Christmas Wishes

 Merry Christmas

May you all have a wonderful Festive Season and a healthy, safe New Year.
Thank you for your support this year and I look forward to many exciting stitching adventures with you next year.                                           Laraine 

New Cottage Garden Threads Exclusive Collection

Brand new colours from Cottage Garden Threads only available in these Collections. There are 12 sets altogether and each one has an A4 stitchery included designed just for these threads.  We are offering these packs at a special introductory price of $36.95  - save $2.65  What's New

More scissors to love

More scissors to love plus Mother of Peal thread winders and Needle Keeps.  Many pretty styles to pick from.

Primitive Style Scissors

Wonderful primitive style embroidery scissors with a bronze finish. Very reasonable prices just right for gift giving.

Hanah Silk Ribbon

I've just been making kits for the Pins and Posies Mason Jar pincushion and just had to take a photo of the Hanah silk ribbons.  I love to make the ribbon flowers and find myself adding them to lots of my projects.

Sajou and Sparkles

 Add a little French style to your Christmas giving this year with Maison Sajou scissors, thread winders and Alphabet Charts.  The tortoiseshell and mother of pearl scissors are most desirable for scissor collectors.

Metallic threads and buttons to enhance your Christmas stitching and vintage style silver accessories for your sewing box or chatelaine.

Decorate with Scissors this Christmas

When I had my shops, my greatest pleasure was decorating for Christmas.  I always tried to have a small tree of scissors tied with pretty ribbons.  You might like to try this with your scissor collection too.  Give your sewing space a fun an festive feeling.

Scissors for Christmas

Gorgeous scissors just right for Christmas giving.  A great range to choose from - starting at $14.95!

Wonderful Accessories and Treasures

See the lamb - he is our latest thread winder amongst all the other Mother of Pearl accessories.  Christmas gift giving has never been so easy for your sewing family and friends with these wonderful needle minders, scissors, charms, thread winders and keepers.  Order your gifts now and receive a 10% discount.  Just add this code at the Checkout - laz2 - then press + Add Code and the discount will be taken off your order.

New Textile Necklace

My latest necklace shown from drawing to completion.  Once again I've used all the lovely hand dyed felt, velvet, shimmer tape, organza and silk chenille.  Kit available soon.

Christmas Shimmer Necklace.

Just finished - a necklace using all my favourite hand dyed silk velvet, organza, felt and shimmer tape embellished with beads. An easy and fun project to make in time for your Christmas festivities.

Christmas Shimmer Kit

Mokuba Trims

More Mokuba trims and hand dyed lace for your special projects.  Ideal for crazy patchwork, collage and mixed media.

Holiday in Provence

I had a wonderful holiday in Paris, Avignon and Prague. Lots of colours, history and food to feast the eyes on.  The world is becoming a much smaller place with many international goods available here in Australia.  It's hard to find those unique pieces to bring home.  It's so important to have our artist and crafts people making one off special creations rather than all the mass production.  We need to support them so we have a difference and a style if our own - not something you see everywhere.

Buttons and Trim

 

New vintage style rayon seam binding co-ordinated with a beautiful shell button.  Each button has a decal of a rose, lily or shepherd and shepherdess.  The buttons vary in design and are at least 30 years old.  I have been sorting through my stash and have found these treasures.

Closed for updating

Laraine's on Capri will be closed from the 8th of September until the 26th for stock take and updating. Last orders must be in by 5.00pm on the 8th. September.
Lots of new trim cards and rayon ribbons coming when we return.
Happy stitching,
Laraine

Silk Ribbon Sale

Feast your eyes on the beautiful colour range of Thread Gatherer ribbons now on sale. 
Usually $12.00 a card - now $10.00. 
Add these lovely ribbons to your stash for all your creative stitching.

