End of the Month Randomness

Well its the last day of March and I have just bits and pieces of thoughts....

1. SWAP News

SWAP is the predominant sewing thing on my mind because well its official end date is tomorrow, April 1st. Thankfully Julie of Timmel Fabrics has given us to April 15th to get pictures into her so I really have one more weekend besides this one to finish up. And I am going to need every minute of it! I will take my photos next weekend and then take them to work to PhotoShop them so that I can present the best five.

Actual sewing that remains is - the red dress needs to be hemmed (I never got to it last week!), the black dress needs buttons & buttonholes and to be hemmed, the reversible dress needs to be made - going to work on that this weekend and the Dana Silhouettes top needs to be made. All of this is doable this weekend and next and I will be done with SWAP!

I have to say that I will be glad to be finished....I have so much new Spring fabric waiting for me that I really want to sew which brings me to my next topic:

2. Fabric Accumulation

Fabric Mart and Metro Textiles really did me in this month! I got 44 yards of fabric from Fabric Mart - the wonderful pieces of linen and wool blends that I detailed earlier in the month and 12 yards of hot, trendy pieces from Metro Textiles. I also got a 2 yard knit piece from Gorgeous Things Fabrics (gotta support my friends!) and 2 yards of a black/white blend boucle from Fabric.com because I want to knock off this jacket from Barrie Pace:

3. Garment Totals
I just haven't thought about this because this month's sewing has been dedicated to SWAP sewing. My goal is just to get finished! *LOL* And move onto other things...preferably things that don't have to match with something else or the other 10 pieces...maybe just make a t-shirt because I can or a new skirt from a piece of fabric from my amazing fabric collection!

4. Last thoughts....
-Ann (Gorgeous Things) wrote about purchasing fabric and the fabric moratorium boards on a few of the sewing sites...I have been trying to reduce my fabric intake - only because I want to make a rather large furniture purchase - but I just have not been that successful...maybe because the siren song of fabric and its possibilities is just too sweet to my ears! Plus as you lay dying do you really think your last thought is going to be...man I bought too much fabric during my life! *LOL* So that just about sums up my position on THAT!

-Another one of those little brown envelopes have turned up from Fabric Mart, but I think I am going to escape without a major fabric purchase this month - just a couple yards of a black linen blend and only because I am too lazy to cart some home from the garment district...

-I purchased this pattern from Simplicity-4074 yesterday thanks to Patti, a good sewing friend. I have been searching for a knit wrap type dress ala DVF that would look good on my plus size body. I really don't want to look like a sausage with a string tied around my waist, like so many plus-size women that I have seen in NYC wearing this look. I think this pattern will solve my challenge. I can wear a trendy new style but still look sleek and slim! So that along with the eyelet trench will be my next projects...well after those AG doll clothes!


Have a good weekend and enjoy the sewing journey!

I have figured something out

Okay this is probably going to be a brief post without pictures because I just had a thought and wanted to share....and its probably something that nobody else cares about, but so what its my blog! *LOL*

I have been visiting blogs today and noticed that other people have lives - small children that require well you know all the things they require (I remember those times!), other hobbies - they knit or scrapbook or something, husbands (well he's been gone for some time now) and generally full lives...I work and I sew.

Mmmmm, maybe that's why I create so much stuff! *LOL* My attention is not diverted to other things...I mean I have children but they are teenagers who basically can fend for themselves and go their own way....and I have friends but their children are all grown now so we do grown up activities which don't seem to take as much time as activities with children....

So I sew...and when I am working I am thinking of ways to get home as quickly as possible so I can sew! See a one track mind! *LOL* I am heading back to SWAP land....more soon!

One down, two and 1/2 more to go

Switching to the Viking definitely helped with the pintucks and then a good cleaning of my regular (Janome 8000) sewing machine's bobbin case and it is back to purring like a baby....I still think I am going to take her in for a servicing but I don't think it's going to die before I finish SWAP - thank goodness!

I got the piece of fabric pintucked

and then decided that I liked the channeling effect better on the reverse side of the pintucks. So that is the side of the fabric that I used to create the dress.

The pintucking gave the fabric dimension and once the embellishment was completed the dress went together one, two, three. But then of course it should, it's a TNT pattern.

I am including a shot of me in the dress, well an off the cuff no fashion shoot shot and I hope you can see the ribbed effect all the pintucking gave the dress. It still needs a hem but I needed a break, will hem it before I go to bed. One more SWAP dress completed.

I have been dithering over the black wool crepe Tamotsu dress not because I don't want to finish it but because I really couldn't decide if I wanted the long sleeves on the dress as originally planned. I finally decided to go with a sleeveless version since I plan on wearing it under both of the SWAP jackets. I am going to keep the sleeves handy, just in case I change my mind next fall but right now it will be sleeveless.

