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March 2013 Fabric Newsletter
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 | The first step was to trace the pattern for easier use in the correct size; they turned to Gus for some guidance. They both grabbed some basic tissue paper from the craft store in white and went to work, being very careful to transfer all of the tailor's markings over as they traced. By taking the time to trace the pattern (instead of cutting out the original), they will be able to use the pattern again. As you can imagine, Sharon and Jeanne were both happy that we have such a large table here at the shop to lay everything out on. If you don't have a big space, don't let that discourage you from sewing, as all you need is your kitchen table and a little organization! |
Sharon and Jeanne are taking a different path with their projects: one pre-washed the fabric and one did not. We'll keep you posted on the outcome of this experiment to discover which method works best! Both of these ladies encourage lots of pinning when attaching the pattern for cutting, and of course smoothing the paper down as you pin will help keep your piece at the right size. A quick tip: Leave your pieces pinned to the pattern until you need them, so you know exactly what piece you are working with - and you will be able to use your fabric pen to move the markings over as you go. |  |
Both Sharon and Jeanne are super excited to wear their finished Kimono, which are still in progress. You will be able to see the finished product and details of this project on our Project Log! |
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 | The Beans for Brains Scholarship Program is back for the fourth year! And this time (for the first time) sewing and quilting can help you win a scholarship! Started in 2010 by Jimmy Beans Wool, the program has grown to be supported by many other generous companies from throughout the fiber world. Five students will receive a merit-based scholarship of $3,200 each to help finance their higher education. This is one fun way the hand-knitting, crochet and sewing industries are rewarding brainy crafters!
Applications and all details can be found at the Beans For Brains Homepage. Applications can be filled out and submitted between March 1st and March 31st, 2013.
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Spring Break is happening for many college students (or soon-to-be college students), and this month could be the perfect time to make something creative and apply for this unique scholarship! The project you make can be knitted, crocheted, sewn or quilted. That's a lot of crafting potential!
Feel free to pass this along to anyone you know who is both creative with yarn or fabric and planning to be enrolled in an accredited, approved institution of higher education in the US during the 2013-14 academic year. Every bit helps, right?!
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Piece Of My Heart Pincushion Kit
$9.95 | We put together this adorable kit to give you all the essentials you need to make the Piece of My Heart Pincushion designed by Michele Filon and included in the newest book in the Stitch Red series, Sew Red. The mini red heart is just 5" across, making it perfect to tuck into your sewing kit or bag and take with you everywhere you go! It's a great conversation starter - use it to tell all your sewing buddies why you're stitching red! For help making it, check out Jeanne's fantastic tutorial from our February Fabric Newsletter! | 
Flirt Panel
$7.49 | We already love the Flirt collection by Sandy Gervais; who could resist cute bluebirds frolicking with little red flowers and whimsical hearts? Now there's something new to love: the Flirt Panel! This cutesy print is a 22" by 44" two-piece panel featuring the same adorable bluebirds perched on red and pink flowers. You can use it in a quilt with coordinating fabric (see what Jeanne made with it in her Mitered Corners tutorial), or even cut it in half and sew a handy drawstring bag! Check out Kristen's Sewn Project Bags for Any Purpose for easy-to-follow instructions. | 
Embellish Me - Laurie Wisbrun
$24.95 | Laurie Wisbrun's new book, Embellish Me, is a fount of inspiration for any crafter wanting to take their fabric skills up a notch. The book covers everything from dyeing and printing your own fabric, to decorative stitching by hand and machine, to more complicated techniques like foil embossing. Laurie profiles designers and artists who are using the most innovative techniques, explains each method of embellishment in detail, and includes a comprehensive list of tools and materials needed. She also includes a section on designing your own embellishments! | 
Bohin Mechanical Chalk Pencil
$10.99 | We have the word from Gus, our fabric and quilting guru, that the Bohin Mechanical Chalk Pencil is the way to go for marking patterns and cutting lines! The tip is exceptionally fine, making it ideal for small but accurate markings, and the ceramic chalk is incredibly strong, so it can hold up to the pressure of writing on even thickly-napped fabrics. Best of all: Just like a normal mechanical pencil, it's erasable! Gus recommends testing it on an inconspicuous area to make sure it's compatible with your particular fabric; but after that, mark away! | 
