Color your life

Needle felting and birds

2012-01-23T11:13:00.001-08:00

If I have nothing to do with my hands I start chewing on my nails. A 41 year old woman really should not be doing that anymore but it is the truth. Thankfully there is always something new to discover and currently I am trying to teach myself to needle felt and how to sew soft animals/toys. I like to needle felt a lot but when they warn you that those needles are sharp, they are not kidding. You should see my poor fingers. My children sat around me and just silently handed me band aids. My youngest asked, why I kept on working when my fingers were bleeding. I said:" because it is fun." You should have seen the look she gave me ; )

A nod to our lion head bunny, Angus

Another endeavor I am on is to teach myself the art of making soft animals/toys with fabric. I started with birds because I love them and all the possibilities one has to use different fibers and embroidery to create a unique piece. My very first one, is based on a snowy owl.

The feathers are cashmere, a find at our local thrift store. And lots of stitching with colored cotton and added beads.

My second bird is a crow from the Aesop's fable, were the crow borrows feathers to look just as grand as the other, more colorful birds.

Books I can recommend for learning are: The artful bird by Abigail Patner Glassenberg. She also blogs!
And for needle felting I love these two books: Little felted animals and Wool pets.

But if you are going to start needle felting definitely invest in some good leather thimbles. Heck you actually need them sewing the birds as well come to think of it ; )

And one more!

2012-01-04T11:55:00.000-08:00

Oh uh! And CRASH goes the chicken coop!

I actually have to thank Will Terry for this push to start drawing and painting again! I stumbled upon him on the internet many months ago and had his blog bookmarked. Then one day a bug bit me and I just emailed him out of the blue to ask him advice on how I could pick up were I left off essentially. He actually e-mailed me right back and asked me to call him. Usually I am really shy but I took a deep breath and called him. We had a long and very pleasant conversation on the phone. Will is extremely giving with his knowledge and you can just tell what a big heart he has. If you have not seen his books yet (on NOOK), go have a look (hey that rhymes). I am sure your children will love his stories and illustrations : )

Thank you for sticking with my blog even though I am doing blessed little sewing these days, but art is art in any form and I hope you enjoy my illustrations just as much as you do my sewing and other crafty projects!

No New Years resolutions!

2012-01-01T10:20:00.000-08:00

Happy 2012 to all! I hope this New Year will bring less hardships and more happiness to all : )

Personally, I started the 2012 without any resolutions because they always get broken anyway ; )
I simply keep on working on what I know in my heart I need to change and hopefully, someday, my family and friends will see positive things happening in many aspects of my life.

One big step I took was to paint all day yesterday. If I keep the momentum, you will see more illustrations completed. It took me much too long to get this part going again. Somehow, while I worked at Pixar, I was too involved for anything that would require me to pick up a brush or a stylus in my "spare" time. Quite frankly, after a hard days or weeks work, that was the last thing I wanted to do. Then came the children and phew! Working full time and taking care of babies was simply too much. Yet... After years my creativity still needed to be tended too. I found many strange things happening. For one, I started making bows for ebay in my spare time. My co workers positively thought I had lost my mind!! I think I did actually....
Then I started sewing my first piece of clothing. I think it was a tulle skirt for Halloween for one of the girls and shortly thereafter my first Farbenmix item, an Olivia and you know I got hooked.

After Pixar I just kept on sewing. It took me a while to figure out why. Why, of all things was I sewing when, all my life, all I wanted was to paint and be an Illustrator? After a really awesome career at Pixar people were most likely also expecting me to go on to do more great things in art... Well something happened along the way, during my career that I just managed to put into words. When I painted at Pixar I was expected to perform my very best all of the time. And boy did I try to please!!! I succeeded too! I know I did fabulous but at the same time I developed this awful panel of judges above my head who will not leave me to this day and judge my every paint stroke, sketch and doodle in the most unkind way. The peace I felt as a child while I painted and sketched was gone and painting was no longer a source of great meditation.
Strangely my judges quieted when I sew and so I fixed myself to sewing. Longing for my creativity to still find voice but without the other negative voices that followed in tow. Sewing is/ was such a relief!
This sounds so strange but I swear that's how it is.. but I am damned if I cannot fight and finally kick out the panel of judges for good and reclaim my love for the painted art.

The only way obviously, is to actually start illustrating and sketching again and every time the negative blah, blah starts I will counter attack with a "shut it!" and hopefully I can turn into that joyful kid again and produce fun art!!

So here it is. My December 31st, 2011 Illustration.... One of many who I plan on becoming my very first book!! Ha! Take that evil, negativity : ))

Freddy was blinded by the beautiful site of the shiny,
red tractor. Without a doubt, it was LOVE at first site!

Do it yourself!

2011-12-28T15:11:00.000-08:00

For all your DIY'ers, Poppytalk created a roundup of the top DIY tutorials of 2011. I am totally inspired to go through each and every one of them! Thank you to you all who make these tutorials available : )

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-21T15:20:00.000-08:00

I am seriously neglecting my blog. Hopefully I still have "some" readers out there! Whoever you are, I wish you a very happy, and peaceful holiday season, after these last days of frantic preparations : )

Other designing projects

2011-11-10T15:09:00.001-08:00

The moooooose is adorning our tall hallway wall. Designed by moi, he arrived today in the mail.

Also, my laundry room is not so boring anymore.

Chloe was curious what I had been doing sitting on the dryer.

I had fun making these wall decals and am pretty sure there will be more to come.

What I did on Sunday

2011-11-06T18:04:00.000-08:00

Inspired by this find on the world wide web, I got in gear this morning to create an interesting accent wall for our living room/ We got up and went to Lowe's were we had a very easy time picking our wall color for the accent wall and after, we went to Michel's for thumbtacks and string.

I like to paint walls. It is very soothing and even better whilst listening to a harry Potter book on CD. After the paint dried I started to create a tree with the thumbtacks and the string. My thumb and index finger are red and almost swollen now, but the end result is quite cool, if I can say so myself : ). In addition I tacked birds that I had sewn a while back to the branches. Now the question is, will the cats leave thumbtacks and strings alone? or will we come home one day to a mess of string and birds? Who cares???!!! For now it's just fun and we are very much enjoying the new look!

More Winter sewing

2011-11-04T16:31:00.001-07:00

Ella and I both debated over each coat and jacket pattern that I own. There are a lot of pros and cons to each one but we finally decided on Toni by Farbenmix ( I almost want to say:" What else?" but I swear I have patterns by Ottobre planed out as well for the future). The outer fabric is waterproof. It is the Taslan fabric Farbenmix sold a while back. I wish I had a gazillion yards of that stuff. I lined the jacket with a layer of cotton batting and this very soft, fuzzy fleece. She is going to be warm for sure and I still get to knit her lots of hats! Yay me ; )
The silver piping is reflective and so is the star on the back. Important features when the rest is so dark. We want her to be seen.

Toni is available here

Some sewing : )

2011-10-13T16:40:00.001-07:00

Now that the shop is closed I have to admit, that I feel a bit stunned... My time during the day feels surreal... The children are all in school and I have nothing important to do at the moment, such as filling orders and doing some SEO work and ordering fabric etc.... So strange!
Even though I know what I SHOULD be doing (namely sketching and painting, working on my portfolio and children books) I feel so much more comfortable behind my sewing machine. Honestly, I think I have been hiding behind my machine! It is so rewarding to sew and have a finished product afterward in my hands that is satisfying. When I sketch and paint, there are a lot more unsatisfying moments because I am far more critical with myself.

Ah so yes, I have been hiding behind my Bernina. So much so that I actually broke my girl!! She is in the shop for the next 10 days and now I have nothing to excuse myself with. Sigh! But here, I wanted to show off just some of the things I have been sewing : ) Finished items, no longer ideas in my noggin. (Yes you evil sketchbook I will get back to you!!)

So Ella got an EDDIE vest, nicely lined with thick batting. Love the accents with the reflective piping around the arm pieces and the reflective star in the back : ) Also the fluff around the hood turned out great. The vest just needs to go in the wash now to loose some of the stiffness the batting caused.

Cool Lining !

And my Romy'kins got a DANAI hoodie. This is a really awesome pattern I have to say! So comfortable, I want one!!

Finn also got one, made out of organic french terry. The orange perfectly clashes with is purple hair, which btw. was supposed to only last 6 weeks. HA! It's been in for 3 months now. I don't even know how he looks originally anymore...

