Cricket Looms are here from Schacht!

Welcome Weaving!! We are so excited to be carrying the Cricket Loom from local manufacturer Schacht.

The Cricket Loom is a great addition to any fiber enthusiast's tool box. It is large enough to make 15" wide fabrics and is a great introduction to the world of weaving. This kit comes with everything you need to begin your first project, including two skeins of yarn and instructions for set up. The Cricket Loom is a rigid heddle loom which is one of the simplest weaving tools to learn on.

The size of the loom makes it easy to store, so why not learn another craft? It is portable, light and oh-so-fun! We have one set up in the shop so everyone is welcome to stop by and check it out. Weave a few rows and see how easy and addictive weaving is!

Dan got a Cricket a few weeks ago and has already woven several projects. We love these hemp houndstooth washcloths! Dan is willing to give anyone who buys a Cricket a 1 hour set up session to get started on their loom.

Look forward to weaving classes this fall with Liz Gipson - we can't wait!

Quilt Market Report Spring 2012

Amber and I just got back from Kansas City for the Spring Quilt Market! This is where we get to shop for all the amazing fabrics and patterns we carry here at the store. We also get to meet and talk to fabric designers, pattern designers, bloggers and other shop owners. It was super amazing and we were really impressed with the strength of the new collections. Here are some highlights:

Amy Butler has a new collection coming out this July, Cameo. Her booth was a beautiful mix of vintage with her bright prints forming a fun contrast.

Anna Maria Horner's newest collection for Free Spirit is Field Study due in August. Natural elements such as feathers, flora and fauna inspire these designs. We loved the life-sized crouching leopard decoupaged with fabric!

Can you believe this quilt?! The pattern for this strip-pieced quilt by Anna Maria Horner will be available as a free pattern for her Field Study fabrics through the Free Spirit website. I can hardly wait to make one - it was stunning.

We really love what's going on over at Cloud 9. This organic fabric company started out so tiny and is growing into the most adorable fabric company of all time. Their current and upcoming collections are awesome, and they keep working with amazing artists. We have Monsterz in stock now so here is some inspiration with these awesome baby quilts.

Seven Seas is another Michele Brummer Everett collection for Cloud 9 coming out this summer. More of her adorable drawings, but this time with a maritime theme. Those little boys shirts are too cute!

We were thrilled that Denyse Schmidt had her first ever booth at quilt market. Her booth was amazing and featured an inspiration wall for her upcoming collection, Chicopee. We went ahead and ordered the full collection so you are all set come August.

We also got to see all of her quilts from her newest book in person - talk about inspiration! Meeting Denyse was awesome - she was lovely and it was so magical to chat with one of our favorite quilters.

The buzz of quilt market was the new Liberty of London quilting cottons. Quilt Market was the debut of this new venture for Liberty and we think it's going to be amazing! Their first collection is called Bloomsbusy Gardens and each of the 11 prints comes in 5 colorways. We ordered a ton of it, so you can quilt with Liberty to your heart's content come late August. The Liberty quilting cottons will be much more affordable than their Tana Lawn counterparts, but you can expect the same great designs and colors.

Melody Miller had a booth! Yay! Her booth was a perfect picture of her unique, vintage-inspired style and highlighted her newest collection for Kokka, Ruby Star Vinyl.

We couldn't resist a photo-op with the lady herself!

Oh Tula Pink. So much awesome fabric and I can't believe this Gem quilt!! Tula Pink has another new collection hitting the shop in July called The Birds and The Bees. We love the bright colors, but mostly I can't wait to get my hands on it so I can make this quilt.

Here we are with Ms. Pink in front of this amazing Gem Quilt. Looks pretty good, right?

And now here are some sneak peeks from the land-of-all-awesome-Japanese-fabric, Seven Islands! There will be a new Echino collection coming out featuring birds and animals, our favorite. I couldn't get over the giraffes and owls in ornate frames and of course the hipster deer-in-glasses polka dot print. The zebras are looking pretty hot too. We ordered all of it and several laminates so don't worry - there will be plenty to choose from.

Fancy Tiger favorite, Nani Iro, has a new collection out as well. She is working with some new and different colors and designs that we are excited about.

Finally we will leave you with this double gauze tunic - we need to make this!

Lots of great stuff is on the way - we didn't even show you the new Lizzy House, Moda, Sarah Jane, Lotta Jansdotter, Bari J., Dear Stella, Blend or Alexander Henry fabrics! OMG so much awesome stuff to sew!

