Born in this month – March

March has so many notable fashion and design related birthdays. I could write a blog post for every day of the month showcasing one stellar fashion icon or grand designer. Let’s just look at a few notable births this month. Plus links for you to explore more.

March is the month that Barbie was born. Love her or hate her the girl’s got staying power. Barbie is actually German by birth. If you look at the German dolls and then the US Barbie it’s not so much that Ruth Handler invented Barbie but rather she saw the potential in the German Bild Lilli dolls and ran with it. Just say ‘in. Bild Lilli dolls in good to great condition can fetch upwards of 4000 dollars or more. Continue reading “Born in this month – March”

JillyFebruary 28, 2014March 1, 20142 Comments

Finished Projects, Reviews

In-the-Hoop Fun: Owl Sewing Kit

I have two embroidery machines, a 6-needle and a single-needle. The 6-needle is great for production work. But the single-needle is not as efficient for repetitive embroidery. It is, however, excellent for making in-the-hoop projects. An in-the-hoop project is a project created on an embroidery machine which yields something other than fabric embellishments. For example, you can make small stuffed animals, luggage tags, small bags, door knob hangers, and many other things. My favorite resource for in-the-hoop projects is Embroidery Garden. Continue reading “In-the-Hoop Fun: Owl Sewing Kit”

lynnenewFebruary 28, 2014January 4, 20142 Comments

Finished Projects

Bag Refashions

Our environment is important to me – that’s one of the reasons I shop at thrift stores and recycle. Now that I live in Boulder, Colorado I’m trying to be even more environmentally conscious, especially since Boulder instituted a shopping bag fee. This small fee (10 cents per bag) has really helped me remember to bring my own bags when I grocery shop. (See – being thrifty helps the environment – hurrah!) Continue reading “Bag Refashions”

katboulderFebruary 26, 2014November 23, 201424 Comments

Finished Projects, Reviews

Cambie Dress | Sewaholic 1202

The Facts

Pattern:

Sewaholic 1202, Cambie, view A. Fitted, lined dress features a sweetheart neckline, darted bodice and extended cap sleeves with slim A-line or full gathered skirt.

Continue reading “Cambie Dress | Sewaholic 1202”

JaneFebruary 25, 2014February 24, 20149 Comments

Reviews

StyleArc Nina Cardigan

I bought the last 2 yards of this printed jersey fabric over the summer and was looking for the right pattern for it. Unfortunately for someone my size, 2 yards doesn’t give you a lot of options and I wanted to make something a little more interesting than a t-shirt. I had the idea of making a waterfall cardigan because I liked the way the black lines looked when the fabric was bunched up a bit, but with two yards that seemed impossible. When I was riffling through my StyleArc patterns and I saw this cardigan only required 1 3/4 yards, I did a double take! Continue reading “StyleArc Nina Cardigan”

JamieDSCFebruary 24, 2014February 24, 20144 Comments

Tips & Tricks

Sewing Needle Identification

I often have no idea what needle is in my sewing machine. Sometimes I stick a note on my machine to remind me. Sometimes I leave the needle case that it came from sitting next to my machine. Sometimes I tuck the needle case behind a rubber band around the neck of my machine. Sometimes I entirely forget. Continue reading “Sewing Needle Identification”

lynnenewFebruary 21, 2014February 1, 20143 Comments

Finished Projects, Reviews

F is for Felted

heartfelt tote, e-how mittens 011

The bag above is my 6th project for Sew All 26 160 , “F” is for Felted. Felting is the process of applying heat, moisture and friction to cause wool (and some other natural fibers) to bind tightly together to create a felted fabric. After felting the fibers are fused and will not ravel. Continue reading “F is for Felted”

katboulderFebruary 19, 2014February 18, 20144 Comments

Finished Projects, Reviews

New Look 6224

The Facts

Pattern:

New Look 6224, view D. Misses dress with sleeve options. A great wardrobe builder.

Continue reading “New Look 6224”

JaneFebruary 18, 2014February 23, 20144 Comments

Reviews

StyleArc Billie Top

The Billie Top by StyleArc is a an interesting top made out of (basically) one piece. By “one piece” I mean that the front and back are all one giant piece with a single side seam down the right side. (There is a neck facing too, but more on that later…) I made this up in a black and tan striped knit that was 50% cotton, 50% rayon. I think the rayon helps with the drapiness, and the stripes really highlight the craziness of the pattern. Continue reading “StyleArc Billie Top”

JamieDSCFebruary 17, 2014February 17, 20142 Comments

Junk Drawer

E is for Embellish!

