Puget Sound Sewing & Craft

KBTC Pledge Drive a Huge Success

First of all, to all of you who donated to KBTC on Saturday during the pledge drive - THANK YOU!!! We surpassed our goal and raised over $20,000. It was a great day and one of the most successful on air pledge drives ever! All of us from Quality Sewing & Vacuum Centers had a great time answering phones and taking pledges. Thank you for your generous donations.

If you don't know about the sewing shows on KBTC, you should check them out. Every Saturday morning from 8am- 12:30pm, KBTC airs nine different sewing and quilting programs. We are so lucky to live in the Puget Sound where we get this great programming. In many cities across the country they only get a few shows at some obscure time of the day. Quality Sewing & Vacuum Centers has always felt that this programming is a benefit for the sewing, quilting and crafting community and we have underwritten these shows for many years.

Last Saturday many of the Quality Sewing management team, including myself, volunteered at the KBTC pledge drive. We pitched in and answered phones, taking pledges and giving interviews. How many of you saw me? I was so nervous, I felt like a deer in headlights but it was fun anyway.

Plus, in conjunction with Brother our new joint sponsor, we are gave away two Brother Innovis 900D Sewing & Embroidery Machines. Paul did a great job showing off these awesome machines at each break. He is pictured above with Jane Moxey from KBTC. Everyone who pledged was entered into the drawing. One machine went the drawing winner, Jannice Gubser. The other machine went to Susan Harmon (photo left) for the highest pledge on Saturday morning. We also gave away Sew Fun Memberships and Quality Sewing 25th Year Anniversary Sweatshirts for people who met certain pledge levels. It was a fun day and it is great to know that we are helping keep sewing and quilting programs on air in the Puget Sound.

-Carmen

Hat and Scarf Drive is on NOW!

I just wanted to remind all of our wonderful readers that Pacific Fabrics is collecting Homemade Hats and Scarves for our homeless neighbors this October.   This is our third year doing this drive, and with joblessness up and foreclosures continuing, need is greater than ever! 

Your kind donations are distributed locally by the volunteers for Warm for Winter, who seek to eradicate homelessness and alleviate the suffering it causes by both helping the people who stuggle on the streets without shelter as well as increasing awareness of the growing problem of homelessness in our area. 

As the homeless are disproportionately male, masculine colors and large sizes are particularly needed, although there are plenty of homeless women and families out there, too.  Hats and scarves may be knitted, crocheted, or sewn from fleece or wool - but the founder of Warm for Winter feels it's important that they are handmade - she explains that it's more than keeping their necks and heads warm, but also letting them know that someone spent time caring for them.  I'll never forget my friend Angie, who works on homelessness fulltime here in Seattle, telling me that she came across some men who had just been given hats and scarves by Warm for Winter.  She described the pride that they had in their new accessories, telling her, "Someone knitted these - just for us!" 

Lovely Leah Rosen of our Northgate store donated a beautiful knitted scarf pattern that she personally designed for this drive - it's warm and wonderful.  Just look for the Luxurious Curves Scarf on the Pacific Fabrics Projects Page.

Enjoy your stitching, knowing that you are making a difference for someone this winter.

- Anna-Beth 

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

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

Project Linus Blanket Bee Results

On April 27 over 60 volunteers gathered to cut, sew and assemble quilts for Project Linus at the Northgate Quality Sewing Center. Project Linus is a national non-profit organization with the mission of putting a hand-made blanket in the arms of every ill or traumatized child.

Last October, the Quality Sewing & Vacuum Center & Pacific Fabrics & Crafts in Northgate completed 91 quilts. On April 27 the goal was to make 125 quilts but they almost doubled their goal and completed 151 quilts and had 97 quilts turned in, totaling 248 quilts! Wow, that is a lot of quilts for a great cause!

While 248 quilts and 60 volunteers is impressive, the event didn't stop there. All Pacific Fabrics & Crafts locations held this event on April 27 and between the Puyallup, Bremerton, Everett, Bellevue and Outlet location they completed about 380 quilts with over 100 volunteers. That is over 600 quilts made for Project Linus!

Thank you everyone who participated! To participate in the next Blanket Bee check out Pacific Fabrics & Crafts What's Happening Page or sign up for Quality Sewing & Vacuum's SewMail Email Updates or join Pacific Fabrics & Crafts Email List.

Happy Sewing & Quilting everyone!
Carmen
Quality Sewing