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!

Spotlight's Crafty Christmas Photo Comp - Day 2

Wow you guys! The response to our Crafty Christmas Competition has been overwhelming. Entries are flooding in and each one is more impressive than the next.

As promised, we've gone through and cherry picked our favourite submissions so far. Today's favourites are all along the theme of Gorgeous Garments. 

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

Belinda Penrose's Very Hungry Caterpillar dress

Chanphen Coppens' Christmas Tree Bib & Singlet - with bonus tag toy!

Elizabeth Tobin's Period masterpiece

Jude Bergmann's Scrappy Owl

Grace Koay's Reindeer frill dress

Lynne Quinn's matching twin rompers

Mary-Anne Hallam's Gumnut Babies set

There are seriously so many amazing entries that we could list them all here! Let us know who you voted for (or someone we haven't featured here) in our comments section.

Stay tuned tomorrow for our next set of featured entries!

Spotlight's Crafty Christmas Photo Comp!

WHAT?! 
That got your attention didn't it? That's right, it's 30% off ALL FABRIC. This week in all Spotlight stores - Monday 12th - Sunday 18th November.

But before your rush into store...

We know you're a crafty bunch - or else you wouldn't be reading this, right? (You're surely not here for my witticisms). We often implore you to share with us what you have created using your haul from Spotlight and from time to time we've featured you here on this very blog!

Well you'll be all stitched up when you hear that we're now giving you the chance to WIN just for sharing your creations with us.

Spotlight's Crafty Photo Competition is on right now! Simply log on to Facebook, click the link on the Spotlight page and upload your latest and greatest projects for us all to see.

Then all you have to do is get voting! Have a browse through the already HUGE selection and vote for your favourite - and leave a comment. The winning entry will take home a MASSIVE $200 Spotlight Gift Card. Awesome!

All of this week we'll be featuring some of our favourite entries from the competition. But it's not up to us- we can coo and gurlge and gasp all we like, YOU need to vote! I swear it's more fun than the US Presidential election.

Here's some awesome contenders to get you inspired (click the links to vote for these and more!)

 

 Naomi Sherman's super sweet dress and bonnet!

 

Emma Stout's Quirky Giraffe wall hanging!

 

Jenny Fullerton's Puppy Christmas Clown outfit!

 

Sue Farrier's Incredible Christmas quilt

So wether you're a sewer, quilter, beader, knitter, crotchet-er or cake decorator, send in your entries! We'd love to see what you've made. And maybe you'll be rewarded...

Alto - The Future of Sewing Machines?

For as long as I can remember as a child, we had a vintage Singer sewing machine stand sitting in the hallway at home. The machine had been replaced by a marble top but the cast iron base with it's treadle and wheel were a constant source of amusment for my childhood self (and the occasional snagged finger - ow!)


The first time I laid eyes on the fabled Singer machine that belonged to said treadle was when a mum from school unveiled her prized - and in working order - 1938 Singer machine during rehearsals of "Fiddler on the Roof". In my excitment I proceeded to stab the needle clean through my index finger.

Singer's 160th Anniversary Machine

In the 80-odd years since the hey dey of the gorgeous-yet-functional Singer machine, domestic sewing machines have not been the pack leaders in form and design. With the exception perhaps of the fancy unfolding Elna LOTUS or Singer's 160th Anniversary Edition machine, there have been few truly beautiful and functional sewing machines since.

Elna LOTUS - a design classic.

So when a machine comes along that defies convention of both form and function, we definitely sit up and pay attention!
Introducing "Alto".

British designer Sarah Dickins has come up with an absolutely stunning concept machine that not only changes the way we look at sewing machines - but also the way that we use them!

The Alto eliminates a foot pedal by using a pressure sensor built into the base of the machine. It also allows for a change in speed just by moving the fabric! The simplified threading process and large base area also allow for super-easy sewing.

Alto has been submitted as an entrant for the James Dyson Design Award as a machine to service the "make do and mend" trend of simple home sewing.

Leather casing! Oh my!

 We think it's pretty darn sexy. Check out more pics on the James Dyson site.

Could you see this adorning your sewing table? I sure could (if I had a sewing table, that is...)