December 15, 2011

We have had many phone calls, questions and comments about the new ruffle yarns!  The ruffle yarns consist of a “mesh” that you knit or crochet into.  Its easy peasy and since you are only working about 6 stitches per row, moves along pretty quickly.  The picture below shows what colors are available at this time, more are arriving tomorrow and there will still be more arriving later this month and into January.  Just one skein makes about a 52″ – 54″ scarf.  These are fun so be sure to check them out!

December 13, 2011

Village Fabrics & Crafts has an early Christmas gift for you! Now thru December 24th, purchase gift certificates for 10% percent off the total value!  Simply decide on the value of the gift certificates you wish to purchase, we’ll deduct the 10% discount. These special gift certificates will be redeemable starting December 26th, 2011 and excludes all Bernina products and labor.  Get them just what they want at a 10% savings. Your gift certificates will be packaged in pretty red boxes with gold bows!

Make your list and stop in soon.  Santa running short on time?  We will gladly mail your gift certificates to you!  Call us at 906-492-3803 or email us at villagefab@jamadots.com.

November 22, 2011

Hello all – we are still here!  I know it has been a bit since my last blog posting but I promise I have wonderful pictures of  things going on in the shop.  First, I will begin with the Doe Season Shop Hop.  In case you missed it here is a picture of our “Doe Blind”

We had a wonderful week with the shop hop and really enjoyed how everyone got into shooting the target with the suction cup gun!  Congrats to all the winners and especially Tari, who was the Grand Prize winner.  Tari won a $50 gift certificate to each of the six shops that participated in the Doe Season Shop Hop. We will announce information for the 2012 shop hop in the spring.

Happy Thanksgiving!  We will be closed Thanksgiving Day but we have scheduled some special classes for this upcoming Friday (11/25) and Saturday (11/26).  On Friday we will have:

Knitted or Crocheted Ruffled Scarf – Fri. Nov. 25, 11am – 1pm
This fabulous new fishnet yarn miraculously stitches up into beautiful cascading ruffles for an accent scarf that says “WOW!” The technique is so easy that we are combining a knitting class and a crochet class all in one. Take your pick! In just a couple of hours in class, you will have your scarf nearly done and ready to wear! Class fee: $10.00

English Paper Piecing – Fri. Nov. 25, 2pm – 5pm
English Paper Piecing is an older quilting technique that is emerging by leaps and bounds. It is accurate and very portable making it a perfect carry along project. The fabrics are basted onto precut paper foundations and then stitched together. New notions and techniques make this easier than ever before. New products, books and patterns are arriving almost daily. You are going to love the new designs available today. Learn the basics of this fun method today and you will be ready to enjoy all the new patterns and books arriving soon. Class fee: $15.00

On Saturday, in conjunction with Christmas in Paradise we will be offering these two classes.  As a SPECIAL BONUS each class has its own FREE  fabric kit!

Easy Mitered Placemats – Sat. Nov. 26, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
These placemats look so professional that you won’t believe how incredibly easy they are to make. Make one in class and you will be ready to make a set for Christmas! Class fee: $10.00. For this day only, your fabric kit for one placemat is FREE!

Pillowcases – Sat. Nov. 26, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
There’s nothing better than your own personalized pillow case! Make them match your décor or select a favorite print or patterned fabric. The kids especially love them in their favorite fabrics. They are so easy to make, you will be thinking “I should have made these a long time ago!” Class fee:$10.00. For this day only, your fabric kit is FREE!

There will be a wide variety of specially selected fall and Christmas fabrics 25% off on Saturday also!

Please call ahead to register for classes – thank you.

Have a wonderful time with family and friends during your Thanksgiving holiday.

Till next time – happy crafting!

Lisa

 

July 22nd, 2011

The Pattern Party is tomorrow and I thought I would take a moment to share with you one of the Creative Grids Rulers that will be used during the demonstrations tomorrow.  This ruler is called Straight Out of Line.  With this ruler you can create unique four patch blocks with the illusion of curves.  Make them any size you want using squares  4″ – 10″ and every 1/2″ in between.  Look for light and dark fabrics in your stash to cut different squares from and you will have a great scrappy quilt top.  For the blocks you see below, I used 10″ squares, the darks are all the same and I varied the lights.  I used 4 dark squares and 4 light squares and from that you can come up with a multitude of different layouts for the blocks.

 

 

 

 

Imagine the possibilities!  Hope to see you at the Pattern Party tomorrow, Sat. July 23rd from 10am -1pm.

Till next time, happy crafting!

Lisa

July 14th, 2011

Check out what we have been working on!

We recently received a brand new line of wonderful wildlife flannel.  Here is the quilt top:

This one can be made in a variety of sizes by adding or subtracting a row at the bottom or along the side.  It is hard to tell in the picture but the outside border is a bear and deer print.

