you forgot to buy gift wrapping paper, now what?

Well, it's December 24 and you are stitching or pressing the last touches on your gifts. But, oh no! You forgot to pick up wrapping paper! Now what? Not to worry. Like most sewers, you probably have a stash of fabric hidden (or not) somewhere. Find your 1m or 1yd pieces of any fabric. You can finish the edges or not. Now let me introduce you to FUROSHIKI.

This is a Japanese word for "wrapping cloth". By using origami techniques, the cloth is folded and tied to produce a carrying sachel from anything like groceries to library books no matter its shape or size. The wrapping cloth can vary in size (depending on the item being wrapped) but the most common size is about 1yd square.

Check out these sites on different ways you can wrap different objects.

www.furoshiki.com/techniques

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NC7MH3EzBWM

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bn6zdyCAwJs

Holiday Hours

Some info about our Holiday hours.

Christmas Eve we will be open from 10 - 3:30pm. (need to close early to finish last minute gift sewing.)
Christmas Day we will be closed.
Boxing Day we will be closed (so we can go shopping!!)

New Year's Eve will be open from 10 - 3:30pm.
New Year's Day we will be closed.

The Vancouver location is still open on Sundays. Victoria will be closed on Sundays during December and January.

Get ready though! The sewing shows will be starting in February, so don't put those sewing machines away for long!

easy scarf options

Need some more easy sewing ideas? The Christmas deadline is coming up fast and if you don't have alot of time, these scarf ideas are quick and easy to make. First is a no-sew fleece scarf. Fleece is a great fabric. It is soft, washable and doesn't fray. With only 0.3m of fleece you can make this. To fringe the ends, measure in from the end about 5cm and trace a chalk line. With very sharp scissors, cut up to the line every 1cm spacing. Repeat on other end. As easy as that!
Another easy scarf idea that is also a hit on this Fall's runway is the Infinity scarf. I mentioned this in a September blog as a fall trend. Instructions are below from a sewing magazine SewStylish, fall 2010 edition, page 92. Shown on the runways for both men and women.

Last but not least is this printed silk velvet scarf with silk satin lining and fringe. The concept is a cinch but the actual sewing is a challenge especially if you choose 2 difficult fabrics such as velvet and satin. All it is, is a rectange each of satin and velvet (or any other EASIER fabrics) measuring 0.3m x 1.5m. Pin and baste 0.3m of fringe to each short end of your scarf fabric - in this case the velvet. With right sides together, pin and stitch lining to velvet, leaving an opening about 4cm big in order to turn everything inside out. Slipstitch opening closed.

Even with a walking foot, I had issues with the satin "creeping" so one side ended up longer than the other side. After numerous times of stitching and un-stitching, I still could not get both sides to finish evenly with the velvet. In the end, I trimmed off the "excess" satin.

The scarf is gorgous and a luxury to wear. After all that frustration, I think the happy recipient of this gift will be ....... ME!

microwave spud bag

Make some of these 10" square potato bags for those you know who are stove/oven challenged. You/they can make baked potatoes, sweet potatoes even corn on the cob in the microwave. An easy, no pattern required project for anyone! Butter anyone?

You need:
1 piece 23" x 11" 100% cotton decorator fabric. (no metallic glitz or metal embellishment on the fabric!)
1 piece 23" x 11" 100% cotton fabric for lining
1 piece 23" x 11" 100% cotton Warm Tater TM batting or 2 - 3 pieces same sized 100% cotton quilt batting
100% cotton thread


Layer the fabrics as below. If you are using multi pieces of cotton batting, layer together to provide a thicker batting.

Use a walking foot on your machine and quilt all layers together at least a hand span apart. (Prevents the batting from shifting when you wash the bag.) What is a walking foot? It is a machine foot attachment that works in opposite motion to your needle. When your needle goes down to catch the bobbin thread, the foot comes up. This helps evenly feed the multi layers of fabric when sewing.

Finish all edges with either a zigzag stitch or serge but make sure you use cotton thread!

Fold over about 1/2" and stitch the 2 shorter edges.

With right sides together, fold the short edges to the middle, overlapping the edges by about 1". Stitch both of the side edges.

Turn pocket inside out and voila!

A couple notes of caution ...the finished bag must be at least 1" away from the walls and door of the microwave. Adjust pattern size if necessary. If your microwave has a turntable, the bag must be able to rotate freely or your potato will become scorched. If you don't have a turntable, turn the bag over at the midpoint of the suggested cook time to prevent scorching.

