Trending Christmas Fabrics

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christmas fabrics

With the 2020 festive season upon us, there has been an explosion of beautiful Christmas fabric that you can use in your projects. From fun colourful designs, to those more demure and understated, there’s something for everyone’s Christmas crafts this holiday season.

John Louden Christmas Collection – Gold and Silver Trees on Green

With beautiful golds and silvers adorned on a rich green backdrop, this gorgeous Gold & Silver Trees on Green is a perfect starting point for any sophisticated Christmas piece, proving that you don’t have to break the bank to afford materials that are of fantastic quality. John Louden fabrics boast a wonderful aesthetic this season that you can’t afford to miss.

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Self-Isolation Crafting Ideas

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With the nation under lockdown for the next few weeks, there has never been a better time for quilters and crafters to put their skills to good use. While we are in a state of enforced self-isolation, why not try your hand at a crafting project that will inject a little fun into the proceedings.

Here are some simple and fun ideas that you can try on your own, or maybe use to introduce a family member to the world of crafting and quilting.

Seaming and streaming

Licensed prints

Whether you favour Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, or any of the other streaming services available, few things bring a family together better than watching your favourite films and television series together. Why not increase that sense of togetherness by creating a patchwork quilt for the whole family to snuggle under? We even have a range of licensed fabrics, including Star Wars, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, Marvel, Disney, and more so you can (literally) tailor your quilt to your viewing tastes! Continue reading →

Holi Inspired Quilting Fabrics

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Holi inspired fabrics

The Hindu festival of Holi falls somewhere between late February and late March. Specifically, it starts with the full moon during the 12th month of the Hindu calendar – Phalguna. This means that, in 2020, the two-day holiday falls on the 9th and the 10th of March.

What is the Holi festival?

Holi a vibrant and exciting festival, marking the end of winter and the coming of spring. Traditionally a Hindu festival, it is observed across India by Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains, as well as many other non-Hindus faiths. It is as much a cultural event as a religious one, an opportunity for friends and families to come together, and a chance to put aside any conflicts you might be harbouring with others. Continue reading →

John Louden Fabrics

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Here at Doughty’s, we are pleased to stock an extensive collection of fabrics by the incredible John Louden & Co. These fabrics are a fantastic addition to any crafter’s table and should find their way into many a quilting project.

John Louden & Co. has been trading since 1926, where they began selling suit cloth to gentlemen’s bespoke tailors. In the almost 100 years since, they have expanded their reach and their range, constantly moving with the times to remain at the peak of their profession. The company has a long-lasting business relationship with several high-quality mills in both Thailand and India, where their immaculate fabrics are produced. Today, they are recognised as one of the industry’s foremost fabric designers and manufacturers and a key player in the quilting and crafting community.

Here are some of our favourites from the John Louden & Co range.

Louden – blenders

blenders

This small range of blenders serves a dual-purpose. The smoky, abstract print makes them perfect for their primary use of blending together different parts of your quilt. However, the colours found in the Floral Sprig blenders collection are striking enough – in Baby Pink, Olive, and Smoke Grey – to be used in isolation. Continue reading →

5 Great Uses For Fat 1/4 Packs and Jelly Rolls

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Fat quarters and jelly rolls are the cornerstones of quilting and other fabric crafts. These charming bundles of pre-cut quilting fabrics tend to be cost-effective and, thanks to the convenience of their dimensions and their popularity among the crafting community, you can find hundreds of potential projects that require them.

Here are just a few of our favourites.

jelly rollsWhat are fat quarters and jelly rolls?

Both are simply a way of cutting a sheet of quilting fabric. A fat quarter measures around 18” by 22” and is simply a half-yard of fabric cut into four quarters. Jelly rolls are made up of strips of fabric measuring 2½” by 42” – basically narrow strips cut down the length of a half-yard sheet. They are packaged in bundles and are a key tool in any quilter’s arsenal.

