I Made This!

A couple of weeks ago I found two little forlorn solid oak chairs looking all lonely like on the side of the road.....

They are really straight laced little school numbers. Perfect for a bit of glue, a bit of fabric and a lil' bit of CrAzY gets Creative 

I've glued fabric to wood before but I'd been wanting to put together a chair that used a whole lot of little bits, that was really retro and fresh looking. The whole "Strawberry Fields" theme is still a bit of a thing I've got going on so I literally picked a pile of bits up off my studio floor and strategically stuck them to the chair. 

 "Wicked Sticks"

Here's what I up ended with. Let me know what you think???

For a more convincing slightly padded effect I pieced together the top back rest, then I cut and stuck a scrap of wadding to it before wrapping the fabric around the top and attaching it to the back of the back rest with glue.

"too easy"

With hope in my heart & a head full of dreams......

Three years ago I decided it was time to follow my heart and open a small shop. After some months of drilling, painting & sawing my teeny tiny shop Materialise was made.  It was my dream to create a relaxed space that was comfortable and nuturing and provided people with a place where they could get the right answers, learn new and exciting things, chat, laugh and generally have fun...........Three years on I have met some fantastic women, aged from 7 to 70, together we have made some pretty cool quilts and had our fair share of d&m's whilst saving the world!

The following selection of quilty goodness has been designed & created by an exceptional selection of truly inspiring women living exciting lives who I feel honoured to know.

" Thank you Ladies. I have enjoyed every single minute of our time together....."

Get ready for an exciting expolsion of colour gone cRaZy

After surviving 3 heart attacks Jo decided it was time to listen to her heart and unleash the designer within.  Jo made this simply breathtaking Liberty strippy quilt as a sweet sixteen gift for her daughter Emma.

 Jo used Liberty "Birdsong" in 2 colours, a 1 inch speed strip (quilted with hidden messages of mumsy love) & a rambling boho border (6 inches wide).

Helen has been sewing up a serious storm in the lead up to the birth of her second child. 

This eyecatching quilt from the book "Last Minute Patchwork & Quilted Gifts" by Joelle Hoverson is Helen's first patchwork quilt. 

Helen did a free motion quilting class here at Materialise and it has given her the wings to fly.

"Ahh yeah, you've done good gurl!"

Feeling inspired and spurred on to make some more, Helen made this gorgeous quilt for her new baby due next week. 

 The apple print (MM) used in this quilt reminds me of the "Hungry Caterpillar" book. The colours used here are so fresh and yummy & are perfect for a new bubba.

As if that wasn't enough, Helen also made this gorgeous little dress for her 18 month old daughter Emma....... and what a cutie she is too!

Using the Portabellopixie pattern  "Claire" Helen made the peasant dress using the Anna - Maria cotton voiles.  Their beautiful drape makes them perfect for clothing. 

 Lucy girl out did herself entirely (again) with this number and also made it a hatrick with this beautifully pieced quilt. I love how the purpley violet tones in her boho centres (mostly Liberty) highlight the birds and fairies & blend so harmoniously with the apricot and candy pink tones (MM, Leicen, Moda) used to make the strippy bits.

 The posts (Kokka) introduce a splash of mandarin & yellow with a hint of deep purple which tie in beautifully with each boho frame.

As a young cool chick who is currently living and working in Paris at the Ritz Hotel as a chef Lucy is never afraid to take risks and be daring with her colour choices and here you can see this is totally working in her favour. 

Lindsey has made the following two Novelty panel cot quilts for two friends having babies. This quilt is very smart. Matching a selection of spots, strips and checks (Yuwa, Amy Butler, XLN, & A Day in the Country)  back with the print and finishing off with a blue/green plaid tartan plaid (Cosmo)

The Novelty print (Alex Henry) used in the centre is called Zoo and is a timeless classic. Using Aurifil thread (turquoise blue col 2815) free motion quilting has been used to accentuate the animals in the centre and a stylised circular design reminiscent of large rocks & boulders was used to complete the quilt

Lindsey used Temple doors (Amy Butler) to bind the quilt because the colour was perfect and it also had a slight tribal feel to it. 

I really love the colours that Lindsey has used to make this divine quilt. The colours are quite muted and on the down low (that's why I like it). The Novelty print in the centre is one of my all time favourites by Yuwa.  

 Lindsey has chosen a very neutral selection of co-ordinating fabrics, to fit in with her minimalist style home.   

Free motion quilting has been used to in a way to loosely represent a landscape with rolling hills and clouds.

Sharon made this amazing quilt using Kaffe Fassett fabrics. 

Sharon used a Phillip Jacob fabric called English Rose on the back & its show's off her equisite hand quilting.

Amy made this beautiful quilted table runner that is so cool I could cry!!!

Amy came to Materialise and learnt free motion quilting and has used a free form daisy design running down each panel to quilt her runner.  

Amy has incorporated a variety of fabrics which work so well together colour wise. Combining Alex Henry (Spotted Owl), Kokka and Yuwa fabrics & then some.

