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

Continue reading →

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.

Continue reading →

How to Create Beautiful Quilt Fabric Flowers

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Flower crafts

Fabric flowers are a great way to use leftover quilting fabric, fat quarters and jelly rolls. Quick and easy to make, they’re a simple project to do with young children as an introduction to quilting and sewing, and can be used to embellish other quilted items like tote bags, throws, cushion covers and more.

What’s more, there are several different styles of fabric flowers to choose from, so you can find a style that you like, or experiment with several different styles.

Making Fabric Flowers

purples

There are plenty of patterns and tutorials to create fabric flowers as intricate or simple as you like. Here we describe a pattern to make a basic, pointed petaled flower. This is a great pattern to get started as it can be altered to include more petals, layered to make a more complicated flower, or left as it is for a sweet, simple effect. You can really customise it as much as you like, and once you have made a few flowers you’ll find that your creativity takes flight and you come up with new and different designs.

Continue reading →

Making Memories with a Memory Quilt

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memory blanket

Quilting is a wonderful way to explore and use different fabrics to create unique pieces. A memory quilt is a lovely project which allows you to enjoy the memories of clothes and textiles that you might not be using anymore. Instead of throwing away these precious fabrics, you can incorporate them into a quilt and get more use out of them in a different way. As well as providing a way to keep all your memorable pieces in one place, your finished quilt will take you on a journey of reminiscence and is sure to become a family heirloom.

What Types of Fabrics Should You Use in a Memory Quilt?

Most memory quilts use a combination of old and new fabrics. It will depend on the types of materials you have already, the amount, and the size of the quilt you would want to make. Typically you start off with your memory fabrics and then choose complementary fabrics to go with and to finish off your piece. You will also need materials such as quilt wadding and of course matching thread.

When choosing the fabrics, you might be surprised how many pieces of clothing, blankets and other textiles hold nostalgia for you. Baby clothes, uniforms and home decor are all popular sources for sections. A good rule of thumb is to stick to cotton fabrics as these will be easiest to sew and using pieces that have the same level of stretch will help your quilt keep its shape. Make sure when you are cutting the patches to use that you get a memorable part of the item. For example, if a patterned piece of clothing, find a section that is representative of the overall pattern. Sections with embroidery, text and embellishments are all good to include as they will take your mind back to the treasured piece. Make sure to wash and iron all these pieces before you start so they’re fresh and ready to work on! Continue reading →

Sewing Bee 2019 Inspired Quilts

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The much anticipated 2019 series of The Great British Sewing Bee concluded last month and it’s been received as the best series so far. We loved seeing the ten sewers grow in confidence each week and stitch together some amazing creations.

The last challenge of the series gave the three finalists the task of creating a strapless ballgown. The three gowns were each stunning and unique in their own way. At Doughty’s we appreciate fabric, and have created some quilt ideas that are inspired by the Great British Sewing Bee Finale, so that you can take the excitement of the sewing bee into your next project.

Bright and Summery

Dashwood yellows

Leah produced a fresh, floaty gown in a vibrant yellow. For a bright, lively quilt, we would recommend Dashwood Studios Emi and the Birds collection. These designs also have a natural focus and though keeping yellow as a dominant factor, are as playful as Leah’s gown with their charming prints. Continue reading →

Visit Our Fabric Warehouse in Herefordshire

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Doughty's fabcric warehouse in Hereford
The Doughty’s website allows you to browse our entire range of quilting fabrics, wadding, haberdashery supplies and more, all from the comfort of your own home. We endeavour to provide high-quality images of our products, along with dimensions and specifics, to make it easy for you to see exactly what you need and we even offer free delivery for orders over £100.

What you may not know is that although we strive to provide the best online experience for our customers, we do have some brick and mortar premises in the Herefordshire region, and these include our fabric warehouse at 100 Barr’s Court Road. This is our main warehouse and it is the biggest stockist of quilting material in the UK. Our warehouse isn’t just for keeping the stock we send out to our online clients, it also presents an amazing day out for quilters, dressmakers and anyone who loves fabric.

As quilters ourselves, understanding our fellow quilters comes naturally to us. This is apparent in Doughty’s online shopping experience, but also when you visit our warehouse. Shopping for fabric should be a fun, stressfree and exciting experience as you plan out future projects and soak up the inspiration. There is a seated area where you can relax and contemplate your purchases while enjoying refreshments. Our warehouse also has its own parking, so you can buy as much as you like without worrying about carrying it for miles back to your car. Continue reading →

Backing Fabric for a Perfect Finish to your Quilting Masterpieces

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There are certain things that are essential when embarking on any new quilting project. Obviously, you want to choose the best quilting fabric to complement whatever you might be working on. Likewise, we’ve already discussed the importance of using quality wadding in your work. There is however, one thing that has yet to be touched upon, and yet it’s something that holds any quilting project together.

We’re talking backing fabric.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Extra wide backing fabrics

It’s easy to forget about the importance of backing fabric when it comes to making a quilt. After all, it’s not like anyone’s going to see it, is it? The side you’ve put all the effort into is the side that’s going to be on display, and that’s the important bit, right?

Well… yes… but the last thing you want to skimp on is backing fabric. First of all, despite your best efforts, there will come a time when that quilt you’ve made will get crumpled, or fall to the floor, or even flipped over for one reason or another by a well-meaning visitor. Don’t you want them to think you put the same effort into both sides? By choosing a strong and well-designed backing fabric, something that complements the front side, you’re showing just how important quilting is to you.

There’s also a practical concern – cheap fabric wears out. What’s the point in having a perfect quilt on quality quilting fabric, if the backing sheet that holds it all together gets worn through with holes?

Continue reading →