March 14th, 2010
Hey, a final note about our yahoo group. Did you know that Nature’s Fabrics sponsors a yahoo group that offers private sales a few times a month? Right now we are offering solid jersey in cotton/spandex, and also some great stripes.
You are welcome to join us using the this link
You will have access to all the latest information, private sales, and have a chance to give your opinion on new arrivals. I recommend that you chose digest, this is normally a FAST moving group, which results in quite a lot of messages a day.
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March 14th, 2010
Just a little note to mention the bamboo prints we run. Did you know that we are one of the very few companies offering printed bamboo? I have never seen them anyplace else, so we are very proud of this offering. This makes them a little harder to get, and once they are gone, they are gone.
Right now we have some printed bamboo in stock, vw’s, camo ooga, giraffes, and a small selection of stripes. Get on over and check them out before they are all gone. We also are featuring some hand dyed bamboo fleece that is imply beautiful.
on fleece
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March 14th, 2010
The new Retro cars are zooming their way east. We can’t wait to unpack the latest shipment due to arrive this WEEK!!
The cars in green 
and aqua are coming in on cotton interlock, bamboo interlock and bamboo fleece. A printed bamboo fleece is THE softest nicest fabric you will ever experience.
The retro cars are also coming in pink, sure to be a hit with all ladies, tall and small.
These cars are also coming on cotton interlock, bamboo interlock and the bamboo fleece.
Of course, when the fabric is printed on bamboo, it will have more of a natural tint than white.
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March 13th, 2010
Ok the word is the brown ooga’s can’t be done on brown because of contrast issues. The substitution is on blue, here is the picture
Here is what the brown would have looked like had we run it. the lettering is smeared and cant line up properly. I don’t think it is clear but you get the idea.
On the upside. I am also running the one on the white backround on bamboo interlock, which is a nice surprise. If you want that we can make arrangements for that before I list it for sale. That will be this one $14 per yard.
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March 5th, 2010
Spring can’t be far behind once March comes, can it?
Here is a shot of the snow in front of our barn, I think we have record amounts of snow on the ground this year.
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March 3rd, 2010
I am the only person I know that knows so little about all this web stuff. I asked the Virtual Assistant to put the newsletters over here, so there would be a record of them. And she updated the something or other, so here I am ready to blog, and I have to start all over learning how to do something I couldn’t do in the first place.
I am also not very detail oriented, which is not good for the web.
Hmmpf
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March 3rd, 2010
Welcome to winter.
We are experiencing a normal winter for us here in Northwestern PA, lots of snow, and as I write this, lots of cold. As of today we have received 189″of snow. Makes GREAT sewing weather!
We have good stock in the wool blend, and the 100% extra soft wool has been ordered. It will be ready late March. We have some limited stock of 100% regular interlock, and we are well stocked with several colors of wool jersey. If there is something special in the wools you are looking for, don’t hesitate to email me.
We have good stock in bamboo fleece, bamboo velour, and bamboo/hemp fleece. The bamboo loop terry is out of stock until mid April. We have some new colors in stock in bamboo velour, dark purple, lime green, ice blue, and chocolate. These colors of bamboo velour are a limited run, so if you are interested, better act soon.
We are expecting another huge shipment of new Flap Happy prints on Tuesday, March 2, 2010 which are really cute, top quality fabrics. Of course supply is limited, so get them while you can. The retro cars are due to ship this week, they are really a cute fabric, and once they are gone, we may not see them for a long time. Now available in a girl colorway.
Karen is currently running a Farbenmix pattern buy, if you are interested feel free to join us on our sewing forum at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/naturesfabrics/ We also run a lot of other specials there, be sure to join for greater savings!
As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me, I am an email junkie.
Thanks, the NF staff
This month we are featuring cotton fleece and french terry. The
fabrics on sale have their own category called Fleece Sale.
This month’s spotlight is a behind the scenes look at how things are done here at Nature’s Fabrics. From ordering to receiving and then shipping the products out.
It would stand to reason, that for you to be able to order fabrics, we have to order them ourselves first, which means hours and hours of online and telephone work to get the goods. We talk to 10-12 vendors a week in order to keep stock on the various fabrics and supplies we offer. And of course we are ALWAYS looking for new places and things to keep everyone satisfied.
Once we have the goods reserved, we have to make arrangements for payment and shipping. All of my accounts are cash accounts, once I order, I am billed and then send payment. Most vendors no longer ship on their accounts, all merchandise that arrives to me, comes via my shipping accounts. I create the labels here, and email them to the supplier, or in a few cases, the supplier has my information and will bill UPS directly.
Once the fabrics arrive here, they are unpacked and prepared for warehousing, or putting them on the shelf, maybe. You can see from the above photo’s exactly how that is achieved, lots of manpower.
We have grown over the last few years, that now we take up a lot of space, the photo’s below show some of the storage systems we have.
Ok, so folding neatly is not my thing, and as many of you have noticed, cutting straight is not my strength either.
Once we receive your order, it is printed and taken to the cutting area to be cut, packed and weighed. Then the package comes back to the office to get a mailing or UPS label and is set out for the appropriate carrier to retrieve.
And then we look for more fabric, and the process starts over. Of course, none of this would happen with out the help, love and support of the kids, my husband and my Dad.
And you, thank you all so very much!
Knits: What to use them for, what the differences are, and some sewing tips for knits.
We’re out and about online… are you? You can follow us on Twitter, you can also become our ‘Fan’ on Facebook. If that’s not your speed you can just e-mail us too!
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March 3rd, 2010
Here we are on our second edition of the Nature’s Fabrics newsletter. I hope the new year finds you all well, and I wish you a GREAT new year.
