I always look forward to getting Vlisco’s emails, and lately there seems to be something new and exciting every week from them, it’s been hard to keep up! They are active on Pinterest which allows more access to their always-gorgeous campaigns and look books, essential to understanding the scale and look of these fabrics. Some other good news is that they are now selling select fabrics through their web shop in two- and four-yard lengths, where the minimum order used to be six-yard lengths of any one fabric.

Bright, bold color is of course at the heart of the new Jeu de Couleurs collection, but it also represents their unique interpretation of the geometrics trend (with some eggs thrown in). Also check out the coordinating accessories line which includes some incredible silk scarves.

Kelly Lee-Creel is a crafter, photographer, fabric designer for Andover, and now author for Stash Books (which makes her my book sister!). She has stopped by True Up today as part of her blog tour for Handmade Hostess, a book about adding handmade touches to all kinds of parties and gatherings. The book is full of textile projects — unusual and ultra-charming decorations (A tutu tablecloth! A leprechaun’s wardrobe!) that provide the perfect excuse to experiment with unusual and showy fabrics in an easy, low-committment (but highly inspired-and-inspiring) way. — Kim

Stash Books is giving away a copy of Handmade Hostess to one reader today. Leave a comment telling us about the coolest special-occasion textile project you have ever made or seen. I’ll draw a winner on Saturday, April 6, 2013.

. . .

{ Leprechaun’s Clothes Banner for a St. Patrick’s Day Party }

As a fabric designer, I think it goes without saying that I love prints and cotton fabrics. However, when I started working on Handmade Hostess with my sister, Rebecca Söder, we wanted to branch out from the expected (cotton, felt) to the less obvious (velvet, lamé, sateen, tulle, taffeta, and brocade, to name a few).

I think when you are decorating anything – from Thanksgiving dinner to your daughter’s first birthday party – everything looks more thoughtful and interesting with a range of textures. I used writing this book as permission to go explore all the sections of the fabric store including the ones I frequently think of as off-limits – like the shiny fabrics.

In the book, we talk through tips on using different fabrics – things like changing your needle size and stitch length. However, today I wanted to share three extra tips on shopping for new fabrics when you are heading out into unknown territory.

{ Mad Hatter’s Tea Party With Red Roses Centerpiece }

1) Do a Test.

Choosing the wrong fabric (or using it in a way it just wasn’t intended to work) can result in puckering, skipped stitches, and that sort of forlorn, deflated-balloon look that happens with some fabrics. (Believe me. I know.)

Anytime you can muster up the self-restraint and patience to do a test run first, you’ll get better results and walk away with a lot more knowledge the next time you step into the fabric store.

Before committing to a fabric that is way out of your comfort zone, I really recommend buying a small piece (¼ yard) and experimenting first. Do the following:

• Sew a straight line.
• Make a hem.
• Sew two pieces together on a curve. Did it pucker?
• Test out your fabric with your interfacing.
• If you’re not getting the results you wanted, trying sewing the fabric on the bias instead. Did the fabric behave better?

2) Make Smart Compromises.

For party decorations and home dec items, we want things that will last and that we can re-use – but like most people, we’re on a budget. That means looking for sales or fabrics made from less expensive fibers (i.e. choosing polyester taffeta not silk taffeta for a tablecloth).

Look on the label at the fiber content. (e.g. 100% cotton, 50% polyester/50% nylon, etc.)

If you see the words “polyester” or “nylon,” know that you have wandered into potentially mixed results territory. If you love the look of the fabric, then give it a try, but do the test first.

Some substitutions really should not be made. For example, I won’t buy anything made from acetate. There are just too many options that work better.

{ Christmas Wonderland Table Decorations Including Santa’s Sleigh Centerpiece }

3) Match the Project (and Finishing Details) to the Fabric.

Fabrics with a lot of drape and movement may be great for clothing, tablecloths, or drapes – but may resist structure and won’t be great choices to make an object that requires a lot of interfacing, like Santa’s sleigh.

Fabrics that are prone to fraying, such as brocade or lamé, can be difficult to hem. By the time you have the fabric turned and pressed, those little fibers will be unweaving their way towards your fold! You’ll get better results if you create a facing instead, or sew two layers of fabric together and turn to create a standard seam.

Even though there is more risk in using something new, I think the results can be worth it. I hope this encourages you to give it a try! Your parties will look that much richer.

…

Thanks a million, Kelly!