Do not leave microwave unattended while cooking.

Wash raw vegetables prior to cooking. Drying is not necessary as extra moisture aids cooking.

Wash bag regularly to remove bits of cooked veggies in the bag.

Potatoes - 2 large = 8 minutes (based on 1100 watt microwave. Adjust cooking time depending on the power of your microwave.

Red potatoes - 2 large = 8 minutes

Sweet potatoes - 2 medium = 10 minutes

Corn on the cob - 2 large = 6 minutes

Hungry anyone?

FREE PARKING DOWNTOWN

The Downtown Victoria Business Association has just announced that they will provide 2 HOURS FREE PARKING on December 4, 11, 18 at any of their city parkades. This is in effect from 11am - 2pm on those specific days. We at Gala Fabrics in Victoria typically give out 1 hour free parking tickets for these city parkades. Just let us know you are parked in one. The 1 hour tickets are useful if you are shopping on any other day of the week! The 2 closest locations are on Johnson Street between Douglas and Blanshard or on Fisgard opposite the Chinese School. For a map of parkade locations, check out

www.downtownvictoria.ca/index.php/downtown-maps/parking-map

another easy sewing project for Christmas gifts

Did you know that tea is the most commonly consumed beverage in the world after water? Are you a tea drinker? Or know someone who is? Check out this website for an easy teacozy pattern. Another Christmas gift sewing project suitable for beginner sewers to the more advanced.

www.rustybobbin.com/inklings/sew-teacozy.html

My only suggestion to the tutorial is to use an insulated batting like Soleri or Insul-Brite. When sewing the batting into the teacozy, lay the metallic side of the batting towards the inside so it would be close to the tea pot. This way, when covering the pot of hot tea, the heat waves hit the metallic layer and bounce back to the tea, keeping the tea hot for longer! EG: your fabric layers should be 1. outside fabric, 2. batting with metallic side up, 3. lining fabric.

Check out this website for the health benefits from drinking tea.

www.healthcastle.com/tea.shtml

Cheers!

no pattern required

Since the holiday season is just around the corner, maybe you need some simple gift ideas that will be suitable for everyone on your list. The following 2 pillow case suggestions are ideal for beginner sewers to advanced, nor do you need a pattern. Quick and easy! Gotta love it!!

Jelly roll pillowcase (standard sized pillow)

Pick 2 coordinating fabrics. One piece will be the body of the pillowcase, the other the cuff. The body piece should measure 70cm x width of the fabric (at least 105cm). The cuff fabric should measure 25cm x width of fabric (at least 105cm)

Place the cuff fabric right side up. Lay the pillow fabric on top of the cuff fabric right side down. Line up the long raw edges together. Pin together and stitch your normal seam allowance.

Roll up the pillow fabric - just like a jelly roll.

Fold over the cuff fabric so your jelly roll in enclosed. Line up the long raw edges, pin and stitch. Be careful not to catch your jelly roll in the stitching! Pull your jelly roll out from the cuff fabric. Press the seam flat on both sides.
With wrong sides together fold in half. Pin and stitch the remaining raw edges together to make a side and end seam of the pillow case. Trim any stray threads. Turn inside out and press. Stitch again with a slightly bigger seam allowance so you enclose all raw edges. )This is french seaming.) Turn right side out and press. Voila!

This second pillow case is more of an envelope style. It uses just 1m of fabric.

Cut 2 rectangles, one measuring 50cm x 75cm. The other measures 50cm x 90cm. Finish one short edge of each rectangle.

With right sides together, line up the unfinished short edges of both rectangles. Pin and stitch together. Fold over the overhanging edge. Pin and stitch along the 2 long edges. Done!

Allow extra to match even stripes or plaids

My last comment about plaid fabrics.

If you are wanting to sew something in plaid, often times there is a dilemma on how much fabric to purchase. If you refer to the back of the pattern envelope for yardage instructions, their comment is to "Allow extra to match even stripes or plaids". But how much extra is extra??

First of all you should check your pattern layout. If your pattern pieces can be cut out side by side, then no extra yardage is required. (Ideally if you are using plaid, pattern pieces should be cut on a single layer of fabric. This ensures you are cutting along the plaid lines.)

