by Sherri Sylvester | Jul 18, 2016
Welcome to Thanks to YOU Week – Giveaway No. 3! I’m so grateful that you follow this blog. Come back to enter each of the 14 giveaways! (Find out more, link to all of the giveaways and follow along so you don’t miss anything!)
Today’s giveaway is courtesy of Fabricville. This shop has huge stock in everything. Fabricville is your big local fabric store (with all of their inventory!), and they sell it all online. This Quebec-based chain can send whatever you need, right to your door!
“When Fabricland, the largest fabric store in Canada, decided to expand to Quebec, it marked the birth of Fabricville in 1970. Since then Fabricville has focused on being a leader in the fabric industry, offering the best selection of fabrics at the best price. By combing its buying power with Fabricland and buying directly from the source, they ensure that customers get the best value for their dollar.
Value is not the only factor that makes Fabricville a Canadian leader. Staying current is just as important. That is why a team of buyers travels the world in search of the latest trends to bring the most up-to-date merchandise to customers with a huge selection of fabrics to fit every taste and budget.
In 2014 Fabricville launched a new e-commerce site in response to a growing consumer need from rural areas of Quebec and Eastern Canada, where customers can sometimes be an hour or more away from their brick and mortar stores. With this in mind, the online fabric store was launched to service not only Fabricville customers but all similar clientele across Canada.
The online store focuses on offering customers the best selection of fabrics for fashion, home décor, crafts and quilting, as well as supplying sewing notions, patterns, drapery hardware and accents. With over 18 000 items online Fabricville offers Canadians their first Canadian-operated online fabric store where they will not incur duties, exchange rates or services fees as when they buy from the U.S. The company is also proud to be the first bilingual fabric store in North America.
Fabricville’s vision is to inspire customer’s creativity and offer them the resources they need to reach their goal.” ~ Fabricville!
Fabricville’s Favorite Sewing Tool
Schmetz Ball Point Needles – Our Notions Buyer swears by these needles! Being an avid sewer herself, she loves these needles because they can be used for a variety of fabrics from knits to wovens. To be honest, she had a very hard time choosing just one product.
The following items are always within hand’s reach when she’s creating something new: Clover Wonder Clips, Unique Seam Ripper, Prym Ergonomic Tracing Smooth Tracing Wheel, Kai 7000 Tailor Shears, Unique Folding Cutting Board, Unique Sewing & Knitting Gauge Ruler and Prym Cartridge Pencil.
Fabricville is giving away a $40 Store Discount to be used on your next purchase at Fabricville.com! Perfect to use on your next order of “whatever you need” for your next big project!
This giveaway is open to Canadian and US readers, from today until July 25, 2016 at midnight EST. Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter – and if you don’t have Facebook to sign in with, just use your name and email address. There’s a “click to enter”, no social media login entry too!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Don’t Forget! Discount Weekend coming July 23-24, 2016…
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. I always provide my honest opinion and promote shops I love.
by Sherri Sylvester | Jul 18, 2016
Welcome to Thanks to YOU Week – Giveaway No. 2! I’m so grateful that you follow this blog. Come back to enter each of the 14 giveaways! (Find out more, link to all of the giveaways and follow along so you don’t miss anything!)
Today’s giveaway is courtesy of Fabric Please! From the moment I met Rita at Creativ Festival last year I knew her shop would be great. She’s so full of energy and ideas! Fabric Please! has an always-changing stock of quilting and apparel fabrics. Plus she stocks everything else you might need for your project. My favorite post has to be the Moda Love quilt top my youngest has claimed for her room. (There is still got some Lil Red in stock!)
“There are so many great choices for people to shop online for fabric, even in Canada! In order to stand out with Fabric Please!, I strive to have the best customer service possible. I hand-select every bolt of fabric with YOU in mind. I try to think about what YOU want and how YOU will be able to use these fabrics.
I respond to every email, usually within the day. I try to keep my prices as low as possible and my shipping costs competitive. We would all rather spend money on fabric than shipping, right? Every order placed with Fabric Please! gets specially wrapped (it is a gift to yourself, after all) and each order receives an extra bonus gift in the way of a Fat Quarter, mini-spool of Aurifil thread or sewing notion — for FREE! To me, there is nothing better than getting fabric in the mail and seeing that the person that sent it cares as much about your fabric as you do.
As a proud Canadian, I’m dedicated to selling fabric by Canadian designers… I’ll be carrying the entire lines of Lullaby (by Kate & Birdie) and With Glowing Hearts (by Grace Noel). I’ll also be carrying the entire line Hand Maker, from Austailian designer (Natalie Barnes). Head over to Fabric Please! and check out all the fabulous fabrics I’ve chosen for YOU!” ~ Fabric Please!
