Lets start with a round of applause to “How Much Fabric?” Reference Cards GIVEAWAY sponsor www.gwynhug.com!
Thank you for making this happen!

Thank you to all Arts and Crafts Plaza & Gwyn Hug “old” and “new” fans on and off facebook!
Come back often to continue to use and enjoy the services offered on ArtsAndCraftsPlaza.com!

The winner of “How Much Fabric?” Reference Card Set of your choosing is….

Ruth R. Tillman who thinks: “Love these cards! What a great idea.”

Look for a message on your facebook account.
Please select which “How Much Fabric?” Reference Card Set you would like to receive.

To learn more about: “How Much Fabric?” Reference Cards

Are you one of “those people” that see a fabric and think, this would be fabulous as a shirt / pants / bag etc. and only later on when you are ready to work on the project start looking for that perfect pattern?
Do you then find yourself wondering well how much fabric should I buy? You don’t want to not have enough and then try and get more of the same fabric. And you don’t want to buy too much especially when it’s a very expensive fabric.
What do you do? You use these wonderful “How Much Fabric?” Reference Cards and no more rough guessing and oops I should have later on.

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Want a chance to win a “How Much Fabric?” Reference Card Set?
Like Arts And Crafts Plaza on facebook www.facebook.com/ArtsAndCraftsPlaza
Like Gwyn Hug on facebook www.facebook.com/pages/Gwyn-Hug/282217611789610
Put a comment on this post and be entered to win a “How Much Fabric?” Reference Card Set from the complete collection of your choice.
Open to everyone, Gwyn Hug will ship internationally
Winner will be randomly selected January 16th 2012!
Winner will be contacted though facebook.
Winner announced January 17th 2012.

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The Original “How Much Fabric?” Reference Card Sets –
www.gwynhug.com

There are currently several types of cards available with more to come.
KNOW HOW MUCH FABRIC TO BUY, WITHOUT A PATTERN IN HAND!
Currently Available:
Set 1: Women’s Clothes (6-22/Eur 32-48)
Set 2: Plus Sizes (18-32/Eur 44-58)
Set 3: Men’s Clothes (34-50/Eur 44-60)
Set 4: Babies and Toddlers (Newborn – 6)
Set 5: Children’s (7-16)

What you can expect to get in the mail is a plastic card, size: 3⅜” x 2⅛” same size as your credit card.
Each set comes with several cards on a ring. Each card has a specific type of clothing.
The front of the card has the minimum, average and maximum fabric requirements by clothes size and fabric width as well as the “Safety Margin” table that helps you round up.
The back of the card has designs of clothing that will help you determine the type of outfit

Gwendolyn Campbell  is the creative genius behind these cards. Gwen is an avid sewer. You can check out her blog at After the dress
Gwen and her friend Christine looked at over 2,000 patterns in order to create a single set of cards.
With the help of Beth, a graphic designer, they created the cards.
Another friend, Susan is responsible for the site.
What a creative and resourceful bunch, you go girls!

On the FAQ page you can find all the answers you need.
Some of the questions that you can find answers to are:
How do you use the “How Much Fabric?” tables?
Can I buy just one card, instead of the whole set?
Do I need a Paypal account to buy the cards?
I see you have some pages in other languages. Why not my native language?

Should you have any questions, or  ideas, have other sets of cards you would love.
Do you speak a language that hasn’t been translated yet?
You can even find a short Klingon translation.
Contact Gwen on the contact page or email directly gwynhug@gmail.com.
Gwyn Hug
P.O. Box 90576
Lakeland, Florida 33804-0576

 A look behind the curtain, how did it all start? What is involved in creating these cards?

You know those times when you unexpectedly run across a beautiful, must-have fabric, but don’t have the right sewing pattern immediately available and so you aren’t sure how much to buy? And you want to make sure that you buy enough, but you don’t want to buy too much either… Well, that used to drive me crazy!

A couple of years ago, I finally decided to come up with a solution for this problem. My day-job involves analyzing a lot of data and so I realized that  I didn’t have to guess how much fabric the “typical” skirt pattern (for example) calls for – I could actually get the data and calculate it!

I started with my own substantial stash of patterns – typing those tables on the back of each pattern envelope into a spread sheet-so that I could calculate the averages. Before I knew it, I was searching the internet and downloading the pattern envelope images from hundreds, and then thousands, of patterns…

And the result of all that data entry and analysis – The Original “How Much Fabric?” Reference Cards! These are small, sturdy plastic reference cards that slip easily into your purse. There are sets that cover clothes for women, men, babies, toddlers and children. Each set has cards for different types of garments – tops, pants, jackets, dresses etc. Each card has a table that presents the minimum, average and maximum fabric requirements broken down by fabric width and garment size. Each card also has sketches to help you visualize what type of garment could be made with the minimum, average and maximum amounts of fabric.

They are the perfect “notion” for fabric shopping! You’ll be able to shop with confidence, knowing that you are buying enough fabric, but not buying too much and wasting your money.

What can you tell me about your hobbies and favorite thing you do?

