Purchasing Fabric Online

Recently I received a question from someone asking where online I have purchased my fabric.  So, I thought I would answer her in a post, just in case some others of you were wondering the same thing. Of course, there are countless online fabric stores, but these are just the ones that I have experience with.

My go to is Fabric.com.  They have all kinds of fabric -- home decor, quilting, and apparel -- and their prices are very reasonable.  Shipping is free, with any order over $35, and it's usually easy to come up with that big of an order.

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When I purchased the huge order of burlap that I keep using for various projects, I ordered it from Online Fabric Store.  This site is especially helpful if you're ordering many yards of the same fabric, as the cost is discounted for larger quantities.  

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My mother-in-law introduced me to Chez Ami, which sells beautiful children's apparel.  They also sell their fabric, and it's beautiful!  I purchased some this winter that was on clearance for about $3/yard, and I really love the fabric.  You can sign up to receive their newsletter via email, so that you know when the sales are.

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Ashley, from The Handmade Home wrote a great post listing all of her favorite fabric sources, and you can find that post here.  She has much more experience with this than I do, so I wanted you to have that great resource!

If any of you have other great online fabric sources, please, leave in the comments so we can all benefit from your great finds!

Summer Wreath

Now that we're in the middle of June, I decided it was time to take my spring wreath off of the dining room table, where it has been in the construction phase since April, and finish it for my front door.

This was the least expensive wreath I've ever made!  Want to know why?  I used plumbing piping from Home Depot to make the form.  It costs $0.97.  Everything else I already had, so for $1 I have a wreath that I love!

I don't remember what this stuff is really called, but you can find it in the plumbing aisle of the store. There is a slit in it {see picture below}, but that doesn't affect its ability to perform as a wreath.
I am NOT going to take credit for the idea to use this stuff.  I first read about it on East Coast Creative's blog.  I've also seen pool noodles used in the same way.

When I shaped the tube into a circle it was a tad too large, so I just snipped it and cut out the excess tubing.

Using a little packaging tape, I taped the ends together to make my circle.

Then, I wrapped the entire thing with strips of burlap {my never-ending supply}.  No glue required, just kept wrapping it around tightly so that it stayed in place.

Be sure to work with burlap in a place where you can clean it up, because it sure does shed and leave a mess!

I made two different kinds of fabric flowers, attached brooch pins to the back and placed them on the wreath.

 Each of these fabrics are either tablecloths or napkins that I have used in pillows and other decor in my home.  Never forget to look at non-traditional ways of purchasing fabric!  I wanted to tie my front door in with the interior of my home, creating a cohesion throughout.

 

 I hung it with a rustic looking piece of the yellow fabric, simply just tied in knots, nothing fancy!

And, here is the photo of the missing element from this post.  I didn't go with the 'W' as several of you thought, but perhaps some other time.

Fabric Covered Boxes for the Nursery {Easy DIY}

Our home has seen its fair share of diaper boxes over the past three years.  It wasn't until about a year ago that I started saving them.  I saw several blog posts about covering diaper boxes to use as pretty storage; an inexpensive and pretty way to store items, rather than purchasing decorative baskets or other containers for storage.

I purchased fabric for Mason's nursery and after making the bedding and window treatment{reveal of the nursery will be coming in the next couple of weeks}, I had plenty of fabric leftover for little projects.  It was fun to cover some diaper and wipes boxes with fabric so that now I have some good-looking storage boxes for toys.

Yes, you can see the words on the box, but from a distance it's not noticeable.  You could certainly cover the box with dark paper first, and obviously a darker fabric would cover the words completely.

If you want to do this project, it's so simple!  You can even use fabric scraps, so don't worry about going out and purchasing new fabric.

Supplies:
-fabric
-measuring tape or ruler
-spray adhesive
-felt
-scissors
-chalkboard vinyl {optional}

Step 1: Measure each side of the box and cut fabric to those dimensions, adding an inch or so on each side, and 4 inches on the top.

Step 2:  Find what you want to be the front of the box.  Place the proper piece of fabric on this side, lining up the fabric so it is centered, if using a patterned fabric.  Spray adhesive on the box and press fabric gently onto the box so it adheres.  Spray the sides and top opening with adhesive and press fabric down on all those sides. {Repeat with back side of the box}

Step 3:
Measure the sides of the box as described in Step 1.  Fold under the side piece to make a crease right along the edge for a finished look.  Spray with adhesive and press fabric down gently to adhere, as described in Step 2.

