My Fabric De-stash = Fellow Fabric Lovers Delight!

Now that 2017 is here I'm reaching the two year anniversary of my fabric hoarding reformation.  I began my journey here and was pretty candid about my situation.  My fabric stash was OUT OF CONTROL.  I've spent a lot of time since then trying to work through my fabrics, plus donating, selling and relapsing slightly, so that it's just semi-out-of-control now. 

All in all I've been pretty good about not adding to the problem - especially the last 6 months.  I've been making lots with what I have instead of continuing to buy more when starting a project.  Also using whatever I'm buying right away instead of adding to the ginormous pile to fabric to stare at.  I've donated a bunch to a local convent and several goods charities too, but I've still got some serious stacks of special fabrics I just couldn't just toss in a bag with old t-shirts and discarded music cds.

Like these organic cotton Viking prints.  You know, the stuff you love so much, yet don't use? I still love them, but have no real project purpose on the horizon.  So, it's time to offer them to other fabric lovers instead by adding them to my Etsy shop, The Green Hedgehog: 

My middle son was a huge Viking fan (still is really) and I made some cute slippers with some of them (tutorial for them here):

I'd forgotten how awesomely matched the crosshatch solid went with these and being organic cotton is still fabulous:

I'm not a big quilter, but I could totally see these ASL & Braille Alphabet + Coordinating Balloon & Stripe prints making an awesome quilt for a fun little guy or girl:

I originally used some to make these Love Language Soft Blocks.  I showed how to make them in a tutorial here:

Am I being an enabler for fellow fabric hoarders right now? Possibly - but, if I'm honest, I really want these unique fabrics I've been treating like museum pieces to go to a good home that will use them...or maybe one that'll take it to the next level and put them on podiums with spotlights like a proper museum would;)

I feel semi-crazy because I'm actually having second thoughts while I write this post and considering keeping them, so someone please stop me and buy them before I can change my mind!  They're currently available here.  My plan for 2017 is to put up new fabric obsessions in my shop each week to really keep up with my goal to whittle down my stash.  For REAL.  So that it stops looking like this.  Because even though this photo is over a year old, it still looks about the same:

I'm also going to do a few giveaways for some random bundles or prints that are still awesome, but maybe cut into a little or are just smaller than usual cuts.  What do you think? Fabric hoarders lovers unite!?!

Finding European Fabrics & Patterns Just Got Easier - And Cheaper!

I'm a huge fan of European style when it comes to fabrics & patterns.  They're more colorful, more whimsical and the fabrics are really, really well made.  But it's not always easy to find them.  That's why I'm glad to be able to share this shop:

Bloor West Fabrics is the place to find those rare and sought after European knits & ribbons. The fresh and colorful Hilco and lillestoff prints you see in places like Ottobre Design and in European clothing boutiques.  Really gorgeous designs that will make amazing sewn items that are super hard wearing too.

What makes these so special?  Not only are they unusual prints with gorgeous colors, but these knits are also organic cotton for high quality.  They make fabulous shirts, pants, pajamas, underwear or blankets.  They're extra nice because besides being totally adorable, these jersey knits are printed with reactive colors, so the printed designs break up don't show the when stretched. 

Bloor West makes it easy to mix prints too, by offering coordinating fabrics, like the fun floral On A Tuesday collection or colorful star & owl combo of OwlQuartet:

Or go bright with some blue & green knits like these flowers, elephants and dots by Blaubeerstern:

Or go for some whimsical knit designs like lillestoff's Frog Prince or  Autumn Wind and their coordinating prints  &solids.

I absolutely love this super cute motorcycle Good Old TIme print.  There's even a matching jacquard ribbon available too:

As well as some beautiful floral & geometric prints like Tulipa Dotties and Smila Roses:

And since these fabrics are offered by the half meter or meter instead of the yard, there are a couple of extra inches to enjoy! 

You can also find beautiful paper kid's clothing patterns with European styling too. Like this Minikrea Anorak Pattern.  How cute is that elf-style hood?!?

Or this versatile Minikrea T-shirt Dress Pattern with cross-over front for babies & toddlers:  

And there's a great Minikrea Raglan Shirt Pattern that covers ages 0-10 to get many years of use.   These patterns work ideally with the knits offered, so you can pick out your entire look while you shop. 

Usually finding these fabric brands and styles is a real challenge, so it's great to there's a shop that offers all these European fabrics, patterns & trimmings in one place.  Plus, Bloor West Fabrics has some of the best prices for these designer European knit fabrics.  

Bloor West Fabrics is offering 

FREE SHIPPING on orders over $100! 

From now through end of day, Sunday, Jan. 19th, choose Sew Can Do from the shipping options during checkout and get free shipping on orders totaling $100 or more.   Since these items come straight from Germany, this is a huge savings and a great chance to stock up while these coveted fabric designs are still around. And you can follow Bloor West Fabrics on Pinterest and Facebook to keep up with all the latest arrivals & available styles.

I received compensation for this post. The opinions are completely my own. For my complete disclosure policy, see HERE.

Fort Firefly Fat Quarter Bundle Giveaway from Sew Fine Fabric

Are you ready for a fabulous fabric giveaway?  I sure am and I'm super excited because it's for a set of my new favorite collection, Fort Firefly by Birch Fabric.  Organic cotton, adorable fall prints, lovely colors, hedgehogs...I'm in fabric heaven!!

And it's all thanks to my ultra lovely new sponsor, Sew Fine Fabric.

Sew Fine Fabric is the shop for serious fabric lovers.  It offers a huge selection of organic and traditional cotton fabrics in colorful prints, as well as hard to find organic home dec fabrics and in all the size cuts desired. 

All of the fabrics are obsessively chosen from high quality sources.  Jodi, its owner, does her best to photograph the fabrics in natural light, and from multiple angles, so you can really see how they look in real life.  I can't say how many times I saw a digital swatch that looked TOTALLY differed than the printed fabric!

The shop carries the full line of Fort Firefly prints in fat quarter, half yard and yard cuts, as well as full bundles:

I got a chance to pick out some fabrics from the shop for myself and made this fun little bag using pattern New Look 6574:

I used some organic Bah Bah Black Sheep and Polka Ott Black.  Not only did I love the quality of the fabric, but when it arrived it was packaged so prettily I felt like a VIP.

There's also the amazingly low $2.50 flat rate US shipping (just $4.50 CAN) and she ships worldwide, so stocking up on yardage won't break the bank.  And there's a great selection of other colorful goodies like washi tape, ribbon, baker's twine and the tricky-to-find organic cotton thread.

And Sew Fine Fabric is giving one lucky Sew Can Do reader:

A FULL Fat Quarter Bundle of Fort Firefly

That's 13 FQ's of Organic Cotton Fabric!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Great for quilting, clothes, home decor or bags.  Definitely a collection to get.  Good luck everyone!