This gorgeous range of fabric has just rolled in through the back door. It is just so beautiful and the colours are divine. Read what Amy has to say about this latest range of fabrics.......

A little bit of mythology and a lot of magic inspires my Night Music collection. Folklore from the Gond tribe in central India says that during the day the natural world is busy taking care of the needs of everyone, and that at night the luminous spirits from the forest come alive. They believe that all of life is magical and integrated, and all aspects of the natural world are inseparable. This idea is both mysterious and charming and connects us to the seen and the unseen bringing about a positive feeling in being a part of the natural world. Night Blooming flourishes and decorative details weave together to create a beautifully imagined story. Enjoy and Happy Sewing! XO Amy

The whole range can be found on the fabric page.

Following the enormous success of Hand Maker, Natalie Barnes of Beyond the Reef Patterns is delighted to present Makers Home - her second line for Windham Fabrics. Makers Home is comprised of Natalie's signature hand drawn flowers and black & white prints. Her fabrics range from large to small prints, and you'll have enough depth of darks mediums and lights to make your next project shine. These fabrics are infused with crisp bright colors that will bring a sparkle to any design. Whether your project is for the heart of the home, or a garment or quilt for a loved one, Makers Home will offer you distinct prints that you'll want to use again and again. Enjoy the largest of multi color florals and the smallest of black and white star flower print. Attracts both traditional and modern enthusiasts. The whole Makers Home range can be found on our fabric page.

To all our amazing and talented customers we wish you a very Merry Christmas. We will be closing at 3.30pm on Friday 22nd December and re-opening on Tuesday 2nd January. We hope to see you all again in 2018. Love and Best Wishes, Alison and Sharon

We are very excited to be launching our new Block of the Month program for 2018. We have chosen a fabulous quilt called Paradox Point by Sassafras Lane Designs. This quilt is made using foundation piecing and when complete measures 80" x 100" (203cm x 254cm).

* This program will run over 12 months

* The cost of the 12 month program is $33 per calendar month which includes postage within Australia

* Your monthly pack will be charged and posted on the first of each month

* The first month you will receive the pattern book, half of the background

fabric and two solid fabrics

* You will receive the remainder of the background fabric in month 12

* The shop sample was pieced using the freezer paper foundation piecing method but you can use whichever method of foundation piecing that suits you.

The completed quilt sample is hanging in our store for those of you who are able to pop in and have a closer look. Our amazing quilter Leanne Kaufmann has custom quilted our sample and it looks absolutely amazing (if we do say so ourselves). If you are interested in joining this Block of the Month program please give us a call or come and pay us a visit.

Ingredients

1 cup self raising flour

1/2 cup dessicated coconut

1/2 cup caster sugar

2 eggs

160 ml can coconut milk

3 tsp finely grated lemon zest

125 gm butter, melted and cooled

Lemon Icing

2 cups icing sugar

30 gm soft butter

1 1/2 tblsp boiling water

1/3 cup shredded coconut

Method

1. Preheat oven to 170/150 fan forced and line 12 medium muffin tins with paper cases.

Sift flour into a large mixing bowl. Stir in coconut and sugar and make a well in the centre.

2. Use a fork to whisk eggs, coconut milk and lemon zest in a jug. Add to the dry ingredients,

along with the butter. Fold together until just combined but do not mix or beat. Spoon into

prepared cases. Bake for 20 minutes, or until springy to a light touch. Leave in the tin for

5 minutes then lift out onto a wire rack to cool.

3. To make the icing, sift icing sugar inot a bowl and add butter. Pour boiling water onto the butter to melt and stir until smooth. Spread over each cupcake, sprinkle with shredded coconut and leave to set.

How quick, simple and delicious these cupcakes are!!!

We have been waiting for what seems like an eternity for Alison Glass's new handcrafted range Chroma to arrive. Well it is finally here and we are loving it. Chroma is the fifth collection in the Handcrafted fabric series. This handcrafted fabric is an exciting interpretation of the batik fabric dying process. Made in Indonesia by skilled atisans, Handcrafted fabric is very different from other quilting cottons.

Hand stamped, hand dyed, one piece at a time, each piece of fabric is completely unique from the next, adding to the beauty. No two bolts are alike and cuts from one bolt will likely look different than cuts from another. Like natural leather or stone, these variations make each piece perfectly imperfect.

We have a large range of Alison Glass patterns in store that would be perfect for this latest range of stunningly colourful fabrics. Check out the full range of Chroma fabrics on our fabric page.

Ingredients

125gm butter, room temperature

3/4 cup caster sugar

2 teaspoons lemon rind

2 eggs

1 cup self raising flour

1 cup plain flour

1/2 cup milk

Lemon Curd

2 teaspoons cornflour

1 tablespoon water

3/4 cup caster sugar

125gm unsalted butter, chopped

1/2 cup lemon juice, strained

4 eggs, lightly beaten

Method

1. Lemon Curd: In a small jug blend cornflour and water until smooth. In a saucepan combine sugar, butter, juice, eggs and cornflour mixture. Stir constantly on a medium heat for 5-10 minutes until mixture just comes to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 minute. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and cover surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Cool, then chill for 3 hours or overnight until thick and cold.

