Arizona Tops!

Jaime and I couldn't resist whipping up some garments from April Rhodes' debut Arizona collection!

 

Amber's Scout 64 Mash-up

Pattern: Scout Tee by Grainline Studio x Top 64 by Merchant and Mills
Fabric: 1/2 yard Arizona Canyon Walls & 1 yard Chambray Union Light
Size Made: Scout Tee - size 4, Top 64 - size 10
Alterations: I mixed the two patterns together (upper part of Scout with bottom/pockets of Top 64)

I love April's Canyon Wall print mixed with this Robert Kaufman Chambray Union!

I decided to do a garment "mash-up", mixing the classic and simple Scout Tee from Jen of Grainline Studio with the pocket construction I fell in love with from Merchant & Mills' Top 64. Every garment needs pockets!

I traced out my Scout Tee pattern onto Swedish tracing paper to make my alterations. The top half of my tee is the Scout Tee, and the bottom pieces are drafted from the Top 64, just changing the side seams to match the shape of the Scout Tee.

The summery golden geometric and lightweight chambray is perfect for my summer wardrobe, and the pockets are the perfect place to stash interesting stones and feather finds. Using the Canyon Walls print for the pocket panel and the bias neck finish allows me to wear this mustard-y color that I love, but I feel I can only wear in small doses.

Jaime's Voile Bianca 

Pattern: Bianca by Made by Rae
Fabric: 1 3/4 yd Triangle Tokens Voile
Size Made: small
Alterations: none

Bianca is a new pattern from Made by Rae of Washi Dress fame. I love Rae's simple yet interesting women's patterns and wanted to check this new one out immediately.

There is one voile print in April's Arizona collection and it is lovely. The super-soft fabric features a light triangle print with metallic triangles every so often. I love it. Art Gallery is known for their soft hand and their voile take this to another level. Beautiful drape and flow make this fabric the perfect choice for summer garments.

This pattern was quick to sew up. It can be made as a top or dress. I love the cut out neckline and the shirred waist. The shirt has an easy fit that is both flattering and comfortable to wear. This top has a super summery feel to it thanks to the soft aqua color and lightweight feel of the fabric. This will get heavy rotation this season. Bianca is currently available as a digital download here.

We have plenty of these inspiring fabrics in stock so let the summer sewing games begin!

April Rhodes: Arizona has arrived!

Beloved designer April Rhodes' first fabric line has arrived: Arizona. It is simply stunning! Arizona is inspired by April's love for the Southwest and tribal design. Growing up in the Midwest helped create her wanderlust for the Southwest. Surrounding herself with photos and dreams of traveling there, she developed her own modern take on the colors and beauty, and this fabric line was destined to happen!

Arizona has a stunning soft, current color palette and an incredible modern take on the Southwest's unique style and flair.

This garment friendly collection is not only offered in Art Gallery's silky pima cottons--it also comes in a voile! And KNITS!! We couldn't ask for more! All of us here at Fancy Tiger have projects lined up to make out of Arizona. Don't worry, we ordered several bolts of everything so we all can have enough!

Check back on Wednesday to see what Jaime has already whipped up!

Quilt Market Report Spring 2014

-jaime

Amber and I just returned from 4 whirlwind days in Pittsburgh to attend the 2014 Quilt Market! This is a trade show where we get to see and order all the upcoming fabric lines, meet the designers and authors, get inspired by new quilts, and brainstorm ideas with other shop owners. We are always so inspired to sew after we go to Quilt Market! Here are our top picks for new and exciting fabrics coming up.

April Rhodes in her awesome booth!

Art Gallery Fabrics has a new Limited Edition division they have launched. April Rhodes, Sew Caroline, Sara Lawson are the three new designers for these collections, which we love! All of these limited releases include voile and knits in addition to quilting cottons. April Rhodes' Arizona fabrics will be here later this month. Her booth at quilt market was stunning, displaying her very cool collection.

