• SUNDAY FLOOD – This incredible Appleton rock band has been around since 1995! Even more amazing is that they’ve been getting better every year. Like a fine wine. Or Ryan Braun. This will be their first show since last August, and perhaps its last until they play Summerfest. video/audio

• CATACOMBZ – The eclectic Milwaukee outfit is something all its own. Catacombz blends crazy time signatures, oddball vocal effects and mind-bending songwriting into something that’s difficult to put into words, but easy to put in your ears. It’s the band’s first trip to the Fox Cities in six-plus years. video/audio

• SCARLET ESCAPE – This Appleton/Milwaukee shoegaze band channels Shiner with distinct vocals, angular axe-wielding and borderline amazing percussion. Like Sunday Flood, this marks a rare show for the band, so make sure to arrive on time to have your face melted by these chaps. video/audio

Ax Saves
Forward Fabrics is starting the 2013 baseball season strong with a brand new shirt. “Ax Saves” honors Brew City’s savior. The gray shirt features the closer piously-pictured in black in. It costs $15 (plus $3 shipping) and can be ordered HERE.

Leap Year/Fry-Day Sales
While the message and design of our “LEAP YEAR EVERY YEAR” shirt will always be relevant, a very close look and some guesswork hints that the prominently pictured player on the shirt just signed with a rival just across the border. We still love the shirt and plan to keep selling it, but between that and football season being over, Forward Fabrics has marked the shirt down to just $10 for a limited time. Order HERE.

Speaking of sales, our supper club ode “Thank God It’s Fry-Day” is on sale for $13 until April 1. Order HERE.

Follow Forward Fabrics, Win Free Stuff
For those of you on Twitter (of think about doing so), you should follow Forward Fabrics. In addition to posting sales and occasional humor WI-sports tweets, we also gave occasional giveaways in which followers could win free shirts, bobbleheads, sports DVDs and more just for following us. It takes a second and costs nothing. Plus, we’ll follow you back. Do it.

Where the magic will happen (not the broken toilet).

As of next week, Forward Fabrics will start printing its own shirts. This will allow the site to offer more shirts (and other products, including infant shirts, underwear and more), more timely designs, and more options for colors of shirts and ink. Right away we’ll have TWO new shirts–one adult and one infant shirt–to add some green and yellow to our overwhelmingly blue shirt collection. After that, many more things will come in the near future. To make room for the new stuff, we want to get rid of two old shirt designs once and for all.

By week’s end, the “KUUUUUHN!!!” and “I (Beer) WI” shirts will be pulled from the site. To help move the remaining stock, I dropped the price of the “KUUUUUUHN!!!” shirt to $3.50. As of this time, only 4 smalls and 4 larges remain, so act fast. The “I (Beer) WI” shirts have been listed on eBay for a Buy It Now price of $3.50. YM, S, M, XL and 2XL shirts are available. The listing ends next Monday (Nov. 19), as does the shirt’s availability.

If you like either of these shirts, this is the cheapest they’ll ever be, and the last time they’ll be available.

For the rest of you, please check the site later this week and going forward to see new products, promotions, sales and (eventually) for info on having your own small batch printing projects made by yours truly.

First Pitch Show
To help kick off baseball season in grand fashion, Forward Fabrics and the now-defunct Right Field Bleachers (of which this business originated) are teaming up to host a night of booze, rock ‘n’ roll, baseball banter, and discounted shirts Saturday, March 31 in my native Appleton. Complete details are on the accompanying flyer, and the Facebook invite… but basically, all Forward Fabrics products will be marked down and remaining RFB shirts will be unloaded at closeout prices.

Some of our favorite Wisconsin bands (Sunday Flood, The Fatty Acids, Haunted Heads, and Scarlet Escape) will melt faces. The show is absolutely FREE, so if you live anywhere near Appleton, make a point to drop down, say hey, and have a beer with us.

