fabricmatcher.com

Clothing patterns up and running!

Yes.. it is finally up for all those who want to start matching fabrics to clothing and home patterns. We have added some New Look patterns up this week and will add in other designers and styles (handbags,  as they come on board.  Click here to go to the pattern page to start having fun... Here is a example of one from GGSews stash using some fun Michael Miller fabric...!

And the winner for the week 8 quilt designs!

A bright and colorful design from Melinda's stash called Star Rails. A bold take on Threaded Pear Studio's design, Rails and Squares! This will be alot of fun for a young childs bed. Melinda you will have to let me know who it is for. Great fun and I see some more have joined up. Keep them rolling in! Damian :)

Heather Bailey in focus for week 7

Comparison of fabric pics and real quilt!
I have had a few emails last week after people viewed the first top made from week 1. They were very complimentary about the quality of the color images of fabric in fabricmatcher and the real ones in the quilt. Have a look below. It is great to see that the comparison is so good. The images from the fabric manufacturers are getting better and better and this helps us give you the best possible interpretation of the real fabrics on the site....

A lovely note from last weeks winner!
A inspiring note from our winner last week - Lindi, from Sydney "Hi Damian! I am so excited! Not just because I've won a kit, but also because of the recognition of my inspirations. For me, a quilt starts with seeing a fabric that inspires me. I then start looking for co-ordinating fabrics and prints and then choose a design. Most of my quilts have a complimentary colour included in the fabric selection, to give the quilt some "pizzazz". 
My usual choices are rather bright (as you would probably have noticed), but the Mahjong fabric appealed because, even though I don't play (except as a computer game) I love the look and feel of the tiles and the intricacies of the game. The fabric is already detailed, so I decided it needed something less dramatic in its treatment than my usual approach. When you watch Mahjong players, they are quiet, and concentrating, so I decided this pattern would be ideal... the mahjong tile fabric would be the feature, with borders that set it off without competing for attention. I kept to the oriental theme by selecting oriental fabrics as the borders. I wanted a quilt that would be suitable for a male, but equally at home draped over a lounge for any one to use. The fan patterned fabric seemed ideal, as in the old courts, men also used fans as part of their formal dress. I am really looking forward to making this quilt. I will have to start thinking about the quilting design now!"  Wow...great work and have fun with the quilt.

And the winner this week..
I mentioned Bluquilts work before for Lotus Dreaming in week 4 - a lovely use of Amy Butler in a Material Obsession design. The Material Obsession girls are well known for their use and matching of color in their quilts and it is great to see another quilter giving it a go. But I think the work she has done in this quilt, Starflower,  is even more fun using Heather Bailey (Are you a Heather Bailey fan?) We are here and love this interpretation of the Fluffy Stars pattern giving it a fresh new spin. We love how you have showcased the large florals across the quilt.  You will have great fun making this one and it will ge a great addition to your house.  Congratulation!  Damian :)

Winner for week 6

A quilt top from Week 1 already!
Remember the winner from week 1. Well here is a finishd quilt top and a note from Glenda, the winner:

"Hi, Damian. I was so glad to receive the quilt kit in the mail.  The Tokyo Rose pattern came together well.  Thanks to the numbered diagram that came with the pattern, I was able to put it together rather quickly.  Here is a picture of the pieced top. It is not yet quilted, but I am very pleased with both the pattern and the batik colors.  Thanks again, Glenda"

Here is her fabricmatcher.com creation...

....and her quilt top.  Great work! Can't wait to see if finally finished!

Note from our winner last week! - "Red & Blue Cockledoodledoo"
"Thank you!Right now, my design philosophy is all about color. My husband and I have been renovating a house we bought last year and everything is beige or off-white. So I am always looking for ways to add color and interesting patterns without overloading the small space. Adding a wall-hanging quilt is the just the way to make the place look less like a construction site and more like home!" Kirsty, New York.

Week 6 winner!

And now for some more quilt design eye candy...I was viewing the stash on Friday and came across all these creations from Lindijanej's stash. The first two - Rock Stars Play Guitars and  African drums....great creations and  lovely  use of theme with fabrics.

