Now fully stocked and with two brand new colours, our cotton strap webbing range is specially dyed in a lovely range of colours exclusive to Ray Stitch. A total winner for bags…

We just wanted to show you the impressive results of our Children’s Clothes making classes from the last few weeks – aren’t they adorable?
The classes take place during the day and are designed for beginner sewers who have little ones to dress. The morning coffee/cake/sew slot has been very popular since we set the sessions up and we absolutely love the fabric choices and the decorative touches – so well done everyone!

New sessions starting in June – details here…

The new collection from our favourite Scandinavian designer has finally arrived. Lotta Jansdotter’s Glimma has hit our shelves and – as you would expect – looks amazing! The colours and prints are characteristically stylish and cool and perfectly pitched for the season. take a look at the prints here and see below for beautiful inspiration…

The french have long been known for their simple and effortlessly chic style. Introducing the beautiful Deer and Doe patterns by Parisian designer Eleonore Klein. We now have the full range in stock – there are 4 dresses, 1 skirt, 2 tops, and a coat which I guarantee will go with everything! We think they would look very chic in our range of organic cottons and linens.

Unfortunately they are not available to buy online, but it’s an ideal excuse to come to the shop if you haven’t already! The patterns are £12.50 and are fully translated into english, you can see some lovely versions made up on the Paunnet blog here.

Some dress making eye candy…

The weather has finally taken a turn and – at last – we feel we can start planning some summer wardrobe projects. Ray Stitch pattern stock is going to be seriously plumped up over the next few weeks (watch this space for new brands as well as some classic favourites!) and first up, we bring you a topped up range of Oliver and S patterns for children. Take a look at this lovely collection of styles for boys and girls, if you’ve got a small person in your life you’re sure to be inspired…

The two patterns by new designers By hand London have been literally flying out of the door just lately. The designs have really hit the mark, maybe because it’s so refreshing and rare to find home-grown independent pattern designers or maybe because they’re just so cool! We’ve seen both the Charlotte Skirt and the Elisalex Dress made up in a variety of fabrics and they create a very flattering and stylish look.

So, do you fancy the getting the look yourself? The patterns are available on the site here but why not have Elisalex herself guide you through the process of the Elisalex Dress?

We are delighted that she is able to join us for two dates -  Sundays 23rd and 30th June - and will teach you the necessary skills to construct the dress from scratch. Enjoy Elisalex’s delightful company and experience – I’m told Charlotte (skirt) might be on hand to assist too! The pattern is included in the price of the class as is lunch and all refreshments – what fun! More details of the class here…

We’re delighted to have secured textile artist Richard McVetis to teach our introduction to embroidery masterclass for two dates in May. The first session will teach you a wide variety of stitches and techniques and the second will give you the opportunity to be creative with scale, colour and materials under Richard’s inspiring tutelage.

Come along, bring a friend, stitch, chat, enjoy a glass of wine….what could be nicer?

Find more details and book the class here…

It’s been a while since we saw real live butterflies round our way, so it’s a delight to have this vibrant collection adorning our shelves. Gorgeously bright colours with a shimmer of gold, very exotic and reminiscent of hot summer days – bring it on please…..

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We always enjoy our local textile artist Julie Arkell popping in and out of Ray Stitch for her supplies! This time we’ve persuaded her to hang around – we offer you the opportunity to spend the day in her extraordinarily creative company making stitched brooches; frame them, give them as gifts or add them to a tweed blazer to bring a smile to passers by A truly creative day playing with fabric, experimenting with different stitches, and being inspired by Julie’s distinctive style – More details here.. SUN 17th MARCH, 11 – 5pm, £65 (All materials and lunch included)

Carolyn Friedlander is a designer working from her hometown of Lake Wales, Florida. Her work draws inspiration from features of the Florida landscape—its long leaf pines, palmettos, water, scrub land and sand. But what is most evident in this unique collection of prints that make up Architextures, is her background in architecture (the clue is in the name!) Having an architectural background here at Ray Stitch, we are in full appreciation of these lovely fabrics. Very cleverly, Carolyn has blended architectural drawings and symbols with a very appealing palette of colours and the prints are perfectly pitched – quirky but subtle.

Take a look at her lovely quilt designs on her website and blog and find Architextures in our shop here…

These gorgeous stripes are brought to us by MORALFIBRE, a highly ethical organisation who seek to bring the greatest possible benefit to their rural producers. The fabric making process uses almost no electricity and no harmful chemicals so, if low-impact, organic, ethically sourced fabrics are important to you, you will appreciate the beauty AND virtuousness of these….

