With the closing of @craftprojectcp Ella Blue are incredibly sad to announce that they will not be printing any new collections. • I would like to say a huge thank you to both @melealouie and @nattinni for giving me the opportunity to do what I love. • I was lucky enough to design 8 fabric ranges for Ella Blue and was given the creative freedom to basically do what I liked. It was an amazing ride made all the more fun by the group of talented ladies that also designed for Ella Blue. • I will miss working with you all @jodiericrac @leanneshouse @mellyandme @claireturpindesign @rosaliedekkerdesigns ❤️❤️❤️ • Big thanks to my mum @pamelamayjansen for introducing me to patchwork and helping me to sew samples, write patterns, bind quilts ….. the list goes on! • #ellabluefabrics #emmajeanjansen #jodiecarleton #leanneshouse #mellyandme #rosaliedekkerdesigns #claireturpindesign

A post shared by Emma Jean Jansen (@emmajeanjansen) on Jun 13, 2018 at 8:26pm PDT

Two significant changes have taken place in the Australian sewing and quilting world over the last few weeks. Ella Blue Fabrics, an Australian manufacturer of quilting fabrics, announced in mid-June that they will cease production. Ella Blue’s parent company, the Australian and New Zealand textile company Charles Parsons, has chosen to shut down their Craft Project division which included Ella Blue.

Many in the industry are saddened that to see the brand disappear. Emma Jean Jansen was a designer with Ella Blue Fabrics and posted on her Instagram account shortly after the announcement was made, “I was lucky enough to design 8 fabric ranges for Ella Blue and was given the creative freedom to basically do what I liked. It was an amazing ride made all the more fun by the group of talented ladies that also designed for Ella Blue.”

Australian Homespun Magazine is also changing. On Thursday, June 28, Managing Editor Susan Hurley sent an email to contributors saying that the magazine will be shifting from a monthly publication to a bi-monthly publication effective immediately. In addition, the magazine’s publisher, Universal Media Co. “plans to contract the magazine’s production to out-of-house freelancers, meaning that the current in-house staff will be leaving the magazine.”

Homespun is one of the few remaining quilting magazines published in Australia. Australian Patchwork & Quilting Magazine and Handmade Magazine both shut down in June.

Ms. Hurley’s email goes on to say, “It is such a pity for all of us who have worked so hard to produce such a lovely magazine each month to turn our backs on what we love, but times change and our circumstances, too.”