Fabric Magic

Wool delivery! So here are the rest of the wools that arrived in our recent delivery: Partytime DK £4.50; Supersoft Baby Dk £2.95; Supersoft Baby 4ply £2.95; Supersoft Baby Aran £2.95 and Aurora Dk £4.50. So many squishable yarns!

Lets talk thimbles. When it comes to sewing there is a surprising amount of choice in thimbles and grips depending on the project. Most of you will be familiar with the traditional metal thimbles - these are strong and easy to use but they are not the most ergonomic or well fitting. Prym has a thimble that is based on the traditional one but is better fitting and kinder on the finger if you prefer the traditional style.

For quilting we have three different style needle grips to choose from. The first are the orang and red silicone grips, you wear one on your finger and one on your thumb and they gripping the needle easier. They are easier to fit as they are flexible but the silicone will wear out with overuse and split eventually. The second silicone grips we have are the pad grips. These have no sizes so can be used with any size hand, you have more fine motor control with these and they don't wear through like the thimble style. They are a bit less grippy though so you have to hold them a bit tighter. Finally we have our leather and metal finger guard. This gives you a good grip, the strength of the metal plate and more protection on the finger. It does only come in one size and the leather doesnt give quite as much grip as the silicone.

Hopefully these pros and cons will help you choose the right thimble for your needs!

We are now in the 'ber months which means it is officially Spooky Season! Ok so for some of you it might be a bit early to be thinking of Halloween but we at Fabric Magic believe it is never to early to get sewing!

Restock alter! We have new knitting patterns and restocked wool from James C Brett just in. Flutterby Chunky £4.90; Baby Marble DK £3.80 and Baby Twinkle DK £4.20

This selection of furnish and curtain fabric by Chatham Glyn is just a brilliant pop of sunshine! Whether it's for a bedroom, lounge or kitchen we think there is a colourway here for everyone.

Wool delivery! We will share some more specifics later on but for now - woohoo James C Brett restock!

It's only 17 Wednesdays til Christmas! Ok so it's a bit of stretch to get excited by that number but honestly we just love Christmas here as it is a great excuse to get in to the making groove. We have a great offer on our Sirdar Christmas pattern book which includes both knitting and crochet patterns for all you talented makers out there.

Lets talk pattern sizing. The first thing we tell our customers is to ignore what size clothes they buy in the shop - the dress patterns we sell are all US sizes and the sizing hasn't really been adjusted since the 1980's so you need to be using a bigger size than you think! We always recommend you go by body measurement and we are happy to help you in store if you need it. If measuring at home here are a few tips.
Bust measurements - this is around the widest part of the bust (the same goes for mens chest measurements) , always take in a big deep breath when measuring - if you are making a fitted garment you need to allow breathing room! Waist - this is the narrowest point of you natural waist. You might be surprised where your natural waist falls so a good trick is to tie a bit of elastic around your bare waist where you think you are narrowest, pull it slightly so it stretched but not tight, more around for a while and see where the elastic wants to sit - this is where your waist ACTUALLY is. We also recommend you you breath out pretending like you have eaten a big dinner - this allows room for bloating or for food! Hip measurement - this is the widest measurement, tradition says this should be 9 inches below the waist but varies greatly. Measure around where you think you are widest and then wriggle the tape measure up and down a bit and see if it stretches any.
We hope this was helpful but as always we are happy to help in store if you want a demonstration!

Sometimes you just can't beat a good old spotty fabric! We love our classics here and it doesn't get more classic than a polka dot

There is nothing we love more than when a customer comes in the shop wearing something they made with a fabric they bought off of us 😍 This beautiful skirt is made from a linen mix that we have now sold out of because it was so popular in the last few weeks with this warm weather! She looks fab in this skirt and was very pleased with how it turned out

Chatham Glyn curtaining fabric hangers are the best because they just pack so many amazing designs and colourways in to such a small space. Take these two checked fabric hangers - so many gorgeous colours how can you decide between them?

Now is the perfect time to get sock knitting. Whether you are making your own warm and comfy socks for winter, or you are making a stock of Christmas presents now is the time to break out those DPN's!