{ Alice Kennedy – Matilda }

Timeless Treasures has several new collections for Spring 2013. Matilda by Alice Kennedy has some beautiful focus prints and coordinates that I hope are expanded into full basics lines! Woodstock is another cute retro-foresty themed house collection.  Fabricworm, where I got the collection images from, noticed that Samarra Khaja‘s new Back to School collection goes perfectly with TT’s Geek Chic and random computer and video-game prints, so they’ve put them together for sale in a bundle they’re calling Brainiac. For word nerds (and typographical print fans) there’s black-and-white word-game novelties. Mini Safari features animals that look so … concerned? … that you want to take them home and protect them.

{ Woodstock }

{ Back to School by Samarra Khaja with some geeky novelties mixed in }

{ Game prints from the Geek Chic collection }

{ Mini Safari, with wary lions and zebras! }

And just a couple more lone prints from the TT website:

{ Neighborhood Houses }

{ Foxes }

{ Jokiuoma }

Marimekko Spring 2013 fabrics are available now through the Marimekko website, and will be coming soon I’m sure to AlwaysMod and Finnstyle.

{ Onnen Omenapuu }

{ Kortteli }

{ Astro }

{ Raanu (organic cotton) }

{ Vatruska }

{ Vatruska }

{ Kompotti }

{ Roustikko }

{ Lakia }

{ Musta Virta }

We got to see Anyan‘s Summer/Autumn 2012 Cotorienne collection for Yuwa (a website for Yuwa! Hooray!) at Fall Quilt Market, and now it’s starting to arrive in stores and I’m getting all jittery and hoardy feeling. The Spring 2013 collection is also online and available through his online shop, but maybe not till later this year in the U.S.

And look, free wallpaper for your electronic devices!

{ Hollywood Grape }

Neisha Crosland‘s intensely beautiful interior fabrics are the height of luxury, with lots of velvet, metallics, and embroidery. They are available, surprisingly, not to the trade only, but direct to consumers via her web store, along with gorgeous wallpapers, tiles, prints, stationery and office supplies, and silk scarves.

{ Firework Flower Embroidery }

{ Zebra Cut Velvet }

{ Rosa }

{ Hedgehog }

I assumed Felicity Miller‘s new Charleston Farmhouse collection for Freespirit referenced Charleston, South Carolina, but no, it’s about the Charleston house in Sussex, England, the meeting place for the loose collective of creatives and intellectuals known as the Bloomsbury group. The focus print drew me in when I first saw it in a booth at Quiltcon — the navy colorway captures my favorite palette at the moment (rust again!). The stripe coordinate is really interesting because the dark stripes create a three-dimensional, rippling effect when you step back. The style is unique in the market right now and I think it’ll turn a lot of new people on to Felicity Miller’s work.

It had been a while since I checked in on Dwellstudio‘s fabrics. The newest collections of interior wovens and prints are called Global Modern Luxe and Modern Color Theory. They are produced by Robert Allen and, hooray!, are available directly to the public from Dwellstudio and from various outlets online.

Bloomerie Fabrics: March Madness Mania! Designer fabric from $2/yard, all patterns, notions, and floss reduced for quick sale. (through 3/31/13)

Britex Fabrics: 20% light and midweight cottons. (through 3/31/13)

Connecting Threads: 40% off Shimmering Frost fabrics, 35% off all in-stock Hobbs battings. (through 3/26/13)

Contemporary Cloth: 25% off selected Cloud9 Organic Fabrics, Kona Cottons, selected precuts, and more. (end date unknown)

Delta Patchwork: 10% off your entire order, no code needed (through 3/27/13). Last week for 10% off all in-stock ribbons, new ones
added (through 3/31/13). Always free shipping in contiguous USA for orders $40+.

Denver Fabrics: Free shipping on orders $50+ within the 48 contiguous United States. Mention “Free Shipping” in the comments section of the order. Note that the discount will not show up in your total but will reflect in the amount that you are charged. (through 4/1/13)

Drygoods Design: Domestic orders $35+ always ship free.

eQuilter: Color Palette – Browns & Earthtones
10% off. Clearance Floral, Food, & Botanic 35% off. 1 yard minimum on all sale fabrics. (through 3/31/13)

Fabric.com: 20% off tons of designer fabrics Midweek Madness section, with quilting cottons from Timeless Treasures, Michael Miller, Moda, and more. 20% off crafts, knitting, and crochet in the National Craft Month section. (through tomorrow only, 3/25/13) Always free shipping on orders $35+.