If you have pattern pieces that are stacked (see below illustration) then count the number of stacked pieces you have. In the below example, there are 3 pattern pieces, 2 of which are 'stacked'.

Measure the size of the repeat on the fabric. With the mini-Blackwatch plaid (left), the repeat measures 1 1/4". The Dress Steward's (right) repeat is 4 1/4".

To calculate your extra yardage, you will need to multiply the repeat pattern measurement by the number of stacked pattern pieces you have.

Using the mini-Blackwatch for example, the

1 1/4" repeat is multiplied by 2 (to take into account the bodice back piece and the bodice front piece.) You will need to add an additional 2 1/2" to the suggested fabric yardage.

For the Dress Stewart plaid, you would need to add 8 1/2" to the suggested fabric yardage. Obviously, the bigger the repeat, the more fabric you need to add on.

You may feel you are buying alot of excess fabric, but your other alternative is to sew your garment without matching your plaids. Which to most sewers screams "home made"! Mind you, plaid matching is unheard of in ready-to-wear. So, your call.

Hopefully that helps the next time you are looking at buying plaid fabric.

PUL fabric

New arrival for new moms. Just received PUL fabric in white. Great as a waterproof covering over cloth diapers. I have also been told that the best diaper pattern to make is Kwik Sew #3690. Eco-friendly and affordable. Not so with disposable diapers! Check out this link talking about the benefits of cloth diapers (or nappies if you're from Australia!).
www.suite101.com/content/the-benefits-of-cloth-diapers/a93715

Alice in Wonderland

These two outfits are part of the Alice in Wonderland Cast costumes that were created by Everett Wong's as his graduation project for Uvic's Visual Arts Course. Thank you to Everett whom had allowed us to display to display what he created with our fabric.

popular tartans

Here are some popular tartans. Do you recognize any?


The Black Watch tartan is probably one of the most recognized tartans. It was produced in the early 18th century for the Black Watch regiment. This regiment had to 'watch' for criminal activity in the Highlands, in particular the "black trade" or cattle theft.

(World Tartans, Iain Zaczek, 2001)

The Royal Stewart tartan commemorates the fact that the House of Stewart ruled over Scotland for over 300 years. This tartan dates from c. 1800 but came to real prominence in 1822 when George IV wore it during his state visit to Edinburgh. It is the personal tartan of Queen Elizabeth II. (World Tartans, Iain Zaczek, 2001)

Dress tartans are based on the earasaid tartans worn by Highland women in the 17th and 18th century. Dress tartans tend to be made by replacing the prominent colour with the colour white. Since this is the dress Stewart, the prominent red was replaced with white. (wikipedia/tartan)

Did you know that Canada has an (unofficial) tartan? Based on the changing colours of the maple leaf, this design was created by David Weiser in 1964.

All the provinces and territories of Canada, as well as
most of the states in the USA, also have an official tartan. This is the BC tartan designed by Earl K. Ward of Victoria. It was officially approved by the British Columbia Centennial Committee for the 1966-67 centenaries. The blue represents the Pacific Ocean, the red the maple leaf, the green represents the forests, the white of the dogwood floral emblem and the gold of the crown and sun of the provincial arms.

If you are curious about the tartans of the other provinces, you can find them and their information at

www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/symbl/06-eng.cfm

plaid as a fall fashion favorite

Like the animal print, plaid is a fall fashion favorite that never goes out of style.

Plaid is made with alternating stripes and bands of colour woven into or dyed onthe the fabric. This creates blocks of colour that repeat vertially and horizontally in a pattern of squares and lines.


Most often associated with Scottish kilts, plaid became popular for fashion in the Victorian and Edwardian era when tartan based garments were shown in fashion catalogs. This is also when this print shifted from being solely in mens wear to becoming an important part of women's fashion.


Because of it's association with aristocracy and the military, tartan developed an air of exclusivity. It wasn't until the 1970s punk revolution, that plaid gained an anit-establishment notoriety. Worn in an unconventional manner, it was seen as an expression of discontent with modern society.

.

Today however, it is neither linked with aristocracy nor anti-establishement. Whatever its colour combination or design layout, plaid has become an undeniable fall fashion essential.

I forgot to mention about a girl who came in to buy some black PVC for a spider costume. She said if it doesn't work out, she was going to go as a BP oilslick. Clever, huh?

halloween

It's funny how Halloween has become less a kid's event and more an adult's party time. I think I only helped a handful of parents who were making their child's/grandperson's costume. Notably, Maria who made her 11 yr grandson a pink tooth fairy costume. Chutzpah or what!