Vicki ALWAYS has a sock project going!  She has found that she loves the sport weight yarn plus it knits up on a size 3 needle rather than a size 1.  I think it was only a couple of days from start to finish for this sock.

We have been making models in the shop using PUL.  We are in love with it and keep coming up with new ways to use it!  PUL is a polyester knit fabric with a polyurethane coating (which feels like a lightweight vinyl).  PUL is soft, easy to sew through and can be washed and dried.  So far we have used it in a baby bib and as the lining of a  fabric lunch sack.  Kyle is already searching the shop for just the right fabric so he can have his own personalized lunch sack for school this fall and I will be thrilled to be able to throw it in the wash each week so I know it is clean!

Till next time happy crafting!

Lisa

July 11, 2011

We had a wonderful 4th of July celebration here last week and hope that you had a fun and safe holiday also.  Here are a few pictures of the Village Fabrics & Crafts parade float.

 

To add to the 4th July excitement, Kyle and I saw a moose that morning on the way into the shop.  We noticed the moose in time to be able to turn around and go back to get pictures. 

The moose is way over on the left side of this picture.  It wasn’t a real big one, but it is exciting to see a moose of any size.

 

 

We hope that you are getting lots of stitching done this summer – whatever type it is that you enjoy!  I got a little behind in my 9 Patch Project blocks but was able to catch up some during last Saturdays’ Stastbusters session.  You too can join us for Stashbusters!  We meet the 2nd Saturday and last Wednesday of each month and it is a great time to work on your projects and it is FREE!  It isn’t a class but we are here if you get stuck or need advice.  Next time I’ll post pictures of my 9 Patch blocks as well as some great new models we have in the shop.

Till next time – Happy Crafting!

Lisa

 

9 Patch Project 2011

It’s back!!  The 9 Patch Project is here again for the summer months.  You just can’t go wrong with this one and it is just plain fun!  There are no rules and nothing to buy.  You simply make one 9 patch block each day for the next three months from your stash.  Anything goes; from organized to entirely scrappy!   You can make a block a day, make several on a rainy day, make them with friends, make them at Stashbusters, exchange blocks with friends for more colors, it’s all up to you.  If you fall behind, just make a smaller quilt.  No stress here – just fun!

You can share your progress along the way or keep it a secret and surprise us.  Share pictures by email or post on our facebook page.  Bring your blocks or finished project into the shop to share.  We would love to see them all!

We officially started on June 1st, but if you are just joining us don’t worry!  Feel free to catch up with us or begin now and don’t worry about the blocks you didn’t do.  There won’t be any quilting police knocking on your door.  This year Vicki is going to continue to work on the 9 patch project she started last year in hopes of finishing it this year.

Not sure where to start?  Check out the pictures and tutorial below.

First decide what size square to use.  It doesn’t really matter but be sure to pick a size you like to work with.  For instance, I have chosen to work with 4″ squares.  Personally, I don’t care for working  with little squares and prefer a big bold block.  Others may like a 2″ square, again it is all up to you.

 

This year I have chosen to do one print through the whole quilt and pair it with different contrasting colors.  I am also going to strip piece them instead of doing individual squares.  If you are doing a scrappy quilt you will probably want to cut all your squares to start with and them assemble as you go.  For strip piecing, I am cutting 2 – 4″ wide 44″ long strips of the print and 2 strips of the same size of the contrasting color.  The strips then get cut in half (22″ long) and then get pair up.  As you see in the above picture I have one set of strips with two prints and one contrast and the other set with two contrast and one print.

Sew these strip sets together using a 1/4″ seam allowance and press towards the dark print.

These strip set will now be trimmed and cut.  I will be cutting 4″ strips since that is the size I started with, but if you started with a different size strip in the beginning than that is the size you will cut now.

When you are finished cutting you will have this:

Lay them out so you have the blocks you are going to sew together and you have this:

 

 

Here’s a neat little trick – since the seams were pressed toward the dark side, the seams nest into one another making it easy to match corners.

Sew blocks together using 1/4″ seam allowances and press seams to the dark side again.

 

Yipee!  Now there are 4 completed blocks and I am ready to move on to the next color.  Stay tuned to see what other colors I choose and how I decide to lay it out in the end when all my blocks are finished.

Till next time – happy crafting!

Lisa

May 2, 2011

We had a wonderful Spring Open House on Saturday, April 30th.  Lots of demos, lots of door prizes, so many good friends and so much fun!   Thank you for joining us.

Our May class schedule is full of delightful projects.  From your first quilt to hats and vests there is a little something for everyone.  Here are a couple of highlights.

