Sew Expo....

Sew.....Expo....the flyers arrived for Sew Expo 2011 yeserday. As you may know, we also sell tickets to the event. They are set to come in sometime after the first of the year. Didn't have much of a chance to look through the flyer, but there are always lots of great classes and events at the annual Sew Expo in Puyallup. As I recall, it's one of the largest in the country - right here in our neck of the woods! The dates are March 3-6 this year. Feel free to pop in and grab a flyer if it's something you're interested in attending.

Another fun day here at Fab-Etc. We got the cutest two rolls of vintage toweling in today. Pre-hemmed along the sides, so just pop a hem in the top and bottom and you've got a kitchen towel! And SoftFuse. You asked for it by the yard, so I ordered it. It's a full 36" wide, so will accommodate just about any project. Linda and I were pretty busy today straightening and waiting on lots of shoppers. I am on a mission to try and get the rows a little more tidy, but not sure it looks any different! Does that ever happen to you around your house?

Sew, tomorrow is the last day of 2010. Should be a fun day at the shop. Alicia is going to come in and help me out tomorrow. If I get a chance, I was going to try out another one of the dies for the Accuquilt - Triangles in a Square. Thought I might make some blocks using batiks as the triangles and make them look like stars? We'll see what kind of time I have.

In case I don't get a chance to post tomorrow - Happy New Year from all of us at Fabric-Etc!

Java.....

Tomorrow if there's time, Jan's going to work some more on this fun topper made with the "Java" line of fabrics. Aren't the colors great? It comes in another colorway, too. The fabrics are on a round display as you come in the north door of the shop. There's a fun fabric that is used as the border that's next.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend with family and friends. From talking to folks today, I guess we're not the only ones that are still yet to finish celebrating the holidays! We have lots to celebrate in our family - our grandson, Lukas got to come home from the hospital today after a ten day fight with a pretty severe pneumonia. so, as my daughter says, she's really ready to celebrate now! This is a link to her blog about Luke's Life....there's a great story about her other son, Benson's Christmas gift http://lukasvoss.wordpress.com/

Today was really busy at the shop. I started by moving the Christmas fabric around and marking it 50% off, along with a few patterns and books. Diane and I were hopping most of the day! Then, Mr UPS brought a fabulous home dec weight line by Ty Pennington in grays and greens....it's yummy! If I didn't have about 6 things already going, I'd love to make something using them. (I don't watch lots of TV, so I didn't realize who he was. My sales rep had to clue me in - host of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and the carpenter on Trading Spaces. Those shows rang a bell and I just googled him and he does look familiar!) Anyway, he did a great job on his first fabric line! It's sitting by the counter until it finds a more permanent home!

Okay, got to run....laundry and another block to put together. I need to take a picture now that I am further along to show you how great this quilt is going to be. Maybe my next post? Have a lovely evening!

Tumblers....

I forgot to do this yesterday, so it had to wait for now. As promised, this is the first "real" thing we cut with our new Accuquilt Studio. These are cut using the smaller tumbler die. It's from the group Garden Party that we made that gorgeous quilt out of last summer. Tracey was the inspiration here and helped me cut these in a matter of minutes. And WOW! They are cut without the dog ears, so they nest together and sew up perfectly. Alicia popped in while we were playing and she and Tracey threw them up on the board and I helped sew them together. The edges will be straightened (cuz I'm not interested in binding it with that side thing going on!) So cool! Next week we'll be adding the larger tumbler die and a 9" drunkard's path block. And after the first of the year, we'll have the machine ready for you to "rent" time on to cut up those scraps you've been accumulating or a quilt you've got in mind. I know around here, I dug out the box of black and white scraps and tomorrow will finish putting together some kits for the black and white log cabin we have hanging in the shop right now. And I brought home another idea that I may have time to try out tonight before bed. Too much fun, but not nearly enough time!! Can you relate?

Fairly quiet today at Fab-Etc. Working by myself today and tomorrow, so I kept plenty busy. Folks coming in for stocking stuffers and projects to work on over the weekend.

Not sure I'll get a chance to post again until after Christmas, so I want to wish you all a wonderful time with family, friends or whatever you have planned for the holiday weekend.

Hot potato....

So...these are very popular little things! What are they? Potato bags! And what do you do with them? Bake potatoes in your microwave and they'll taste more like they've been baked in the oven. There are just a couple of warnings that come with this project. First, you must use 100% cotton fabric, thread and batting. There cannot be any scrim in the batting or you risk a fire in your microwave. Secondly, bet you cannot make just one! As to the first warning - Warm Company developed this batting specifically for the potato bags and the batting comes with free directions that we used to make this potato bag. And yes, we have both the batting and that fun potato fabric in stock!

