Spool staffer, Elizabeth, is a fashion student in the midst of her senior collection. Needless to say, she is a very busy girl; designing and sewing constantly. When this new dress pattern fabric arrived from Alexander Henry, she just had to have it!

During a particularly hectic school week, she stopped and took a little time for herself to stitch up this adorable tote. She used Robert Kaufman’s Fusions for the lining, and did the contrast stitching in a pretty fuchsia to match. It is so cute, and she says it was a great pick me up. She has something fun to cheer her up wherever she goes!

I think this a great reminder of how simple crafting, even for an hour or two, can make us feel accomplished and happy. Now Elizabeth can get back to high fashion with clear head! Great job, lady!

We are in Love with Amy Butler’s Frenchy Bag! Since our Frenchy Bag models sold out in our sample sale, I thought it was time for some new ones in new fabrics! When Amy’s new line arrived, Elizabeth was especially taken with this lacy, paisley print. Aubergine and pale chartreuse is one of her current favorite color pairings! Seeing them together, I think they may become one of mine too!

Elizabeth got work stitching up the Shoulder Bag and Handbag versions, both of which are included in the pattern. I think they turned out beautifully, and she did an amazing job of centering the patterns. The contrast between the wild paisley and the more traditional medallion is just lovely!

If you’d like to try your hand at making your very own Frenchy Bag, we are having a workshop on March 7 & 14th. This is great class for getting more confident with sewing patterns. Plus, you know you’ll be dying for a new handbag when Spring rolls around, so why not make your own? Please call the shop to reserve your space. See you soon!

Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season. Although I thoroughly enjoyed all the festivities, I have missed my sewing machine! I am ready to reset, renew, and reinvent, and this new fabric line, Revive, is just the thing to get me started.

Art Gallery Fabrics is a new-to-Spool company, and I couldn’t be happier to have them in the shop. Revive’s prints are soft, light, and full of movement. An exceptionally fine cotton hand makes this lovely for skirts and blouses, as well as quilts. Feminine prints coordinate beautifully together, and look amazing with my favorite Shot Cottons. Aquas and blues make for a refreshing start to the new year, don’t you think?

I have one thing on the brain for this year – quilts! I want to make so many! I have already started cutting out a new quilt using Revive, and I’ll be sure to show you how it turns out. What will you be sewing this year?

The snow is really coming down here in Philly this morning and a cozy shipment of Valori Wells flannel arrived just in time. Not only did we get the very popular pompom flowers and butterfly prints, but we also have OWL flannel. These little guys are so cute! I know Olga is already planning to line a hat she knit for a friend with the blue owls. Perfect!

I just keep thinking of PJ pants in every color. So snuggly! Elizabeth told me that one year she made 6 pairs of pajama pants on Christmas Eve for gifts. Six pairs! While I am not suggesting anything so extreme, it is an awfully good day for a little walk to the fabric shop for a flannely treat, and then home for a day of relaxing sewing! The snow is not keeping us away, so stop by and say hello. Stay warm out there!

Still stuck on that one last giftee on your holiday list? Give something handmade…by us! How about a super cute purse, a lovely butterfly skirt, adorable child’s PJs, or an amazing colorful quilt? These are just some of the pretty pieces still available at our first sample sale in our bricks & mortar shop.

We have children’s items priced at $10-$25, women’s clothing starting at $25, zipper pouches & handbags from $8-$35, and a variety of quilts starting at $30 and ranging to $200, depending on size. Stop in to see our full selection! Happy Shopping!

Kaffe Fassett’s Shot Cottons are some of my most favorite fabrics. Soft, lightweight, and rich in color, they match up wonderfully with my preferred accessory: scarves! Our Scarf Kits are now back in the shop, just in time for last minute holiday sewing.

If you’re unfamiliar with Shot Cotton, this project is a great way to get acquainted. There is no “wrong side” to this fabric, because the warp and weft are dyed different colors and then woven together to create an amazing depth of color. Our scarves show this feature to it’s best advantage, by leaving the edges raw for fraying. The scarf will have two distinct bright colors running along the edges. Lovely!