Next at Art Gallery, we met the charming Caroline Hulse of Sew Caroline. Her bright, poppy collection Gleeful will be available in July, for cheery summertime sewing.

Sew Caroline in her sweet booth!

Thomas Knauer was at market to promote his new book, Modern Quilt Perspective. The "12 patterns for meaningful quilts" each have a really interesting story and concept behind their design. We were able to see the quilts from the book in person and chat with Thomas about the story behind each one. We are thrilled to host him in Denver this November for a book signing event so stay tuned to find out the details.

Mr. Knauer signing books in his awesome booth!

Speaking of new books...Tasia of Sewholic was there from Vancouver! Tasia was promoting her new book, Sewtionary. It was so great to meet her--look how cute her top is out of her newest pattern, the Belcarra Blouse! Sewtionary is an awesome resource book that every sewist will want to have in their library. We can't wait for it to get here in early July.

Tasia of Sewholic - isn't she cute?!

We recently featured the new American Made Brand fabrics on our Instagram (@fancytigercrafts), but we have to show you again because they are so exciting. These are new cotton solids from Clothworks that are entirely grown, spun, woven and dyed in the USA. Modern quilter, Heather Jones is the spokesperson for this new fabric and has made some beautiful quilts out of it already. The icing on top for this sustainable fabric is a very affordable price point. These should be here this June.

Heather Jones!

Violet Craft has a new collection for Michael Miller, Brambleberry Ridge. Oh man, did we love this. The mix of sweet florals, geometrics, and woodland creatures were all highlighted with metallic ink - so precious! Her upcoming quilt pattern features paper pieced animals and birds - I am going to make a hawk pillow stat. Brambleberry Ridge will be here this July.

A new Violet Craft quilt pattern on the left and a detail of a print from Brambleberry Ridge on the right.

Alison Glass was debuting her newest collection for Andover, Handcrafted. This collection was really different from anything we saw at market. Alison designed these prints using the traditional wax-resist method of making batik fabric, but they have a look that is all Alison Glass. All these fabrics will be hand-printed and therefore completely unique with no yardage exactly the same. This printing method also means the fabrics have a lovely hand that will lend itself well to both garment and quilt-making. Alison's booth was inspiring with her lovely quilts and embroidery.

Us and Alison Glass in her awesome booth

Some of Alison Glass' amazing quilts. Those are her new fabrics draped on the chair...

We loved this new quilt design by Alison Glass, Timber.

You know how we feel about Nani Iro around here. It's no surprise that we are in love with Naomi Ito's newest collection. These dreamy prints will be here in June, but Amber and I were able to come home with 1/2 meter bundles so we can sew up quilts before then. We can't wait to show you what we make...

Ok, the moment you've all been waiting for...Cotton and Steel! Yes, we saw it! Yes, it was amazing! Yes, we ordered it all! Yes, we love them! It is just as awesome as all the hype would suggest. This new division of RJR headed by none other than Melody Miller is so great and you are all going to be sewing with it this summer. Start planning, people. There are 123 bolts of delicious fabrics coming our way this July in quilting cottons, voiles, and linen/cotton canvas. Are you ready?

OMG!

The ladies of Cotton and Steel from left to right: Alexia Abegg, Melody Miller, Rashida Coleman Hale, Kim Kight, and Sarah Watts

Highlights from the Cotton and Steel booth

We will be implementing a new uniform policy where staff at FTC can only wear this print from Alexia Abegg.
Just kidding, but seriously you guys!! 

Fancy Tiger's Week of Wonder!

Oh boy, do we have a very special week planned for you. You might consider bringing a tent and camping out in front of the shop this week so you can join us for all of them. We are not exaggerating when we say that. Three MAJOR fun events are happening in the next few days at Fancy Tiger and we can't wait to see you there. All of these events are free and open to the public.

