Introducing Hawthorne Threads

Today I'm delighted to introduce Hawthorne Threads as my newest sponsor.  Hawthorne Threads stocks a massive range of modern fabrics, including a wide variety of substrates like linen, flannel, velveteen, minky, and various home dec cottons.



I haven't seen this Babar fabric anywhere else - how cute!

I've bought a lot of fabric from Hawthorne Threads over the last couple of years.  I think their website is one of the easiest to use out of all the online fabric shops I visit, and I particularly like their colour grid tool and the fact that when you view a fabric, you can find other fabrics with the same colours in it - really great for mixing and matching across collections.

This Frida la Catrina fabric is just stunning - I don't think I can resist!

I also think that Hawthorne Threads has some of the consistently lowest prices around.  They have a sale section, but don't tend to do regular sales, instead just offering low prices all the time (plus a really great discounting system).  Very importantly for me, their international shipping prices work out great, since they fit so much in an envelope and offer an effective discount for larger orders!

I'm a fan of minky but sometimes struggle to find colours I love - the Hawthorne Threads Minky Dimple Dot collection looks great!

In setting up this sponsorship I've had the chance to get to know Lindsay, one of the owners, and she is just lovely. I hope you'll check out Hawthorne Threads next time you're considering an online fabric purchase.

WIP Wednesday

From last week's list:

Granny squares quilt - I have now quilted around 9 of the granny squares (up from 6 last week).

Giant star quilt - no progress. I am still thinking about how to quilt this one.

Equilateral triangle quilt - I have pieced three rows of a total of 14.  Piecing and pressing each row wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but it is pretty slow going.

New project:

Dappled sunlight - another baby quilt.  This time, half square triangles, using a charm pack of Sunkissed by Sweetwater for Moda, and this grey fabric (I am not entirely sure, but I think it is Michael Miller Cotton Couture in Fog, available at Hawthorne Threads).  I am still working on the layout - I think I will decide once all the half square triangle blocks are made.  I have pieced and pressed all of the half square triangle blocks, and am in the process of trimming them.

Incidentally, I read on someone's blog that she had asked an online fabric shop to label solid fabrics so she would know what they were when they arrived.  I think this is a brilliant idea.  The alternative is to order a swatch card, but honestly, they are expensive, especially when you want to order solid fabrics produced by several manufacturers (I like Free Spirit Designer Solids, Michael Miller Cotton Coutures and Art Gallery Fabrics Pure Elements, and could see myself ordering Moda Bella Solids as well).

Has anyone asked for fabrics to be labelled before?  Do you think the colour swatch cards are a worthwhile investment?

Linking up at Freshly Pieced:

  

Modern meets traditional

This is the first quilt I pieced, basted, quilted and bound myself.

I had two charm packs of Oasis by 3 Sisters for Moda and combined them to make this quilt and a scrappy chevron quilt top using half-square triangles.

I do like the fabric, even though it is not terribly modern.  Although the top is simple patchwork, it is quite busy, so I wanted to keep the backing and binding simple.

To up the modern factor, I decided to use solids - the quilt is backed in a white cotton fabric that I bought on special at Spotlight and it is bound with FreeSpirit Designer Solid in Sand Dune which I bought online from Hawthorne Threads.

I stitched in the ditch and then diagonally in every second diagonal row.  I like the pattern it makes on the back.

This quilt does not have an intended home, so it will either be sold or wait until the right recipient comes along.

Granny squares

Made some granny squares following this tutorial from Blue Elephant Stitches.

I am using a couple of charm packs of Moda's Rose Parade and trying to keep it a bit scrappy by using different prints in the same colour for each ring.

Not thrilled with how the bottom one turned out, but maybe it will add to the scrappiness of the final quilt.  Two down, 23 to go.