Plaids are everywhere this season, so we matched our favorite colors with Kaffe’s woven checks in our scarf kits. Each kit contains two 22″ x 36″ cuts of fabric. Stitch them together along the short ends and press the seam allowance open. Then stitch the seam allowance down with a brightly colored thread. Run through washer & dryer and you have created a super stylish scarf! We have a gorgeous range of colors that will work (quickly!) for everyone on your gift list. Happy stitching!

We are having our first sample sale! Our sample storage is overflowing, so it’s time to part with some of our favorite pieces. We have all manner of quilts, purses, and housewares, not to mention beautiful clothes for women and babies. Each item was made by a Spool staffer and has been very well priced! This is a wonderful opportunity to give handmade holiday gifts, even if you don’t have time to make them yourself!

The sale starts in our bricks & mortar shop today and runs through the end of the year. See you soon!

With everything that’s going on this time of year, it’s fun to have a quick project that can give you a little crafting time and make your holiday table look lovely all at once. Placemats are just the thing! We just got a shipment of Shot Cottons and new prints from Kaffe Fassett. These soft hues are so autumnal, all I wanted to do was see them them all next to each other, arranging and rearranging the perfect color combinations. There was only one thing to do- make up some design rolls STAT!

A Design Roll is collection of fabrics each precut into 2.5″ strips by the width of fabric, and rolled up into a neat little package. Don’t worry, I use a fabric die cutter to ensure accuracy! Ours contain 30 strips of fabric, 5 of each print. Once the cutting is taken care of, the sewing can commence. I put together these placements in the blink of an eye. One Design Roll will make 8 placemat tops!

Here’s what I did:

1. Using a 1/4 ” seam allowance, I sewed together 9 strips- making an 18.5″ x 44″ strip set for each.

2. Then, I cut each set into 14″ blocks along the long edge, creating the perfect 18.5″ x 14″ placemat size. I got 3 mats from each strip set.

3. I cut a backing & heavy weight fusible interfacing to 18.5 ” x 14″ for each placemat, and fused the interfacing to the backings. To make 8 placemats, you’ll need 1.5 yards of each.

4. I layered and pinned the fronts and backs, then machine quilted through all the layers. I did a different random design for each and used a few different thread colors.

5. I bound each placemat with premade bias binding. You will need 2 yards for each mat. We have a slightly iridescent one at the shop that gives a little holiday shine.

Done and done! I love how pretty they are, but love how fast they were to make even more. My Kaffe Design Rolls are available in the shop and online. Now, which one to play with next?!

New laminated cotton fabrics have started to arrive in the shop, and we are just crazy for them! The first three are bold and bright

The Nines film

prints from Kaffe Fassett. The fabric has a thin laminated layer that doesn’t make the fabric as stiff as traditional oilcloths. Fantastic! Everyone at the shop started dreaming up projects immediately.

One of our sewing instructors, Heather, just knew this fabric wanted to be a Domestic Goddess Apron. She stitched this up in one night (!!!) and brought it to Stitch Party on Friday. I put it on and didn’t want to take it off, I loved it so much! Heather thought the fabric was easy to work with, although she does recommend a walking foot or teflon foot for topstitching. She did an amazing job, and is planning on making several more for gifts. This apron just shouts, “FUN!”, don’t you think?

Heather thought that you would like to make this apron too, so we quickly scheduled a new class. Here are the details:

Domestic Goddess Apron- $40 plus materials
Sundays, November 8 & 15: 12:30-2:30PM

We will be making the half apron in class. The apron has pockets, pleats, and a tie back. We recommend that you purchase your pattern and cut out the paper pieces prior to the first class. You don’t have to use laminated fabric, but this apron is so much fun, you know you want to!

Materials: pattern, thread, .75 -1 yard main fabric, depending on chosen length. 1-1.5 yards coordinating fabric for ties, depending on length.

Please call the shop to reserve your space. See you there!

School is back in session, and that means thinking about everyone’s favorite subject – lunch! Whether you’re packing lunch for the kids or for yourself, pulling out a cheerful, handmade-with-love lunchbag, makes the task more fun. Our Apple-a-Day Lunchbag is convenient, eco-friendly, and super cute! Available in kits or as a .pdf download

Sick Girl on dvd

, this lunchbag will have have you looking forward to packing lunch!