Staff Holiday Gift Picks: Part 1

Welcome to the 2011 gift picks from our fanciest of Fancy Tiger staff!

Being surrounded every day by the most amazing craft supplies of all time is pretty great, and it gives us a lot of time to think about our favorite items. Here is what we are dreaming of, and what might just be the perfect thing for someone crafty on your gift list...

 Hey ya'll Jess here! After being out of the country for 8 months, it was such a delight coming back to my crafty land here at Fancy Tiger. I missed so many incredible new items! Throughout my travels I fell in love with the Korean craft scene. When the Neo Stitch cross stitch case for the Iphone 4 arrived from Korea, I got weak in the knees. My head was full of magical ideas--all of course inspired by adorable Asia--ranging from Hello Kitty to a heart filled love portrait of me and my boyfriend. This kit comes with a chart book, a needle, and thread! What more could you ask for?! I'll tell you what else you could ask for.... more thread! My Neo Stitch companion would be Anna Maria Horner's inspired palette of embroidery floss, which adds 12 more colors to work with. Way happy fun times ahead for me and making my phone a case full of love and joy. Annyeong hi gaseyo! (goodbye!)

 

Hi, it's Amber here! This winter I'm all about staying cozy. Sarah, one of the amazing Fancy Tiger instructors, keeps making the most cozy and fashionable tops from our eco-friendly jerseys. Two of the classes I'm itchin' to take are Sarah's Serger 101 and 201 classes! Covered are skills on the serger, plus, in the 201 class you get to make the most flattering and comfy sweatshirt of all time. A gift certificate for these sewing classes paired with a couple yards of our hemp/organic cotton jersey would be a pretty awesome treat for a sewer who wants to expand their sewing repertoire!

This Yule my heart belongs to me...and Tracie! Tracie is the name of a two ply, sport weight yarn by Imperial Stock Ranch. It is rustic enough to hold strong through years of tough winters, and soft enough to wear casually. Tracie is extremely beautiful, and has a lofty attitude. After much frustration trying to find the perfect sweater pattern for myself, I have been inspired by the great Ysolda Teague to design my own sweater. Tracie and I have learned that designing a sweater incorporates a lot of math, and planning. While we were squishing each other at Fancy Tiger, a good friend recommended the book Sweater Design In Plain English by Maggie Righetti. At a glance, Tracie and I were excited to see that somebody had spent time developing a step-by-step book about how to design an array of sweaters based on individual gauge and yarn choice. When I looked deeper into the book, I learned that it had much more information about techniques, taking proper measurements, yarn choice, color theory. Perfect! When I wake up on the day of this winter festival, I hope to find Tracie, in the colorways Canyon Shadow and Pearl Grey, resting next to the book Sweater Design In Plain English. We'll keep each other warm and cozy for years to come!

 

Hi everybody! I'm Amy and you know I love me some modern quilting! So when I saw this hot new quilt book, Modern Blocks, arrive this month, it was love at first sight. 99 killer blocks by some of my favorite modern quilt designers- it's seriously a slice of heaven. I'm drooling over the newspaper boat block on page 166, with Heather Ross mermaids swimming in the sea below- how rad is that?! I love how there's a fantastic range of skill level and style in this book- from a simple appliqued circle, to intricate paper pieced designs, there's something for everyone. I would love for Santa to leave this book under my tree, along with a delicious Tula Pink Prince Charming fat quarter bundle. 30 yummy fat quarters to quilt to my little heart's desire. The stack is so cute though, it might take me awhile to get the nerve to take off the ribbon! 

Hello! I'm Tymla, I'm new to Fancy Tiger Crafts and I am super excited to be working in such a creative and fun environment! My first love is crochet, I can crochet with my eyes closed, but working here has given me a chance to expand my knowledge and skills in many other crafts. I am very focused on improving my knitting skills, there are so many beautiful knit patterns out there that I can't wait to make. This is why I really want Stephen West's third book, Westknits Book Three. My first knit project was the Daybreak pattern in his first book, which turned out great! Now I'm ready to make the Thendara pattern out of Book Three, it's a light weight, angular, striped scarf that I will wear with everything! I'm a big fan of clothing that I can throw in the washing machine with everything else, so I think Madeline Tosh DK in Olivia and Antler will be perfect. It will be super soft and warm. And don't forget your needles!!! Happy knitting!

