Do you read me......

Did you get an e-reader recently? Maybe for a holiday gift? Lots of folks I've talked to seem to have said that they are now the proud owners of Nooks and Kindles. Well, I also recently joined the e-reader ranks. Sew.....I thought I should investigate the possibility of making covers for e-readers. We've got a few different patterns in stock right now, so I tried out two of them recently. The black one with the fun letters and yo-yo flower (definitely optional for guys!) is a Suzie C Shore pattern. It was really quick to make and opens to let you leave the device in the case and read if you want. It is padded and also has several slots for credit cards/checkbook/cash, etc. The other zipper pouch is part of a Kwik Sew pattern. I made it using a faux leather we recently got in. It is also padded and lined. I want to try the cover that comes with the Kwik Sew pattern next. There's an Indygo Junction pattern as well, but I haven't tried that one yet. Take a look at them at the counter if you're interested.

What a wonderful week we're having making room where the Christmas fabric is!! Yes, lots of it is flying out the door at 40% off. Linda and I were scheming today about how to rearrange things next week. I think we have a plan! So, next week we'll do the first rearrange of 2012 ~ FUN!!

Okay, I'm still sniffling, so I'm going to grab the aforementioned e-reader and my quilt and plop down in my chair until bedtime. Have a great evening!

Christmas 2011......

We had a nice brunch yesterday at our daughter, Lydia's house. All of our kids and grandkids were there, so it was just a super day! This is a picture of our 8 month old granddaughter, Elliana (Ellie or Sissy, as her Mom and brother call her sometimes). She's sitting on her Auntie Lyd's lap entertaining us after brunch. We opened presents and had lots of fun with one another. Pete's girlfriend Heidi, who we adore, got the mugs and coasters in the steal the gift thing. Think she liked them. Not sure if she had a preference as to which one she liked best ~ probably a smart thing to have no comment, huh?!?

The other picture is the leg of my jeans decorated by my oldest grandson, Lukas. He got smiley-face stickers for Christmas and decided to decorate his grandma's leg. I managed to wear them home with me....made me smile all evening long.

Only bad thing about the day is that it seems I got a cold for Christmas :( Like I've been saying, I wish it came with a gift receipt so I could return it! But all in all, what a wonderful day to spend with our family.

But....today was back at it at Fab-Etc! We put all of our Christmas fabric on sale (only this week) for 40% off. So, this morning I had to make sure it was all back where it belonged for you. It was kind of a quiet day, but a good one! But then anytime we get to play with fabric is a good day ~ right? Two new 108" wide backs came in and a cute "kitchen-y" group called Fresh and Tasty arrived with a placemat panel! How long has it been since you've seen a cute placemat panel?!? I managed to catch up all of my scans and Diane did a lot of tidying too. Sew, Jan and I will be all ready for you tomorrow!

Right now, I am going to take my book and my blankie; turn on the gas fireplace; and sit down with my cold. Hope your evening doesn't include kleenex and the sniffles!

Obsession.....

You know how I always kid around about us obsessing about "stuff" at Fab-Etc? Well, I am one of the worst offenders!! Tomorrow at our family Christmas brunch, the adults are all bringing a "non-gender specific gift for $20". Then we're going to do the steal the gift thing. Well....I decided I wanted to do the wrap the clothesline cord thing and make some coasters and a tray to put them in, plus get four really cool mugs that would go with the set. Jan had done it at a retreat sew she showed me the basics (we had a couple of books, but they seem to have sold.) First I made the set on the left. I found some great mugs on sale and thought I was done. BUT.....it looked kind of, I don't know....boring. Sew....a couple of days ago I started playing around with adding another color to the mix. Hmmmm.....which do I like best? I've gone around and around obsessing about this. I didn't even sleep that well last night!! Long story short ~ since I got the coasters and tray mostly from my stash, I was still at the $20 mark if I just wrapped it all up. So, that's what's happening. Of course the retired guy hasn't wrapped them yet, so I could......nah. I'll let you know who gets the coasters and which ones they liked best ~ okay? And maybe pics of the excitement!

