Puget Sound Sewing & Craft

Clearance Fabrics & More at the Outlet Store

The Pacific Fabrics & Crafts Outlet store is right outside my office and since they had new awning fabrics in, I went out to take a picture for the email newsletter. But, I couldn't seem to stop and a few minutes later, I had a photo tour and a blog post in my head! My history with the Outlet goes back to high school when I used to shop here with my best friend and her mom and I have always enjoyed the seemingly limitles array of bargains to be found. Along with the bargains, we now have regular price goodies, too, making this a place where you'll really find something for everyone! So in this time when we're all a little more economically concscious, come along with me on a walk through the wonders of our Outlet store......

We'll start with the awning fabric, I mentioned. A wonderful array of colors and just in time to freshen up things before our sunny days are totally gone.

If you read my email newsletter, you know I'm a little bit obsessed with Oilcloth. It's just such cool, versatile stuff. Now I'm not a coffee drinker, but wouldn't this coffee oilcloth make a great grocery tote, or coasters or a covering for your espresso machine?

Next stop was the huge home decor fabric department. Oodles of bargains alongside the regular price fabrics and make sure you don't trip over any interior designers while you're here. We get lots of those! I loved these hatted fellows lined up so preceisely across this roll of upholstery fabric. I can see a fun cushion or even a vest or jacket. If those pricey fashion boutiques can use Home Dec fabrics, so can we!

Okay, let's head for the Clearance Crafts section at the back of the store. First stop - zippers! Tons of colored outerwear zippers at clearance prices and I think that nip in the air calls for a new fleece jacket, don't you? No picture, but you'll find plenty of fleece in the front of the store, too!

Down the aisle from the zippers - thread anyone? How often do you find clearance thread of good quality?

Wow! Here's a whole end cap of clearance priced ready to sew or iron on appliques. Need to perk up a T-Shirt? Add something personal to a backpack? Looking for just the right touch on a baby outfit? Come on down!

Does your sewing/crafting room or corner have a bookshelf? Mine is in a central location, because I use those books so often to jump start my creative self. I may never make an actual project from the book, but thumbing through it for a few minutes usually solidifies what direction I'll go while I'm sewing, crafting or knitting. What would we do without our books? Here's a chance to stock up some more at clearance prices.

There's really fun gifty stuff, too. Football for the season and Red Hat goodies for you and the girls. Yep, I'm still in the clearance section!

Okay knitters and crocheters, here's your dream world. Next to the regular yarn department, you'll find this fabulous spinning rack of bins full of clearance yarns! It's kind of like a little yarny candy store and you can come and get anything you want. Amazing! This is where I go to pick up accent yarns that are hard to find, but just the right touch to make my project sparkle. Yum, yum!

And at last, I'm on my way back to the office when I spy this intriguing pile of pretties. I start to peek, but the sign that says "Not ready for sale yet" stops me. You see, sometimes there are so many wonderful things coming in all at once that the stock room fills up and things have to be moved out before they can even get a chance to have it priced and ready. You just never know what you'll find when you stop into the Pacific Fabrics & Crafts Outlet store. Come on down and see - you might even run into me! I'll be the one with the armload of goodies, a satidfied grin on my face and a camera in my hand. See you there!

- Annette

Project Runway Meets State 4-H Fashion Revue

2008 Washington State 4-H Fashion Revue State Champion, Senior Division, Johanna Svensson with her new Brother Limited Edition Project Runway sewing machine, donated by Quality Sewing and Vacuum.

This past Sunday was the Washington State 4-H Fashion Revue Championship, at the Puyallup Fair.  25 young men and women from all over Washington came to compete for the title of State Champion, and a new sewing machine.  These young sewing enthusiasts were chosen from 80 preliminary contestants who competed on the preceding Saturdays and Sundays at the Fair for the opportunity to participate in the Finals.  Prior to coming to Puyallup for the preliminaries, each contestant had to first qualify to participate in their home counties.  Just like Project Runway, each stage of competition involves a new set of judges, and new questions and challenges.