Step 4:
Use spray adhesive on the bottom of the box for the fabric that extends below, so that it looks like this:

You could leave the bottom looking like this, but I added a piece of felt to finish it off and to make for easy sliding on the shelf.  Just cut the felt to size and either use hot glue or spray adhesive to make it stick.

I don't have any pictures of my label-making, but I used chalkboard vinyl {which you can purchase at a fabric store in the utility fabric area} and cut out a small piece.  I attached it with spray adhesive.  It was difficult to write on the vinyl with a regular piece of chalk, which is why my writing is horrible in the pictures, so I plan on getting a chalk pen to use for these.

I hope this makes sense!  Feel free to comment with any questions, and I'll do my best to explain!  I'm realizing that my brain isn't functioning properly right now {sleep deprivation due to a newborn is catching up with me}.  

Linking to these parties:

Fabric for the Nursery: Purchased!

A huge thank you to everyone who voted on the fabric choices I mentioned a couple weeks ago.  I thought my mind was made up, and over the weekend, Bradley and I were discussing the nursery again, trying to figure out what we wanted to do.  I had purchased some curtains at Target {on clearance} and thought about cutting them up to make the baby bedding.  Then, when I went online to compare it to my favorite fabric choice, I noticed that Premier Prints fabrics were on sale!!  I quickly perused the options and we definitely liked what we saw.  I had seen these fabrics before, but they were a bit too pricey, so I had ruled them out.  I took the plunge yesterday and ordered the fabric; it should arrive by the end of this week!

So, are you curious as to what I chose??  I ordered some of each of these fabrics, and will put them together, along with some solid white fabric I already have, to create the nursery bedding, window treatment, and other accessories.

What do you think?

Fabric Options for the Nursery

Last week I spent many hours looking at fabrics online, and exhausting almost every fabric store in our town.  I finally found some fabrics that I like, but I'm having a hard time choosing one to use in the nursery.  So, I thought I would go to you, my readers, for some help!  Now, let me preface this by saying that just because one fabric gets a lot of votes on here, doesn't mean I will necessarily choose that one.  However, it is helpful to take a poll and have others' opinions on the matter.

If you need some help before choosing, be sure to look at my nursery mood board that I put together a few weeks ago; that will help you to know what I'm thinking.  In a nutshell, though, I'm looking at blue/white fabrics with orange accents.  This can go for either gender, and I like that color combo.  

Okay, so here are the three fabrics that I think I like best, in no particular order:

Fabric 1

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Fabric 2

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Fabric 3

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Now, for the fun part!  You get to choose!  I've never done this before, so I'm hoping that this poll will actually work {please, let me know if it doesn't!!} and then I can see what everyone likes best.

Thanks for your help!

Linen Wrapped Lampshade with Matching Trim

When we registered for our wedding, we tried to be careful to register for items that weren't too trendy, so we could hang onto them for a long time.  The two matching lamps in our family room were such items, and I still love them!  However, because of the dog and our children, one of the lampshades was broken.  We used it broken for several months, but it was really starting to bother me.  Crooked lampshades are eye sores.  So, I looked at Goodwill every chance I got, but never found anything I liked.  Plus, having two lamps,  I needed matching shades to complete the look I was going for.

I finally decided to purchase plain white shades from Target because they were the style and size I wanted.  I knew they wouldn't stay that way, but it's taken me awhile to get around to sprucing them up.  Yesterday I finally tackled one of them and I love how it turned out!

Months ago I came across a tutorial for a lamp on Stephanie Lynn's blog, Under the Table and Dreaming.  I love the lamp she made and what caught my eye was the method for making trim for the lamp.  So, following her tutorial for the shade, here's how to do it.

Cut the fabric to size of the shade, with a little extra for mistakes. (I didn't realize that these were tapered drum shades until I got to this part.  It would have been much easier if they weren't tapered.  Oh well!).

{sorry no picture here, but I think you get the point}

Attach the fabric with adhesive spray, smoothing out the fabric as you go.

Use hot glue to create the seam of the fabric, folding the fabric over to give it a crisp look.