I promised my husband that I will stop sewing so much and really concentrate on painting! I promise I will once I have finished my sewing to do list that is ; ) ... Two Winter coats, 2 pairs of pants, several knit tops and ... ahhh it's going to be a while. Please get better soon sewing machine of mine! I need you!!!

Help Me close the shop!

2011-09-15T10:29:00.001-07:00

I just discounted everything even more. Inventory is winding down. Farbenmix ribbon for $1.80 a yard, Stenzo $9.00, Hilco $11.25, Patterns from $3.40 to $7.00. Help me close the shop! : )

The final sale

2011-08-30T08:57:00.001-07:00

Hello Dear Customers and Friends!

My heart is pounding as I write this but it is time to close the doors to Bunte Fabrics. The shop has been open for 3 years during difficult economic times and I am very proud to have lasted that long!

In the meantime I have realized that I need to also focus more on my art, which will still include a lot of sewing but also means that I will finally be able to work on my children books and turn them from ideas to reality!!
In addition I plan on working more on creating fabrics at Spoonflower (don't forget to look me up there) and I will continue to blog. There are some clothes I plan to sell for children as well, all in all I will be very busy.

So, I am extremely sad to close this chapter in my life but also happy and looking forward to new adventures.

The sale will start on 9/1/11. I am hoping that you all share this news and help me close the shop. All must go!

I am expecting that I will be quite busy cutting fabric and shipping boxes so please bare with me and be patient if you have to wait for your order a bit longer than usual. Also I have to make all sales final of course. Please don't be mad if some of what you ordered sold out quicker than the inventory updated. I will contact you in that event and we'll figure out a solution.
I may also have to contact you if shipping is much higher than $5.00 and update your shipping charge during the final sale. Again, I hope you will understand.

Dear friends!! THANK you so much for loving my little shop and being there!! I hope you stick around and enjoy my new creations with me here, on the blog : )

Warmly,

Other projects

2011-08-28T08:30:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I stumbled across Polish paper chandeliers ( Pajaki ) and ever since wanted to make one of them for our home.
What I used is:

Swedish Straw from here
Fine cotton string
A large embroidery hoop
Some nice ribbon to wrap around the hoop
Sturdy paper (scrapbook supplies)
A 1 inch hole puncher
Tissue paper
Wire
and I used a long doll making needle to string it all together.

Here is just one link of many found on the internet, on how to make tissue paper flowers/pompoms.

All in all I could have finished the Pajaki in one day but I had quite a few interruptions so it took me a couple of days. The girls helped me make tissue flowers and they helped me punch our the 1inch paper disks.

It looks just amazing hanging in our house and I can see making more for friends as gifts!

Another project I have had in mind for months and finally managed to finish, was to have fabric printed with a picture I took from our goldfish, Goldilocks. Thanks to Spoonflower (yet again I LOVE Spoonflower) it was a snap.

And here is my little Goldilocks skirt that I have been wearing this Summer (which btw. finally seems to have arrive in late August). Funky, fun fabric, Goldilocks forever : )

Our "Summer"

2011-07-25T15:34:00.001-07:00

Usually, I refrain from complaining about the weather here in the pacific northwest. We knew it was going to rain a lot up here, but the beauty of nature around us makes up for the cover of rain clouds. But.. BUT! this Summer is not usual in it's constant grayness and when the heater comes on automatically in the mornings, you know this Summer is simply a bust! And so yes, we all need to complain. So what does a mother do when 3 children basically climb up the walls on a daily basis? We bake (and that goes straight to my hips, so no good), craft, play card games, read and oh, we also sew. Ella has been busy with her little machine .
But for me to actually have quiet and peace for sewing, well that's just not going to happen with my 3 monkeys in tow. Not unless I have them in front of the computer or the TV for several hours a day. That I cannot do, I do not want their brains to turn to mush!

So to make a long story quite short, sewing time is almost non existent at the moment, hence why it's been so quiet here lately. Nevertheless, last Sunday my husband understood (after he saw my eyes twitch!) that I needed to have some time for quiet meditation in my sewing room.

I came up with a dress that started out with the Quiara pattern. After I added some length I also shirred the top a little. Together with a simple but cute applique, I think it turned out awesome and time was well spend : )

School doesn't start until the 7th of September here... East coasters, if you could send us some sun, I'll gladly share the rain!!

And who is getting a G3 iphone case?

2011-06-03T15:19:00.001-07:00

I am sorry I am late posting the winner! The sun is shining and I was out planting in the jardin :)

The Winner is number 16:

Congratulations Christine! I will e-mail you shortly.

Thank you everyone for posting. I was quite blown away by all your very kind compliments!!

Yeah, I need to brag... And also a giveaway!

2011-05-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

Last year I won a Spoonflower challenge with this design, Birds on a wire. I was contacted by case mate and now I am so proud that my design adorns their iphone cases!
If you have a G3 iphone and would like to win a case, please leave a comment here. For an additional entry into the drawing, post about this giveaway or post about Buntefabrics on your blog, facebook or twitter and come back here to let me know with another comment.
I will choose a winner on the 3rd of June, 2011 : )

Good Luck!!

New Stenzo fabric

2011-05-13T09:46:00.001-07:00

I never had a post just vanish from my blog... How interesting! So here it is again. New STENZO
fabric is in the shop. Heavy on the gnomes and toadstools, I know, but they'll never manage not to be charming : )

New Sponflower Contest

2011-05-09T07:25:00.001-07:00

Too see this image in more detail click here

After a long absence I am back to entering my designs in weekly Spoonflower fabric contests. This weeks contest was black and white. You were not allowed to use a gradient, just pure black and white. I have fallen in love with Thai shadow puppets and thought this was the perfect time to use them in my design. To bring them out the best, I created a border print.
My idea is to make myself a skirt with it and the two yards I ordered should be here shortly! So excited.
As always I could use your votes : ) There are 27 pages to click through and I THANK you very kindly in advance for taking the time end effort!!

Mother's Day

2011-05-06T12:04:00.001-07:00

M is for the miracle of Being.
O is for its origin in love.
T is for the tenderness of seeing.
H is for a home no wind can move.
E is for the ecstasy of living.
R is for the recklessness of giving.

Wishing all your Mothers who have given birth and Mothers who have not, a very happy day!!

MOM10 for 10% off an order of $20.00 and above.

MOM20 for 20% off an order $60.00 and above.

MOM25 for 25% off an order of $120.00 and above

Ella's pants

2011-04-21T09:41:00.000-07:00

Ella really loves loose fitting, comfortable pants these days. I remembered a while back there was a pattern by a danish sewing pattern company, Roos. They had a pattern for these fun and totally 70's style pants. Since it is impossible to still find these patterns I had to come up with my own "draft".

Take you favorite pant pattern and shorten it to short, shorts length. I used an Ottobre pattern, Issue 1/2009 (one of my favorites and you can buy it here) pattern 29. Than I added the extra leg length in two tiers. Simple as pie.

These were the measurements I had for Ella's pants (she is almost 9). I also made these kind of pants with a woven and out of corduroy before. They look awesome in all different kind of fabrics and I plan on making her a view more for summer :)

New patterns! Back to sewing!

2011-04-19T11:22:00.000-07:00

I used this fabric and this fabric both from Stenzo

MADITA has been around for a while but has just now been translated into English. I love the simplicity of this dress in of so many ways! First it looks fabulous with it's no fuss style. Second it sews together in a flash.
My girls love it because they can get dressed by just pulling the dress over their heads and that there is no front or back to it. Even a 2 year old can get dressed by herself : )

She has applied makeup to her face and I thought it was too cute to wipe off

Romy got a Madita too and with hers I discovered that the front and back panels are fantastic canvases for any kind of appliques or stencils or etc.. etc..

I used this fabric from Stenzo and this fabric from Hilco.

ZUCKA is the second new pattern in English translation. This skirt is a bit more labor intensive but not overly so and for summer I can see both Ella and Romy having several of these. I am thinking I'll sew a couple of leggings to go with them as well.

Now I have also had to sew new pants for Ella and new shirts. The girl has literally grown like a wheat over the Winter.

This outfit was a true labor of love and Ella was terribly excited when I emerged from the sewing room with it :))) Pants are Queenie and the shirt is a Leni.

More to come tomorrow!

Hilco SALE

2011-04-08T08:13:00.000-07:00

All Hilco fabrics are 15% OFF 4/08/11 through 4/11/11. Enjoy!

