Felting for Peace Around the World

Peace Felt is an initiative by Living Felt to create works of felted art and share that work with another felter somewhere else in the world.

Chrissie at Craft Land is forming a group to contribute to this worthwhile event, and she invites you to join the Craft Land group to create a felt bouquet. This completed bouquet will be given to another participating group (assigned by Peace Felt), and in theory, Craft Land's group will receive a felt project from another group somewhere out there in the felting world. Our project is designed so that the group who receives it will be able to share the bouquet among themselves, but the felted project that we may receive will be a surprise!

For this project Chrissie will be holding two free workshops and will be showing you how to make your own felt and to create and embellish felt flowers for the bouquet of love and friendship.

The first flowers for our bouquet

If you would like to learn about this ancient art and take part in this global project, come along to our two free workshops on Sunday 19^th and 26^th June 12.30-2.30pm at Craft Land. (Prior booking essential) Felting wool can be purchased from Craft Land before the workshops. If you have a stash of threads, buttons, beads or scraps of pretty fabric that you would like to use and/or share with your fellow crafters please do bring them along. Chrissie will also bring a selection of embellishment goodies to share.

Don't forget to book your space!

Excerpted from the Peace Felt website:

The purpose of Peace Felt is to create a borderless community of Love in Action: appreciating each other's differences while celebrating our oneness. It is about crossing over barriers, expanding our consciousness and connecting people through their passions for art and the heart felt expressions of Love, Unity, Brotherhood and Oneness that we all share.

Peace Felt Around The World celebrates the International Day of Peace as recognized by the United Nations. In 2001 the resolution 55/282 was strengthened to fix the date annually on 21 September and for it to be a day of nonviolence and cease-fire. The resolution was adopted unanimously by the Member States of the General Assembly.

For more Peace Felt information, visit their website at http://www.peacefelt.org/index.html. Just remember that if you are joining Craft Land's group, you DON'T need to register on their site. By registering at the Peace Felt site, you are committing to contribute a felted piece separately from Craft Land.

Celebrating Quilters in Dubai

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dubai Quilts Exhibition - May 20 & 21, 2011

 The Dubai Quilts Exhibition has just wrapped up, and the first annual event was a great success. Sponsored by Craft Land, The Dubai Quilters Guild, Brother and Madeira, there were over 60 quilts on display from quilters in the UAE and beyond (one submission came from Brazil!), from experienced master quilters and from children as young as 8 years old. Here are some photos of the winning quilts and from the show, in case you missed it.

        

 

Viewers' Choice Winner  -  Janine Ibbini of Abu Dhabi

2nd Place Winner  Manisha Hunt with Shinji Tada, Managing Director of Brother International (Gulf)

3rd Place  --  Janine Ibbini of Abu Dhabi

3rd Place -- Denise Tarum of Dubai

Detail of Manisha Hunt's Remember Wedgwood

Some of the beautiful quilts submitted  - the yellow and blue one in the center is by April Rawlins, age 8

Checking out the amazing handiwork

Riana Auret and Shinji Tada presenting Manisha Hunt with her new Brother NV 50 sewing machine and Madeira thread chest

Town Center Atrium was a lovely venue for the exhibition

Thank you to all the quilters, volunteers and viewers who enjoyed the show and voted for their favorites. We all look forward to hosting this event with the Dubai Quilters' Guild again next year!

Quilt Show Specials

In our excitement to talk about the upcoming Quilt Exhibition, we didn't have the chance to mention the great promotions we're offering with Brother on some of their great sewing machines. We're focusing on the machines that are great for quilting, of course!

Brother QC1000

The cadillac of Brother quilting machines is the QC1000. It's nice and large, with a huge sewing space for free motion and comes with an extra-large sewing table. The large screen lets you choose from the hundreds of specialty stitches, and you can even create your own stitch patterns and save them for future projects. It also has sideways and diagonal sewing, amazing for your lattice-pattern quilting -- no more turning a bulky quilt to sew at a 45° angle! It's a terrific value at 6,910Dhs, and while supplies last, you will also receive EQ6 Quilt Design software and a quilter's cutting mat, along with your choice of Introduction to Machine Sewing or Beginner's Quilting classes. It's a value of more than 1,000Dhs!

Brother Innov'is 400

Our biggest-selling sewing machine is probably the Brother Innov'is 400. It's a compact sewing machine, but with a larger sewing area than our starter machines. It also comes with an extended sewing table and specialty quilting feet, and has a fun range of decorative stitches including 3 different alphabets. It sells for 2,875Dhs, and for our promotion it comes with a fantastic 4-wheeled pull carrier specially designed for transporting your sewing machine and sells regularly for 936Dhs. You also get Introduction to Machine Sewing or 3 Tips & Tricks or 3 Skills Lab classes. The value is over 1,200Dhs.