Today was another great day at Fab-Etc. Diane and I had lots of customers and lots of fun! She tried to tidy up the messy fat quarters that needed to be rolled and I played with some of the things we had cut with our Accuquilt Studio cutter. I'll try to get a picture tomorrow for you. Mr UPS brought us a cute vintage farm print that I didn't get much of a chance to look at yet.

Finishing the laundry and working on my BOM project, so better get back to that. Happy Monday night to you all!

Hot gift idea....

This is a "hot" gift idea for somebody...or maybe for yourself! It's the Clover Mini Iron II. Maybe you tried the first mini iron that came out and like me, said, "I don't really like this very much." But, I have to tell you that this one gets really hot and has that little red sleeve to protect you from accidentally getting burned. It has a variable temperature selection as well - from cool to nice and hot. I have one and love to use it for "Applique the Tracey Way".....the starch and press over a freezer paper template method. Already have one? Well, I should have taken a picture of the really great iron holder for these irons. They are wood and have a tile to protect the wood from the heat. I have one of those too and love it! I think we have a couple of the irons and holders in stock right now.

We had a great Saturday at Fab-Etc. Lots of fun customers doing some browsing and last minute gift ideas. The ladies from Applique Society met in the morning and had a cookie exchange. And guess what? After they were gone, I noticed that they left behind some cookies for us - THANKS! Then, Jan and I cleaned up and played with the new Accuquilt Studio cutter. It is soooo cool! I'll show you a couple of pictures of things we've cut and worked on already soon.

Just got back from Children's in Seattle. Our Lukas has a pretty severe infection in both lungs. Hoping the IV antibiotics and oxygen will help him turn things around in the next day or two. Okay....got to get the classes updated on the website tonight. Have a wonderful evening!

Daily Special....

Here are the four projects we've done so far with the chef/kitchen group I keep mentioning, which from now on will be known by its proper name "The Daily Special". As you can see, the group came with an apron panel - we lined it and it was extremely easy to make. And, one of the prints is a stripe, so it will come as no surprise to you that Jan made us a 60 degree runner using that print - super! And, since there were "leftovers" from the runner, we added it to one of our toweling fabrics, threw some rick rack underneath and voila - fun kitchen towel to match your runner. How about a little caddy for some napkins or just to look cute and catch clutter on your counter? The 4-H'ers were making these fabric trays last week. I had taken home some of the squares from one of the prints to make potholders, but then this came to me! Why not put a square for the bottom of the tray and border it? Turned out pretty cute! We even made some with Christmas prints and gave our neighbors here at Birchwood Center some Merry Christmas treats this week. There are lots of other great prints in this line and lots of other projects you might like to do. They're right by the north door when you come in, so take a look!

Whew...it's been a busy week here at Fab-Etc! We just received the Hoffman Challenge print for 2011 today. It's really gorgeous. And tomorrow I have the last sales rep coming for the year. (I wouldn't want to run out of fabric, you know!) A cute kitty print came today, but I didn't really get much of a chance to check it out.

And then, our BIG deal for the month showed up. I was too busy to do anything but get it set up today. We are now the proud owners of an Accuquilt Studio fabric cutter! Yup, we took the plunge. You'll have to watch for some pretty fun things we'll be cutting up for you. We're still in the planning stages as far as rental of the machine, so stay tuned for your chance to cut your projects super accurately. We have a number of dies now, but will be adding to our collection as the months go on.

Okay...still a few things to do before bedtime. Hope your week has been super so far!

You light up my life....

Okay...not exactly in the way Debbie Boone sang it decades ago, but this guy really can light up your sewing area! (I know, I have a really weird sense of humor at times.) This is the Bendable Bright Light. It's a wonderful LED that attaches (not magnetically or permanently) to your machine and can bend its neck around to light up your work area. It comes with a self adhesive bracket to attach to the machine. I think we have a few extra brackets in the shop, so you can use the light on multiple work stations. We only have two in stock for the holidays, so if it's on your wish list, you might want to make haste! (My husband has dibs on the one that we used as the store sample....thinks it should light up his TV remote. What a guy!)

