by Sherri Sylvester | Oct 22, 2013
So, if you are anywhere in the vicinity of Toronto, Ontario – the biggest crafting show in Canada is happening this weekend!
Via, click to visit their website!
I’m really excited to be going with some women from my sewing club on Saturday the 26th. I know a few of the Canadian Online Fabric Stores will be there as well – Friday’s Off and Warp & Weft are confirmed! And I’m sure there will be many others from the pinterest board there as well.
A huge reminder! Warp and Weft has generously offered a 10% off coupon to be used at their booth during the show. The coupon is associated with their interview with me in August, so you can check out the bottom of this linked post and print off the coupon here.
Also – I would love to know if you are going to be at the show. It would be fun to meet up! If you aren’t able to come out you can follow me around on twitter. I will do my best to remember to let you know what’s going on!
by Sherri Sylvester | Sep 29, 2013
A few weeks ago I took a trip to Bee Modern Fabrics and Yarn in Niagara on the Lake. They have been there for 10 years and are excited to be moving to Virgil (about 10 minutes away from their current location) this fall. I first stumbled into their shop a couple of years ago and was excited to see that their selection has grown considerably since the first time I was there.
Their fabric selection is varied – fat quarters, yardage, lots of polka dots (love the dots!)! Monique gave me a detailed tour and was explaining their fabric buying practices. She tends to buy stash-able prints that will work with “that amazing print you just bought online”. Looking around, that is certainly the case. She has a good selection of solids and lots of blenders and stash builders.
They also have a very large selection of Kaffe Fassett prints in preparation for a visit from Kaffe himself, happening this coming week on October 4th and 5th! If you live in the area you can find more information on their website here. There are two workshops with Kaffe on the list.
They also run a wide variety of sewing workshops including some for kids. One of my favorite parts of the tour was their upstairs workshop area. They have a really nice space for sewing upstairs in their current location – and a larger brighter one planned for their new space. I like that their sewing machines are arranged around one large table so that the sewing can be done while chatting. My kids really took the upstairs space too!
For those of you who knit or crochet, there is an amazing selection of yarn available. I don’t know a lot about yarn – but Monique’s descriptions sounded amazing! They have a wide variety of types and prices, and some GORGEOUS colours! The colour selection of Norwegian Merino machine-washable wool is so pretty, it makes me want to learn how to knit! Their budget-friendly prices are nice to see too. Monique was explaining how their lowest priced yarn – great for donations and church sale projects – is super-soft when washed, not like other similarly priced yarns from large box stores.
They also stock Libery of London fabrics (eek!), so I splurged a tad while I was there, and bought myself a scarf kit. (What else is birthday money good for anyhow!) Bee Fabrics has pre-cut and packaged these kits as an easy way to have an affordable Liberty scarf. Since the width of the fabric is not long enough to make a nice scarf, this is a great way to have a longer piece without buying the extra fabric to get the length. She also stocks Liberty binding, and of course sells the fabric by the metre as well. Her Liberty Oliver and S Family Reunion dress is so cute!
Just in case that wasn’t enough, Bee Fabrics stocks patterns and books, Rowan thread and wool felt. Monique also orders ribbons, notions and buttons from Europe for the shop. I really appreciate the time she took to tell me about their shop and I’m excited for them as they move into their new location. It is well placed with lots of parking, large bright rooms and a pie shop across the street – what could be better?
I think I might have to organize a trip there after they have moved for a workshop with “The Material Girls” (My newly named monthly sewing club!). I hope you get a chance to check out Bee Modern Fabrics and Yarn. If you do visit, be sure to let me know what you stashed!
by Sherri Sylvester | Sep 3, 2013
I was super excited to get some of the Geekly Chic line in the mail today from Double Decker Fabrics! And she included another one of her amazing note cards with it!
