Author Archives: Marni

Packing and an emotional tangent…

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Out of all the things in life packing and moving has to be one of the most hated. Top 5 at least – after public speaking….

I don’t like moving – it’s time consuming and I usually end up lifting everything and moving the things myself to the point of exhaustion. Packing is good though because you can sort and discard, condense your belongings and ensure that when you unpack you are starting afresh.

This move has been one of mixed feelings.

Changing the shop to online and machine quilting only was a big decision but it was one made at a time when all the pieces fell into place (space to move into, lease ending, mum needing more help with dad, 2 years at the shopfront) so it was an easy decision to make because it was simplified. The time was right, so we took the chance.

I love change so this is good for me and my outlook on the business. It gives me flexibility and time to hone my machine quilting skills more, in turn providing a better service for you, less overheads means more savings – so more stock and time to hunt down new and exciting things and best of all I’m around for dad.

Many of you know dad – he was in the shop from the start – he built all the cupboards and the kitchen area, the benches and the classroom tables. He was there every day with me, working on some of his own things, or helping me with shop things. He was there at all those shows and markets, lugging and carting things around for me. The last twelve months (from the 19th of August when it all happened) has been hard for my family. Watching the trauma that he suffered, listening to doctors tell us he wasn’t going to wake up and hearing the horror stories and fatality percentages made us close ranks and shut out the world. Being in the shop and continuing to quilt saved my sanity and held me together. I was able to be strong for my family – we had to keep going, knowing that’s exactly what dad would have expected of us.

What happened to dad few survive. Most die within the first few hours. Dad was incredibly lucky. We don’t know why or even how because according to all of the medical team who looked after him during those 3 months said he ticked all the wrong boxes. He was, in their eyes, a write off.

I personally think dad was lucky for three reasons – 1. He is a stubborn man and a survivor. This isn’t the first traumatic thing he’s lived trough. 2. He had reserves to loose. The excess weight he had been carrying kept him alive while others wasted away to nothing in the bed beside him dad still had colour and looked reasonably healthy. 3. He had us. Even though we were prepared for the worst because that’s what we were led to believe was happening we still hoped.

I won’t go into all the details but after three months in hospital we got him home. The first few weeks were tough for mum and I – especially through the nights when dad was restless –  we were lifting him in and out of bed. But he got better. The physical stuff coming back quickly, his balance is still a little random but he’s doing well. The mental and emotional stuff – well that takes far longer to heal.

Dad and I are not the same. We’ve lost whatever bond we had. I lost my drinking buddy, my companion in mischief… but it’s weird because he’s still there.

And this is why the shop had to change.

My family comes first. The shop as much as I love it and all of my customers is second. You all know that and you all have expressed to me the same sentiment.

So from now on, we are all to live much happier streamlined lives. Mail orders are easy as pie to place. I love seeing orders come in and wonder what you are all up to.

I will be updating new stock and information as I unpack. There are some new products arriving at the end of the month. To stay in touch with all the details please sign up for our newsletter or find us on Facebook.

 

I will be around all over the place over the last few days of this move so if you need me please send through an email (frankensteinsfabrics@hotmail.com), ring/text 0416 023 637 or message me via Facebook. You can also leave comments on blog posts.

Have a great week!

Marni x

Last week at the shop front…

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So this week is the last week with the doors open at the bricks and mortar version of Frankenstein’s Fabrics.

Unsure of what this week will bring as there is still so much happening outside of the packing, cleaning and moving.

We are open this week from Tuesday to Friday 9am -4pm and then on Saturday we will be at the Handmade Craft Market from 9:30am – 2:30pm.

Make sure you get in and grab some bargains as the sale will finish up at midnight on the 31st, with stock at the market on sale as well.

Some snippets of what’s available….

So now that I have my new video camera I’ve been planning what I will be doing for the first couple of tutorials.

Liz kindly requested a demo of French Knots and as I will be doing some of those on the project that I’m working on tomorrow I thought it was perfect timing. I will add in a few other stitches that also feature in the same project. In the video I will also talk about ways to make stitching easier on yourself – products I use and sell that aid in embroidery.

The second video will be on appliqué. The methods I use and how I approach it. Appliqué is a wonderful technique that can be used on pretty much anything you can imagine.

I’ve recently purchased some funky sewing baskets –

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Small baskets are $23 and the medium baskets are $27, plus postage.

I must admit I am addicted, like most craftspeople, to storage…. between my fabric and stationary addictions storage is right up there. Top 5. Wayyyyy up there.

