The perfect beginning to the fall fashion season is a good jacket and in my eyes there is no better jacket than the Midtown Trench by Indygo Junction. This was a surprisingly quick project. With all the details and beautiful flares in this pattern (large cuff, box pleats, and portrait collar) I would have thought that this was a time investment but the opposite was the case. The pattern was very well written and it seemed everything lined up and was excellently illustrated. The only trouble I had was with the hem. I ended up doing a 2.5 in. double turn hem as opposed to what was written. Also my auto buttonhole foot did not accommodate 1.25 in. buttons so I had to free hand it. I have learned that button holes are not my forte. Now buttons, I rocked those. No one sews on a button like Tara Miller. I kept the hand sewing to a minimum by doing the double turn hem and I stitched in the ditch to tack down the facings at the shoulders. That worked well. I would recommend any of our designer prints for this or smooth sateen or twill fabric. I used a size 14 needle and all purpose thread. You will need a large space to layout and cut your fabric; some of the pattern pieces are large. The fabric is Love by Amy Butler and it was great fun to work with as well. Not a big hit with the husband but all my girlfriends and mom loved it.
The top stitching incorporated in the pattern adds a lovely and professional finished. The back box pleats really add some extra swing to this jacket. The ¾ length sleeves, large cuffs and wide portrait collar are really 'on trend' but are still classics to last years. The fact that this jacket is so quick makes it easy to make several in different patterns and colors. There are 2 different versions included in the pattern. I made the shorter version without patch pockets. You can make the short for a fall jacket in some of our designer prints and the longer in laminated cotton as a great rain coat. The jacket called for 3 3/8 yd of 60 in. fabric and 3 7/8 yd of 45 in. fabric, 1/8 yd of interfacing and five 1 to 1 1/4 in. buttons. I used 5 of our ceramic buttons in a herringbone pattern. They look incredible with this print; the buttons match perfectly.
Pearl gleams and shimmers. Pearl is elegant and sophisticated. Pearl is a knitted clutch with a textured body and lacey, scalloped flap. Pearl is lined with a sea blue Dupioni silk. Pearl is our latest free knitting pattern download.
I dreamed of pearl when I first saw Berocco's Lustra. For many months I wanted to get my hands on it and see what could be made with it to bring out the sheen and incorporate the slight fuzziness. The textured stitch came from a stitch guide but I had to reverse it for knitting in the round. The lace stitch is simple but delicate enough to add to the elegance of the clutch without detracting from the texture.
Pearl is knit with a worsted weight Tencel and Wool blend on size 8, 24 in. cable needles. You can sub in any silken or woolen yarn but I would not recommend anything too fuzzy or stark (like pure cotton). The slight fuzziness blends the gaps in between stitches in the texture. The pattern for the lining is also included. You can use any silky fabric or spice it up with patterned quilting cotton.
Pearl is perfect for any occasion where a clutch is needed. It's soft to the hand. A small luxury when you are stuck in heels for the night.
You can download Pearl here and check out Pearl's Ravelry Page
Football games are being played everywhere now. Despite the fact that it's still summer in the Beautiful South, the sound of a high school football game on a Friday night brings fall to mind. Fall means cool temperatures, and those games can get chilly. I have a few suggestions for staying warm at the games and showing your team spirit at the same time.
You've seen them on TV, you've seen them in the drug store, and there are even pub crawls that
include those famous blankets-with-sleeves as required attire. As much as they are ridiculed, the blankets-with-sleeves are terribly practical. If you couldn't find the color or team you are looking for to take to the game, we have a pattern for you. Kwik Sew has a Blanket with Sleeves pattern sized for the whole family. We have NFL and Collegiate fleece patterns that are perfect for wearing at the game. If your favorite team is not represented, we have fleece in every color in the rainbow to match your favorite team's colors.
