One of the best things about Fall is wearing scarves! You can never have too many, because you just can’t know what your mood will be when you walk out the door. We got a recent shipment of Kaffe Fassett’s Shot Cotton, and the deep hues made me think autumn. Shot cotton is special because the warp and weft yarns are 2 different colors woven together to create a special depth, a “shot” of color. When the edge of this fabric ravels, you can see a bright contrast to the body of the fabric, like in the photos below. Normally you would just see a tiny bit of this in your seam allowance on the inside of your project, but I thought it would be fun to bring it out and play it up.

These scarves couldn’t be simpler to make! I took a yard of 2 fabrics and cut them in half lengthwise. I then sewed 2 short ends together ( there is no “right side” to this fabric) with a 3/4″ seam allowance and then sewed the seam allowances down flat. I threw them in the washer and dryer and after a light pressing - Voila! - a beautiful, totally reversible Fall scarf is born! You can coax the edges to fray more by pulling on the cross threads, or embellish with embroidery thread. The fabric is lightweight and gauzy, so it easily wraps around your neck, and can be comfortably worn indoors. There are so many possibilities to make this scarf your own! We took our favorite combinations and kitted them up. Each kit contains 2 “fat halves”, a 22″ x 36″ piece of fabric, of Shot Cotton. These amazing colors colors are perfect for adding a little autumn flair! See more photos here and have fun!

Our sister store, Loop, is always having amazing guest teachers come to visit. With Loop being a yarn shop, these classes involve knitting. No surprise there, right? Well, get this - Leigh Radford, author of One Skein, Alterknits, and now Alterknits Felt, will be teaching a class at Loop with no knitting skills required! Her Felted Ornament and Jewelry Workshop is perfect for the non-knitting, yet super crafty fiber lover. Sound like anyone you know? I thought it might! Leigh was the Art Director for Interweave Knits for many years, where her designs were regularly published. Now she writes, designs, and teaches across the country. This is a rare opportunity to learn from someone whose interdisciplinary approach to crafts is inspiring, beautiful, and incredibly creative. Check out this class description:

Felted Ornaments/Jewelry Workshop $70

Session 1: Friday, October 31 from 6 to 9 PM
Session 2: Sunday, November 2 from 2 to 5 PM

Learn to transform colored roving into beautiful felted balls that can be joined together to create one-of-a-kind ornaments, garland, jewelry or perhaps a pincushion. Students will also learn needle felting techniques to embellish felted balls with contrasting colors. Alternatives for incorporating beads and/or embroidery will also be covered. Class materials are included.

So fun! Acquiring a new technique can bring a whole new dimension to your crafting. I know I’ll be there Friday night, and if you want to be too, please call Loop at 215-893-9939 to reserve your space. Leigh will be with us all weekend and you can see her full class offerings here. See you soon!

With this chill in the air, it’s no secret that summer is over. Awww, sad! The upside is that our summer hours are over too. Spool is back to being open 7 days a week, from 11-6. We’ve just added new sessions at our class page, giving you sewing options nearly every day in November. As always, we welcome you to use our spacious studio, big cutting tables and sewing machines during our Open Sewing Sessions. Explore your creativity and come sew with us!

Penelope (P. for short) is one of the most stylin’ kids I know! She is about to become a big sister, like at any moment, and her mom, Jessi, has been doing some serious nesting. Quilts, baby things and clothes for P. and her older brother have poured out of Jessi’s sewing machine. She picked up the fabric for the new Oliver + S Playdate Dress 2 days ago (one day before her due date) and kindly brought P. in to model. She chose Heather Ross’ Mendocino mermaid fabric and a polka dot from Anna Maria Horner’s Garden Party Collection. Jessi did a beautiful job with the sewing, and P. looks amazing in it. I think the floral pants and red sneakers really complete the look. P. will be wearing this to the school picnic today, if her new sibling doesn’t make an appearance! Thanks for sharing, Jessi. I looking forward to meeting the newest addition to your crafty clan!

People always ooh and ahh over our Oliver + S samples when they come to the shop. Many customers have been inspired to learn to sew or get back into sewing because of these adorable designs. Oliver + S has 5 new patterns for the Fall, including 2 patterns for boys, and sizing expanded up to a child’s 8. They’re not just for babies anymore!

Our new staff member, Alana, sewed up the 2+2 Blouse. We chose Michael Miller’s Garden Tour for the body and a raspberry floral from their Pod Posey collection for the contrast. This pattern has the option of short or long sleeves and buttons up the back. The pretty A-line shape of this blouse gives your girl room to play while the sweet tie and placket keeps it pretty enough for a school picture. This project involves gathering, applying bias binding, making buttonholes, and setting in sleeves. Trying new techniques will expand your sewing knowledge and refine your finished garments. Comprehensive instructions and detailed diagrams are always part of the Oliver +S package. Remember, the Spool staff is always here to help in case you come across a bump in the road! Imagine your little girl heading off to school in this…completely worth it!

Jill handquilted this beautiful pillow cover! Isn’t it fantastic? She has been a wonderful student at many of our sewing classes. I love it that she took what she learned from her beginner’s quilt and made something so lovely and all her own. This is exactly what I hope will happen when people take our classes. You can see another (slightly blurrier) photo I took of the whole cover here. Kudos, Jill! Thank you for sharing this with us.

If you want to learn to handquilt, new sessions of Beginning Quilting are starting in the next few weeks. New Learn to Sew dates have also been added to the schedule. Classes are a fun way to expand your skills and meet other crafters. See you there!

How pretty is this pillow?! Our friend, Megan, patchworker extraordinaire, whipped this up with the new Daisy Chain fabric from Amy Butler. I love it! If you been looking for simple ways to incorporate your sewing projects into your home, these pillows are a great place to start. They are fun to make and make great gifts!

Megan will be teaching a class to make this 9-patch pillow cover on Saturday, October 18th from 11AM-2PM. The cost is $24 plus materials. You will learn to use rotary cutter, construct a nine patch, and make an envelope style backing for the pillow. Please call the shop to reserve your space.

The first day of school outfit and new Fall clothes are firmly ingrained in my mind. When the leaves start changing, I start imagining new clothing combinations that inevitably involve new skirts! The A-line skirt has a classic shape that is flattering on everyone. Our new home dec weight fabrics are perfect for warmer skirts in cooler weather. They have a lovely drape and the fabric designs are fresh and fashion forward. This wood grain skirt would be so cute with knee-high boots and a sleek turtleneck sweater. Fall clothes are the best!

Round out your Fall wardrobe by learning to make a new skirt of your own in our A-line skirts class. Learn to use a pattern and get a well fitting result from your sewing. Class starts Sunday, October 19th. Please call the shop to reserve your space.