I have boxes and bags, stackable containers, tubs on wheels, cupboards with little drawers and jars with lids that go ‘thonk’. You know the ones I mean…. Storage is something that I think calls to us, that makes us feel like we are achieving some glorious organisational utopia.

Being organised and creative don’t often go hand-in-hand. Due to the ‘creative process’ keeping things tidy and streamlined can be a struggle. I for one like to work in a neat workspace, so I tidy as I go, or do one project, tidy and move onto the next one.

If anyone has any storage tips feel free to leave a comment below. 🙂

Anyways, I’m off to bed shortly (after I get in a little more sewing), so I hope to see you all in store this week or online to celebrate the last four days in the shop.

Thank you all for your support and kind words along the way with this massive change.

Marni x

 

New Technology

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So over the weekend I purchased a video camera in order for me to start recording tutorials to replace the classes for when the shop is no longer a store front.

But I am a tad nervous to be in front of the camera, even though its my camera…. 😀

So what I would like to do to help me lessen the nerves is I would like to ask you to suggest what you would like me to show you in the tutorials – whether it be a technique, a query about something in one of my projects, how I design from scratch, how I choose colours…. just let me know and I’ll add it to the list that I’m compiling.

You can email me – frankensteinsfabrics@hotmail.com, ring me at the shop (02) 4325 2638 or comment below.

Thanks,

Marni x

AUGUST SALE!!

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To celebrate our last month as a storefront I am having a sale!

Follow this link to view all of the details.

When you purchase on the website store tab all discounts will be refunded to you after your order has been processed. I know its backwards but this is the easiest way 🙂

You may also order via email and phone order – methods of payment for these options are credit card, direct deposit and Paypal invoice.

Thanks to everyone who has expressed their well wishes to us in this new stage of business. It’s lovely to hear from you all. 🙂

 

Marni x 

We’re Morphing…

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As the shop nears its second birthday we have made some BIG changes.

From the 30th of August, Frankenstein’s Fabrics will no longer be a bricks and mortar store. We are restructuring the business to be solely online plus machine quilting so I can have the flexibility to focus more on my family, especially looking after dad and getting our family back on track after the traumatic events of the past 12 months.

We will still be providing the customer service that you have all come to know and rely upon however these changes mean that things will need to be more organised and structured to make it work for all of us. I will still be attending local markets and shows where you will be able to view and purchase our products in person. At any other time it will be mail order only.

Machine quilting will now be posted to and from using the PO Box for the business – unless you are near a market or show that I’m attending then that venue will be used as a pick up and drop off point. I am also investigating a local courier as a delivery option so that quilts remain safe during transport and I will advise when I have answers for you.

There will be no classes at this stage – things may change in the future but at this point it is not possible. There will however be more tutorials and BOM style projects done via the blog, email and youtube – some will be freebies and others you will need to pay to join in but this way you can still have access to classes without the physical classroom. There will also be demonstrations and classes at future markets (from November onwards) – see Handmade Craft Market for more information as the market draws nearer.

I would like to thank all of our customers who have supported us over the past two years, your enthusiasm for this craft has made the shop a fun place to work, but changes need to be made and I hope that you will stick by us through this time as we take Frankenstein’s Fabrics into it’s next phase.

On the 31st of August we will be at the Handmade Craft Market as usual. During the month of August we’re having a sale to celebrate.

If you have any questions on what is happening please feel free to ring me at the shop (02) 4325 2638, email frankensteinsfabrics@hotmail.com, leave a message via Facebook or comment below this blog post.

There will be a new phone number after the 31st of August (I will update that when I know) until then the current number will be in use.

Thank you,

Marni x

To pre-wash or not to pre-wash?

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I get asked a lot about pre-washing fabrics. And my answer is…. yes and no…

And I do realise that is immensely confusing.

If you pre-wash fabrics (and in this post I’m talking 100% cotton fabrics used in patchwork) you lose the chemicals that the fabrics are treated with that make them look so lovely on a bolt. Those chemicals keep the fabrics from crushing badly as we all know cotton does, it makes the fabrics stay nice so that we are more likely to purchase them. BUT the thing with those chemicals is we don’t want them to remain on our fabrics, nor do we want the chemicals that fabrics are treated with when they enter the country – these chemicals are used to kill any potential nasties that might be hitching a ride across the border/across the seas.

So in that instance you wash everything right?

Well….