I’m loving these prints! I think first off I’m going to make another Sunny Glasses Case with the off-white glasses fabric. It would be perfect! The cassette tapes have been claimed by my husband – a Man Bag is in the works! I’m thinking the amazing teal colour of the records will go with my kid’s clothing, and it looks so retro – maybe a jumper? I love the TV’s too – especially the green, and the repeating print… hmmm… I’m still thinking up the perfect project before I cut into that one… any ideas?!
Thanks again Dorienne!
by Sherri Sylvester | Jul 4, 2013
I was super surprised to get a package from Double Decker Fabric in the mail today! Dorienne sent me some Retro Lunch Box fabric to coordinate with the Retro into the Forest from Michael Miller and Pepper from Riley Blake Designs that she sent in March. Did you get a look at that card too?! Love the envelope design – sew appropriate!
I’m trying to make a tutorial for a LeapPad case with the fabrics she has sent me and my daughter has been patiently waiting for this one since April. I’ve started it twice now and had to quit each time because of a design flaw! I’ll get it one day soon I hope.
Are any of you trying to finish a project that just won’t work right now?! How do you get the creativity going again after pulling (yet another) seam apart?
by Sherri Sylvester | Jun 29, 2013
Thanks for letting me skip Monday’s post this week! A lot has changed in our home, good changes that will hopefully allow me more time to spend here, and less late nights trying to catch up!
Last Saturday I got to go fabric shopping with two friends in Hamilton, Ontario. Ottawa Street is a fabric destination for sewers and home decorators in Southern Ontario, Canada. This trip was originally going to be a bit larger Sewing Club trip – but it ended up that only 3 out of our 8 or so members could come out. Next time we will have to plan ahead earlier – and maybe not so close to the summer break!
I have been to Ottawa Street a few times now, but this trip was the best by far. Aside from going with like-minded friends, it was nice for all of us (with little kids) to have an all day break from our regular routine. I was able to get quite a bit of really great fabric, and most of it at amazing prices! Besides, a street that uses thimbles and buttons in their park’s decor can’t be bad!
European Textiles is a favorite stop – they have two stores – a home decorating centre and also an apparel and quilting fabric store. They both have an amazing (mostly) modern print selection. Their second store has a wide selection of well laid out modern quilting cotton prints – Joel Dewberry, Tula Pink, Michael Miller, Amy Butler, Robert Kaufman, Riley Blake (and the list goes on…) and Kona cotton solids. They also have imported Italian wool and other suiting fabrics, voile, fleece, stretch and dance costume fabrics and Pellon products like interfacing and fusible fleece. Their pricing is great, and about $2 per metre less than my local quilting stores.
Two doors down is Discount Fabrics. We almost walked past this one, but were happily surprised when we went inside. They had a wide variety of Michael Miller (and some others) quilting cotton at half the price of European Textiles! Most of the rest of the day conversation kept turning back to wondering how they were able to afford to do this! While the selection was not as great, we stashed up on some of our favorites that, previous to now, we had only seen online in US based fabric shops. I also got some broadcloth solids that I like to use for lining little shirts and dresses. Seems I never have enough solids!
Nova Sewing Centre is full of machines, ribbons, trims, elastic, thread and notions of all kinds. I love the vintage-looking ribbons I was able to pick up – including the football one “for my husband”! Any ideas of what I should make with it for him?!
Across the street in Ottawa Textiles we loved the amazing selection of home decor fabrics. I should have taken a photo of the tree/bird fabric I would have loved to make curtains from for my daughters’ playroom! I did pick up a few half-yards to make some couch cushions – though I’m not certain if it isn’t outdoor fabric. Does any one know how to tell the difference? The weave is courser than most indoor home decor fabric and one of them says it is water resistant on the selvage. Either way – I love these prints!
At the end of our trip we stopped in the two-story Fabricland (for those of you who don’t live in Canada, it’s similar JoAnn’s). The second story has $4.00 a metre finds and I was able to get some knits I’ll use for kid’s nightgowns, jeggings and another Dolman tee for me!
