Meet Stampy the Stegosaurus!

Stampy the Stegosaurus is the newest member of our needlefelted friends needlefelting kits! He is a fun and monster-y take on his serious namesake and we think folks of all ages will love him. Like all of our needlefelting kits, Stampy includes everything you need to make two adorable dinos out of wool roving including instructions that are suitable for beginners. The kits are for ages 8+. Check them out on our Etsy page here!


Did you know the Stegosaurus was discovered right here in Colorado at Red Rocks? Stampy really let's us get in touch with our prehistoric heritage.


Stampy is a friendly fellow, but he always seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time - here he is in the midst of a fight between the aucasaurs and titanosaurs! Oh no! Watch out, Stampy!!

Better Know A Crafter: Nancy Ballinger

I am so excited to share this Better Know A Crafter with you! When Nancy came into Fancy Tiger Crafts to show us what she's been working she had a giant plastic tub with her. She opened it up and we couldn't believe how many tiny little felt cuties were in there. Nancy is an amazing needle felter who makes felted dogs. Her woolly canine sculptures are sweet little purebreds, perfect enough to please any AKC judge or dog lover.

Nancy Ballinger

What inspires you to be so crafty?
I am retired and needed a hobby.


Tell us about your pups.
I've made over 50 breeds of needle felted dogs. I use sheep wool and alpaca.




How did you learn to make these cuties?
I saw dogs like these on the internet, but they were too expensive to buy. I bought a book and started making dogs. I use AKC standards as a guideline.



What is your favorite animal?
Cairn Terriers.


If anyone out there wants a mini pup to call their own, where can we find you and your felted dogs, Nancy?
I sell the dogs every other weekend at the Parker Farmers Market at the Moonpie Candles booth. In the fall we will go to various craft fairs, Hyland Ranch, Heather Gardens, Bear Creek High School and several others.

Thanks Nancy! Happy felting!

New! Penguin and Fish Embroidery Kits and Patterns!

Penguin & Fish embroidery patterns and kits are here! They feature an alphabet's worth of adorable animal friends illustrated be Alyssa Thomas.


Jaime stitched up the "H" kit in an afternoon and made this hedgehog wall decoration.


I'm a sucker for jellyfish and French knots, so this little guy is my favorite! Who can resist such a cutie!


Alyssa showed off this sweet quilt made with her 26 embroidery patterns at her quilt market booth. We love it!

Daybreak Outbreak!

As you know, we all have been a little daybreak crazy over here at Fancy Tiger Crafts. Here is some of the awesomeness that we have been creating! All of these daybreaks were made using the fabulous pattern by Stephen West and various sock yarns.

Zach was the first daybreaker that started this whole thing when he made his Daybreak-of-Love.

Danielle made us all jealous with her gorgeous combination of creamy Malabrigo sock yarn mixed with Noro sock yarn - pretty!

Amber is really into rainbows and it shows in her daybreak made with a rainbow Zauberball and citrus-y green alpaca sock yarn.

Emily used the luscious and vibrant blue Wagtail mohair yarn mixed with a neutral Zauberball. We love the crochet loop bind off she used!

Sophia really impressed us by mixing two Zauberballs! She used a rainbow-striping and a neutral-striping Zauberball for unpredictable non-stop striping action.

Jaime used the naturally dyed sock yarn from Pico Accuardi that is dyed with her favorite Stumptown coffee. She mixed this delicious yarn (it really does smell like coffee) with a neutral Zauberball for the perfect latte-inspired daybreak.

Jess is the only non-Zauberball-using daybreaker and made hers with two colors of Malabrigo sock yarn in Turner and Light of Love. It is oh-so-soft!

Krista, that's not a Daybreak! But it is another amazing pattern we have here by Stephen West called the Little Colonnade. This little shawl-let uses only one yarn color and is done here in the "Neon Bible" colorway of Pico Acccuardi yarn.

We all love our shawls! They are fast and fun summer knitting projects and the perfect thing to bring along on a cool summer evening!

Better Know A Crafter: Glenda Quan

Glenda and Hazel stopped in recently and made us all swoon for Hazel's adorable new Oliver + S dress. Crafty momma Glenda sewed it out of an Echino border print. Such a cute way to use this fabric! She even made matching bloomers from a purple Echino polka dot! They are killing us with their cuteness!

Glenda and Hazel Quan

Tell us about yourself.
I am a trauma and general surgeon.

What makes you want to be crafty?
I'm inspired by other beginning crafters!

How did you make Hazel's cute dress?
The pattern I used is Oliver + S Tea Party Sundress and Bloomers. I made it with Echino fabric.


How did you learn to sew?
I am self-taught. This is my first time using a pattern.

What is your favorite animal?
My daughter, Hazel!

Thanks Glenda and Hazel! Happy sewing!

New Nani Iro Fabrics by Naomi Ito!

I am in love! New Nani Iro fabrics are here as of today and I can't handle how hot they are. I'm getting a tummy ache because I so badly want to eat them up, they are so pretty! I want them all for myself, but to give you a fair chance I'm letting you know they are here and they may not last long. I want to make everything ever forever out of these fabrics!



Thank you for letting me freak out like that.

Estes Park Wool Festival Report: 2010

Fancyporters Emily and Cat visited the 2010 Estes Park Wool Fest this year to check out the cute and woolly madness. And they did not come home empty handed--we are happy to welcome Queen Victoria, baby English angora rabbit, to team Fancy Tiger Crafts! Shop dog Branwyn is excited about sharing her customer greeting and cuddle receiving duties with Queen Victoria when her new sister gets a little older. For more on the Wool Festival fun here is Cat and Emily!

Cat

Hello! In spite of the cold, rain and mud, Emily and I had a great time at the Estes Park Wool Fest. We fell in love with the angora bunnies, especially Queen Victoria (little lady on the left above), but there were so many other super cute creatures to look at as well!

This cashmere goat loved the camera! And how adorable is the girl in her green knitted cap?


Lambs and llamas and goats, oh my! Here are just some of the animals we met at the festival. The Southdown Babydoll lamb's face (top left below) was just like velvet. Her wool was thick and heavy with lanolin. We're considering getting Amber one for her next birthday...their insanely cute smiley faces make Southdowns sheep her favorite!


Daybreak alert! We saw several folks sporting their Daybreak shawls, one of our favorite knitting patterns by Stephen West. This lovely lady stopped to pose for us in the rain.


In addition to the sheep, goats, llamas and bunnies there were also yaks. This little guy was just five days-old. His family is starting to bottle feed him to keep him really sweet and tame. What a cutie!

Emily

Hey guys, Emily here! The picture below is Queen Victoria--taken at the exact moment that Cat and I realized that we were in love. We tried so hard to resist the gravitational pull of Victoria's cuteness! We actually left the festival, went to get coffee, and realized in a panic that we had to go back and bring home our little queen. She is from Backyard Rabbit Burrows where Cassi Swanson breeds angora rabbits, the most magical of little fiber animals.


Soon we will go visit Backyard Rabbit Burrows. Cassie has a new batch of baby bunnies and Victoria has dreams of finding her Albert. We'll keep you posted when that happens!

Thanks Cat and Emily! And, thanks, cute woolly fiber animals that came out to Estes Park!