The Fabulous Fabric Shop is hosting its 2nd Annual Fashion Show in front of the shop on Sunday, August 14 at 4 p.m. The show will feature local fashion designers, both adult and child apparel, young designers from their sewing camps, and the latest fabrics and pattern designs on display. There will also be handmade craft vendors, facepainting, kid craft activities, a raffle drawing, and more.
The fashion show is a celebration of sewing’s comeback. Based on the popular response to the Fabulous Fabric Shop’s classes and simply talking with customers, sewing is no longer a dying art, the owners say.
Within their first year they offered 95 classes and taught 146 people to sew (65 adults & 81 kids)! Classes are about 60% of their sales. Their students are a mix of mostly tween-age girls wanting to be fashion designers, young mothers wanting to sew unique and fashionable clothes for their little girls, and ladies renewing their sewing hobby with refresher courses.
The summer kid sewing camps were so popular that extra weeks and morning sessions had to be added. The sewing camps were a Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m., format. Level I students completed five projects, including a drawstring bag, circle pillow, pillowcase, apron, and ruffle skirt. Level II students with basic machine sewing skills learned to read patterns while making PJ pants and a robe. Level III students made a sundress and tote bag or their project of choice. As of August 11th, The Fabulous Fabric Shop will have taught sewing to over 80 girls this summer alone.
There is an overall huge handmade movement possibly spurred by the economy and people’s desire to find cheaper and greener hobbies to do at home and also supplement their income with at-home craft businesses. Etsy.com’s popularity is a true testament to all of this as well. We have a large number of handmade designers right here in Redding. The Fab Fabric Shop partnered with the Redding Handmade group and hosted crafty events to raise this “Buy Local. Buy Handmade.” awareness with events like the August fashion shows.
The influence of the Internet has also transformed the craft world and introduced it to a whole new generation, offering a fresh approach to “handmade.” Handmade is no longer considered something only our Grandmas do and instead has been given a modern, boutique-style makeover. Craft blogs and Facebook pages allow novice seamsters and designers alike to share how-to tutorials, passion of beautiful fabrics, and one-of-kind handmade products. For The Fabulous Fabric Shop alone, Facebook has been a huge force, accounting for at least 80% of our customer base with over 600 fans. The social media tactic also allows further interaction with customers; from signing up for classes to giving feedback on what fabric and classes they want offered and increasing referrals thru exclusive Facebook discount incentives.
However, out of all the stats and business side of sewing’s comeback, it is the impact The Fabulous Fabric Shop is making on these young girls’ lives that is their true mission. From seeing the girls’ uninhibited creativity in their designs to hearing the parents’ praises about building their daughters confidence with this new skill, this has been the shop’s biggest accomplishment and proof that sewing is an art skill that should not be ignored.
The Fabulous Fabric Shop is located on Churn Creek Road in the Shasta Center behind Cool Hand Luke’s. For more information on the fashion show or for a current class schedule visit www.TheFabFabricShop.com or call (530) 221-1608. Also find them on Facebook.
What: 2nd Annual Fashion Show
When: Sunday, August 14 at 4 p.m.
Where: The Fabulous Fabric Shop, 1814 Churn Creek Rd, Redding, CA 96002
-from press release
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