It's official--the summer class schedule is out! Hooray!
Our instructors have been working hard on some fantastic new projects to bring to our classrooms. We have more classes than ever and can hardly wait for summertime crafting to begin!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
New! MoMo Freebird Fabrics!
MoMo's new Freebird fabrics are here! They are so inspiring that Amber has already made herself a new a-line skirt for summer!
MoMo's bright circus-y colors and graphics are always irresistible! These prints make us so excited to sew cute tank tops and polka-dot girls dresses. The colors range from warm to cool so everyone can find a hue they love. Here is a small sampling of the amazing-ness:
Don't worry, if you can't decide between so many amazing prints, we also have pre-cut bundles of the whole collection. Choose from charm packs or layer cakes to make all of your patchwork dreams come true!
MoMo's bright circus-y colors and graphics are always irresistible! These prints make us so excited to sew cute tank tops and polka-dot girls dresses. The colors range from warm to cool so everyone can find a hue they love. Here is a small sampling of the amazing-ness:
Don't worry, if you can't decide between so many amazing prints, we also have pre-cut bundles of the whole collection. Choose from charm packs or layer cakes to make all of your patchwork dreams come true!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Better Know A Crafter: Christine Cunningham
Christine just finished her very first quilt and we love the way she put it together--it is like a cuddly, cozy rainbow. I especially love the Transformers and the faux tuxedo blocks!
Tell us about the quilt you've made.
It's my first quilt. I didn't use a pattern, I just made squares and rectangles and sewed them together on my refurbished Brother sewing machine. The quilt is for my boyfriend. I bought fabric everywhere and finished it in about a week.
How did you learn to be so crafty?
I've been crafting as long as I can remember. My mom started me off doing cross stitch as a kid.
What is your favorite animal?
A raven. Thanks! Fancy Tiger, you guys are awesome!
Thanks Christine! You are super sweet!! Happy crafting!
Christine Cunningham
I make photocopies a lot, but I'm going to for a BA in Graphic Design at AIC. I mostly do digital crafts.
What kinds of crafts you do?
Tell us about the quilt you've made.
It's my first quilt. I didn't use a pattern, I just made squares and rectangles and sewed them together on my refurbished Brother sewing machine. The quilt is for my boyfriend. I bought fabric everywhere and finished it in about a week.
How did you learn to be so crafty?
I've been crafting as long as I can remember. My mom started me off doing cross stitch as a kid.
What is your favorite animal?
A raven. Thanks! Fancy Tiger, you guys are awesome!
Thanks Christine! You are super sweet!! Happy crafting!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
New! Pico Accuardi Naturally Dyed Sock Yarn!
Pico Accuardi sock yarn is here! This sock yarn is hand-dyed in Portland, Oregon with both natural dyes and low-impact acid dyes for absolutely amazing colorways.
Here are our two current favorites:
Neon Bible (below on right) inspired by and named for the Arcade Fire album of the same name...
...and Stumptown Brown, naturally dyed with delicious Stumptown Coffee. Jaime just began knitting a latte inspired Daybreak with this and some adorably self-striping Zauberball sock yarn. I'll update you with her progress!
Here are our two current favorites:
Neon Bible (below on right) inspired by and named for the Arcade Fire album of the same name...
...and Stumptown Brown, naturally dyed with delicious Stumptown Coffee. Jaime just began knitting a latte inspired Daybreak with this and some adorably self-striping Zauberball sock yarn. I'll update you with her progress!
Friday, April 16, 2010
Jaime's Coraline!
Just in time for Summer...
You may have seen me working on this cardigan that I started back in September and I finally finished it! You all know we love patterns by Ysolda Teague and the Coraline is no different. It features smocking, a knit hem, and a slip stitch edge for a beautiful and professionally finished look. The yarn and fine gauge of the pattern give this cardigan lots of nice drape.
I made mine out of the Eco-Alpaca yarn by Cascade - it is a 100% undyed alpaca in a rich dark brown, it is so warm and soft. I finished it with three buttons from my favorite handmade button artist, The Pin Pals. I am totally in love with it! Now I'm just waiting for a mid-spring cold front to move in so I can show it off.
You may have seen me working on this cardigan that I started back in September and I finally finished it! You all know we love patterns by Ysolda Teague and the Coraline is no different. It features smocking, a knit hem, and a slip stitch edge for a beautiful and professionally finished look. The yarn and fine gauge of the pattern give this cardigan lots of nice drape.
I made mine out of the Eco-Alpaca yarn by Cascade - it is a 100% undyed alpaca in a rich dark brown, it is so warm and soft. I finished it with three buttons from my favorite handmade button artist, The Pin Pals. I am totally in love with it! Now I'm just waiting for a mid-spring cold front to move in so I can show it off.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Hello People! Meet Brini Maxwell
We are super excited to introduce you to Brini Maxwell! Brini Maxwell will be coming to Denver this June to teach Brini Maxwell's Crafts for the Masses, a large-scale class on making tassels and pom poms and implementing pom poms and tassels into your everyday life. Tickets go on sale today at Fancy Tiger Crafts for the June 19th class that will be held at the Central Denver Library. Stay tuned for more details about the class and other exciting, related events!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
New! Rural Jardin by French General and Jaime's Rouenneries Quilt!