My cinnamon rolls are ready for the brunch tomorrow, so I think I will just say a Merry Christmas to all who are celebrating tomorrow. Good night!

The time is near.....

In just over a week, we'll need a new one of these! It's on my office supply list, too. A 2012 calendar is a "got to have"! How about jotting your appointments and meetings on a fun sewing/quilting themed calendar next year? We've got a few left right now. There are a couple of pocket planner sized ones. There's a desk calendar that goes weekly with fabulous quilts pictured each week. We have a "perpetual calendar" (daily, but no year) that has quilt blocks for every day. And then there are a couple of wall calendars left. Sew...whatever your needs are, one of these should work for you.

Been a busy week so far! Last minute shopping and projects. And then, Jan and I kind of set up our Santa's Workshop in the class area. It's becoming a tradition with the two of us ~ we bring our holiday gift projects and work on them in between customers. I've been designing a knitting needle holder for my daughter who just learned to knit and purl at Thanksgiving. It's technically not a Christmas gift, since we're not doing adult gifts really this year, other than a "pick a gift and then I can steal it from you" thing! Sew....it will have to be an after brunch thing where I give her all of my duplicate needles in the case. That's not cheating ~ right?

Well, tomorrow I am taking the WHOLE DAY off. My elves, Harriet and Linda will be holding things together at the shop. Going to get a haircut, maybe take the retired guy to breakfast at Diamond Jim's, run a few errands, wash some clothes, and finish a few things up around here. My "famous cinnamon rolls" have been requested for our Christmas brunch at Lydia's, so I need to be sure I have the ingredients and more importantly, still remember how I made them!! When the kids were growing up at home, we would have homemade cinnamon rolls every Sunday morning. Well, since they were homemade, they were never all the same size. So, the retired guy (Dad, then) came up with the plan that we would rotate who got to choose first each week! Not sure whose turn it is this time =) Night all!

Let's cut to the chase....

Isn't that what they say when time is running short and you just need "the headlines" as the retired guy says? Well....Gingher is a name in the scissor game that speaks to quality and has for a very long time. A number of years ago, they began doing "designer" series. I personally do not own any of them, but there are collectors out there, I am told! This year they brought out the "Tessa" design. Aren't they just gorgeous? And they aren't just a pretty face, they work well too!! They are made in a 4", 5" and 8" scissor and we currently have all in stock. Sew, if you know of someone......

What a great Monday! Hey...you guys should know we're selling gift certificates like hotcakes....maybe your name is on one of them?!? I managed to catch up on ALL of my scans for the flash drives today. And that is saying something, considering how much fabric has come through the doors in the last week or so. Today, we got three bolts of 30's/40's prints from Moda and a bolt of quilt labels. It's been a long time since we've had any new labels. Other than that, Diane and I just kept busy tidying and helping customers.

Tonight, the retired guy and I ventured out to finish a bit of shopping and then he treated me to a burger. We're pretty well done with our gift buying.....our celebration is low-key this year, but promises to be a super day with our family!! Can't wait! How about you?

Certifiably good.....

Years ago, we knew a lovely, spunky woman that everyone called "Grandma Claire". She had a saying, "The best gift ~ money!" Sew....if you need a gift for a friend, or if you need a hint for someone asking you what you'd like....how about one of these? We have $5 Fabric-Etc gift cards in a fun button tin for $5. That's right, the tin is free! Or you can purchase a gift certificate for any amount you'd like. We're open until 4:00 on Christmas Eve!

What a super Saturday! Alicia and I had a great day helping folks with last minute shopping. The Applique Society met this morning in the class area and judging from the goodies they brought to share, the giggles, and the "Show and Tell", a grand time was had by all in attendance. If you are interested in applique of any kind, you might want to check this group out. They meet the third Saturday morning of the month here at Fab-Etc and they also have a mid-week meeting at Fourth Corner Quilts one day a month. We've got more info at the shop if you're interested.

Ahhhh....Sunday is just hours away. Looking forward to a day of rest and finishing up a few things I have started. Hope you enjoy your Sunday too!!

Here kitty, kitty.....

