Thursday, December 13, 2012

Old friends, new stuff

My new best friend.
He doesn't sew, or knit, or make us
sandwiches at lunchtime (that would be nice)
BUT he has the cutest little band around his ankle and his
wings flap around and wave at people...
yep.

OK.
What I really wanted to show you are a couple of
new fabrics I'm loving from two of my fave "friends"

Amy Butler has a great new collection called "Alchemy"
I'm in love with the colors and painterly feeling of these fabrics.
 Can't wait to make something with them.

Amy also has a new online magazine called "Blossom"
Just go to her website to sign up for it.
(click below)
It's free!


I think Anna Maria Horner's latest collection "Field Study" is my all time favorite.  
She has this art of combining classic, eclectic and fun.  Love it.
 We've had the cotton collection in the store for a bit,
but now she's put some of the prints on rayon.
This is my favorite in both collections
"Raindrops Poppies"
 These new rayons are a huge leap from the rayons of the past.
Soft, flowing...washable!
Makes great dresses, skirts and blouses.
and...rayon is a natural fiber, so it's breathable.
Very comfortable on hot days.

 Lastly,
friends and co-workers Joan, Nancy, Lindell and Jennifer
have fabulous hand-crafted items for sale in the store.
Come see us!




Wednesday, December 12, 2012

12 Days of Christmas

Ok, that title is completely misleading...except for the fact that it is twelve days before Christmas.

I don't really want to focus on the fact that there are only TWELVE MORE SHOPPING DAYS LEFT!  Yuk! (triple yuk!)  I'd rather focus on the super cool things happening in this season.  Like, for example...people I admire for their creativity. (amen to that, right?)

For example:

KATIE is a supersonic person who started as a student with Patti Barnett (FMS sewing teacher extraordinaire) and then became a co-worker/FMS staff/colleague...  

I've always admired Katie's work.  She has a really cool way of combining things in her life with her need to create.  She leans towards things that are earth friendly and karma filled.  Plus, she's a talented sewist and has an amazing sense of design.

Katie's latest passion is inspired by the work of Kat O'Sullivan, otherwise known as Katwise.  Check out her website, it pretty much explains it all:

 Ok, now check out Katie's dress inspired by Kat:
This sweater dress is made from many recycled sweaters from her family, augmented by Salvation Army finds (a great resource for wool remnants).  She then felted the sweaters (felting info), cut and serged.   Her first felting project was with sweaters from her grandfather.  She wanted to make momentums for family members so she felted and sewed scarves.

Here's one she made for her mom:

 

In case you don't know (most don't) when you felt the wool sweaters, you can cut them and the edges won't fray.  Wow!  That's one of the cool things about felting.  IF you also have a serger, like Katie, you can sew without having to hide the edges.  This makes things quicker, but also gives a more sculptural look.  Super artsy!


Thank you Katie for sharing your creations!


 Until the next time I'm inspired to blog....

Happy creating!

Mary

(a "Katwise creation) 

 




Monday, December 3, 2012

Last Minute Gifts

Alright, it's not the ultimate last minute,
we're still within a comfortable completion zone,
if you stick to non-Sistine Chapel-like creations.
Here are a few things you can do which will satisfy your urge
to create...and impress your friends and family with
your creative (and organizational) skills...  
"Pompe"
from Ella Rae.
These adorable pom-pommed skiens easily turn into
the cutest hats, sweaters and scarves.
 
Irresistible! 

From Tecido Trico:
Fun, easy, elegant scarves.
Very quick to knit and fun to wear!



No time or energy to make anything?
We have a great selection of gifts...
toys, books, notions....

and don't forget...
FMS gift certificates are always greatly appreciated!
 
Good Luck!!

Mary



Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Holidazzzzze

Oh yes, as lovely as they are, I think most of us
feel a bit under pressure.
Cleaning, decorating our homes, shopping,
cooking, eating-too-much!
I try to keep it simple with food and gifts, but I love decorating
my house and table with greens, pine cones, gourds, candles.......
and of course fabrics.

My go-to source for last minute sprucing up is
our Home Decorating remnant tables (how convenient).
 Perfect for covering
anything less than beautiful in my house.