We’re very inspired by this collection of Batik style prints from Malka Dubrawsky. We’ve only just come across her designs – via Moda – but we love the rich colours and organic shapes of these fabrics. Very Toast catalogue – what do you think?

This new range of lovely brushed cotton fabric from Kokka is really appealing to us at the moment. Unsurprisingly, soft and warm is what everyone wants at the moment it seems. It can be used for the backs of cosy quilts, for pillows, baby togs and pyjamas. It’s clearly very versatile and the colours are soft and subtle too, so it’s easy to match up with other fabrics. Find it here along with our new extended range of Kokka fabrics, all available by the quarter metre….

“Dear Readers,

The start of a new year is often cause for reflection. What can we learn from the year gone by? What would we like to do differently? Are we wiping the slate clean or holding on to the past?

This issue of UPPERCASE marks four years of our quarterly magazine. With sixteen issues in my own archive of experience, there is much to learn—from appreciating both the successes and the missteps. Moving forward is a balance of staying true to one’s past while embracing the challenges of change.

Astute readers may notice a significant difference in this issue. The interior paper has been upgraded to a 100% post-consumer stock. Though costly, having an environmentally responsible paper is in line with the founding principles of the magazine. Now, with a print run 10 times that of the launch issue, each issue requires considerable resources. By switching papers, we save the equivalent of 92 trees per issue!

The content themes in this edition of  UPPERCASE are about looking back—and staying in. Techniques, traditions and styles of other centuries and other histories influence in fresh ways. The tintype is revitalized, embroidered samplers speak volumes, old factories, warehouses and hospitals foster new creative communities. Old-fashioned hard work is celebrated with stylish nods to workwear and peasant garb; the straw broom is an emblem of honouring tradition. With knitting, knotting and needlework, we stay busy and cozy in our home sweet homes.”

Janine

We thought you might be in the mood for something woolly and warm, what with this dramatic temperature drop and all.

Here are two lovely ranges of wool fabric to inspire cosy projects….

100% wool fabric by designers Polly Minick & Laurie Simpson in 9 beautiful colours. 137cm wide, ideal for dressmaking or home-dec; tweedy skirts and jackets, cushions, curtains, blankets. Don’t you just want to wrap yourself up in it?

And this very tempting 80% wool, felted woven fabric. Thick and flat, we spotted it and thought it would be great for lap-top cases and crafting projects but it’s already been used for curtains and a skirt! Its quite unusual to have something clearly woven and felted so if you want to have a feel of it order a little swatch pack so you can see what we mean…

Well hello all. We hope you’ve enjoyed a Christmas / New Year break and are now buzzing with creative energy!

The Ray Stitch team have all enjoyed our hols, we’re rebooted and revived and very glad to be back in the seat, business as usual. Plans and schemes were flying around at our 2013 planning session today, resulting in lots of exciting events mapped out over the next few months. And our new products continue to flow in – look out in the next week or so for a sizeable new range of Japanese prints, brand new ranges of needlecord and wool in gorgeous colours and stylish new sewing patterns. Just give us a chance to get them photographed and up on the site….

In the meantime, what do you think of these sweet buttons that arrived with us just before Christmas? Cute huh?!

Open -  Sat 22nd, 8.30 – 6.30.

Closed – Sun 23rd – Fri 28th

Open – Sat 29th – 8.30 – 6.30 – SALE BEGINS. 30% Off Selected Fabrics.

Open – Sun 30th – 11 – 5

Closed Mon 31st - Tues 1st Jan

Open Weds 2nd Jan

(Please note that from Jan 2nd our new opening time will be 9am)

Mail Order

Mail orders will not be processed over the Christmas holiday period. Orders placed before 3pm on Friday 21st will be mailed. Orders placed after this date will be  mailed on Weds 2nd January.

It’s getting a bit late to start making your Christmas gifts but fear not, there’s still time to impress with your creative skills!

Last week we received a quilt commission from a local customer. The quilt was for her new baby nephew, she designed the piece and picked out the fabrics, so it was our task to put it all together. The design was very simple and we loved her colour choices, grey and orange. We used our dark grey cotton, organic handloom in stone, organic cotton/bamboo in persimmon, organic colour grown cotton for the back in choi, and a hint of happy thoughts sky on the back. She was thrilled with the finished piece which was lovely to hear!