Rita’s Favorite Sewing Tool
My favourite sewing tool is my Seam Fix Seam Ripper. This is my little life-saver when it comes to my sewing and quilting. The ripper blade is super sharp and the rubberized end clears away all the thread debris so I can start with a clean slate. I make A LOT of mistakes, this tool helps me correct them so when I gift an item it looks perfect!
Fabric Please! is giving away a $40 Store Credit! So you can get whatever you’d like – hooray for choices!
This giveaway is open to Canadian and US readers, from today until July 25, 2016 at midnight EST. Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter – and if you don’t have Facebook to sign in with, just use your name and email address. There’s a “click to enter”, no social media login entry too!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Don’t Forget! Discount Weekend coming July 23-24, 2016…
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. I always provide my honest opinion and promote shops I love.
by Sherri Sylvester | Jul 18, 2016
Welcome to Thanks to YOU Week! I’m so grateful that you follow this blog along. Come back all week to enter each of the 14 giveaways! (Find out more, link to all of the giveaways or follow below so you don’t miss anything!)
Today’s giveaway is courtesy of Mad about Patchwork, the very first Canadian online fabric shop interview I did here on the blog! They have grown over the past 4 years and opened a brick and mortar shop. They were even one of the first places I ordered fabric from. Lots of firsts here – they will always be a special shop to me. They aren’t too far away, so I’m hoping one day I can visit them in person!
“We have a great mix of basics and designer prints. Over 300 bolts of Kona + Freespirit Solids, Essex linen / cotton blends, and shot cottons to choose from, with a monthly stash builder of Kona at 10% off. This month’s spectrum is Lagoon – find it here. We stock our favourite modern designers – Cotton + Steel, Tula Pink, Alison Glass, Lizzy House, Sweetwater, and many more. You will also a wide range of books + patterns to inspire you in the shop.” ~ Mad about Patchwork
Pam’s Favorite Sewing Tool
I just discovered Sew Straight – a useful little template that adheres to your machine and makes sewing unmarked diagonal lines easy! Binding strips, HST’s, snowballs .. no need to draw lines.
Mad about Patchwork is giving away a fat quarter of bundle of Garland – includes 11 fat quarters from Cotton + Steel’s 2016 Christmas collection. So you can get that Christmas project started early this year!
This giveaway is open to everyone, from today until July 25, 2016 at midnight EST. Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter – and if you don’t have Facebook to sign in with, just use your name and email address. There’s a “click to enter”, no social media login entry too!
Don’t Forget! Discount Weekend coming July 23-24, 2016…
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. I always provide my honest opinion whenever I write.
by Sherri Sylvester | Jul 17, 2016
Eeeeee!!!! Thanks to YOU Week is back! It’s my 4 Year Blogiversary and we’re having a huge week-long celebration with 14 Giveaways and 16 online fabric shop discounts – all for YOU!
Last year I wanted to thank everyone for reading Thread Riding Hood and created the first ever Thanks to YOU Week. A whole week, featuring tons of with giveaways and an amazing Discount Weekend.
The week went so well I have been able to organize another one this year – and it’s even bigger – Yay! Three more giveaways than last year and two more shops have joined the discount weekend. I am so grateful to all of of the fabric shops that have made it possible. (Huge round of applause for them!)
As I reflect back on the past 4 years, once again I’m amazed and so grateful. From the first ever post until now I keep writing and you all keep coming back to see what I’ve said – it’s so humbling. I’m glad I can put these giveaways together to try my best to give back to you something amazing for all that you’ve given to me. I learn so much from you – your comments are my all-time favorite thing. And your emails – questions, comments and encouragement.
Everything here is Thanks to YOU!
Here’s how it works:
- Every day this week (Monday – Friday) I will be posting 2 or 3 giveaway posts.
- Each post has a new giveaway from one of the shops listed below. (And you can click their logo right now to see what they have to offer!)
- Find out each shop owners’ favorite sewing tool! Each shop told me their favorite and I want #allthethings!
- Enter for your chance to win the giveaway.
- One new person will win each prize and I’ll be posting the names next week.
- COME BACK and grab your discount codes! 16 shops are participating and will be revealed at midnight on Friday, 22nd. Save up this week and treat yourself on the weekend!
Follow along to make sure you don’t miss anything!
Come back often so you don’t miss out! Enjoy!
by Sherri Sylvester | Jul 14, 2016
I usually bring my sewing machine and a project or two on a family vacation – and this one is no exception. We’ve been enjoying Minneapolis for the past week and I am finding that I don’t need such a large project, since we are visiting with family – not as many free evenings as when we vacation alone!
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. Bluefig sent me the DS23 Wheeled Bag in Butterfly and the Dottie Notions Bag to review for this post and this is my honest opinion about them.