The new French General is here and it's absolutely stunning! In the Rural Jardin collection Kaari Meng adds soft blues to her 18th century French inspired palette of classic ecru and red.
The coordinating wovens fill me with daydreams of wicker baskets, wine and picnics in the French countryside.
Rural Jardin layer cakes, charm packs and fat quarter bundles are perfect for pretty patchwork quilt projects. Check out Jaime's layer cake quilt below!
I made this queen sized quilt using two layer cakes from the previous French General collection, Rouenneries. This was my first ever quilt and it couldn't have been any easier! I just laid out the pre-cut squares and pieced them together and then I added a simple stripe border. The back is a gorgeous linen bird toile from the Rouenneries collection as well. This is the coziest quilt and only took me a weekend to complete!
Now that I have completed my first quilt I am ready to experiment with some more complicated styles. Stay tuned!
The coordinating wovens fill me with daydreams of wicker baskets, wine and picnics in the French countryside.
Rural Jardin layer cakes, charm packs and fat quarter bundles are perfect for pretty patchwork quilt projects. Check out Jaime's layer cake quilt below!
I made this queen sized quilt using two layer cakes from the previous French General collection, Rouenneries. This was my first ever quilt and it couldn't have been any easier! I just laid out the pre-cut squares and pieced them together and then I added a simple stripe border. The back is a gorgeous linen bird toile from the Rouenneries collection as well. This is the coziest quilt and only took me a weekend to complete!
Now that I have completed my first quilt I am ready to experiment with some more complicated styles. Stay tuned!
Thursday, April 08, 2010
Better Know A Crafter: Keith Parker
Keith came into the shop and purchased some laminated fabric (in a fantastic Oz print by Sanae) to reupholster his garden chairs. Less that three hours later he was back with his fancy new updated garden chairs! We love it!
Tell us about this project.
I reupholstered some garden chairs. It was easy--I just used plywood, foam and some material from Fancy Tiger, a skill saw, scissors and a big stapler.
How did you learn your crafty skills?
My parents mostly, and some DIY books.
Thanks Keith! Be careful with those power tools and happy crafting!
Keith Parker
I mainly just fix things. I think it makes things look better and more personal. I do most anything that involves power tools.
What kinds of crafty things do you like to do?
Tell us about this project.
I reupholstered some garden chairs. It was easy--I just used plywood, foam and some material from Fancy Tiger, a skill saw, scissors and a big stapler.
How did you learn your crafty skills?
My parents mostly, and some DIY books.
Thanks Keith! Be careful with those power tools and happy crafting!
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
New! Tons of New and Exciting Crafty Books!
Loads of newly published and amazing crafting books have been arriving almost daily around here! I almost can't stand how inspiring they all are. Here are some of the new store favorites.
Quilting is the new craft obsession for a few of us at Fancy Tiger Crafts, myself included, and with new fabrics arriving all the time I just dream of making patchwork quilts all day. Whip Up Mini Quilts is full of adorable quilting projects with great, modern style. Perfect timing to feed my obsession! My next project just might be the little art quilt which features hand embroidery as well as applique--cute!
Martha Stewart has done it again with this epic book chock full of great projects, tutorials and ideas. Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts covers everything you ever wanted to know about sewing and fabric crafts. Tutorials with clear pictures and directions will help crafters learn everything from embroidery to upholstery to quilting to printing on and dyeing fabric. There are so many projects--baby gifts and nursery items, bags, napkins, curtains, aprons and toys--all executed in Martha's simple and classic style. This book is a great all around sewing book and reference for the beginner or experienced seamstress.
The Homemade Home is a lovely book to help you decorate every room in the house with a handmade aesthetic. There are projects such as embroidered wall art, applique curtains and planting in teacups and tin cans. There are plenty of sewing projects, but many projects included use fabric, paper, and paint!
We have a whole ton of new Japanese crafting books in so we just featured our favorites. Here we have a needlefelting book, Small Dogs. This book will make you giddy with its cute wooly dogs (and one companion cat) and stunning photography. Picture tutorial makes it easy to use even if you don't read Japanese!
Felt Mascots is another ridiculously cute Japanese felting book. In it you will find the cutest of cute bunnies, chipmunks, finger puppets, llama, turtles, sheep, elephants, dogs, lion, birds, matryoshka and more! This book also anthropomorphizes ice cream treats, so you know we give it two thumbs up.
The Feisty Stitcher is a new sewing book that will be perfect for Summer! We love the oilcloth bike basket and the fused-plastic (re-using shopping bags) messenger bag. Great ideas for re-using materials and fun projects make this book unique.