 

  

We hope you are having a great holiday! Check back tomorrow for the rest of our gift picks--even shop dog Branwyn has something she thinks you will like!

Dan's Fabric Basket with Sashiko

Hi, it's Dan here. I just finished a springtime project that I wanted to share.

Sometimes it is necessary to take a break from busy schedules and large projects to make a quick and rewarding end product. This simple lunch bag pattern is the perfect thing! This project would be an adorable handmade "basket" for a child to use during an Easter egg hunt. It is great as a reusable alternative to throw away lunch bags. Might I suggest one made with natural linen on the outside, and undyed cotton muslin for the lining? Children will appreciate a lunch bag made out of their favorite fabrics and colors.

This pattern is from the book, Linen, Wool, Cotton, originally written in Japanese, but now available in English. The book focuses on using natural fabrics in modern applications and is beautifully photographed. The projects are mostly simple and extremely inspiring.

The finished bag is completely reversible, with all of its seams hidden, and is a perfect introduction to making reversible or lined bags. It lends itself nicely to most fabrics and prints. For the lining fabric, I decided to use a double gauze print by Nani Iro, one of my favorites. For my main fabric, I used a complementary Kona cotton solid.

It just so happens that I also love Sashiko, a Japanese embroidery technique. It is a simple running stitch that can take any handmade item to the next level of uniqueness with little preparation. I used a simple little Sashiko motif to personalize my bag.

After assembling and adorning a few of these lunch bags I am now ready to experiment with the pattern and techniques I learned to create larger reversible bags.

Staff Holiday Gift Picks: Dan & Jess

Welcome to part two of our staff holiday gift picks. Today Dan and Jess are sharing their favorite things!

I'm Dan, and I am fortunate enough to have the best job on Earth! I am an avid knitter, beginner spinner, a scene-ster seam-ster, and a creative collaborator. I am always looking for ways to perfect my skills, share my knowledge, and empower others to make and do things on their own!

Colette Negroni Pattern $16
Mustard Plaid Cotton Flannel $10

Finally! A men's shirt pattern by Colette! I have been waiting for the right shirt pattern to come along that has a modern fit and appearance, I will be making more than a few of these! What could be more perfect for cold weather than a fashionable new shirt made out of our new Windham cotton flannel? This flannel is the right color, and is extremely soft.

Addi Click Knitting Needle Set $168

Being the avid knitter that I am, the Addi Turbo Click set would completely cease my need to buy new needles when I start new projects that require sizes that I don't already have. There is so much versatility with the Addi Turbo Click set any passionate knitter would be most thankful to receive this for a holiday gift. This is the ULTIMATE gift to give the knitters in your life!

Knitter's Almanac Commemorative Edition $24.95

The Knitter's Almanac is my current favorite book in our store. It's a classic, and is written whimsically by Elizabeth Zimmermann. There is endearing narrative amongst simple and fun-to-make patterns. This is an almanac, with appropriate patterns for each month of the year. The book covers such a wide variety of patterns from socks, to mittens, hats, shawls, sweaters, baby accessories, holiday ornaments, and even a few sweater patterns. This book is an essential in a knitter's library.



Hi! Its me, Jess! Yay!! There are so many AMAZING things that come through Fancy Tiger, it was so hard to choose just a few! But at least you know they are way great, 'cause here they are!

Tula Pink Parisville Jelly Roll $24

I just recently made my first quilt, and I made it out of a jelly roll, I love them! The new Tula Pink collection, Parisville, is perfect for a new throw. I want to snuggle up under this by the fire. If you haven't seen this collection yet- a woman has hair shaped like A SHIP... whoa, awesome.

Little Birds $15.95

HOW CUTE?!?! I want Little Birds so I can make a frenzy of forest friends! Especially the peacock...

Heritage Sock Yarn $14

Whimsical Little Knits $20

We just picked up the Cascade Heritage Sock Yarn, and it is so dreamy! I have been eyeing the Ishbel pattern by Ysolda Teague, but I decided the whole book is necessary! Just look at how talented she is in making those patterns perfect. Can't wait to get started! (hint hint)

Thanks Dan and Jess! Join us tomorrow for Cat and Emily's picks of the season!