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Welcome to the next Cool Shops edition – Cookies and Cream Craft…

 

Cookies and Cream Craft stocks a large range of Cosmo threads.  To make things even easier, you can purchase them individually, or in sets to go with some popular patterns sold in store.

I got stuck browsing through the book section – sooo many lovely reads to choose from!  As well as some very popular magazines, Australian Homespun and Vignette.

I said Sandy was a gadget girl…check out all of the clever goods she has in store.  I personally find the Sewline Fabric Glue Pen a lifesaver for small seams or times where pins get in the way, like inserting a zipper.

This week’s Cool Shop is full of character, meet The Red Thread…

 

These guys are adorable.  A perfect beginner sewer project, as well as being great a great quick sew for someone with more experience. 

The pre-printed face panels are printed on linen/cotton blend fabric and are top quality.  If you didn’t know any better you would think that each face had been individually painted on.

The Ooshka Boy and Girl Pattern Kits come with one pre-printed face panel, pattern templates and comprehensive instructions to make your very own Ooshkas – individual face panels can also be purchased so you can make more and more!  They are surprisingly big and end up being 41cm tall!!

The Red Thread Hello Birdie pillow pattern is lovely, requires a few more sewing skills to put together, but still achievable for a beginner sewer:

  

 

With such an awesome selection of products, I’m sure you have added a handful of things to your “want” list!  Luckily The Red Thread is offering all Make It Perfect readers 15% off all online orders for the next two weeks!
(15% off only valid if at least one item purchased is a sewing pattern or kit.  Offer ends Tuesday 3rd May, 2011.  Enter code “makeitperfect15” during checkout for discount to apply.)
Thanks Lisa, for sharing your beautiful creations with us!

Eek…I’m REALLY excited about this week’s Cool Shop, Tangled Yarns…

 

I know that I’m supposed to be all about fabrics and the sewing machine but at the moment I’m going crazy for YARN!  I want to crochet and knit the nights away, maybe it is the cool weather…the problem is, I don’t know how! 

I’ve tried a bit of knitting and crochet before and have found crocheting much easier, you can’t drop stitches and it is easier to keep track of where I am at.  When Kelly (from Tangled Yarns) and I were discussing a product to review, I remembered this great tutorial for a crocheted bag and thought that I could probably manage it.  Kelly suggested some yarns and I told her the colours I was interested in and she put together this happy selection of Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece for me.  Aren’t the colours gorgeous?  She also sent along a Clover Soft Touch Crochet Hook to get me started. 

The  yarn has been amazing to work with…I have to admit that I have only ever had experience with cheapo yarns before and it definitley pays to buy the best quality you can afford.  The Cotton Fleece is super soft and has a lovely thickness to it.

(Check out my crochet skills!  I’m so proud of myself and it has been soooooo easy – this bag is a great beginner project!)

And in about 4 weeks of crocheting a round here and there I have finished the bottom of the bag!  Looking forward to finishing it off – I am getting much faster the more I practice and will be sure to share the finished bag with you (give me a month or two!)

The problem I have with Tangled Yarns is Kelly’s photography…I don’t think I have drooled over a ball of wool before, but I keep finding myself flicking through the archives of her blog for inspiration.  You know what has put me off knitting/crochet in the past?  When I see a pattern for something I want to make, I have no idea what kind of yarn to use, don’t know what size hook/needles I need, etc.  Kelly has been such a great help….I’ve emailed her regarding a few different projects I want to make up and she quickly lets me know which yarns would be suitable.  Great!  I have no more excuses for picking up the needles and teaching myself a new craft 😉

I’ve had my eye on a few sock knitting projects for winter…these funky stirrup socks and this dainty spiral boot sock (I love the lace look).  Kelly has suggested a few different yarns to use for each and I’m going to go with the Biggan Design 4Ply for the stirrups…so many amazing colours to choose from – how am I going to decide?!  And the Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino looks lovely and soft for the spiral socks.  (Poor Kelly…she is probably going to get sick of my emails asking for yarn advice!) 

Tangled Yarns has an extensive array of yarns, accessories and other knitting/crochet related products.
I’ve read a lot about Soak, a cleaning agent suitable for all fine fibers…don’t you want to take this little jar home and pop it in your laundry?