2. Preheat oven to 180/160 fan forced. Line a 12 1/2 cup muffin pan tray with paper cases.

3. Use electric beaters to beat the butter, sugar and lemon rind in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flours and milk, in alternating batches, until just combined. Half fill paper cases with mixture. Create a well and fill with 1 1/2 - 2 teaspoons of lemon curd. Use the remaining mixture to completely cover the curd.

4. Bake for 20 minutes. Eat while warm as they are delicous!!!!!!

Enjoy!

Our range of Moda Grunge is constantly growing. We now have 39 different colors and many more still to come. This fabric is so versatile it amazes us. It is fabulous as a motley background or blender and makes a gorgeous colour wheel. It is definitely one of our favorite ranges here at The Quilt Shop. Click on the Shop tab to view our range of Grunge now.

It is with great pleasure and much excitement that we are now offering our Sunday School at Montsalvat opened for bookings. We have a fantastic day planned which will be full of fun and laughter and maybe a bit of stitching. We have four different workshops on offer with four amazing tutors who are a pleasure to be involved with. So take the time to have a read about what we are offering and maybe plan a day out with your stitching friends. All the nitty gritty about the day can be found at the bottom of this newsletter. So here we go.............

Workshop A: Hexie Felt Box with Glenda Cust

We all love a hexagon right? In Glenda's workshop you will have the chance to create a sewing box that everyone will envy. Glenda is happy to share her wealth of stitching knowledge as several different techniques will be used in this workshop. Step one: Put your english paper piecing skills to use to add bright and bold hexagon flair to your box. Step two: Choose from 3 different shades of pure wool felt to cover the outside of the timber hexagon shaped box. Step three: Some simple embroidery with perle thread will complete the effect. Glenda's great love is embroidery so the possibilities are endless.Please note: The choice is yours as to how you fit out the interior. Glenda will have some ideas to share with you on the day. Instructions will be given to allow you to complete you box at home.In your kit: The kit for your hexagon box will only contain materials to cover the exterior of the box. Extra felt and fabric can be purchased at The Quilt Shop.

Workshop B: Needle Turn Applique with Kim Bastiani

Have you ever wanted to try needleturn applique and not been sure where to start? Well this is the perfect class to start your applique journey. Kim will instruct you on how to stitch stems without using a bias maker, needleturn applique (including points and curves) and reverse applique. Kim will also show you how to transfer your pattern onto fabric without using a lightbox (or a window!). With this method you will be able to prep your projects anywhere without worrying about power or bulky items to transport. There are endless possibilities for your completed block. Turn it into a bag, a wall hanging or you can join our applique class which commences in March to complete the other 8 blocks that Kim has designed to make a quilt. In your workshop kit there will be a pattern to enable you to turn your completed block into a simple cushion. Please note: It is not possible to complete the cushion in the one day workshop. The cushion construction is completed using a sewing machine. In your kit: Your kit will contain background fabric and other bits and pieces you require. There will be a selection of fabrics to choose from to complete the applique.

Workshop C: Timeless Tulips with Meredithe Clark

Tulips are a perennial favourite and with this hand stitched block you can have them all year around! This block is created using Meredithe's Signature Collection Timeless Tulip acrylic templates which you shall receive on the day in your workshop kit. Throughout this workshop you will learn how to deal with multiple seams, work from the centre of a block out, do curved piecing and inset piecing. This bright and fun block can then be turned into whatever you like. You can perhaps create multiples and make a whole quilt or turn it into a bag. Meredithe has chosen to create a block book using the block on the front cover. You will receive the pattern on the day so that you can complete it at home. Please note: In this workshop the focus will be on completing the Timeless Tulips block. In your kit: Your kit for this workshop will contain the Timeless Tulips acrylic templates and all the fabric required to complete the Timeless Tulips block. Fabric to complete the block book can be purchased from The Quilt Shop.

Workshop D: Fussy Cutting with Rae Telfer

The pieced hexagons for this bag are fussy-cut with a particular focus on using kaleidoscopic effects to create unique designs. So, to begin the day, Rae will spend some time exploring fabric designs and studying the patterns to identify the potential candidates best suited for fussy cutting. You will use tools and techniques to identify elements of fabric design and spend time playing and examining a variety of fabrics with a new eye. Techniques for making accurate templates will be shown and hints given for marking fabric accurately in preparation for cutting. The hexagons are hand pieced and then appliqued onto the background fabric panel. Hand-piecing and applique techniques will be shown.The finished panel is then hand quilted with Perle 8 thread prior to constructing the bag. Hand quilting will be demonstrated. The bag construction is completed using a sewing machine.Please note: The focus on the day will be fussy cutting fabric and construction of the hexagons. It is not possible to complete the bag in the one day workshop, however all steps of the construction process will be explained and demonstrated to enable you to complete the bag at home. You will receive the Sew Useful Bag pattern in your kit.In your kit: This kit will be tailored to you on the day. There will be 3 background fabrics to choose from and four feature fabrics to choose from as well as some co-ordinating fabrics to complete the hexagons.

