by Sherri Sylvester | Nov 1, 2013
I had so much fun meeting two wonderful ladies from two of the online fabric shops in Toronto at the festival! Both of these ladies were really great and helpful and over email so I was excited to meet them in person. They do not disappoint and are super-nice in real life too! One at a time now… (I did a random draw to see which one should come first – really and for true!)
Friday’s Off Fabric Shop was the first booth in the mix – being numbered in the 100’s! Alanna was ready with yardage and fat quarters enough to satisfy my Tula Pink Acacia fix for now – though I totally should have gotten more! Thankfully I came on the Saturday or I may not have been able to talk to her – apparently everyone comes to Creativ Festival on Fridays for fear of missing out on “the good stuff”!
YAY – here’s a photo of us together! I love seeing photos of people I’m used to emailing. Seems like everyone is so close, but so far away when you meet online. And remember – she just had a baby 3 1/2 months ago – can you believe it?!
I’ve got to show off my Acacia goodness one more time, since I said I would show you last post. I thought the racoon – we should really name him! – would be my fave pic from this bunch. But it turns out I love the Hummingbird in Midnight even more. It’s this amazing mix of teal and… well… midnight! I may have to try to sneak this print into my red and blue living room scheme somehow!
On with the show (quite literally!)… Check out the Warp & Weft booth.
Esmari was surrounded by gorgeous fabric as well, and having teamed up with RE:Style Studio some amazing upholstery – did you see the chair above!?
She was kind enough to take a photo with me too – just to prove to you that I was really there. Who’d have thought we’d even have the same hair cut? And you have to take a second look at her Design Team fabric apron – I totally need one of those! I think my cooking would taste at least 100 times better if I wore one while I was making it!
Esmari also had lots of pre-cuts and yardage available as well (you saw which ones I fell for a few days ago). I had trouble waiting for sunlight to photograph them all wrapped up so I could unwrap them and really see the prints – and then take more photos!
The Fall fat quarters above are almost like custom made tiles and I could totally see them in some kind of quilt – all together just as they are – with maybe some white sashing? Do you know of an easy modern style quilt project that takes 7 fat quarters and one or two solids?! I’d love to know about it.
These fun prints are 10×10’s – like a layer cake from many different fabric lines! I don’t plan on pre-washing these, so I’m going to get creative and make things that likely won’t need washing… like this cell phone case!
I just got a mini tablet new phone – (Reference: my frustration trying to tweet the Creativ Festival!) and it needed some protection. I got the Samsung Note 2 which is a super large with a stylus and amazing for posting/replying to my Twitter, Facebook and (NEW!) Instagram stuff straight from my phone.
I used the same scalloped edge as the basket I made a few months ago. I also decided to mix three amazing prints together – and though you may be horrified at my results (trust me I wasn’t sure at first either), I love it! Since I used the 10×10’s I had to be careful to save the one’s I am hoarding saving to use for a kid project – like the bunnies and the cuckoo clocks and the deep pink one next to it. I started with the base fabric – Moda, Birds and Berries and then matched it to the lining – Poppy Birds from Lotta Jansdotter. Then I sat and “matched” for about 15 minutes before I came back to the Saltwater, Floaties and Sinkies (love the name, it’s hilarious!). I do feel as if some of you may write me off as crazy for putting the Lotta Jansdotter in where you can’t even see it most of the time, but it works so well there! And, can you imagine what a white phone case inside of a purse would look like after about a week? Impractical, I say!
I suppose that wraps up my Creativ experience. I want to especially thank Esmari and Alanna for allowing me to “sneak” around their booths with my camera! I’m going back next year for sure… and maybe to the Spring show too?!
by Sherri Sylvester | Oct 30, 2013
I got to hang out at Creativ Festival (Fall ’13) this past Saturday! It was just as big as I had gathered it would be after going to the Spring show. Aside from some things for my stash I also met a lot people, found a new 4000 sq. ft. brick-and-mortar quilt shop near-ish to me and made some great online shop contacts! I was also super-excited to meet Lisa from Lisa in Port Hope – I met her at the last Creativ Festival and we have been following each other around blog land ever since.
For whatever reason – maybe the fact that my phone decided not to tweet or post on facebook (argh! but it’s okay I just got a new one – hooray!), or the fact that I was so excited just to be there (ok, probably more like it!) – I “only” have photos of the Warp & Weft and Friday’s Off booths. Not a bad thing, though! I will write about them later on in the week because this post is becoming crazy-long. Today you get my pretty fabric photos!
For those of you in Canada – you likely try to find modern fabrics online here because of the added time and cost to ship from the US. I started the Canadian Online Fabric Stores Pinterest Board about a year ago to help deal with the problem. Yes, I agree – the title is too long. We could call it the COFS Pinterest board – but that sounds more like something you don’t want to catch! Back to the board – turns out there are a lot more Canadian stores than I originally thought. I was excited to be able to meet and talk to 5 of the online shop owners.
First off, Devorah from Studio Fabric Shop, who’s fabric shop has just opened recently. She was super-helpful and let me disturb her table to cut some yardage of the delicious Robert Kaufman Dill Blossom print (right side, photo above). It’s an amazing coral colour and I found a semi-matchy pink bow print at the Lens Mills booth. They will be perfect for the Sally dress my oldest requested – similar to the one I made here, except it must have elbow-length puffed sleeves! (I see another pattern alteration tutorial in your future!). I also spoke with Nicole from Log Cabin Yardage, she was already on the list, and it was nice to meet her in person.