Brother Innov'is 50

We're also spotlighting the Brother Innov'is 50, our best-selling starter machine. Retailing at 1,605Dhs, it's a step up from a regular beginner machine, with lots of fun decorative stitches and easy-to-use push-button controls and LCD screen. For the promotion, you will also get an adorable sewing carry-bag with 2 storage boxes (one for threads, one for tools), a 12-in-1 sewing tool, rotary cutter and small cutting mat. And of course, Introduction to Machine Sewing classes! These gifts are valued at over 600Dhs.




Visit us sometime soon to have a demonstration or try out any of the machines for yourself! Our friendly and knowledgeable staff is always on hand to help you.

DUBAI QUILTS -- win a trip to Tokyo!!

We are gearing up for our quilt show later this month, and there is still time to submit your masterpiece(s)! The show, put on by Craft Land and the Dubai Quilters' Guild, will run May 20th and 21st, here in the lovely atrium at Town Center. This is not a judged show, and we will exhibit at least one piece from everyone who applies. Don't be shy, even if it's your first quilt! To enter, simply email a photo and the quilt dimensions to jennifer@mycraftland.com by May 4th.

BIG PRIZES....

Brother QC1000

Even though it's not a judged event, we will be doing viewer's choice voting. The winner of the viewer's choice will get, wait for it....a Brother Quilt Club 1000 sewing machine valued at 6,910 Dhs and a Madeira thread chest! Second prize is a Brother NV50 sewing machine and Madeira thread chest, and third & fourth prizes are a Madeira thread chest.

Brother NV 50

...AND EVEN BIGGER PRIZES
Now for the really big news: for every 50 Dhs spent on Brother products and every 200 Dhs spent on anything else in Craft Land, your name will be entered into the grand prize draw for a trip for two to Tokyo to the Tokyo International Great Quilt Festival. The trip is sponsored by Brother, so it's a great time to get that Brother sewing machine or embroidery machine you've been thinking about -- you'll have a fantastic chance of winning the big trip!

view of the Tokyo show from an NZ blogger/quilter

Pfaff Easter offers

Now's a perfect time to get the Pfaff sewing or embroidery machine you've been dreaming of! Craft Land has the premium ranges of Pfaff sewing/embroidery combination machines, sewing machines, and coverlocks, the and for the rest of the month of April you will receive a terrific bundle of goodies with each machine purchase!

The CREATIVE series of sewing/embroidery machines gives you excellent embroidery features with a high-end sewing machine. From the Creative 2 to the Creative Vision, choose the machine that's right for you and start creating beautiful clothing and home decor. Each comes with a unique gift; the Creative 4 and Creative Vision come with Professional 4D software to help you create your own designs to stitch, and all machine come with threads and other helpful accessories and tools to get you started. And as always, they all come with classes in our shop to help you learn how to make the most of your new sewing machine.

The EXPRESSION series of sewing machines offer a nice large sewing area, many beautiful decorative stitches and excellent sewing features, and all are equipped with the Pfaff exclusive IDT system -- a special feeder foot that helps you sew evenly no matter what fabric you are using. Stretch and fine silky fabrics, as well as thick fabrics will sew evenly and easily.

The Expression 2.0 and 3.0 machines come with a bundle including many specialty presser feet and sewing tools in a wonderful wooden sewing box, and the Quilt Expression 4 comes with a bundle of goodies to make any quilter swoon!

Pfaff overlock machines come in two sizes -- the Hobby Lock 2 gives perfect finishing for regular home users, and the Coverlock 4 5-thread machine offers many more stitch options, sophisticated operation, and an extended acrylic work table for higher-end users. Each comes bundled with many useful tools to get you serging right away, and each comes with our new Machine Overlocking class.

...and don't forget, Pfaff also has an excellent starter machine for younger users, beginners, or just those who want a reliable sewing machine for projects and repairs. The Hobby 1142 is a little workhorse, ready to take on various fabrics, quilts, and any other projects you might have in mind. For our Easter offer, it comes bundles with a fab starter kit of tools to get your sewing going!

We also have many accessories and hoops for the Creative 2170 series of embroidery combination machines. See our staff to get some ideas about how to add function to your machine!

Fabulous Felting Classes

Introducing specialty classes in felting with guest teacher Caroline Lindsay of the UK. Using roving wool and scrap fabric, threads and ribbons, create beautiful felted artworks of your own!

Classes are on offer this coming Monday, April 11th at 12:30-3pm, and again Monday May 9th at 12:30-3pm. Take one or both classes! You can sign up in the shop.

See our website for more information: http://www.mycraftland.com/classes.html