December Newlsetter

Dear Stitching Friend,

With Christmas nearly upon us, I hope you are powering along with your preparations, including making some lovely gifts for your special people. Or perhaps, like me, you are procrastinating a little because you feel just a tad overwhelmed by it all? Why do we do this to ourselves every year? I think, deep down, we all know the answer to that curly one. There is a certain magic that only Christmas can give, as it seems to ground us all in home and family, which is where are hearts really are. Sometimes we need a time or a place to honour these people and things we hold dear, and Christmas seems to give us that time and place.

A Brand New Venture ~ Katy’s Keepsakes

I've just brewed myself a cup of Earl Grey tea ~ using 2 teabags. No, not because I need an extra strong brew when I begin to contemplate the job ahead of me over the next few weeks ~ although that is on the cards! I'm tea-dying a piece of lovely Lecien pure cotton homespun to use as the stitchery background fabric in one of the projects for next year's beautiful new embroidery programme, "Katy's Keepsakes". I'm so excited about this one. It's a new endeavour Maureen and I are planning where you receive six exquisite little embroidery projects over six months ~ with absolutely everything you need to make up each project ~ premium fabrics, pattern, iron-on transfers, threads, embellishments, even things like whisper weft, wadding etc. Planned to start in March, this is one you might like to consider as a special treat to yourself. All the projects will be on display in the shop and on the website early next year, before we start, so you will see exactly what you will be receiving, Click on the link to see the first three projects, and to read more about Katy's Keepsakes. http://www.faeriesinmygarden.com.au/Katys-Keepsakes-Embroidery-Programme/

Hearts to Embroider ~ Quilts to Cherish

"Romance of the Roses" is in full swing. We still have places left in this gorgeous new BOM if you would like to make a very soft, pretty, romantic quilt. Click on the link below for more details. If you prefer the earlier version of a quilt using these same hearts, "Love Among the Roses", is a delicious combination of chocolate and pink. There are also a few spots left in this BOM, remembering that the pink will be substituted with an equally beautiful pink fabric. Click on link, then scroll down one, for more details or to take advantage of one of those remaining places ~ beginning early next year.

www.faeriesinmygarden.com.au/Block-of-the-Month/

Gifts for your Special Friends and Family

We have now sent out our tenth and final project for *Gift of the Month* for 2010, a lovely bag with optional embroidery. What a wonderful year it has been! Each project is a lovely surprise ~ like Christmas every month! And we have some gorgeous secret projects in store for you next year. We are planning to offer a little more diversity to cater for different tastes, although all projects will still have our signature flavour and style, and you can be sure of receiving premium quality fabrics and patterns. These are also guaranteed first release designs, not available to anyone else until the end of the year. The only exception to this is the repeat project for new members ~ in 2011 new members will have a choice of either The Needlewoman's Cottage or Catherine the Crinoline Lady. Members who have been with us all along should have both of these, so we will be designing a brand new project of equal value and quality especially for them. All projects are excellent value. Now is the time to join for 2011, or to renew if you are
an existing member wishing to continue. Clicking on this link
http://www.faeriesinmygarden.com.au/Gift-of-the-Month-Books-open-for-2011/ will take you to this section on the website.

Exciting Offers

Now to some Specials! Many people have been taking advantage of our "Memory Lane" specials. We still have a few kits left, and most of these are priced at unbelievably low prices for the size and quality of the quilts. Don't forget that the special ends on the last day of December. Click on the link to find this section on the website so that you can take advantage of these offers that will run out soon!
www.faeriesinmygarden.com.au/Memory-Lane-Specials/

More Specials every month

Each month, on the website, we put up a brand new swag of specials for that month. Don’t forget to check these out each month. You may be surprised at what you see!

http://www.faeriesinmygarden.com.au/DECEMBER-SPECIALS/

A Final Thought ~ Why not Try Both?

If you are looking for good value, and first release projects, I'm sure you'll find what you want in either of our two new ventures: *Gift of the Month* or Katy's Keepsakes. Some people are actually joining up for both, as they are quite different in their flavour and in the projects you will receive.

Our good wishes go with you for a Happy Christmas, spent with your family and loved ones. A year of excellence and creativity is our wish for you for 2011. Most of all, enjoy your days, as each one is very precious.

Happy Stitching,
Kind Regards,
Lesley.
December 2010.

October 2010

Hi Everyone!

With spring in the air here in Australia, you can't help but feel energetic and creative. So many ideas and projects! So little time! I hope our friends in the northern hemisphere are enjoying the change of the seasons too, and looking forward to a warm and cosy winter snuggled up beside the fire, doing some embroidery or quilting. Delicious!