Lets talk chalk. We have a pretty good range of options to help you trace out patterns, mark button holes etc and wanted to talk through the pros and cons of a few options.
First up we have the traditional tailors chalk. This comes as either a square like our Prym one here or as a triangle (we are out of stock of these!). Tailors chalk will last you ages, is not messy and is easy enough to rub off if you accidently mark in the wrong place. On the other hand it is not as precise unless you sharpen it down and the markings get faint if the chalk gets old.
Next is our markers pencils of which we do a few different styles. These are great for making thinner and more precise lines and for marking small details. They are however more difficult to rub off and are harder to draw on textured and light weight fabrics.
Lastly we have our chalk wheels. These are filled with a chalk powder and have a very fine metal spiked wheel which dispenses the chalk. This makes them excellent for fine lines, works well on a wide variety of textures and, the case of the Prym one, is refillable so you only need to buy the pen once and just get refills when needed. The downside is that the chalk dispensed can be a bit too then so can brush off if you are not careful.
Hopefully this has given you all some idea on which chalk option is best for your needs!

This past week we seem to have been selling lots of darker, less ditsy style florals so we wanted to share a selection of the ones that haven't sold out already!

Struggling for ideas for that last few weeks of the summer holidays? We have you covered with a great range of children friendly craft kits to keep the little ones entertained!

New Look dress pattern sale begins tomorrow! From Friday 16th August to Saturday 31st August we have a fantastic 50% off all New Look sale patterns - that works out just £5.25 per pattern!

Happy Granny Square Day!

We had a few hot days this past week so it might be a bit odd to see woollen fabrics but we think it is the perfect time to get started on your autumn wardrobe. These wool mix fabrics and warm but light enough they are perfect for skirts, gillets and jackets. The patterns are so on point for Trowbridge too - they are very reminiscent of West of England cloth like the ones made here in Trowbridge!

Today we are looking at cotton fabrics with a bit of something extra - metallic! We have a great range of quilting cottons with metallic elements added to the design. We love these cottons as they can really add an extra bit of something special to your project, whether you are making clothes, bags or a quilt!

We have a great range children's 100% cotton fabrics on our front rack at the moment - including Marvel, Disney Princesses, Frozen and Toy Story fabrics!

Did you know it's only 20 Fridays until Christmas?! Nows the time to get started on your present making!

We have really fallen in love with these new collections from and we really wanted to share this one with you. This is the Bloomsbury Collection. It is classy, colourful and we love a floral that isn't in your face and overtly feminine and this is hitting the spot!

This is the perfect time to be getting new curtains - why not go for blackout lining to keep that sun out the room! This is the Milan Collection from and we love the relaxed Mediterranean vibe this collection gives off and we think you will love it too.

Get ready for Granny Square Day! Granny Square Day is an international online celebration on Instagram, which takes place every year on the 15th August. It is a huge Instagram event where the crochet community from around the world come together to make crochet granny squares and share them using the hashtag resulting in the BIGGEST VIRTUAL CROCHET BLANKET IN THE WORLD!

One of our fabulous regular customers popped in and showed off this adorable childrens overalls he made and we are in love. Made from one of our canvas fabrics with needlecord on the cuffs, pockets and facings - he only started sewing in October!

These hot days have had us thinking about the seaside and beach, why not bring a bit of that beach to you instead? We have this gorgeous range of seaside themed curtain fabrics from Studio G in called the Lands and Sea Collection. Our very own Hannah has bathroom curtains and cushions made from these fabrics!

Our final fabric selection from our delivery are these three stunning cotton double gauze fabrics. We love double gauze - light, airy and so incredibly soft!

So in this post we are showing off two different new in fabrics. First off we have some lovely water repellent outdoor fabric, perfect for covering outdoor cushions and seating. We also have three new cotton jersey fabrics, soft stretchy and in great colours!

More gorgeous fabrics from our latest delivery! This time we have two floral patterned linen and viscose. We also have two plain 100% linen fabrics.

The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles. It was a reaction against a perceived decline in standards associated with machinery and factory production. The aesthetic and social vision of the movement grew out of ideas that William Morris developed in the 1850s. His patterns were based on flora and fauna, and his products were inspired by the vernacular or domestic traditions of the British countryside. Which is a very lengthy way to say we have new cotton poplins in the Arts and Crafts style 😅