What you need to know

When: Sunday 26th February 2017 9.30 am - 4.30 pmWhere: Montsalvat Great Hall 7 Hillcrest Avenue ElthamSustenance: Morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea is provided and included in the cost of the day.What will be supplied: Each workshop participant will be provided with a kit relevant to the workshop chosen. Fabric choices for some workshops can be made on the day. What you need to bring: On booking/paying you will be provided with a requirements list for the workshop you have chosen. A basic sewing kit will be required for all workshops. Some other bits and pieces maybe required.Cost: $145 which includes morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and workshop kitBooking: Full payment is required on booking. No refunds will be given on cancellation.

Ingredients

150gm butter, softened

1 cup caster sugar

2 eggs

300g sour cream

1 1/2 cups self raising flour, sifted

1/2 cup desiccated coconut

1 tblsp lemon rind, finely grated

1/4 cup lemon juice

Blueberry Sauce

1 cup frozen blueberries

2 tblsp caster sugar

1 1/2 tsp cornflour

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan-forced. Grease and line the base and side of a 20cm round cake pan with baking paper.

2. Use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the sour cream and beat to combine. Add the flour and coconut and stir to combine. Stir in the lemon rind and lemon juice. Spoon into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake for 45-50 minutes on until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set aside for 15 minutes to cool slightly.

3. Meanwhile, to make the blueberry sauce, combine the blueberries, sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until sugar dissolves and blueberries soften. Use the back of a spoon to lightly crush the blueberries. Combine the cornflour with 1 tablespoon cold water. Add to the blueberry mixture and cook, stirring for 2 minutes or until the sauce boils and thickens. Set aside to cool slightly.

4. Use the end of a wooden spoon to pierce the cake at 3 cm intervals. Spoon the warm blueberry sauce into each hole and spread the remainder over the top of the cake. Set aside to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Whoops, sorry I forgot that we aren't in Texas anymore! That's right we have already been to Quilt Market in Houston and are back, albeit a little bleary eyed and tired. Surely with all the modern technology around us these days there should be an easier way to get to the other side of the world without sitting on your rump for 14 hours breathing in recycled air. Apart from the time we spent in transit we had an amazing time at Quilt Market. We have come back with heaps of inspiration and endless ideas. Now if only we could find the time to put it all into practice. We took many photos while we we over there but it was not until looking back through them to choose some for this newsletter that we realized there seemed to be a common theme with many of them. FOOD! Boy did we eat some food and not all of it good. We will spare you the images of ourselves being gluttons and share some of the more interesting snaps

Tula Pink's vibrant booth was full of her new range How lucky were we. We got to met Katja Marek of

"Tabby Road" . "The New Hexagon" fame.

After a tiring day of walking at quilt market we thought Our pin collection from all the different traders at

we would take this baby for a spin. quit market.

Special Event: The planning for our special event is coming along nicely so we thought we might fill you in a little more.Our special event is ..................The Quilt Shop's Sunday School at MontsalvatWhen: Sunday 26th February 2017Where: The Great Hall at Montsalvat - Australia oldest artists' colony 7 Hillcrest Avenue, ElthamWhat: We will be offering 4 different workshops each teaching a different technique Who: Our tutors on the day will be Rae Telfer, Glenda Cust, Meredithe Clarke and Kim Batsiani.

Four of the loveliest ladies you would ever wish to meet.Why: Who needs a reason other than it will be a fantastic inspiring dayWhats included: Morning Tea, Lunch and Afternoon Tea plus the kit required for your chosen classCost: This is a work in progress We are so excited about this event. It is the first big event that The Quilt Shop has hosted so we are super keen to make it a success so that there will be many more to follow. In next months newsletter we will have a full description of all the workshops on offer, the cost and we will open it up for bookings so stay tuned.