This dress needs the collar added, a finishing treatment done to the armholes, buttons & buttonholes added and to be hemmed. And I am even reconsidering the length of the dress - I am thinking about making it knee-length instead of calf-length....decisions, decisions...I wonder if this is how the designers feel before they do a show in Bryant Park! *LOL*

I have one more dress finished, one almost finished (the half referred to in the title!), a top which I think will probably end up being the Silhouttes Dana top because I just can't imagine a turtleneck now and the reversible tank dress. I can see the finish line...I just hope I can keep sprinting towards it!

Staggering towards the finish line

The SWAP finish line that is....

Why is it that when you have a deadline everything seems to go wrong or you get these gradiose ideas which also causes everything to go wrong....

First - my sewing machine needs to go in the shop. It was making a knocking noise but sewing a straight stitch well enough and probably well enough for me to finish my SWAP pieces. But I got the great idea to embellish the red wool crepe so that my TNT short sleeve dress would have some umph...not heavy embellishment...just some double-needle pintucks. Okay, I admit that I am pintucking the entire piece of fabric but my machine should have held up through that....NOT!

Second - frustration set in last Sunday evening as I realized that an entire weekend was going to pass without me completing another garment on my SWAP and the deadline was looming. I was pretty moody at work on Monday because I would have much rather been at my sewing machine....

Third - inspiration from another source - Hotpatterns decides to put out a new collection. Now I have never purchased a Hotpatterns pattern - though the designs are inspiring I had been put off by the sewing challenges. However this pattern really started me thinking:

credits - www.hotpatterns.com

Then I make the mistake of informing my internet buddies that I "like" the pattern and the ideas start flowing hot and heavy. Does any of this idea sharing encourage me to continue my SWAP sewing....Noooooo! Instead I have to keep repeating over and over again that I still have SWAP sewing to do.


Fourth - a box of beautiful knit fabrics arrive from FabricMart, the weather is starting to turn warm and I am sewing fall items....need I say more!


So today I pulled out the old Viking, set it up and it is making pintucks like a whiz, and I am staggering towards the SWAP finish line.

Wish me luck! Because I still have SWAP sewing to do!

Sewing Inspiration

I usually spend Saturday mornings trolling the internet - visiting blogs, looking at online fashion spots, etc. I happen to love the Dana Buchman line. Have loved it for years but in my last job I really didn't need to wear the kind of clothing she sold but loved her line for color and style inspiration! Well what a difference a year makes...now this is "my" type of clothing for business attire again!

So you know I just about flipped this morning when I clicked in and saw her new spring collection and this trench:

Do I not have the perfect fabric (compliments of Kashi) to make this trench! Won't it just be fabu ~ yeah, I know I am overusing the word but it's my new word of the moment! Don't I have several trench patterns in my pattern stash that could become this amazing coat!

Now to contain my excitement, finish my SWAP, make those doll clothes and move onto Spring Sewing! Yes!!!!

SWAP News

There are 23 days left to SWAP according to Marji's blog and 16 days left according to Shannon's blog....but in my head there are four more weekends (including this one) to finish the last pieces of my "Corporate Chic" SWAP. Doing the dress SWAP has been considerably easier for me and really allowed me to just flow...

Last weekend I finished up the black/white plaid jumper - picture below.

So I still have two dresses - one of which will be reversible and one top left to make. I have already started one of the dresses, just need to be inspired to complete it. I definitely feel like I am going to finish the SWAP in plenty of time and even have enough time to do a photo shoot the way that I want. Last year I don't think that I properly displayed my garments or really gave a good description of how they worked in my wardrobe. These are definitely two areas I want to improve upon this year!

After I finish my SWAP - I am going to take a break from human clothes and make some clothes for my boss' daughter's American Girl doll. Her birthday is May 7th and I have planned a wardrobe of doll clothes for her 18" doll. I love sewing doll clothes especially since this is stress-free sewing. You plan, get creative & sew. The doll doesn't complain, doesn't worry about fit and I can usually make one or two outfits that just WOW! the little girl.

Finally two additional pictures - I posted about the Taginello purse that I bought from QVC last weekend...well it arrived and I have two shots of it for you Linda! The inside....


And the bag with the matching wallet...that was the part that really sold me. It is a little smaller than the huge tote I am presently lugging around but I notice that in the summer I carry less stuff so this should work out fine.

Gotta go to bed...as the sleet bangs against the window...it is the middle of March, right? I mean Spring really is next Tuesday...'cause it sure feels like winter here in NJ!

A Marfy Virgin

I have admired Marfy patterns for years....and for years I have faithfully purchased the catalogs from the newsstands in NYC - never thinking about purchasing a pattern - only using the catalogs for inspiration in my sewing.

However, there has been an explosion of Marfy pattern making on the sewing boards. All of it inspiring...all of it challenging...most of it intimidating! For several seasons I have had what I claimed was a legitimate reason not to accept the challenge of a Marfy pattern..."They don't come in my size." Now this is not to say Marfy doesn't make plus size patterns, but the really kewl patterns - like the one on the cover or in the first few pages of the catalogue - aren't in the plus size range. I like the detailing on the kewl skinny patterns, the slim fit, the play with color that is lacking in their plus size offerings. So I admired these patterns from the sidelines and just borrowed liberally from their amazing details for my own clothing.

