Faux Fur Frenzy

Check out all the fur we have at the Outlet on 4th! You'll find a great new selection at all our stores, but since I work at the Outlet, I thought I'd tell you what's been going on in our Fur Department. Click on the picture to see a larger image.

It's been busy! Super Grover was in to pick up fur for a new coat. Then there's the group of six going to a couple of Halloween parties as characters from a video game. (At least I think that's what they said.) From what they picked out, I know they are going to be a colorful group. And I enjoyed hearing about the stuffed bear being made out of Husky fur for a school auction. The lucky bear will be wearing a hand knit sweater as well. Our customers are so creative!

The fur is literally flying here at the Outlet on 4th (and at all our stores, from what I hear). Don't wait - come on in and get what you need to complete your Halloween costume!

~ Mary

(Mary is a totally awesome knitter and quilter who works at our Outlet on 4th store. You'll find her leading our Block of the Month Club there, too!)

There's still time to make this super quick Rustic Pumpkin Runner!

With Halloween just around the corner, it might seem that there isn't any time to create a festive seasonal table that speaks to the season. Don't despair, though! Northgate's own Wendy has designed a fabulous quick runner that can be made up in less than an hour, and is super cute!

Wendy's Rustic Pumpkin Runner is made of Burlap, cotton, and a bit of trim, and is made extra quick with the wonders of fusible adhesive (I heart Heat-N-Bond!)

You can download a free pattern here, pick up what you need at any Pacific Fabrics store, and have your table all decked out before you can say "Boo!"

Thanks Wendy, and Happy Halloween to all.

~ Anna-Beth
 
(Wendy is the Assistant Manager at our Northgate store. She is a phenomentally talented seamstress, specializing in Bridal and costume wear.  She is also the mother of adorable Aiden, who she has made many incredible Halloween costumes for - he was a flying monkey one memorable year!)

Easy Costume Idea - Bee's Knees Flapper Dress

Are you scrambling for a costume idea? Dianne, manager of our Bellevue store, stopped by to show us the adorable costume she made for her granddaughter. Dianne says "Mom said no, but Grandma said yes; so I whipped this up". This one is for an elementary schooler, but it could easily be adapted for anyone. Take a look!

She used the new ChaChaCha ruffle fabric that just arrived! It comes in black, white and, of course, red and is available at Everett, Bellevue, Northgate and Puyallup. (You'll find a few other color ways exclusively at Northgate, too.)

Close up of the ChaChaCha ruffle fabric. 

Dianne stitched up a one seam 'tube' for the body of the dress, added some sequin trim for the straps and a head band, then a black fur trim scarf and quickly had a darling costume. We have some very cute dress up accessories to finish off this year's Halloween costume or to add to the dress up clothes trunk. Wouldn't some elbow length black gloves just look amazing with this outfit?!



Close up of the top of the dress with accessories.

We're hoping for a picture of the fabulous dress on the sweet granddaughter later, but in the meantime, here's the finished costume. Just needs the gloves and she'll be ready to gather treats!

The finished dress. Ready for a roarin' good Halloween!

I hope this has inspired you! If you have more ideas for quick costumes you can sew, leave us a comment so we can all share.

~ Michelle

Harvest for Your Home - NEW in Our Stores!

I love having themed fabrics to use for the seasons - don't you? Harvest from Timeless Treasures contains everything you need to make versatile table coverings, napkins, pillows and quilts for the Fall season! Ripe with rich Autumn colors, crisp leaves and the luscious fruits of the season, it's a great fit for Halloween and Thanksgiving, too. Click on the picture above to see more detail. Available at all our stores except Bremerton and Outlet on 4th. 

~ Annette

Martha Stewart for Halloween - Freaky, Frighful, Fantastic

Martha, Martha, Martha! Here's a little taste of the Martha Stewart Halloween decor we have in all our stores (except Outlet on 4th). Let's start with the picture above. These are amazing and definitely my favorite! Sparkly, spooky, delightful Glittered Chandeliers to spark up your Halloween table. Aren't they delicious!

Hang a Halloween Garland and start an instant party! Choose from Trick or Treat or Happy Halloween.

Treat Bags with toothy grins!. Ready to fill with loads of yummy goodies. And there's more, but it's going fast! Selection varies by store - stop by your nearest one soon.

~ Annette

Spidey Table Topper: A Must for Halloween!

When this pattern came in to the stores I just had to try it. It was just too cute to refuse not to!


Spidey Table Topper Pattern


I went home and got out some of my Halloween fat quarters, black cotton and a left over piece of batting and off I went. This table topper went together so fast and easy; it is quilt-as-you-go making it a great project for quilters and non-quilters alike.



Finished Spidey on a web of Creep Cloth



I think my Spidey is going to live on the coffee table with a dish full of Halloween candy. It would also be really cute spread across the center of your dining room table with a black table cloth and some Creep Cloth (available at all of our stores).



This project would be a great addition to anyone's Halloween decorations and it is so fast and easy you'll have it ready in no time!

**The Spidey pattern is available at all of our stores except the Outlet and if you are in our Northgate store check out the great model on display.

Happy Halloween,

      Michelle

Enchanted Rainforest, Eerie Alley & Seen on Halloween - Now in Our Stores!

Click on the pictures below to see a larger image, then click here to find the store nearest you!

