Month: December 2014
Gifts for Sewers – Tooly and Bionic Needle Organizer
I found these two great patterns on Craftsy for the Tooly and the Bionic Needle Organizer. For any given project, I use only a small subset of the many tools I have. The Tooly is perfect for keeping only those items I’m using right now nearby. And the Bionic Needle Organizer is a great way to keep a stash of sewing needles handy and to keep track of whatever needle you have in the machine. It may be past Christmas, but these make great gifts for yourself or your sewing friends any time of the year. Continue reading “Gifts for Sewers – Tooly and Bionic Needle Organizer”
2014, My 3 Favorite Refashions And My 3 Least Favorite Garments
I love refashioning! There’s just something so satisfying about taking an unwearable garment and making it cute and wearable. And of course I’m super thrifty, so making something from nothing is a kick for me. In 2014 I had a lot of fun with refashioning, so I’ll definitely be doing more of it in 2015. It was hard for me to pick just 3 favorite … Continue reading 2014, My 3 Favorite Refashions And My 3 Least Favorite Garments
2014, My 3 Favorite Garments And My 3 Favorite Crafts!
2014 was a banner year for me as far as completing sewing projects. One of the reasons I wanted to be part of a sewing blog was that I knew it would compel me to finish the projects I start. In the past I’ve been much more adept at starting than finishing my sewing projects. Having to post photos on DenverSews has kept me focused on the end result, although I will … Continue reading 2014, My 3 Favorite Garments And My 3 Favorite Crafts!
Happy Holidays from Denver Sews
A Look at Embrilliance Stitch Artist Level 2
I purchased Embrilliance Essentials not long ago for the sole purpose of creating cut files for my Brother ScanNCut (for appliques). It works beautifully for such purposes and I talked about it here. Lucky for me, Embrilliance recently released a reasonably priced digitizing package as well called Stitch Artist. It works on both the Mac and the PC and comes, for the moment, in Level 1 and Level 2. I have been hoping to find an embroidery design package that is relatively easy and convenient to use so my husband can make all of the patches he’s ever dreamed of making. To this end, I purchased Level 2 and gave it a run-through. (For this review, I am using version 1.137 on a Mac running OS X 10.9.5, but as of today, there is a new version 1.138.) Continue reading “A Look at Embrilliance Stitch Artist Level 2”
The “I Saw It In Threads Magazine” Challenge!
We have a fantastic challenge in store for January 2015 at DenverSews! It’s the “I Saw It In Threads Magazine” challenge! The challenge, sewing a project from Threads Magazine, was the brainchild of fellow blogger Jane. Unfortunately, Jane is stepping down as a blogger for DenverSews so I (Kitty) am announcing her idea for our January challenge. I want to thank Jane for her contributions to DenverSews and also express how grateful I am to … Continue reading The “I Saw It In Threads Magazine” Challenge!
Vintage Sewing Challenge – Jill’s Vogue 9428 Skirt Pattern
I love vintage sewing patterns! I was way too excited for this challenge. I had planned on finishing my vintage cape, but I’m a bit off on that one. I found this pattern at the ASG Denver Fabric sale back in September. I love the loose styles of the 70’s and that whole Studio 54 vibe that I never did experience but it sure did … Continue reading Vintage Sewing Challenge – Jill’s Vogue 9428 Skirt Pattern
December Challenge: Simplicity 1459
This challenge gave me a much needed excuse to do something I’ve never done before – sew up a vintage pattern. I had a grand total of 3 vintage patterns in my collection that I’ve actually paid money for (and a few more that people gave me), so I pulled out those. Are you sensing a common theme in these 3 patterns?
December Challenge: A Vintage Grumpy Care Bear
My daughter has a large collection of Care Bears, purchased in the early 2000s by her mother. I love these little bears, but thought some were a little far removed from the original collection of Care Bears from the 80s: Bedtime Bear, Birthday Bear, Cheer Bear, Friend Bear, Funshine Bear, Good Luck Bear, Grumpy Bear, Love-a-lot Bear, Tenderheart Bear, and Wish Bear. I mean, really, who is “Share Bear” or “Harmony Bear”? These must be the politically-correct cousins. Anyway, I always thought Grumpy Bear was underrepresented. I’m generally a happy person, but sometimes I’m just masking a melancholy undercurrent of holiday anxiety. Anyway, a vintage challenge is a fabulous opportunity to finally make that Grumpy Bear pattern I purchased on eBay a few years ago (Butterick 6228). And if you don’t believe it’s vintage, try and decipher this copyright year: MCMLXXXIII. Continue reading “December Challenge: A Vintage Grumpy Care Bear”
The Vintage Sewing Challenge!
The DenverSews Sewing Challenge for this week is “Vintage”. I asked the DenverSews bloggers to use either a vintage pattern, a new vintage-style pattern, vintage fabric, (or both), or to interpret vintage in their own way. As a lover of all things vintage, I’ve been looking forward to this challenge and to seeing what my sewing friends have created! Continue reading “The Vintage Sewing Challenge!”
Jalie 3248 – Gold Drop Pocket Sweater
This was a quick and easy make – Jalie 3248. I bought the pattern probably a year ago already and left it lying around because I didn’t have the perfect reversible fabric in my stash to inspire me to sew it up. A couple weeks ago I was at JoAnn’s (just to get zippers… you know how that goes) and picked up this neat fabric. It’s a gold and black variegated knit that has some kind of gold lame finish applied to one side. (I *think* this is the fabric – it was part of the Gilded Age collection still in stores.) When I saw it I thought of my Jalie pattern instantly. Continue reading “Jalie 3248 – Gold Drop Pocket Sweater”
A Little Christmas Sewing
Christmas is probably the only holiday I get excited to do some sewing for. This year I had ambitions to finish a Christmas-themed quilt called “First Snow” from Quilters Newsletter Magazine. I got all of the houses done, but did not make a single tree. Oh well, there’s always next year! Continue reading “A Little Christmas Sewing”
Vanessa Pouzet – Eagle Veste – A Review
I fell hard for the Eagle jacket from Vanessa Pouzet. I saw the photo on Instagram and knew I had to make it. I bought the pattern from vanessapouzet.com for around 6.00 US dollars. It is an e-Pattern. I know nothing about Vanessa Pouzet, her training etc, but she has some very lovely patterns available. Check her out and you’ll be downloading today.
Check out her photo spread of it. IT’S BELLE!
Copying the pattern Continue reading “Vanessa Pouzet – Eagle Veste – A Review”
Burda December 2014 Review (International Edition)
This month’s issue of Burda was a bit of a let-down for me. Generally the December issue has some fun party dresses and fancy tops, but the dresses this month bored me and the tops were mostly oversized and shapeless. There were a handful of items I liked though and the plus size section was great so it’s still worth the subscription price to me. My first pick is this 70’s style A-line skirt with a front pleat and decorative tabs on the side. I’d make the tabs from leather and perhaps add some buckles or other hardware to snazz it up a bit. Fantastic styling for once – this whole look is really in right now. I was just at DSW and there were two full rows of black knee high boots so they must be having a moment right now. My only complaint is that I really wish Burda gave us the pattern for that top too! Continue reading “Burda December 2014 Review (International Edition)”
Denver Sewing Collective 