But the one which I loved was with Oriental fabrics called "Mahjong Framed" - a subtle blends of reds, creams and browns in a simple pattern from Gina Halladay's design from Threaded Pear Studio. It would be a lovely addition to any house. Congratulations! Damian:)    

Fab Mag 3

No fabrics over $5

We want to give our customers a great break on our fabrics so we have priced our full range of fabrics under $5 per 1/2 yard no matter what brand. So when you buy from us you can be assured that we have worked closely with our warehouse to bring you great value. If you find any over $5 on our site, let us know and we will charge you below $5 for it (but I will keep checking with each upload to make sure that it doesn't happen!) Don't miss out latest additions this week - some new Nigella from Amy Butler and some fun Joel Dewberry fabrics. You can see them under their fabric names when searching for fabric. Enjoy and buy quick because they will go fast from the warehouse!

Inspirational Blog - u-handbag

Meet a fun and inspirationa blogger - www.u-handbag.typepad.com "I came to be running a bag making supplies store sort of by accident, but it's the best accident I've ever had! In the past I have owned a busy restaurant, completed a psychology degree, learnt how to make handmade shoes, made handbags and soft furnishings, and worked as a play therapist-phew! I've enjoyed it all but to be honest I'm happiest creating things with my hands and I'll give anything a go with the help of a few instructions.I got into bag making for a couple of reasons. I know my way around a sewing machine because I have to alter my clothes a lot (grrr), and I was once given the most beautiful off-cuts from a curtain maker (lots of heavy silks). So I thought I would make myself some pennies by making bags and selling them because they are quite quick and easy to put together; and they went like... whooosh!"

Thank you for planting 450 trees!

Yes! We have started planting thanks to your support. Our first 450 trees are being planted in areas of most need in the world thorugh our partner, Trees of Life. We will keep you updated as we plant each month but don't forget that every sale you make means we plant more trees to help offset the pollution caused by the manufacturing of fabrics that we use in our craft - so for every quilt or dress that you sew you know you are helping our environment!

Down Under Quilts Collection now up



Yes. They are finally up! Check out the fun designs from quilters who publish in Down Under Quilts. We will publish a new one every month!

Bold colors from week 5!

Last Weeks Winner

Here is a note from last weeks winner, Isabelle, all the way from Paris (we have a real international flavor to our stash)and now married (congratulations)!  I was really interested in how she came up with her idea.

"I am simply thrilled about this!! This is so incredibly well timed, too. Believe it or not - I am getting married this Saturday (August 4), and all our wedding revolves around blue! Even my wedding dress, which I made, is pale blue. Isn't this just the perfect wedding gift - a blue quilt. Thank you so very much. My husband-to-be is as excited as I am - blue has always been "our" colour.

I've been enjoying very much using your website to imagine quilts - it has been so inspiring. "Windmills in the rain" came to me because, although I've now lived in Paris for 7 years, I am originally from Northern France, in the French Flanders (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nord-Pas_de_Calais). As in Belgium and Holland, you often encounter windmills across the landscape - and rain is also frequently part and parcel of the atmosphere. The initial inspiration really came from seeing the simple lines of the pattern - windmills immediately jumped to my mind. Then, when I chose the fabrics, it was pouring with rain in Paris, and this reminded me of the atmosphere in my native place and of the peculiar beauty of the vertical rain falling over the flat countryside.

I'm not exactly a quilter in the sense that I do not exclusively quilt - I am fond of quilting, but more generally, I simply love creating with fabric and thread: garment sewing, embroidery, and indeed, quilting."

Being bold in week 5!
And the winner for week 5. This week we looked at some of the bolder color choices in the group as our measure to see how people were trying to mix and match different designers. Here is a bold choice of greens and blues offset with yellow from Lindijanej's stash called  "Urban fiddle sticks"  - a very different take on a Piece o Cake design that used soft yellow colors.

.....and a great use of pinkm blue and some Kaffe fabric from melinda.skrapz's stash called "star 1". Once again a bold use of colorful fabrics in a simple design but very different on the color palette to the one above.  Compare it to the original  Fluffy Stars design from Sarah Fielke at Material Obsession!


But there can be only one winner and this week it is a bold colorful take on  the Cockadoodledoo quilt design called "Red & Blue Cockledoodledoo" from  katyopolis's stash! What a strong color use and alot of fun. This will make a great colorful contrast as a throw on a couch. Congratulations we will be in contact soon to send you your prize. It is now coming alot of fun to see how our stash's are mixing and matching designers and styles of fabrics. Keep it up!  Damian:)