As the person who has spent time teaching these people and many others (one on one), I would like to say that I am extremely overwhelmed with happiness that people come and are inspired by the things I display in my store and  also that they want to come & learn to make these things for themselves. I have lived my whole life not really thinking my work was anything but ordinary..... I am so glad you like it!

Speaking of owls check out these cute guys... They followed me home from London in July.  

I've been piecing these cushions out of the Anna Maria cotton voiles.

 

I have used a contrasting Aurifil thread in citrus yellow

New Arrivals at Materialise

Now in store is a great selection of exciting fabrics that will curb those fabric cravings. Margie is now working every Saturday at Materialise. Margie has extensive knowledge and experience when it comes to making clothes with a perfect finish. Book in for a class with Margie and learn to make a cute frock using some of the cool new things below......

Check out these cool new fabrics that have recently arrived at Materialise. These fun and fresh colours are really clear and really easy to use.  Fabrics by P&B textiles.  

Use it to make a cool frock for summer!

I made this cushion cover using these fabrics, inspired by soft furnishings Margie had seen in Vogue Living.

Indigo style fabrics "Kimono" by Timeless Treasures.  These fabrics would be great for skirts or shorts.  

Micheal Miller & Timeless Treasures in a Jacobean style matched with these smart stripes. 

New oriental range of fabrics by Timeless Treasures called Lotus. 

The Provence range by RJR fabrics is a timeless classic.

Materialise has a new selection of Micheal Miller, Lecien and P&B fabrics. These funky fabrics are perfect for young people or the young at heart. 

Here is a fresh & youthful range of soft cottons.  These fabrics retail for a very reasonable $16.50 per metre.  They would be perfect for little sun dresses, tiered skirts or pyjama pants............

Fabric Fetish

Hello.....

I met Janine about a year ago in my store and she told me she had been collecting vintage kimono fabrics for a while now and in fact she had a bit of an "addiction" to them..... From one addict to another I completely understood her desire to acquire & admire amazing textures and colours. Having said that I was completely blown away by Janine's stash. 

"Whoa girl I'm impressed"

Janine expressed a wish to use her fabric so she could appreciate them in and around her home everyday however she was hesitant to cut them up incase she made a mistake.

Janine booked some one on one class time with me so together we could make her ideas become a reality. (At Materialise we dovetail our classes to suit the individual needs of each customer. Therefore I don't a write a class list with a list of projects.... Each customer comes in and tells me what they want to make and together we workshop the idea and then we make it happen.......)

 Drawing from her outstanding collection of kimono scraps, Janine added a luscious selection of raw silk & silk velvet in a variety of enriching colours & pieced together (front & back) two amazing oblong cushions 40x60cm

The dark jade green, ochre yellow and coral red tones in the delicate oriental floral piece (above - down right side) perfectly compliment the other oriental prints Janine has used. 

It starts to get even more exciting with the addition of purple in both dark violet & grape tones. This torn & frayed scrap piece (above) has been naively stitched using an aurifil thread in a "violent" violet shade bringing forth the true beauty & crunchiness of this silk fabric.

Using the selvages as a feature on the grape purple & green stripe fabrics we overlayed these pieces then stitched them into place using several lines of straight stitch in complimentary thread colours. An invisible zip (above) was inserted along the bottom edge.

Some of the kimono pieces used had small holes or marks so we employed a variety of creative techniques to mask imperfections & improve the overall structural integrity of the fabric. All the fabrics were individually stabilised using a very good quality cotton backed iron on vilene. This makes the fabric more manageable & adds strength.

In order to integrate the embellishments and add to the overall design Janine carefully chose a stunning array of aurifil threads in colours which serve to highlight & compliment the colours of the kimono fabrics.

 

The overall layout & design has been carefully considered in this beautifully balanced combination.

Janine chose to back this cushion with a stunning akky green silk velvet which she trimmed top & bottom with midnight blue raw silk. 

 

Janine's second cushion will be used in a different area in her home and uses a more vibrant selection of colours combining orange, watermelon pink, yellow with a hint of green & purple.

This traditional watermelon coloured shibori piece has been embellished using this outstanding canary yellow silk scrap. 

Stitching detail.....

Using thread ends as a low key embellishment

The amazing pieced back of this cushion is another cushion all on it's own!! Pulling the colours from the kimono prints on the front Janine pieced together the back which compliments perfectly!!! 

"I love it"

Using quiltlite as a thin wadding at the back of the raw silk Janine has used this square quilting detail to anchor the quiltlite. This extra padding makes the cushion feel really 'phat'. 

Stitching detail using aurifil thread (watermelon pink).... up close & personal 

The quilting lines look better if they are sewn uneven.

Above are 12 blocks Janine has pieced together for a quilt she is making using the kimono fabrics as a series of central blocks that will be bordered....

See you soon....!

"....hmmm where am I, am I lost? ........."