Speaking of delicious, you might like our chocolate and pink quilt, "Love Among the Roses". Ths lovely quilt showcased first at the AQC (Australasian Quilt Convention) in Melbourne in April this year, and it is now well and truly running as a Block of the Month. There are still a few places left, if you are interested in doing this lovely quilt as a BOM. Bear in mind that the pink fabric will be different from the one in the original quilt, but everything else is the same. The new fabric will still be a gorgeous dusty pink, but it will have a different pattern from the one shown in the quilt. We will keep you posted with photos as soon as it arrives. We have also made up beautiful kits in this quilt, with very similar fabrics, and still in the same delicious colours. So if you can't wait for the blocks to be sent out, you can always buy the kit and work at your own pace.www.faeriesinmygarden.com.au/Block-of-the-Month/279/

Our most exciting news is that we have finished "Romance of the Roses", the sequel to "Love Among the Roses", and it is looking breathtakingly beautiful! The gorgeous pastel Mary Rose fabrics give it a lightness and charm that takes you by surprise. Just beautiful! The same embroidered hearts, but they look so different in these colours. Soft and feminine, and slightly shabby chic, but mainly just romantic. I love this quilt! We opened up an "Expression of Interest" list a few months ago, and teased you with photos of the quilt as a work in progress, and we now have a large number of people who have confirmed their place in the BOM. We still have places left, so if you would like to join, you are very welcome. This quilt will be the centrepiece of our display at the Brisbane show next week, so hop in now if you are interested.www.faeriesinmygarden.com.au/Whats-New/309/

In just a few days, we will be exhibiting at the Brisbane Craft and Quilt Fair ~ our last show for the year. (Stand A14). It is wonderful that our last show is in our hometown ~ so much more relaxing and comfortable. We have a very special offer for visitors to the show, and we are also making this offer available to all of our wonderful online customers around the world. We are inviting you to take a walk down "Memory Lane". Some of our perennial favourites over the years, are still as popular as ever, but we have long since sold out of the original fabrics of some, and for the remainder, we have just a few kits or BOMs left in the original, or near original fabrics. We are offering all of these quilts at a bargain price for those who have always wanted to make these quilts but have just never had the time or the opportunity to do so. All of the kits in these designs are just one low price of $199 + Postage, and the BOMs are just $33 per month (slightly more for overseas). We have even reduced the price of the pattern sets to just $60 + Postage, so make sure you check out this section while we still have some kits and BOM places left. The "Memory Lane" offer expires on New Year's Eve this year. www.faeriesinmygarden.com.au/Memory-Lane-Specials/

Our stellar programme, *Gift of the Month*, is going from strength to strength. I couldn't have envisaged, when I first introduced the idea, that it could be so popular, and so well-loved. We constantly receive feedback from our members that spurs us on to do better and better. I love the challenge of having to do a new design each month, and Kevin steps up to the plate every month meticulously drawing my embroidery designs on the computer, and fine-tuning the patterns. If you are not already a member, we are inviting you to join for 2011. Ten beautiful projects to make for yourself or the special people in your life. By Christmas you will have a stash of gifts to surprise and delight the lucky recipients. If you are already a member, you will have experienced the pleasure of receiving a new surprise project each month, and you will know what good value membership in this club is. We are inviting you to rejoin for 2011. Here is the link: www.faeriesinmygarden.com.au/Gift-of-the-Month-Books-open-for-2011/

As you prepare for Christmas, I hope you find some time to sit and stitch. A lovely, calming task, giving you time to reflect and to relax.

Until next time, Happy Stitching!

Lesley.

October, 2010

Newsletter July 2010

Romance of the Roses

Love Among the Roses

Hi Everyone!

This time next week, we will be in Melbourne, and this is our last “away” show for the year, so we can relax a little and get stuck into some more new projects when we return! I hope the winter is treating you kindly wherever you live, and that summer is not too hot if you are in the northern hemisphere. We are having the most deliciously cold, clear nights, with lots of snuggling under the blankets, and some very good sleeps! The days are glorious: beautiful blue skies, crystal clear mornings, the most amazing sunrises and sunsets, and the pleasure of sitting out on the verandah in the sun during the day is worth bottling! If only we had time to do more of this!

