Green Thumb Fabrics Blog

"New Life" Hand-dyed OBV King Size Pillow Case Giveaway

Update:

Congrats Tara for your win! I sent you an email from greenthumbfabrics@gmail.com

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Win a KING sized pillow case made from hand dyed organic bamboo/cotton velour.

This giveaway ends Noon Thurs 1/13 PST.

You can get up to 3 entries by doing the following:

1. Suggest to your friends to visit www.greenthumbfabrics.com and come "like" our Facebook page. Then come back here to post a comment saying you did. (Please include your email address and your Facebook ID so I can contact you.)

2. Invite non-Facebook friends either via email or on another forum to visit www.greenthumbfabrics.com and tell them about our Facebook page (please be careful to obey forum rules since some forums do not allow you to spam.) Then come back here to post a comment saying you did. (Please include your email address and your Facebook ID so I can contact you.)

3. Tell your friends about the new product: OBV diaper cut 23"x23" size at http://www.greenthumbfabrics.com/2011/01/organic-bamboo-velour-diaper-cut-23x23-300.html

The King sized pillow case is made from hand-dyed OBV fabric.  It's turned and stitched on the end so no ends will fray.  All the seams have been serged.

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Posting on my wall or posts on the photo does not count. For those who have Facebook pages that promote giveaways, you can enter yourself if you actually invite on your own via either method vs. posting on your fan page. I really appreciate your help spreading the love, but I think it's fair for the rest of the people who don't have a page they regularly post on if we use the same criteria to enter the giveaway. THANK YOU!! :)

 

Nemo's Fish Tank Hand-Dyed OBV Giveaway

Winner has been chosen!  Congrats Tracey S.!

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Hey everyone!  Thanks for joining us here.  Welcome Facebook fans!  It's time for the Friday giveaways again!!!  I'm not 100% sure if I'll be doing it every week, but I'll do them as much as I am able.  The cost of bamboo fabric rising makes it tougher to give away fabric since I am a very small company.  Boo on the prices rising, but yay on the giveaway!

 

Win a yard of "Nemo's Fish Tank" OBVelour. This giveaway ends 12:01am Sun 12/12 PST.

You can get up 1 entry but you have a choice to do either:

1. Suggest to your friends to visit www.greenthumbfabrics.com and come "like" our Facebook page. Then come back here to post a comment saying you did. (Please include your email address and your Facebook ID so I can contact you.)

OR

2. Invite non-Facebook friends either via email or on another forum to visit www.greenthumbfabrics.com and tell them about our Facebook page (please be careful to obey forum rules since some forums do not allow you to spam.) Then come back here to post a comment saying you did. (Please include your email address and your Facebook ID so I can contact you.)

This fabric was named "Nemo's Fish Tank" in honor of my two kids who have been very sick for the past two weeks. We were watching Nemo, and the colors of this fabric remind me of the colorful green algae on the fish tank when Nemo became brave when he found out his father was coming for him. There's not much turquoise, but it's peaking through in some places.

*******PLEASE READ*********
Posting on my wall or posts on the photo does not count. For those who have Facebook pages that promote giveaways, you can enter yourself if you actually invite on your own via either method vs. posting on your fan page. I really appreciate your help spreading the love, but I think it's fair for the rest of the people who don't have a page they regularly post on if we use the same criteria to enter the giveaway. THANK YOU!! :)

How to Make a Bamboo Fleece Insert Without a Serger

Do you have a sewing machine but no serger or overlock machine to serge the edges like the store purchased inserts? You can make your own inserts and save a lot of money. Sure, it won't look as pretty, but it'll work just the same.