Here's a lovely getaway for you! Enchanted Rainforest from Maywood Studios is warm, bright, inviting and full of glorious color. The "ombre" floral is just fabulous! You'll find two different colorways at our Bellevue, Everett, Northgate & Puyallup stores.

Darling (is that a Halloween word?) hearses, owls, spiders, pumpkins and coordinates to dance across your table or bed. (Or how about a happy hearse shirt?) Eerie Alley from Robert Kaufman will make your Halloween bootifully bright and just a wee bit scary! Marvelous colors and designs that you'll enjoy for many years. Available at our Bellevue, Everett, Northgate & Puyallup stores.

Seen on Halloween is Maywood Studios' spooky fun collection of spiders, candy corn, stars, cats and BOO.  Delightful colors to fill your Halloween home with frightful cheer! Available at all our stores except Outlet on 4th.

~ Annette

Tuesday Tip: Don't be scared to try AGAIN!

As I continue to explore different arts and crafts I have learned a very important rule- Don’t be scared to experiment!

 I was looking for a new knitting project and with the arrival of Fall I decided on the cute little pumpkin in Debbie Bliss’ A Knitter’s Year. I am not a very advanced knitter but I am somewhat fearless when choosing a pattern. If I don’t know how to do a stitch or technique my theory is that I can always learn.

So I bought some Debbie Bliss Rialto and set off knitting. I finished my pumpkin in two evenings and while it was adorable I wasn’t completely satisfied with the result. Since it is knitted and then stuffed, you can see some of the stuffing through the stitches as well as imperfections in the knitting that in other projects would disappear.



Pumpkin Take 1

I still had plenty of yarn left so I decided to try it again- Pumpkin Take 2. This time I used twice the thickness of yarn. My thinking was that maybe this would help fill some of the holes and guess what- it did just that! It also made the pumpkin a bit larger which I guess isn’t a bad thing. In the book it is a pumpkin pincushion but I think a few of them would be fun to have around the house for the season.

The two pumpkins together. Aren't they cute!

The moral of this story is don’t get frustrated when something doesn’t come out just the way you wanted it to. It is an opportunity to try something new and learn how to make it better next time. The trick is to then remember these lessons and apply them to other projects. You never know when your new trick might come in handy!  

Michelle

My Spooky Spectacular Shirt

Every girl needs a new shirt for Halloween, so I went looking for the perfect pattern for mine.

I found McCall's 6124, liked the look and decided this was the one. Just the lines and simplicity I was after.

Now for the fabric. Must be spooky, must be spectacular, must be The Ghastlies! So I chose this great print from Alexander Henry's Haunted House collection.

And here I am in my finished shirt ready for tricking, treating and any other fun October opportunities that come along. The pattern called for lots of handstitching to hold down facings and such, but that seemed like a bother, so I topstitched instead. I think it looks great and the topstitching added a nice design element. (I think that sounds better than saying I'm lazy!)

This really was an easy shirt to make and the pattern went together well. The spectacular touch was the pink buttons I used down the front and on the cuffs. They coordinate perfectly with the color accents on the fabric and now I have a Spooky Spectacular Shirt!

~ Janet

(Janet is the talented manager of our Puyallup store and also enjoys quilting and sewing for her sweet grandchildren. You can see more of her wonderful creations at the store!)

Costumes, Hairraising & Haunted - New Fabrics in Our Stores

Halloweeeeeen! Click on the pictures to see a larger image, then click here to find the store nearest you.

Costume Club is SO full of possibilities. You've just got to have this Sheri Berry designed panel and coordinates from Northcott Fabrics! Start by carefully trimming the left side of the panel, then back it with a coordinate for a super welcoming door hanging. Now fuse web to the back of the sweet  masks on the right, fussy cut around each, fuse them onto foam core or card stock and hang them throughout the house. Or make a mask mobile or fuse them to a table runner backed with the cute owl print on the top or make pillows. See, SOOoo many possibilities. Available at our Bellevue, Everett, Northgate and Puyallup stores.

Panels, borders, coordinates and fun traditional motifs make Hairraising Halloween from Quilting Treasures versatile and timeless. Plan a quilt, treat bags, runners and more, but hurry - it's going fast!  Available at all our stores except Outlet on 4th.

Haunted House from Alexander Henry is a delightfully ghoulish collection of freaky friends and spidery coordinates (below). The Ghastlies shown above is a wonderful base for all things spooky including a shirt for you to wear. (Watch for a blog post about a charming shirt tomorrow!)

Leafless trees and spider webs to go with your Ghastlies, of course! More Haunted House from Alexander Henry. (Look for cats, too!) Click on the picture to see the detail. Haunted House is currently available and selling quickly at our Bellevue, Everett, Northgate & Puyallup stores.

Enjoy!  ~  Annette

Halloween for your home: Mustard Moon Pillows

I made these Halloween pillows for our head buyer, Sharon, who has her birthday on Halloween.  They were so easy and super cute that I just had to share with you!

The pattern is "Mustard Moon Pillows" by Buttermilk Basin, and it includes directions and templates for both of these, plus one more, featuring a moon with a jack-o-lantern.  I chose these two because Sharon loves witches and I love owls.

The pattern is well-written and pretty easy - the only real change I made was that rather than using wool felts and hand-applique, I used ultrasuede squares and Steam-a-Seam 2 fusible web.   (I like my projects quick and extra-easy!)  I love the ruffly touch at the edges! 

 - Anna-Beth