Kinoko Holic! Candy Party! KOKKA

2011-03-26T08:37:00.001-07:00

And the fabric is screaming at me: "Make me into a prurse! I am SO you."
Check out this awesome fabric here : )

Off topic, but important!

2011-03-02T12:37:00.000-08:00

Illustration Yvonne Herbst

In my last post I talked about my involvement with Nadus Film. I am busy painting away on the animated introduction to the film and today I and want to share the trailer of GRACE SURPASSES.

Nadus Fillm is trying to make a difference in creating awareness of the plight of the people in Sudan and I am so proud of working with them!!

Please watch the trailer and share it with many people : )

From Germany with Love.. Thanks again Farbenmix : )

2011-02-24T09:49:00.001-08:00

I know.. Lately I have been real, real quiet here on the blog. You know before I became a fabric addict and fell in love with the sewing machine, I was in love only with painting and glued to my stylus at work. I have been missing this lost part of my old live and a few weeks ago I was lucky enough, to land a job at Nadus Films a non profit company. Coury, the founder and director of Nadus is trying to make more people aware of the plight of the Sudanese people. He is in the process of making an amazing film and I have the honor of painting the introduction to the film, which is also being animated! Needless to say, I have been very busy on that front. In addition to my chores as mother and housekeeper there is precious little time for sewing!
Yet, even though my fingers and mind are happy painting, they were also itching to sew so badly!
So yesterday I took the day off! I locked myself in the sewing room and made Rob erta pants, a Leni top and together with various e-books that I had already made here and there crocheing and knitting, my Ella is all decked out : )
I simply ADORE Farbenmix patterns and e-books!

In a more somber mood I was just thinking...We are so lucky to have what we have, even in these tough economic times!

P.S:

To donate to the Nadus Film project and to help people in the Sudan you can make a donation, no matter how small here. Thank you!!

A Sale : )

2011-01-28T08:10:00.000-08:00

Hilco and Westfalen fabrics are 10% off from 01/28/11 through 02/04/11. Enjoy!

Another entry in this weeks Spoonflower challenge

2011-01-13T09:55:00.000-08:00

I have decided to enter another Spoonflower fabric design challenge. I entered a lot of them last year, but this year I will limit myself to the challenges that really inspire me to come up with something, hopefully, fabulous. This weeks challenge was all about Rococo. A most decadent time for Royals and people of means !

I painted each component on a large scale before I scaled the design down to a size that works great in a fat quarter and continues on nicely as a yard and so on.

I am really liking the end result. If you do to, I would love your vote because as always, the competition is a stiff one ; )

New coupon codes

2011-01-07T09:14:00.000-08:00

Hello January 2011! Did everyone make it into the new year alright? Personally I like to sleep through the event and imagine what I dream on that night will come true.Sadly I seldom remember what I dream about so, well, I hope it was something good!

But you all dream of owning some lovely fabric, ribbons and patterns right?

GET10 for 10% off your order of $10.00 and above or use GET20 for 20% off on orders of $100 and above. You can use the coupons multiple times through 1/14/11.

Have a great weekend! It is going to snow for us so we'll be crafty inside : )

I think I conquered the beast, or the evil coat part deux!

2010-12-21T15:26:00.000-08:00

Instead of a zipper I am using buttons now. Works much better.

The story of the ill thought through winter coat came to a finish! What I did in the end is chuck the outer shell and sew a new one size bigger. I just couldn't give up the idea of my lovely, furry
fluff inside and I also need a warm coat. January is supposed to be bitter cold! Sure I still look like my coat is pimped.. But I can pull it off... I think... yeah! OK.

The ribbon in the back is Farbenmix Flora Fox

And HAHA I have to tell you, I should have sewed in an extra pocket for a lint brush! I take the coat off and I am covered in fuzz. Another interesting thing is, that I sewed the new outer shell out of material that I believe hair salons use to make the capes that they drape over you? It crackles funny and I thought I would be really loud walking down the street but maybe the fur muffles the sound? ... I am probably just cracking myself up here. That's OK, I know I am a dork!

Anyhow, I am actually really happy with the end result. It is so much easier to sew for children but sometimes we just need cool stuff ourselves right? The jacket is Jadela and the shirt that I am wearing is Bertina (awesome fit!) with some of this Campan .

Thanks for laughing with me!!!

XO,

Extended sale on corduroy

2010-12-21T13:44:00.000-08:00

I extended the sale on all corduroy! Through 12/26/10 all corduroy is 15% OFF.

The story of the ill thought through coat or, when sewing goes horribly wrong

2010-12-18T14:31:00.000-08:00

aahh lovely picture

Once upon a time I had found fantastic outdoor fabric and weeks later fell in love with this super soft, furry stuff. Together in my head I envisioned this unique (in a really good way!) looking and warm coat. Uhhhmmm yes. Sometimes fabrics just don't like each other or I have to admit that maybe I should have thought it through a bit longer. From sausage arms to a zipper that cannot be zipped (all that fur is in the way) and also I look fat! I take offense to that since I lost 24 lbs... DH thinks it looks like a coat for a pimp. Definitely not what I had in mind. I laughed so hard I almost cried when I put it on finally. Oh goodness!!

But can I fix it???? I am determined to end up with a nice coat. Hey that lining was pricey!!

Stay tuned when the story of the awful Winter coat continues! : 0 )

December sewing

2010-12-16T10:19:00.000-08:00

It's amazing that I can find the time to sew at all. It's stolen minutes here and there, with the kids running wild most of the time. But sew I must because my "to sew list" is growing longer and longer .

These bubble skirts are the Odilia pattern by Farbenmix. They are really fun to sew with three degrees of difficulty although all of them are easy. The patchwork for Romy's skirt took just a bit more time.

Some of the fabrics I used are this one and some left over fabric from Ella's Nutcracker dress .

Another outfit that I finished this last week was for Romy's birthday. She turned 6 years already!

I used the Antonia pattern (I changed it up a lot though) and the Winona pants pattern. Both patterns I have used many times before.

The Antonia pattern runs short so I usually add quite a bit of length to the shirts. The Winona pants always fit the girls great and they both have completely different body shapes. It is important to take measurements before you decide on a size : )

When I was recovering from my surgery I got addicted to making these crochet flowers. I made about 2 dozen or so and now they are waiting to be used here and there.

Next up on my list are more Christmas presents. Time is running so short!! 10 more days...

The winner is...

2010-12-06T13:02:00.000-08:00

Dina Templeman! Congrats Dina!!!!

Thank you all for playing a long and becoming a fan on facebook : )

Finally some sewing

2010-12-05T14:48:00.000-08:00

After a looong time away from my sewing machine I found myself busy again today. My middle child has a Winter music performance coming up. She will also attend the Nutcracker with her class and for both occasions she wanted to look especially pretty. I used the Farbenmix Nadya pattern and Halequin Floral Tan fabric from Stenzo to sew her special occasion dress.

For one version I made an underskirt out of tulle. Can I say here, that I absolutely *hate* working with tulle?!! Is there a secret to working with tulle that I don't know about? For now I am swearing off it! My daughter of course loves the feel of the dress with the puffy tulle underskirt. She said, she never had such a special dress.

For more of an every day wear, I made the knit pants, that come in the pattern as well and also the matching headband (extra e-book from Farbenmix). I think I could have cut a smaller size, but I always like to go a little too big than too small.

I have a lot of fabrics in the shop right now that would be wonderful for dresses for special occasions such as my daughters has coming up. Have a look around here and also here. And if you would also like super fancy dress pattern Willemientje is fantastic!

Become a fan and win a price!

2010-11-29T10:52:00.001-08:00

It is high time for another *marvelous* giveaway! Become a fan of Buntefabrics and leave a comment here to enter. A yard of the most softest french terry/sweatshirt knit from Hilco awaits you and a yard each, of fab Farbenmix ribbon.

The winner will be announced here on December 6th, 2010. My Son's Birthday, a very lucky day : )

Go tell you friends and have a great day!

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T09:47:00.001-08:00

Thank you very much for shopping with me!! How could I have a shop without you??

Use coupon code THANKS25 for 25% OFF your order today and through tomorrow Nov.26th, 2010. And best of all there won't be any crowds of people to avoid ; )

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday!!

XO,

On Facebook

2010-11-12T08:19:00.000-08:00

It was about time buntefabrics went on facebook :)

I would love it if I could get to know my customers a bit better as well as maybe get to see your sewing??!

Also it is much easier to let you all know about special sales and coupon codes and so on.