Well, so far it's been quieter around here than last week. But I've been having fun working on some projects. I'll try and post one of them tomorrow. And Jan worked on quilting and putting a back on the 60 degree runner she did and she also put a trim strip on one of our pre-hemmed towels. We got some great coat-weight wools yesterday, plus a darling pink and white polka dot knit. And tomorrow....well.....it's a big deal.....you'll have to stay tuned for our announcement of what's coming!

Well, I got my groceries tonight and cleaned up a bit, so now some bookwork and a few other chores. Hope your week is going well!

And even more stockings were hung....

Remember last month when we finished some stockings that were on a panel with a few other things? Well, we made some more stockings to hang. It doesn't show up really well in this picture, but the cuffs of these stockings are made using Texture Magic. And....since Texture Magic was one of the Fantastic Finds this year, it's on sale for $15.99/yard instead of the $22.50/yard regular price! I made these stockings by cutting down the free handout pattern we have and then Janice worked her own magic by using the "shrinky dinky" stuff and texturizing the cuffs for me. If you stop in, you really should take a look at these. Our team effort turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself!

Hope your Sunday was good. I didn't poke my head out the door more than to just grab the Sunday paper before it got too wet! I played with more of the BOM fabrics and then I had a brainstorm concerning the new kitchen/chef line "Daily Special" that I will try and blog complete with pictures tomorrow. We had a yummy meatloaf, baked potato and green salad late lunch/early dinner and just a delightful day here at our house. Hope yours was too!

Books, books and more books.....

We decided at the end of November that our bookcase overfloweth. So....during the month of December, we put ALL of those wonderful books on sale at 25% off! And just to make it even more interesting, ALL of the calendars are 25% off as well. There are books with jelly rolls, fat quarters, charm squares, applique, art quilts, cartoons, stories and more. We even have three copies of the book pictured here "My Stars IV" signed by the local quilt artist, Barbara Dahl, whose quilt is one of the featured projects in the book! How cool is that? She made this gorgeous blue and white quilt that was quilted by local longarm quilter, Janice Howell. Then Barbara was contacted and asked if her quilt could be included in this book by Kansas City Star. We are so thrilled for both of these gals and Barbara was kind enough to come in this week and "autograph" all three copies. So, if you know someone who might enjoy a great book, one of these just might be the answer!

Well, believe it or not, thanks to Harriet and Linda, I took the entire day off today! WOW....I wasn't exactly too sure what to do with myself, but I quickly recovered. I finished the apron that came with the new kitchen/chef line; picked up a few groceries and then John and I had a wonderful late lunch of halibut and chips. YUM! And I've been puttering around with the block of the month quilt blocks that I really should have finished a month or so ago. The fabric line Maison de Garance is from the Moda designer French General and the patterns "Paris in the Fall" are from This and That. The fabric is really beautiful in rich warm reds and browns. The first blocks went together quite easily and were fun to make. And the sashing in this quilt is really fun too. I'll share some more when I get a bit further. Hoping to enlist my partner in crime, Janice, to help me get more blocks done next week.

Well, it's raining here and the weather people say it's going to keep doing that all weekend. I've got projects and more projects. Hope you stay warm and dry and enjoy your Sunday!

Maybe this....

Maybe this would be an appropriate gift for you or someone on your list? Sharon Pederson teamed up with Electric Quilt to pose a challenge to design Rose of Sharon blocks that were to be used in a quilt project to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer's. They received over 850 entries. WOW! These 5" x5" cards are the top 12 winning designs used in the quilt. They are blank inside, so you can use them for any occasion. Just another idea for you from us here at Fab-Etc.

Today Tracey played fabric store with me. We had lots of fun! She was tired of looking at the Halloween runner on the far wall, so we moved a bunch of stuff around. I had finished the binding on the star topper she quilted for us and I also finished the binding on my "Red and White Delight" as I am calling it. So, we put those up behind the counter along with the topper that Alicia finished. It looks very festive! The guy in brown brought us some puppy dog fabrics and some more notions. (You guys are really going through the thread and zippers lately!) Then, while the 4-H group was in the back, I rearranged a bit and moved the new "Daily Special" kitchen/chef group up by the north door next to the Java coffee group - seemed fitting.

"They" say that it's going to get wet this weekend, so I don't know about you, but I am getting a project or two into the house before then so I don't have to go anywhere but to the sewing machine and ironing board.....sounds like a cozy weekend!

And this...

