Indigo Dye Day: What We Made!

As you know if you're a blog reader, we experimented with our staff last month and dyed some cloth and yarn with natural indigo. It was a blast and everyone ended up with beautiful goods to work with.
We gave ourselves a month to whip up something special with our hand dyed goods! Check out our results!

I made a Camber Set top! I recently finished my Camber Set dress and I liked it so much, I thought I should try out the top version. I wanted a simple design to show off my fabric which is a shibori dyed cotton/silk blend. The silk is a protein fiber and it helped the fabric take the dye better so I got a beautiful hue of indigo on the exposed parts of the fabric. I accordion-folded and then tied my fabric to create this pattern. The silk also gives the top a bit more drape and flow than a 100% cotton would have which I love.

Allison made this adorable tank that she self-drafted the pattern for! It shows off her shibori dyed Kona great and we love the use of dark indigo thread and contrast stitching. Her shibori technique was to "crumple the fabric and then wrap it with string." It turned out great!

Katy makes project bags that we all use here at the shop and are available online here. She chose to dye up some cotton fabric to use for her project bags so they are extra-special. She dip-dyed them for a sweet ombré affect.

Nathalie dyed up some fingering weight yarn. She wound her yarn into a center pull ball, which made the yarn take on the outside of the call take more dye than the inside. The result is a beautiful yarn with an ombre effect in various shades of indigo. She already whipped up this Hitchhiker shawl - a great one-skein pattern for any sock yarn by Martina Behm.

Nathalie also dyed a t-shirt which turned out a perfect blue!

Jess chose to overdye some Nani Iro wata-gauze that was originally a pale, off-white. This flowy, lightweight double gauze is an even looser weave than traditional double gauze. The fabric took the dye great and she made a Nuance tee out of it - Nani Iro's pattern designed just for this fabric - so perfect!

Jess also dyed some Brown Sheep Burlyspun, super-bulky wool yarn and made a quick knitted cowl. She achieved this speckledy look by putting her yarn in the vat in a twisted skein!

Kiyomi made a quilt! They incorporated their indigo-dyed cotton fabric with other fabrics to piece together this awesome quilt top.

Kiyomi also dyed some rayon jersey, which was a real experiment as we didn't know how the rayon would take the dye. It did great! The color is muted because the vats were almost exhausted at this point, but they did get a subtle ombre effect which looks great in this simple tee.

Miranda was really experimental and dropped all sorts of things in the dye vat including ric rac and sheep locks. She used her indigo locks to make a magical blue unicorn with flowing mane...so cute!

Miranda also over-dyed some silk! As of now the hot fabric is being worn as a scarf, but soon it will hit the sewing machine! 

Sunne used shibori dyeing techniques to dye this beautiful piece of fabric. She hand stitched this scarf together and embroidered to embellish the lovely finish of this dye!  

Sunne is also working on her very own shawl pattern with the fingering weight yarn she dyed! 

Nice work everyone!

We ♥ Colette's New Moneta Jersey Dress!

Miranda and I couldn't wait to make the brand new Moneta dress by Colette Patterns. We both whipped one up straight away, and boy, did they stitch up easy as pie. I can see us wearing these dresses all spring, summer and fall!

 

Amber's Moneta

Pattern: Moneta Dress version 3 by Colette Patterns
Fabric: Heavyweight Cotton Jersey
Size Made: S - 4/6
Alterations: None!

I made mine out of a beautiful heavyweight cotton knit stripe, making a classic dress that I want to wear every day. I love it so much!

My new favorite thing is the clear elastic used to gather the waistband (a product which we carry here at the shop now). It blew my mind and made putting this dress together a breeze.

The neckline confused me for a second as I put this together, because the back is lower than the front neckline, which is unusual. Then I told myself to trust Sarai. Sure enough, she is a genius and it's adorable! The low back shows just a little extra skin in this otherwise modest dress.

Next, I want to make Moneta in some of the organic solid french terry we have. I love the thicker stretch fabrics for an easy to wear, flattering dress. I imagine wearing these with all my favorite knit cardigans well into spring...

Miranda's Moneta

Pattern: Moneta Dress version 2 by Colette Patterns
Fabric: Floral Rayon Jersey
Size Made: L - 12/14
Alterations: None!

Purple, blurple (ultramarine?), red wine, peach, deep leafy greens - all my favorite colors are in this rayon knit fabric that came in! I'd say that it matches at least half the knits I've made, so I expect to have this in heavy rotation year-round. 

Next time, I'll cut a little more deeply in the back to show all of my sewing tattoo. I think it's better either hidden or on display. Either option would be easy to do when cutting the pattern pieces. 