If you are not the Blanket-with-Sleeves kind of person, I have some stylish options for fleece that may suit you better. Kwik Sew also has some great poncho patterns including ones with hoods, mother/daughter versions, and asymmetrical ponchos. These can be made from any kind of fleece including the lighter weight fleece for those in warmer areas. We also have some great jackets that would be so cute made out of the fleece with the team logos. You will be the only one in the stadium with a custom made fleece jacket with your favorite team logo.
Cheer them on, and stay warm! I hope you have a great football season!
Now- I am not an old hand to embroidery but nor am I a green horn. You may find me safely in the middle of the road. This is just my experience we are discussing here, not my enthusiasm. That can be ranked way up high. You have to stand on your tippy-toes to reach it. But this is only since I discovered Sublime Stitching. Back when I was in high school and my mom started me with embroidery, we would head down to the local hobby/craft store and pick from their rather old-fashioned selection. It was just fine for my mom who was in the market for another "Home Sweet Home" sign but for a 14 yr old, a furry mouse hugging a computer just wasn't my style. Jenny Hart is much, much more my style. I mean, come on, she's got aliens, pie and pirates in there (the trifecta)!
Reading her book brought back all my fond memories of why I fell in love with embroidery all those days ago (despite the floral, whimsical jungle); the gentle "thunk" noise that the needle makes as it pierces the fabric, the gentle and precise movement, the freedom of color. Jenny's book is well written for a beginner or anyone looking to pick up tips. It features full instructions along with friendly How-tos, tips and "hey, check out this cool thing I found to do this better". The book has a nice selection of stitches followed by a stitch lesson and then PATTERNS-glorious patterns. Each is iron-on, including the stitch lesson. Most are bereft of added business in hopes that you will get creative and go crazy with your own business. I had such a good time with my stitch lesson. I choose to go with one color but different thicknesses of floss. I varied from 2-6 strands and found I much prefer 3. I left some of my lesson undone so you (my gentle readers) could see what the iron-on looks like. Jenny recommends 3-4 passes of a hot iron before checking but I found with my iron that one pass made it dark enough. My recommendation is to check after every pass. Just a little peek. I also used a 9 by 4 in. hoop as opposed to a circular hoop and thought it worked well for the longer stitch patterns in the lesson.
I have big plans for the rest of the patterns in the book and most fall into the Christmas present category. There are plenty of cupcake, ice cream and coffee patterns that are great for tea towels. I know my brother (with a band) will love one of the Mexican dancers on his guitar strap and my toddler has a ton of hoodies that need a little something special on the sleeve or front pocket. I might even try something for my husband but I will have to sneak it!
Felted Flower Bowls: what a fun, quick felted knit. I love projects like this: quick and gorgeous. Not only is this an afternoon, naptime project but it also make a great gift. Give a cluster of 3-4 to a friend for catch-alls or jewelry in different colors. They make darling teacher presents (keeping erasers, paper clips, thumb tacks, etc) or for a little lady to keep all her treasures.
But... in order to make the bowl you must first come to peace with felting. It was hard for me (my first felt was a cell phone pouch) to knit an object only to 'ruin' it, in a way, by washing it against its washing instructions. It was also hard to fathom that it would be so different after than before. But felting is so fun, shrink-dinks fun! To an extent textures can play well but in general you want to stick with garter or stockinette stitch. There are no ends to weave in and colorwork takes on a whole new meaning. While felting is easier in a top loader washing machine, it can be done in a front loader. I felted the flower bowl in a front loading machine. I choose the shortest wash cycle and checked on it after each cycle to see when it had felted enough.
Felting makes a fabric so knitting the item in its finished shape is not a necessary step. You can knit pieces or just on big piece and sew it together once dried (try Knitty's pumpkin). Felted knitting gets thicker as well as denser in the process. Felted items that work well are bags, appliqués, hats, slippers, and decorative items (agina with the felt pumpkins- I love 'em). Felt is great for shaping, cutting and is much more manipulative than non-felted knitting. Felting is only possible with coat fibers like wool, alpaca and llama. You must also be very careful of blends. I used Berocco's Lustra, a wool & tencel blend, and I will admit I had some concerns on whether or not it would felt. With a 50/50 blend my fears were pretty small but there was still a small sigh of relief when I pulled it out and saw how fine the bowl looked. I have a special place in my knitting heart for felting and I certainly cannot wait pass it on!
