Lola Pink_Jen

 

We got Madrona Road by Violet Craft in the shop a couple of weeks ago and have just not had the time to give the collection the attention that it deserves. Today that changes! :)

One of the prints has text written all over it and when you start reading it, you find it’s a story about a little gypsy girl growing up and searching for a home. While working up a post about the collection, I saw where Violet had written the story out on her blog and I just had to share some of it with you as well. To read the full story, make sure you click over to her blog.

“And so it was to be that the family settled in a little house with a big life on Madrona Road.  Follow the smell of hops and barely on the wind, turn left at the donkey by the mailbox and when you see Mrs. Catterson next to the Tulips, you’re home. But heed caution, for goats indeed stand guard, fabric flows deeply, the tap never dries and there’s always room for a good friend. Good night my little ducklings, all in a row. Sweet Dreams.”

Reading the story makes me love this fabric even more. It makes me laugh too because mom would give just about anything to live on a farm with a farmer and a donkey. I could totally see her living in that one print with the donkey waiting by the mailbox! :)

This is such a great collection and the prints would work well for clothes or a quilt.

Madrona Road is now shipping (and 15% off thru Monday)!

 

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As mentioned yesterday, we’re back with some tips on working with the new Michael Miller PUL (polyurethane laminate) fabrics. It’s really not hard if you just follow a few simple suggestions.

The first questions we get asked are what is PUL and what makes it different? Michael Miller describes it as follows:

1. PUL is 100% polyester knit fabric that is backed with a polyurethane laminate.

2. PUL is waterproof which makes it absolutely perfect for use in diapers, bibs, bags, raincoats, etc.

3. As we said yesterday, PUL is super soft and pliable. It resists wrinkling and drapes beautifully.

4. PUL holds up to heavy, long term use.

5. PUL is lead free and meets CPSIA requirements.

 

So now that you know what PUL is .. how the heck do you sew with it??

1. Michael Miller suggests using a walking foot or a Teflon foot. If you don’t have a walking foot or Teflon foot, you can sew with a piece of wax paper over the top and tear it away when finished.

2. You want to make sure and pin within the seam allowances. Otherwise you put holes through which water can seep in. Want to avoid pins altogether? Try using a glue stick or clips instead.

3. If you happen to get holes outside the seam allowances, washing and drying in high heat will help seal up the holes.

4. Use all-purpose polyester threads like the Mettler Metrosene threads we carry. Cotton or cotton-blend threads would allow moisture to wick through.

5. For best results use a 9/65 or 11/75 ballpoint needle. If you’re sewing through many layers of PUL though, bump up to a 16/100 ballpoint.

OK, so now you what it is and how you work with it but how in the world do you clean it? Thankfully, the Michael Miller PUL fabric is safe to go through your washer and dryer with a few suggestions:

1. Wash with oxygenated bleach with NO CHLORINE. The detergent should also NOT contain Sodium Percarbonate.

2. You can wash in HOT water and it’s recommended to run it through an extra rinse cycle.

3. It’s best if you dry on MEDIUM heat (try not to exceed 130 degrees F / 50 degrees C)

4. Do not use fabric softeners.

5. Do not wring or iron on the film side of the fabric.

 

And there you go, PUL is such an awesome laminate and with just a few considerations, super easy to work with and keep clean! :)

Don’t Miss Out! All Michael Miller PUL Fabrics are
15% Off thru Monday, August 27th!

 

All data and images courtesy of Michael Miller Fabrics.

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If you have not touched the new Michael Miller PUL (polyurethane laminate) fabric, you must come stop by the shop! It is so soft and supple .. nothing like a typical laminate. The pliability of the fabric makes it perfect for use in projects. I found some ideas this week on Pinterest that I think would work great with the PUL fabrics.

Clockwise from top left:

The Green Beginnings Cloth Diaper by Fishsticks Designs

Purse/Diaper Bag Tutorial by My Crafty Side

Lunch Bag by The Long Thread’s Ellen Luckett Baker

Uptown Girl by Make It Perfect’s Toni Coward (comes in 2 pattern sizes from 0 – 5 and 6 – 10)

Downtown Boy by Make It Perfect’s Toni Coward (comes in 2 pattern sizes from 0 – 5 and 6 – 10)

Snack Bag by Mauby’s

Check back tomorrow for some great tips on sewing with the Michael Miller PUL fabrics!

Now Available and 15% off this week!

 

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Aug 162012
 

oh deer! by MoMo

Momo is back and Oh Deer! She has created another wonderland of whimsy and modern Japanese style. Nestled among a psychedelic rainbow of forestry are playful deer and fluttering freebirds. Pom poms of candy colored flowers pop alongside bold, graphic dots and streams of stripes while silhouettes of tiny deer are Super Kawaii! (That’s Japanese for Super CUTE!!!)

oh deer! by Momo is now available!

 

PS. Forgot to mention we also have layer cakes, charm packs, and jelly rolls of Oh Deer too!

 

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I love a solids only quilt and this one is a favorite! I found it over on the Robert Kaufman website while picking more colors to add to our collection. Such a great use of the Kona Cotton Solids!

The pattern is free over on the All People Quilts website. If you haven’t been to their site, you should! They’ve got a ton of great projects that are free to download. We’ve made 2 quilts now with their patterns and they’ve both turned out super cute.

This quilt is definitely on my “Make One Day” list … along with about 50 more quilts ;)

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It’s Kona week here at Lola Pink Fabrics and we’ve got 2 great dresses to show you. Both are made by one of our super, sweet customers. She’s been sewing for years and years  and absolutely raves about the Kona cotton solids.

I just love how you can take something as plain as a piece of solid fabric and turn it into something so pretty!Kona Dress - Lola Pink FabricsSo why does she love Konas so much? She loves how bold and saturated the colors are. She also loves the weight of the material saying that pleats hold their shape making Konas a dream to smock with. Kona Dress - Lola Pink Fabrics

I wish I had a fraction of this woman’s talent and skill. I keep hoping that if she comes in to the shop often enough maybe some of her skill will brush off onto me :D

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Robert Kaufman recently released 28 new KONA solid colors and we have 14 of them now in stock. The new colors are so saturated and gorgeous!

New Kona Cotton Solids at Lola Pink Fabrics

 

I’ve got several projects in mind for these new colors. I’m such a fan of solids only quilts! Though I do love my prints too .. so much to do and so little time to do it!

The colors we got in stock include ..

New Kona Solids Melanie picked Kumquat and Wisteria as her favorites yesterday. I shall go with Azalea and Water .. just yummy! So if you had to pick .. which one would you chose as your favorite??

Added bonus:  They are on sale right now too!  20% off!!!  You can find them all right here!

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