills. Peggy will introduce you to many different quilting patterns.
She will show you how to quilt blocks, background designs and border
designs. During class you will begin quilting a small table topper
or wall hanging which will become a library of quilt designs for
your future reference. So, come and try some of these designs,
improve your free motion quilting abilities and have fun in a
relaxing learning environment.
 Beginner's Sampler
Instructor: Lauretta Ehling
Ten session class: Saturdays, twice a month, 10:30 am to 2:30 pm beginning September 26.
This
class is for the person who wants to learn to quilt or for the quilter
who wants to brush up their skills. Students will meet approximately
twice each month and will complete a twelve block lap quilt while
learning a variety of quilting skills and techniques including rotary
cutting, hand piecing, appliqué, several machine piecing techniques and
English paper piecing. Under Lauretta's expert guidance, students will
have the skills and confidence at the end of the class to follow any
quilt pattern and embark on a lifetime of quilting pleasure.
 Hand-Pieced
Nativity Wall Hanging
Instructor: Dorothy
Thompson
Class Fee: $45.00
Four
session class: Fridays,
Sept.25, Oct. 16 & 30, and Nov. 6th, 11:00 am to 3:00 pm
Learn the basics of hand piecing as you construct
this beautiful wall hanging designed by Dorothy. Because
hand piecing gives you more control over your fabric, you can easily
use a variety of fabrics for this quilt. Add those beautiful pieces
of fabric you have been saving to the robes of the wisemen or use
scraps of silk or lame' for the stars. Class suitable for beginners
with rotary cutting experience.
 Athena's Puzzle
Instructor: Sherrie
Nagel
Class Fee: $37.00
includes pattern from Blue
Underground Studios
One
session class: Sunday,
September 27th, 10 am to 3 pm
This is a fast and easy pattern using 10½"
blocks that allow you to play with color and texture. The diagonal
placement of the blocks makes this pattern appear more complicated
than it actually is. In this class you will learn how to to
determine color and block placement for creating the diagonal
look as well as learn Sherrie's trick for binding your quilt like a
pro
 Moon Over the Mountain
Instructor: Lauretta Ehling
Class Fee: $35.00
One session class: Tuesday, September 29, 10:30 m to 2:30 pmThis
is a wonderful quilt to use up your stash of batiks as well as learn
the basics of machine appliqué. You will complete several blocks in
class while learning the secrets of quick machine appliqué. Lauretta's
method of preparing a reusable template that you can use over and over
again to shape your "moons" and "mountains" will apply to many other
machine appliqué blocks and quilts you might want to tackle. Once you
learn this technique the possiblities are limitless! OK for beginners.
 Wool Log Cabin
Instructor: Lauretta Ehling
Class Fee: $65.00
Three session class: Tuesdays, October 6,13, and 20, 10:30 am to 2:30 pm
You will
first create the woodland scene on wool that forms the center of this
log cabin quilt and in the process you will learn about painting on
wool with Tsukineko inks and the art of needle felting. After you have
your center completed - you will be ready for the log cabin blocks that
form the rest of the quilt. Lauretta has created her log cabin blocks
using William Morris fabrics - your fabric choice will reflect your own
style and give the quilt your own unique look. Confident Beginner.
 Batik Beauty
Instructor: Lauretta
Ehling
Class Fee: $25.00
One
session class: Tuesday, November 10, 10:30 am to 1:30 pm
This is a chance to feature all of those
wonderful batik fabrics you have been saving. Batiks are made by
hand and are original art, and each inch of a batik is unique.
Because of this, your batik quilt will be a work of art like no
other. Make this easy to
construct, complex looking quilt while you have fun playing with
color and texture. This class will provide you with an excellent
exercise in the use of color in a fun and non-threatening
way. You will learn to trust your eye and your own special color
sense.
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Win a $50 Gift CertificateSign up for our newsletter and be entered into
our monthly drawing for a $50 online gift certificate. Sign up now! Next drawing September 25, 2009.The August Newsletter Drawing Winner is
Linda Ringer
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It must be getting close to autumn in our part of the world... the days are getting shorter and the spiders are getting bigger! I always get the urge to start a new handwork project about this time of year. So in typical fashion, I have started both