In 4-H Fashion Revue, the contestants must make the garments that they are wearing in the contest.  They are evaluated by a team of judges, who not only critique the quality of their garment construction, as the garment appears when worn by the contestant, but also ask the contestants questions about the construction techniques they used and their knowledge of textile science and general sewing.  The contestant's ability to express themselves clearly and accurately, and their poise in presenting themselves also plays an role during the judges' evaluation.  This interview is the most important stage of the Fashion Revue competition.  At the conclusion of interview judging, the contestants then are asked to exhibit their garments in a fashion show, where they may also be judged further on their presentation skills. 

This year's show was an amazing display of talent from these young people.  Everything from historical costumes to tailored wool suits and evening gowns were on display.  This is truly the future of sewing!  I certainly would not be surprised to see any of these gifted young men and women winning Project Runway in the future!  I have been very honored to be the Superintendent of the State 4-H Fashion Revue competition for the past three years, and look forward to seeing more incredible talent next year.

Our 2008 State Champions:
Senior Division: Johanna Svensson, Kitsap County
Intermediate Division:  Sarah Hoenig, Kitsap County

Reserve Champions:
Senior Division: Lacey Coolbaugh, Kitsap County
Intermediate Division:  Andy Lo, Pierce County

Outstanding Interview Skills:
Senior Division: Roxana Acock, Walla Walla County
Intermediate Division: Elsie Lehman, Benton County

Outstanding Construction Skills:
Senior Division: Elizabeth Lenz, Kittitas County
Intermediate Division: Kayla Yearout, Grant County

Outstanding Modeling Skills:
Senior Division: Rosanna Larson, Lewis County
Intermediate Division: Michaela Nordheim, Walla Walla County

Congratulations to these and all of the 80 contestants in this year's Washington State 4-H Fashion Revue competition.
--Katrina

Baa Baa Black Sheep, Have You Any Wool?

4-H Fleeces on Display

The Puyallup Fair is still going strong through this weekend.  I've been busy with various 4-H volunteer duties, and so I have to brag just a little bit - my niece Ciara's yearling Romney ewe (that's a female sheep who is a year old), Esmeralda (also known as 'Ezzie") won her fleece class!  Fleeces are shown according to the type of sheep it comes from (varies by breed) and the typical diameter of the wool from that breed.  Ezzie's wool, being from a natural colored Romney sheep, is considered 'coarse'.  That does not mean scratchy!  Romney wool is wonderfully soft and very desirable to hand spinners.   This was Ezzie's first shearing so we were very excited.  Her wool is likely to improve somewhat with age, so Ciara is looking forward to the fleeces yet to come!

Ezzie was also selected for the top Romney ewe, and she and Ciara did very well overall.  Ezzie was kept company by Ciara's aged Romney ewe (she is truly aged at 9 years old - but looks very youthful for her age), Harriett.  Harriett loves going to the Fair and makes sure that she gets as much attention as possible from fairgoers.  Here is Ciara and Ezzie (Ciara is kneeling) in the show ring.  Ciara and her sheep are now enjoying a well-earned rest at home and planning for next year's fairs.

There are still many fiber and sewing related things to see at the Puyallup Fair! 

--Pavilion Building
- Open Class Quilts, Garments, Knitting, Crochet, Needlework and more upstairs (there are escalators and an elevator in the building)
-4-H clothing and textile exhibits downstairs
- 4-H Fashion Revue - the original Project Runway!  See 4-H'ers model garments that they have made themselves.  Show is Saturday at 3pm on the Education Stage
- Washington State 4-H Fashion Revue Championships.  See the 'best of the best' from around the state as they compete for the state championshp and a new sewing machine! Sunday at 5pm on the Education Stage.

--Under the Grandstands/Expo Hall
- Quality Sewing's Viking booth.  See the new Diamond!
-The Artists in Action store.  I should warn you - there is some absolutely incredible yarn, roving, needlefelting and more in that store. 

--Outside Artists in Action under the Grandstands (South side)
- Sheep to Shawl contest winners.  The teams of entrants in this competition had a limited time and number of team members to spin and weave their entries.  Amazing!

--Showplex
- Quality Sewing's Pfaff and Brother booth.  Lots of amazing new machines, particularly the new Brother Quattro.  If you haven't seen it yet, it is definitely worth a look.

--Livestock Buildings
- FFA Exhibits and Animals of the World.  Various breeds and species of wool/fleece producing animals.

Hat & Scarf Drive Cometh - Start Your Needles!

