A handmade hat makes an amazing present!

Last May, when I was 14 months pregnant (ok, it was only nine, but it felt like at least fourteen) I waddled into my office to find the most glorious gift basket. The amazing staff of our 4th Ave store had pooled their handiwork, and made me a massive basket full of handmade toys, hats, booties, bibs, blankets, and even a whole quilt! It made me cry, it was so nice (and when you are that pregnant, you cry at everything anyway.)  

Now my little Annika is 5 months old, and is enjoying the fruits of their labor. With the recent chill in the air, she is wearing hats on her bald little head, and this one, made by the truly wonderful Mary, is one of my favorites.



Annika with her lovely handmade  hat



Mary used the "Three Times a Delight" pattern from the Tops & Toes book, a terrific treasury of patterns for heads and feet.  The pattern is great - not only does it include directions for Annika's heart version, but also the flower one on the book cover, as well as a sweet little star pattern. Mary just finished making one of those for a little boy she's expecting to meet soon, and it came out adorable!  The book even includes patterns for matching booties.

Mary is using one of my favorite yarns for these darling hats - Bamboo Baby by Patons. This yarn comes in a sweet range of pastels, is machine washable, and is wonderfully soft! At only $5.99 for a 95yd ball, it is totally affordable for hats, blankets, and more.

With the holiday season looming, hats are fabulous gifts to make - warm and personal for them, easy and fun for you!
 - Anna-Beth 

Outlet Staff Spotlight: Sew Easy Fat Quarter Gifts

From time to time at the Outlet on 4th, we pick a book, product or pattern, all make our own projects and put them up for display. It's really cool to see what everyone does and it always inspires me to make more things when I see someone else's ideas.

Right now our display focuses on the Sew Easy Fat Quarter Gifts book. Stuffed full of 64 projects, at $19.95 it's just right for holiday present making. I'd like to share our results with you! 

Our Manager, Janice chose the Petite Purse from page 100 and the Sew Special Gift Bag from page 109. On the right you can see the Color My World crayon apron from page 36 made by our sewing teacher Ann.

Loretta made the On The Go Bag from page 96 and added amazing button bouquets to it! Be sure to come into the store to see the Mini Gift Boxes that Brenda made from page 167, too.

I stitched up the Baby Announcement Board (left) from page 16 and used it to announce the birth of Annika, our buyer, Anna-Beth's new baby girl. Then I made a boy and girl version of the Sweet Baby Quilt (right) from page 13.

There's more, too and they were all so quick to make using fat quarters. Come on into the Outlet on 4th and look for this display! It will be up for a couple more weeks. You'll find the book at all our stores (except Northgate) right now, too.

~ Mary

(Mary works at the Outlet on 4th and leads the Block of the Month Club. She is a skilled, avid quilter and kntter.)

Lots of Bliss, Habitat & Child's Play - NEW in our stores

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

Soft and floraly sweet, Bliss from Moda will warm your Fall and keep you toasty all Winter. The top row shows a few of the yummy flannels in the collection and the bottom two rows show some of the lovely, versatile, go-with cottons. You can mix and match to your heart's content! Available at all our stores except Outlet on 4th.

And while we're talking bliss, Valori Wells has designed a cozy new collection called Bliss Flannel for Free Spirit Fabrics. Charming, happy designs that will make great quilts for young, old and in-between. You'll find this at our Bellevue, Everett and Northgate stores right now and it's coming soon to Puyallup.

Habitat is just the kind of 'place' you want to live! The juicy, color drenched aqua/brown colorway above is on our shelves now along with striking black, tan and brown colorways and tons of coordinates. I LOVE the paisley and the stripe and . . .  okay - all of it! From Benartex Fabrics. Get it while it lasts now at Bellevue, Everett and Northgate and watch for it soon at Puyallup.

So sweeeet! Child's Play with Kate & Nate by Sheri Berry is a 'just right' collection of all things boy and girl. The designs include wonderful coordinates, a fabulous border stripe (bottom right), a 'cheater' block panel and a growth chart and baby book panel. Everything you need for the perfect gift, newborn nursery or young child room re-do. Pinks and greens for all your 'Kates' shown above. Look for blues for your 'Nates' in all our stores (except Outlet on 4th), too! From Northcott Fabrics.

~ Annette

Patterns for Children's Clothes - get more for your money!

My little baby girl has a sea of pink clothes - sweet blush tones, hot corals, lipstick strawberry shades - but I needed to spike it with a pair of black and white striped leggings. Searching the mall and the internet the closest I came was a pair of black and ivory striped pants, for $16.50. (Not bad for an adult, but considering how quickly she outgrows everything, so not worth it for baby clothes.) 

