Shoppers Rule Blog

Attention all creative quilters, sewers, doll makers, and fabric artists.
Have you ever wanted to compete with other creative people?

Hoffman (the fabric company) holds a phenomenal annual event called the Hoffman Challenge. It has a long, rich history of encouraging and rewarding creativity. Sulky (the thread company) has teamed up with Hoffman and is now a co-sponsor of the Hoffman Challenge.

Now, normally, I do not bring up this type of event, and I am not actually that familiar with Hoffman’s contest. But I always enjoyed the annual “Sulky Challenge” that unfortunately was discontinued a few years ago.

The 2009 Hoffman Challenge is underway.  The primary categories are: Pieced Quilts, Appliqued Quilts, Mixed Technique, Dolls, Clothing, Accessories, and Group Quilt. Plus, there is a separate category called “Best Use of Sulky”, for those entries in any of the above categories that also feature Sulky thread.

For more information, rules and an entry form, please go to www.hoffmanchallenge.com/index.html

But don’t procrastinate!  Hoffman Fabrics must receive your entry by July 24, 2009.

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Poor stitch formation, skipped stitches and thread breakage are the bane of a sewers existence. If the needle type/size – thread size – fabric type relationship is improper, bad results happen.

For every sewing application, there is always a “best” needle to use. Several factors play in determining the correct needle: the fabric you’re using; the thread you’ve chosen (for example, metallic or embroidery); or the type of stitch you plan (for example, when topstitching, use a topstitch needle).

For regular home sewing, start with needle size. The fabric’s weight determines the needles’ size. Choose a size 60/8 needle for lightweight fabrics similar to organdy and silk; a 70/10 or 80/12 needle for medium-weight jersey and linens; a 90/14 or 100/16 for heavy fabrics like jeans, vinyl, or canvas.

Once you have the correct size needle, you need to choose the correct point and/or eye for your fabric. You can usually just go by the name of the needle on this one – for example, a denim needle has a rounded point that is ideal for denim fabric.

If this all sounds a little confusing, try clicking on the link below for a guide from Schmetz Needle Company.

Click here to view a Schmetz Needle brochure .

This guide was designed by Schmetz to help you find the “best” needle for your project from within their product line. However, it is easy to see that basic information is relevant for any brand of needle.

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Thank you to all who participated in our first ever blog contest.   It was great fun and we will definitely be holding more contests and events in the future.

Congratulations to our winners:

1st place:  theothercarol

3rd place:  barbarawr

You will be receiving an email with your prize information soon.

Love to quilt, but hate to cut?

A fabric cutter may be your answer. It can make your quilting projects go much faster and less stressful because you can accurately cut multiple blocks, strips, or shapes at once. Make those time-consuming appliqués or lengthy strips in seconds.

AccuQuilt has a wonderful little cutter called the Go! Cutter. This cutter has several really cool features.

First of all, it is designed with the home quilter in mind. This is not a large, heavy, expensive cutter for a factory.

It is the polar opposite! Weighing only about 15 pounds, the Go! Cutter is compact enough to pack up and take with you to class or your vacation house. In fact, AccuQuilt has just introduced a rolling tote (#55114-2) specifically for the Go! Cutter and its’ accessories. The tote should be shipping in a couple weeks.

But, I digress…. The Go! Cutter can cut up to 6 layers of cotton fabric at once. It comes with 3 dies, a pattern for use with each die and a cutting mat. There are over 20 dies and 4 cutting mats available at the moment, and more are being introduced every day. The product even comes with a one year limited warranty.

To see a video and learn more, go to item #55100-3 on the Shoppers Rule website.

Better cuts make better quilts – happy quilting.