I don’t. Mainly because I like the feel of the fabric pre-washed and it certainly makes it easier to cut and piece. But that means that when my quilt is finished I run the risk of shrinkage and dyes leaking everywhere. But in the first instance (shrinkage) I don’t worry too much because cotton only shrinks 3-5% which I find an acceptable loss, other quilters don’t. Also by washing after you have made a quilt you may find the shrinkage makes your quilt look older than it really is – creating that vintage, loved look that older quilts have after many years. I have never had any trouble with excessive shrinkage.

Dyes on the other hand…

Some colours are more notorious than others for running, leaking and generally being a nuisance. In those cases I will wash the fabrics and if the project has other fabrics in it then I will wash the whole lot, so that if they do shrink they’ll all shrink at the same rate.

The colours that run – red, black and navy (and occasionally the variations of those), burgundy, maroon, charcoals and other dark greys, royal blues and denim blues.

Most other colours don’t tend to run or if they do they run so minutely you won’t notice and is not worth the hassle. But those listed above ^^^^ will run at varying degrees, and I find always at the most inconvenient of times (night before quilt given as gift for example). So don’t run the risk with them – plain and simple.

How to fix fabrics that run?

Wash fabrics that you think will run (or that you know will run from pre-testing it) by retarding the dye in the fabric with salt or other commercial dye retarders. Salt is cheaper and everyone has some at home. Wash it as you would normally wash your clothes in the machine, just adding the salt in instead of detergent. I tend to use about half a cup of salt per wash, more if there is more than 2m of fabric.

Wash as normal and check when the machine is spinning the second run of water through that the water is running clear. If it’s not repeat the whole process again. Line dry and then iron as the heat setting will also help with the retarding and stabilising of the dyes.

Another helpful product I’ve come across in my quilting travels is a product you can purchase from the supermarket called Colour Catcher.

Colour Catcher

Colour Catcher

Dylon’s Colour Catcher’s are around $6 for a box of 10 sheets. All you do is pop one sheet in with your wash and it collects all of the loose dye floating around in the water so it doesn’t re-enter your fabrics/clothes. This is very, very helpful when washing white fabrics to help stop that greying that happens to white clothes. Yes this product was originally intended for clothes but it works in the same way for fabric.

But now my fabrics don’t feel as nice as when I bought them?

Well there are two ways to deal with this problem –

1. Iron them well and just start cutting to make your quilt. In other words get on with it and just get used to working with softer fabrics.

2. Purchase some of Mary Ellen’s Best Press from me and starch your fabrics so that they are stiffer for you to work with. The starch will wash out and the best part is that your quilt will smell very nice while you are putting it all together.

Mary Ellen's Best Press Spray Starch $16.95 per bottle, refills available.

Mary Ellen’s Best Press Spray Starch $16.95 per bottle, refills available.

 

If you are like me and don’t wash fabrics as often as you should, you can try (no guarantees) what I do and wash a finished quilt with a colour catcher and a cup of salt. I have done it for most of my quilts and have never had fabrics run or too much noticeable (or worrying) shrinkage. HOWEVER – if you try this you do so at your own risk. I am not advising it as a sure fire option, just explaining what I do. I take the risk, but as I have worked with fabric for 13 or so years I have a knack of predicting when a fabric will try some nasty trick on me.

The only thing I find that drives me the most crazy with washing fabrics is the fraying. Now you can try washing in lingerie bags and pillowcases but the truth of the matter is if your fabric wasn’t cut properly at the shops or you’ve underestimated amounts, the fraying can lead you into all sorts of quilting disasters. My advice add extra to your purchase quantities to save grief in the long run. 5cm, 10cm whatever makes you happy and stress free. 🙂

If anyone has any Q&A type questions they would like answered as a blog post please post a comment below or email me frankensteinsfabrics@hotmail.com

Have a terrific stitching week!

Marni x

A third of the way…

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I really cannot believe we are already 9 days into the second half of the year. It always seems to me that everyone does this mad scramble about now (I blame tax time and school holidays), running around like headless chickens when really we all have plenty of time. The same amount of time. For the same things. That we’ve all done before.

So why on earth do we panic every year like this process is brand new and we’re terrified of it?

My theory on this is that its because it all has to do with money.

The one thing that we all want/need/have/lust after/hate/love. Money as they say makes the world go around but I do believe we would be better off without it. Go back to the old barter system, or exchange goods for services rendered. Makes more sense in my mind anyway.