I found Kwik Sew pattern 3607 and recognized right away what a great deal it is. At $10.99 for the pattern, another $5.62 for 5/8yd of knit fabric, and $.99 for a pack of elastic, you might think I'm not so great at math. But the pattern has leggings, a shirt, and a jumper in five baby sizes! It's the only pattern I'll need for the next year to make Annika a whole wardrobe of cute pants, tops and dresses, perfect for layering. Plus, the leggings are super quick - I made my dream leggings in less than 20 minutes.

And Annika's so cute in them! She wore them all weekend, and stared with great delight at her graphically striped legs.

Children's clothing patterns are an amazing value if you use all the sizes.  Keep tracing paper (like my favorite, Bosal) on hand, trace pieces in the size needed onto the sturdy paper, transfer the markings, and keep the pattern till you need to go up a size, and trace the next one up! Mark your traced pieces with the pattern number and size so you can use them again and again.

Tracing patterns is a great way to make all of your patterns last - Bosal Paper can be sewn through, so you can try out fit before you slice into your beautiful fabrics.  And you'll save a ton of time if you learn to love rotary cutters - use a nice big cutting mat, pattern weights instead of pins and roll that blade around  for lickety-split cutting! We even have Roll-A-Pattern Markers to trace patterns with super-speed.

Next, I'm going to make Annika a striped shirt, but first I'm going to make her a little pair of jeans leggings - I found an awesome 'denim' at our Northgate store. that is a super-soft, stretchy knit. With a little gold thread detailing, she'll be rocking a little denim on her next hike with Daddy!

~ Anna-Beth

Knitting for Baby

As a new mother, I often find it challenging to get time at my sewing machine.  My sweet smiling little dumpling turns into a screaming howler if set down too long, so my quilting is reserved for naptime and when Daddy is home to take over bouncing and playing duties.  Luckily, I have a hobby that she will allow a smidge more frequently: knitting! Since Annika is so kindly allowing me to knit, I repay her by knitting things for her!  Actually, knitting for baby is so fun, because those tiny projects just finish up so quick - I have never knit a sweater before, but she already has three from me now. 

The cute little one below is the Feather and Fan Baby Sweater, from the book 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders,  knit up in a skein of Pagewood wool/nylon hand-dyed sock yarn. Pagewood's generous yardage left me plenty to make her a little pair of baby socks to match. (If you click on the "baby socks" in the previous sentence, you will find a free pattern for baby socks!) I washed and dried this sweater in my normal washer and dryer, and had no noticable shrinkage! Yay superwash wools!

My sweet lil beanie!

Of course, this also illustrates the sad part about knitting for baby - At three months, she is not going to be squeezing into this little sweater much longer, and her big old hobbit-feet are already in  6 to 12 month old -sized socks!  But we have such beautiful yarns at our stores, and adorable patterns and books for baby clothes, so I will just keep making her new ones, although perhaps in too-big sizes, so she has time to grow.

-Anna-Beth

Great gifties for new humans (and one for anyone!)

As some of you who know me or read our newsletter may know, I am expecting my first child later this month.  (I am so excited - a little apprehensive, but still really thrilled to meet this little person who's been kicking me for the last few months.)  Steve and I have been taking a seven week birth and childcare class which has three other couples in it, and I've been wanting to make the whole class some little gifts, but as usual, I am low on time and cash, and the last class is this Tuesday, so I came up with three quick, inexpensive little projects - and they came out so cute, I thought it would be lovely to offer them up to you.  I did all three this weekend, and still had time for a slumber party, three loads of laundry, an easy hike and shopping trip with my mom, and lots of zoning out and watching my belly shift from side to side, just to give you a sense of how really quick these are. 

Project 1:  The Fabulous Flannel Burpcloth.
This is so very simple, and as anyone who has ever been around a newborn will tell you - you cannot have too many burpcloths. 

You'll need:
2 fat quarters of flannel in coordinating prints or solids - a half yard of each will give you enough for 2.
Thread
All the usual sewing gear - rotary cutter, mat, scissors, sewing machine, etc.

1. Iron your two flannel FQs and place them right sides together - trim them up so all edges match - I trimmed mine down to 20" by 17".  
2. Stitch them together, using a 1/2" seam allowance and leaving an opening of about 3" on one side for turning them right sides out.

3. Clip away the corners - this will make getting neat square corners really easy.  Turn them right sides out, run a point turner or even a chopstick along all the edges and into the corners, and press nice and flat. 

4. Using a 1/4" seam allowance, topstitch all the way around.

5. Have some ice cream. (That's what I like to do, and since you've finished your burpcloth already, you might as well join me. Pickles, as side dish, not as topping, are totally optional.)

Project 2:  The Microwaveable Heating Pillow -
While I am giving these to help with labor back pains, they are great little quick gifts for almost anyone.  I have family friends who order a few of these every holiday from me, for aching muscles, chills, or even taking with them out to the car on snowy days to ward off the shivers while they wait for the heater to kick in.

