What We Love - November 17, 2011

The Merchants and I have gotten together and created a list of What We Love among the new items that have been added to the website recently. Since it's the week before Thanksgiving, my thoughts are churning with ideas for quick holiday gifts I can make next weekend after the turkey has been cooked, eaten and the leftovers taken care of. I have a couple for you based on the new fabrics we wanted to show you today.

Everyone in the office went crazy for these Double-sided Yarn-Dyed Plaids our Apparel Buyer, Elizabeth, found. The fabric is two pieces of yarn-dyed voile in coordinating plaids connected together to create a lightweight ''double cloth.'' Here's what we all decided to do. We cut along the plaid lines for a straight edge and made a 36'' square. Then we fringed all four sides to create a fabulous scarf. No sewing required! The guys in the office are begging us to fringe some for them. That's quick gift number one.

In the Home Decor world here at fabric.com, Premier Prints Rules for some of the trendiest, contemporary prints at bargain prices. Recently, they have been adding new fabrications to their incredible line up of prints. This week we added a terrific medium weight twill collection that could be used for apparel as well as home dec. Personally, I'm seeing a couch-full of new pillows. And, at these prices, $7.48 to $10.98, I can make the pillow backs and fronts from the same fabric. That's quick gift number two.

I have noticed a trend among our designer cotton print fabrics lately. Many companies have created collections around sewing themes. Since many of us have sewing rooms, these fabrics are a natural to spruce up a sometimes chaotic space. Here are the collections I like the most: Anna Griffin's Penelope, the Dress Making Collection, Make Do and Mend, Sew, Sew and Sew, A Quilter's Home. So, if you have a sewer or quilter on your holiday list, take a look at these collections and consider a machine cover or generous-sized pin cushion for her. That's the third holiday gift idea in my aresenal.

Happy Sewing!