Juliet Nouveau Dress
$11.00 | The Juliet Nouveau Dress from Serendipity Studios is one of those go-to garments we can't wait to make in all of our favorite fabrics. A cute sleeveless tunic-style dress with a universally flattering A-line shape, it has a gathered bust that ends in an empire waist. It can be customized to four different lengths from a hip-length top to a long dress, there are 3 different belt options, and you can finish it with a ruffled or solid hem. And since the shortest option uses less than 2 yards of fabric, you can make several! It would look great in one of the Felicity Miller Charleston Farmhouse prints! |
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The Alchemy Collection from Amy Butler is here - and it's absolutely stunning! Amy designed this luscious print collection around the idea of transformation; infusing elements of nature with exciting color and vivid graphic stories. Currently available in 100% quilting cotton weight, this fabric is not only great for quilts, but perfect for mid-weight garments and accessories, too! We think this collection is one of her best yet with bold florals, paisley prints, and stunning graphics. Use it to create a fun accent piece like the Gum Drop Pillows or Gypsy Sling Bag, or be adventurous and opt for a large print for the Mini Dress, Tunic, and Top just in time for summer. If you are feeling extra daring, try one of Collette's vintage inspired designs like Peony or Hazel. There are plenty of pretty prints to go around for any project you desire! |
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We've got plenty of amazing fabrics on sale - here are some of our current favorites!
Brandon Mably Dancing Paisley and Rings: Starting at 19% Off! Brandon Mably's Dancing Paisley and Rings prints from his collection for Westminster Fabrics are wonderfully reminiscent of the vintage style fabrics we covet so much. The retro color palette makes this collection stand out among all the others with its sophisticated tone and pops of color throughout. These colorful cottons would make for great home decoration accessories, as well as quilting, of course! With a touch of sophistication, these prints are well suited to just about any project you can dream up.
The Dena Designs Leanika Collection: 52% Off! These fun and classic prints from Dena Designs are a wonderful addition to your fabric stash. From feminine florals to stripes and tonal graphics, these designs are just the thing for mixing and matching with a variety of other prints. The Rose and Tiny Stripes prints would look especially cute as the reversible Emmeline Apron from Sew Liberated, while any of the other prints would be great as the Gathering Apron or Schoolhouse Tunic patterns. Any which way you use them, these classic looking prints are sure to please, especially at these prices! Erin McMorris Wildwood Collection: 42% Off! The Wildwood Collection from Erin McMorris pairs extreme brights and whimsical prints for a fun collection that is wonderful for baby and kids items as well as home accessories. At over 40% off, this collection is a great value as well! Use it for the adorable Lola Gypsy Bag or Emaline Skirt from Serendipity Studios. These two would be extra cute done in such fun bright prints! Valori Wells Jenaveve Linen fabric: 25% Off! Love the durability and drape of linen and the softness of cotton? Well, the Jenaveve Linen fabric collection by Valori Wells is the perfect blend of those two amazing fibers and is now 25% off! Jimmy loved this fabric so much that she now has curtains in her office made from the Tribal Floral in Toffee, and they are absolutely gorgeous. This fabric is somewhere between a home decor and quilting cotton weight, making it a great choice for pillow covers, skirts, bags, and other accessories. It would work well for Valori's Little Wallet or Placemat and Napkin patterns! |
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Kimono Sleeve Tunic | Sharon and Jeanne are working on this project in tandem and are having a blast! The pattern is clear cut and very easy to follow; they used tissue paper to trace their size, so that they can use the printed pattern again. They both can't stress enough that using lots of pins when laying out the pieces to cut, and double checking before cutting are must-dos. Thank you Suede for such a fun design! |
Summer Swing Skirt | When we received the BasicGrey Hello Luscious line into the shop, Rachel knew exactly what she was going to make! She had been looking at Moda's Summer Swing Skirt project for a while and decided that Hello Luscious was just the right collection. She grabbed one jelly roll and one layer cake and went to work. Rachel said it was worth the time investment, but be sure you allow yourself plenty of time and consider finishing your seams with a zig zag stitch; or if you have a Serger you are in luck! Rachel said that she feels this is a great advanced beginner project, so happy sewing! You can find the pattern here. |