The ladies I went with were nice enough to come with me across town to Ann’s Fabric Shop. I’m working on a bathing suit for my oldest – and hopefully one for my youngest after that. I found a tutorial for a bathing suit based on Figgy’s Scirocco Dress and wanted to try it out. Kate on Facebook was nice enough to tell me about Ann’s Fabric Shop. Their website says they are one of Canada’s best kept secrets and they aren’t kidding! They have a HUGE selection of dance, skating and swim wear fabric. I asked where the swimwear was located and was led to two aisles packed on both sides with bolt after bolt of options. Just guessing there must have been over 500 different prints, and every solid colour under the sun to match to them! I’m hoping to finish the suit soon because my oldest desperately needs a new one – she seems to be going through a growth spurt right now.
Only problem with my trip is that now I have no excuse to go to the fabric store! Not even a little one… though I might need some solids to mix with the prints I got… (!)
Where is your fabric shopping “best find”? Please share! A reader near you might not know about a fabulous shop you love.
by Sherri Sylvester | May 24, 2013
Before you go any further… sign up for the Fabric Spot giveaway if you haven’t already. It’s the LAST DAY to enter! The giveaway ends at 10pm tonight (May 24th). Don’t miss out on your chance to win. (It’s worth signing up, check out the yardage I won last weekend (Hooray!), it’s posted on the Thread Riding Hood Facebook page.)
Aside from stitching up a tutorial (for this coming Monday!), I’ve been reading a really great book that I bought last week. It’s not a book you would generally sit down and read cover to cover… but I am a person that generally reads manuals for everything, cover to cover – so I suppose this works!
When I first read about Dana’s book “Fabrics A to Z” on her blog, MADE, I figured I would eventually have to buy it. She’s an amazing blogger and sewer and her photographs are really well put together. She’s a big inspiration for me when I sit down to write a post for y’all! (I’m allowed to say “y’all” by the way, my parents are currently living in the Southern US!) Anyhow – her book is really great and I would recommend that you buy it. I found mine on Amazon, and for a fraction of the cost on the back, which is always nice.
So… confession… I wasn’t really sure that I really needed this book, I just wanted it because it seemed cool to own Dana’s book. And everyone knows, you have to be cool to be a blogger (ha!) so I decided to buy it. Motivation aside, it turns out I really did need this book, and still do, and will for (maybe) always? It’s an amazing compilation of information about every fabric known to man and includes really great and super helpful information for each one.
And… this leads to why it is unlikely that you might sit down and read this cover to cover… it’s a reference book. But, like I said, I like to devour information (mostly to my detriment, because I really can’t remember everything I read) so I started on page 4 and went on from there. In the first few pages I learned:
- What Bedford Cord is. And its properties, how to work with it and it’s care. Oh, and its most useful needle size, stitch length and sewing machine foot and whether to use the “with” or “without nap” layout when cutting patterns. (And there’s more info than that on every one of 150 fabrics types!)
- Canvas and Duck cloth are the same thing. (and I always thought they were different… silly me!)
- Chambray is made by weaving a coloured “warp” thread through a white “weft”. (She also explains warp and weft on page 10). And, the most common colour of Chambray is blue – just in case you were wondering!
And we’re only on page 18 (of 224). Okay, I admit it (Ack – 2 confessions in one post?!), I’m a sewing geek! I am imagining that you are reading this and wondering why I think this information is so amazing! But maybe, there are a few of you who understand?!
Anyhow, if nothing else, buy it for the information you will invariably need it for as you sew along. She’s included a notions and tools section at the end of the book – more great information on zippers, machine presser feet and elastic (
oh my!). And… exciting news from Dana – she’s got a
2nd book coming out this August. This new book is “project based” so I’m excited to see what she’s put into it. I’ll have to get it…. all the cool kids will have it! (
Have a great weekend, see you on Monday!)