A few other notes to consider…
* We are still experiencing a shortage of natural bamboo velour. The velour is in stock now, but it is not expected to last through January, if you are thinking of getting some, now is the time.
* The wool blend is ready and waiting to ship. We have good stock and should continue to have stock through Valentines Day. The 100% extra soft interlock is about out, I may have a weeks worth on hand. We have ordered more and expect that April 1st.
* We have a beautiful selection of wool jersey in both natural and colors, if you haven’t tried wool jersey before, now is the time. It is a very versatile fabric that works well for diaper covers, tops, dresses, and outer wear accessories.
If you contact me, I will usually respond immediately.Unless there is something happening. I always answer all emails within 12 hours. If you email me and don’t hear back, email again.
-Jeanne
This month we are featuring an article on how to dye wool fabrics. In order to be successful, wool needs a lot of heat to really absorb and hold the color.
When I dye wool, I felt it first then dye it. That is just my preference. Wash warm, rinse cold and dry hot. Do that twice. The blend will shrink a lot. Like about 13″ to the yard. I recently washed 3 yards and I was left with just a bit over 2 yards.
Here is what I do. I put the pot of water on the stove and add the dye. Stir in the dye and let it go a bit. Then I toss in the DRY wool. Stir it up and bring it to a boil. Really, a boil. You don’t have to stir a lot while waiting for the boil. I stir now and then, but nothing wild.
Once it is boiling, I add 1 cup of vinegar, while stirring like mad. (Be very careful not to have your pot too full, when you add the vinegar it will boil up a lot. I recently over boiled the pan and it shorted out the stove. My $50 longies almost became $200 longies). I stir about 5 minutes and then see if there is still color in the water. I take out a clear measuring cup full of hot water to see if it is clear. If it isn’t, I add more vinegar, stirring like mad again. It should clear after 5-10 minutes. If not, more vinegar. You can also let the pot cool on the stove, as it cools the water will clear.
After I am satisfied I throw it in the washer just to SPIN. Spin it out and toss it in the dryer for 15 minutes.
You can also use this method to set the color in wools that are not color fast when you get them. Simply omit the adding of the dye and you should have good result.
Remember, agitation and temperature change are what causes the wool to felt, or shrink, and once you get too far, there is no going back.
Here are some additional resources for dying:
We’ll be working on a photo journal so you can see how things are done around here.
Make sure you stay tuned to see some of us in action!
We’re out and about online… are you? You can follow us on Twitter, you can also become our ‘Fan’ on Facebook. If that’s not your speed you can just e-mail us too!
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March 3rd, 2010
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We’re out and about online… are you? You can follow us on Twitter, you can also become our ‘Fan’ on Facebook. If that’s not your speed you can just e-mail us too!
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March 3rd, 2010
I would like to welcome everyone to the first edition of the Nature’s Fabrics newsletter. We hope to bring you useful and interesting information each month with our newsletter. If there is something you would like to see included, please email us, we are happy to hear from you.
A few other notes to consider…
We are experiencing a shortage of natural bamboo velour. The mill is behind schedule. We expect a minimal order sometime in early December, but that is being pre sold only, so if you are interested in a roll, they are available now online, I will post yardage as the shipment is confirmed.
The merino wool/spandex blend is coming along. The yarn is at the mill, and knitting will begin shortly. The goods are expected to be ready to ship around Dec 1. A roll will be about 35 yards. If you are interested in getting a roll, drop me a note and I can get you added to the list.
A little about me…
I am stay at home mom of 2 kids, ages 7 and 4. We also have a small farm of 10 grass fed beef cows, soon to be 15!! Most of the time they don’t require much care, but like kids, can have issues.
If you contact me, I will usually respond immediately. Unless there is something happening. I always answer all emails within 12 hours. If you email me and don’t hear back, email again.
-Jeanne
We are hard at work getting everything ready for the Black Friday Sale. There are over 200 new pieces added just for the sale. I have scoured the suppliers for different and unusual things to add.
We have woolens, bamboo items, knit prints from several famous names, and of course, there will be a few free patterns.
Stop by and check us out, please use coupon code “BlackFriday” beginning Thanksgiving and running through Cyber Monday. This code will give you 25% OFF listed prices — The Black Friday Sale DOES NOT include rolls, samples, or previous purchases. Due to the nature of this sale and the items listed there will be NO refunds given for merchandise purchased from the Black Friday Sale items.
100% Wool and Wool Blend Interlocks and Jerseys
- Wash no more than 8 yards at a time. Five is a good amount.
- Warm wash, cold rinse and dry on second hottest setting.
- Repeat.
You can expect a 25-35% shrinkage. So, on one yard expect to lose 6-8 inches. If you want more felting on the 100%, then wash until you are satisfied. You can wash with a regular mild laundry detergent but will get better results from a wash formulated specifically for wool.
Once your wool is felted, you can cut and sew. Wash 100% wool on cold and air dry to prevent further shrinkage. The blend can be gently washed and dried in the dryer.
Colored Wools
The colored wools can be washed and dried as above, depending on the content.
Some colored wool will bleed when wet. It is advisable to test all colored fabrics for colorfastness. If you see color in the water, then soak the wool in a vinegar bath until color is gone. I would recommend a hot soak, being careful to bring it to temperature slowly to avoid shrinking, unless you want to.
The colored interlocks tend to felt faster than the natural. I suspect this is because they have been treated already.
Use caution when felting colors, they can over felt quickly.
We’re putting together a small tutorial for you on dyeing your wool interlock! It should be fun… Make sure you stay tuned for that!
We’re out and about online… are you? You can follow us on Twitter, you can also become our ‘Fan’ on Facebook. If that’s not your speed you can just e-mail us too!
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