“The T” Liquidation Sale
Being a small business, sometimes one design must be discontinued in order for new designs to be made available. To make room for new products this season, I made the decision to stop making “The T” shirt–inspired by Milwaukee’s beloved multiple-personality outfielder. To do so, I marked all remaining shirts down to just $5. As I write this, only 12 remain (5 S, 3 L, 4 XL), so get one while you still can.

Blackbird Bar Harts MKE
My hands-down favorite Milwaukee watering hole, Blackbird Bar (3007 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.), became the first and, to date, only (non-Internet) place to get Forward Fabrics gear. The awesome Bay View bar will sell the “I (Hart) MKE” shirt for the regular $15 price. So if you Hart MKE, but hate waiting and paying shipping costs, swing by Blackbird and grab one. Then spend the $3.75 you’ll save on shipping/sales tax on Blackbird’s photo booth or a $2 happy hour priced pint of Riverwest Stein or something. For more info on the bar, click the link on the left sidebar.

Speaking of Hart…
Only about 30 limited edition 12.5″ x 19″ prints of the “I (Hart) MKE” remain. Only 50 were (and will ever be) made. To get these off my shelves, I lowered the price to just $5 (from $7). Get one while they last.

Going Forward
At the conclusion of last calendar year, I took the necessary (and expensive) steps to making this hobby into an actual business by establishing Forward Fabrics LLC. I know this will never overtake my day job, but I want this (my first full year of operation) to be even more encouraging than the last. In the short term, I strive to put out a new shirt or two this summer, and to organize more events to be able to interact with buyers. In the long term, I hope to begin printing my own shirts (and other items) so I can keep costs low and keep a wide range of unique Wisconsin-oriented items coming.

I appreciate all the purchases thus far, as well as all the assistance friends and Milwaukee media have given me to help get Forward Fabrics off the ground. I’d greatly appreciate any help I could get to keep this thing growing. Emailing links to friends, telling someone where you got your shirt when it’s complimented on at a game, suggesting someone “Like” Forward Fabrics on Facebook or follow it on Twitter… it’s all appreciated more than I can say. As long as people stay interested, I will come up with new ideas, fill my home office with hundreds of shirts, and make the post office line my second home.

It’s going to be a great year!
- Tyler, Forward Fabrics

Image courtesy of Miller Park Drunk

Doug Melvin and Co. has been busy wheeling and dealing this offseason. And though Forward Fabrics hasn’t signed an All-Star third baseman or mistakenly assumed an overpaid reliever would turn down arbitration like the ‘stache has, we’ve been keeping busy and trying to make some deals of our own. Here are some new developments that have come up since the baseball season ended.

Hover Craft: Forward Fabrics was fortunate enough to land some booth real estate at the 2nd annual Hover Craft MKE in Bay View this past Dec. 3. Things went exceptionally well. We sold over 45 items and met some new people in our first opportunity to sell FF wears in a real life (non-Internet) setting. Thanks to those who stopped by and/or purchased something. Hopefully, this is that marked the first of many Forward Fabrics booths at local trade shows.

I Hart MKE Prints: In accordance with Hover Craft, Forward Fabrics decided to make a run of 50 limited edition prints. These 12.5″ x 19″ posters prominently display our popular “I (Hart) MKE” design on heavy duty French Paper Co. nightshift blue construction paper. About 30 of these remain. At just $7 ($10 after shipping), this poster makes for an affordable and wholly unique holiday gift for the Hart fan on your shopping list.

Out of Right Field: Right Field Bleachers, the now non-existent t-shirt company I co-founded with some friends, was left with box full of “I (Beer) Wisconsin” shirts when the business dissolved two years ago. With the Badgers smelling roses for the second straight year, the RFB guys were kind enough to let me put our remaining shirt stock on the Forward Fabrics site for closeout prices ($8). The shirts run from S-3XL in size. Only about 40 shirts remain.

$5 Closeout!: After a misguided attempt to quickly capitalize on the popularity of a certain eccentric Milwaukee outfielder, I’m left with half a box of shirts showing the now-famous “T” gesture. At this point, I want to recoup what I can for the shirts so I can earn enough money to go forward with a football-oriented shirt design I’ve been dying to make. All remaining “T” design shirts are just $5. Otherwise, if you order two of any other shirt, email me to request a “T” and I’ll send one with your order for FREE.