I'm going to make so very many of these. There is even a free additional booklet that Colette Patterns has released with even more options!

We think you'll be seeing a lot more Moneta dresses popping up around here! ♥

Catnap Dress Contest: Miranda's Parade of White Cats

Next up is Miranda's Catnap entry. Miranda is extra early for the new extended deadline, February 21st! Don't forget to catch the deets here! Check out the amazingness Miranda has created once again!!

Miranda Harp

1) Tell us about your dress - which fabric and pattern did you use? Did you make any alterations?
This is the Emery pattern by Christine Haynes. I love a fitted bodice with set-in sleeves, and this one fits very well. The little back neck darts really help the fit. As far as alterations go, I pleated the skirt instead of gathering it to fit the bodice. The dress is made from the Kitty Dreams print in Cranberry - the deep dark reds and purples with splashes of lavender and tomato red .... check out the orange bobble trim I found to go with it!

2) What obstacles, if any, did you have to overcome for this challenge?
Every single time I sat down to sew, I had a little helper. Every single time. So you know what I did? I sewed her her very own skirt.

3) How many other cat clothes do you already own? Can there be too many? 
I have at least three other dresses with cat prints. As soon as I thought that maybe that was enough, the Catnap collection came into the store... I don't have any other clothes for my cats, although sometimes Rilke wears a necktie.

4) Do you have cats? How many and what are their names? Do they like your cat dress?
I have two cats, named Rilke and Juniper. Rilke is a seven year old boy cat, and he is definitely my familiar. He is a huge snuggly beast. The only time he leaves my side is when I'm sewing and that's when Juniper takes over.

 

Juniper is a five year old huntress whose favorite things are chasing bugs and things that smell bad. They love my cat dress - they just think it needs two more white cats on it to be perfect.

5) How do you keep cat hair off your handmade garments?

I do a terrible job of that. I do love my Lilly brush!

6) Why should you win the Catnap Dress contest?

I am really into crazy print dresses - I know I'm going to wear this one all the time! Thanks, Lizzy!

2013 Holiday Gift Picks: Fancy Staff Picks (Part 2)

Welcome to part two of our Staff Picks Holiday Gift Guide! Today we have the best curated selection of craft supplies for the handspinners, knitters and seamsters in your life!

It's Miranda here! After spinning hundreds and hundreds of yards of yarn for Spinzilla, I'm finally ready to look at fiber to replenish my stash. There's no dreamier fiber than Sleep Season Goods roving! Meg's fiber inspires me to try new spinning techniques to let the colors really shine. She dyes the most beautiful colors onto several sheep varieties like Falkland and Wensleydale, and I can't wait to try them all. Happy stitching!

Hey guys, it's me Tina! I was just thinking that I would really love to make an apron for cooking epic feasts. I really love the design of the Emmeline Apron, and the best part is that it's reversible. I would love to make my apron out of this new Super Lucha Libre by Alexander Henry. The flip side will be made of Dollar Signs from the Amy Sedaris Collection because cooking for friends and family is totally money! Not only is this combo AWESOME, it also matches my battle babes oven mitt Miranda made me this summer. So, if anyone would like to just make me my dream apron the Emmeline Apron, it's taught as a class right here at FTC! Happy Holidays, friends.

Hi, it's Nathalie! When winter weather hits, all I want to do is knit sweaters. I've been eyeing the Reine Cardigan from Brooklyn Tweed for months - I love the simple but elegant construction and the pocket detail. I'd pair it with Loft yarn in the color Plume, also from Brooklyn Tweed, for a lovely project kit. This is a gift that would keep me busy knitting and would result in a cardi I'd cherish for years!

Hi, it's Amber here! I am really excited about the new line of Walden patterns from Colette. These unisex patterns are classic and utilitarian, and might ask that you get out your mallet and awl. Hott! I'd pair this Portland-made sewing pattern for the Cooper Bag with some graphic screenprinted heavy cotton fabric from Premier Prints out of Mississippi. Throw in some Heavy Duty Fabric Wax by Portland's own Otter Wax and you have the makings of an awesome all-weather bag. Even better, all these amazing craft  supplies are made in the USA!

Hey y'all! This is Sara. My holiday pick would absolutely be the fabulous Knit Collage yarn. Since our last shipment arrived, I have been dreaming up a beautiful, lush cowl of this unique and sparkly yarn. As an added bonus, it's so fun and full of treasures, it will knit quickly and not add to my never-ending list of crafty to-do's. I could make a new cowl for New Year's!

As you can probably guess, we pretty much dream about amazing craft projects and supplies each and every day, so if you need more ideas for the perfect gift, swing by the shop and give us a chat!

xoxo,
the Fancy Tigers

Freia Ombre and Flux Yarns are Here!