 Looooving the greens in this Jo Sharp Soho Summer DK Cotton bundle…

 A sweet collection of Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece…

And to keep everything nicely organised..a Stitch Pixie Project Bag:

Kelly also has some gorgeous finished projects up in her Ravelry projects page.  
This blanket is amazing…

 I think I could probably manage this gorgeous bangle aswell…

Love the grey in this hexagon blanket…

 Her ripple blanket is great inspiration for a baby little girl project:

Are you still reading along??  Didn’t mean to make this review so long…too many beautiful things to share though!

If you want to see all of these lovely products and more in the flesh and live in Brisbane, head into their retail store…next time I’m in Brisbane I’m definitley going in for a shop!

Today we welcome our newest Cool Shop! This & That From Japan…

This & That From Japan carries high quailty Japanese fabric, craft supplies, craft books and more direct from Japan.  The selection is enormous and you are guaranteed to find fabric that you can’t easily purchase anywhere else.

Lisa (owner of This & That From Japan) sent me some lovely fabric to review, I’m not sure what I will make with it yet but I love it!  The Sketched Safari Scene is adorable and is printed on a lightweight canvas-type fabric.  I can’t get enough of the little Pink Elephants – they come in heaps of other colours too and would make a sweet baby quilt.  If I can bring myself to cut into it, I can picture the Spring Garden fabric as a beautiful summery skirt for myself…

You may remember that Lisa contributed towards the Save the Children Japan charity auction that we held in March.  Lisa is extremely generous and is also donating 15% of all sales from her shop to the Save the Children Japan charity at the moment.

There are heaps of gorgeous Disney/Fairytale prints:

And lots of lovelies in the Flower/Nature/Food category:

Hello Kitty lovers are well catered for too!

I have a soft spot for Japanese Craft Books and there are heaps to choose from:

This & That From Japan is offering 10% off all orders for Make It Perfect readers!  
(The coupon code is “makeitperfect” for 10% off until April 15 Japan time.)

I’m excited to share our very last Cool Shop! for March with you…Funky Fabrix!

I had a great time playing around with a couple of “Make Your Own Bunting” kits that from Funky Fabrix sent to me.  These kits are a bargain – you get a pre-printed panel of fabric complete with easy instructions guiding you through making your own bunting.  I know that making a bunting isn’t exactly rocket science – but these kits are brilliant for first time sewers who might be a little nervous to make something entirely from scratch.  They are also great for a more advanced sewer – I loved the fact that I could have the whole bunting finished in less than half an hour and all I had to do was make up some binding to connect it together with (and if I was REALLY lazy I could have just used ribbon!)

 The buntings are printed on a lovely lightweight cotton in simple designs making it perfect for both children and adults, males and females.  A very versatile decoration that I know will get good use around here!  I chose not to hem the edges of my bunting and cut around the pieces with pinking shears instead as I was running short on time and knew that it wasn’t going to be handled much so wouldn’t fray.  Isn’t it fab?!

 Funky Fabrix also sells a large range of designer cotton fabric, lovely linens, cosy flannels, designer knits, trendy home dec fabrics, sewing books and patterns and more!

One of the things that I really like about Funky Fabrix is that they specialise in organic cottons (something we are seeing more and more of these days) and original vintage fabrics.

I have mentioned on my blog before how much I love this Birch Marine Organic fabric range:

And I am loving this Circa 60 Happy Campers range too (with a few pure organic solids thrown in):

This range is an oldie but a goodie and one I will never get sick of.  Gorgeous Monaluna Organic:

Check out some of the original vintage fabric you can purchase at Funky Fabrix…most of this fabric is dated around 1950-1970 and is brand new, straight off the bolt!

If you love a bargain, head to Funky Fabrix now as they are offering 15% off all purchases to Make It Perfect readers!
(Simply mention the code COOLSHOPS during checkout.)

For those of you living in, or visiting, Brisbane – make sure you pay Funky Fabrix a visit sometime soon.  They are moving stores this week, but their new store opens on the 2nd April.  
Their address is:
Shop 4/12 Blackwood St
Mitchelton
QLD 4051