Classes for 2017: We are in the thick of planning lots of exciting classes for the coming new year. Just to wet you whistle we thought we would just give you a taste of what is coming up. Glenda Cust ran a La Passacaglia and Lucy Boston class for us this year and her participants are enjoying Glenda's insight and wealth of knowledge so much they have recruited her to continue next year. This will be a monthly workshop on a Thursday where anything goes. Glenda loves to paper piece, embroider and she also does some absolutely gorgeous work with felt. After her popular hand quilting classes this year, Meredithe Clark will be also be returning to The Quilt Shop in 2017. On the first Wednesday of every month Meredithe can help you with hand piecing, hand applique, hand quilting, machine piecing, machine applique and quilt design. Beginners very welcome. Emma Jean Jansen will be joining us at The Quilt Shop for a foundation piecing workshop. Leanne Humber will again be teaching a beginners sampler class that we have specifically designed to teach the basics to anyone taking their first steps into the patchwork world. Kim Bastiani will be teaching an applique workshop. BOM Programs: When we headed off to Houston for quilt market we had a list of things that we wanted to achieve while we were there. One of those things was to find ideas for Block of the Month programs. Well it is great to be able to say that we can give that a big tick! We have returned with 4 possibilities which we are working on right now. So if you love the idea of having all the choices of fabric etc done for you then make sure to keep an eye out for our programs which will be kicking off early next year.

New Arrivals: We are about to bombarded with new fabric this month which is exciting. Some of our recent deliveries have included some new Kaffe Fassett prints which Sharon has already taken home to use, Elizabeth Hartman's most recent range of Paintbox Basics (image on left), 60 bolts of the most glorious Shot Cottons and yesterday we took delivery of a gorgeous range of 1930's fabrics called Hop, Skip and Jump as well as lots of other bits and pieces.

Most excitingly of all, while we were in Houston we were able to secure a delivery of the background fabric that we used in our "The New Hexagon" quilt that is hanging in our store.We have been asked countless times for this fabric so if you would like to purchase some it is definitely a first in first served matter. Please let us know if you are interested. We also have in stock Tilda's Sew In Love 2017 Calendar which would make a great Christmas gift for any lover of Tilda.

Ingredients

175gm butter, softened

3/4 cup caster sugar

2 eggs

2 cups self raising flour, sifted

1/2 cup almond meal

1 cup milk

1/2 cup thick vanilla custard

2 (300g) freestone peaches,

halved, deseeded, thinly sliced

1/2 cup flaked almonds

icing sugar, to dust

Custard and icing sugar

to serve

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan-forced. Grease a 6cm deep, 22cm base round cake pan.

Line base and side with baking paper, allowing a 3cm overhang around top.

2. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in flour, almond meal and milk.

3. Spread half the mixture into prepared pan. Top with custard. Arrange peaches over custard. Spoon remaining mixture over peaches. Using a spatula, smooth top. Sprinkle with almonds.

4. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean (cover loosely with foil if over-browning). Stand in pan for 15 minutes. Turn upright onto a wire rack to cool. Dust with icing sugar. Serve with custard.

Enjoy!

Our monthly newsletter has not quite been on time lately or ever for that matter. We have come to the conclusion that we have to block the calendar out one day each month to ensure we get it done. Hopefully we can keep on track going forward but I guess it means we have been busy doing shop things which is good. There has been heaps happening lately and we have several new and exciting ideas that we want to put in place, particularly in the new year. Our shopping list that we are taking to the Houston Quilt Market is growing daily so look out later in the year for new goodies and techniques. Our Term 3 classes have kicked off with plenty of enthusiasm and we have even expanded Glenda Cust's La Passacaglia class to include Lucy Boston. More details below. So sit back with a cuppa and read on ............

Class Update

Glenda Cust has kindly offered to expand her La Passacaglia class to include the Lucy Boston quilt. If you have wanted to make this gorgeous quilt but been put off by all the fussy cutting then this is the class for you. Glenda has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to English Paper Piecing and will also guide you through colour and fabric choice. This will be a very inspirational class with both the La Passacaglia and Lucy Boston projects being worked on. Dates: 4th August, 1st September, 6th October, 3rd November and 1st December Cost: $40 per class

Christmas in July...no wait....Christmas in August

I know we are running late so our Christmas in July is now Christmas in August. We have 7 small and easy projects to choose from which will be in kit form on the day. Come in and choose your project early so we make sure we have it waiting for you on the day. Bring a paper bag lunch and a festive afternoon tea will be provided. We might even track down some carols to get everyone feeling the Christmas spirit. Maybe we can have a sing-along. I am laughing and Alison is shaking her head!!! We will post some images of the projects soon. Date: Wednesday 24th August 10am - 3.00pm Cost: $15 plus kit of your choice. Kits start at $8.

HAG We have had such a positive response to our HAG (Hexagon Appreciation Group) that we have had to come up with a solution on how to expand the group already. We have decided to have 2 session each month. One in the morning and another in the afternoon. Stay tuned for the September date which we will publish after the first HAG meeting. This is a sneak peak of Sharon's version of Katja Marek's Quilt Along which we will be running as a group project if you are interested.

Tula Pink

We know the year has flown but when you start receiving calendars for 2017 it is very scary. Fresh in is Tula Pink's 2017 Colouring In Calendar. A must for all the Tula Pink followers. What a great way to unwind colouring in her trademark figures from her fabric collections. We have also ordered Tula's new Fabric range Slow and Steady as well as the Fandango Kit which are due to arrive at The Quilt Shop in October.