We have some very good news! Our newest Block of the Month, “Love Among the Roses” was completely sold out after just a few short months of its debut, and we had many disappointed people who were hoping to sign up for the Block of the Month or to buy the kit. However, much to our delight, last Friday, one of our suppliers came good with very healthy supplies of all of the main fabrics for this deign (except for the pink), so we have now opened up a good swag of new places for BOMs and kits in exactly these fabrics, with just a substitute for the pink. Rest assured, I will be sourcing an equally beautiful fabric to do this job, as I am very choosey about the fabrics for my kits and BOMs, so, if you want to be one of the people assured of getting this project in these fabrics, now is the time to put your name on the dotted line. Just since we received the fabrics on Friday, we have had five new people put up their hands to do it, so these new places will be filled quite quickly. I will have this quilt at the Melbourne show this coming week, so you have the chance to sign up beforehand if you wish. Here is the link to this page on the website: http://www.faeriesinmygarden.com.au/Block-of-the-Month/279/

Our sequel to this quilt is the light and pretty version “Romance of the Roses”. I am powering along with stitching the hearts for this one, and will have all of the hearts that I have stitched so far to show you at the Melbourne show (Stand A24). This one will have a completely different look and flavour to the original, and the layout is different as well. More variety of fabric, and the softest, prettiest border, with large roses and ribbons. Here is a photo of some of the hearts completed so far, and here is the link to this page on the website:

http://www.faeriesinmygarden.com.au/Block-of-the-Month/289/

We are taking expressions of interest in this BOM and kit, and already have half of our quota filled. Email us with the subject line “Romance of the Roses” if you would like your name to be added to this list, and we will contact you when the quilt is finished, to see if you would like to go ahead: lesley@faeriesinmygarden.com.au

We will be sending out our sixth *Gift of the Month* project next week or the following week. Those who were not in the club last year will receive “The Needlewoman’s Cottage”, as promised, and those who are continuing members will receive a brand new project of equal standing to the cottage. We have all worked long and hard on this one, so I hope you like it when you open your exciting package! I can’t show you a photo in this newsletter, as it is a surprise for our members, but I will be posting a photo on our website, as soon as we have sent it out. We have four more lovely projects in store for current members this year, and all projects, except for perhaps one, will be first release designs next year, as has been the case in the two years we have been running this wonderful club. We have opened up the books for this club for 2011, and already places are beginning to fill. For those current members who would like to renew, we are offering a very special bonus if you renew your membership before the end of this year. We will keep you posted on this as time unfolds, and anyone who has already renewed will automatically qualify for this bonus. Here is the page on the website if you wish to renew or to join now: http://www.faeriesinmygarden.com.au/Gift-of-the-Month-Books-open-for-2011/280/

You are very welcome to join, and experience the fun of receiving mystery parcels, all of which are way below their normal retail price.

For those who are not members, we will be releasing all of the projects from this year, in September/October, fabric stocks permitting. Already we have a waiting list for Rosie’s Carpet Bag. It will be available for $79 + $10 P&H while we have kits. If you wish to add your name to this waiting list, you can do so by emailing us, with the subject line “Waiting List for Rosie’s Carpet Bag”: lesley@faeriesinmygarden.com.au

Our members received this project for just $39 this year instead of $79. We have a limited number of kits available, in burgundy and plum.

For our little ones, we have a brand new kit in beautiful flannels. It is an older design, and is a lovely one to make for a newborn baby, especially if you don’t know ahead whether the baby will be a boy or a girl. You can quietly stitch it up, and have it ready to present to the new Mum once her little one has entered the world. The quilt is called “Sweet Cherub”, and the new fabrics are from a Nancy Halvoorsen range of gorgeous flannels, in green, lemon, with just a hint of pink and blue to tease! Here is a photo of the quilt in the original fabrics (not the new flannels). The original fabrics have sold out, but the new ones are just as lovely, and have the added bonus of being flannel for snugly warmth. http://www.faeriesinmygarden.com.au/Babies-and-Children/31/ These kits will be on sale at the show, and are available now on the website.

If you like a more zany look for your little one, we have just cut more kits in our latest design, “Under a Mushroom”. This is a bright and pretty quilt, that can double as a play mat, as it is quite large, and will be a source of interest to a little one who is just exploring his world. Here is the link to the site for ordering:

http://www.faeriesinmygarden.com.au/Whats-New/282/

Of special interest to those who love embroidery is our pretty tote “Angel Cake Tote Bag”. This gives you the opportunity to indulge your passion and create a pretty and practical item at the same time. Kits are available in this design, and we also have a needle book to match if you want to have the matching set. We provide extras such as the angel charms, threads, and silk ribbon. These are detailed on the website:

http://www.faeriesinmygarden.com.au/Whats-New/245/

We hope to see you at the show next week – our stand is A24, and we will have all of our latest designs on display for you to see close-up. In the meantime, and for those who can’t make it to Melbourne, all of the new patterns, kits and BOMs are now available for order, so that you can beat the rush at the show.

Until next time,

Happy Stitching.

Lesley & Kevin . July 2010

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