We have a new website just for the Fabric Fun Craft Club! You can find it at fabricstash.biz. I didn't want to call the website Fabric Fun Craft Club - it's a bit too much of a mouthful!   I couldn't get Fabric Fun, so Fabric Stash was the best alternative.  If we're fabric lovers, most of us have a stash, and here will be ways to use it! There will be one or two other changes.  Some of you probably already know that I'm having trouble with Facebook.  I can't get onto the FB page. (I get a 'temporarily' unavailable message - which  I've been getting for months n ..read more

Unfortunately, prices of just about everything have been rising this past year, postage in particular. I have therefore, reluctantly, decided to increase my postage rates, which have not changed during the past 7 years!   Within the UK, swatches will still be free.  Everything else will be a flat rate of £3.50.  I will be looking at fabric prices in the next day or two, but I will not increase the price of a fat quarter, as the increase in postage on these will cover the increase in fabric prices. For Europe , postage on swatches will remain at £2, although, in fact, this h ..read more

Have you tried tie-dyeing? On anything other than a tee-shirt? Do you love it or hate it? I must admit, I'm not a fan of the usual 'grab a handful of fabric and tie string round it' type of pattern.  But there are other patterns. We're going to use one of these other patterns, using natural dyes, to decorate the fabric for a nightdress, then make the nightie at our next two club nights, in June and July.  If you prefer, you can just dye the fabric, or try something different, like ombre dyeing.   If you haven't tried dyeing your own fabric, it's very satisfying and can be addic ..read more

  Last year, when my grandson was due to leave nursery, the mums of the leavers wanted to give something to the nursery to thank them.  They wanted it to be something for the nursery, because they are always short of money!  After talking to me, my daughter suggested a wall-hanging.  Apparently, they already had a number of wall-hangings which set the scene for the children's imaginative play and my daughter thought another hanging with a different type of scene would be nice.  The other mums agreed and the nursery staff suggested a woodland scene. Over the next few we ..read more

  Crafts of all kinds are good for 'mindfulness'  -  keeping you calm and focussed on the moment when things are difficult. Things are certainly difficult for many of us at the moment, and particularly for those with children at home, needing home-schooling. One of the areas of the curriculum which might be missing is art and craft.  This can be particularly difficult for parents who don't feel creative. However, the good news is that you don't need to be particularly creative to get your children being so - just give them some materials, maybe a few ideas and they will usu ..read more

  Do you know about the 100 Day Project? If not, check out this blog post from the first time I got involved. The idea is that you commit to something creative which you will do for 100 days from January 31st - or whenever you start.  I have joined in several times now, usually being creative with fabric in some way.   You are supposed to post your efforts every day on Instagram.  One of the problems with sewing is that it isn't always very good for the IG side of the challenge.  If you stitch (and photograph) a seam one day,  the next day may very well be th ..read more

  If you've been around a while, you'll know that we usually run a children's design competition over Christmas.  For various reasons, I'm afraid that didn't happen this year. (OK, last year!) Instead, it's going to happen now - perfect timing for those of you trying to home-school your children! This will make a great creative project to help keep your children amused and educated whilst they're stuck at home.  And even better, I can give you some help!  Last week's blog post shows you how to create a geometric design using paper shapes.   And our February Fabric ..read more

  Our February club night is going to be spent creating your own fabric design and getting it ready for printing.  This is suitable for all ages, so if you're home-schooling, it's a perfect 'Art lesson', which you can join in with your children. Creating a fabric design doesn't have to be difficult.  We will create a design similar to the ones in this week's blog post, Design With Your Children.    Of course, you may be happy to use the suggestions in that post and work on your own or with your children.  But if you thought it sounded interesting, either for you o ..read more

  So, we're back in Lockdown and back to home schooling for many of you. If you want to encourage your children with something creative, why not try designing fabric together? Creating a seamless repeat is tricky, so avoid that.  Otherwise, there are all sorts of ways you can create a design which even the youngest children can join in with.  Imagine the satisfaction they will feel when they see their design printed on fabric!  You can even go on to make something with the fabric! There are a number of suggestions and tutorials already on the blog which will work well with ..read more

  If  you follow Fabric Fun Craft Club on Instagram, you may remember that I made a little skirt for my granddaughter in the summer, using Marnie Makes' Rainbow design.  I wanted a skirt with an elasticated waist at the back, a waistband at the front and pockets - because we all like pockets in our skirts, don't we!  (Apparently, my GD proudly told anyone who would listen that she had pockets when she first started wearing her skirt!) Unfortunately, I couldn't find instructions for such a skirt, so I made my own.  Here they are, this time making a skirt in Alison Uvner ..read more