Better Know A Crafter: Francesca "Frankie" Clifford

Frankie is one of our regular customers. She is adorable with a capital A and, I think, a future sewing superstar. She came in recently wearing an Anna Maria Horner print dress she made. She also told us about a similar one she made for her sister, on which she hand-painted a mountain scene border around the bottom. We were dying to see that dress after she told us about it, so Frankie and her sister came back into Fancy Tiger to show us--both of them looking super lovely!

Francesca "Frankie" Clifford

1) What makes you want to be crafty?

I go to Denver School of the Arts and I am a creative writer. I love looking at fabric and imagining outfits & designs. My school and all the crafty people I meet inspire me. Especially this store. I mostly just sew, I also collage, print and write, though.

2) Tell us about the dress you made.
I made a strapless dress. I used a pattern from Joanne's I used material from Fancy Tiger and a 14" zipper. I made the dress a little longer and more flowy than the pattern to fit the fabric. i also add a brooch to the front to add a new look.


3) How did you learn to sew?
I just started last summer. I took classes at Fancy Tiger that got me really interested. My grandmother used to sew and she taght me and has helped me with all my projects.

4) What is your favorite animal?
A giraffe.

Thanks Frankie! Happy sewing!

Yarn Bombing Book Release Party Fun!

We had tons of fun times on Friday night at the Yarn Bombing book release party. The ladies of the Ladies Fancywork Society came out with homeade cupcakes and secret prizes, like crocheted book cozies and screen printed bandannas. The Yarn Bombing book was so well received that we sold out of copies in no time!


Thanks, LFS ladies, and everyone who came out to share in the fun times!


Thanks to Steven Wallace and Suzan Platzer for photos of the event!

New! Two New Books for Crafting Kids Clothes!

We just receive two new books to get you crafting up cute clothes for kids of all ages. Easy Kids Knits for knitting and Making Children's Clothes for sewing.

Easy Kids Knits has great knitting patterns for kids 3 - 10 years. The clothing patterns are classic and cute and perfect for knitting for the elementary-school-crowd, for whom it can be hard to find cute patterns.


Making Children's Clothes includes patterns for modern kids 0 - 5. The photos are adorable and inspiring and the garments feature some of our favorite cute fabrics!


Cuteness!! It's time to start crafting for your favorite younguns!

We've been Yarn Bombed!

We were totally excited to arrive to work today and find this:



The trees that line our shop on South Broadway are now the cutest trees ever thanks to Yarn Bombing! What is Yarn Bombing? That question can be answered if you want to come to Fancy Tiger Crafts tonight for our book release party for Yarn Bombing: the art of Crochet and Knit Graffiti.

Yarn Bombing is a fabulous book that interviews and chronicles yarn graffiti groups from around the world as well as gives patterns and ideas for your own subversive crochet or knitting. Yarn Bombing features Denver's own Ladies Fancywork Society and the Ladies will be at the event signing books and answering your questions. Please join us tonight from 7 - 9pm for drinks and fun times with the Ladies Fancywork Society and Yarn Bombing!

Better Know A Crafter: Megan

Megan recently came into Fancy Tiger Crafts and blew our minds with her amazing crocheted handbag. We had never seen anyone crochet with Noro sock yarn and the results were super adorable.

Megan

1) What crafts do you like to do?

I sew, crochet, knit, collage, basically create clothes and accessories with any material & get inspiration from the movies I watch while completing my project.


2) Tell us about your cute bag.
I crocheted this purse out of Noro Kureyon sock yarn and scraps I had laying around and created the pattern on my own.

3) How did you learn your craft?
My mom taught me to crochet (and sew) when I was five. She's artsy and crafty but denies being any good at her arts.

4) What is your favorite animal?
Rhinoceroses, hippos, elephants and manatees. Big, fat animals.

Thanks Megan! Happy crafting!

New! Embroidered Effects by Jenny Hart!

Jenny Hart of Sublime Stitching has just published a new book chock-full of exciting embroidery inspiration. Included are tons of ideas for fashion embellishment and home decorating projects, as well as iron-on transfers to get you stitching away.


Embroidered effects has all the basic stitch instructions and tips for beginners, but also includes great instructions for combining basic stitches for amazing borders and decorations. Sweet.


Hand stitched goodies make great gifts so it's time to get started on your holiday gift crafting, ladies and gents!

Better Know A Crafter: Ali DeJohn

Ali is a crafty momma who makes all kinds of adorable things for her little ones. We love these placemats she sewed to help her kids learn their place settings. She sells some of her handcrafted goods in her Etsy shop--alidejohn.etsy.com. Check out her adorable hand sewn felt barrettes. Cute!

Ali DeJohn

1) Tell us about yourself. What crafts do you like to do?

I am a stay-at-home mom to two wonderful little people who inspire me to be creative everyday. I love bringing creativity into our family, making things by hand, everything cozy and the tiny details found in everyday life! I love to knit, sew, embroider and dream of all the new crafts I'd love to learn.


2) Tell us about your adorable placemats.
I made these placemats and napkins for my kids so they could participate in setting the table, and I loved the idea of the kids using reusable, cloth napkins that were fun and happy. I created the pattern myself and used vintage scrap fabric (from Fancy Tiger of course!) as appliques for the fork, spoon, plate, cup and napkin graphic.


3) What inspires you to be crafty?
I have always had a love for making things by hand, and I am very new to sewing. I was inspired to learn to sew after I read the The Creative Family, by Amanda Blake Soule. It's a fabulous, sweet, heart-warming book!

4) What is your favorite animal?
My favorite animal is a giraffe.

Thanks Ali! Happy crafting!