Do you have a cat lover on your gift list this year? Well, these little scissors would be purrfect! They're not really fabric cutting scissors ~ although I did cut a corner off some fabric with one. They're more for clipping threads and having something fun sitting next to your chair or machine. Might make a wonderful addition to a beginning sewing kit or an "add on" to another gift? As you can see, they're just $3.49, so definitely in the affordable range.

Fun day at Fab-Etc today! Tracey was working with me and she helped me tidy some things up and put things in more of a semblance of order around there ~ thanks, Tracey! It would be kind of quiet and then get busy and then quiet again. A few hubbies coming in for gift certificates and stocking stuffers ~ always fun!! Oh, and then late tonight, Mr. UPS brought some notions, including the popular cupcake tea cozy pattern that we've been out of for a week ~ woohoo!

Did you hear a cheer at 1:00 Pacific Time today? Well, that was the Fabettes cheering for Emily. She graduated from Dordt College in Iowa as an RN today at 3:00. Her parents and some of the rest of her family were there. She'll be headed home next week. We are all soooo proud of her and can't wait to catch up and celebrate with her! Congrats, Emily!!!

Tomorrow, the Applique Society will be meeting in the class area in the morning. Alicia is coming in to work for Harriet, who's been under the weather this week and was nice enough not to "share" with us!! She's finally feeling a bit better, but she needs to be her usual 110% for the holidays ~ get well, Harriet!!

Okay....I'm kind of pooped tonight, so I'm going to do some stitching on my fleece blankies and maybe a little something in my sewing room. What's your weekend looking like?

More pincushions.....

Sorry....forgot I told you I was going to start putting "pick up and go" items here yesterday...oops! Here's the first one of our 10 days before Christmas ideas for you. Many of you have seen these fantastic pincushions that we have at the store. A local gal, Sandy, makes these and we are privileged to be able to sell them to you. (Jo Morton even buys them from her!!) The ones with the saucers are $12.95 and all of the others are $9.95. I confess to owning three of these and dearly love every single one of them! They'd make a wonderful gift for a sewing buddy or maybe even for yourself ~ hey, you deserve it!

Hope your week is going well. Things are humming along at Fab-Etc this week. Lots more fabric arriving everyday. Not too sure where to put it all, but we're working on it. You should see the beautiful "Plume" group from Timeless Treasures. There are peacocks and feathers in turquoises and blues and golds ~ stunning. Had a few of you mention that you'd seen them in magazines, but they are even prettier in real life! Today, "Spice Cats" from Loralie Designs arrived, along with more batiks and some very fun dots in great colors. Maybe tomorrow Tracey and I will try and find some homes for more of these new kids on the block!

I have a sewing project or two to work on tonight, so I turned the heat up in my basement sewing area. Hoping it's warmed up a bit so I can go and fiddle around down there. Hope your evening is fun ~ whatever you are "fiddling" with tonight! =)

Pincushions....

Need a quick gift for one of your sewing buddies? How about making one of these really fast and easy glass filled pincushions? You could even add some cute button-head or flower pins to the mix! We made these for the Demo Day. Filled with crushed glass (we stock it) these cute little guys will sharpen your pins and needles, plus the weight of the glass lets them stay where you put them. There's a free handout with some patterns included if you're interested.

Well, UPS did not disappoint today. More fabric arrived! There's the softest, cute corduroy that came! I think my granddaughter Ellie may have to have one more little girl outfit!! And cute colored pigs and little birdies too, plus a few basics that I ordered. Who knows what tomorrow will bring!?!

That's all for tonight....some "pick up and go" ideas start tomorrow for you! Need to do some buttonhole stitching on a couple of fleece blankies I'm making. What are you working on tonight?

Ladies and Gentlemen, start your engines.....

I am going to keep showing you some quick and easy gift ideas from our Demo Day. Trying to make them quicker as The Day approaches. Just a couple more and then I'll start showing you some pick up and go stuff along with stocking stuffer ideas ~ okay? These little key chains are soooo fast and fun to make. (The key chains are the two at the left....the other pieces there were a step by step thing I had going on Demo Day.) Maybe you made a bag for someone for a gift....why not make a little keychain to go along with it? Or maybe you just a need a little something for someone you work with? A small bit of fabric and interfacing (maybe one of the myriad of colors of ric rac we have?) and you've got a great little gift. We have the D-rings and split rings (even in colors!) for sale individually. The pattern is a free handout.

