Let us help you readjust to a post-festivities world with projects (both heirloom and lighthearted) and articles (for a range of machines and skills) that celebrate the glorious colours of a rejuvenating spring and a warming summer – we hope!
Janet Carley opens the issue with a delicate
salmon pink make-up bag and magic zip technique,
while Pamela Cox adds Sugar and Spice to a
classic little girl’s sundress design to give it heirloom quality.
You t-whoo can give an owl a home thanks to the pleading
of Susan Lindley’s granddaughters, but the name Oswald is already taken. Eileen Tilley shows you how to make a delightful Springtime Flower Pincushion either with your embellisher, by using a hand felting kit or by sewing a 3D flower.
One of the delights of owning a computer embroidery machine is the ability to make freestanding lace, enjoy following a few simple steps for stunning results in Gold Rush. Brother owners can now make a quick and easy quilt thanks to tips from Gill Rogers, who is also the subject of this issue’s Background Material. Computer Tutor Tori helps you avoid, or recover from, computer breakdown.
We offer our usual round up of news including: the amazing new technology in Husqvarna Viking’s Designer Ruby deLuxe machine; items in What’s New to help you develop your machine embroidery skills; share other sewers’ experiences in Surprise Event and Living Threads; delve into the world of colour created by Oakshott Fabrics with Alison Shakspeare.
You’ve still just got time to enter the fantastic Madeira Competition, Glimpses of Summer, if you post your embroidery to arrive by Friday 23 February 2013. Just look at the prizes on offer on page 40.
We’ve also got three reasons for making sure you look out for our next issue: experienced quilter Lesley Brankin allows us into her Diary of a Quilt, which is so interesting we are going to spread it over two issues; intrepid explorer Carolyn Sinclair presents her findings on the Bernina 8 Series, which she’ll follow up next issue with some creative ways to use them; and we’ve been transported by Jan Haagen-Bossom’s art quilt, Les Delphiniums, so make the background this issue and see how to finish it off next issue.
We wish you a creative and colourful 2013
This new issue of Flair completes several features, hopefully in tandem with the end of some unseasonable weather.
We hope you can find a quiet moment to settle down and read the second parts of Lesley Brankin’s Diary of a Quilt (and find out how she named it), Carolyn Sinclair’s Perfection Guaranteed (with all those great Bernina features unveiled) and Jan Hagen-Bossom’s Les Delphiniums (so inspirational, even if you aren’t actually making it yet).
We’ve gone a little ‘free’ this issue thanks to Zandra Shaw’s Simply Red poppies and their clay centres and Gill Rogers’ Say it with Flowers, with free-standing voile lace.
For those of you with little people to comfort and create for then do turn to Cuddle Me Close in which Liz Keegan shows you how to make a unique tag blanket and to Pamela Thomson’s Rosebud Cot Quilt with its pretty, free design.
If you have a more practical bent then let your creativity loose with Got the Needle, where Susan Lindley combines felt and digitising on a needlecase. But before you start why not create a sampler book for all your favourite stitches as demonstrated by Carolyn Sinclair in Spoilt for Choice. You’ll find it will set you up for creating the Totally Crazy tote bag from Pamela Cox, who is also the subject of this month’s Background Material.
Being creative is easier if you have good practical skills such as Mastering Templates, as taught by Tori Keegan, the right tool for the job, as featured in Spring Fever (a look at the new Janome MC 9900 and Pfaff Creative 3.0.) and as explored by Alison Shakspeare in Scissors or Shears. Alison also interviewed new graduate Jessica Odell-Foster whose amazing take on shoes is a feast for the eyes.
Enjoy all that and the usual letters, reviews and contacts.
Until the next time,
Liz
