A Superior Menagerie

My favourite animals come in the form of Loralie Designs Dogs and Cats. I don’t have much against the real thing but these you don’t have to take for a walk in the middle of Winter and they cost nothing to feed. You may have seen my post on the latest animal fabrics . Whilst thinking what to do next I came across some different dogs and cats in the shape of Loralie embroideries. I thought some of you might be interested to see that she does other things in her embroideries and not just amusing people.

Dogs first.

Then a few cats.

I have others on my web site nsaaquilting.co.uk

In case you think I have forgotten Loralie designs amusing ladies here are some of those that I did at the same time. These are from a collection called Sew Girls.

Winging its way to me I also have the Dog Happy embroideries.

These are the ones that match the Dog Happy panel and matching fabrics.

They would make a lovely cheerful bag with the Dog Happy black or white toss.

If I carry on like this I will need another stall at the next quilt show. Luckily the stalls at Westpoint  near Exeter are bigger than the Harrogate ones so I can squeeze a bit more in. The question is – will I have any of this fabric left by then?

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Loralie Panels, Usage and Abusage.

We have all been there. Can’t resist a piece of fabric and, having bought it, squirrel it away without using it. Every time we think about using it we think how nice it looks in one piece and how we don’t want to cut it. In the case of Loralie Designs I would definitely say this is abuse. Those designs need to get out there and cheer up all those sad looking people. If you want ideas go to youtube.

This link should give you some ideas. Some of the fabric is no longer available but any of her panels and embroideries would suit.

Here is another

A far as my usage goes I make a lot of bags. I do this mainly because I want to give people ideas of  what they can make with the fabric and partly because they are very useful bags. Both my Daughters have definitely not only used but also abused several bags. How they carry them with the amount of stuff in them I will never know.

They make good shopping handbags. They look good as a handbag but there is lots of room for shopping in this ‘bring your own bag’ age.

I also put a couple of my Loralie Embroidered bags in too just in case I get carried away in the sales.

Here are a few ideas from my newest fabrics.

These are back and front of a bag made from the Fast Women Portrait panel.

As you can see I also put pockets on the side panels using the individual panels from the big panel.  The main fabric is just one that matches well.

This next one is also from the Fast Women Potrait panel but using the Fast Women tossed fabric as the main fabric.

The other fast women fabric is black which adds a bit of sophistication.

Hulala is another panel and fabric and I made two different bags from this. The first is the same style as the ones above.

If you want something ginormous for beach towels and the picnic try this.

For a bit more substance try adding some wadding.

If the fabric is no longer available try one of the embroidery collections.

These two are available as kits.

I also tried out one of the Loralie Designs projects. I think it turned out well. She uses embroideries but I used panels.

The Loralie Designs site also has ideas and project sheets, some of which are below.

So no excuses, don’t hoard it. use it. If you then want to try something different have a look at the collection on my website.

Dogs Cats and Loralie Designs

I have recently returned from The Great Northern Quilt Show in Harrogate and am already looking forward to next year. We decided to take Loralie Designs fabric with us this year.  After a bit of shuffling and the services of Daughter Number one who family folklore has it, could  fit an elephant into the back seat of a mini with room to spare, we managed to fill two cars with merchandise and off we went.  I have to tell you that it is a very long way to Harrogate from Cornwall so we were pleased to have an excuse to spend a few days elsewhere on the way up and also on the way back.

For some reason we all love doing the shows. Friday is always the busiest and this year it was particularly busy for us. The whole of Harrogate seems to have been looking for Loralie Designs and failing so were pleased to find that there is someone in the UK who carries Loralie merchandise.

Friday was very hot and the exhibition centre is a metal building so what with that and all the customers wanting fabric cutting we were a bit warm by the end of the day. If there had not been three of us I am not sure how we would have managed. If you are in the area next year come along and join in.

Anyway, as a result of the popularity and the number of people wanting to buy anything featuring a dog or cat I have ordered the latest fabrics from Loralie Designs and they will be featuring next year at Harrogate (29th t0 31st August 2014) and also at Westpoint Exhibition centre near Exeter (April 4th to 6th 2014). If you want something to cheer you up or just something different come and see us at either or both places next year. If you can’t manage to get to either try the web site. (nsaaquilting.co.uk)

Below is a preview of some of the new fabrics and there will probably be more by then as well.

Whether you like dogs or colour these have to be for you.

Not a doggy person? How about cats.

I am expecting delivery of these any time now so should have them on the site (nsaaquilting.co.uk) very soon.

You have to admit they will make very cheerful quilts and totes and I am looking forward to selling them at the shows. One thing is for sure, when you sell Loralie Designs all the customers have a sense of humour.

I will be featuring some other fabrics in future blogs so watch this space if your are a Loralie fan. Amongst others I am thinking of stocking the chef fabric on the Loralie home page.