Dandelion: Another Killer Yarn by Madelinetosh!

We are delighted to pick up Madelinetosh's new yarn line, Dandelion. We can always count on Madelinetosh for their beautifully hand dyed yarns.

 Dandelion is a single ply blend of 90% superwash merino wool and 10% fine linen offering 325 yards per skein. With similar characteristics to Tosh light, this yarn brings you a uniquely soft linen addition!

Look at the lovely linen finish!

We couldn't be more excited to bring to you this charming fingering weight yarn.  It has arrived just in time as Dandelion is the perfect yarn for light-weight summer time sweaters. Time to get crackin'!

Be on the look out for more Tosh coming soon!

Hand Dyed Sock Yarn by Hedgehog Fibres!

The beautiful hand dyed sock yarn by Hedgehog Fibres has arrived! Hedgehog Fibres is an independent artisan fibre dyeing studio located in Cork, Ireland. This smooth blend of 90% merino and 10% nylon creates a charming lustrous finish to your piece, whether it be as simple as stockinette or something more complex like lace.

These wonderful skeins are all unique to themselves since they are randomly dyed to prevent striping or pooling, leaving you with this perfectly variegated yarn! 

The careful attention to color for each skein brings a truly unique look to each color-way and every skein. If you are hooked like we are, head over to their blog for inspiration and free patterns to try with your new skein! 

Happy knitting!

Meet the Designer: Cal Patch!

Cal Patch is coming to town! 

Cal is one of our favorite garment sewists and teachers. She is the author of Design-It-Yourself Clothes, and we are thrilled to be hosting her for a class here in just a few weeks!

Cal is devoted to the handmade movement, and has been since she was a young girl. With her extensive knowledge in teaching, designing and creating she has mastered all things textile. She will be in town for the Makerie and is making a very special trip to Fancy Tiger Crafts to teach her Folk Dress. Sign up for both her workshops at the Makerie and at Fancy Tiger Crafts to receive a combined discount of $50! Call us to reserve your spot. In the meantime, lets meet Cal.

1) How did you get started in the crafting industry? What is your background?
I actually came to the craft world by way of the fashion industry. I've been a clothing designer for nearly 25 years, and the first decade of my adult life was spent working in that world in NYC. But the higher I advanced in my career, the less I got to be creative and actually MAKE things, so I escaped and opened my own boutique, which is where I first started teaching crochet and sewing.

2) You have a wide range of projects from crocheting to sewing - do you have a  favorite type of project to design? Or, what are you most excited about making right now?
Crochet and sewing are like my two babies, and I couldn't possibly ever choose between them. My favorite thing is to combine them, like with my crochet-yoked smock dresses. At the moment I'm super excited about my new 4-week online workshop on pattern drafting and sewing your own wardrobe, which happens to be debuting this week on Creativebug! I love showing people that it's really very do-able to draft and sew with their own patterns.

3) What influences you creatively? What is your creative process for coming up with new ideas? What inspires you?
I'm very practical, so I tend to just be inspired by daily life. I don't get excited when I see fancy red-carpet gowns or elaborate couture ensembles; I'm more likely to be daydreaming up dresses with big pockets that i can use for gathering eggs from the coop, or picking peas in the garden. Usually I design things to fill a niche that I see, or a void in my own wardrobe. I also am very inspired by materials, and try to find ones made with organic fibers, locally sourced or made by independent artisans.

4) What is your favorite mythological animal? 
If I could invent my own *spirit animal*, it'd be a cross between a tortoise (I'm very s-l-o-w) and a kangaroo (I like the idea of a built-in pouch).

5) If you could have any super power, what would it be?
That's easy: to make time stand still, except for in my house, so I can catch up!

If you aren't able to make her class here at Fancy Tiger, check out her 4 week long workshop over at Creative bug on pattern drafting!

Thanks Cal, we can't wait to create with you!

Fancy Tiger Crafts is coming at you with our Spring schedule!

Oh boy, do we have a fabulous spring schedule to share with you! We have added about a billion new classes for all your crafting needs. We are very excited to bring you a wide range of new classes for this Spring. Expand your skills and come get crafty with us! 

Fresh new sewing classes:

1) The unisex Cooper Bag by Walden 

2) Ruffled Jersey Skirt

3) Peter Pan Collar tee

4) Tablet case

5) Needle felting Flower Garland

6) Fancy Tiger's classic T- shirt 

7) A Pet Bed for your beloved kitty or pup

8) Make your own Undies

9) Polly Top from By Hand London

10) The Quillow (yes, its a quilt that folds into a pillow!)