This October, Pacific Fabrics will be collecting handmade hats and scarves for local homeless folks at all six
of our stores. We began this last year – there is a wonderful organization, Warm for Winter, which is run by a woman who experienced the pain of homelessness herself and now works to end homelessness. The hats and scarves are distributed through many local shelters, and help those who make them to remember the people who live in our area and don’t have a place to call their own. Last year, Warm for Winter set a goal for our stores of 1000 pieces – thanks to our amazing and generous customers and employees, we turned in 2600!

Handmade hats and scarves are a wonderful gift and let people who feel forgotten know they are not – one of my dear friends, who works professionally with the homeless population in Seattle, saw two men wearing new hats and scarves, and said that they told her with pride, “Someone made these for us! They knitted them just for us!” She said it really touched her heart to see people so discouraged by life’s misfortunes feeling cared for.


Hats and scarves can be knitted, crocheted, or sewn from fleece. All styles are welcome, but it is men’s styles that are particularly needed – they are the majority of the homeless population.
I made up an easy knitted scarf pattern – it’s pretty basic, but I added a little detail – pockets at the end of the scarf, that they can keep their hands warm in. I plan to include a little note and a granola bar in each of mine, so they get a little extra encouragement!

Anna-Beth’s Stick to your Ribs Pocket Scarf

You’ll need:
1 skein Lion Brand Homespun yarn (you can use something else, of course, but you may need more than one skein. Homespun is inexpensive, pretty, and has a lot of yarn in a skein)
Size 8 knitting needles
Yarn needle

Cast on 26 stitches.
Row 1: K1, P1, repeat till end of row.
Rows 2 till whenever you are within a yard or two of the end of the skein – repeat row 1. (See, you are just in rib stitch forever – hence the cutesy title!)
Bind off, and use that last bit of yarn and your yarn needle to sew up the last 5” on either end along the sides, leaving the top open for putting cold hands into.

Done! Easy! Cozy! I made my first one in two movies and a tv show – perfect mindless knitting for chatting with friends, riding the bus, sitting on an exercise bike, whatever leaves your hands free. Plus, you are doing something kind for someone who will appreciate it.

- Anna-Beth

Knitty.com Turns 6 - Knitters Celebrate!

Knitting and spinning are my hobbies.  I've never thought of sewing as my hobby - it's always been my passion and now it's my profession.  But I really love to spin fiber and to knit sweaters, and that's what I do to relax when I have time away from my studio and all those pesky deadlines.  There's something about the feel of the fibers running through your fingers that soothes the tensions of the day away.

One of my favorite knitting-related websites is Knitty.com - which announced today that they are celebrating their 6th birthday!  For those of you not familiar with editor Amy Singer's "little purls of wisdom', you're in for a real treat.  Every issue is bursting with homespun wisdom (sorry, couldn't resist), technical articles and lots of patterns!  There's usually a little something for everyone, and for the more adventuresome amongst us, some of them are quite avant garde. For example, this awesome grass skirt from 2003.  I've been tempted to make one for the last 5 years, but I can't quite convince myself to put eyelash yarn around my hips.  Oh well.

For those of you who aren't knitting inclined but still like to play with yarn - or at least have an excuse to collect it - Pfaff and Viking have come out with just the thing for you.  It's a Yarn Couching Foot!  This little gem is made to be used with either an embroidery hoop (as pictured) or else as a free-motion foot.  It is so fun!  The yarn runs through guides (they come with the foot) and down through a channel in the foot.  As the machine stitches, the yarn is pulled through the channel, under the needle - couching it into place automatically.  The feet come with special embroidery designs made especially for these new feet.  If you don't have a Pfaff or Viking, there are some similar feet available for other brands.  Besides yarn, you can also use any type of cording or similar that can be fed through the channel in the foot.  A great new way to create gorgeous embellishment on your next project.

--Katrina
p.s. having a fun time at the Fair!  Lots of scrumptious yarn and roving at the Artists in Action booth this year.  Also, check out the Sheep to Shawl competition taking place next door to Artists in Action.  Participants from local weaving guilds must prepare, spin and weave their shawls using no more than a certain number of team members in a limited amount of time.  The end results - amazing!  Finished shawls will be judged on the afternoon of Monday, September 15.  Make sure to say hi to the folks at Quality Sewing, too!