As the first calendar year of this business draws to a close, I want to thank all of those who have ordered shirts, all who like Forward Fabrics on Facebook, all the Milwaukee area media outlets who have mentioned my little business, the friends who have helped me get this company rolling in exchange for free shirts and beer, and anyone else I’ve forgotten. I know 2012 will be even better. Two concerts are in the process of being booked, I’m trying hard to get some shirts available in Milwaukee area bars and independent shops and more products are on the way.

Thanks!
Tyler

In short, I’m very excited to be part of this year’s Hover Craft. Even more exciting, it’s happening in just a matter of days.

So as this event nears, I thought I’d take this opportunity to let you know a little more about Hover Craft and what you can expect to see at the Forward Fabrics booth come December 3.

Basically, the 2nd annual Hover Craft MKE brings over 60 of Milwaukee’s premier artists, crafters, and Wisconsin-centric vendors together in one place (Sweet Water Organics, 2151 S. Robinson Ave. in Bay View) to sell unique items locally. Items range from woodwork pieces, organic jams, photography, handmade trinkets and countless other things. As far as Forward Fabrics contributions, you’ll find…

$10 shirts: Unless otherwise priced, all Forward Fabrics shirts will be marked down to a cool Hamilton.
$5 Badgers shirts: This includes all remaining stock of “I (Beer) Wisconsin” shirts (made by Right Field Bleachers, a now-defunct shirt company I was once part of) AND all remaining stock of a shirt Forward Fabrics was forced to pull from the site.
$5 limited edition I Hart MKE prints: To mark this event, I decided to have 50 I Hart MKE prints made. They measure 12.5″ x 19″ and are hand-numbered on the reverse side. Only 50 will be made.
FREE Buttons: My lovely girlfriend decided to make pins with Forward Fabrics designs (Beers, I Hart MKE, The T, and KUUUUUHN!!!) for me to give out for free with purchases.

Beyond my marked down and new items, there will be hundreds of other great offerings from other amazing vendors. It’s a great way to help support local artists and keep your hard-earned cash in the community. For more information on Hover Craft in general, go HERE. I hope to see you there.

The gold on navy blue cotton design subtly pays an homage to T. Plush, Mr. Easy Breezy, The guy who yelled “fuck you” at Chris Carpenter, Tony Gumbo himself and his now-famous “T” he emphatically throws up after his many memorable hits.

To help give this new design the attention it deserves, Forward Fabrics has teamed up with Wilke Art to give you extra incentive to throw up a fabric T of your own. Beginning this Wednesday (and for the six Wednesdays to follow, ending November 2), Forward Fabrics will do a weekly drawing to give away a limited edition glossy 8.5″ x 11″ Wilke Art Nyjer Morgan print (only 100 made!). All you need to do to be eligible to win is buy one of “The T” shirts. That’s it. “T” orders made to this point will be eligible to win too.

Order the shirt HERE.

There will be six drawings for Nyjer Morgan prints and one grand prize drawing with limited edition Morgan, Corey Hart, Yovani Gallardo and Prince Fielder prints (over a $40 value).

If you want one of Wilke’s amazing works of fan art, but don’t want to wait to see if you’ll be picked, I urge you to check out Mr. Wilke’s site immediately. Most prints are only $10. All Wisconsin sports are represented in the impressive catalog. They make incredible and original locally-made gifts for that special fan in your life.

Good luck,
The Management

“You kids with your loud music and your Dan Fogelberg, your Zima, hula-hoops and Pac-Man video games! Don’t you see? People today have attention spans that only be measured in nanoseconds.”

- Ted Denslow, BASEketball commissioner and Milwaukee Beers owner

When I decided to begin Forward Fabrics, the idea to make a “Beers” shirt seemed like something I simply had to do. For starters, it’s a call-back to the 1998 motion picture BASEketball, a cult classic and still among the most quoted movies in my (admittedly immature) life. More importantly, the movie has so many ties to Milwaukee.