PicMonkey Collage denim art skirt

Why is a ready-to-wear denim maxi skirt being featured on a sewing blog post? Continue reading “E is for Embellish!”

katboulderFebruary 16, 2014November 20, 20149 Comments

Finished Projects

Clucky Chicken

My husband and I survived the September 2013 flooding in Colorado without any property damage, but suffered a water line break last night (Feb 8) in our storage unit as we went from freezing temperatures for two days to a relatively warm 40 degrees. Some of our boxes were wet and we brought them home to unpack and dry out. One of these boxes was labeled “Chickens” and lo I rediscovered this “Clucky Chicken” I made a few years ago. Continue reading “Clucky Chicken”

lynnenewFebruary 15, 2014February 9, 20143 Comments

Finished Projects, Reviews

Silhouettes Patterns – Laurie’s Pants

Ever since I saw my friend Jane parading down the runway at the Rocky Mountain Sewing Expo in a pair of “Laurie’s Pants” from Silhouette Patterns, I’ve been thinking about making a pair for myself. Jane said the pants were comfortable. And for me, they just looked fun. But I wasn’t sure that all that swishy fabric would look good on me. Curiosity overwhelmed and I finally bought the pattern. Continue reading “Silhouettes Patterns – Laurie’s Pants”

lynnenewFebruary 14, 2014December 31, 20132 Comments

Tips & Tricks

How To Read A Sewing Pattern

If you are new to sewing or are learning sewing on your own you might be wondering what exactly all those arrows, notches and symbols mean on the sewing pattern. Let’s walk through all the symbols and markings you might find on today’s sewing patterns.

How To Read A Sewing Pattern

The pattern instructions will take you step-by-step through the sewing process. The symbols and markings on the pattern will aid in layout, specify whether it’s the front or back side of the garment, where decorative elements like darts, pleats, etc go and more. Knowing what these symbols mean will aid your garment sewing and improve your final garment. Continue reading “How To Read A Sewing Pattern”

JillyFebruary 13, 2014July 1, 20163 Comments

Junk Drawer

Born On This Day – Tina Louise

Growing up I would watch reruns of Gilligan’s Island before my mom would come home from work. I loved the show for one thing only and that was Ginger. She was, as most know the beautiful red headed movie star stranded on the island with 6 others. I fell for Ginger more so than Mary Ann I think largely because she was so beautiful and … Continue reading Born On This Day – Tina Louise

JillyFebruary 11, 2014January 27, 20145 Comments

Tips & Tricks

Fabric Swatch Cards + Plantain Contest Update

I’ll be honest… I’ve reached a point where I have too much fabric to remember off the top of my head what is there. (And when I do remember, where the heck it is.) I’ve been storing most of it in boxes, stacked sideways so you can see an edge of each piece. Still, I find myself ripping everything out of the box when I start a project so that I can feel the weight of the fabrics. (Must touch the fabric!) I’ve seen other bloggers do various organization techniques with swatches and decided that was just the ticket for my handsy approach to finding fabrics from my stash. Continue reading “Fabric Swatch Cards + Plantain Contest Update”

JamieDSCFebruary 11, 2014February 10, 20143 Comments

Finished Projects

2013 Sewing Wrap Up (better late than never)

Top 5 Hits for 2013

Continue reading “2013 Sewing Wrap Up (better late than never)”

JaneFebruary 10, 2014February 9, 201412 Comments

Finished Projects, Reviews

Kwik Sew 3915 – Ruched Neck Tops

I have a RTW (ready-to-wear) top that I found at a thrift store that I have always loved – it is a V-neck ruched top that is snug fitting and comfy. It is the one on the left in the collage and the tag says “j.t.b. petite”. I have always wished I had more of these tops so I was pleased to find a similar pattern by Kwik Sew.
Continue reading “Kwik Sew 3915 – Ruched Neck Tops”

lynnenewFebruary 7, 2014February 1, 20144 Comments

Finished Projects

eHow Crafts “Smittens”

eHow Smittens

If you haven’t checked out eHow Crafts yet, you should! Continue reading “eHow Crafts “Smittens””

katboulderFebruary 5, 2014February 5, 20146 Comments

Finished Projects

Lattice Cutwork Plantain T-shirt

Over my sadly sewing-free Christmas vacation I had been window shopping (or whatever you call the on-line equivalent) for laser cut shirts. I don’t think the ability to laser cut fabric is that new, but for some reason I’ve been seeing a lot of really cool applications of the technology lately like lace patterns in leather. Of course I don’t have a laser, but with knits or other fabrics that don’t fray you could do the same with a scissors. I saw one shirt with a lattice / grid type pattern that I thought would be easy to duplicate. I was planning on just buying a RTW T-shirt and chopping it up, but then French indie pattern company Deer & Doe released a free knit T-shirt pattern, the Plantain T-shirt, that was exactly the swingy shape I was looking for. And then they announced a contest for said pattern and I figured, hey, why not kill two birds with one stone?
Continue reading “Lattice Cutwork Plantain T-shirt”

JamieDSCFebruary 3, 2014February 2, 201412 Comments

Finished Projects, Reviews

D is for Denim

denim skirt collage

For my fourth Sew All 26 160 project I made a denim skirt for the letter D. I have a favorite light blue, above the knee denim skirt which I bought at a thrift store many years ago. It’s looking tatty now though, so I thought I’d try to recreate it. Continue reading “D is for Denim”

katboulderFebruary 2, 2014September 10, 20144 Comments

Junk Drawer

The luxury of sewing all day

Denver Sewing Collective had their first Saturday Sew-In on January 25th. And, boy was it a glowing success. Lynne was able to score her housing development’s club house that had lots of tables, natural light a kitchen and even a fire place and couch. At one point there were 16 of us sewing away like so many mad seamstresses. Lynne’s husband Frank even brought his … Continue reading The luxury of sewing all day

JillyFebruary 1, 2014January 31, 20142 Comments