What Exactly Is A Nickel and Dime in Quilting Terms?

As a 'house-warming' gift to ourselves in our new studio (which we are yet to move into) Catherine and I have decided to us KaffeFassett fabric and the versatile 1895 Bali Watercolour range to make a quilt from the book "Loose Change" by Claudia Plett and LeAnn Weaver. This book is dedicated to using Nickels, Dimes and Fat Quarters.


To explain these terms is quilting lingo:
Nickel = 5in square
Dime = 10in square
Quarter = a quarter metre strip
Fat Quarter = cut a half metre along the fold

Therefore, from a fat quarter you can cut 12 nickels, or 2 dimes + 4 nickels, OR from a dime you can cut 4 nickels.

For the purposes of the quilt we are making (page 47 "Nickel Bricks") we are using the end of bolts from these two ranges. The colours work brilliantly as you can see from the attached image.

Catherine and I are meeting every Wednesday night at my home and it is a pleasure to be working together on the same project. With one cutting and one sewing, we figure we will have it knocked over pretty quickly. We will continue to give you updates as we move closer to our moving date and closer to finishing our 'studio warming quilt'.

Sandra May.

Behind the Scenes at The Craft Mailbox

Releasing a new catalogue is a rather long and exciting process. We start by reviewing products from all our suppliers and as each box of new items arrive, they are opened to the sounds of gasps of excitement as we admire the work of textile artists, gadget engineers and quilt designers from around the world.

It is a team effort as products are reviewed, written about and photographed. The odd heated discussion can occur as we hammer out the suitability of certain items. If a pattern, product or book isn't of high quality, content or production we simply don't offer it.

The desk top publishing component of production is my baby and it usually takes 3-5 days of solid keyboard and screen time before the finished publication is sent to our printers. Knowing this is ahead of me, without fail, a procrastination ritual ensues which usually involves intense cleaning. It must be a symbolic cleansing of my subconscious to allow creative space to turn out a magnificent catalogue. We now all laugh at this ritual - my staff now know, if I'm vaccuming, a catalogue is imminent.

This catalogue cleansing process involved a complete review of all the bedding and linen at home, throwing out old pillows, mattress protectors, doonas and replacing them! Costly, but necessary. And so we now have a catalogue (and my family have beautiful, new, clean bedding!).

Added 6 May: We came in this morning to find Sandra vacuuming the floor and yes, a catalogue is currently being prepared full of Textile Art books, perfect for textile students and teachers. Sandra is also in training for the Sydney City to Surf in August 2009, hence the outfit. We wish her well! Catherine.

Sandra May.