Little Girl's Crossover Pinafore | Bethany has the cutest little girl, Penelope (or Penne for short), who wanted mom to make her a Pinafore! Okay, so maybe at 10 months old it was really Mom who wanted to make the Pinafore, but Penne loves it nonetheless! Bethany had been eyeing Tim Beck's Apple Jack line, so she had no problem choosing her yardage. Jeanne helped her with some of the details, but she did 99% of the work; Jeanne had the fun job of playing with Penne while Bethany sewed this beauty. The pattern is designed by Maggie, who blogs under the name Smashed Peas and Carrots, and it was super easy to work up. Her version uses fabrics from Amy Butler's Lotus Collection. This is a perfect project for a beginner, so go for it! You can find the pattern here. |
Schoolhouse Tunic | Ty Pennington's fabrics are one of Sandy's all time favorites; and when she saw the Sew Liberated Schoolhouse Tunic, she knew that the two were meant to meet. She told us that the pattern is very easy to follow and she added french seams just to be a little fancy. She used three prints from Ty's Impressions line, and we think that the result is fabulous! The yardage listed with her tunic project is for a size 12, so please always be sure to purchase the right yardage amount for your garment. |
Kristen's 1-Hour Skirt | This is the skirt that Kristen made last Spring as part of the first Jimmy Beans Wool KAL/SAL project! We knit the Winged Knits Goodale Cardigan and sewed the 1-Hour Skirt from Brett Bara's book Sewing in a Straight Line. This skirt was a great item to try for a beginning sewist. In fact, Kristen made a second one right after this one, because it literally only took an hour! For this version, Kristen chose Amy Butler's Twilight Peony from the Soul Blossoms Collection, which will match perfectly with her Goodale Cardigan once she finishes it. Ahem, Kristen, did you hear that? You should finish your Goodale already!!! In the meantime, at least she can enjoy wearing this cute skirt! |
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We call Deb "Kiwi" - not because she likes the little green fruits, but because she's our resident New Zealander! Deb works on our E-Commerce team pulling and packing orders and amusing the rest of the staff with her antics. Although she's been Stateside for 13 years, Deb maintains a special fondness for her home country; she especially likes pulling orders for Berroco Linsey yarn because many of the colors are named after places in New Zealand! She tried to tell us she didn't knit, and then showed up with a phenomenal scarf she made for her sister - nice try, Deb, but we're on to you! |  |
 | While she loves working with yarn, Deb's real passion is for educating children. Before moving to Reno, she was a Special Education teacher with the Sonoma County Public Schools in California, and every summer she works at a Special Needs Camp for the Easter Seals. When she's not at Jimmy Beans, Deb helps out at Hands Up Home for Youth here in Reno. As far as hobbies, she loves to take long walks, read, hang out with friends, and generally just have fun. |
She also likes to bake, a hobby that has benefited all of us here at Jimmy Beans -we love sampling her delicious molasses cookies, poppy seed muffins, and pumpkin bread! She even made a fantastic Chinese New Year feast for us, full of traditional goodies like almond cookies, in honor of it being the Year of the Snake - her birth year! |
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Whether you live in or near Brooklyn, NY, or are just looking for a last minute getaway to inspire your crafty side, be sure to check out the Brooklyn Craft Camp if you can! Founded by Brett Bara, a life-long crafter and DIY guru (and also the author of the 1-Hour Skirt pattern that Kristen made for our Sew Along, featured above), this one-day event takes place in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, on Saturday, March 16th. |  |
Attendees can take up to 4 different classes ranging from jewelry making and knitting to terrariums and printmaking! Of course there will be plenty of other shenanigans, like the AWESOME photo booth (sponsored by Jimmy Beans!) featuring a rendering of the Brooklyn Bridge and skyline made completely out of yarn! To find out more, visit the Brooklyn Craft Camp website! |
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There are many ways to stay up-to-date on the latest happenings at Jimmy Beans Wool!
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Please let us know what you think of our newsletter or if you have problems reading it! Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Email support@jimmybeanswool.com
And please don't forget to support your LYS. In addition to being an online outlet, we also have a retail location and therefore understand how important it is to be supported by our locals.
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Jimmy Beans Wool
891 Trademark Drive
Reno, NV 89521
Toll Free in U.S. and Canada (877)JBW-KNIT (529-5648)
Phone (775)827-9276
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