If you like Bunte Fabrics hop on to facebook and let me know. I will give out a special coupon code only for you today!

In the wishing wood

2010-11-10T14:21:00.001-08:00

Every now and then I am lucky enough to find out were the fabric that leaves my shop ends up at. Carly is a mother and brand new entrepreneur with a shop on etsy, in the wishing wood.
She is making these most adorable and cuddly coats for girls and they are partially lined with (yes!) fabric from the shop.
I love her coats with the floppy bunny ears and her color combinations are so pretty.

Thanks Carly! And good luck with your business!! :o)

New Stenzo fabrics in the shop!!

2010-11-01T05:09:00.000-07:00

I have worked very hard and everything is up in the shop. I have many new corduroy, cotton woven and jersey knit fabrics. This year I tried to make sure that everything can be mixed and matched within the new Fall/Winter fabrics as well as with the fabrics that I have had in the shop already. The Jerseys are very soft and the fine wale corduroys feel like velvet. The cotton poplins are also soft and have a beautiful drape. I hope I did a great job choosing Stenzo fabrics for you and you love everything as much as I do : )

Heads up!

2010-10-30T17:50:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to let you all know that I received a huge load of fabric from the Netherlands! There is a lot of new corduroy, knits and cotton wovens coming to the store soon. I will work very hard to add them quickly to the inventory. Once I have it all done I will let you know here of course. In the meantime, starting tomorrow, keep on checking in the shop for first dips : )

Lots of new ribbons

2010-10-21T08:41:00.001-07:00

Here

They

Are : )

I did it! Hilco fabrics are up : )

2010-10-15T14:20:00.000-07:00

With a little help form my sister I got it done! I hope that you love the smallish but really, really luxurious selection of new Hilco fabrics for Fall/Winter 2010 and early Spring 2011 : )

Looking through it my very first idea of what I would love to do is use these three items:

FEE with , Fanalisto for the outer layer and Pelambrera for a super cozy lining. Can you imagine?

Have fun browsing! : )

Recovery and Hilco Fabrics

2010-10-12T17:31:00.001-07:00

I wanted to write a quick note. The Hilco fabrics arrived and they are SO wonderful!

A week after surgery I am healing well but the recovery is going to be a slow one. Tomorrow I will see if my lovely sister can roll me closer to the computer and I will work on getting some if not all of the fabrics up in the shop. Please do not forget however, that shipping is delayed, due to the fact that my husband has to take this part of the business over !

Thank you all so much for your well wishes and sticking with Bunte Fabrics : ) !!!

A sale and an imortant side note

2010-09-30T20:12:00.000-07:00

Hilco fabrics are finally on the way and will arrive in the beginning of next week. In the delivery will be new corduroys, Campan knits and amazing wovens!

I wish I could tell you that I am going to have all these lovelies up for sale as soon as I have them unpacked!

As many of you know, Bunte Fabrics is just me, Yvonne and I am going to have major surgery next week. Until I am back from the hospital and able to move around again they'll have to wait. Shipping will also be slightly delayed but I instructed my trusty husband and hopefully you won't feel too big a bump in service : )

I will also promise to recover super, speedy quick!

But in order to make room for more fabric, I am going to have a big sale. Everything, with the exception of Far Far Away II is on sale. you will see discounts of 20%, 30% and 50% off.

The sale will end 10/04/10.

Until soon!

Little Vampire

2010-09-27T09:10:00.001-07:00

She believes, she is a vampire princess :) I only sewed myself in the finger once!
Dress, Abacadabra 62 and a whole lot of fun with photoshop.

And the winner of Stenzo Fabric is

2010-09-25T08:52:00.000-07:00

Mamajen! Congratulations : )

Please contact me with your mailing address.

For everyone who stopped by and entered the giveaways and spread the word, Thank you!!

Enjoy your weekend : )

Winner of the Farbenmix ribbon is

2010-09-24T10:06:00.000-07:00

Jeneaevan! Congratulations!

Please contact me with your mailing address.

Thank you everyone for playing : )

Giveaway number 4

2010-09-23T16:40:00.000-07:00

This is the last giveaway for the week! I have 64 inches of lovely blue Stenzo, Oilily style corduroy to giveaway together with a yard of lovely soft cotton velvet, also from Stenzo in the same style as the corduroy and green.

Perfect for the season and so pretty!

To enter leave a comment. For 3 more chances to win, spread the word about the giveaway week and come back here to let me know you have tweeded, facebooked or blogged about it.

The winner will be announced here on Saturday 9/25/10 so don't forget to check back in!

The second winner of the giveaway week is

2010-09-23T09:50:00.000-07:00

WindyCindy! Congratulations : ) Please contact me with your mailing address!

Giveaway number 3

2010-09-22T11:56:00.000-07:00

Today I am giving 7 yards of ribbon away : )

Our first giveaway winner is

2010-09-22T11:34:00.000-07:00

Carol! Congratulations on winning the Willemientje pattern and the $10 gift certificate :)

Please contact me with your mailing address.

Giveaway number 2

2010-09-21T10:11:00.001-07:00

Today I am giving away one yard of Farbenmix Miss Liber-t poplin fabric and a yard of the matching Miss Liber-t ribbon!

You know the drill : ) To enter leave a comment. For 3 more chances to win, spread the word about the giveaway week and come back here to let me know you have tweeded, facebooked or blogged about it.

The winner will be announced here on Thursday 9/23/10 so don't forget to check back in!

Giveaway number 1

2010-09-20T10:11:00.001-07:00

The first giveaway of this week in celebration of Bunte Fabrics 3rd Birthday is going to be a Willemientje pattern as featured in the above picture. Willemientje is a fancy dress that can be sewn in different degrees of fancy. You can omit the godet inserts (as I did in the gray version) or add them (as I did in the rose fabric version) for a more flowing look. In both cases I did not add ruffles (I simply do not like to sew them very much) but if you would add them to either the overdress or underdress or both, the dress would over the top gorgeous! Think about all the upcoming holidays : )

In addition to the Willemientje pattern, I will also include a $10 gift certificate for the lucky winner !

To enter leave a comment. For 3 more chances to win, spread the word about the giveaway week and come back here to let me know you have tweeded, facebooked or blogged about it.

The winner will be announced here on Wednesday 9/22/10 so don't forget to check back in!

Bunte Fabrics is 3!

2010-09-17T10:05:00.001-07:00

It is hard to believe that 3 years ago I pushed a button and Bunte Fabrics went online! It's been a wild ride of many ups and some downs. As almost all of you, we have also felt the downside of this economy. It is therefore, that I really, really want to THANK you with all of my heart for your ongoing support of my little business!! You have so many choices and that you choose to shop with Bunte Fabrics means the world...

So to celebrate I will have many giveaways planed for this upcoming week! I will give away, patterns, fabric, notions and how about a gift certificate or two? Yes, it will be fun!!

Also, here are two coupon codes for you : ) HAPPY10 for 10% off your order of $14.00 and above, or HAPPY20 for 20% off your order of $100 and above.
You can use these coupon codes more than once and they are good through 9/30/10

XOXO!!!

Izzy, available soon!

2010-09-15T16:06:00.000-07:00

I wanted to give you a preview of Izzy. This jacket pattern from Farbenmix is the most fun pattern I have come across in a while! I wish my kids all needed 50 jackets. I don't think I will ever get tired of this one!! How cool is the asymmetrical zipper? The kangaroo pocket in the front is so cute and oh the fit! The fit is awesome! Plus, the jacket comes together in a jiffy! Really! Do I have enough exclamation points here? In just a few short days, you too can get your hands on the IZZY pattern : ) Embellish your Izzy with cool ribbons, iron on designs, appliques or fabric paint and your kid will feel like the coolest kid in town!

The pants are Qumaira. Ribbons can be found here and iron on designs here.

Fabric Remnants, a new category

2010-09-15T14:06:00.000-07:00

I added a new category to the shop. Fabric remnants are now for sale. Right now there is a nice collection! Grab them while they are there because I don't know how often I can restock this section!

Cheers!

New Farbenmix patterns

2010-09-03T11:22:00.001-07:00

It is awesome when patterns that I have long loved, finally become translated into English and made available for sale here! I introduce Willemientje and Amelie. AMELIE has been an absolute favorite of mine and the girls for a while now and I have sewn many, many tunic/dress Amelie's already. Last year in the Fall I made countless velour tops with hoods and during the Summer I made them as beach covers and oh, do they look great combined with skinny jeans or over leggings!