Thread Theory Meet n' Greet and Trunk Show

Tuesday, April 22nd, 7 - 9pm

Thread Theory are the duo of Matthew and Morgan Meredith from British Columbia, Canada and they design classic men's sewing patterns. Matthew and Morgan are on a US tour this month and we are thrilled to be a part of their tour! Thread Theory will be bringing sewn samples of their designs to view and patterns will be available for purchase. Come meet the makers, hang out and have some fun!

April Rhodes Meet n' Greet and Trunk Show
Thursday, April 24th, 6 - 8pm

We ♥ April Rhodes and are so excited she will be coming to Denver! Ms. Rhodes' designs include the very popular Staple Dress, Date Night Dress, and Riding Peplum! We love them all. April will be bringing sewn samples of her patterns and we will have plenty of her patterns available for purchase. Stop by to meet this sweet, dynamic, young pattern designer in person at Fancy Tiger Crafts.

Anzula Trunk Show

Friday, April 25th, 3 - 6pm 

Sabrina and the ladies of Anzula will be stopping by Fancy Tiger Crafts to sell you their yarn! They will have their full line of luscious yarns which feature unique blends of fibers like camel, silk, cashmere, linen and merino, all hand-dyed in small batches by their expert team in Fresno, CA. One-off skeins, knit samples, and hundreds of unique yarns mean you won't want to miss this event!
Imbibe some yarn this Friday happy hour. :)

We will see you this week to soak up all the inspiration from these crafty folks from around the world!

Peplum Party!

Amber and I recently made some new shirts and you guys....PEPLUM!

The Riding Peplum is a brand new pattern from amazing pattern-maker, April Rhodes! We were lucky enough to be chosen to test-sew this pattern for her so we were able to make these up before the pattern was released. YAY!

April Rhodes is the woman behind the Staple Dress pattern and Date Night Dress pattern. She makes patterns that are stylish and flattering, yet simple to sew - perfect for new garment sewists! The Riding Peplum is her newest design and can be made in a shirt length or dress length. Amber and I both made the shirt length - we couldn't resist that fun, flowy peplum!

Amber choose to make hers out of the Sherpa print from the newest Parson Gray collection, Vagabond. This collection by David Butler is now in stock and the muted palette of greys, navys, browns and blacks is perfect for garment making!

This quilting weight cotton looks great and we love the way she did the top and bottom in different directions. The Riding Peplum has an easy fit with no closure, you just pull it over your head. The peplum is longer in the back than the front which is super-flattering to wear.

I choose to use a Nani Iro double-gauze in a painterly checkerboard print. The double-gauze is amazing for this pattern. The fabric fades to grey at the selvedge, so I cut the pattern out on the cross-grain for a top to bottom fade in and out...I love it! This top uses just 2 yards of 44" fabric, we can't wait to see yours!

It's not a Riding Peplum if you're not riding anything so we utilized our friends Bucky Jr and the Lone Howler for optimum styling effect.

Riding Peplum is currently available as a pdf download from Ms Rhodes herself. Print copies should be available soon here at Fancy Tiger Crafts!

The Staple Dress is Here!

We have been anxiously awaiting the release of the printed version of April Rhodes sewing pattern, The Staple Dress and it is here! The Staple Dress has been available through April Rhodes' website as a downloadable pdf for a while and it has reached near cult status in the online world of sewing bloggers. It is now available for the first time in print version and is available right here at Fancy Tiger Crafts.

Claudia, Caitlin and Jaime have each made a Staple Dress already!

The Staple Dress has become so popular for a few reasons. It is easy for beginner sewists to feel confident trying out, but experienced sewists can also enjoy the quick gratification of this dress. The easy, drapey style means fit is not such an issue and the shirred-elastic waist band can be placed where it will be most flattering on different body shapes. The pattern comes with two hem options, a straight hem, or a drop hem and both look adorable. This dress sews up quick with only two pattern pieces (plus pockets if you choose) and bias facing pieces to finish the arm and neck openings. April's awesome instructions guide you through using French seams so even though it is a beginner pattern, you can have a professionally finished garment.