New Arrivals We have plenty of new goodies arriving daily. We have added octogons to our English Paper Piecing templates as well as new sizes in pentagons and squares. Tula Pink's fabulous 2017 calendar has arrived and are sure to fly out the door. We have two new colours in The Chenille_It Blooming Bias which are Jade and Purple. We also have just recently hung our new colour version of the Venetian Windows quilt in classic black and white. Simply beautiful if I don't say so myself. Our Christmas fabric has arrived and we cannot believe how quickly it is selling. There are a lot of people who live with the joy of Christmas all year round. We also have a bunch of new books on offer including Gail Pan's new Christmas Patchwork Loves Embroidery, Modern Heritage Quilts,Sew Many Gifts and a new Colour a Quilt Colouring Book.

These fabulous basic prints are from A Day Check out Alison's new and funky magnetic

In The Country. Super soft and a great addition wrist pinny. Available in five different bright

to your stash. and fun colours.

Closed We will be closed on Monday 8th August as we are heading to the Gift Fair to find some goodies for Christmas gifts. Stay tuned as we are sure to post some of our new arrivals on facebook and Instagram.

Well I think that is all for now folks. We promise not to leave it so long til the next newsletter which should be full of new fabric arrivals. Happy Stitching, Sharon and Alison

Ingredients

185gm butter, softened

1 1/2 cup caster sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

4 eggs

3/4 cup self raising flour

1/3 cup plain flour

3/4 cup almond meal

1/2 cup sour cream

150gm fresh blueberries

2 tblsp flaked almonds

icing sugar, to dust

double cream, to serve

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line the base and sides of a 20cm x 30cm slab pan.

2. Use an electric mixer to beat the butter, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the combined flour,

almond meal and sour cream and stir to combine. Stir in the blueberries. Spoon into the

prepared pan and smooth the surface. Sprinkle evenly with flaked almonds.

3. Bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Set aside in the

pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar

and cut into pieces. Serve with double cream and extra blueberries if desired.

Bellisimo!

We ask ourselves nearly everyday "where has the day gone?". Time flies by so quickly here at The Quilt Shop. We are constantly thinking ahead and planning for upcoming events. Time never stands still.

So with that in mind here are some updates:

Term 3 Classes

We are in the thick of planning some exciting classes for Term 3 with lots of new tutors. We look forward to Meridithe Clark from Pomegranate and Chintz teaching a hand quilting class, Christine Vlasic of Yarra Design teaching hand piecing and Claire Gee teaching her raw edge applique method to make a fabulous cushion to match her comic quilt. Most excitingly for all you paper piecing fans, Glenda Cust will be holding a monthly La Passacaglia class. We cannot wait and Sharon might even join in on that one. Returning to teach will be Leanne Humber, Judi Standfield with another fun holiday felt class (as pictured) and also Anita Ellis with a repeat of her popular free motion quilting class. We will also continue to hold our Monday sit and sew and our once a month evening sit and sew. Details of all our classes will be posted on our website plus emailed out to our members within the next couple of weeks. If you are interested in a particular class get in touch.

Term 2 Vacancies

We have a number of seats still available in two classes. If you are interested in attending Claire Gee's Applique Class commencing on 31st May or our last Venetian Windows class on Saturday 4th June please let us know. More details can be found on our website or give us a call.

Are you a HAG?

What is a HAG you ask??? We have many customers walk through our door who love English Paper Piecing as much as we do so we thought why not start a sit and sew group based around our mutual appreciation of the hexagon. So we invite you to become a HAG (Hexagon Appreciation Groupie) along with us. Whether you are an old HAG or a young HAG come and join us once a month where there will be a free project on offer or join in on a group project. We have had plenty of interest and as places are limited we suggest you get in quick! Our first locked in date is Saturday 6th August 9.30am -12.30pm.

Biggest Morning Tea

We invite you all to our first Biggest Morning Tea on Wednesday 1st June from 10.30am to midday. Anyone who knows us well will already be aware of our fondness of a piece of cake or two so there is a fair chance that the offering at our Biggest Morning Tea will not disappoint. There will be raffles and games so come and join in the fun and help raise funds for a cause that is close to our hearts.

Our Fancy Forest Journey

Finally we have all the fabric required to make Elizabeth Hartman's Fancy Forest Quilt. Sharon would like to be churning out her blocks faster but due to her hand still not functioning the way she would like her sewing has been limited. We could not be happier with the way it is looking so far and the Essex Yarn Dyed Olive fabric which is used for the background is a amazing contrast with all the block fabrics. Just between you and us we have just ordered Elizabeth Hartman's new range of fabric.They are absolutely gorgeous and this time include a lot more pink and purple. Can't wait!!!