What a busy few days this has been! Lots of customers and then close to the end of the day today, Mr. UPS brought LOTS of fabric. (We always get a steady stream of fabric at the end of the year. All of the fabric companies want me to have to count it as inventory and not them! Sew, whether or not it was really supposed to ship now, many times it does anyway. Oh well....we do LOVE fabric around here!) What came? Well, a new cat group from RJR ~ Caterwauling 2 ~ five new wide batik backings ~ a gorgeous peacock grouping ~ more 45" batiks.

How are your projects coming? I'm working on a few things, plus some samples for the shop. I made my almost 8 month old granddaughter a corduroy jumper (still need leggings). I made a couple of e-reader cover samples for the shop too (pictures soon). Have a few other things I'm going to finish up in the next week or so. How about you?

Friday night....

Well, it's Friday night and a few of you (maybe more than a few?) will be enjoying a nice glass of Cabernet or Chardonnay or Merlot tonight. And for those of us with friends who also enjoy sipping a nice glass of wine, a special bottle from the vineyard makes a wonderful gift at the holidays. On Saturday, we showed you our really fast and easy wine gift bag. It takes two fabrics and you can whip this puppy out in less than an hour! It's one of the latest additions to the Fabric-Etc Dollar Menu (each pattern comes as a laminated sheet for just $1.00). Makes the gift of the fruit of the vine even more special and it's "green" to boot! How about making it a bag that gets used over and over each season? You know, I give you the bag with a bottle of wine and then you give me back the same bag with a bottle of wine? Well, think about it ~ okay?

What a super day here @ Fab-Etc! The sun was shining and lots of shoppers getting things for the last of their holiday sewing. We got a few things today, including, are you ready for this ~ Valentines Day fabric!! I put it unobtrusively underneath the front counter if you are interested. Yesterday, we got the latest books from Martingale and a wonderfully fun four bolt grouping. Tomorrow, Jan is teaching another Beginning Needleturn class and Diane and I have some tidying planned!

Remember how I said I was kind of pooped? Well, yesterday, the retired guy took me for a ride in the horse car down Chuckanut Dr. in the beautiful sunshine. (We saw a gal in her convertible with the top down, but we just weren't that brave, even with a good heater!) We stopped and watched some boats/ships in the bay, did a little shopping and he bought me one of my fav dinners of halibut and chips ~ yum! Came home and read a book under my quilt. What a wonderful day. Thanks to Harriet and Linda who minded the store ~ boy, and they were busy yesterday! Laundry calling for the dryer....have a lovely Friday night!

Set the table....

Do you like to use holiday dishes for events at your house? Well, these napkins would just set things off nicely! This is another project we featured at Saturday's Demo Day. As you may remember, in the past we've done the tree napkins that start out as a circle. Then, we started hearing rumors about these semi-circle ones. Sew, we investigated and found out how they were done. We added ric rac to some of them and you can also add a tree trunk if you'd like. I think Harriet said you can get 4 or 5 napkins from two 1/2 yard cuts. Wouldn't that just make your holiday table even more festive? We have a little free handout on how they are done if you are intersted.

Speaking of Harriet and of a festive table....today was our "first Wednesday of the month" Tea Party. Yesterday, Harriet brought over her Christmas dishes and Alicia, Jan and I set the table. It looked so wonderful (sorry, I forgot to take a picture again!) Then today, we had LOTS of tea party goers. Even one of our "snowbirds" from Arizona happened to be home and joined us. We were scrambling for chairs and place settings! Good thing Jan made a double batch of her famous scones!! Between Linda, Jan and I we managed to keep the tea flowing, the customers happy and grab a bite or two in between. Thanks so much to everybody who came.