Excluding the Bucks in about three years, the Milwaukee Beers will go down in history as Wisconsin’s most renowned fictional team. The film was written and directed by Milwaukee native and Shorewood High School alumnus David Zucker (of Naked Gun trilogy and Airplane! fame), which helps explain the decision to set the movie in Brew City.

All that brings us to the Forward Fabrics homage to the timeless comedy. To honor the classic design, I opted to print this retro-colored Brew Crew-themed shirt on Anvil 980 Fashion Fit t-shirts… think the look and feel of an American Apparel shirt without the extra cost, seedy corporate practices and sexual harassment involved.

At this moment, I’ve only sold TWO Beers shirts! For a shirt so simple-yet-awesome (and my personal 2nd favorite shirt, behind Weekend At Bernie’s), such low interest is unacceptable. So I decided I needed to re-introduce this fine garment to all of you because unawareness is the only way to explain why everyone on Earth isn’t sporting this snazzy number. Despite sales figures, I went ahead and ordered 30 more last week. I’m confident that once more people see these beauties, shirts will start moving.

Or I’ll end up having a Beers shirt of differing tightness for every day of the month. Either way I win.

The unique design, which was masterfully crafted by our friend Jared (of Right Field Bleachers fame), combines the perennial Milwaukee All-Star with a classic horror flick. For a combined 15 bones, what more could you ask for? When the All-Star break ends, so does this sale. So act fast.

Order “Braun Of The Dead” HERE.

In hopes of hitting the modest goal of 300 “likes” by summer’s end, to expose this young company to new eyes and to reward those of you kind enough to express your virtual support of Forward Fabrics, I’ve decided to give away a treasure trove of Brewers items from my own collection to randomly drawn Forward Fabrics “like”rs when the page hits the 100, 150, 200, 250 and 300 “like” marks. Items to be boxed up in the five giveaways include:

• Replica Retro Helmet
• Fang and Bernie Inaugural Brewers/Bobblehead (in box)
• Robin Yount Bobblehead
• Rollie Fingers Bobblehead
• Cecil Cooper Bobblehead
• Bill Hall Bobblehead
• Paul Molitor Mini Bobblehead
• Harvey Kuenn Mini Bobblehead
• SportsBubbler.com Shirts and Fleece Pullover
• Cal Eldred Signed Game Worn Undershirt with MEARS Auction Letter of Authenticity
• Sean Berry Signed Card
• Charlie O’Brien Signed Card
• Klement’s Racing Sausage Wall Print
• Retro Brewers Duffle Bag (Heavy Use)
• Set of (4) Brewers Shot Glasses (Sealed in Original Box)
• Braden Looper Shirt Jersey (Never Worn)
• David Weathers Shirt Jersey (Never Worn)
• White Brewers Painters Cap
• Caricature Magnets of Various Former Players (2008)
• Brewers Can Coozy’s
• Plastic Brewers Retro Logo Mug
• Miller Park Commemorative Pre-Construction Pin
• “Choke” Cubs Logo Shirt
• 1984 through 1992 Milwaukee Brewers Official Yearbooks
• 2004 and 2007 Media Guides
• Seattle Pilots Trucker Hat
• Klement’s Racing Sausages Bumper Sticker
• Retro Logo Window Decal
• Newspaper Clippings from Yount’s 3,000th Hit and Great ’87 Win Streak
• More Than 500 Brewers Baseball Cards (Lots of Yount, Molitor, Vaughn, Cooper, Deer, Higuera, Cirillo, Sheffield and other notables)

It takes literally negative 12 seconds to “like” something on Facebook. And with some of you proclaiming your love for profound things like Orbitz Gum or “GuYz R cHeAtErS” with no chance of winning free stuff, liking Forward Fabrics should be a no-brainer. Suggest liking FF to your friends and be sure to check in from time to time for updates on new products and for future promotions.

Thanks,
Tyler