But unfortunately the greedy and the powerful would not have the world that way and because they are greedy and powerful they seemingly have more control and say so.

This blog post this morning was meant to a happier one but money was definitely on my mind this morning as I too am trying to work out when I can set aside a few hours this week to get my tax done. Luckily I have the most awesome of accountants and I let him do all the hard work – I just need to make sure I send him files all in order. 🙂

So to end this blog post on a happier note here’s a peek at what I’ve been up to this last week and what I’m working on this week.

 

BOM #4 Pixel Heart

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This month’s block is challenging only in its size – tiny 1.5in squares! There is no PDF for this block as its all pieced construction. 🙂

So in order to make this block pick out one of the three colours (pink, blue or green), some of the beige background fabric and a contrasting colour to the main colour you picked 9 (try not to pick a blue as the sashing for the quilt is blue).

Let’s get started!

Cutting ~

– from the beige background fabric cut two 1.5in strips and crosscut 31, 1.5in squares

– from the selection of coloured fabrics cut 50, 1.5in squares (I chose the pink so I cut 10 squares from one fabric and 8 squares from each of the remaining five prints – divide 50 by the amount of fabrics you have or juggle the numbers like I did)

– from your contrasting fabric cut one, 2in strip, crosscut this strip into 2 x 9in strips and then cut the remaining piece in half

NOTE: The border strip is cut larger than it needs to be – this is so we can reduce the warping when such a narrow piece is stitch on and pressed. It will be trimmed down to the correct size at the end.

Assembly ~

Lay out your squares next to your machine so you can stitch and return them to position (so you can keep track). I also suggest taking a photo of the block once you’ve settled on your placement just in case you mix up some squares and need reference. Accuracy is a must and you need to make sure your squares are 1.5in and you are using a 1/4in foot on your machine.

BOM #4

Lay out the 1.5in squares as shown – mix up our coloured squares to whatever suits you.

Stitch the squares together in pairs working your way through the whole block (don’t worry about the 9th square in a row he gets attached later). Then go back through the rows and piece two pairs together (still leaving square #9 out), then once again going through the rows piece the four-square sections together. Finally come back through and stitch that lonely little 9th square onto the end of each row.

Chain piecing

NOTE: I chain pieced this entire block because in my head I knew what square was where – you can chain piece as I have done BUT if you do this method please make sure you take a reference photo to help with the layout as it can get confusing.

pieced rows before pressing

Layout and check your block – check the colour placement and overall design.

Once all the rows have been pieced press the seams in alternating directions – see photo below.

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alternating seams

Then carefully nest the seams as shown in the next photo, pin them and then stitch the rows together. Go slowly as you need every point to line up as best you can to help create the pixellated image.

Press the entire block and trim any edges that may need it.

Press and trim block.

Press and trim block.

Lastly attach your side border, press the seams and then attach the upper and lower borders.

Attach borders and press seams.

Attach borders and press seams.

Trim the border down to 1in from the seam line. then pop this block with the other three blocks.

Trim and press.

Trim and press.

We are now a quarter of the way through the BOM. 🙂

 

Brrrrrr…..

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This is going to sound a tad crazy but this year Mum and I made it our personal challenge to see how long we could go without putting the heater on at home… well its the 25th today and Dad of all people (Mr I don’t feel the cold) asked for the heater to be put on.

So I’m not sure how that turned out as I left for the shop but we’ll see what’s happened when I get home this evening.

Meanwhile I have the heater on in the shop because this morning I wasn’t feeling 100% and I’m catching up on some instruction writing and sitting behind a computer typing makes for very cold feet and hands.

Over the coming weeks there is so much stuff happening that I feel a little daunted by the load but most of it can be sorted if I work to a plan, but as we all know the best plans go astray with the greatest of ease…. not sure what I can do about it really but I think it will be ok. Just pick one thing at a time and focus on that. 🙂

Our next market will be the 31st of August at the Scholastic Stadium, Duffys Road Terrigal with the Handmade Craft Market. It’s the market’s 3rd birthday so I will have some cute things for sale to celebrate. 🙂

If anyone is looking for a custom quilt order or machine quilting please see the relevant tabs at the top of the home page.

There’s only 3 days left of the sale – go to the STORE tab, start shopping and when you get to the checkout enter SS30 in the coupon box to receive your 30% off!

Oh – and just a reminder that the shop is only open this Friday from 9am – 12pm.

Stay warm, keep stitching!

Marni x