Thank you, my friends...

I've always thought of my customers as friends, and often times have gotten off of the phone with a customer wishing I could follow up our conversation by inviting the customer over for a cozy cup of tea and relaxed chat. So many of them (you) I have talked with about struggles, hopes, and dreams, both day to day and in the grand scheme of things. We have shared not just our sewing and crafting experiences, but births, illness, divorce, falling in love...you get the idea. I have been so thrilled over the past year or so to realize that many of my customers think of me the same way...and was incredibly touched when a few sent ME handmade gifts this year.



Maureen Winter, founder, designer, and seamstress-in-chief of Moes Monkeys, sent handmade jammies for all 4 of my kids out of Fabric Fairy fabric (matching monkey on pink for the three girls, and airplanes for my son)! Not only are these my kids fabric jammies and the ones they look for straight out of the laundry, but I loved them so much that this photo was the cover of our Christmas card this year! Thank you again, Maureen!!!


Speaking of monkeys, Christina Marrs of Little Sidekick on Etsy sent this beautiful monkey hat she crocheted. It was intended for Annie, the baby, but all of the girls insist on taking turns wearing it. :-) I should mention that they all like to wear it backwards for some reason, so I don't have a photo of it being worn facing the correct direction (you can check Christina's site for photos of the hat being worn the proper way), but I think you'll agree that it is absolutely adorable either way! Christina is also the extremely talented lead singer of the Asylum Street Spankers, and sent us a copy of their acclaimed children's album, Mommy Says No! If you haven't seen them perform, check them out on You Tube--you won't be disappointed--they put on an incredible show!



Last but not least, I have to tell you about an incredible teenager I have come to know who is the daughter of one of my dear customers. Christine Palmer made me a custom fairy emoticon (click here to see her sprinkle fairy dust) as a surprise after I commented that I liked the dancing bunny emoticon she had made for her mother. Christine is not only talented at making emoticons, she has also created several websites including one catering to homeschooled youth and one catering to siblings of autistic youth (her youngest sister is autistic), sews and sells waldorf dolls, and is an award winning essayist who is planning to attend college and get a degree in material science engineering! You are sew impressive Christine--may your future be filled with lots of lucky fairy dust!

Gift Giving

I'll admit it, I have had to take a step back. As I always do. Every year, I tell myself that this is the year that I will finally handmake every single present I gift. It hasn't happened yet. Life gets in the way, and somehow taking the time to watch my children perform at the mall, help them decorate gingerbread men or encourage them in making their own handmade gifts prevails. I still do handmake as many of my gifts as I can though and those are always my very favorite gifts to give.

My 5-year-old working on a hand-painted backpack to give as a gift

Speaking of giving, I'm in the mood to give away fabric, so I thought a little contest might be fun. Reply to this post with the best handmade gift you have ever given or received. The 3 most original, interesting, unique entries will each win a $10 gift certificate to The Fabric Fairy. :-) I can't wait to hear everyones stories!

Loving this time of year!

Molly, my 3-year-old getting a head start on some holiday baking

Tomorrow we are supposed to get a blizzard, and the whole family will be snowbound in the house together. Busy as I am these days, I am feeling a thrill at the prospect of the forced coziness. I have great plans for a jammy day, complete with holiday baking, candy making, crafting, and a bit of holiday sewing. For the first time, this year the kids are actually old enough to participate in a lot of these activities with me (well, some of them--my 16-month-old will be happily playing next to us). The enthusiasm is palpable around here among all of us, and hearing my kids brainstorm about the creative projects they want to undertake makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.





Speaking of firsts, The Fabric Fairy has begun stocking domestic quilting cottons alongside our famous ginormous knit collection. While we've had a selection of exquisite Asian and European cotton imports for quite a while, it wasn't until we visited Quilt Market this Fall that we were inspired to begin stocking some of the gorgeous domestic designer cottons we saw. Many of these new fabrics will be trickling in throughout the coming months, but I am excited to introduce some of our first groups.



Perhaps my favorite new collection of the season is Meadowsweet by Sandi Henderson, which you can see in the background in the photo of Sandi and me from Quiltmarket. It is so evocative of everything that is fresh and sweet and carefree about spring blossoms and summer picnics in the meadow that even at this time of year, when I'm feeling so inspired by the creative rush of the holiday season, I feel sorely tempted to put it all aside and sew peasant tops, tiered skirts, and sundresses for my girls.

Gratitude Contest Winner and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

You know, this was a really hard decision. There was clearly so much reflection and sincerity in each comment. I want to thank everyone who took the time to respond and who shared so openly. It is incredible how grateful and optimistic people are in the midst of such economically and personally difficult times. I really enjoyed reading all of these!

I had to pick one person though, so Samze, CONGRATULATIONS! You won the gift certificate! Please email your contact info to me at contact@thefabricfairydotcom, and I will get the certificate on its way to you in time for some holiday sewing. :-)

Everyone, a huge HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you!!! Enjoy the time with your families. We are having a fun feast here today in our household--I'll try to post some pictures later!

Gratitude

The approach of Thanksgiving always makes me think about how much I have in my life to be grateful for: 4 awesome kids who mostly get along, and whom I genuinely like; an incredible husband who is my rock; the ability to lose myself in creating and the time to do it; and the new opportunities that keep presenting themselves to me, and allow me to grow in the vocation I am passionate about--helping people create and appreciate aesthetics, teaching them techniques and skills to do so, and tickling their imagination. I am also incredibly appreciative for the support my online friends and customers (although often its hard to separate the two) have given me as I've made my way along the journey of opening and growing The Fabric Fairy--I seriously have the BEST customers.

What are you thankful for this year? Leave a comment sharing your thoughts, so we can all appreciate more of the often un-noticed miracles in life. The most thought provoking response provided by Tuesday, 11/24 will win a $20 gift certificate to The Fabric Fairy!

Let the swapping begin!

Give Handmade this Holiday Season!

I love giving and receiving handmade items for the holidays, so I thought…let's do a handmade gift swap! Here’s the deal…All those interested in sending 10 personally handmade items will then receive 10 personally handmade items from other crafters/artists from across the U.S. How fun is that?! Here are the guidelines/rules:

• Send 10 items which fit in a flat rate ship box worth $10.45 to The Fabric Fairy, along with $10.45 payment for your return items by Friday, 11/27. Items should be valued at about $15 (market price, not cost of materials). If you're not sure what the market value of your item would be, you can ask friends what they would pay for it. ;)

• Along with your 10 items and payment for return shipping, (you can send the payment via paypal to paypay@thefabricfairy.com marked "personal"), please include a Wish List! What would you like us to keep an eye out for you?! We probably will not be able to meet all of your handmade desires, but if something comes along that you've been dying for, we'd like to make sure it ends up in your box!
  

• Once all of the items are received, I will sort through the holiday goodies and ship out your new gifts by Friday, 12/4.

Don’t forget to include your return address and email for confirmation/mailing purposes!

I am sooooo excited to see everyone’s creative goodness! Feel free to include business cards to put in the packages as well!! Let the swapping begin!!

The Fabric Fairy

C/O Holiday Swap

5353 Maly Rd.

Sun Prairie, WI 53590

We have a winner!

Congratulations to Karin Johnson from Madison! Karin won 1 yard of each of the Joel Dewberry fabrics that The Fabric Fairy carries! Wow... that is a total of 37 yards! I can not wait to see the fabulous creations from that!!