I’ve collected my best tips on how to pack up your sewing project – and how not to forget anything when you do!
Bluefig contacted me a few months ago to talk about a possible post to highlight their new Canadian website. Hooray for us! This company is well known in the US, and are now bringing their product to Canada – with free shipping even. (Yay!) Now that I’ve seen and used their bags I am even more happy to highlight them here for you today.
Let’s get started! Grab a spare basket or box to temporarily collect everything you want to pack. (I would collect it in a pile on my sewing table – but let’s be honest – it’s generally covered in piles of other projects!)
Tip #1: Pattern & Fabric First!
The most important part of any sewing project! Make sure you have a copy of the pattern and enough fabric to make your project. No brainer, right? Print out/grab your pattern and double-check your yardage. I find it useful to use a highlighter to mark off items as I collect them.
I’m using this super cute Tree Party fabric from Riley Blake Fabrics that Canadian designer Kelly Paccini sent to me to make my girls each a Cargo Duffle. I fit the pattern, printouts and machine instruction book into the zippered front pocket of the wheeled bag – so handy!
Tip #2: Collect Other Materials
Make sure you have the rest of your materials according to the pattern listing. Read the pattern over, sometimes the designer will mention recommended items along with things listed in the materials. Matching thread, zippers, bag hardware, interfacing and stabilizers are some things you might need to find.
Tip #3: Don’t forget your Notions
Gather up all of the notions and sewing supplies you need. This tip is likely the most involved and requires the most thought. I like to read through the pattern, thinking about what I will need to complete each step, and write down a list or gather items as I come to them. Most supplies are obvious – sewing scissors, rotary cutter, bobbins and needles.
If you read carefully you might come up with something you didn’t think of – for example, this pattern calls for a double zipper that closes in the middle. Since I am making my own, I brought along wire cutters and pliers.
I loved having the Bluefig Dottie Notions Bag to pack everything into. It is divided up with enough clear zippered pockets to make my organizer’s heart super happy! The bag has 1 large pocket, 2 1/2 pockets and 8 smaller ones, plus an outside pocket for your pattern or quilting ruler. (The notions bag comes as part of a 3 Bag Combo with the Wheeled Bag and Project Bag.)
Here are photos of my packed bag to give you ideas of items you might need to bring along:
Tip #4: Safely Pack your Sewing Machine
It’s your baby, and it allows you to create – you love your sewing machine and it’s important to pack it safely for your trip. (Side note: I had a machine that tipped over in my car once, and it was never the same after that – in fact I ended up having to replace it soon after, so I know the importance of this tip first hand.)
Bluefig bags are made especially with your sewing machine in mind. They come in various sizes, and lots of great colours. Of course I picked the red one in keeping with the Thread Riding Hood theme! It’s made from a brushed Chenille fabric with an appliqued felt butterfly on the front.
I packed and photographed two machines into this bag to give you an idea of size. This 23″ bag is made for larger machines like the Skyline S7 that I have on-loan from Janome Canada. The mesh pockets inside this bag fit my shorter quilting ruler and rotating cutting mat too, which is nice. I also like that the soft sides zip all the way down – making it easy to get your machine in and out of the bag! Bluefig has also provided lists on their website to tell you which machines fit into the Bluefig 19″ or 23″ wide bags.
I actually brought my smaller Janome 2030QDC on vacation with me. I didn’t think it was good to travel with an on-loan machine! Plus, I was glad for the extra space allowed in the DS23 bag from packing a smaller machine than it was meant for. You can see in the photos below that I strapped it in and then placed the hard case on it so I could pack around it. The notions bag on one side and the foot pedal on the other.
If you don’t have a Bluefig bag yet, you could also use a large plastic tub – one that holds your machine upright. I’ve done this in the past, and the machine was squished held in place securely with all the supplies I was bringing!
Tip #5: The What If’s & Expendables
Of course you know by now that I am one of those people that over-prepare for absolutely everything! So I’m recommending you don’t forget a few more things that you might possibly need – you can never be too careful right?!
Consider bringing anything else you might use on a regular basis. Space permitting of course – and I had room in the large 23″ bag for some extras. Things like embroidery scissors, fabric glue, an extra rotary blade, hot iron cleaner, washi tape (marking lines/labeling fabric pieces), safety pins, hand sewing needles, regular pins, a pressing cloth and an iron might come in handy.
Now that you are packed, enjoy your trip!
I’m really impressed with this bag and how convenient it was to carry my things safely. Plus the materials used in the bag are really good quality and substantial. When I get it home and unpack, it’s good to know that it will fully collapse so I can store it in my small space until I need it again!
Do you take your sewing machine on vacation?