Here is a great article from Knitty.com on felting, ins and outs and how-tos.
Here is my project page on Ravelry.
Being a full-fledged, pledge-swearing Disney nerd, I was so excited when the Thomas Kinkade Disney collections arrived. I could not WAIT for the Snow White collection in particular (she's my fave Princess, without a doubt). Looking at the deep hues of the wooded glade where the dwarf cottage nestles contrasted by the parchment style script print gave me an idea for a summer skirt that would have a slightly rustic feel. I cut a simple a-line skirt with a band of green color on the bottom, assembled it, and then started to have the real fun. I cut the large portrait of Snow White from the collection's quilting panels, and multiple small elements from the patchwork print, and then I just had fun playing with placements until I got the look I wanted, then I straight-stitched everything in place, leaving the raw edges exposed. The wave live of smaller pieces wraps all the way around the skirt.
A quick run through the laundry to get some fray on the cut edges was all I needed to complete the look - a slightly grown-up take on the adorable Disney Princess clothes I see little girls wearing, but can't fit into myself!
Alice in Wonderland has been incredibly popular this year, thanks to Tim Burton. As much as I love the design of the movie, it made me think back, longingly, to the wonderful Alice illustrations of Sir John Tenniel. Lucky for me, the British Library Board licensed Tenniel's drawings to Quilting Treasures to create a cotton print collection! This particular project was a very quick affair, a mishmash of colors and patterns all jumbled together, much like Alice's time spent in Wonderland. I just cut 6 panels of equal size from various fabrics, with a waistband cut on the bias and cinched slightly with elastic. A "garland" of imagery around the bottom and voila! A patchwork vibe skirt that keeps me relatively cool in the Georgia heat, and makes me smile every time I look down.
I've got plans for more endeavors of this nature, all in the long project queue. Skirts like this are like art therapy for me; there's no wrong or right way to combine things, and they go together quickly so there's a sense of immediate gratification.
I've got plans for a dress made with the Haunted Oz collection, a Royal Peacock skirt, some kind of delicious silliness made with Viva! and heaven only knows what else. I have no doubt that some other collection will come through the door and trip my creativity circuit. I can't wait!
We all seem to be in a continual state of home redecoration. This is no more so than with me, though I do not really consider it REdecoration as much as decoration. You see we purchased our first house a few years ago and that coupled with our first child has not allowed me much of a decoration budget (good thing I can sew!). So I do a little here and there as I can. The priority now is our bedroom with bed linens being chief. I purchased some Waverly and Amy Butler that I think will go wonderfully with the yellow Dupioni silk drapes I made a few months ago. I am starting with the pillow shams. I choose to start with them because they are quick and will give me a good visual for the rest of the fabrics needed for the room. Once the shams are done, I will be able to see if the bed linens I choose will work for my vision of the room (if you want me to label my vision I guess I will call it regency with milder colors, mostly black, grey, white, yellow and some unknown accent color). I have made beds thousands of times so a pattern wasn't needed to complete my shams. Though I wanted to add a flange that did not work out due to poor planning and math. But in the end I managed to convince myself that I did not really want a flange anyway. Perhaps on some throw pillows, I told myself.
I measured my pillows' width and length and added a 1 in.for a ½ in. seam allowance for 2 front pieces. Next I added 6 in. to the length for 2 back pieces which I then cut in half. This left me with 4 pieces half the length of the front but with an extra 3 in. each for a 2 in. over lap and a ½ in. double turn hem.
