Introducing: Belle & Boo

Think of this post as similar to the final scenes of "The Breakfast Club" - Brian pumping his fist in the air to the strains of Simple Minds' "Don't You Forget About Me".

That's me, pumping my fist in the air, because we're back! It's been a long an unexpected hiatus but we're sincerely hoping that you didnt forget about me (us)!

Okat that was messy but I can't get the song out of my head.

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 We're very excited to be welcoming British lifestyle brand Belle & Boo to our shores! Belle & Boo was created by illustrator Mandy Sutcliffe and celebrates innocence, warmth and adventure through gorgeous, nostalgic storybook illustrations. Featuring Belle and her rabbit Boo, as well as a cast of their freinds, the brand has expanded to include clothing, books, homewares and stationary.

Cute kids aprons we made with some Belle & Boo fabric!

We've collaborated with the brand to develop some fabric ranges exclusively for us, as well as offering popular existing Belle & Boo fabric designs. Check out a preview of the range below:

Sooooo seriously cute. And it's in stores now!
Belle & Boo Quilting Prints, 112cm wide, 100% Cotton, $19.99m

V-Day

Happy Valentine's Day from all of us here at W&W! The lovely Miss L made us all a little treat today - aren't they cute! And sooooo yummy!

What treats will you be whipping up for your loved ones today?

Sarah Fielke's Mystery Quilt: Block One

It's up! The first block in our 16-fortnight Sew-a-Long is on the Spotlight Facebook page right now! Jump on and download the first block - which includes a full shopping list of everything you'll need to make the complete quilt.

We'd love to hear what you think of it!

While you're there-  check out our MASSIVE special on ALL DISCONTINUED QUILTING FABRICS - only $4m right now!

I Spy...

What's that?

A sneak peek?

That's right, this morning I'm playing I spy (albeit on my own, which is nowhere near as fun on a long drive because you already know the answers*) and I've spotted a little something in the office that we're *very* excited about...

WHAT COULD IT BE?

It's a preview of Block One! Our Mystery Quilt by Sarah Fielke launches on the Spotlight Facebook this Friday, 1st Feb. Make sure you tune in every fortnight to find out what we have in store for you - WE don't even know what the finished quilt will look like!

Sarah assures us that these blocks are super simple and fun to make for any age or skill level, with nothing more complex than a half-square triangle or three.

Friday's block will also come with a shopping list outlining the fabric you'll need to make ALL the blocks.

Can't wait to see you all back here on Friday to hear what you think of Block One!





*I suggest, when driving on your own, playing "Horse". You get a point for every horse you see. It's pretty simple. If you see a cemetary, the game is over. Voila!

Summer Days On The Pond

It's a New Year and we're vey excited to be embracing some new challenges here at W&W. There have been some big changes in the office which have unfortunately meant the blog has taken a back seat for a little while - but never fear! We're back and still champing at the bit to tell you all about what's happening in the world of Spotlight.

We thought we'd kick off the New Year with a very exciting new program -  and our first Sew Along!

We've mentioned quilter extraordinnaire Sarah Fielke on the blog before. She's designed some fantastic quilt patterns for us and her awesome books are a great source of inspiration for us!

We are SO THRILLED to announce the launch of our very own designer collaboration with Sarah - a fabric range she has designed exclusively for Spotlight - "On the Pond".

 

On The Pond by Sarah Fielke, 100% Cotton, 112cm wide. $16.99m. In store from 30th January.


The collection is inspired by pond life in the spring - tadpoles, lilies and floating flowers in a gorgeous bright colour palette. Not only is this collection absolutely stunning, Sarah designed the entire range from scratch - hand drawing all of the designs!

Sarah has also designed a fantastic quilt project for you to get started with - pick up the pattern in the next issue of Get Creative magazine, on sale 30th January (only .99c and packed full of fabulous projects!).

The quilt is seriously gorgeous. Make sure you grab a copy of the magazine.

We'll also be sewing along with our very first Facebook Mystery Quilt! More details to come soon...stay tuned!

Crafty Photo Comp Gets Quilty!

Calling all quilters! You too can join in the Crafty Christmas Competition!

We have a huge range of quilters who shop with us, from the traditionalist to the thoroughly modern sewer. As you can see from a snapshot of the entreis so far, nothing is too big a challenege for the Spotlight quilting customer!

Make sure you get your entries in very soon!

Here's some favourites so far...

Fran Harrington's Concentric Squares 

 Ley McIntosh's Japanese Dream

Ashley Clark's Puzzling Sampler

Mary Nemarich's Country Garden

Tracey Hay's Cerise Cubes

Jenni Nicholas' Christmas Holly

Katy Hunt's Baby Name Quilt

What have YOU made? Don't miss your chance to enter and win!

Child's Play

Our Crafty Christmas Competition is going gangbusters! Have you submitted your creations yet? We'd love to see what you've been making!

As a kid, some of our favourite toys were those made for us by loved ones and relatives and handed down through the generations. The Snoopy toy that my Dad gave Mum for her 21st birthday warmed my bed for many nights!

My grandmother knitted a doll for my younger sister when she was born; somehow she ended up with the vague name of "Mammy". My favourite thing about Mammy was that she was so darn heavy, I would chase sis around the house and whack her with it any chance I got.

Brotherly love, right?


Today I'm appealing to the big kid in all of us with some of our favourite toys that have been uploaded to the Crafty Christmas Competition. We'd love to hear what you think.

 Christina Duong's "Jack and Molly" Dolls

 Gemma Aitchison's Rainbow Crochet Turtle

 Jane Buxton-Rella's Playful Hopscotch mat

 

 Joy Hill's Hoot Owls

 Kelsey Dahlberg's Avenger-costumed Ponies

Linda Touwen's Patchy Knight & Pirate

Don't forget to click through and vote if you love these as much as we do!