My day-job is in research – so I design experiments, analyze data and write reports. My hobby is sewing – it’s such a nice contrast to my day-job. I get to work with my hands and I’m surrounded by beautiful colors and textures and patterns. My sewing projects only take a few hours or days – not years, like my research projects. I have a concrete product when I’m done – something I can hold in my hands, show to someone else, and put into practical use right away.

I love sewing for family and friends – letting people pick a fabric that speaks to them and turning it into something that becomes a part of their lives. I originally came up with  “Gwyn Hug” as my sewing label. It has 2 meanings that make it the perfect finishing touch on the clothes that I make for the people I love. First, it brings to mind the thought that when they put on my garment, it’s like I am wrapping them up in a hug. Second, in Welsh (my ancestry), it roughly translates to “a blessed cloak.” (And by “roughly” I mean you have to refer to like the 19^th possible translation/definition for each word…) Okay, it’s a stretch, but isn’t it a wonderful image?

What crafting skill do you wish you had?

So, this may seem a bit extreme – but a few years ago I bought a used floor loom and I am in the process of teaching myself how to weave! Did you know that women have been weaving in some form or another for about 10,000 years! Not only that, but the first computers were modeled after early looms! How cool is that? I love the feeling of connection to women through all of history when I weave. And I love the way weaving combines creativity and art and math (weave patterns can be defined by sequences of binary vectors). My ultimate goal is to sew garments with fabric that I have woven.

How has opening your shop affected your life?

I guess the best thing about opening up my shop is the wonderful people that I have “met” – from all around the world! One of my customers is a fashion designer from South Africa, about to launch a line of clothing. I’ve learned about a 400 year old fabric market in the Netherlands. I met an Australian “minist” – someone who owns an original Mini auto mobile – she even sent me a picture in which she is posing by her Mini panel van. I could go on and on – I’ve just met so many really wonderful people!

What was your experience of having your first sale ever?

I announced the opening of my store in a post on my blog, and my first sale came within 30 minutes of my post going up. I was so jazzed! I thought it signaled the opening of flood gates! Of course, my second sale didn’t come until several days later… 😉

Give me some insight on you personally, do you give back to your community in some way?

I have been doing volunteer tutoring of some form or another for the last 11 years. I started as a Laubach adult literacy tutor and had three wonderful students across a 6 – year span. Then I stumbled into the opportunity to (volunteer) teach sewing to some young immigrants who didn’t speak English. That was quite a challenge for all of us! (I didn’t speak any Spanish at the time.) I’m sure those first few lessons would have looked comical to an outsider – there were many times when we were all at a loss and just stared at each other helplessly… But we all persevered, they learned the basics of sewing, I learned some broken Spanish and we all became good friends.

That experience got me connected into our local immigrant community and for the last 3 years I have been (volunteer) teaching “ESL” (English as a Second Language) at a local church. Through all of this, I have met some truly amazing and inspiring people and made life – long friends. I hope that I have helped others to have a better life in some way – but I know for sure that my life has been enriched!

Where else can we find out more about you and your creations?

I have a personal (mostly sewing-related) blog http://aftertheDRESS.blogspot.com
Facebook page for Gwyn Hug www.Facebook.com/GwynHug

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Want a chance to win a “How Much Fabric?” Reference Card Set?
Like Arts And Crafts Plaza on facebook www.facebook.com/ArtsAndCraftsPlaza
Like Gwyn Hug on facebook www.facebook.com/pages/Gwyn-Hug/282217611789610
Put a comment on this post and be entered to win a “How Much Fabric?” Reference Card Set from the complete collection of your choice.
Open to everyone, Gwyn Hug will ship internationally
Winner will be randomly selected January 16th 2012!
Winner will be contacted though facebook.
Winner announced January 17th 2012.

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Happy sewing everyone!

Let’s create something!

You love to Embroider as well as making your own Greeting cards? Why not combine your passions?

Start by hooping tear away or cut away stabilizer.

Using spray adhesive, such as, Sulky KK 2000.

Put a piece of colored felt on top of the stabilizer.

Take a piece of Solvy.

Using spray adhesive to put the Solvy on top of the felt.

This step is not a must but it will help achieve a better embroidery.
Add a border with wide stitches, bigger than the design you are about to stitch.
It will help prevent bunching up as well as shifting.
It is best is you use a similar color to your background.

You now have your creative license to change the colors that you are using from the suggested colors.

As it keeps embroidering it starts looking like a picture.

We changes many of the colors suggested, the cat as well as the Yellow for the light effect in the pumpkin.

Now that you are done with your embroidery design. Take it out of the embroidery machine.
For this project we used Brother PE-780 model.

We recommend using this type of scissors to cut your jump stitches.
Because they have a curve you will be better able to cut close to the design without cutting the stitches.

Take your design out of the Embroidery hoop.

We will start working on the back side of our Embroidery.
Take a seam ripper and remove the bobbin thread of the border.

Continue taking out all the stitches around.
This will give you better result then trying to take the stitches out on the front of your embroidery.