ShoppersRule.com

Shoppers Rule is excited to announce a BLOG contest.  Our BLOG, http://blog.shoppersrule.com provides great ideas and information with topics in a number of different categories such as clothing, embroidery, embroidery backing, general sewing and the Club Special.   We know that many people are reading the blog and would like you to actually register with us and post comments.  Posting comments and asking questions on the blog is very easy.  If you sign up for the blog AND POST a comment between now, Memorial Weekend and Flag Day, June 14 you will be entered in a contest for Shoppers Rule Gift Certificates.  There will be three winners, a $25 prize winner, a $15 and a $10 gift certificate prize winner.  Now readers, posting a comment is easy.  You can state why you like our blog, you can agree with a blog posting, you can ask a question, you can tell us what you would like to see on the blog. The important thing is to post something on the blog and get entered into the  contest to win a gift certificate.  Good luck and good blogging!  Drawing will be held June 15th 2009.

Jewelry is arguable the most important fashion accessory. And what could be more special than an item that you’ve created or personalized yourself?

Getting started is often the hardest part. So, we’ve made it simple with several kits that contain everything you need to get started designing your own necklace, bracelet, and earring sets.  The “Create Your Own Jewelry” kits are available in four colors - blue, green, pink, and purple.   The “Beaded Jewelry” and “Wire Jewelry” sets take it a step further, including pliers and wire cutters and teaching principles that apply to all jewelry design.  Not only will you develop new skills, but ready-to-wear accessories, too.

A watch need not be ordinary either. We’ve found a kit featuring a lovely mother-of-pearl watch face coordinated with a glass bead watch band that you create yourself.

Want a small reminder of your grandchildren, the family pet, special events or places you’ve been? A photo bracelet could be the answer.

All of these items can be found on Shoppers Rule by using the keyword search of: Jewelry Kit.

With a little practice and some creativity, you will have designer quality accessories for every outfit and occasion.

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I am so excited that Shoppers Rule now has Angelina Hot-Fix Fibers. This stuff is so cool! It is a polyester thread-like fiber that bonds only unto itself when you apply a combination of heat and pressure. Simply sandwich the fibers between paper towels or pressing sheets, and apply heat to create a non-woven type of fabric great for adding pizzazz to any project. It is luminescent and light reflective, too.

You can cut your “fabric” into shapes; stitch, stamp, or embellish it, then sew, glue or fuse it to almost any surface. You can fuse things like yarn or fabric scraps and beads in-between layers of Angelina. The fiber art possibilities are endless.

Use Angelina as an embellishment in landscape scenes and add a 3-D effect. Decorate notebook covers and fiber art postcards or wall hangings. Make appliqués out of it or embroider complete designs on top of it. It makes great doll hair.  There are so many uses that several people have released books focusing specifically on Angelina.

You can bond it, then add more layers of Angelina and bond again. The more layers you add, the stiffer it will get. The more you iron it, the less shine. Color does change a little with each ironing as well. If you want a straight edge, iron it, then fold the sides in and fuse again. If you want a feathery edge, only fuse in the center. This is great with rubber stamps. You can ink the stamp, place the Angelina on top and iron it over the stamp. Remove the stamp and you will find the image on the Angelina and the fabric will be bonded only where the stamp and Angelina were touching. (pressure points) The edges of the fabric will still be fuzzy. Use it as is or re-press the fabric to get rid of the fuzzy edges.

Not enough color options? You can take 2 or more colors of Angelina, shred them and mix them together. Primary color principles hold true – if you mix blue and yellow, you will get green, etc.

We have Angelina in 3 forms: Straight Cut, Crimped Cut, and Film.

Film is a complete sheet of Angelina. It is cut at the factory to make the other two forms. The Straight Cut is the softest. The Crimped Cut looks shinier and 4 times wider than the straight cut.

1/10^th oz of Angelina will cover and 18” square sheet with a single layer.

Since a dryer only uses heat, not heat and pressure, Angelina is washable, dryable, and dry-cleanable.

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Gone are the days of wearing a cap simply to keep the sun out of your eyes. Caps are a fashion statement. It goes well beyond whether you wear your favorite cap with the bill to the front, side, or back.