Pinning the back pieces to the front (right sides together) overlapping the back pieces (after you complete the double turn hem) and stitch all the way around with a ½ in. seam. Clip the corners and turn right side out with a turning tool for the corners. Insert your pillow and done. Don't forget to prewash your fabric and press thoroughly beforehand. This is very important for pillows since you don't want them to shrink in the wash and they will need plenty of washing.
Once I placed my shams on my bed and placed my yet-to-be-made duvet fabric underneath, I was smiling from ear to ear. They looked great with my drapes and with the duvet fabric. My days of a miss-matched bedroom are slowly coming to an end and I cannot wait to see what it looks like in the end. I hope to add an upholstered chair, a repainted dresser or two and some new nightstands.
As the summer draws to a close, so too ends yet another wedding season, leaving closets full of retired bridesmaid's dresses. I know, bride's are always saying, "But I picked a dress you can wear outside of the wedding!" Let's be honest - you never do.
I have had several bridesmaid's dresses over the past few years (luckily, I have been a bride as well). Some I have donated, some I have burned (come on, you've been there, too...), but there have been a few I can't stand to just be done with. Two brides in particular have been fantastic friends, and I have always wanted to do something special for them.
The first bride, Alyson, was married to my husband's best friend (and the best man at our wedding) in July of 2009. Chad, my husband, reciprocated best man duties, and I was a bridesmaid (actually, my main job was keeping the bees from stinging the flower girls during the outdoor ceremony). Our dresses were a taupe colored and tea-length with a halter top and a brown sash for accent. The wedding was in the Lake Tahoe area (GORGEOUS!) and the weather couldn't have been better. The ceremony was beautiful, the reception was a blast, and the bride and groom were as wonderful and gracious as could be. Much fun was had by all, and the couple is still happily married and still very good friends with us.
I will confess that I started out with the intention of making something for myself out of the dress. I never seem to have a clutch that can function with both a dressier outfit and something more casual, so I sought to find something to pair with the satin to balance out the elegance. By the time I finished, I decided that I loved the bag so much that I simply had to give it to Alyson (my mind works like that).
Here's a quick summary of my project:
* For the pattern, I chose the Ruthie Clutch from Anna Maria Horner with a few small edits.
* I made the main body of the bag out of the satin from the dress (unpicked and cut carefully so that I had plenty left over). You could recreate this look with duchess satin.
* The top band and the flower are made from a lilac colored microsuede, which was a little more difficult to work with than a regular cotton would have been since it is thicker and didn't make fusing the peltex an easy task. Still, I like the contrasting texture against the satin.
* The pattern calls for a button closure with an actual button hole in the strap. I'm too lazy for that (I'd just leave it open all the time) so I modified the pattern to include a magnetic snap closure. I still used a pretty button for decoration.
* The lining and closure strap are made from a cotton print I had laying around (for the life of me, I can't remember the name of the collection).
* I used some pretty, complimentary trim to hide the craziness of my seams... I mean add an elegant accent.
* The flower is from a tutorial (that I LOVE), found here.
The pattern was mostly straight forward, but it got a little tricky when it came to putting the stabilizer in the band. Admittedly, it probably would have been a lot easier if I had read all the instructions before jumping right in. It wasn't hard enough for me to give up. It did, however, make me realize how badly I needed a pressing ham (the most underrated tool ever). In the end, I decided that I couldn't keep it. Instead, I am giving it to Alyson for a rather belated birthday present. I hope she enjoys it.
Stay tuned in the next few weeks for the answer to, "What the heck do I do with a full length, ball gown bridesmaid's dress in midnight blue satin with a whole lot of fabric (to accommodate my then-pregnantly-round figure)?" I'll give you a hint - both the bride's daughter AND son should benefit from my creativity (if I can disassemble the dress correctly).
Happy stitching!
When starting a new project, you often consider the big items: fabric, interfacing, buttons, zippers, etc but often it is the little things that can really throw off a project and need to be considered just as fiercely. Like making sure your #2 pencil was sharp before a big test, it's the little things that can make a project a breeze or a nightmare.