WILLEMIENTJE is new to me as well :0) I am so exited about this pattern and it arrived just in time for all the upcoming Holidays! My girls swooned over the picture on the front. And although Ella is starting to get tired of ruffles she will look awesome in a simpler version of this dress were as Romy is all about the ruffles!

Both Amelie and Willemientje are written in English and step by step picture tutorials are available!

I also added FEE. Fee is an older pattern that I have looked at for a while now. I love the classic style of this coat and plan to make one for Romy shortly! This pattern is written in German. With the step by step picture guide, I do think that English speaking customers can follow and sew this pattern successfully as well. I may also post a step by step tutorial here on the blog though if I find some bravery to expose how messy I actually sew!

There are two more patterns on the way shortly that I am equally exited about!

By the way! I made 5th place with my "Hog wild on a tractor" fabric design in the last Spoonflower challenge. THANK YOU for voting for me!! If you like my own fabric designs they are available for sale here.

A dress and a messenger bag

2010-08-30T17:36:00.000-07:00

When you have a husband such as mine it is possible to devote an entire day to sewing. I sew until my head hurts and my neck aches, he even delivers food and coffee! Yes. I am totally spoiled :o)

This weekend I wanted to sew with Kokka Trefle, with the large carnival print. A very good friend (Hi Megan!) of mine came by the other day and when I showed her the Kokka fabric, she told me that she had gotten the impression on-line that this print would be too large for garment sewing.

Possibly this impression was not just hers alone. So here you go! The prove. The fabric looks fab sewn into a dress.

Also, the new Far Far Away II collection by Heather Ross... The gray colorway is just too awesome. I kept looking at it and looking at it and gosh, had to make something. A messenger bag, unique and one of a kind. For now. Until you decide to make one as well!

I have tons and tons of sewing to complete still. I simply keep running out of time even with the help of my wonder husband :) By the way, I am waiting on pins and needles for the new Hilco fabric! It should be here any time now... Oh boy!!!

P.s: The pictures were taken by my 10 year old son. Not too shabby huh?

Freddy's gone hog wild!

2010-08-26T07:13:00.001-07:00

Freddy loves himself a nice ride!
Inspired by this weeks contest, theme tractors. This is going to be my last entry for a while since I am gearing up for more fabric to come flying in from Germany. Also I have a ton of sewing to do and fast for the beginning of the school year.

To vote you can go here under Tractor. Spoonflower explains how to vote:

Designs appear in a different order for each person who votes in the contest. The theme of this contest is fabric designs featuring tractors as design elements.

Vote for as many or as few designs as you like by clicking on the images you like best. A green box will appear around the design you select for voting.

Your votes are submitted only after you reach the end of the voting pages and click the button to submit your votes.

If you would like to see how those little designs that you are voting for actually look in a yard or two of fabric, you can click on the title of the design. That takes you to the page were you can click on 1 yard or 2 yards and see the design in all it's glory. hit the back button and it should take you right back to voting.

Cheerio : )

Hooked to the crochet needle

2010-08-25T13:44:00.000-07:00

Over in Germany you can observe that many people have picked up a crochet needle and are busy learning or re-learning the art of crocheting. Combine your crochet details with handmade or store bought clothes/items and you will be absolutely in the hip and now!
I found some great blogs were you can see the result of were crochet meets sewing such as here.
Or on the Farbenmix blog I found other beautiful examples.Crocheing is great because you can take it along pretty much any were. I was crafty on the beach, at the playground, my backyard and whilst watching/listening to TV my hands were always busy.
The learning process was pretty quick with these great videos (even though they are in German, I believe following along you would still get the idea) but there is also a wealth of crochet teaching videos to be found if you type in "how to crochet" or "crochet flowers" on you tube.

For the wonderful flowers above I used an e-book from Farbenmix. This e-book is super easy to follow... If you speak German. For the English speaker it most likely would not work too well I am sorry to say

Another e-book I fell in love with is this one, for a round collar shirt. So awesome don't you think?
The collars can be attached to shirts as well that have a slightly larger neck opening such as the raglan shirt Zoe from Farbenmix.

And look next it is super easy to up cycle store bought clothing as well with a bit of cotton cross stitching thread and crochet flowers. In almost no time at all these formerly boring jeans are one of a kind.

OK, if this is all a bit much for a beginner I also found this really awesome tutorial on crochet edging! And it's in English ;o) So cute and this would also be such a great alternative to a otherwise boring skirt hem.

I really didn't need yet another hobby but I am hooked to my crochet needle and I am sure you will be too once you see the finished result in your lab. Give it a whirl and you will see : )

P.s: I JUST noticed another e-book that must have just come up on Farbenmix. Check it out! Goodness the possibilities with all these buttons are endless.

Bonjour and Good Bye

2010-08-16T09:25:00.001-07:00

The deadline for Spoonflower's next contest is not until tomorrow. The challange: Windows and doors. I thought about how doors and windows play an active part in many "hello's and good bye's". I also wanted the drawings to look loose and fun.
The plan is to also make one with a boy character down the road : )
You can see the tiled design here . To vote please go here. You can vote for multiple entries by clicking on a design it will have a green border. Click though the pages and hit finished voting.

Thanks!!

Store-wide SALE

2010-08-12T20:22:00.000-07:00

Woohoo right?!! Everything is 20% OFF starting Friday, August 13th through August 18th.

Have fun shopping and help me make room : )

Kokka Trefle Large Carneval Print

2010-08-10T15:31:00.000-07:00

...That's what is new in the shop! I love the print. It is over sized (the Ferris wheel for example measures 8 by 9 inches) and the colors are so chic! Perfect for all your sewing ideas : ) Available in 4 colors.

Cheers,

Who won the gift certificate?

2010-08-09T19:56:00.000-07:00

I am so sorry friends that I am late in announcing who got the $25 gift certificate to my shop!

We just got back from San Francisco an hour ago (after 16 hours of straight driving I find that driving a car is totally over rated) and I had to greet my husband, dog and cat as well as go through a couple of e-mails etc... before settling down. Random. org picked...

And number 5 would be Steffi from Germany! Steffi, ich komme auch aus Hessen! Genauer gesagt aus Butzbach :)

As always never fear I love giving things away and another chance will come.

Oh, I I got patterns that were out of stock while I was gone and I also got new Japanese fabric.

I will work on that tomorrow so check back in.

Toodles!!

Shipping department closed

2010-08-01T17:42:00.000-07:00

The children and I will be driving to San Francisco tomorrow and won't be back until the 10th of August :) Order away!!

I will take care of your orders first thing when I am back!

It's my Birthday, Giveway!

2010-07-31T07:49:00.000-07:00

Today I am entering my 40's and I am celebrating! My children each, gave me a stack of coupons. For a day without trouble, a clean room, a massage and coupons for "anything I want".

And I am sharing with you : )

Here is your chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Bunte Fabrics!

Leave a comment :) and I'll choose a winner on the 7th of August. Have a fantastic weekend!!!

This weeks Spoonflower contest: The desert

2010-07-29T13:40:00.000-07:00

And this is my contribution. I was inspired by Paul Klee and the incredible colors of the African desert. I simply love how with each contest. we participants get challenged in so many ways.
You can vote here. My design is called desert sunset by Yvonne Herbst.
I already voted for all of my favorites and wow, the competition is stiff again.

On mix and matching color and designs

2010-07-26T15:12:00.000-07:00

Once in a while I get asked, how do you combine fabric? Specifically how do you create the "Farbenmix", "Inuit" look when you sew your kids clothes.
The danger is always that you end up with a clothing item that is just a tad over the top and you end up with an item that is more suitable for a clown ; ) Not that this has ever happened to me before...

Here are my tips on mixing and matching fabric by considering the prints and the colors of each fabric you wish to combine.

When I start too look at a combination of fabrics I choose one fabric that is going to be my center for choosing all the others. The boss of color so to speak. Ella's was the blue bird fabric and Romy's was the pink fabric with the toadstools. From these fabrics I chose all other colors.
The colors need to be in the same family of the print that you chose to pick from, but don't need to match the print to a T. However, a red that is in the orange family will clash with a red from the purple family for example, so it is still important to hold everything together and keep on checking that the colors like each other as a whole.

The individual prints of the fabrics are very important as well. Different prints can quickly overwhelm the overall design if you choose prints that work color wise but put together do not give the eye a moments rest to settle!