1. Table runners

table runners

Jelly rolls make an ideal starter point for table runners suitable for any occasion. Everything from Christmas to a kid’s birthday party can be made brighter by stitching these jelly rolls lengthwise into a charming custom runner. Continue reading →

Christmas Gift Buying Guide

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Christmas Gifts

Getting the ideal gift for someone can be a real challenge, it doesn’t just take time and careful thought but also a hearty helping of inspiration. Be it friends, family or a work colleague, here at Doughty we’ve collated the perfect gift guide for the crafty person in your life.

Christmas Hampers (From £13.49)

A beautiful gift full of a useful materials for the creator in your life, our gift hampers come in a range of sizes and are stuffed with threading, various quilting fabrics, wadding and more, all stored in a beautiful display box. This is an amazing choice to craft a gorgeous quilt this winter season. Continue reading →

Festive Fabric Projects for Extra Hygge

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Hygge festive fabrics

It’s that time of the year where the days are shorter, the nights are longer and the weather is colder, which means one thing – Christmas is just around the corner!

Over the last few years, one trend that has emerged during the festive period is Hygge. Here we explain what it is and how you can incorporate it into your Winter craft projects.

Popularity of Hygge

Hygge (pronounced “ Hoo-ga”) is a Danish term referring to making your home snug and cozy during the colder seasons. This includes comfort food, woven textiles, comfy slippers, and a shimmering fireplace.  It’s a trend stemming from the history of the Nordic regions being colder and learning to adopt a cozy form of living during this period, which has been applied to homes and lifestyle conversations after an explosion of interest on social media platforms like Pinterest.

With the temperature dropping, Hygge is generally more applicable to Christmas time here in the UK and why our festive fabrics coincide with this trend. Continue reading →

Making a purse out of our purse-friendly fabrics

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Making purses has been a long-time tradition and throughout this time, there have been a vast variety of designs and features for our purses.

In today’s society, there are so many options for your next purse and with our purse-friendly fabrics – the possibilities are endless!

We hope that this blog article helps you make your purse project come to life, with a handy guide on how to create your purse, what fabrics to use and tips if you are creating your purse with little ones.

How to make a purse:

This is a great project to do either for yourself or with little ones – just be careful with scissors and sewing machinery if you have it.

What you will need:

  • Sharp scissors
  • Purse friendly fabric
  • Needle and thread / Sewing machine
  • Zip
  • Pins
  • Iron

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Simple Quilting Projects for Children

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kids

Quilting can be a wonderful experience for a child. They can express their feelings creatively and can really help develop their focus development.

But let’s face it. It is also very enjoyable for us, the grown-ups.

Here at Doughty’s, we believe that no matter what age you are, you can always learn a new skill and teach others how to create something beautiful.

We will be diving into how to make quilting enjoyable for your children with some tips and tricks along the way.

1. Safety comes first

It may be a no-brainer but make sure that your little ones don’t play around with sharp scissors or any tools that could cause pain to them. Keep the workspace clean and tidy – but just to be safe, make sure any sharp pointy tasks are processed by you!

2. it isn’t just for you

As we all know, a child’s mind can want to do one thing and change their minds five seconds later. So make sure that they decide what they want to make and provide a range of small choices for them so they can feel less overwhelmed and more engaged with what the project is. Continue reading →

Colour of the Year 2019: Living Coral

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Pantone Living Coral

Living Coral is the colour of the year for 2019 and you’ve no doubt seen it making its way into products and clothes all around you. It’s a vibrant, natural and energetic colour that reflects changes in culture and society that have taken place this year. The Pantone colour institute carefully analyses trends and their experts consider this and several other factors when choosing a colour of the year. You can be sure that these colours not only incorporate the current mood but also will be influencing trends in product design, fashion and of course fabrics, this year and going forward.

If you’re seeking to create a quilting project in 2019 make sure it includes this gorgeous shade. To give you a headstart on finding the right quilting fabric, here are a few of our favourites, all available from our online store.

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