Hemlock Tee-a-thon 2014!

It's a Hemlock Tee-a-thon over here. All day, every day just one Hemlock Tee after the other. What's the big deal, you ask? Oh, let me tell you.

1. Its a free pattern from Grainline Studio. We have been crushing hard on Jen, the mastermind behind Grainline Studio, for a while now. She makes classic and thoughtful patterns that fit great so we want to make them again and again. When she released this free pattern last fall, we were thrilled.

2. Knits. It is so fun and forgiving to sew with knits! This pattern is a "one size fits most" and is meant to be worn with a lot of positive ease for a drapey look. Forget about all your worries about fitting a garment. Knits stretch and are forgiving so you can sew this up with confidence.

3. Simple. With only 3 pattern pieces, this top comes together in the blink of an eye. Amber and I both sew them with sergers and just use a double-needle on our regular machines to finish the sleeve and bottom hem. We've got this pattern down and can make one in just an hour. Summer wardrobe = done.

4. Easy to alter. This pattern is simple and that means you can add your own touch to it without having to change it much. Amber made a cute color-blocked tee (one of Jen's suggestions) and we both made a few without sleeves.

5. Cute. Oh yeah. The best thing about this pattern is it is just so dang cute. We can't resist making it again and again and it's a win every time. We have tons of amazing print and solid knits in right now so you too, can make a million of these things.

If you're scared of sewing with knits or just want some time set aside to make one of these babies, you might consider our class that's going on this summer.

Sara will walk you through making a sleeveless version using a regular sewing machine so you won't feel like you have to go home and buy a serger as soon as you're done.

Thanks Jen!!

A Whole Bunch of Plantains!

Last week the French sewing pattern company, Deer & Doe, released a new free sewing pattern. The Plantain T-shirt is an adorable basic tee pattern with contrasting elbow patches and as soon as we saw it we knew we had to make it!

Caitlin went plantain-crazy and made 3 new tees in just a few days! She customized her tees by using a contrasting knit on the back. This first one is a drapey soft bamboo/organic cotton blend jersey and a cute floral from her stash.

Amber used an organic cotton/soy french terry in Aubergine, which stitched up into the coziest tee around!

Jaime picked a hemp/organic cotton fleece in her current favorite minty green color and added a teeny pocket detail. The three of us went for the 3/4 length sleeve option, one of Plantain's three sleeve lengths.

Sara joined in the t-shirt making fun and made a long-sleeve Plantain in organic cotton jersey with hemp/cotton stripe embellishment.

Sara added a cute pocket and finished her collar in her coordinating stripe, for maximum adorableness.

The unstoppable Caitlin made this cozy Plantain in soft grey with a coordinating lavender stripe and embellished it with a pocket and contrasting back.

Caitlin embellished her orange stripe tee with sleeve tabs and buttons. So cute!

Jaime and I couldn't resist using a scrap of Caitlin's adorable floral jersey as our elbow-patch embellishment. Matching Plantain Tees for all!

Six is Swell!

Fancy Tiger is Six!

We had a blast on Saturday at our 6 year anniversary party. Thanks to everyone who came out it was our busiest day in the history of Fancy Tiger! When we arrived at the store there were already some fancy fans lined up to be the first to celebrate.

We had a special gift for the first 150 people, thanks to our fantastic vendors who donated tons of prizes!

There were new bumper stickers and temporary tattoos for all, and the tats were a total hit! Everyone was looking pretty tough.

Also...new Fancy Tiger Crafts tees were printed! There are still some of these available if you were unable to attend this Saturday.

We were delighted when our friend Nohl stopped by to show off his fancy tiger face paint!

We had, as usual, some tiny, adorable customers showing their Fancy Tiger pride. You can tell these crafty girls have good taste--one is already a Liberty of London fan!

Sweet Action Ice Cream gave us a fantastic birthday present--our very own ice cream flavor! Fancy Peanut Butter has chocolate covered pretzels in it. Yum!

Thanks, everyone who came out to celebrate with us! And thanks, Denver, for 6 fantastic years of craftiness.

New! Bamboo Knit Jersey!

New at Fancy Tiger Crafts--bamboo jersey! We are so excited about sewing with jersey. This silky and stretchy bamboo fabric is naturally antibacterial, unbelievably soft and perfect for making your own tees or supersoft undies.

If you've never sewn with jersey before we have a great book with patterns and tips to get you going. Sew U Home Stretch by Wendy Mullin is a great intro to working with stretchy knits and includes customizable patterns for tees, tops, hoodies and dresses.


Emily already made this super adorable t-shirt! She made a pattern out of one of her favorite t-shirts and now she has another favorite bamboo t-shirt! So cute!