Beautiful Freia Handpainted yarns are here! Tina Whitmore, the mastermind behind Freia Yarns, mills her line of gradient color yarns from US sourced wool. The color is then hand applied to each skein to create the long color runs that are so unique to her process.

We are in love with the ombre effect and stunning color combinations and couldn't wait to start a few projects. As soon as we unpacked the Freia yarns several Fancy Folks had projects on their needles.

Freia Ombre Sport

Our friend Allison knitted us the Viatrix Slouch Hat, a chevron lace knit hat that uses one skein of the Freia Ombre Sport and one skein of the Flux Sport. Viatrix Slouch Hat is one of the awesome patterns that is designed especially for the Freia yarns and we have available here at the shop.

Freia Flux Sport

The Freia Flux Sport yarn means shorter color runs and faster color changes. You can see the colors in each ball which makes knitting with these babies a blast!

Nathalie whipped up The Age of Brass & Steam shawl in no time, from one skein of Flux Sport - so perfect!

Miranda made a stripy Army Of Caterpillars friend using one skein of Flux Sport - adorbz.

Freia Ombre Lace

For a finer knit, the Freia Ombre lace balls feature long color changes over 645 yds of lacey goodness.

Check back on Wednesday for a free pattern by Tina: the Sweet Adeline crochet shawl pattern for Freia Ombre Sport!

Better Know A Fancy Tigress: Miranda Harp

Miranda is one of the crafty folks of Fancy Tiger, and when she is not here helping folks find the perfect craft supply, we are sure she must be crafting. Miranda is super prolific--you might know her from her million handmade dresses, or her recently published Army of Caterpillars knitting pattern. She just finished this pretty Marin shawl, a pattern by Ysolda Teague. We love it!

Miranda Harp

Tell us about your craft-tastic self.

I'm Miranda, assistant manager and professional tigress here at Fancy Tiger Crafts. My first craft was embroidery, then cross stitch, but these days I mostly sew clothes and knit. I also needle felt, spin and weave on occasion. I've just always been into making things. My mother is a master quilter who has always shown me what it is to be inspired and to turn those ideas into tangible objects. Recently, I've been focusing on designing knitting patterns, mostly for toys. My goal to help people create things that add more delight to the world.  

Tell us about knitting your shawl. 

This scarf is from the Marin pattern by Ysolda Teague. The yarn is Madelinetosh Merino Light in the Nostalgia colorway. Just one hank of this gorgeous tonal yarn made the entire thing. I really love Ysolda's designs, because she has a great understanding of what knitted fabric can do. The reversible ribbed cables flow in and out of the garter stitch sections in a fascinating organic way. Plus, that makes the finished project really easy to wear without fussing over it all the time.  

How did you pick up knitting?

I learned to knit from a book (who knows which one), although my mom showed me how to cast on and do the knit stitch. One summer in college, my shifts at my work study library job were spent guarding a door that no one ever passed through. I bought some yarn and needles and never looked back.  

What is your favorite animal?

Although I will always love the octopus most, insects are my favorite group of creatures. I just saw a lady praying mantis in my garden looking for a handsome gentleman mantis to love and then devour.  

Thanks Miranda! Happy knitting!

Meet More New Heirloom Patterns: An Army of Caterpillars! Tunisian Heirloom Cowl!

Two new patterns are here from amazing Fancy Folks, Miranda Harp and Cat Stolzenbach! Welcome, Army of Caterpillars by Miranda and Tunisian Heirloom Cowl by Cat!

Army of Caterpillars is Miranda's ode to her favorite lepidopterist, her father the moth scientist. These little realistic caterpillars are inspired by the larvae in the Sphingidae family – hawk moths, sphinx moths and hummingbird moths.

Purl ridges create the segmented abdomens, and knitted bobbles form the tiny legs of these adorable larvae.

Knit one in every size to make your own rainbow of caterpillar friends!

Many of you may know Cat as our resident Tunisian crochet expert and instructor. Her Tunisian Heirloom Cowl pattern is a great pattern for those interested in picking up the technique of Tunisian, or Afghan crochet.

A bit like crochet, a bit like knitting--Tunisian crochet makes a lovely fabric that is the best of both worlds. It is a great craft for the knitter or crocheter who wants to take a step towards the other side.

This cowl uses basic Tunisian stitches combined with a Tunisian cross stitch to make the unique “X” texture. Fancy Tiger Crafts Heirloom Romney yarn provides hearty structure and rustic wooliness to this striped cowl.

We hope you like these patterns as much as we do! Stay tuned for two more coming later this week!