Hats come in every style and color of the rainbow, striped, plaid, camouflage, embellished, structured, unstructured, mesh, even organic. Caps for men, women and kids. From one supplier alone, Shoppers Rule gets over 100 styles of cap. Consider that each style comes in multiple colors….. that’s a lot of caps!

Some caps are made with fun fabrics, like the Peter Grimm sister Cadet Cap #PGA2065, available in 10 plaid and/or striped fabrics. Or the Anvil Camouflage Cap #139 in 5 colors.

Others have distinctive embellishments, like the Magic Fire caps. Some target specific interests, such as casino games (#9038), fishing (#9041), and wildlife (#29995).

So whether you are looking for a practical gift and/or a unique conversation piece for someone else; a piece to complete a special outfit;  or you simply want to keep the sun out of your eyes…  There is sure to be a hat for the occasion.

***

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Anvil has taken a strong stand for the environment. They have come out with several lines of eco-friendly products – the anvilorganic, anvilsustainable, and anvilrecycled collections.

What is AnvilOrganic?

AnvilOrganic items are made of 100% organic cotton.

Per Anvil’s website, this means they buy cotton from certified organic cotton farmers, who use no pesticides, fertilizers or genetically engineered seeds, in accordance with the USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP). Anvil requires that the cotton gins and yarn spinners they use also be certified by independent third parties to NOP standards. And it means their organic fabric is always clearly identified and tracked through the cutting and sewing process. In other words when Anvil says “made with 100 percent organic,”…they mean it!

How is an AnvilRecycled Tee manufactured?

Step 1: textile waste or clippings are collected from several pre-consumer venues: new apparel cuttings, trim fabric, yarn waste and industrial fibers.

Step 2: clippings are sorted by color and chopped into a fine linty material called “shoddy”.

Step 3: Shoddy is then spun into a yarn that is used to produce AnvilRecycled Tees.

What is an AnvilSustainable?

Anvilsustainable items use a combination of organic cotton and recycled polyester.

Anvil’s eco-friendly activewear and accessories are manufactured under strict environmentally and socially responsible standards, is good for you and the earth.

Shoppers Rule carries a variety of eco-friendly items from Anvil, Bella, Edun, Rabbit Skins, and more. For your convenience they can all be found in a new category called “Organic/Eco Clothing” in our “EmbroideryWear” section. 

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We are re-visiting Magna-Hoops today. Or more specifically, the magnets for Magna Hoops.

Back in August of 2008, I posted an article entitled “What is a Magna Hoop?” and “Is there a Magna-Hoop to fit my Machine?” You can go to the archives to view the entire article.

A simple Magna Hoop definition:

A machine embroidery hoop insert that uses magnets to hold your project in place. It securely holds your fabric, without the risk of hoop burn – great for specialty fabrics like silk, velvet, leather, and other crushable and/or delicate fabrics.

Now, the topic of the magnets themselves:

The original Magna Hoops come with a set of 4 square 2mm magnets.

Jumbo Magna Hoops come with 8 rectangular magnets – 4 bronze colored 4mm magnets and 4 silver colored 6mm magnets.

So, why are there 2mm, 4mm, and 6mm magnets?

Simple, you need different sizes to accommodate different weights of fabric. The small 2mm magnets should work just fine for lightweight fabrics. But try to hoop a towel or sweatshirt, and you are sure to be disappointed or at least frustrated with the results. For heavy weight and high loft projects, you simply need a taller magnet in order to accommodate the thicker fabric.

Can I buy the other size magnets?

Yes, the manufacturer calls them “Replacement Magnets”, presumably because one function of the product is to replace lost magnets.

Item #MAG0010 includes 4 of the 2mm magnets

Item #MAG0020 includes 2 of the medium sized 4mm magnets and 2 of the larger 6mm magnets. (Since there are only 2 of each size, you will want to buy 2 sets.)

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