You'll need:
Two 10" by 13" pieces of coordinating flannel. ( I picked up two 3/8 yd pieces, which is enough to make four)
Thread
A few pounds of uncooked rice
All that sewing paraphernalia again

1. Place your flannels right sides together, and trim up the edgs so they match nicely.
2. Stitch them together, using a 1/2" seam allowance and leaving an opening of about 3" on one side for turning them right sides out.
3. Clip away the corners - this will make getting neat square corners really easy. Turn them right sides out, run a point turner or even a chopstick along all the edges and into the corners, and press nice and flat.
4. Using a 1/4" seam allowance, topstitch around the three edges that are completely stitched.
5. Fill your bag about 2/3 of the way with rice - using a funnel makes this nice and neat.  Pin the open edges closed.
6. Using a 1/4" seam allowance, topstitch along that last open edge.
7. Stick it in the microwave and test to see about how long it takes to heat, so you can give directions.  Mine heated up in about 3 minutes, 30 seconds, and that was snuggly warm.  Make a little label for the bag to pin on, letting them know approximately how long it will take to heat. 
8. Go take a nap with the toasty warm pillow - you deserve it, after being so sweet as to make everyone presents, and you're done sewing, so what else is there to do?  Unless you like to knit, in which case, its time to get started on:

Project 3: Cozy Quick Baby Socks
These are simple, sweet little socks - if you are a knitter, you could easily make up a half dozen pairs in different colors and put them in a candy box for a shower gift that will be memorable and appreciated.  If you have not attempted socks before, this gives you a chance to try out the basic techniques without starting a major new project - just dip your toes in! 

You'll need:
DK weight yarn - I'm not sure of exact yardage - I used Debbie Bliss's Rialto, which is a wonderful soft 100% Merino and is superwash, which means it can be machine washed without worrying about it, and after three pairs, I still had about a third of a 196 yd ball left - so probably about 50 yards per pair.
Size 3 double pointed needles
A smallish yarn needle to close up the toe and work in ends.

Cast on 24 stitches onto 3 needles. 
Ribbing: Knit 2, Purl 2 - 6 rows
Leg: Knit all the way around, 9 rows
Next row - knit 12 stitches onto one needle, then turn.
Heel flap -
Row 1: Slip one, then purl to the end of row, turn.
Row 2 - Slip one, then knit to the end of row, turn.
Repeat rows 1 and 2 till you have 12 rows on heel flap, finishing with a knit row.
Turning the heel:
Row 1: Slip 1, purl 6, purl next two stitches together, purl one stitch, and turn, leaving last 2 stitches unworked.
Row 2: Sl 1, knit 3, knit next two stitches together, knit one stitch, then turn, leaving last two stitches unworked.
Row 3: Sl 1, Purl 4, purl next two stitches together, purl 1, and turn.
Row 4: Sl 1, Knit 5, knit next two stitches together, knit one, and pick up and knit 7 stitches along the slipped stitch edge. Knit the next 12 stitches onto one needle, then, with another needle,  pick up and knit 7 stitches along the other slipped stitch edge, continuing on to knit the first four stitches off of your first needle.  You should now have 11 stitches on your first needle, 12 on your second, and another 11 on the third. All future rows begin at the first stitch on the first needle.
Decreasing the heel:
Row 1 - Knit to the last three stitches on needle 1, knit next two stitches together, knit last stitch. Knit all stitches on needle 2. Knit first stitch on needle 3, then slip next two stitches, then knit slipped stitches together.  Knit all remaining stitches.
Row 2: Knit all stitches.
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until you have only 6 stitches on needle 1 and 3 (24 stitches total). 
Instep: Knit for 6 rows.
Closing the toe:
Row 1: knit to last three stitches on needle 1, knit two stitches together, then knit last stitch on needle 1.  Knit first stitch on needle 2, slip next two stitches, then knit slipped stitches together, knit to the last three stitches on needle 2, knit two together, knit last stitch on needle 2.  Knit first stitch on needle 3, slip next two stitches, then knit slipped stitches together, knit to end of row. 
Row 2 - Knit all stitches.
Repeat rows 1 and 2 until you have 16 stitches altogether. Knit Row 1 one more time, (12 stitches remain) then do final row: Needle 1: Knit 2 together, knit one. Needle 2: Knit one, slip next two then knit slipped stitches together, knit two stitches together, knit one. Needle 3: Knit one, slip two stitches and knit two slipped stitches together. (8 stitches remain.)
Finish closing toe with kitchener stitch, or just do what I call a bellybutton closure - leaving all stitches on needles, run tail of yarn though all stitches twice, remove needles, and pull tight, making a neat little bellybutton at the toe.
Now start over from cast-on instructions, as the vast majority of babies are born with two feet. 

As a new mommy-to-be, I can testify that I would love any or all of these three gifts - try making them for someone you love (or just work with) today!

 - Anna-Beth