ManCub EP Sewing Party = Crafty Fun

We recently hosted a sewing party for ManCub--local electronic and super crafty band extraordinaire. Getting ready for their EP release, ManCub and friends descended on our classroom and stitched up 400 repurposed-denim cd sleeves!

Volunteers dropped in all day to help out with this epic sewing project. Everyone was welcome to come join in and cut or stitch the sleeves for their new EP.

You can purchase these limited edition handcrafted goodies at their release party this Friday at Larimer Lounge.

And without further ado, here is ManCub's newest single, Science. We promise you will dance.

Fabric Giveaway! New Night Shade Fabrics from Tula Pink!

Just last week you heard me gush about our love of Tula Pink and her eclectic style. She has really out-done herself with her newest fabric collection for Free-Spirit, Night Shade. Usually we talk about how fabrics are "so cute" and "adorbz", but Night Shade demands words like spooky, dark, witchy and goth. We LOVE it! There are 5 different prints titled, "Coven," "Storm Clouds," "Raven Lace," "Apothecary," and "Spider Blossom" in three colorways "Evening Shade," "Absinthe," and "Vapor." We're sure that Night Shade will add some magic to your sewing projects and perhaps just a hint of darkness.

We are so excited to see what you all make with this collection, we are offering a giveaway of a set of 5 fat quarters including every print in the colorway of your choice! To enter the giveaway just leave a comment on this blog post by Friday May 25th at 5pm, telling us the perfect Night Shade project for you.

Be sure to include in your comment:

• Your email address (important!)
• Describe a project you would like to make from Tula's Night Shade fabrics
• Your choice of colorway (Absinthe-Green, Vapor-Blue, Evening Shade-Purple)

Winners will be chosen at random and announced on May 26th by 5pm. So mote it be.

Pear Drop KAL Superstars!

We had a blast with our Pear Drop knit-along! Can you tell we are proud of our gorgeous lace shawls?

Jaime was the mastermind behind this KAL. She was one of the first to power through the Ysolda Teague pattern, knitting it in the mysterious steely blue Wine Gum colorway of Scrumptious Lace.

The award for quickest knitter goes to Pink, who whipped up her lace shawl in just four weeks! Pink used Malabrigo Lace in Verde Esperanza.

I made my Pear Drop in Scrumptious Lace in Midnight. I finished mine on a 12 hour flight back from China--the perfect time to work on a lace knitting project if you can't sleep on planes! I love the way the lace blocked out on this delicate little thing.

Betsy made the larger size of the shawl--a nice size to wear around the shoulders. She knit it up in Scrumptious Lace Treacle Toffee. Lovely!

Caitlyn may not be wearing her shawl yet, but we are dang proud of her! This is her first lace project and she hasn't been knitting long, but she's doing amazing! She chose Gold in Scrumptious Lace. She's almost done with the lace edging and then the middle of the shawl will be cake!

Chase chose Teal Blue for her shawl and it looks fantabulous. She wins the award for best smile!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the knit-along! You are all amazing!

Crafty New Books!

It's that time of year again! Every spring and fall, we get inundated with tons of new books! This spring's new books will keep you crafting all summer long! Here's the lowdown on some of our fave new releases.

1) Happy Home Jennifer Paganelli  |  2) So Pretty Crochet Amy Palanjian  |  3) Unravel Lanoo Books  |  4) Improv Sewing Nicole Blum & Debra Immergut  |  5) Fabrics A to Z Dana Willard  |  6) Quilts from the House of Tula Pink Tula Pink  |  7) Circular Knitting Workshop Margaret Radcliffe  |  8) Finishing School Deborah Newton  |  9) Mom & Me Knits Stefanie Japel

1. Happy Home by Jennifer Paganelli. You are probably familiar with Ms. Paganelli because she designs fantastic fabrics for FreeSpirit and she has also written the fun girl's sewing book, Girl's World. Her new book from Chronicle captures her unique style and love of bright colors. Happy Home features sewing projects for everything from bags to dog beds to banners, pillows and quilts.

2. So Pretty Crochet by Amy Palanjian. So Pretty Crochet features 24 crochet accessories projects from 12 different designers. All of the projects are beautiful and delicate with a Victorian flare. If you are interested in making jewelry, mittens or cuffs there is lots to inspire in this stylish book. Some interesting crocheted banners and bags round out the offerings.

3. Unravel. Unravel is a book you will want to display on your coffee table and look at again and again. It details the fashion of knitwear from the 1930's through the present. There are tons of beautiful photographs, vintage ads, and drawings. 

