New Fabrics Galore!

  

Loads of new fabrics are pouring in!  

Tons of options for you to "Try a New Fabric"!

We've got these from Robert Kaufman/Ann Kelle and Riley Blake:

These chunky versions of Ann Kelle's Zig Zag stripe are amazing!  If you're comparing them to Riley Blake's version (medium chevron size) they are slightly closer together so the "zig" is more pronounced...My absolute favorite is the new "Girlfriends" line...it is so ridiculously cute and fun!

We've also got these new TA DOT colors from Michael Miller:

There are 14 brand new colors of TA DOTS added to the line up to choose from.  We currently carry EVERY color of Ta Dot that Michael Miller makes.

Annnnnd, these beauties also came in from Michael Miller:

These are all paired up in Duos so you can see them with coordinates!  Notice one of the Duos has Ann Kelle's new Chunky Zig Zag paired with it--the colors are amazing so they will cross over into pairing with many other fabrics from other lines!

Head over to the website and check out the "COMING SOON" section to see all of the fantastic newness!

Happy Sewing! ☺

Look what I made Volume 8

 

Next chapter of my "Try a new Fabric Vow" is going quite well...

If you're not familiar, I've made a vow to try a new fabric for projects. I was getting "stuck" using the same old, same old fabrics time and time again and with all the available new GORGEOUS fabrics, why keep using the same ones?

So my brother-in-law and wife have a brand new baby girl~yay! I set out to make them a gift set...and instead of going to my staple old favorites, I used several new fabrics I've never used before. 

(please excuse the pic quality in advance--I realized before we were walking out the door the other night to take the gifts to their house that I hadn't taken pics of them so I ended up taking these photos at night with cruddy light...side note to everyone...taking pics at night in cruddy light for posting online=NOT a good idea.  I tried to edit them as best I could, but I am a sewer and not much of a photographer...que cera...)

 First, here is the mini set I made:

mini-baby blanket, contoured burp cloths and a cute lil bib with a ribbon neckband

I made these with Camelot Fabrics Hot Chocolate line....LOVE♥  

These fabrics are so cute and versatile~ 

I loved using them! They made such a cute little set!  I used a super soft rose fur minky on the back of the blanket, dotted minky on the back of the burp cloth and costume velour--that I had hiding in my stash--in the perfect colors--which I found out is also super duper soft on the back of the burp cloths

Again, sorry for the cruddy lighting...ugh...I will never do this again!!!  LOL

Note to self: Never take pics at night with cruddy light!

Next, I made a pillowcase dress and matching diaper cover pants:

Ok, yes...I am really enjoying making the Pillowcase dress...it is just the BEST, cutest, easiest little dress that looks amazing on anyone!  I even made myself some pillowcase tops (semi-disaster with creating my own pattern and sizing issues--more on this coming in another post soon) ☺

For this dress I also used tried a new fabric--another print from Camelot Fabrics called "Sweet Peas in Pink"...

It made the most adorable canvas for this outfit, I just love the way they turned out!

Camelot Fabrics has some amazing prints-they have seriously stepped up their game and I am loving the new stuff they are coming out with.  All of these prints are available on our website if you'd like to add them to your "Try a New Fabric" regimen!

I am loving trying new fabrics instead of the same old same olds...it is so much fun and using a new fabric brings an element of surprise to the finished product.  It really gets those creative juices flowing and motivates me to make more things and actually FINISH my never ending stack of unfinished projects!

Have you tried a new fabric yet?  If so, what have you made?

I'd love to hear!

Happy Sewing, Ya'll! ☺

Look What I Made Volume 7

  

The Holiday Season is upon us and every year I vow to make gifts in lieu of buying them...

And every year, I fail...miserably, I might add, to do so.

One of my closest friends had a daughter 3 years ago and I was so excited to start making things for her.  Well, being the terrible friend that I am, I haven't made A THING (smh!) and it's been 3 YEARS!! Ugh!

I finally decided this year that ENOUGH was ENOUGH and got on the ball.

When choosing fabrics for a project, I know lots of us like to stick with prints that are "safe favorites" to us.  Those familiar prints we use again and again.  I have taken the "USE A NEW FABRIC" vow to change it all up.  

I've touched on this before--some fabrics from manufacturers are only printed for 1 run.  Others are printed for several runs and then discontinued.  These are the fabrics that always "get us"...the ones that seem like they are going to be around forever and then one day are discontinued and just disappear.

I cannot tell you how many panic stricken emails and messages I have gotten from people desperate to find a discontinued fabric.  It is really imperative in the fabric world that we don't get "stuck" on a print--especially if you are using it for a product that you make for your business because in the blink of an eye, that fabric can be out of print, discontinued, retired...adios, farewell, Auf Wiedersehen!  I've seen it happen over and over again!  

Truth be told...it happened to ME too.  I have 1st hand experience of a favorite fabric of mine that I used to make purses for my own Handmade shop fading away into the distant darkness never to be heard from again.  It is a jolt when it happens--because it is so unexpected...you think that print is going to be around whenever you need to order more and then suddenly...you can't find it anywhere because it is not being printed any longer.

Variety is the spice of life!  Staying up on the newest fabrics and changing the prints you use will not only add more choices, but will bring you new customers who prefer "fresh" fabrics rather than the same old same old.

By all means if you have a fabric you use to make items and it sells and continues to sell made with that fabric, keep using it!  But please, I implore you to add new fabrics to your line up every season so that you are not in a bind if one day your favorite is discontinued!

In line with this and my "USE A NEW FABRIC" vow, when I sat down to make gifts, I used only fabrics I've never used before--to keep it fresh, new and fun.  I've decided to use a new fabric on a minimum of 80% of the projects I make in 2013!

I mulled over it for awhile because not being "familiar" with a print makes you unsure of how it will look in your final project.  When we use a print we've used 1,000 times, we know what to expect and can pretty much know exactly what it will produce and/or look like.  But I realized that part of the fun in creating IS the surprise of using a new fabric and the sheer delight of how DARN CUTE it is when you're finished!!!  Here's a peek at one of the dresses I made for my friend's daughter:

I used 2 fabrics from Joel Dewberry's new "Notting Hill" line:  Primrose in Magenta and Tartan in Tangerine....prints I was not exactly sure about what the final outcome would be--but I tried them anyway because the colors really caught my eye.  And in the end it was BETTER than I imagined!

I LOVED this dress when it was done! Soooooo cute!  Who would have known?

 I also made this outfit:

I used L'Amour de La Vie Eiffel Tower in Red from Timeless Treasures Fabrics for the main print and Dumb Dots in Black from Michael Miller for the trim!

I was so pleased with these fabrics when I was done!
Try a new fabric for your next project~broaden your fabric horizon and embark into the creative unknown...if you are a "Hypernoodle", it is a newness you will absolutely adore!

Happy Sewing! ☺