This is not just any tote bag- this bag is lined with an insulated batting so you can keep your picnic and groceries cold or if you prefer, a hot dish hot.  As always there are so many amazing fabrics to choose from – one to match your personality to a “T” (or a friends!).

This hat comes from a marvelous pattern that offers sizes for the whole family.  It has a nice brim to keep the sun off the ears and face.  Since it is all fabric, if you don’t need it, it can be folded and stuffed into a pocket.  Make one for every outfit!

The Pocket Wallet is just that – a wallet with lots of pockets for business cards, credit cards and your receipts.  This would be perfect for keeping track of things while on a business trip or vacation.   I love the large receipt pocket in this since I have a bad habit of not putting receipts in the same place all the time and than not being able to find one when I need it.

For more on the May classes visit the website at www.VillageFabricsAndCrafts.com and click on the classes link.

Till next time- happy crafting!

Lisa

April 8th, 2011

Spring is trying to arrive – last week we had to wonder!  We really could use some good old April showers to bring in the May flowers.  We have all sorts of little green sprouts beginning to emerge from the pods of dirt in our window sill green houses.  They really like the sun!  Since Kyle helped to plant them, he checks on them everyday after school to see how they are doing.

 

Last week I finished the cutest Easter basket, but it doesn’t have to be just for Easter.  Think of all the wonderful fabrics out there!  It would be great for all holidays, birthdays as well as goodie baskets for co workers or secret pals.  This basket features Texture Magic.  If you haven’t used it yet, you need to check it out.  It is so much fun almost “magical”.  Texture Magic is placed on the backside of your fabric, then you stitch the two together using either free motion sewing or marking a grid and sewing on the lines.  After you are done stitching, it goes to the ironing board and you let the iron do the work.  The heat and the steam of the iron shrinks the Texture Magic and makes your fabric puffy and bubbly.  Once shrunk the effect is permanent – it can be washed, dried, or dry cleaned.

I LOVE bags and I don’t think you can ever have enough of them.  They are easy to make and it seems that we are always hauling stuff around with us.  Here is a picture of a bag I just finished this morning.  This bag can be used for a diaper bag and includes instructions for making a matching changing pad.  There are six pockets on the inside and optional bottle pockets if using it for a diaper bag.  I felt it would make a great beach bag so I choose this fun flip flop print.  There is lots of room for the towels and whatever else is needed.

Who likes baked potatoes?  Raise your hands high so we can count.  OK you can put your hands down now.  You have probably heard of potato bags that go in the microwave and cook your baked potato without drying it out.  Not only do we have the potato fabric for these bags we also have the organic cotton batting that goes in them also.  Check out this newly design of a microwave potato sack.

This potato bag will hold one large or two medium sized potatoes.  Wash them, put them in the sack,  tie up the top and microwave until done.  Top with your favorite toppings.  Here are some suggestions:  broccoli, mixed California blend mixed veggies, butter, bacon, cheese, sour cream – you get the picture.  Feeling a little adventurous try salsa, cheese and sour cream or chilli and cheese.   YUM!

The Spring Open House is coming soon – Saturday, April 30th from 10am – 6pm.  We will be doing demos on all our favorite tools, gadgets and patterns.  Plus, we will  continue celebrating our 25th year in business as there are lots of awesome giveaways.  Mark the calendar, gather your friends and we will see you then.

Till next time – happy crafting!

Lisa

March 15, 2011

Have you ever wondered what is in your sewing machine?  Gears, motor, wiring, etc., right?  Not only those but fabric lint, threads,  pet hair and lots of other stuff.  The amount of lint and dust that collects in a sewing machine is amazing.  You expect it in the bobbin area whether it is top loading or front loading because that is where all the action is, but did you know the lint can travel to other nooks and crannies of the sewing machine?  We took pictures of a sewing machine that came in for service to show you why your sewing machine needs to be serviced (cleaned, lubricated and adjusted).  Don’t be embarrassed if your machine hasn’t been serviced; it happens to all of us.  You think at the end of this project or after the holidays and then you get sidetracked.  However, did you know that the build up of lint and dust in your machine can effect the way the machine runs as well as the stitch quality and when the feed dogs get full of lint they can’t move and do their job.  All of these things can put a damper on the fun of sewing.

Bobbin area

A close up of lint and dust.

 

The bobbin area as well as the light bulb and wiring

Close up of light and tension adjustment

Wiring and gears past the throat area of the sewing machine.

 

After a thorough cleaning by Chuck (aka Vicki’s husband), this machine was ready to go and stitch many more miles of stitches.  We service most makes and models of machines at Village Fabrics & Crafts.  Please feel free to contact us with any questions.

 

Till next time, happy crafting!

Lisa