On the same row I found Flare Fabrics. They stock batiks and some modern quilting cottons & quilting patterns. Though she tends to stock fabrics I would label as more traditional, I was excited to be introduced to Marsha Derse fabrics! I have not had a lot of experience with batiks – but fell in love with these. I bought the Mulberry Bullseye above to make something for whichever of my daughters claims it first! The modern feel of the patterns in these mixes well with the colouring to create a warmer feel to the fabric, since a lot of modern prints can come across as very stark.
Of course, the Festival would not be complete without a walk (or three) through the Lens Mill booth – 6 or 8 rows of stacks of fabric can’t be a bad thing! I picked up the Alexander Henry “Where’s my ‘stache” there. Along with the chalkboard-esque black for some teacher gifts and the gorgeous purple/mauve/green that reminds me of an amazing exotic rug!
As for the rest of the stash – I picked up a few bundles from Friday’s Off (above) and Warp & Weft (below). I’ve got photos of them “unwrapped” to show you later in the week!
So – enough for one day!? I’m off to finish Halloween costumes for photo-shooting tonight and posting tomorrow.
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 | Oct 10, 2013
A few weeks ago I wanted to make a birthday gift for a sewing friend. I’ve had this basket in my head for a while now, ever since the scalloped hem emerged everywhere in sewing land! I thought it would make a cute gift with some handmade bias tape and buttons. And, I can’t lie, I was in NEED of a project to sew with some of my Warp & Weft Koi stash! It’s been sitting for far too long and I was dying to make something with it.
I think this little basket even qualifies as zakka! I’ve been intrigued by zakka since reading the blog tours for Patchwork Please (Ayumi Takahashi, Pink Penguin), and Zakka Handmades (Amy Morinaka, Chick Chick Sewing). I think I might be a bit late to the game, but I’m okay with joining the “trend following” masses – the projects are so pretty!
Here is the definition of zakka according to Wikipedia:
Vague enough for you?! Zakka could be almost anything!
I used a little piece of almost every piece of my stashed Koi in this project, leaving out only my daughter’s favorite “The Way of Flowers” for another special project! “Don’t be Koi” for the bottom of the basket, “Scalloped Edge – Gray” for the sides and “Pennants Waving – Ivory” for the inside and top edge detail. Rashida Coleman-Hale outdid herself on this line – it’s gorgeous. You can see the whole (GOTS organic certified) line here. And the deep purple “Don’t be Koi” adds to the just-emerging quilting cotton purple palette. For some reason, not many designers have focused on using purple until now.
I think I am going to make a few more of these with Rashida Coleman-Hale’s Tsuru fabric line. Hopefully using up some of my gorgeous fat quarters I bought from Fabric Spot in the spring. Maybe in different sizes – taller, wider, nesting baskets? Maybe one with a handle? I’d love to know what you would make!
by Sherri Sylvester | Oct 4, 2013
As I was saying on Sunday – I splurged a tad to get some Liberty of London fabric (eek!) from Bee Modern Fabrics and Yarn last month. It came home in a super-cute bio-degradable re-usable bag – made in Canada! The bag is “hiding” under my Liberty Scarf Kit in the photo above, also packaged to look as amazing as you’d want to expect for Liberty.
I have to say (at the risk of sounding like a fabric snob) that I really love my little piece of Liberty! I wasn’t sure what the fuss was about until I got to see and feel it for myself. The prints are so pretty – pretty in the truest sense of the word. The florals are very feminine, but not too over the top. And the colours are amazing – the blue and peachy coral go so well together and aren’t a colour mix you see everyday.
I hemmed my piece up a few weeks ago using the handy rolled hem instructions provided with the pack. I ended up sewing the ends together with a french seam to make a faux cowl/infinity-type scarf. It is not quite long enough to be an infinity scarf, but I really like the look of it anyhow. It’s just a bit cozier than it “should be”! Bee sells longer lengths specifically for making infinity scarves, and ones with beaded or crocheted ends as well. (By the way, I’m so irritated that I forgot to wear earrings for this little photo shoot!)
I also got a few other things (of course!) while I was there. Since Monique stocks Rowan thread, I decided to pick some up to play with. Maybe a small quilting project? I’ll have to pick up some Amy Butler fabric to make it with of course! I also picked up some Riley Blake “Hello Sunshine” by Lori Whitlock, the Spa Scallop that I used in my latest Toddler Backpack and some California Dreamin’ by Jenean Morrison for Free Spirit. Oh, and 2 metres of green Kona cotton that was on sale. I was going to get 1/2 m – but my husband liked that it was on sale and tells me I will thank him later for upping the quanity! I’m sure he is right… I’m thinking a Sally dress with the California Dreamin’…
Hmmm… oh, sorry… you’re still here… right! It’s been one of those days. The kind where you want to finish things (like butterfly backpack pattern pieces!) and you suddenly remember the 7 things you need to do that aren’t on your list for the day.
Oh, and I should mention that if you haven’t noticed around the web, the Sew Fab Fall pattern bundle is here for only a few more days (ends Oct 8)! I bought the spring version and it was amazing. This time it’s bigger! You get a bundle of 26 pdf sewing patterns for $29.95 – but it’s only available to buy for a week! That works out to just over a dollar a pattern… amazing! You can get the bundle here from Sew Much Ado, Abby’s super-cute quilt pattern is included in the pack. I bought mine on Monday of this week and have been dying to use it. Maybe something will show up on Monday’s post… we’ll see!
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!