The early visit to Byron Bay

A wonderful weekend was spent with stitching friends in the cottages at the Byron Bay lighthouse.
Sunrise was spectacular and so was the clear blue sky with the afternoon moon peeping through.
Not much stitching done by me but a good book finished and plenty of talking!

New Sparkley Buttons

The buttons are approximately 2.5cm. They are all clear stones set in silver metal. GORGEOUS! They are perfect for using on garments or beautiful used in jewelry - either with or without the shank. Incorporate them into a collage with other buttons and jewelry parts. They are great for inclusion into crazy patchwork and vintage embroidery.

These are beautiful high end buttons. “MADE IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA” they are from a store going out of business so they won’t last forever. When they are gone, there won’t be any more.

New Scarf is Ready

Midnight Silk Scarf kit is now ready to purchase - soo luxe!

Silk Velvet Scarf

A cascade of glorious hand dyed silk velvet puffs dripping from the end of a black silk velvet scarf.  Soft and sensual to wear, a great addition to your wardrobe.  The colours in the puffs all come from the same piece of hand dyed velvet Arabian Nights.  It's almost magic the way the colours pop when the fabric is gathered.  Kits available in a few days.

Open Day - 3rd August

Once again the shop will be open on Saturday August 3rd.  There will be new hand dyed lace packs, a new Christmas Bauble and a Velvet Scarf kit, new felted wool colours and all the gorgeous trims, threads, treasures and buttons to indulge in.  Start your Christmas stitching early. Open Day - Saturday August 3rd 10.00am. to 1.00pm. Anglican Church Salerno St., Isle Of Capri Surfers Paradise Enjoy cake, coffee and a catch up chat. Cash Only Sale There will be one off fabric packs and patchwork linen, beads, threads, trims, buttons, books and lots of new odds and ends from my stash to rummage through.  Come and grab a bargain.

Mokuba Ribbons and Braid

Mokuba Ribbons and braids are the best quality you can buy with a wide range of styles for the ribbon embroiderer.  The fringed ribbons make special edges on pincushions, needlecases and crazy patchwork projects while the flower trims add touches of wonderful colour when meandered through your work.

A love Affair with Silk Velvet

I was writing a profile piece for Creative Embroidery and Cross Stitch magazine and one of the questions to answer was "What was my favourite embroidery?".  I thought for awhile and then realized there wasn't one in particular but I have a real love of hand dyed silk velvet because of the lustre and the colours that pop out when it's folded.  That's why I always have my Divine Pears on display.  I never get tired of looking at the bloom on the velvet, it changes with the light in the room.  On the pears I have used a combination of Hanah silk ribbon flowers, silk ribbon and chenille threads embellished subtly with rosemontees and sequins.  

All my favourite things! (I think I have too many)

New Felted Wools

These small 9cm. squares of hand dyed felted wool from MFWoolens are great for projects where you need only a tiny piece and lots of colours. There's 25 per pk. for $15.95

I've add some new colours to the large pks. too.  There's now 14 in the range and the new ones are - Bright Coral, Jax Black, Toy Boat and Pumpkin.  All of the MFwoolens packs work beautifully with the Weeks Dye Works felted wools and the Colour Streams felts and velvets.

They're are so easy to use and great fun. No pressure to be perfect!

Sneak Peek

Just a quick peek at the latest design - a journal cover called Fanciful Flowers. What do you think? Hope to have a kit ready in about two weeks as I'm still writing the instructions.  I've used a mix of Shimmer tape, silk velvet, wool felt, crinkle chiffon and sequins.

Special Offer with Purchase

Between now and the end of May, make a purchase of $50.00 or more before Postage and you will receive a special set of antique gold coloured buttons for embellishing your work - valued at $15.00.

Some buttons are plastic and some are metallic, all with a lovely vintage look.  Each selection will be as close as possible to those pictured.           