Well, I have to admit that I am just plain pooped. The last month or so of the Fall Sale; Thanksgiving; a steady parade of sales reps with the latest and greatest; end of/beginning of month "stuff"; getting ready for Demo Day; setting up/cleaning up for the Tea Party today has made me feel every one of my 63 years! Tomorrow I have a sales rep coming before I open and then Linda and Harriet are going to man the fort. The retired guy and I are going to go do "something" so I can just do "nothing". You understand that ~ right?

Burlap Santa Bag....

As promised, here is the first of some of our projects from Saturday's Demo Day. Diane's friend, Terri made a bag for her son's scout troop. See the "pup tent" and all of the fun owls she made with her embroidery machine? Well....Diane brought it to work a few weeks ago and we thought that this would be a great thing to share with our customers. Lots of you are going the route of reusable gift bags and this is definitely a very fun one to do. You don't have to use an embroidery machine to make one. See...we sewed a fun striped fabric onto one and it's just as cute. But maybe you have some embroidery programs you've been wanting to try out. Here's a fun place to do it! I see that I didn't get a picture of the other one Diane has "in progress". She left it undone so she could show how easily it goes together during Demo Day. She took the snowman from the Little Quilts Squared patterns and appliqued that to the front of her bag. She also made one using ric rac at the top and bottom of a piece of fabric. Anyway....we still have some kits left from Demo Day if you're interested. They're only $3.99 for the burlap, bells and instructions.

We had a super day today! The weather was gorgeous, although a bit nippy when I poked my nose out to go to the recycle bins a few times. Diane and I tidied up, put out new freight and rearranged a few things to squish in some new flannel and 30's prints. After things quieted down late this afternoon, I even got all of the paperwork on top of the filing cabinet inside the filing cabinet in their appropriate folders! Woohoo!! Hope you enjoyed your Monday. More projects soon.....

Demo Day was fun....

Well, yesterday was our first "Demo Day". It was sooo much fun! Lots of you popped in to see what we had going and grab a cookie and laugh a lot. Thanks so much for coming. And if you couldn't make it (I know there were LOTS of things going on last weekend) we'll try and leave most of it up until late Tuesday afternoon when we have to set up for our Wednesday Tea Party. I tried to get pictures of most of the projects, so I'll be putting those up here over the next week or so.

Tomorrow should be another fun day @ Fab-Etc. Diane and I will straighten things up a bit and be ready, willing and able to help you with your projects. We've gotten a few new fabrics of late, and we need to do a bit of rearranging and squishing to get them homes =)

Wasn't today a glorious, sunny day here in the Pacific Northwest!?! I pretty much finished my desk work today, so I am feeling great about that! All the bills are set to go out in the mail, the sheets are clean and dinner is ready to be fixed. Now, maybe a bit of sewing time and it'll be a perfectly wonderful Sunday. What have you been doing today?

Waved braid....

I never am sure about how to spell the modern term for "waved braid". So, I did a little research. In Civil War days, this was called waved braid. Today, we know it as ric rac....or is it rickrack....or rick rack? Spell check doesn't like ric rac, but that seems to be the more common spelling these days, so that's what I am going with unless I hear otherwise! Okay, now that we've established that important (?) fact, why am I talking about ric rac? Well, as I've been saying, you guys are buying LOTS of notions lately. And, in preparation for our Demo Day on Saturday, we needed to be sure and have ric rac on hand. Sew...last time I ordered ric rac, lots were "out of stock". So this time, I just started ordering everything I didn't have and of course, everything turned out to be "in stock" when the order arrived. Therefore, we now are the proud suppliers of just about every color of ric rac known to man!! Sew, now you know that we are your "go to" place for ric rac.

I am off to the Happy Place in just a few minutes. Harriet and Linda and I are going to get cracking on a few last minute things before we set up the Demo Day tomorrow in anticipation of lots of you popping in during your day on Saturday. And there's also the matter of quite a few bolts of 30's/40's prints that came through the door yesterday afternoon. We'll make quick work of getting those out on the floor. Oh, and all of the Cool Tools need to be out 'cuz they're on sale this month. Yikes....got to run....have a great Thursday!!