The Eternal Maker Crafts

Tuesday 27 April 2010

Amberley day trip!

It's quite rare to get time off from this lark, well, for me anyway. But sometimes an excuse to take time comes up that you just can't say no to!
One of our regulars, Anne, is a volunteer in the print shop at Amberley Museum & Heritage Centre, and offered me and Rachael a chance for a behind the scenes tour of all the print machines and the workshop...
Of course I had to take a lot of pictures to take home, although it would have been nice to lug some of the machines home too..
As it was the easter holidays, Anne had to keep stopping to help the visiting children with their printing - it was really good to see them getting enthused by such an old process.
Printing posters for Amberley print workshop - check out the amazing print blocks below - and they had roomfuls of different fonts and typefaces.

A slightly newer machine - Anne said she had to print all the museum's paper bags with this one - and it took a fair bit of muscle no doubt
would you believe that this was created by laying out all the blocks and plates, creating a plasticised paper mache mould, then casting these cylinders, which then printed our national newspapers - and this was still happening in the mid '80's? The process was recyclable too, as both the paper moulds and the metal casts could be reused for the next edition!
I'm not sure what it says about me - but this was one of my favourite bits - beautiful drawerfuls of fonts - I just want this in my living room...


Thursday 22 April 2010

Beginner's Cot Quilt


We get asked all the time for beginner's quilts. And more often than not it is a young mum, her first quilt for her newborn, or unborn child. We've always guided people through this process as helpfully as we can, but never have we had a kit.
The other week, one of my best friends decided she wanted to make a quilt for her unborn baby - and asked me for a kit. She didn't know what sex the baby was going to be (we do now, it's a boy!), and therefore the colours had to be neutral. But she also wanted something - well, not so pastel, not so sweet, more muted and soft. Oh, and she lives 5 hours away, so I had to find things she would like, without her input.

Well, this is not exactly what I came up with, as she now has that (and now the baby to go with!), but this is sort of how I remember it. And how we have kitted it up, for all those out there who want a Beginner's Cot Quilt!

We are selling the kit in 2 ways -
1. Just the quilt top and binding (well, you have to have the binding to match, don't you?)
2. With the backing included - and the backing is a supersoft minkee (which is a horrible word for a lovely quilt backing). Minkee is soft, durable, light, yet warm. And most important, it's snuggly.
and did you notice my binding? This was an accident that it ended up on the back only, not the front of the quilt, but I LOVE it, like this. Really. And it was super easy with mitred corners and all. Wow, I love an accidental technique.



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Saturday 17 April 2010

New bundles online!





I do love a bundle. And not just in the way we did it at school, where someone yells 'bundle!' and we all, well, bundle. But a bundle or a lovely stack of fabric. Yum.
So we have put a selection of lovely bundles and stacks online, all available in half metres and fat quarters. And of course there are savings to be had by buying bundles, naturally!