Christmas is Coming

This is scary but our new Christmas fabric has now started arriving. Among our many ideas is a Block of the Month by Hugs n" Kisses called "Twas the Night Before Christmas". This is a simple but sweet small quilt combining some pieced blocks and stitchery blocks. We are just waiting for the remainder of our fabric to arrive before we kit it up. If you are interested in joining in this 7 month program please let us know.

What's New

We have had a huge amount of new fabric roll through the door in the last month. The Coral Queen of the Sea range is lots of fun with a panel featuring a doll with skirt, mermaid tail, pillow and tiny quilt. Lavish from Art Gallery lives up to it's name with lots of florals and contrasting geometric prints and also some of the new season Kaffe Fasset range has arrived. We have also been super busy cutting up lots of kits which are perfect for gifts. Our Circus Skittles have been a hit with the kit costing just $20.

Coming Soon

We are about to jump on the felt bandwagon and are busy planning projects in which we can utilise this fantastic adaptable medium. We will be offering a class or two so stay tuned. Well that's about it for this month. Hopefully by the end of the week we will have another delicious cake recipe on the website for your enjoyment.

Signing off, Sharon and Alison The Quilt Shop

It has been raining fabric here at The Quilt Shop and we are drowning in ideas. It is great to be surrounded by so much new fabric but with Sharon out of action for awhile the list of samples that we want to make is growing at a rapid rate. We hope hew family don't expect to be fed when she can finally get back to her sewing machine. Here are some snaps of some of our most recent arrivals.

Sale Fabric: To make room for all our new fabric arrivals we have marked down over 50 bolts of fabric to $16 a metre. Don't assume that this means it's ugly as we don't have ugly fabric we just have some fabric that does not move as quickly as others. Class Bookings: We still have seats available in several classes so if you are interested in booking in to any of the following classes please let us know. Details for each class can be found in the classes page on this website. Classes available are Venetian Windows 4th June, Butterfly Garden 7th June, Tuffet 26th April and 5th May, All a Flutter Applique, Beginners Sampler and Bias Binding Masterclass.

Biggest Morning Tea: We are holding a Biggest Morning Tea on Wednesday 1st June with all proceeds going to the Cancer Council. Please mark this date in your diary as we will have raffles, games and plenty of cake and sweet treats. Come and support this great cause. We would love to see you there.Fancy Forest Update: We have had plenty of interest in this amazing quilt by Elizabeth Hartman. We have all the prints used in the original quilt as pictured on the pattern but are still eagerly awaiting the background fabric. Sharon has made two of the owl blocks but is chomping at the bit to get stuck into the other blocks when the fabric finally arrives. Fingers crossed it will be here by the end of the week.New Books: We have several new books in stock such as Stash Lab which is full of ideas to use up your stash, Animal Parade 2, Striking Strip Quilts and Splash of Color. Come in and make yourself a cuppa, sit in our comfy lounge chairs and have a browse through these new titles.Anzac Day: Just a reminder that this coming Monday is Anzac Day and we will be closed. Until next month Happy Stitching, Sharon and Alison

Chalk and Paint Girly-O-Saurus

Ingredients

125 gm butter, chopped

300 gm dark chocolate

1 1/4cups caster sugar

3/4 cup plain flour, sifted

1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

3 eggs

cocoa powder, to dust

Method

Preheat oven to 170 degrees C/150 degrees C fan-forced. Grease a 6cm deep, 20cm round springform pan. Line base and side with baking paper.Place butter and 200gm chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Pour water into a saucepan until one-third full. Bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce to low heat. Place bowl over saucepan (don't let bowl touch water). Using a metal spoon, stir mixture for 3 minutes or until smooth and combined. Cool slightly.Combine sugar, flour, cocoa, 2 tablespoons walnuts and two-thirds of remaining chocolate in a large bowl. Add butter mixture and eggs. Stir to combine. Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle with remaining walnuts and chocolate. Bake for 1 hour or until skewer inserted in centre comes out with crumbs clinging. Cool completely in pan.Dust with cocoa. Serve and enjoy!

When we were in the early stages of planning what products we were going to stock in our fabulous shop we made a decision that we wanted to have a point of difference. There was no point in opening a store that stocked exactly what every other store had. It was this decision that prompted us to head to Quilt Market in Minneapolis in May 2015.

We had no idea what to expect but I’m sure we looked liked wild animals staring straight into high beam headlights when we first stepped into the convention centre. On day one we spotted the Chenille-It stand and asked 101 questions. Overnight we came to the conclusion that this product was something neither of us had seen back home and we would give it a go.

The response has been amazing! The Venetian Windows quilt has pride of place at the front of our store and we have sold out of the fabric we used. The process to produce this amazing effect is staggeringly simple. The Blooming Bias itself comes in a fantastic range of colours which makes for endless possibilties. We stock a range of patterns but are currently in the process of designing some of our own projects. We are continually running classes so if you are interested just check out our classes page here.

We served this simple cake to our Cake O"Clock ladies and the feedback was all positive so I thought I would share the recipe.