Fabricworm: 10% off Michael Miller fabrics (through 3/29/13 8am PST). Always $5 off your purchase of $50+ with coupon code linus5. Always 10% off orders $100+ with code bulk10.

Fat Quarter Shop: 40% off Lansdowne Road by Robyn Pandolph for RJR. 40-50% off Civil War Journals by Judie Rothermel for Marcus Brothers Fabrics. 50% off Multidot by Jackie Shapiro for Windham Fabrics and Pet Park by Caleb Gray for Robert Kaufman. Lots more in the sale section. (while supplies last)

Hart’s Fabrics: 10% off floral cottons. (through tomorrow only, 3/25/13)

Jones and Vandermeer: Echino, Alexander Henry Ghastiles, Liberty Japan, and Dear Stella in the sale section. Always free shipping on orders $60+, or $5 flat rate otherwise.

Lark Cottons: Modern Madness sale continues on Fat Quarterly’s competing collections: Textures, Lucy’s Crab Shack, Pearl Bracelets, Bella, Comma, 2wenty Thr3e, Simply Color, Salt Water, Shelburne Falls, Noteworthy, Sew Stitchy, Field Study, Mama Said Sew, Oh Deer!, Type, Marmalade, Chicopee, Architextures, Madrona Road, Freshcut, Summersville Spring, The Birds and The Birds, and Posy. Receive 20% off noted collections with code madmod1320, 25% off with code madmod1325 when your cart totals $64 or more, 35% off with code madmod1335 when your cart totals $200 or more. Cart total is based on all fabrics in cart, not just those from eligible collections. As collections are eliminated from the Modern Madness competition, they will be dropped from the sale. (end date unknown)

Mad About Patchwork: Save 10% on Market Spectrum bundles and yardage through March. 25% off on Flea Market Fancy and Heaven and Helsinki, and 15% off Madrona Road, Bella, Fortiny, Chicopee and Winterkist. 40% off patterns (end date unknown). Free shipping in Canada on orders $150+ and free worldwide shipping on patterns, not including clearance patterns.

The Needle Shop: 5 yard cuts of Dawn Tulip and Dusk Frond prints from Outside Oslo by Jessica Jones are 25% off. (while supplies last)

nido: 40% off home dec fabrics and Nani Iro jersey (end date unknown). Always free shipping on orders $50 + or just $5 for all other orders.

Pattern Crush: Extra 10% off clearance Tula Pink Salt Water coral prints (abt $6/yd), 10% off reg price for the rest.

Pink Castle Fabrics: 15% off all stash builders with code STASH15. (end date unknown)

Pink Chalk Fabrics: Spring cleaning sale with more than 500 items on sale. (end date unknown)

The Quilted Castle: Tanya Whelan – Delilah, Sugar Hill and Dolce on sale. Amy Butler – Gypsy Caravan, Soul Blossoms, Love and Lark on sale. All Lecien at least 40% off. Kokka is 50% off. (end date unknown)

Quilthome: 25% off all currently in-stock Charleston Farmhouse fabrics by Felicity Miller with coupon code QHFMF. 30% off all currently in-stock
Deer Valley, Heirloom, Heirloom Home Dec, Heirloom Voile, Heirloom Laminated, and Ginseng Home Dec fabrics by Joel Dewberry with coupon code QHJDHD. 25% off all currently in-stock Kaffe Fassett, Philip Jacobs, Brandon Mably, Liberty Art fabrics with code QHKCX32. (through tomorrow only, 3/25/13)

Sew Baby: Easter Fabric Sale — 25% off all fabrics with the coupon code JELLYBEAN13. (through 3/31/13)

Sew Modern is giving $20.00 back on all orders of $100+ with code TWENTYBUCKS. (through 3/31/13)

Superbuzzy: Annual Superbuzzy Loves You Sale, with 1,800+ items 20-50% off. (end date unknown)

This-n-That Fabrics: Storewide sale now with 20% off all Sale category items and 10% off everything else (except for BOM and gift certificates). (through 3/31/13)

+++

Get the Sale Alerts emailed to you weekly! Simply visit this link to have the sales delivered to your email. Use this link for your RSS feed reader. (If you’re already subscribed to the True Up feed or get all the posts by email, you don’t need to change anything; the sale alerts will still be included in there.)

Shops! If you’re tweeting about a fabric sale, please add #fabricsale and I’ll seek them out to add to this post.