The improved Velcro Cable Tie

A while ago I made a few cable ties out of Velcro (or other Hook/Loop tape). These worked very well but I've been thinking of a few improvements.

To begin with you will need.
Velcro loop (fuzzy side) 16cm
Velcro hook (bristly side) 6 cm
Narrow Elastic (around 11cm
Ribbon same width as Velcro or a little l narrower, 2 cm longer than your fuzzy loop side (so around 18 cm)
Scissors 
Sewing Needle
Thread.

Make a loop with the elastic and sew it on the reverse side (smooth side) of the strip of "Loop" Velcro

Turn the ribbon over for 1 cm at raw edge and sew onto the reverse side of the loop Velcro, As you get to the end of the strip turn the Velcro under on this edge too, so no raw edges are visible.

Sew the strip of bristly "hook" Velcro over the ribbon at one end. Here I sewed it on the opposite side of loop of eleastic. I've sicne descided that's a mistake, (see everyone makes them from time to time). It is better to have the Velcro next to the loop.

The elastic loop is to slip over the plug. This keeps the  cable tie in place when it isn't wrapped around the cable. I've found that this works a lot easier of the loop of elastic and the bristly Velcro are NEXT to each other.

And why are we using ribbon? Well for one it's prettier than just the backing of the Velcro. But also this means you can colour code your cable ties. Make a whole batch of red for example and use them for all the sound cables you need, and another colour for computer cables. This way you keep your draw or other storage vessel   tidy and you don't need to pull out all the cables trying to find the one you need.

Making a soft toy from free online patterns

At Fabric8 we ran a  Toy Making Competition some tinme ago. I've been inspired by some of the entries to make a little stuffed toy of my own. Although I've made stage costumes, wedding dresses and other wonderful things I've never made a teddy. I decided to use a pattern thats freely available to download off the net from http://www.wyrm.org.uk/cuddly/index.html . After reading the instructions I assembled the materials needed.

Scissors and thread snips  

Pins

Toy Stuffing

Machine Needles

Hand Sewing Needles

Thread 

 and fabric 50cm x50cm 

The pattern I downloaded was the beanbag Dragon and I have to admit I'm very impressed. The instructions are very clear. I used the seam guide to find the seams are 1/4 of an inch. The first step as ever is to cut out the pattern pieces and to lay them out on the fabric. I decided to recreate the dragon from my childhood back in Wales, "Magon the Dragon".  I used red fun fur for the top of his body and pink for his underbelly and the inside of his ears. 

Some pieces such as the wings need 4 copies cut instead of two. When working with such small pattern pieces it's easy to lose a piece  when you clear out the scrap fabrics, so make sure to keep all the pieces safe including the wing and ear pieces which you had to unpin from the pattern paper so you could cut out the second copies (yes I DID accidently throw my wings in the bin when tidying away the scraps).

The head is the first piece to be assembled and I think looks very cute. I found it amazing how much shape the neck piece adds to the face. This picture was taken BEFORE the head was stuffed which I think goes some way to showing how much shaping the neck piece does. 

The wings are made next, and the lines of the wings are top-stitched on. This gives them a lot more definition. The two top sections are then tacked onto their wings and then the top sections are sewn together, leaving a small gap  for turning out. One of the two tail pieces is sewn on the top section as well. 

Next the inside of the back legs are sewn onto the bottom of the body. Care must be taken to make sure the right leg is on the right side. Here you can see that I didn't take enough care and thus the feet wouldn't not match up when sewing the top to the bottom. (never learn from mistakes, learn from someone else's :) ) 

Once the top and bottom of the dragon are sewn together you need to sew the head on. I found it easier to push the head into the neck cavity and sew along the neckline by hand. (right sides together of course). I always use a machine were possible but even I found it much quicker to do this short bit of sewing by hand. 

And there you have it, one very cute fuzzy dragon. Of course this one wont be in the toy competition as I'm a staff member. But anyone else can download a patterns and make one for the competition. You can express your creativity in many ways with these and other patterns. Try different fabrics, add embroidery, maybe use beading as well. You have 3 more weeks to get an entry into us and this little fella only took a few hours to make. Surprise us, and maybe yourselves as well. 

Summer Sale

The Summer Sale continues at Fabric8 so I thought I'd post a couple of the  fabrics in the sale here for people to find easily. To begin with some furniture fabric.

 The sale is a fantastic opportunity to embark on larger furnishing projects. Many of the fabrics on sale have lots left on the bolt so you can make a full set of curtains for a room. 

Antique gold Ossani, only £6.63 per metre.