Ingredients

1 cup boiling water

1 cup dried apricots, chopped

200gm butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

Icing

approximately 2 cups icing sugar

grated rind and juice of 1 orange

25gm butter, softened

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Spray a 21-22cm cake tin with baking spray and line the base with baking paper.With an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and flour. Stir the baking soda and vanilla into the cooled apricots and liquid, then add this to the flour mixture and combine well.Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 45-50 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack and ice when cold.To make the icing, mix all the ingredients together until you have a smooth icing consistency. Spread over the cake letting it drizzle down the sides.

It has been a long time since we posted any updates on our website so we humbly apologise. Our only excuse is that we have been busy, busy, busy which in business is a good thing. We have an exciting year ahead with lots of projects in the planning stages.Just to give you a taste of whats to come here are a few teasers:

* We are planning a sit and sew friendship group based around our

customers love of hexagons. Our brains are working overtime with

ideas for what we plan to be a relaxed and fun group of like minded

stitchers. At this point in time we invisage this group meeting once a

month on a Saturday.

Stay tuned for more details...........

* Without realising it until recently we have discovered that we have

quite a few different Elizabeth Hartman books and also a range of

her fabrics. We have decided now to go the whole hog so to speak

and have ordered a few of her patterns and are going to run her

fabulous quilt "Fancy Forest" as a block of the month later in the year.

We have also ordered a range of fabrics that complement this quilt

perfectly.

If you think you would like to participate in the forest journey with us

please let us know.

* Keep an eye out for the new Homespun Block of the Month by

Natalie Bird in the February edition of the magazine. The quilt

combines pieced,appliqued and stichery blocks using Tilda fabric

and Kona Solids. We will be stocking all the fabrics required for this

program.

* We know it seems a long way off but like good girl guides we are

already planning and preparing for our next trip to Quilt Market in Houston in October. We have had such a great response from the goodies we sourced from Quilt Market in Minneapolis last year that

we have decided we need (or want) to go again. But don't panic our lovely shop will remain open for the duration of our sojourn and will

be left in the very capable hands of our friend and class tutor Leanne Humber.

We hope you are all finding some relief from the heat and doing some stitching.

Cheers for now,

Alison and Sharon

What a fantastic couple of weeks we have had at The Quilt Shop. We have been busy re-ordering loads of stock that has already sold out. Our Blooming Bias Venetian Windows Quilt has been a huge hit with one class booked out before it has even been advertised. A couple of ladies were so keen to attend a class that we had to choose a date on the spot! We love your enthusiasm ladies! It is just a short newsletter this week to keep you informed of a couple of changes and upcoming events.Opening Hours Firstly, as many of you maybe aware by reading our" About Us" page on our website, we are both cricket mums. We both have sons who play cricket on Friday nights so therefore we have made a decision to close at 3.30 pm on Fridays so we can get them to their respective games on time. So our updated opening times will be: Mon - Thur 9.30 am - 5.00 pm Friday 9.30 am -3.30 pm Saturday 9.30 am - 1.00 pmSit and Sew Mondays Due to the popularity of our Cake o'clock sessions on Fridays we have slotted in another sit and sew session on Mondays from 1-3 pm. Unfortunately there will not be cake on Mondays as Sharon does not want to be bogged down in the kitchen baking but there will be endless cups of tea and coffee and some biscuits. Please let us know if you would like to attend. Give us a call at The Quilt Shop on 8418 6770 to book your seat. There will be a $5 charge for the sit and sew sessions.Class List We are currently working on our extensive class list and will hopefully be emailing it out later this week or early next week. We have so many classes that we want to run that we are struggling to fit them all into term 1 next year so will be holding them over until term 2. Please let us know if there is any class in particular that you would like attend that we are not holding yet. That is all for now, Happy Stitching, Sharon and Alison

A few of our new books that have just arrived. Looking for a quirky Kris Kringle gift?

Come in, have a seat and browse through them at How nifty are these sewing inspired cookie

your leisure. cutters. New instore this week.

Wow what can we say, we have been completely blown away by all your support and good wishes during our opening week. We have had people come from far and wide to see our brand new shop. The positive feedback has been overwhelming on one hand and so encouraging on the other. Our shop looked amazing full of people as well as all the flowers that were delivered/dropped off by our wonderful friends and customers. We have been unexpectedly overwhelmed by your requests for classes and sit'n'sew days so here goes ladies - Our first "Cake o'clock" will be this Friday 30.10.15 from 10 to 12pm, bookings will be essential due to the high demand and we also don't want to skimp on the cake! Please call us on 8418 6770 to reserve your seat. Cake o'clock will happen every Friday unless we notify you otherwise. At this stage Cake o'clock will be free for the remainder of the year but we will let you know when and if this changes. Classes - It's been hard to work out what classes are needed so we have done our best to try and meet everyone's needs, if there is a class that you are interested in and it's not on the list please let us know. Beginning February next year the following classes will be running -

