Wool comes to The Cloth Store

We've shifted and moved, pulled and shunted and, at last, we fitted it it! The wool is now a permanent fixture in the shop. To start with we have some of the lovely ranges from Sirdar, including Crofter DK and Aran.

Some of the wools are now available to buy online too with more being added all the time.  Coming for the summer will be cotton yarns in yummy sunny colours.  More moving and squeezing up of shelves and units to do!

Gillian Gladrag at The Cloth Store!

Ever fancied trying your hand at felting?  Everyone is doing it at the moment and the feeling of wet, soapy wool to mould with your own hands is infinitely satifying.  The queen of felt is none other than Gillian Gladrags and The Cloth Store is now stocking her kits.

 The kits contain the wool tops, templates and full instructions for you to make your own beautiful felt things - from bunting, to bags to hot water bottles.

All the kits are beautifully packaged making them ideal gifts for anyone crafty.

You can find the kits HERE.

Upstairs at The Cloth Store: New classes for 2011

January sees the start of the new classes run 'Upstairs at The Cloth Store' in Horsham. You can download the information PDFs from the website but here is a brief outline.

How to use your machine:  Do you have one but have no idea how to thread or use it?  This single class will help get your started!

Beginners Dressmaking: A poplular course designed to inspire and encourage anyone to learn to sew their own clothes.

Learn how to read a pattern, cut and make an item of clothing.

Intermediate Dressmaking: The next step after the beginners course, or one for those with basic skills already.  Learn how to expand you knowledge and improve techniques.

Fleece: Make a bone!

My youngest son loves dogs and have many, many soft toy ones including a very manky, torn, stinky and much loved sausage dog which he carries everywhere.  Needless to say there is always 'A bone for doggie' on his Christmas/birthday list.
The Cloth Store stocks some lovely fleece and I choose black, red and pale cream.

I cut strips of white and black, using a rotary cutter, which was surprisingly good for the task.  I assumed it wouldn't be sharp enough or would blunt quickly, but it was really good.  All the strips were then sewn together to form a big large piece from which I cut two bone shapes.  From the red fleece I cut one very, very long, wide strip.  From there onwards it was just a case of sewing the edges of the stripy fleece (wrong sides together) to that of the red, leaving a hole for stuffing, then turning it the right way.

The only problem is that everyone loves it and wants me to make them one!