And this is another great little gift for you or somebody else. These are 120" tape measures in darling little tins for just $2.75! What a great price. I think I need one of those for myself. Besides, just like my oldest grandson, Lukas, I love little tins. So many times 60" isn't quite enough. Right now, I am measuring my bed for a project I have in mind. I want Tracey to take some of our 108" muslin and thin batting and quilt me a "coverlet" that will go just to where the bed skirt is. I have quite a few great quilts that I made as store samples, but they are all too small to cover the bed. And that way, I can use lots of my quilts on top of the coverlet. Anyway, I've been laying my 60" tapes end to end and then doing the math. I think 120" might be safer!!

Well, I'm not sure if this has the time on these posts, but if it did, you'd see that it's the middle of the day - what's with that? Took the morning off to meet with landlord and sign new 5 year lease. And then we did a few errands and chores. Linda and Harriet holding down the fort, so I am headed over there in a few minutes. Just had to post this after another measuring attempt today! More great stuff to come in the next few days. Bye for now!

And then there's....

And then there's this very fun little gadget! It's a 5" lighted scissor. Yup, it's got a little LED light that you can switch on for an added bonus, plus it's even got a little cover that keeps it safe from little fingers or for throwing in with your knitting or sewing that you take with you while you're traveling or waiting for an appointment. I'm putting one next to that green recliner where I like to do my stitching. These would be terrific little gifts for some of your sewing buddies - sorry to the guys out there, but they only came in pink. I can hear somebody asking....regular price is $7.00 but we've got them on special for $3.49 while supplies last.

Today was good...but wow, did it ever rain later, or what!?! It was just bouncing off of the parking lot this afternoon. Anyway.....we got a very fun kitchen chef group this afternoon. There's an apron panel and some squares that would make wonderful potholders and then a stripe that our Jan already put together into a 60 degree runner for me. Is she amazing, or what? There was a sales rep here at the same time and she couldn't believe that we just got the fabric and had a sample done the same afternoon!! AND....Jan tried out the potato bag directions that came with the Warm Tater batting. Pictures will definitely follow on these two! Tracey brought back the star topper she quilted and it looks SUPER. Now I just need to finish the binding.

Dishes done and now two bindings to finish. Wish I had remembered to bring my new pink scissors home. Have a safe and dry evening!

December finds.....

This is the way the December Sale Table looked at the beginning of the month. There's even more stuff there now! As I mentioned, in December, we always run all of the "Finds" from the year at their sale prices. And we've thrown a few other things in the mix too, that I'll be sharing with you as the days go on! All of these items are "as quantities last". We sold out of one, but got some in today and there are more coming, but we can't promise they'll be available all month long. Later this week, we are going to set up the bookcase right there as a little gift idea area for you all.

Hope your week is going well. We've been having fun around Fab-Etc. Yesterday, we got freight and it took most of the afternoon to make some headway with it! But the all important roll of Insulbrite for pot holders arrived - 'tis the season for potholders, you know. And I had ordered some Sew Steady tables for a few folks and they also arrived....a nice holiday gift for them! Today, a few more notions arrived, including some of the Atkinson Designs YKK zippers - those things have been flying off of the rack. At 99 cents each for a 14" YKK zipper, you can understand why!

Well, that's enough for tonight...I just set a bunch of pictures on my desktop to throw up each night for some of the latest and greatest around here. I've got a binding to sew and clothes to dry! Pleasant evening everyone.

Deadlines.....

Sorry I have been absent from blogging the last few days. The beginning and end of the months tend to be a super busy time for me. There's payroll, a new newsletter and calendar, Fantastic Finds for the month this year, sending an e-mail update, and then there are those pesky bills, lease payment, taxes, etc. For some reason, this month I seem to be slower than usual at everything....maybe Thanksgiving, but surely not my age =)

But I am happy to report that I took part of the day off today and got some groceries, cleaned house a bit and wrote a stack of checks for bills and mailed them off! At the shop, things were hopping with Harriet and Linda holding down the fort. We got some artichokes, garlic and peas (on fabric, that is). And a great vintage-style towel that I didn't get much time to investigate. I was disappointed, though, 'cause I thought we were getting a couple of great gift ideas....maybe Monday. BUT, Tracey brought back my red/white project and she made it look SUPER! Can't wait to get the binding on!

No more time to chat tonight. Lukas and Benson are staying with us tonight while their Mom, Lydia, is seeing some old Mt. Baker High school best friends. Then all three will spend the night. Grandpa John and Benson are watching a movie right now and Luke is sleeping. I'm working on getting the e-mail update out in little snatches, so got to run! Watch your e-mail for the latest. Have a super weekend!! (EQ class tomorrow - yipee!)