Wednesday afternoons will be Embroidery with Judi Standfield where you will incorporate embroidered blocks into a simple quiltSaturday 05.03.16 and again on 02.04.16 will be our "Mystery Block" with Leanne Humber. A sample of the 3 mystery blocks will be on display in the shop shortlyOnce a Month commencing February will be our "Block of the Month Sampler Quilt" with Leanne Humber. These classes will be run on a Tuesday Night each month for 10 monthsThere will be a Thursday morning class for our "Chenille-It Venetian Windows" quilt with our very own Sharon Wilkinson - date to be confirmedWe will be having an After school program for children every Wednesday afternoon from 4-5.30 where children will learn different craft techniques including embroidery, fabric painting and stuffed toys.

There are more classes that we are still working on so watch this space. Specific details on each class will follow soon. Our opening hours are still a work in progress and will most likely change but here's a reminder of our hours -

Monday - Friday 09:30 - 5:00 pmSaturday 09:30 - 1:00 pm

Please remember we will be closed on Monday 02.11.15 and Tuesday 03.11.15 (Cup Weekend). Thanks for your support and we hope to see you in the shop soon. Sharon & Alison

This gorgeous cake is a recent additon to

my sewing groups recipe book. Try it, you'll

love it!

Ingredients

175gm ground almonds

175gm butter, softened

175gm golden caster sugar

175gm self-raising flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk

450gm strawberries, hulled and sliced

icing sugar, for dusting

whipped double cream mixed with

Greek yoghurt, to serve

Method

Preheat oven to 160 degress, fan forced. Butter and line the base of a 23cm springform cake tin. In a food processor, mix the ground almonds, butter, sugar, flour, cinnamon, egg and egg yolk until evenly mixed. Tip kalf the mixture in the tin, and smooth. Spread the strawberries on top. Top with the remaining cake mixture; spread smooth.Bake for 1 hour - 1 hour 5 minutes. Check after 40 minutes - if the torte is getting too brown, cover loosley with foil. When cooked, the torte should be slightly risen and dark golden brown.

My sewing group has requested this yummy

and spicy cake on more than one occasion.

Ingredients

2 cups self-raising flour

1 1/2 tsps ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup caster sugar

2/3 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup golden syrup

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

400gm can pie apple slices

vanilla custard, to serve

Macadamia Streusel

1/2 cup plain flour

1/3 cup caster sugar

1 cup chopped unsalted macadamias

60gm unsalted butter, melted

Method

Invert base of a 24cm springform pan. Grease and line base and side with baking paper.Sift flour, ginger and cinnamon into a large bowl. Stir in sugar.Whisk buttermilk, syrup, oil and eggs in a medium bowl. Add to flour mixture. Stir until smooth. Do not over-mix. Pour into prepared pan. Top evenly with apple slices.Cook in a moderately slow oven (160C) for about i hour 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Stand cake in pan for 30 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.Serve cake and custard warm.Enjoy!

Its finally here, our first ever post on our first ever website….. Although it's still under construction our web shop is open for business! Our “Notions” and “Paper Piecing” are ready for purchase and the fabric is getting ready for its debut. Our bright and vibrant fabrics are taking a little longer to get ready than we thought but as is typical of a woman; its not how long she takes its how she looks that’s important!

Our land based shop is also on its way [we hope], we are waiting for our local council to give us their seal of approval for a retail outlet – so WATCH THIS SPACE.

We have lots of exciting plans for the shop when we do finally open, but we can only let you in on one of them at this stage – we will be having what we call our Friday "Cake o'clock".

Come along with or without your sewing just to enjoy our Friday wind-down with other like minded people. Enjoy a cuppa and a piece of cake and we will show you any new products or fabric that have arrived during the week. Bounce ideas off others or solve a problem you may have with your latest project. It’s our way of thanking you all for your support. We will also be posting a “Cake of the Month” recipe. And just to kick it all off here is our first recipe. A favourite of my Wednesday sewing group.

Ingredients

125g soft unsalted butter, cubed

175g + 5 tbsp caster sugar

2 large eggs, beaten

175 g self-raising flour

1 level tsp baking powder

grated rind and juice of 1 lemon

½ cup milk

cooking oil spray

baking paper

thickened cream

Method

Preheat oven to 170 – 180 degrees celcius.Using a hand mixer, cream butter and 175g caster sugar until light and fluffy.Add eggs, a little at a time, mixing well between each addition.Sift flour and baking powder into another bowl. Add lemon zest and milk, and fold into batter mixture using a rubber spatula.Lightly oil a springform cake tin and line with a round of baking paper. Pour in the cake mixture and cook in oven for 40 minutes. Check if ready with a skewer.When the cake is almost ready, place 5 tbsp caster sugar and the lemon juice in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Then, while the cake is still hot, pour over the top.Serve the cake warmish with a little cream on the side. Enjoy!