No matter how simple the gift, it's always nice
to wrap it well.  I'm a big fan of our sheer ribbons
(the ones we tie around customers bags).
They just look sooo yummy in a bow...layered...
mixed with several different colors and widths.
Makes even a gift of coal appreciated! 

So many new things have been coming into the store.
Here are a few of my faves:
"Pin Up" from Alexander Henry.
Snazzy pj's or a pillow case for your sweet heart.

From Joel Dewberry 54" home decorating weight cotton sateen.
Think cushions, valances or freshen up an old chair.  

"Cherry Christmas" from Aneela Hoey
very sweet 

Fantastic new Collections from Art Gallery:
"Splendor 1920"
"Floressence"

Great clutch from Indygo Junction.
This one made with 2 sqaures of wool felt.

 Elegant Winter from Moda.
Perfect for a quick tablecloth. 

Banners are quick to make and very festive.
The most simple can be made with felt, scissors and glue,
but it's not too tricky to take it up a notch either.

Gotta have one of these...
Feed The Animals coin purse.
Cute, easy...
fill it with money - great gift!

 Fun Dots

 Gorgeous new wool from designer
Derek Lam.

No time to make anything?
Give a Franklin Mill Store gift certificate!
See you soon!

Mary








Friday, October 19, 2012

Autumn awesomeness

 The mill is abuzz with activity!
Co-workers, students, customers are creating up a storm.
Fabulous fabrics and yarns are rolling in.
 Lots of pics/few words are my
 plan of action (once again) to share the news.
 
Check it out!
  
Sweet new collection from Renaissance Ribbons
 by Dena Designs

From Alexander Henry "Midnight Snack" 
We've had it in quilting cotton, but now
it's in a super soft flannel.
Perfect for pj's!!! 

       More fabulous fabrics from Riley Blake
(Yeah!)
 and it is...
 Huck Finn meets Rebecca of Sunny Brook Farm.

Our co-worker Lindell made the cutest baby quilt using a
panel from Riley Blake's "Woodland Trails" collection.
This is a very quick and easy quilt to make and works
well for either a girl's or boy's room.
Lindell did her own (unbelievably quilted!) thing,
but there is a pattern on the Riley Blake website.

She made a very huggable owl too!
 McCalls # M6415

Lots o fab leather remnants in the store.
Yummy colors and textures.  Great for making
 handbags, media covers, belts, hats,
cool bookends...  Don't be afraid, it's not that hard to 
work with.  For larger projects, we have full hides as well.


 New prints from Kaffe Fassett, Philip Jacobs and Brandon Mably:
I fell in love (love, love, love...) with the grey colorway.
You really have to see them in person to appreciate the colors.
In particular, I'm crazy about this one:
"Foxgloves" by Philip Jacobs.
  Come check them out.  You'll be drooling.

"Odds and Ends" by Cosmo Cricket.
Darling.
 

If you're like most people, you're probably well on your way
into several projects intended for holiday gifts.
If you are like me, however, you might be looking for something
fabulous to whip up at the almost last minute 
(let it go, let it go, we all can't be perfect).
So, for those of you who have that disease, or if you just want to
keep it simple, we have some really fun yarn to
make fabulous scarves with.

"Glee" from Berroco has great colors and knits or
crochets up quickly and easily into a fun spiral scarf. 
 

For something a bit more frilly there's
"Scandalicious!" from Plymouth Yarns.
Maureen has been knitting up the cutest baby
sweater and hat sets using Sirdar "Crofter" and "Snuggly".
These are great yarns for baby knits, extremely soft
and washable.  The "Crofter" knits up in a Fair Isle pattern
without having to deal with multiple yarns.  Hooray!

Peruvia Quick...
I love this yarn, it's so soft and the colors are scrumptious!

Jennifer made a sweet hat pattern using just one skein
of this beautiful Grandiosa Hand-Dyed yarn.
The pattern is free with purchase of any chunky yarn.
Need help making all these things?


Come in and see us.  
Let us know what you're doing and how we can help.
See you soon!

 (I just can't resist cute pups: )