Here's where the genius part (in my opinion) comes in.  Use 5/8-inch stitch witchery to make the trim!  If you've never worked with this before it is wonderful and easy to use.  It fuses fabric together and is great for hems and other projects that you may not want to sew.  In fact, I used it for my linen drapes.

So, wrap the stitch witchery around the top and bottom of the shades to measure for length.  Then, cut a strip of fabric this long, and about 1 1/4 inches wide.  Place the stitch witchery in the center of the fabric strip, and then follow the manufacturer's directions to fuse.

Repeat this for both trims and then attach with hot glue around the edges of the shade.

Now, you have matching trim that for your lampshade that gives it a finished tailored look.

The fabric I used was a 1 3/4-yard linen remnant that I picked up for $1.75.

Don't forget to use always look for remnant fabrics when you're fabric shopping!  You never know what you might find!

Making the Most of Fabric Remnants

Custom window treatments can be pricey.  Even making your own can add up when you tend to like expensive fabric, like me!  I don't think I've ever purchased decorator fabric at full price, because you can always wait for a sale, a coupon, or my favorite:  shop fabric outlets.  If you don't have a specific fabric in mind, but you know what color scheme you want, fabric outlet shopping is for you.  I thought I would share with you a few tips on how I choose fabric remnants and how to make the most out of them. 

1. Look through every remnant at the store.  This can be time-consuming, but it's great for inspiration, sometimes the fabrics get mixed up (our store has them sorted by color, but there's usually at least one in the wrong spot), and you might change your mind on the colors when you spot something great. 

2. Have a general idea of how you will use the fabric.  I don't follow the rule that I need to know exactly what the fabric will be for, but I try not to buy big pieces of remnant fabrics that might just sit in my closet forever.  

3. Know basic fabric requirements for sewing projects.  This is important because you might find a great remnant but it's only 2 yards and you want to use it for a duvet cover.  Sorry, but that won't be enough!  You can usually google 'fabric requirement for _______' and some great sites will come up with your answer.  Most of the time the fabric outlet will also have a chart in the store that you can use, so be sure to ask them if you get stuck.  

4. Be willing to purchase additional fabric from another retailer if you need more.  You're still saving money in the end if only some of your fabric is purchased as a remnant.  I ended up doing this with the drapes in my dining room, which you can read about here.  

5. Look at the yardage amount on the remnant piece, and even open it up to check for its validity.  Usually each piece will be marked correctly, but what you may not know from that marking is the width of the fabric.  

I made this last mistake when I purchased some gorgeous P. Kaufmann fabric for $4/yard.  It looked like I was getting a total of 5 yards, but one was actually less than had been marked.  When I finally decided that I wanted to use this fabric for drapes, there wasn't enough.  So, what to do?  

I decided to make up my own type of drapery panel (which is the main point of this post).  Using the color swatch on the fabric,

I chose a neutral color and purchased linen apparel fabric from Joann's, enough to add to my main fabric so that I could make two drapery panels.  My first attempt to create my own drape turned out pretty bad (that was pre-blogging, so I don't have a picture); in fact, my husband and mother-in-law said it looked like I had made a mistake.  I'm so grateful for honest input!  So, my mother-in-law helped me to think through it a bit more and come up with a plan that would work.  This is how they ended up:

I'm really pleased with them and I love the fact that it's designer fabric, which retails for $26/yard, the colors are perfect in this room, and we designed them!  Thanks, Mom!

Do you have any remnant fabrics laying around?  What do you plan to do with them?  I'd love to hear!

Decorating Tip: Order a Fabric Swatch

As you know, the dining room is my big decor project right now, consuming every nap time during the day, and sometimes more than that.  Thankfully, the bigger parts of the room are coming together nicely and I'll be moving on to window treatments this weekend.  Which brings me to the point of this post:

If you're considering fabric for a new space and thinking about ordering it online, order a sample!  I know it seems like somewhat of a waste to pay just as much on shipping as you do on the cost of the swatch, but you do learn so much by actually seeing it in person.  I was so excited when I found this the other day:

source www.fabric.com

I love the paisley design and the colors are perfect for what I want (or so I thought).  But, in real life, what looks like a soft blue is actually a very bright turquoise!  NOT what I was going for.  So thankful I decided to order a swatch before forking over some cash for a fabric that would not have worked in my space.  

Look for some more finished projects from the dining room soon!