11) Foldover Clutch

12) Kid's sewn Stuffie Cloud

13) Sailor top by Fancy Amber

14) Color Theory for crafters

15) Dolly the sewn doll

 

Next up, knitting and crochet classes:

1) February Lady Cardigan

2) Crochet Granny Squares by Tymla Welch

3) Color Affection by Veera Välimäki 

4) Howelsen Hill Hat by Sunne Meyer

In addition to our spring classes, we are so excited about the amazing guest teachers we have lined up to teach at Fancy Tiger this Spring!

First up is Cal Patch! She will be in town for the Makerie and is making a very special trip to Fancy Tiger Crafts to teach her Folk Dress. Sign up for both her workshops at the Makerie and at Fancy Tiger Crafts to receive a combined discount of $50!

Spend the weekend with LA's Christine Haynes, the designer of the popular Emery Dress, and all around great person. This intensive two day, 12-hour workshop will have you learning all of Christine's favorite tailoring tips for darts, bodice lining, invisible zippers, gathering, in-seam pockets and perfect hem. Sign up now for this sure-to-fill-up class in coming in April!

Check out these hand stitched goodies! Lisa Solomon, author of Knot Thread Stitch, will be here in late spring with her beautiful and modern embroidery skills. She will be teaching two classes. Embroidered Necklace walks you through making a one of a kind stitched pendant that you will turn into fantastic jewelry, and Embroidered Portrait will have you stitching up textural heirloom artwork from a drawing or photo.

Don't miss this schedule full of all the things! Just give us a call or drop by to reserve your spot!

2013 Holiday Gift Guide: Fancy Staff Picks (Part 1)

Welcome to part one of our Fancy Staff Picks Gift Guide--where the crafty folks of Fancy Tiger share some their favorite gift ideas for holiday giving. If you are looking to find the perfect thing for the crocheter, sewist or knitter on your list, there is sure to be a great idea here!

Hi there! It's Caitlin, and at the top of my holiday wish list is Marion Madel's book The New Crochet. This book is beautifully photographed and is designed as a beginner's guide to learning crochet. It is jam-packed with modern designs so even a not-so-beginner will be excited by this gem! I'd love to stitch up the Hazelnut Scarf from Lesson 17, so some Chickadee yarn in Kittywake would be a great addition to the book.

Hello everyone! It's Erikia. One of my favorite things at the store right now is the book Clothing for Everyday Wear: Stylish Dress Book by Yoshiko Tsukiori. The book is full of simple and beautiful dress patterns. It' also includes a full set of patterns and instructions in English so it's super easy. To go along with this, I'd pair some Japanese fabrics from Nani Iro or Kokka. I feel like I could makeover my entire wardrobe armed with these two things!

Jaime here: I love the new Rhinebeck Sweater book from Ysolda Teague! The book contains 12 beautiful sweater patterns that feature many of the "farmy" yarns that we here at Fancy Tiger Crafts love so much. My ideal gift would be the book plus the yarn for one of the sweaters: Aunt Fred in Jill Draper's Mohonk yarn in the colors Greige and Terracotta

Kiyomi here--I'm super obsessed with all the amazing knit fabrics that are in the store. Not only do we have a range of designs and colors, but they're great for making something I call "The 30 Second Scarf" which are perfect for those last minute gifts. I would love this lush gray geo sweatshirt fleece to sewn up into Colette's new pattern, Walden. Natural antler toggle buttons would add a great detail to this coat. And, while I'm not a huge fan of the winter weather, this unisex coat will be perfect to snuggle into while waiting for the bus.

Hello! Fancy Katy here! I've been in love with Jane Richmond's Island collection since it first came out last year. The patterns are simple, yet refined, and work great for both solid and variegated yarns. I find the Renfrew Hat and Arbutus Cowl make awesome quick gifts! I have spent this year knitting several things out of the book, but I have yet to make Grace, the very lovely cardigan. One of my favorite yarns in the world is Madelinetosh Tosh Sock, and they just came out with a beautiful mint green colorway called Courbet's Green, so my perfect holiday gift this year would be enough skeins of that to make the cardigan!

Check back tomorrow for five more great gift ideas from the Fancy Tiger staff!

Big Loop Wool from Loopy Mango is Here!

Insanely bulky Big Loop Wool has arrived from Loopy Mango!

One skein of Big Loop weighs a whopping 40 ounces (2.5lbs), and is enough to make a cozy 40"x 28" throw blanket in just 3 hours, or a 32" crocheted circle rug in no time!

Whip up the Eternity Cowl in an hour--or three of them in three hours, because one skein of big loop will make three cowls!

Check out Loopy Mango's free patterns for Big Loop Wool for more inspiration.