There are also many craft cottons available in the sale such as this Cream Sea Side Beach Huts craft cotton (112cm wide) only £7.65 per metre. Remember the summer holidays are only a few days away. This fabric could make a great bassist for a craft project, or notice board.

There are some Christmas Fabrics in the sale as well giving you a chance to get a head start on your festive sewing projects, or helping you spread the cost of Christmas Crafting into  Summer.


With the weather we've had these past few weeks it's easy to think we're in Autumn. This is the best time start thinking of Christmas as our Christmas craft cottons have been greatly reduced. This festive landscape is only £7.02 per metre.

As you may suspect there is a huge range of dressmaking fabrics in the sale, from cottons to pollys to silks.





Ballerinas otton dressmaking fabric. This very artistic print would make for a fantastic dress or skirt, o now only £5.67 per metre








These are just my favorites from the sale, with hundreds of fabrics on offer it would be impossible to list them all. Just remember that fabrics is selling fast, now is the time to go into Colchester or Felixstowe and visit your local Fabric8 for a bargain. 

Circular needles
Circular needles are a pair of knitting needles with a piece of nylon or other smooth cord connecting them.
With a circular kitting needle you can can knit hats or snoods without the need for a stitched seam at the end.
Depending on the way the button bands and collars are knitted on a cardigan or jacket can also make a circular needle more appropriate.
They are available in different lengths depending on job.

40cm, 60cm, 80cm and 100cm

These are available in many different sizes of needles to cover the spectrum of different yarns.


Large number of stitches make it useful to use 1 circular needle as opposed to 4 standard knitting needles. e.g knitting a skirt or a yoke of jumper.

Although I have been knitting 30+ years it is only in the last decade have
I been more willing to use a circular needle and have found it is easier
in some situations.

The yolk of this silk sweater was knitted by the model  with a curricular needle 

One of the only drawbacks of using a circular needle is if you attempt to
use the wrong length. So as with all sewing and knitting projects, check and double check your measurements.

Remember, wool and yarns are available in our fabulous summer sale. Pop into one of our branches for some inspiration and get knitting.

I can be such a knitwitt at times

I have realized that one important part of our work at Fabric8 has been neglected on this blog. Knitting!. I don't knit, it's a sad fact. I did have a go at making a Tom Baker Doctor Who Scarf, but my girlfriend had to rescue it. I was lamenting this fact to the Manager of the Colchester branch, Tina. She kindly offered to share some of her knowledge and insights into the world of knitting with me. I am going to start  crocheting next week though. So I shall now hand you over to the most knowledgeable, Tina.

What yarn to use.

Many patterns specify a particular yarn. This is to increase that company's sales. However as long as you use the correct weight of yarn the project will turn out as required. Different yarns have different qualities that may determine what the finished look is going to be. 

Acrylic. This is cheap alternative. I personally would only use a basic acrylic for either young children's clothes as it is not advisable to give them someting with a high wool content due to the fibre lose that might
cause choking or for toys. The drawback of acrylic is once it is washed it is unlikely to retain its former state.

Wool/Acrylic mix. The addition of a little bit of wool prevents the stretching often seen in pure acrylic options. The last time I used this was on a new aran jumper for me.

High content wool mixes and pure wools. Debbie Bliss and other companies (mainly upper end of the knitting market) select these type of yarns). If looked after these can be worn as new (or nearly new) for over a decade. One such garment I knitting for my then fiance (now husband) is as new after 18 years. The high wool content allows the garment to retain its original shape after careful washing.

Silk/ Bamboo yarns Silk has this wonderful sheen that is unmistakable. it is lovely to work
with. Examples of Silk yarns currently availavle is called Grace by Designer yarns (it is the Louisa Harding branding) If you don't  like silk then try  Bamboo yarn such as Sirdar's Baby Bamboo or Debbie Bliss Prima ranges. A note of caution, if you are allergic to wool check the band on the Bamboo ranges
for wool content. There is one available without the addition of wool but only available to order.

Cotton/ Mercerized cotton for cool summer garments. Mercerized cotton have a slight sheen to them and a slight elasticity which will help hold the garment's shape. Currently working with this yarn on a cardigan. Yarn is by Rico called essentials cotton DK. this particular yarn is going a long way so more economically
than at first glance (£2.95/ 50g ball)

Chenille this gives a garment a velvety luxurious look to it. It is more difficult to achieve a steady tension so would only recommend for those knitters with a bit of experience.

So there you have it, a basic crash course in Wool, or Yarns. Later this week we will show you one or two useful tools to make knitting easier. With the weather being very bad and the feeling of winter months not being far  away it may be time to take up a hobby you can do whilst chatting or watching TV. The warm fuzzy socks or stylish tops and hats being  a fringe benefit to the joy of creating something while relaxing. 