We have been obsessed with this pattern for a while, so we have already made a few. The first one I made is out of our Brussels Washer - the beautiful, yarn-dyed, rayon/linen fabric from Robert Kaufman. This is the most comfortable dress I own and I want to live in it all summer long. I chose the dropped hem option to give the dress a little more flair. Because the weight of the fabric is a bit heavier (although still very drapey) I used a sewn-in 1/4" elastic for my waist band instead of doing the shirring.

Caitlin made her Staple dress out of the new Chambray Union fabric. This light weight dobby chambray is the perfect weight for the summer. She made the straight hem which looks great and accessorized the dress with a belt. Super cute!

Sewing instructor Claudia Miller also made a Staple Dress. She made hers out of Amy Butler's Rayon Challis. This fabric has excellent drape and flow, which looks amazing as a Staple Dress!

I loved my first Staple dress so much I decided to make a second one out of Liberty of London fabric. The Liberty lawn sewed up like a dream for this dress and I love it.

The Staple Dress is a great beginner pattern that looks flattering on many different people. We can't wait to see your versions of it. A lawn, voile, rayon, or linen is going to be the best for this pattern. We have tons of fabric options available, so please let us know if you need any recommendations next time you stop in.

Quilt Market Report Spring 2013

-Jaime

Oh man! Amber and I just returned from a week in Portland! We packed in all kinds of adventures which we will be blogging about this week, but most importantly, we went to Spring Quilt Market! Quilt Market is when we get to look at all the upcoming fabric collections, patterns and products. We ordered a lot of great things we are super excited about. The new lines you see here will be coming into the shop in the upcoming summer and fall months so stay tuned to our blog and facebook to be notified of their arrival. Here are some of the highlights:

Tula Pink has done it again! Another stunning collection, Acadia is due this September. Acadia features bright teals, purples, pinks and greens as well as raccoons! We loved her booth floor which echoed some of her print designs. She had tons of quilts on display to inspire us including the one from her new book, City Sampler: 100 Modern Quilt Blocks. 

Melody Miller was debuting her new line for Kokka which features 3 of our favorite things: linen, sparkles, and arrows. There will be dresses made out of this the second we get it in, I promise.

Rashida Coleman-Hale has a new line coming out this summer for Cloud 9, Koi. We ordered the whole collection, so don't worry. Also, there will be voiles...

We love Leah Duncan's line Tule for Art Gallery Fabrics. Leah was super sweet and we basically moved into her booth and just hung out there among her pillows and driftwood for three days. We ordered the full line and will be making everything out of it come August.

Oh hey, April Rhodes. April was at Market buying for her shop in Columbus and she had a special surprise for us! A hot-off-the-press copy of her Staple Dress pattern. That's right - this awesome pattern (and hopefully more!) will be available in print, right here at Fancy Tiger Crafts this summer. Stay tuned...

Heather Ross is back! Heather Ross has a new line coming out with Windham which means domestically priced quilting cottons! Briar Rose is everything we could have hoped for a new Heather Ross collection and we absolutely love this rainbow quilt by Made by Rae. We can't wait to work with these bright, nostalgic prints come July.

Nani Iro gets us every time. We just can't resist her beautiful, dreamy, ethereal prints. The double gauze and thin linen canvas fabric bases don't hurt either. We ordered about a billion prints from her new line so we will be making room for these in late July.

Ellen Luckett Baker has another modern line for Kokka called Folk Modern. I'm obsessed with horses so this print may be my most anticipated print from market. SO GOOD!

I know this is the news you are all waiting for: yes, we ordered Pendleton wool fabric. Lots of it. It will be here in mid-August and of course, we will throw a little party to welcome it to our shelves. US made delicious wool goodness for all of your fall sewing needs. Dresses, skirts, pillows, bags, will now all be made in wool. Get ready.

There were a million exciting things and we ordered so many of them! Stay tuned to see when these beauties arrive at the shop and to see what we will be sewing with them.