· Stock up on machine needles of all sizes, universal, sharp and ball point. Start every new project with a new needle. It will keep your sewing smooth, be still the tangles and prevent needle breaks. Also, make sure you match the needle to your project. While a universal 80/12 might seem to work well for most of your projects, there is a real difference when sewing knits with a ball point. Keep your needles in a handy place that is easily reachable from where you sew. You are more likely to change your needle as often as required if you do not have to get up and cross the room.
· Bobbins are huge. It is houses half your seam. Be sure you have the right size bobbin for your machine. Be exact. Bobbins are much more temperamental than your upper thread and depending on your machine, not so easy to adjust. The wrong size bobbin can cause severe tangles, mess up your tension and simply mess with your head by causing intermittent issues that are difficult to determine cause. Wind your bobbin carefully. Make sure it is straight and tight. Any looseness in your bobbin can cause major issue.
· Keep a good pair of scissors close by. Keep them sharp. Mark them in some fashion and sit your family down and announce that these are "Mommy's good fabric scissors and you are not to touch them except with Mommy's express permission (that goes for you too, husband) and if Mommy catches you touching her good fabric scissors she will use them to give you a special hair cut". But of course you can paraphrase; this is just what my mom said to us growing up. Use them to rescue tangle bobbin threads that have sucked in your fabric, clipping your thread as you go (we all dream the dream) and even as a turning tool.
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Pincushions are not made of gold so there is no reason to just have one. Make several. You may remember from my sewing room video that I have about a half dozen (and counting). I keep them all over my sewing room because you are always in need of pins and they are always out of reach. Pincushions are cute, sassy, fun and quick to make. I have one for hand sewing needles; I have another to store my machine needles if my project calls for multiple needles and then the rest house my pins. With every project, one goes on the right side of my machine and one sits on my cutting table. As one gets empty and the other full, I rotate.
We have just covered a few of the little things needed to make every project go smoothly. Look around your sewing room or think back on a particularly trying project and contemplate on little things you can set up in advance to make your future projects move quicker, easier and more relaxing.
P.s. The above pictures are (from top to bottom): Heather Bailey's Effie and Ollie & Heather Bailey's Henrietta Turtle
If pressed, I would call it the fabric equivalent of Ravelry. That is one way of describing Sewing Pattern Review to a 'T' but also missing it entirely. Sewing Pattern Review (SPR) has an awesomeness that is its own; this makes it a valuable tool for sewers and seamstresses. You can find pattern reviews there, sure, but you will also find reviews on sewing tools and machines, contests, forums, and online classes. It is a Girl Scout camp for the fabric minded. Before I purchased my new sewing machine (I say new but she and I have been together and happy for 3 years now) I scoured the internet for reviews. No site had more useful info than Sewing Pattern Review. If it wasn't for this gem of a site I would be shackled to another machine I had my heart set on that would have spent more time in the repair shop than my sewing room had I not read the reviews.
I have found many a good tip for a planned pattern on SPR that has saved me time, frustration and one or two times, I just put the pattern aside. When I was a beginner, it virtually held my hand while I attempted more challenging projects. I have not utilized the site as much as I should. Well, that is not true. I have used the heck outta SPR but I have not given back as I should. I only house two reviews of my own on SPR and those are just recent. But writing this blog has brought this problem to light and I will rectify it. My two patterns reviews are the Nancy Dress and the Bossa Nova Skirt. Submitting and writing your pattern is easy. There is a template you can use to write your review and you need a good picture of your finished project. Submitting your own may lead you to check out others and inspire you to make another from a fabric or with a technique you saw from another review. The same can be said for your review. Inspiration runs wild on this site so prepare your wallet and be still your heart. I would love it alone just for the window shopping. I encourage all to use this site; it is wonderful, helpful and an unending resource for all that is sewing.