Take one of your favorite inserts or measure your cloth diaper to see how big your insert should be. Cut one piece of bamboo fleece that's twice as big as your insert size and leave about 0.5" seam allowance around the edge:

 
Fold the fabric in half.  Keep the right side inside if you plan on having the smooth side out, or if you want the fleecy side out, then fold it so the smooth side is out.  Pin if you so desire:

Sew all the way around the edge leaving about an inch at the end so you can turn it inside out. I've used black thread so you can see it better. It is better to use a walking foot since bamboo fleece tends to be very slippery. If you find that your fabric is slipping around too much or stretching out, reduce your foot pressure and lengthen your stitches. If all fails, put some tissue paper under the fabric then rip it away carefully afterwards:

Cut the corners so it'd be easier to turn inside out without getting too close to the stitches. Turn the insert inside out through the hole:

Fold the fabric inward and topstitch around the edge after you make sure the edge is pushed to the stitches:

Result looks like this. I made my insert with the soft side on the outside because I want to use it as an AI2 insert rather than a pocket diaper insert:

Make another of the same, and then zigzag stitch them together on one of the short ends. It'll keep them together but it'll allow the insert to dry faster.  Or you can use thicker heavy fleece and just do one for kids who are training and need less thickness.

 

Alternate way to sew inserts

Fold the fabric in half as in the other method, but zigzag stitch all the way around close to the edge (you don't need seam allowance with this method, and make sure to put the right side out since you don't need to turn the fabric):

Cut around the edge if you have any hanging fabric after you've sewn.  It might help to stretch the fabric a bit while you sew or use a tissue paper underneath. Repeat for the other side of the insert.

Zigzag stitch on the short edge to sew the top to the bottom:

As you can see, the two pieces stay together so it'll be easy to stuff into diapers, but since they are separated, it'll dry faster:

With this method though, the stitches will be on the outside so it isn't ideal for AI2 inserts since it'll irritate your baby's bum.  You can do a combo of the two though so the soft piece that's been topstitched can be on top. Don't worry about edges fraying. Bamboo fleece doesn't fray much.

Now go have fun!

The Winner of the Show Your Creativity Contest

Arie Brentnall-Compton, you're the winner!

I have your shipping addy from the last contest so we will ship you the fabric.  Congrats!  I can't wait to see how they turn out with OBV. :)

Show Your Creativity Giveaway

It's give away time again!  The holiday season's coming up and the GTF family needs some inspiration for craft projects. 

The contest runs from Friday 11/06 - Friday 11/13 midnight.

To Enter:

1. Go to our Facebook page, and first become a fan if you're not yet.

2. Then post on the wall what you have made with your previous fabric purchases or what you would WISH to make with fabric you might buy at GTF.  Photos of projects are encouraged!

3. Come back to post here that you submitted an entry.  Unless you comment back here with your name, it won't count!  After midnight on Friday I will choose one entry that is the most inspirational to receive the prize.

The Prize:

1 yard of Pink OBV and 1 yard of Blue OBV valued at over $20

Announcing the Winner of the First GTF Giveaway!

Abby Crapo Hoenig!  You've won a pair of free Babylegs and a yard of organic bamboo velour!

Please email me at greenthumbfabrics@gmail.com with your shipping address so I can get this out to you asap.

And everyone else, THANK YOU SO MUCH for becoming a fan of Green Thumb Fabrics!  Just for participating in this contest, I have a very small gift for you, so if you commented on the giveaway post, please email me at the same email addy with your full name and shipping address. :)

How to keep velour from shifting while sewing

Do you ever get really frustrated with how your velour shifts while you're sewing?  I don't know about you, but it drives me batty, especially when you end up with uneven sides even after pinning.

Tip: Use a temporary spray adhesive that quilters use.  Spray on one side and carefully lay the top layer on and then pin.  The spray adhesive washes away when you launder your finished product.

Be a Facebook Fan of Green Thumb Fabrics and Win!

*This give away is now closed!  Please see the announcement post to see the winner.*

We finally have a Facebook Fan page set up here, and we will be holding a little contest to get at least 100 fans so we can get our unique username link.

Sign up to be a fan on Facebook, come back here to post a comment saying that you became a fan by October 20 midnight PST.  We will pick a winner using random.org.  The winner will receive a pair of Cayenne Organic Babylegs and one yard of bamboo fabric just in time for Autumn!

Please make sure to come back to check to see if you won.

VISIT www.greenthumbfabrics.com to shop for fabric!