Usually prints that are all of the same size will do that. Let's say one print has hearts, another gnomes and yet another toadstools but when you step back and the prints are about all the same size, put together, the garment will become too busy. This will also happen if you use the same print, such as polka dots.
A good tip on avoiding having things get out of hand design wise, make sure you have pieces that are uni colored to tie the busy prints together but will calm the overall look down.

With all of the mixing and matching it is of course very important to keep looking back at the pattern pieces along the way and seeing were the fabrics will end up being. With the skirts above I wanted the apron component to be either semi prominent or blend in and I had to keep checking that all the other fabrics made that happen.

In the end it is all in the eye of the beholder and if you love, love it, chances are you did a great job mixing and matching your fabrics.

I realize I am not a writer in any sense and that English alas, will always be my second language but I hope that I helped the novice sewing enthusiast a bit in trying to achieve the "look" that Farbenmix is famous for : )

If you are curious, The skirts above are Falda. For now they are only available directly from Farbenmix and the pattern is written in German.

The Winner of the Far Far Away fabric is?

2010-07-22T08:24:00.001-07:00

With the added number of extra entries counted down to the name the winner is:

Goosegirl!!!!

I really hope you like the fabric!! Please e-mail me at info@buntefabrics.com with your address and if you feel like it, leave a little comment here.

To everyone who didn't win, I actually have frequent giveaways so keep on coming by for another chance! I know Goosegirl has tried many times before ; )

Thank you all so much for playing!!!

Vote for me : )

2010-07-15T09:45:00.001-07:00

I am entering the Spoonflower contests again. This time the challenge was to create summer flowers with a limited color palette, chosen by Spoonflower. I have to confess that I wasn't too in love with the color palette but I worked with it and I actually really like the end result of my design : )

If you would like to vote for me I would be so happy! My entry is called "Here comes the sun".

Far Far Away I, a GIVEAWAY

2010-07-14T15:59:00.000-07:00

I looked through my stash and I have far too many end pieces of the original Far Far Away collection that made it in there. So, it is time for another giveaway!

You get a full yard of the snails (they are really cute!! Honest!) a crooked piece of the frogs in pink (sold out!), that is about a half yard. Also a crooked almost a yard piece of unicorns in purple and two crooked half yard pieces of princess and the pea in pink (all sold out).

When I say crooked I mean they measure a half yard, or one, on one side and narrow toward the end. All together they make a great bundle for your sewing pleasure.

You know the drill! To enter, leave a comment here and for 5 extra entries blog, twitter or facebook about it and come back here to let me know you have done so :) Easy peasy.

I will choose a winner via random.org on 06/22/10 and announce it here on the blog. Don't forget to make a note and come back to check if you have won!

Good LUCK!!

A Sale and new Coupon Codes!

2010-07-09T09:07:00.000-07:00

I know it has been a while and I hope you will enjoy this newest sale and the new coupon codes!

Enjoy the coupon codes JULY10 for 10% OFF your order of $75.00 and above or JULY5 for 5% OFF your order of $10.00 and above. You can use the coupon codes multiple times through July 2010.

On Sale are: Japanese fabric, Laminated fabric (Little House by Free Spirit), double sided fleece from Stenzo, buttons and my velour iron on designs. Sale ends on July 17th 2010.

We are having a bit of a heat wave (nothing like the rest of the US though!) and as it is when you have 3 children you are out and about and running around. Popsicle stains all over everything become normal and the scent of sunscreen in the air. I love this time!
At the beginning of Summer I made the girls these super, practical skirts/legging combo from Farbenmix. Caroline as of yet is not available for sale here in the USA but you can purchase the pattern directly from Farbenmix. It is a great clothing item to have on hand because the skirt is attached to the leggings in a way that nothing bunches and they can climb and hang upside down as much as they want to. You can have the leggings long, calf length (as seen in the picture) or short shorts. Don't be afraid of that you'll only have German instructions because as always I find, with the picture tutorial it all explains itself really well :)

I expect while I wrote this entry, that I will find a disaster area upstairs in the kitchen.. The kids made their own breakfast!
Gotta run!

New computer!

2010-07-07T15:51:00.000-07:00

...And we are back in business. I apologize for any delay! Ghaa this was a bit stressful to say the least. I will post a sale soon and new discount codes. So stay tuned :)

Sick Computer

2010-07-05T09:29:00.001-07:00

It looks like our MAC is in serious need for some medical care. I am afraid it may actually be a deadly thing. Bare with me until we have this figured out. I'll be late answering questions and shipping will be delayed as well by a few days.

The deep blue sea

2010-06-21T14:37:00.000-07:00

Have you entered a Spoonflower fabric contest yet? The next theme is "nautical" .

This is my entry. I wanted to use this idea of layering paper, inspired by a folded paper boat.
To see it repeated have a look here. It works best in half brick :)
Next, after the nautical theme, comes a cheater quilt contest!! Doesn't that sound fun?

Embrace your mistakes?

2010-06-14T11:39:00.000-07:00

The reason why I don't sew as much anymore as I have been in the past is because I am a woman with multiple hats on (like so many of us!). As some of you know I am actually an illustrator by profession who stumbled over and fell in love with sewing. These days I am trying to be a good mother, housekeeper, business owner, illustrator (which means I am trying to build a new portfolio and teach myself new tricks), gardener and seamstress to my children. All of which takes much too much time and one or the other constantly seems to suffer. Yesterday however I did sit down and sew. Ella is in desperate need for clothes and it just seems dumb to go out and buy things when I can produce clothing myself. I made this Abacadabra dress and used Westfalen fabric. See? The classic print works lovely on her right?!

OK, now comes the part were one has to either learn to embrace mistakes, or simply loose ones head and yell a little and throw a temper tantrum.... Control freak that I am, I am often reminded that mistakes in handmade items make them "charming". Or so I was told.

Can you spot what's wrong here?

To my mind, I am truly annoyed by the reversal of the direction in the pattern of the fabric.

This happens only when I sew. When I paint I am the biggest control freak ever. I noodle things to death. So sewing is good... Sewing teaches me to let go. It is very therapeutic.

Just because I feel like sharing my other side ... I painted this for a relative of mine with much more control :0)

Nevertheless the lesson is the same over and over again...Breath, let go, embrace your mistakes and have fun creating! All whilst doing the jobs of many people in one single day.

Cheerio!

Yvonne

Far Far Away II is now in the shop!!

2010-06-10T15:44:00.000-07:00

I am only uploading one collage in one colorway (Heather Ross created this one) from the new Far Far Away II collection because there will be a not so small revolt in the house (these kids will only be patient so long) if I don't get off the computer!

I am SO excited though!! The fabric is fabulous :) Really!
I know many were sad that the second Far Far Away collection was not printed on double gauze again but now you have the option to use these prints for other projects that the double gauze would have not been good for. Such as bags, wallets and maybe even light weight upholstery (a nursery chair would be so cool!). And you can still sew clothes as well. This light weight canvas is awesome for pants and a-line skirts or light weight jackets.
So variety in types of fabrics is great :) And I still have plenty of double gauze available.

Also some said, that non of the prints in this line would work for boys. I politely disagree. Maybe not for older boys but look at the Moon and Stars print in Linen or the Owl and Pussycat prints. Can't you see the cute summer clothes for boys?

So have a look around, the full collection is now available to you :)

And the Winner of the LOVEchirp fabric is?

2010-06-01T10:13:00.001-07:00

Stephanie! She said:

I'm Swiss and I only find in your shop so cute and good quality campan! Thank's a lot for having a little Europe here in America! Stefanie

I wanted to thank all of you for your wonderful comments!!!
When you run a shop all on your lonesome it is sometimes hard to gauge if you are doing it right or not. To have your positive feedback meant a whole lotta, lot to me. So THANK you again!!!

Of course.. Please never hesitate to also let me know about the bad. It is often as important just so that I can keep up and continue to have things work properly :)

To all who didn't win this time around, you know I will have another giveaway in the future.

Stephanie, please e-mail me at info@buntefabrics.com with your address and if you would like to comment here again, please do :)

SALE on all domestic designers

2010-05-28T13:49:00.000-07:00

All domestic designers, Frolic, Lantern Bloom, Deer Valley and Mezzanine are on SALE for $5.00 a yard.

Have a sunny and happy Memorial Day weekend!

Long time no sewing and a GIVEAWAY!!

2010-05-24T16:08:00.001-07:00

This was without a doubt the longest I have gone with out sewing! Yesterday I put my foot down and demanded sewing time. Ella needs clothes for the Summer (Romy now inherits Ella's clothes!) and I needed to get all these UFO's under control. But I have hardly made a dent, sad to say. Nevertheless, Silverlake the jacket that is in the book Sewing clothes kids love, is done!