4. Improv Sewing by Nicole Blum and Debra Immergut. Nicole and Debra were just at Fancy Tiger Crafts doing a demo from this awesome new book and we are all converts of their style and approach to sewing with knits. They take the fear out of sewing with jersey through simple, yet classic styles and easy to follow advice and tutorials. They show you how to draft your own patterns so you can make clothes that fit great. This book is perfect for the sewist who is ready to explore the wonderful world of sewing with knits!

5. Fabrics A to Z by Dana Willard. There are so many wonderful books on sewing and finally there is a wonderful book on fabrics! This in depth guide details every type of fabric imaginable and talks about properties, how to care for them, and how to work with them. There are also sections on ribbons, buckles, zippers and tools - a must have book for every serious sewer.

6. Quilts from the House of Tula Pink by Tula Pink. Amber and I are really lucky because twice a year we get to go to quilt market and meet people like Tula Pink. We love her! Her booth is always spectacular because of her amazing quilts. She comes up with interesting designs that are both unique and gorgeous. We are so excited that she has a book out that captures the spirit of her booths at market. There are 20 quilt projects in this book, but also fantastic things like shower curtains, lampshades, and pillows. Now we can all experience the magic that is Tula Pink!

7. Circular Knitting Workshop by Margaret Radcliffe. This new book is a great reference for any lover of circular knitting, or anyone who wants to learn about circular knitting. There are techniques for converting patterns to be worked in round and various methods of circular knitting are explained in detail with great photos. In addition to all of this reference-style information, there are tons of great patterns for everything from hats and mittens to shawls, sweaters, and socks.

8. Finishing School by Deborah Newton. This is another great reference-style book for serious knitters. This book covers everything you'd need to know to properly finish a piece. There are various techniques and tutorials for blocking as well as seaming techniques.  Ms. Newton even goes over how to sew on a button or install a zipper. Fantastic!

9. Mom and Me Knits by Stefanie Japel. We love Stefanie Japel and are so excited about her newest book, Mom and Me Knits. Stefanie lives here in Denver so we have the pleasure of knowing her and her 2 adorable daughters. Mom and Me Knits features beautiful, classic knits that are sized for both mom's and their daughters. It was wonderful to host Stefanie this past weekend for a release party for this book. If you haven't picked up your copy yet, there are still signed copies to be had!

New book titles are coming in every day--next time you stop in we'd be happy to show you our favs!

Amber's Jasmine

I've been eyeing this dainty little floral print from Japan for a bit. I finally decided it wanted to be a blouse and I knew it would be Collette's Jasmine.

This classy little top is cut on the bias, which means no pesky buttonholes or zippers to put in! It also makes it such an easy top to wear--with a flattering fit that accentuates your lady-like shape without being too fitted.

I chose a solid voile for the collar and this light weight fabric is perfect for the sweet tie at the collar.

I love it!

New Fancy Tiger Merch!

We've been crafting up some new fancy merch and we hope you like them!

Fancy Tiger Crafts sewing kits just made their debut, with a variety of our fabrics adorning their cute little pincushion lids. Inside are all the supplies you or your favorite sewist could need!

Thread snips, thimble, tape measure, pins, sewing thread, 3 types of hand sewing needles, seam ripper and pincushion--you'll be set!

We are also offering our screenprinted mason jars for sale. Mine has already become my favorite to-go cup for a latte on the go!

New Fancy Tiger project bags are the perfect thing to take along your current project and show off your Fancy Tiger pride. You choose--neon pink or charcoal!

Our project bags are printed on fair trade and eco-friendly un-dyed organic cotton. Hooray for our planet!

Better Know A Crafter: Holly Augustine

Holly and her mom have been coming in for weeks buying fabric and planning the borders for this quilt. We couldn't wait to see it!

Holly Augustine

Tell us about your crafty self.
I love to quilt, make handbags and clothes. I'm inspired by how much you can do with fabric, it makes me want to be crafty. I like to sew and am getting into English paper piecing.

Tell us about your quilt.
I made a queen sized quilt using an improvised pattern. It is made with Urban Cowgirl fabric from Moda and muslin.

The back of Holly's quilt is pretty spectacular too!

How did you learn to sew?
I learned from my mom, grandma and aunt.

What is your favorite animal?
Horses! My horse is named Boyfriend.

Thanks Holly! Happy quilting!

Fancy Tiger Crafts in Mollie Makes!

We are thrilled to be in the current issue of  Mollie Makes magazine!

This adorbz to the max-azine from the UK is one of our favorite things, and we couldn't be more excited to share it's pages with some of our favorite crafters like Lotta Jansdotter, Melody Miller, Quince and Co and loads of inspiring folks.

Come by soon to pick up your copy--we don't think they will last long as our moms have already called dibs on a few!