Cotton Fabric

In this post we are going to start a series on fabrics and the different kinds, how they are manufactured, and what they are or can be used for.

The first is cotton. Also referred to as “The Fabric of Our Lives” which is very true. Cotton is ubiquitous – it’s everywhere and used for everything. Get a Story of Cotton and find out everything you ever wanted to know about cotton.There are a lot of beautiful and hard to find out of print cotton fabrics on here on Bird City Fabrics. Most of it can be used for quilting and creating great fashion and accessories. It can also be used for decorating like pillows, curtains, kitchen accents and more.

Here are some great places to find free patterns and instruction:

Allfreesewing
Free Patterns
Craftsy – I am taking a course right now about sewing with your serger. I have to tell you that I am an affiliate marketer for Craftsy but I am truly impressed with their courses.

If you are leery of buying fabric online read this. Many of your concerns can be alleviated. Take the plunge and try online buying!

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Great-grannies household tip for today: Know the power of baking soda and vinegar. When it comes to cleaning house or cleaning fabrics and clothes, there’s little else you need to make things sparkle. soda & vinegar

11
Jun

How to Buy Fabric Online

by Janice Damm

How to Buy Fabric Online

Do you shy away from buying fabric online? Maybe you need some unique fabric for something you are sewing, a craft you are making, or some decoration. You can’t touch it, you don’t know if you are seeing the true color of the fabric on your monitor, you can’t see how the fabric drapes, the weight, and you can’t see the quality.

Here are some reasons and a few tips to make buying fabric online easier and why you should buy online.

The no 1 suggestion is to ask questions or get a swatch. If you aren’t in a big hurry, request a swatch from the store. I offer free swatches and I am sure that other online fabric stores do too. Contact the store (either email or chat) and ask questions. You will find by taking a little extra time to do this you will be happier with your purchase.
Read the description of the fabric you are interested in. They description should tell you the content, width, and what the fabric is suitable. Sometimes the lb- weight and other important information is included. This is important when buying wool, denim, or canvas.
You can get hard to find fabric and fabric that is out of print. Also you might be able to find fabric online for special projects such as repairing an old quilt. Feed sacks and vintage fabric can be found on the internet and not in a brick and mortar store.
Convenience – Many of us live in areas where there is just not a local fabric store. Even Walmart (which I don’t recommend but it’s the only thing I have) is reducing the amount of fabric they carry. The closest Walmart to me is 40 miles! I can get fabric online faster than I can make time to drive to Walmart.
Look for a store that displays their contact information (customer care and email) predominately. They should be easy to contact should you have any questions.
Look for a store that offers a great guarantee preferably your money back. I offer a money back guarantee in my store. You can send the fabric back for any reason. Just contact me.
Find a store that has no hidden charges. You should only pay for shipping and if there are other charges such as packaging, these should be clearly stated. Sometime fabric stores charge a restocking fee if you return the fabric. This is understandable as they have cut your fabric from a bolt and now what do they do with the 2 or 3 yards you sent back? I never charge a restocking fee.
Make sure they have credible payment methods. If they just accept checks or cash, look somewhere else.
Learn your fabrics – there are some great places online to find out about kinds of fabrics and terminology. In future blog posts I will cover some of the kinds of material, how they are made, useful links, and what are suitable uses for different types of fabrics.
Prices – you can often find the fabric for better prices online. Even with shipping added, you can find some great bargains.

So there you have it! Don’t be afraid to jump in and try buying fabrics online. It can be very rewarding.

07
Jun

How to Help Fearful Kids

by Janice Damm

Help Your Anxious Child
This is the second video about stress relief. Today we are going to talk about parental stress. Kids are a big stress – all you do is worry about them. If you are too stressed the kids pick up on it and may become fearful themselves which stresses the parental units out even more. It’s a vicious cycle: mom stressed = kid stress = even more mom stress. The odds are extremely high that children with stress disorders will have a parent with similar or even identical disorders.
If you have a child that is stressed, fearful, or has panic attacks, follow Help Your Anxious Child to find solutions that are effective, kid friendly and drug free. There is help.
Alleviate the child’s fear and your stress level lessens. Turn Fear Into Freedom!
Naturloy

07
Jun

Stress Relief

by Janice Damm

I want to invite you to come along with me as I explore ways to minimize stress and it’s effects.
If you are anything like me, you find yourself stressed out all of the time. Our busy lives make us so stressed: Family, Work, Technology, Money Worries, Body Image, Commuting, bad habits you can’t seem to stop (smoking, drinking too much, excessive spending) and on and on and on. My head hurts just thinking about it.

Stress causes all kinds of physical problems.
-Obesity
-Sleep Problems
-Depression & Anxiety
-Headaches
-Heartburn and other GI problems
-Accelerated Aging
-Premature Death

I will be covering these issues and things you can do about them in a series of short videos to show methods of stress relief.
The first and biggest way to relieve stress is PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. Physical activity increases your overall health and your sense of well-being, which puts more pep in your step every day. But exercise also has some direct stress-busting benefits.
• It pumps up your endorphins.
• It improves your mood.
• A little bit goes a long way

Exercise would the perfect place to start.

I found an ultimate way you can tailor a program to fit your needs. There is something for everyone! Your jaw will drop when you discover the incredible way you can begin to relive your stress immediately! Don’t put it off – stress is hurting you now!
Click Here! for the Ultimate Bundle.

From Naturloy.com

03
May

I Can’t Find My Sewing Scissors Part III

by Janice Damm

The little saga of the sewing room clean-up continues…….

I finished the job! Good news: I found my sewing scissors and even my embroidery scissors that I use for applique.

Sewing and Embroidery Scissors

I found them on the cutting table under all of the pieces of fabric, trim, and unfinished applique squares that I am eventually going to use in a pretty patchwork shower curtain.

The Unvarnished Reality

The problem with my sewing area is that not only do I sew there, I use the tables for shipping and photography so they tend, over time, to collect odds and ends. Are you like me and tend to clutter stuff? De-cluttering your work area is also a great way to free your mind of clutter, too. It also relieve some stress, believe it or not.

Here are pictures of how the room looks now.

De-cluttered Sewing Area

Cutting Table Clear

So, now I can think……. Think of what to do next. Do I finish the little projects I have started or do I want to begin anew? I think I will just toss my experiments (otherwise known as started projects) and start again. Of course, this doesn’t work with a major project you might have been working on and off for years. I have a quilt that I have been trying to complete for many years…..I will keep that and continue it but the others will go.

Now that you can think of a new project, here’s a place for ideas and kits – this one is a good one for step by step: Tara Rebman- Quilt-As-You-Go: Patchwork Bags. Craftsy is a great place to find a lot of ideas.