And not only did I finally get to sew Silverlake but I also got to use this totally rad fabric by Farbenmix called Tattoo-Kids. Ella was over the moon in love with this fabric from the start. I used nice ribbon accents and lined the jacked with fleece. It is going to be perfect!

Now I am sorry to say that I didn't manage to get this lovely fabric for the shop. The communication was bad and there was not enough for me to buy anymore for retail.

But and here is the great news and the GIVEAWAY part, I am sending off a meter (and it is 1.40 Meters wide!!) of LOVEchirp! One lucky winner will be able to make something beau*ti*full :)

I forgot to add, that LOVEchirp is another fabric from Farbenmix created by Luziapimpinella and LOVEchirp turned out to be super popular!

To enter I would love it if you could help m spread the word about my shop! If you love Bunte Fabrics let everyone who likes high quality fabrics now :) Or leave a comment here and tell me what you like about the shop!

The winner will be chosen on June 1st, 2010 (goodness can you believe it is June soon????) and will be announced here on my blog.

Good Luck!!!!

All Westfalen Fabrics are here

2010-05-06T12:49:00.000-07:00

After some work, I am very happy to finally have a full inventory of all the Westfalen fabrics for you. I also have a few organic fabrics back in the shop as well as new and re ordered bias tapes.

Also, now if you order 3 yards or more of Westfalen fabric you will get an automatic discount of 8% per yard!

I have extended the coupon codes to include Mothersday :) Fabriclove20 for 20% off your total order of $85 or more and Fabriclove10 for 10% off your total order of $10 or more.

Heading back to being a full time Mother now :) Have fun browsing!

Would you like to win a doll?

2010-05-03T14:03:00.000-07:00

The super talented and sweet Berrie is celebrating her impending marriage :) If you would like to have a shot at winning this most fantastic Waldorf Doll go on over and visit her blog!

Good Luck but not too much! I entered also ;o)

New Westfalen fabrics trickle in!

2010-04-28T10:23:00.000-07:00

I am so happy that my Westfalen fabrics are now coming in! It's been a long time since I have had them in stock and again I am just so pleased at the quality!

Simply put, Westfalen doesn't skimp in the production of their fabrics. The fabrics are always manufactured under the Oeko-tex 100 standard for one (free of harmful substances which makes them especially great to use for baby products!) and I know from personal experience with these fabrics, that you can wash and wear them for years. The colors do not wash out and the garments retain their form.

Personally when I spend precious hours cutting and sewing clothes I want the quality of the material to be outstanding. It would be so frustrating to me if the clothes looked badly after a few washes and/or came apart!

This time around I ordered a lot of Westfalen classic prints that have been in production for 75 years! If you think you could only sew country quilts with them you are mistaken :0) Have a look at a recent fashion show in Germany with international designs, such as Saris, all using classic prints from Westfalen here. Don't the clothes look amazing?!

Even more fabric goodness from Westfalen are on the way, so stay tuned!

Finally new Stenzo fabric is in the shop!

2010-04-26T15:03:00.000-07:00

And it is SOOOOOOO pretty!!!

Have a look at it all here

Would you like a coupon code or two? Use FABRICLOVE20 for 20% OFF your total order of $85 and above
or use FABRICLOVE10 for 10% OFF your total order of $10 and above.
Coupon codes expire 05/07/10

Westfalen fabric is still on the way!

Heather Ross Far, Far Away 2

2010-04-23T08:10:00.001-07:00

In case you missed it, Heather Ross worked on a new Far Far Away Collection and she now has a preview of her line on her blog. I simply LOVE all the designs!

And guess who ordered the whole collection? :o)

In the shoppe at the end of May, beginning of June!

Were oh were did the fabric go?

2010-04-20T07:06:00.000-07:00

... Were oh were could it be?? I was so very hopeful... After three years of operating Bunte Fabrics I cannot believe I am still this naive. Numerous delays at first, now this. Eyjafjallajokull (I typed that and didn't even copy and paste.. ya riiight) has not only grounded Teen Stars and Super Stars but also my precious fabric and I want my fabric shipped out before those persons get on board, you know, in order of importance!
Luckily some flights have resumed but I cannot even imagine the backup of all the packages that are awaiting transport. That'll take a while. Please know though that I am standing ready, camera in hand, to rip packaging apart and put 30+ bolts of awesomness up and in the shop as soon as it comes through my door!

Meet Isabella

2010-04-07T08:22:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed the pictures (from the Bunte Fabrics sewing group) in the sidebar of this blog, of all the adorable dolls! The creator of these amazing dolls is Berrie Bowen of Moonchild Handwork Studio. In the first year of Bunte Fabrics, Berrie found me (and I her) and over time I have fallen more and more in love with her dolls and the beautiful, beautiful clothes that she dresses them in.

Romy saw the dolls one day on the computer as well and wanted one so badly ever since. Yesterday she got the surprise of her young life when a package addressed to her (such a sweet touch) arrived in the mail. When Romy laid eyes on her doll it was love at first site! She named her Isabella and has not let go of her for close to 24 hours now! Berrie you are right! A loved doll will be a dirty doll haha!

Isabella came with a stunning wardrobe as well. A shirt, leggings, a dress, shoes, a nightgown and the hair ties, all so perfectly sewn and with love you can tell! The doll is so well made that Romy will have her forever.
What I love especially about Waldorf dolls is that they are made out of natural fibers. When they are hugged for example they retain the childs body heat and become a warm object of their own.
OK seriously, I could gush all day about Berrie and her dolls but will stop here ! THANK you Berrie :)

The BEST Elephant and for free!!

2010-04-05T15:50:00.000-07:00

This past Friday Farbenmix gifted us with a free e-book of this awesome, big elephant pillow pattern. I literally ran to get stuffing (freshly out here) and within an hour and a half had made two of these as a surprise gift for Romy and Ella. They are a huge hit with them and with me. I have a weakness for elephants and have several more in the making. I apologize in advance for more elephant pillow posts in the future ;)

If you have never gone to the Farbenmix website directly but would like to download the e-book, you need to register first after you hit "kaufen" and continue to check out. If you need extra help contact them directly. Janina is always more then happy to help! Also don't worry about the German instructions. After you print out the e-book the pictures really will explain everything perfectly!
Have fun!!!!

Were did Feliz go? Plus Manhatten the dress

2010-03-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

I imagine most of you know by now about the BOOK! The book that Nancy and Sabine wrote called
Sewing Clothes Kids Love. In the book you will find 10 patterns. One of them is FELIZ a pattern that you were able to buy but now has retired into the book. All in all I really like the book because it gives people new to the Farbenmix and Studio Tantrum world a wonderful introduction. The style of the pictures is colorful and maybe a bit over the top for some. But they are there to spark your imagination. Kids really DO love it colorful and a bit on the wild side and I for one love a creative challenge!
Talking about a challenge... One of the new patterns in the book is Manhatten, a special occassion dress. It has Nancy written all over it because only she could think of this pattern. And again it boggled me mind :) My Daughters of course cravitated directly to it when they flipped through the pages and wanted the "shiny" one. I mailed Nancy and asked, so what is the fabric that was used on page 89? She mailed back it is "Perlon-Taft". Aaalllright... Here I am a fabric store owner and importer of cool European fabrics and I cannot find Perlon-Taft any were!

A friend of mine found some shiny fabric (not Perlon-Taft) in her stash and gave it to me. So shiny, so pretty so slippery and a ..... to sew with!! But there was no turning back the Kid had fallen in love with it and I was stuck with a million curved pieces that would eventually become a fully lined special occaisson dress. Oh you should have heard me curse!

In the end it came together. I pulled it over her head and YAY! It fell off of her tiny shoulders..
So for the million time I pulled out my trusty seam ripper and made the changes to the straps.
Yes! No! I couldn't pull it over her head anymore. OK deeeep breath apart it comes again and more changes. The result??
One happy Daughter! The other one is crying because I told her no way am I ever, ever going to make a shiny Manhatten again. It is going to be hard enough with good, old plain cotton. Maybe after you make 10 of the Manhatten's you'll can sew them in your sleep but I need a vacation.

Stick with Insa (my all time favorite skirt for years now and now in the book!), Imke so easy and great or make a gazillion Brooklyn shrugs (in the picture with Romy) they are easy enough! Most of all just get yourself one of these books. It is really a wonderful inspiration and come on, you know you'll need to sew Feliz right?