Craft Challenge: Dozens of Ways to Repurpose a Tea Towel gives you tons of ways to upcycle a tea towel destined for greater things than drying your dishes. It includes fun and simple projects like totes, tops, aprons and slippers, toys for little ones and even a backpack for Fido! I really love the saddlebag for your bike. Bike related crafts are all the rage for summer 2010!
We love Wendy Mullin's style and her new Built by Wendy: Dresses book is no exception. This book includes three paper patterns for basic dress styles plus tons of instructions for altering each style into hip, classy, or simple designs. This book is great if you are interested in designing your own dresses but don't have experience with drafting patterns.
This highly anticipated second book by Natalie Chanin gives you more amazing Alabama Stitch Style! Alabama Studio Style has projects for home and wardrobe in Chanin's unique hand-stitched and layered style. Recipes and decorating ideas abound so you can experience Alabama style everyday!
Quilting is the new craft obsession for a few of us at Fancy Tiger Crafts, myself included, and with new fabrics arriving all the time I just dream of making patchwork quilts all day. Whip Up Mini Quilts is full of adorable quilting projects with great, modern style. Perfect timing to feed my obsession! My next project just might be the little art quilt which features hand embroidery as well as applique--cute!
Martha Stewart has done it again with this epic book chock full of great projects, tutorials and ideas. Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts covers everything you ever wanted to know about sewing and fabric crafts. Tutorials with clear pictures and directions will help crafters learn everything from embroidery to upholstery to quilting to printing on and dyeing fabric. There are so many projects--baby gifts and nursery items, bags, napkins, curtains, aprons and toys--all executed in Martha's simple and classic style. This book is a great all around sewing book and reference for the beginner or experienced seamstress.
The Homemade Home is a lovely book to help you decorate every room in the house with a handmade aesthetic. There are projects such as embroidered wall art, applique curtains and planting in teacups and tin cans. There are plenty of sewing projects, but many projects included use fabric, paper, and paint!
We have a whole ton of new Japanese crafting books in so we just featured our favorites. Here we have a needlefelting book, Small Dogs. This book will make you giddy with its cute wooly dogs (and one companion cat) and stunning photography. Picture tutorial makes it easy to use even if you don't read Japanese!
Felt Mascots is another ridiculously cute Japanese felting book. In it you will find the cutest of cute bunnies, chipmunks, finger puppets, llama, turtles, sheep, elephants, dogs, lion, birds, matryoshka and more! This book also anthropomorphizes ice cream treats, so you know we give it two thumbs up.
The Feisty Stitcher is a new sewing book that will be perfect for Summer! We love the oilcloth bike basket and the fused-plastic (re-using shopping bags) messenger bag. Great ideas for re-using materials and fun projects make this book unique.
Craft Challenge: Dozens of Ways to Repurpose a Tea Towel gives you tons of ways to upcycle a tea towel destined for greater things than drying your dishes. It includes fun and simple projects like totes, tops, aprons and slippers, toys for little ones and even a backpack for Fido! I really love the saddlebag for your bike. Bike related crafts are all the rage for summer 2010!
We love Wendy Mullin's style and her new Built by Wendy: Dresses book is no exception. This book includes three paper patterns for basic dress styles plus tons of instructions for altering each style into hip, classy, or simple designs. This book is great if you are interested in designing your own dresses but don't have experience with drafting patterns.
This highly anticipated second book by Natalie Chanin gives you more amazing Alabama Stitch Style! Alabama Studio Style has projects for home and wardrobe in Chanin's unique hand-stitched and layered style. Recipes and decorating ideas abound so you can experience Alabama style everyday!
Thursday, April 01, 2010
Better Know A Crafter: Milton
Milton is officially the first knit-along-er to finish his Daybreak! He came by the shop to show off his beautiful scarf (which we were all totally in awe of) and claim his prize. Can you believe he has been knitting for less than six months? Aaaamazing.
If you want to get in on the knit-along fun check out the details. You've got til May 1st!
Crafting helps pass the time and makes me feel creative all the time.
How did you make your awesome scarf?
I knitted the Daybreak pattern by Stephen West for the knit-along. I used Malabrigo sock yarn. It's very soft and I love the colors. It reminds me of a solar eclipse or perhaps a black hole sun. I'm making matching gloves!
How did you learn to knit?
I learned right here at Fancy Tiger. I took a Knitting 101 class this winter.
What is your favorite animal?
Sloth.
Thanks Milton! Happy knitting and crime fighting!
If you want to get in on the knit-along fun check out the details. You've got til May 1st!
Milton
Painting, sculpting, knitting, crocheting, and fighting crime.
Tell us about what kinds of crafts you do.
Crafting helps pass the time and makes me feel creative all the time.
How did you make your awesome scarf?
I knitted the Daybreak pattern by Stephen West for the knit-along. I used Malabrigo sock yarn. It's very soft and I love the colors. It reminds me of a solar eclipse or perhaps a black hole sun. I'm making matching gloves!
How did you learn to knit?
I learned right here at Fancy Tiger. I took a Knitting 101 class this winter.
What is your favorite animal?
Sloth.
Thanks Milton! Happy knitting and crime fighting!