Colouring Your World.

Sometimes we have a new customer in the shop who is a little unsure of themselves. This is fine, we all had to start somewhere after all. Sometimes they don't realize that we  sell the whole width of the fabric, and not just cut them out a square the size they want. Other times  they may not realize fabrics come in different widths. And other times they may not understand that cotton and wool can relate to fabrics, as well as thread and knitting supplies. We always take great care to explain how things work and to reassure therm that many people don't know of such things when they  start out.  Without fail these people pick everything up very quickly and before long are even teaching me the odd new trick.

  One thing I try to explain is that it's OK to ask if they have something in a different colour (or in the case of a patterned fabric, a different colourway). Often a fabric will come in many shades and we will try to stock them all, but sometimes we can order some different ones in as well.  These are often in a simuler vein, however sometimes the colourways are markedly different and change the whole feel of the pattern. Seeing as it's raining, and hence nice weather for ducks I'll use the Cock-A-Leekie fabric as an example.

Cock-A-Leekie in Olive. This give the authentic farmhouse feel to a kitchen or indeed living room. The warm muted tonnes make it easy to blend in with traditional wood furniture. 

Cock-A-Leekie in Jewel is another traditionally styled colourway . Slightly bolder than the olive but you could still see it in a traditional farmhouse styled home.  I think already though you can see a difference in  how each bird look with the different colours. I think of this as a slightly more modern styled fabric to the olive.

 Cock-A-Leekie in Kiwi now the same pattern is starting to look very  different. Limited to   Black and lighter shades of yellow/green the fabric  has a modern but not harsh edge to it, recognizable as the same pattern as the olive but suitable for totally different surroundings.

Cock-A-Leekie in Duckegg with shades of cold light blues and greys has a distinct urban feel. It reminds me of a modern but lush mansion I was fortunate to spend time in whilst visiting Whitby. A more modern take on a traditonal look, these colours work wonderfully with wide open spaces.

Cock-A-Leekie in Denim an almost photo negative version of the duckegg. Again very modern, more suited to an urban apartment than a farmhouse styled home. Slightly warmer looking than the duckegg but still a very clean look.

Cock-A-Leekie in Cinnamon is the final colourway of this fabric. The addition of hit and spice reds are highlighted next to the more traditionally coloured  ducks. I find this pattern a fascinating  example of how just changing the colours a little, or a lot can totally change how you'd use a fabric. I'ts not just in furniture fabrics, check out the different colourways in craft and fashion fabrics. next time you see a fabric you like, but unsure of the colour don't be afraid to ask, The staff are always there to help and inspire you. And don't be afraid to pick up a colour you normally don't wear, take it to the mirror and drape it over yourself. As these examples show, even a few shades difference can totally alter how a textile looks in it's surroundings.

I'm Sale-ing Away...

Ok sorry for the bad pun but the Eric Cartman version of that song has been going through my mind all day.

It's that time of the year again, where both the Felixstowe and Colchester branches of Fabric8 are holding a sale.  I've blogged before about the philosophy  of the sale. This time I wanb to talk about some of the best ways to take advantage of them. With savings of 25 and 30% you now have the opportunity to use some textiles that may have been out of your price range before.  The sale covers not just fashion fabrics and craft fabrics but also the furnishing fabrics. So this is the perfect time to pop into the shop and think of curtains, seat covers, blinds or anything that requires a lot of fabric.

In the past I've picked up over 100 meters of fabric in the sale to have just in case a suitable project came along. I know I'm lucky with the amount of space I have to store fabrics, however even if you haven't got much space the thinner fabrics can still be worth getting hold of.

Translucent lylic vine leaf organza. The leaves are embroidered onto a shimmering see though fabric. I've used this fabric in wedding dresses as an over skirt over the silk. If you're carefull you can trim the backing fabric off, leaving you with the vine leaves which you can then sew onto the garment, so they seam to spread from the overskirt to the bodice. Now only £6.60 per meter.


More leaves on Organza. Gold leaves in flock over a shimmering gold organza. Light and floaty this has many uses. From laying over costumes to using as net curtains or bed curtains. We have gold, red and burgundy in the sale. I used the black to match some curtains.

We also have a black organza with gems. This fabric can be expensive but in the sale is only  £3.08 per meter. Perfect to have on hand for Halloween,  These are just a few of the fabrics we have on sale. Pop in and  check out the silks, cottons and all the other textiles, even if you have no particular project in mind  you may be struck by some inspiration.