Art Nouveau for Spoonflower

2010-03-12T20:08:00.000-08:00

The next Spoonflower fabric contest is about Art Nouveau. This period in our art history has always been one of my favorites. Naturally I really wanted to make sure I enter this time around.

My children had the day off of school today and would you believe it they actually had a great time watching me design on paper and then paint on the computer! No one whined or was
unhappy. I actually think Romy especially, was really inspired to possibly step into my foot steps.

I have said it before, but it is a *wonderful* feeling to be creative and with it inspire your children to be so as well!!

All three gave me the thumbs up when I was done and I personally love this design very much as well.
I am so curious to see all of the other entries when the time comes to vote!

If you want to see my Art Nouveau mermaids tile as it would on fabric (I like half drop best) have a look here.

Nice SALE on Domestic Designers

2010-03-12T07:31:00.000-08:00

Mezzanine, Deer Valley (50% off!), Lantern Bloom and Frolic are on on sale. Sale ends 03/16/10

What are you doing this weekend? I mean other than shopping ;) ?

Mine is full of plans! Some (actually a lot) of sewing and I also want to enter the next Spoonflower fabric contest with an Art Nouveau design. Also I need to finish our taxes.. Yeah, that one is last on my list.

And the winner is?????

2010-03-09T11:33:00.000-08:00

I bet no one is interested who the winner of the "Birds on a wire" fabric is right?
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But just in case you do want to know if you are the winner...
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The winner is entry number 11, JESSICA! Congratulations :o)

Jessica please email me at eurofabricsusa@yahoo.com with your address.

For everyone else who played, "Thank you!" You still have a chance at another time to win gorgeous fabrics or patterns or whatever else I can come up with. I love giveaways so check back in every so often!

Finally! Another giveaway :)

2010-03-02T10:59:00.000-08:00

It's about time I make good on my promise and give away a yard of my very own "Birds on a wire" first place, winning fabric from Spoonflower. This yard is a quilting weight fabric and 100% cotton.
To win please leave a comment :) If you would like to get an extra entry and an extra chance to win, twitter, facebook or blog about this giveaway. Come back here with a link to your post and I will add another ticket in your name!
The giveaway will end on 03/08/10 and I will announce the winner here on 03/09/10 here!

Good Luck!!

Use your discount codes

2010-02-18T14:31:00.000-08:00

Just a quick reminder that tomorrow 2/19/10 is the last day that you can use your discount codes.

Use BUNTELOVE20 for a 20% discount on orders $70.00 and over

Or:

Use BUNTELOVE10 for a 10% discount of your total order

Plus also $5.00 flat rate shipping, no matter how big your order is.

Have fun!

Look what the Fed Ex Man brought today!!

2010-02-11T17:02:00.000-08:00

YES!! New Fabric from Hilco freshly arrived today. I have photographed everything and am now
working hard on getting everything listed. This may take a bit, since the children are off school!

For this Spring/Summer season I got a bigger variety of fabrics, but each bolt is only about 7 yards. Therefore popular prints could disappear quickly. I also want to remind everyone that once the fabric is gone, it is gone because these prints only get manufactured once and typically cannot be reordered.

Everything is listed here. I will fix the quality of some images as soon as my camera is fixed and will co operate better. As always, if you are just not sure please contact me and ask for swatches first.

Wow, woza, wow, wow!!!

2010-02-03T17:46:00.000-08:00

Guess what??? I won the latest Spoonflower contest with my "Birds on a wire" fabric design!

I can tell you there is nothing better than to open your e-mail in the morning (in your Nick and Nora Pj's and a cup of coffee in hand but still blurry eyed) to find an e-mail from Stephen announcing the good news! Also it makes you wake up real fast and run around the house acting like Rocky. The children stared at me asking, if the Lottery tickets finally resulted in a major win but none the less were extremely happy for me despite the fact that we still won't take a trip to Disneyland.
I knew the competition was great. 129 entries and a lot of really wonderful designs. To have won this challenge makes me feel double, extra good!
So guess what? I will have a giveaway of my fabric "Birds on a wire" as soon as I have it in my hands to celebrate! Check back again in about 2 weeks :)
Wooohoooooo :)))) !!!!!

The waves have it all

2010-02-01T13:03:00.000-08:00

For the longest time I felt too shy to attempt to sew with Nancy's extremely out of this world, awesome patterns were waves come alive. It boggled my mind how these super curvy pattern pieces could possibly come together under my hands and become clothing that my girls could actually wear. But they kept calling and calling... Seriously how can anyone resist clothing patterns that cannot be found any were else, totally unique and oh my goodness the wavy curves... how they make the fabric flow. Ah, sigh..
So I took a deep breath and set out to make a pair of Solana pants. Slowly trace the pattern pieces, carefully cut the fabric, really pay attention to the picture tutorial and... Hey presto! That wasn't so hard!
So how about Lunada? That can't be too hard either. Nope a piece of cake :)
Hermosa? Coming right up!
Meanwhile I am not afraid of curves anymore... (Ok Laguna still boggles my mind a bit.. Nancy is really something to be able to think these patterns up!) and have sewed up quite a few wavy curves and always, always loving the end product in my hands.

Solana, Lunada and Hermosa can be found here. The beautiful bird fabric for the Lunada pants is available here and the shirt that is sewn out of the very popular Campan knit is a Quiara.

The Farbenmix ODA Pattern

2010-01-26T14:35:00.000-08:00

Farbenmix ODA, is new in the shop. It is a round collared dress with a vintage flair.
Farbenmix is starting to offer patterns that include options for both slim children and more statuesque children and Oda is one of these patterns.
I have one child of each, so I really appreciate that I do not have to modify a pattern to fit both Romy and Ella!

Romy was at home when the new patterns arrived and she wanted an Oda dress right away. I of course do not have the time to sit down and sew the instant she demands a new dress but tomorrow she will go and watch a play with her preschool class (the emperors new clothes) and for the occasion I did make her one finally.

Luckily, Romy also agreed to model for me again and did so well. As soon as she was done she said:"OK! Were is the candy!" She totally knows what she wants :0)

I used this lovely Stenzo fabric and a bit of this ribbon. The dress came together very easily and is definitely a good choice for a beginner. And since it has such a great shape it grows with your child too. I can see Romy wearing this dress as a tunic over jeans later on.

Teaching children to sew

2010-01-21T13:58:00.000-08:00

After watching me sew for a couple of years now, my children are definitely interested in learning how to sew on a sewing machine as well. Santa was lucky enough to snatch up a Janome Blossom sewing machine before it was discontinued. It is a very nice sewing machine for beginners. It doesn't wobble on the table, has simple stitch functions and is just the right size.

After practicing some, Ella finished her first real project today! With much concentration she managed to sew straight lines :)

Pulled a ribbon through the tunnel, et voila, her first drawstring bag!

Trust me she was actually exited, but this is her cool modeling look :o)

Next up Romy who has just turned 5! She practiced sewing straight today on paper.

Pretty good for her first attempt huh?! I think it is wonderful to see how when you are very excited about your hobby children often pick up on your excitement and the joy spreads.

I am curious to see how far they will go and hope to be able to teach them to love creating for the rest of their lives :)

Westfalen fabrics on clearance!

2010-01-16T15:52:00.000-08:00

To make room for new fabrics from Westfalen in Germany I placed knits and wovens in the clearance section. Westfalen fabrics are truly of outstanding quality! I have garments made from Westfalen fabrics that are over 20 years old and still in great shape and color.
I priced the fabric below cost and there is only limited yardage left.

Is your fabric 45" or 54" wide?

2010-01-15T10:16:00.000-08:00

I get asked a lot what it means when I state that the European fabrics I carry are extra wide, 54" to 60". It refers to the width of the fabric which is different for domestic fabrics and also Japanese fabrics which are on average just 45" wide.

The width of your chosen fabric will make a big difference when you sew with European patterns when you try to gage how much fabric you will need to complete a project. Most European patterns use fabric with the width of 54" when they give you the amount needed to sew a project.
Therefore you will need more yardage if you chose fabric that is 45" wide. But how much more?
By the same token you would need less yardage if you work with a domestic pattern which used the 45' width as standard, if you use European fabric with a 54" width.

Good news :) The guessing is now over if you chose fabric with a smaller than 54" width, since Nancy made this very handy chart available to you. Thanks Nancy!