A Little Indulgence

A beautiful Mother of Pearl Hare thread winder to wind your threads around. Tuck him into your needlecase as a pretty collectable.
64mm. long x 28mm. wide      Click here to find -  Mother of Pearl Hare
There is also a lovely range of shell buttons to embellish your stitching.
Click here to find -  Buttons

Mother's Day Beauties

I don't want to wish the year away but Mothers Day is just around the corner.  Do you have a Mum who likes to stitch?  The beautiful kits below would be the nicest gift to receive or if you would prefer to make them yourself each one is achievable in a few weeks . 
Fragrant, fresh lavender has just arrived in from the lavender farm - ready for filling sachets to perfume your cupboards and drawers. Lavender pillows in any shape and size make lovely, thoughtful gifts.  Why not add some of our hand dyed lace, buttons and ribbons to embellish your sachets for extra pizazz.

Click here - Pins and Posies Pincushion

Click here - Treasure Purse

Click here - Lavender Puffs

Shimmer Tape Tutorial

Colour Streams hand dyed Shimmer Tape is a hollow metallic rayon tube/tape. Fabulous metallic specialty yarn for inserting cord to stiffen the tape then ruche tape along the cord for great effects. 5mt. length.
I have made my demonstration piece into a Needlecase.  If You would like to do the same you will need -
1 Shimmer Tape in your colour choice. (I used Russet)
1 C/S Wool Felt to co-ordinate.
2mtr of fine cord or waste threads any colour.
A large eye needle or bodkin.

Beads and sequins to decorate.
Stranded cotton to match Tape and felt.
Colour Streams hand dyed organza for puffs.
Doctor flannel for pages (13cm. width)

Cut the felt in half and save one piece for the lining.
Cut cord or bundles of threads into 1 metre lengths.
Use the corded tape for the front and the flat tape for the back.
Save a scrap of Tape to tie the Doctor Flannel pages to the lining.
I haven't used any pattern to do this piece so you can meander the tape on the front to please your self.  Have fun and express your creativity - see what happens!

Thread a large needle or bodkin with a fine cord or several strands of waste thread.  You will need 1 or 2 mts. depending on how many cords you want to make and how long they need to be.  Insert the eye of the needle into the end of the Tape and slide the Tape down the needle and over the threads.

Continue moving the Tape over the threads until you have enough ruched Tape for your project.  Cut the Tape at the eye of the needle.  Pull out the needle and threads attached.  Make some sections thick and thin by easing out the ruching.  Tie a knot in the thin section to add more texture.

If you are making a needlecase or a journal cover you will need at least 2 ruched cords.  Be creative and meander the cords over the cover, nestling them into each other.  When you are happy with your shapes, couch down with tiny stitches (on the surface) in a matching coloured thread.  
 

Load the large needle with the threads or cord and take them through to the back of fabric.  Couch the tails of the thread down at the back of embroidery and trim off ends. 
 

  

Next I have used the Tape flat without a cord inside for a contrast in texture.  I have meandered this tape from the bottom of the padded tape to the back of my cover.  I have shadow stitch chain stitch in a thicker thread in some parts of the embroidery and added some curling tentacles.  Take the ends of the flat tape to the back of embroidery and couch down.

  Decorate the ends of the tape and tentacles with Suffolk Puffs and beaded leaves.  Add sequins and beads to the centre of puffs and the tops of leaves.  You may want to add more beads and sequins depending on your design. 

  I have used half a piece of Colour Streams Felt in Russet for the front of my needlecase and the other half for the lining.  I Buttonholed the two pieces together with 3 strands of stranded cotton to match felt and then Whip stitched each Buttonhole stitch and added a bead to every 3^rd stitch. 
 

I have worked a running stitch around the edges of the Doctor Flannel pages with a bead on every 3rd stitch.  Sew the pages to the lining with the scrap of Tape and tie a bow.  Make knots in tails of bow and bead the knots.

You may add as many beads and sequins to the embroidery as you like and you can also add beaded and embroidered pockets inside the needlecase.