Britex Fabrics will close at 5:30 on Saturday, December 17th for our employee holiday shindig.

We will be closed on Saturday, December 24th and Sunday, December 25th. We wish everyone a peaceful and delightful holiday celebration!

I’ve been longing for hedgehogs; their cute stubby paws, upturned snouts, twinkling eyes, and snuggly bushy ‘do. I’m thrilled that I can get my hedgehog fix with this easy-peasy tutorial for a winsome hedgehog felt decoration by Kali over at Totally Stitchin and Baby Lock. Can you imagine a pine wreath festooned with dozens of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkles?

Roarrrrr……is it a monster or is it a rooster? Emily from TheBoyTrifecta has instructions for crocheting head spikes….and what developing monster child doesn’t need head spikes? Head spikes keep ones noggin toasty, and are the perfect addendum to any winter cap (they can be easily modified for heads of all sizes….perhaps your favorite banker or librarian needs one this season)

The deviously delicious folks from Homelife.com.au bring us this free pattern and tutorial on making an über cute tea cozy in the shape of a chunky squirrel. We want to make this forest creature in cheerful red or robust fuchsia wool felt! Imagine tea time with this sweet critter full of steaming Earl Grey tea, perched next to a china plate of nutmeg maple butter cookies. This cozy should fit most one- to three-cup teapots. Hint: This would make a fantabulous holiday gift, with a bag of fragrant tea and tin of home-baked cookies.

Floresita gives us this vintage embroidery transfer of a wee tipsy bird dozing in a brandy sniffer, with their pal peering solicitously (or maybe enviously?) over the edge. A trio of linen bar towels with these adorable birdies embroidered on them would be a perfect gift for the distiller or winemaker in your family!

These limited edition canvas totes were created and hand-screen printed for Britex fabrics by a local designer in foggy San Francisco. Our basic black tote has an image of lace hand-screened onto textured canvas. Our natural tote has an image of a lacy San Francisco silhouette, including the iconic Britex Fabric neon sign. Want a great gift giving idea? Instead of a stocking, give something people can use, and stuff a beautiful Britex Fabrics canvas tote with meaningful goodies such as handmade, home-baked and locally crafted gifts. Size: a hunky 14” by 16”

We’re bringing it all back! To celebrate our sixtieth anniversary, we have raided the Britex archive to bring you some of our favorite advertisements beginning in the 1960s. This 2012 calendar is full of history; together we can reminisce on the good old days when luxurious camel hair fabric was only $24.95 for a 3 yard panel , and sporty wide wale corduroy was only $1.95 per yard! This calendar is a delightful peek at vintage advertisements from Britex Fabrics. (Or receive a free 2012 Britex Fabrics calendar with any purchase over $100)

Jim of JimsForTheLoveOfHistory.Blogspot writes about his journey in tailoring frock coats, from a machine stitched starter coat, to the final hand-sewn reproduction 1849 black wool frock coat. He says that he choose to hand sew his garments because he enjoys the process, and used Britex Fabrics’ #50 weight silk thread for construction, and #30 weight silk thread for his buttonholes. This soft, three-ply, monofilament silk thread is the perfect thread for making hand-made buttonholes and fine tailoring techniques. It is pliant, has a deep lustrous sheen, and is an amazing pleasure to sew with. We love Jim’s concise list of six tips for tailoring; find the best possible materials, use an authentic pattern that is drafted from an original source, learn and practice basic tailoring techniques, study original coats, make a fitted muslin and correct to fit, this will be your final pattern, and finally, make the commitment to not cut corners.

Monday, December 12 from 5pm-9pm – Join BurdaStyle on Monday, December 12th from 5-9pm at TechShop SoMa for The BurdaStyle Sewing Handbook Launch Party in San Francisco. Head over to our Britex Fabrics table for some seriously fashionable DIY holiday gift ideas for women, men and kids including a Cozy Slipper Demo with take home instructions for everyone….not to mention, the first 50 guests to arrive receive a free Clip-on Bow Tie Kit!
Stop by for food, drinks, fun and activities: grab a seat at our Make + Take booth to whip up your own drawstring bag project with specially printed book cover fabric from Spoonflower and Renaissance Ribbons; test your luck at Bingo with our friends from ModCloth; grab some friends and jump in our photo booth; get creative with Instructables’ LEGO jewelry workshop. So mark your calendars for December 12th and meet us at TechShop SoMa – 926 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA for The BurdaStyle Sewing Handbook San Francisco Launch Party! If you don’t already know and love BurdaStyle, visit them! They are the best online sewing community out there.

It isn’t Stormy Monday, and we are so grateful; however Monday, November 28th is Cyber-tastic Monday for fabric at Britex Fabrics’ online store. Some of you folks can’t make it to foggy San Francisco for our sales, and we feel your pain, so this Monday (11/28/2011), all online fabrics are 20% off from Sunday at midnight, to Monday at midnight, Pacific Standard Time! (This sale applies to fabric in the online store only)