Most people I helped with their costume ideas were young adults because it seemed this year Halloween started last Monday with the parties and all. Or maybe it was alot of toga parties as a precursor.

Besides the ever popular costumes of pirates, Dracula and woodland nymphs, there were some very ingenious ideas or some quite complicated costumes in the making.

One woman bought various striped fabric as she was going as Stripes. Another wanted a simple costume, so wrapped herself up in pink tulle and went as Cotton Candy. We cut some plaid togas for Braveheart and some colourful striped wool for a Mexican bandito who was trick or treating with his 2 chihuhuas. Another guy was making himself a straitjacket. His girlfriend, in the meantime was chuckling as apparently this guy was a heavy smoker. Hmm ....

Whatever your costume, enjoy and Happy Halloween! Just consider this. Montreal has flurries for this evening.

FALL SALE

It is that time of year again when we put our fall/winter fabric stock on sale. Pick up some wool flannel for a suit or some merino wool knit for some long underwear or some casual corduroy for your firewood chopping outfit! Now you're styling! Sale starts Oct. 29 until Nov. 14

Come in early to see what the "kids" are doing for Halloween costumes. Some ingenious ideas.

When you come in, please consider bringing a non-perishable food item for the Food Bank Box. Shaw, Campbell Canada (as in soup) and Safeway have pledged to match community food donations destined for our local food bank. Big THANK YOUS.

new pattern from Folkwear

Brand new pattern from Folkwear. Just in time for winter! Check out the Metropolitan hat.
Make it out of wool or corduroy for a casual look or doupioni or velvet for an evening out.
www.folkwear.com/269.html
Also watch for our Fall Fabric sale at the end of the month. Just before Halloween? Are we crazy or what!!

baby booties pattern

My sister found the cutest baby booties pattern on the internet. Keep those tender tootsies warm this winter by making them out of fleece, flannelette or wool. Even fabric scraps can be used. I'm going to try enlarging the pattern for toddler use. For walkers, try leather, suede side out or jiffy grip on the sole so the shoes are not slippery. Remember, Christmas is just around the corner and these take no time at all!

Pattern found on www.homespunthreads.blogspot.com under freebies- kimono baby shoes.

breast cancer pillow challenge

Apologies for the temporary communications blackout. Seems that computer gremlins were out and about. Systems crash!! But we are now back up and running. Don't forget our Ocotober breast cancer pillow challenge. Bring in a completed breast cancer pillow and pick up a free 100m spool of Guterman sew-all thread. Stock up for all your fall sewing projects - heck - your whole year's projects! One thread per pillow. No limit. How many can you make?

Breast Cancer Awareness month

For the month of October, Breast Cancer Awareness month, Gala Fabrics will offer a free spool of 100m Guterman thread for every completed breast cancer pillow that you bring to either location. We have free kits available for you to sew up or if you have remnant cotton fabric, we can provide the pattern. Email for instructions. Sewing level - easy. These pillows provide protection and comfort to post-breast surgery patients. People who have had to use this pillow say it truly is a comfort!

exhibition at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria

If you have a moment, check out the exhibition at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria running October 8, 2010 to January 30, 2011. The artist, Daniel Laskarin, has used some fabric from us in an unusual, non-garment fashion.
http://www.laskarin.ca/

highly recommended sewing books

Have you wondered about some of the suggested fabrics when reading the back of a pattern envelope? Here is a handy book for your reference library; Classic and Modern Fabrics: The Complete Illustrated Sourcebook by Janet Wilson. With colour photos and detailed descriptions of current tech fabrics, classics and even obsolete fabrics this book will become a well read reference book for any sewer or fabric lover!

Couture Sewing Techniques by Claire Schaeffer is another recent addition to my reading list. Full of photos and illustrations with detailed descriptions, Schaeffer uncovers the secrets of haute couture sewing so that the simple home sewer, like me, can incoporate high fashion sewing details in my projects - just because or to show off to my fellow sewing enthusiasts!

congrats to Denise Williams

Congratulations to Denise Williams, one of Victoria's successful small designers, for the news story in the Vancouver Sun paper. Guess where she buys some of her fabric?
http://www.vancouversun.com/life/First+Nations+fashion+carves+niche/3490688/story.html