Happy knitting!

Free Pattern! Tina's Sweet Adeline Crochet Shawl

Some of you may know Tina as one of our most prolific sewists at Fancy Tiger, but she's pretty adept with a hook as well!

As soon as we opened the box of our new Freia yarns, Tina took a skein home and immediately whipped up her own pattern for a lacy crochet shawl, worked up in Ombre Sport.

We love this simple little shawl, and how the crisp lace pattern works with the slow, ombre gradation of the Freia yarn.

Tina's Sweet Adeline shawl is simple enough for a beginning crocheter, and works up quick as can be. Download the free pattern by clicking on the image below!

ModularModular Project Bags Are Here!

Crafty lady and Fancy Tigress, Katy, has been sewing up project bags like nobody's business. We love Katy's modern, geometric and neon-loving style and her bright project bags will keep your knitting, crochet or handsewing projects tidy as can be, safe from kittens and curious babies.

All of us at the shop use ModularModular bags, and we are so excited to carry them in the shop. If you have as many UFOs as me, you might need to pick up a few of them next time you are in. They are guaranteed to keep you and your project cheery until you bind off.

Magical Sparkly Nebula Yarn is here from Anzula!

All our sparkly dreams have come true!! Anzula's newest yarn, Nebula, is a fingering weight sock yarn in hand-dyed merino with nylon sparkle-to-the-max.

For our Nebula color palette we've chosen deep, moody hues. We love the way the flecks of sparkle catch the light and send it twinkling into your eyes. They are sure to create a mystical and mysterious handknit!

We can't wait to see what you conjure with these lovelies!

Learn it Up, Yo! The Fall Class Schedule is Here!

Our new class schedule is out and there are a million new things to learn and make!

We have a huge line-up of crafty classes, including these brand new projects:

Brand New Fall Classes!
1) Free Motion Quilting with Claudia Miller
2) Needlefelted Mice (kids or adults) or Needlefelted Turkeys with Wynne Reynolds
3) The Staple Dress from April Rhodes taught by Krystal Thomas
4) The Heirloom Tunisian Cowl by Cat Stolzenbach
5) Sonya Philip of 100 Acts of Sewing will be coming to town to teach a 2 day Dress-making Workshop!
6) Patchwork Napkins with Amy Gibson
7) Dia de los Muertos Embroidery with Lalania Simone
8) Kids Elephant Stuffie with Christina Patzman
9) Pattern from Existing Garment with Christina Patzman

There are also plenty of our recurring favorites on the schedule, like My Favorite Sweater, Serger 201: Jersey Skirt, Colette Laurel, Crochet 201: Hat, Spinning 101: Drop Spindle--be sure to check out the full craft class line-up on our website!

Happy crafting!

Spring Class Schedule is here!

We have just published our Spring class schedule - so many new things to learn and make!

We have lots of cute garment sewing classes: the Sorbetto Dress--a fun take on Colette's top pattern, a spring blouse by Heather Ross, and another great Colette pattern, Bloomers! Our very popular cowl sweatshirt is now on the schedule in a short-sleeved tee verion!

Cowl Tee  |  Sorbetto Dress  |  Spring Blouse

Bloomers!

More fun stitchin' projects--zig zag tea towels for the home, a crazy quilt sampler, and an easy pleated tote bag are all new for Spring!

Amy Gibson of Stitchery Dickory Dock is back with a great modern lap quilt - a Giant Ohio Star finished with ties.

For Crochet we are excited to have Tylma Welch of Lowbrow teaching an adorbzable crochet doily and Cat's monthly afghan squares are now open as individual classes.

Knitter's can delight in a class for Emily's new hat, the Guillemet or focused skills classes.

Needlefelting is here by popular demand, and this Spring you can make all kinds of adorable birdies!

We have tons of our popular stand-bys too, so be sure to check it out and call us to reserve your spot. Click here to download the pdf version of the Spring 2013 schedule.

Magical to the Max: Fibrofibers' Nightfall Worsted is Here!

We picked up the Nightfall Hand-dyed Sock Yarn last fall, and our first shipment sold in just weeks. We are delighted to have it back in stock, as well as the heavier weight Worsted version of this magical ombre beauty.

Nightfall Worsted  |  Nightfall Sock

We've already seen some amazing projects made from this yarn. Jessie Dawson, a customer with very awesome crochet skills, made a neon green crochet doily from Nightfall. Talk about hot.

Cat Stebbins, a Fancy Tiger instructor who works crafty magic with Tunisian crochet, created this beautiful Tunisian cowl for a class.

There are lots of colors of Nightfall in stock right now, but come by soon, as they are sure to find new homes quickly!