Once you have removed all the bobbin thread, the front thread will just come off as a long piece of thread.

Now that we have just our embroidery, it’s time to remove the Solvy from the top.

Tear it off as best you can, most of it should come off easily.

Since it’s water soluble, should you have any pieces left behind, a little water will take care of it.

We recommend using Pacesetter Embroidery thread.
You get great quality thread for a reasonable price.

We bought greeting cards that have a photo frame cutout pre-made.
Feel free to make your own. When you select what Embroidery you want to use, make sure it will fit the frame size.
Some machines will let you resize your designs, take advantage of that.

We start with a blank card and decorate it with several stamps.

The Words “Happy Halloween” with a stamp on top.

We chose to use Uniball silver metallic pens.

We fill the empty spaces in the letters with our Orange color pen.
You will end up with a blend of Orange and sparkling Silver.

We love to sparkle so we’re going to putt some Bo-Nash sparkles on our card.

Great shiny colors they offer.

For a more precise result we will use the Bo-Nash glue pen.

Once we have our stamps in place, we will trace a few lines with the glue Pen.

When you use the glue pen, the glue will come in Blue color.
You know it’s ready to use once it dries Clear.

Put a finger into the sparkles, they will attach to your finger because of the oils you naturally have on it.
Then just go over the glue a few times. You are done once you see all the glue has been covered.
A quick no mess easy way to add some sparkle.

Add as many stamps and decorations as you like.
Now it’s time to put your embroidery into the picture frame.
Cut your Embroidery to size and gently tuck it in.

Make sure your embroidery is straight. Secure with a few dabs of glue if needed.

Your project is now complete! enjoy.

Went on a field trip to Stone Mountain & Daughter, a wonderful fabric store, with the sewing class.

Stone Mountain & Daughter store has 2 floors filled to the brim.
You will find brochures with the different selection of sewing and quilting classes they are offering, as you enter the store.
You can find a list of classes being offered:
http://www.stonemountainfabric.com/sewing-classes.htm

You have great selection of various fabric types.
As well as, grouping of  cotton prints and solids for the quilter, fashion and DIY sewer.
You will find Silks, Jacquards, Dupioni, Charmeuse, Chiffons and so much more!
Designers fabric such as Amy Butler, Robert Kaufman, Alexander Henry, Kaffe Fassett, Kokka of Japan, Echino and many others.
Look through the wonderful selection of yarns and books.

The top floor is where the classes are held as well as 50% discounted fabrics.
You can also find a variety of patterns, notions and accessories for your convenience.

Want to check out the store?

www.stonemountainfabric.com

2518 Shattuck Avenue at Dwight Way
in downtown Berkeley, CA 94704

Local 510-845-6106
Toll free 1-866-4SEW-FUN
Fax 510-845-6114

OPEN 7 DAYS • Mon – Fri 10-6:30 • Sat 10-6 • Sun 11-5:30
please call for special holiday hours
email: fabriclady3@gmail.com

To embroider Mickey Mouse on a towel we will use a stabilizer and a topper to sandwich the towel.

We will start by hooping Wet N Gone, a water soluble stabilizer.

We will then use a spray adhesive to attach the towel to the stabilizer.

It is possible to hoop a towel if it is not too thick, however, we find that using the adhesive works best as you can better position the towel.
We don’t recommend using sticky paper stabilizer as it will pull on the towel.

When positioning the towel, make sure you find the center point of the towel and align it with the center points on the hoop.

This is probably one of the most important step, be sure to take your time and get it right.

We will use the spray adhesive again this time on the towel.

We will put the water soluble topper on top of the towel, which will keep the stitches from sinking into the towel.

Now we are ready to put the hoop into the embroidery machine.

Select your design. We chose Mickey Mouse that is built in the Brother machine. We are using Brother’s Quattro Innovis 6000D (D is for Disney).

We then select a heart border and make sure none of the stitches overlap.

You want to make sure Mickey’s ears are not clipped by the border. Use the size button to achieve the appropriate size.

Mickey and boarder are ready to be embroidered.

We suggest keeping a bottle for used needles, best practice to always have a place for them.
Be sure to change your needle every 8 hours.
As well as, keeping a plastic container on hand which we use to store the small pieces of thread.
Once you have enough you will be able to use that for another project.
Keep an eye out for this project.

We can now start embroidering Mickey
Make sure you have enough clearance for your machine to move the hoop freely.

At first it doesn’t look like it’s going to come together.

As you embroider more colors it all comes together.

Choose the color you want for your border, we used Red. Default is Black.

Remove hoop from your embroidery machine and cut any jump stitches that may be there.

You can now remove the water soluble topper. You can usually gently pull on it and it will come off.
Spray the design with water and use another piece of water soluble to get it all off by dabbing it.
It especially helps when it’s a gift to someone and you don’t want to explain that it will dissolve once they wash it.

Now it’s time to tackle the back side of our embroidery.

Cut the water soluble as close to the stitched as you can.
Be sure not to cut into the stitches or the towel.

The rest will dissolve once the towel has been washed.

Your project is now complete! enjoy.