For fresh, modern and unique fabrics stop by Contemporary Cloth Inc. - online fabric store.



Thursday, January 21, 2010

NEW ARRIVALS - Here is our entire category....

Theses are a few of our most recent new arrivals:

From RJR Fabrics (more colorways and designs available) .......








Kaufman's Vera's Garden Collection (more colorways and designs available):








Kaufman's Chasing the Rainbow II - Sherrill Kahn (more colorways and designs available)










Michael Miller Fabrics (more colorways available)








Just a few of our Alexander Henry Fabrics - cottons and home dec collection (more designs and colorways available)
















Fat Quarters - we are still  uploading fat quarter packs from our new collections!
Here is on example below from Kaufman's Mingle Collection.......



Stop by our website to see ALL of our many new arrivals!!!

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Craft Hope for Haiti

Here is the information about Craft Hope, as stated on the Craft Hope website:
The Craft Hope for Haiti Etsy shop is now open! There are some amazing handmade items in the shop. Please support Doctors Without Borders by either donating a handmade item or shopping in our Etsy store.

Our Etsy shop will benefit Doctors Without Borders, with 100% of the proceeds going to them. The medical need in Haiti right now is acute. The Doctors Without Borders existing facilities are so badly damaged, they are no longer functional. Post-earthquake medical care will be from tents. So far they have treated 1,500 people – 500 of them need immediate major surgery. There are no facilities to do this in Haiti currently. An inflatable hospital should be arriving in Haiti today.

The shop will remain open as long as we have donations to fill it up! Thanks to everyone for spreading a little hope to those in Haiti.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Tutorial - How to Sew a T-Shirt Quilt Pillow

I make t-shirt quilts for my nieces and nephews as they graduate high school.  My son will be graduating this year so I will finally get a chance to clear out a few of the 40 or so t-shirts in his closet!  When I'm making the quilts, I use 12 t-shirt sides.  Sometimes the kids can't narrow down their favorites, so I make a pillow (or two) with the extras.  Today, I'll share with you how to make a pillow based on my t-shirt quilt "block".


Materials:
• 2 t-shirt sides, washed
• 1 yard of fusible interfacing (Pellon 906F, 911FF)
• 1/2 yard of fabric for border, washed
• 18” pillow form



Notes on Materials:

• Use a t-shirt front and back or two separate t-shirts.
• The border fabric can be a contrast or coordinating fabric. I have used polka-dots, tie-dye, and anything that does not have a directional pattern.  My pillow fabric is Oxygen.

• Prewash the t-shirts and border fabric to preshrink them, especially if they are brand new.
• It isn’t necessary to use an interfacing specifically designed for knits. The t-shirts will not need stretch for the pillow. The interfacing is added for stability and ease of sewing.
• Pillow forms are available in many sizes. If you decide to make another size, you will want your completed square to be one inch larger than the pillow form. So if you want to make a 16” pillow, then you will design the square to be 17” before sewing the two sides together.
• When cutting the t-shirt into a square, I use an Omnigrid that has been custom cut to a 13 ¼” square template. You can make a cardboard template or simply measure and mark a square.

Instructions:

1. Rough cut square: The application of interfacing can cause the shirt to shrink so I cut a larger square than needed. Place template over the desired area of the t-shirt. Cut the t-shirt out with an extra inch around the edges.



2. Cut Border Fabric Strips:

              Cut 4 strips 3 ½ x 13 ¼
              Cut 4 strips 3 ½ x 19 ¼


 
3. Apply interfacing: Apply the interfacing per the manufacturer’s instructions to the back side of the t-shirt.
When I have large areas to fuse, I take an old plastic tub and fill it with water so that I can quickly dampen the hanky I use as my press cloth.



Place the t-shirt on your ironing board with the logo side down. Then place the interfacing on, covered by a damp hanky. Fuse using a dry iron. When the hanky stops steaming, the fusing is typically complete.



4. Cut the T-Shirts to 13 1/4" Square:  I use my Omnigrid to center the t-shirt design and cut using a rotary cutter.







5. Assemble and Sew Pillow Top and Bottom: Pin the shorter border pieces to the top and bottom of the t-shirt.



Sew or serge using a ¼” seam. Press the stitching line and then press seams toward the border. When pressing, especially from the right side, avoid pressing the t-shirt logo. It can melt!



Now pin the longer border pieces to the sides of the t-shirt. Sew and press.



You now have a completed t-shirt block.  Repeat for other t-shirt.




5. Prepare the Squares for Sewing:  I use a handy tip from "Singer Sewing Step by Step" (what a steal that was!  I can't believe I left the price tag on.)



I modify the pillow squares to remove excess fabric in the corners. Fold the fabric into fourths. Mark a point halfway between the corner and the fold on each open side.  t the corner, mark a point 1/2" from each raw edge.



Trim from the corner to the center marks.




6. Sew the Top to the Bottom: Pin and sew the two squares together using a ¼” seam allowance. Leave an opening in the bottom to insert the pillow form. I usually leave about 10” open.





7. Turn Inside Out, Press Seams and Press Under 1/4" on open edge.





8. Insert Pillow Form and Hand Sew Opening: Pin the opening closed and sew closed using a slip stitch.





Enjoy your pillow!


Monday, January 11, 2010

New Arrival! Geometrix

Another new geometric collection in two colorways, this one has a retro-look twist in brown, gold and burgundy & orange, pink, yellow and purple. Here are some of the fabrics from the Geometrix Collection below:



Friday, January 8, 2010

Happy Valentine's Day...early!


Are you starting your special gifts and looking for pink and red fabrics for your Valentine's Day projects? Well, we have a great selection here! We have over 108 fabrics with red and over 71 with pink, and actually there are many more! Just do a search in our catalog under the color and they will all display.
Here is an idea from the Sew For Home Blog: fun, quick and easy Valentine Heart Sachets and Valentine aprons patterns.
Here are some fabric ideas: Gallery in Red, Ava Rose, House, Cherie and more.
Here are some fabrics from the Cherie Collection......

Thursday, January 7, 2010

New Arrival! - Nana's Garden

Looking for some soft floral fabrics, maybe for a baby quilt or a quilt for your bedroom? Nana's Garden just arrived! Arlene Neely of Rabbits Haven brings a true “breath of spring” in her premiere fabric collection, Nana's Garden! Arlene’s signature style of using soft watercolors and stitchery motifs in her quilt patterns translates perfectly to these lovely fabrics.



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