Have you heard of Black Friday?  The day after Thanksgiving which is legend to be the biggest shopping day in America?  What about Small Business Saturday?  

American Express (who are the folks behind Small Business Saturday), are also offering a $25 statement credit for registered cardmembers who spend at least $25 at a qualified small business like Stitch Simple on 11/26.  WOAH!  Think about that.... a BIG bank giving you a $25 credit for spending $25.  I'd call that a no brainer!  As you would expect there are some fine print details --  here are links for more info- General Info (http://www.smallbusinesssaturday.com/).  Card Registration (https://sync.americanexpress.com/sbs2011).

Stitch Simple is a qualified small business and to celebrate and encourage you to take advantage of this incredible deal they are offering special products as well as  FREE US Shipping.


The Harmony Art Super Fat Quarter set (above) is one of these special products.  It's comprised of 9 Super Fat Quarters -- $32.76 value but from 11/26-12/2/11 it's yours for just $25!  A great deal!  

If you register your Amex card and use it for this order, you will automatically get the $25 credit for shopping a registered small business (Stitch Simple) on 11/26.  Pretty cool, eh?

This variety pack of organic cotton sateen prints and solids was selected so your holiday sewing projects could "take flight".  Why not make some 3d ornaments for your tree this year?  With 9 Super Fat quarters you will be able to let any crafting vision you may have soar.  Some gift ideas are:  fabric coasters, pot holders, gift bags, furoshiki (japanese fabric wrapping), placemats or whatever your creative self dreams up.  

Here's a easy link to get in on the action.  To see the other special deals click here.

When you’re a complete fabric junkie like I am, you’re always looking for a bargain.  Of course, my eye is drawn to gorgeous designer fabrics with really high thread count.  Swoon!  But the cost—well, that can bring on a real fainting spell.

That’s why I started out sewing with fat quarters.  I found fabrics that I loved—and could easily afford—and figured out really cool things I could make with them.  Little, zippered change purses, box-bags for balls of yarn and knitting needle rolls.  I sewed and sewed and sewed.  And I was very happy.

Until I started eyeing my bare windows and mismatched sofa and side chairs.  If I could make all of those little things, I could make big things—like curtains and slipcovers—too.  

But cotton fabrics are generally 40”, 54”, 60” or 72” wide.  And that meant I was buying a lot of fabric.  

That’s when I met decorator fabrics.  And then I found HarmonyArt.  These babies come in 110” widths—plenty wide for the 98” long drapes I had planned.  And you can’t deny that Harmony’s designs are gorgeous.  Perfect for curtains, tablecloths, slipcovers, and heck, if I quilted, even quilts!

The prices were much higher though. Compared to the $15-$20 per yard I was used to paying for designer cotton fabrics, 110”-wide fabrics were at least $25 per yard.  It was time to do a little math.

I wanted to dress three windows in my new living room.  I drew this sketch to figure out the math.

With 110” of fabric, I could make do with one yard per panel.  (It’s not as wide as the experts recommend, but with the rich design, I decided it would look terrific.)  

2 panels per window
3 windows
1 yard of fabric per panel

2 x 3 = 6 panels
6 yards of fabric total


I chose the Evelyn design from HarmonyArt’s collection, 
which is $28.80 per yard at Stitch Simple.  

$28.80 x 6 yards = $172.80

(I’m ignoring the tax and shipping costs here—because I have to pay them no matter what width fabric I buy.)

How much of the 54”-wide fabric would I need to make the same curtains?  That’s going to require more math.

If I want each panel to be about 36” by 110” (before they’re sewn), I would to need about 3 yards per panel.  Here’s why:

• Because the fabric is only 54” wide, it won’t work having the selvages at the top and bottom of the curtain.  (There are other reasons for this, too, but we won’t go into that right now.) That means the selvages will have to go from side to side, and the length will be the yardage purchased.
• Since I want my unsewn panels to be 110” long, I divide 110 by 36 (the number of inches in a yard) to find 3 yards:

110” ÷ 36” ≈ 3 yards
(that wobbly, little equals sign means “approximately”)

So I’ll need 3 yards of fabric per panel. And I’ll have lots left over.  In fact for each panel, I’ll have a 3-yard strip of 18” wide fabric left over. 

54” – 36” = 18”

(I could sew up those leftover to make one panel, but let’s face it—that’s a lot of work, and it’s not as good looking.)

How much 54”-wide fabric will I need for all 6 panels?

6 panels x 3 yards = 18 yards

And let’s say I’ve found a great sale on the designer fabric I love—$14 per yard.  What’s the total cost?

$14 x 18 yards = $252

Yikes!  Even though the 110”-wide fabric is much more expensive per yard, I’ll be spending a lot more for the 54”-wide fabric.

The lesson for me?  While the 110”-wide fabric is more than twice the cost per yard, it’s the better deal for this project.  The same could be true for slipcovers, skirts, pillows and yes, even quilting.  

It pays to do the math.  (See?  These are my new curtains!)

Thanks Laura!  Laura is the author of the fabulous book Math For Grownups.  She has a great companion blog dedicated to showing us ways math can be useful and handy.  You can check out her post from Monday which is an interview with yours truly.  If you check back on Friday (Nov. 18th) she will be posting a how-to about sewing the curtains above. Enjoy!

Over the last 7 years, I  have watched the organic textile industry evolve and progress.  I have been keeping careful tabs on the labels and what they mean.  Authenticity and accountability for the environmental and social impact of textile production are why I launched Harmony Art and it has definitely been a journey!

Certification Status Report
2004 - OTA adopts American Organic Fiber Processing Standard (AOFPS).
2005 - Harmony Art organic design is founded.  40 different "eco fabric" standards exist.
2005 - Harmony Art chooses the OTA's AOFPS for her fabrics.
2006 - Global Organic Textile Standard - GOTS version 1 is finalized.
2007 - Harmony Art fabrics produced in India are 3rd party certified to GOTS.
2008 - GOTS logo (above) is introduced.
2011 - Harmony Art applies for GOTS certification!*

*What does this mean?  Nothing and everything.  Nothing because the fabric has already been made and certified to GOTS standards.  Everything because we (Fox-Rich & Harmony Art) will be the FIRST US distributors not only to sell GOTS certified fabrics but to BE GOTS certified.  

So, what does that mean?  Well, for ANY product to carry the GOTS logo ALL of the "chain of command" upstream need to be certified.  Example:  If you were to make baby clothes and you sourced GOTS fabrics and wanted to use the GOTS logo on your hang tags, your fabric supplier (not the fabric itself) would need to be GOTS certified AND your facility would also need to go through the certification process.  This step now opens the doors for any of our customers to pursue GOTS certification themselves for their end products.  

Why has it taken us so long to take this leap you ask?  Well, two reasons -- 1.  We wanted to be sure the certification had the momentum to be THE organic fabric certification   2. It's expensive! 

Why is this important?  Well, remember "organic" food before the NOP logo?  That's the stage we are in now and certification is an important step in keeping organic fabrics authentic and easily identifiable to the end consumer.

This week I submitted the 20+ page application and a large check to OneCert.  After reviewing the documents, an inspector will be sent to our warehouse in South Carolina and the certifying will begin.  I look forward to keeping you posted through the process.