Lately I have become enamoured with this Marfy pattern: F1313


I can just see this lovely dress made up in a pretty spring colored linen with some awesome RiRi zippers and then all of that pretty topstitching setting the dress off. I have drooled at this dress all over the internet - on blogs, at the Marfy website, at the Vogue Pattern website. I even wrote a blurb on Phyllis blog about how I loved the dress but it didn't come in a plus size. Over the weekend, as I was drooling over my catalogue yet again, and noticed something that I hadn't seen before...this pattern goes up to a size 54. I can work with that. I am sure I am going to have to do some alterations but I can work with this. So I took the plunge. I ordered the pattern from Vogue's pattern site. Usually when I order something from the internet I am anxiously awaiting the mailman. But mostly I just feel like a virgin on her wedding night, scared of the unknown, wondering if I can go through with it and yet eager to begin. So I will let you know when it arrives and I will walk you through my process.

But for now back to swapping....

It's Show and Tell Time!

I usually don't start sewing on Saturdays until late Saturday afternoon or evening. And this is a new thing for me because before I started this new job I would get up early on Saturday morning, read some sewing things and head off to sew. Because of my new, more all-encompassing job, I rarely read blogs at work and it has to be a really slow day for me to head over to Stitcher's Guild and read. Which means that now I get up early on Saturdays and spend hours catching up on all the sewing blogs, fabric sites and Stitchers' Guild. So I am really amazed when I hear or get comments like I produce quite a few garments so quickly...because in my mind I always think I could be producing so much more....But that is all an aside...what I am posting about today are the lovely fabrics that I copped from Kashi & Metro Textile.

First a group shot:

Next up ~ the black 'n white cotton with the embroidered edge. I know exactly what I am doing with this one...Sewing Workshop Mission Tank! It will look so great with all the black linen pieces that I already have in my wardrobe.

This silky cotton print will become - Simplicity 9693.

A cute button front top to appear under the ubiquitous black summer suit that I will need for corporate meetings.

Now this is what I traveled to Metro Textiles for ~ eyelets! The HOT, HOT, HOT! fabric for this spring/summer season. Ann described the brown eyelet to me at lunch and of course I drooled...right there at the table, thank God napkins were handy! I picked up these two which of course coordinate...there are so many possibilities jumping out at me every time I handle these!

This tweedy blue with gold embroidery just took my breath away...so Kashi wrapped it around my body and cut! This will become a skirt this weekend. It just can't linger around, it needs to be worn right away...and the weather is cooperating! The temperatures will be in the '50's and even the '60s by the middle of the week...skirt and dress weather, yes!

I have a little more sewing reading to do and to try to talk myself out of the *mumble-mumble* yards that I saw at Fashion Fabrics Club and want. Maybe I should stop clicking on those links in the emails.... But I might make it, well at least past the weekend, Thursday is pay day and the sale is on for two weeks....anyway the reason I made it past today is because I got this at QVC...I really like this line of bags...they work so well for all the things I need to cart daily to and from NYC and they have a classic kinda styling. I have two that I bought from a local handbag shop in NYC and can't believe that they are now on QVC.

Well I am off...gotta work on those two SWAP dresses that are so close to being finished that I can taste them...and this is a good dress wearing week so I am inspired to complete them! Never mind that the SWAP deadline is in 5 weeks!

Lunch with friends, $120 and my Metro Pass...

Today was an eventful day for me. I had lunch with two wonderful sewing women, Ann of Gorgeous Things and Mardel of Sewdistracted. They were in the city to fabric shop and graciously met me near my job on the Upper Westside for lunch. It was a fantastic hour of gabbing about fabric, sewing, fitting and fabric, sewing, fitting and blogs! The hour went by much too quickly for me and I hated parting from them especially knowing that they were headed for Metro Textiles! I was a block away from my job when I realized that I had forgotten to get a picture of us to memorialize the luncheon....*duh!*

Then I get back to work and I have an email from a sewing diva, Marybeth from The Stitchery. Marybeth had previously emailed me that she was coming to New York, but she did it under her government name. I kindly replied to her inquiries about meeting up...hey I will meet anyone for fabric shopping and the Ralph Rucci exhibit but we weren't able to synch our calendars. It wasn't until I was reading Marybeth's blog this weekend that I put two and two together and then I was really disappointed that we hadn't been able to get together!

The third thing was that once Ann & Mardel arrived at Metro Textiles, Ann called me about the goodies Kashi had. Now I know that a sistah said she wasn't buying anymore fabric for several fortnights. Well a sistah lied! Down and dirty lied! Ann starts going on about the goodies and I have Kashi set a few pieces aside. Then the man did the unthinkable...he waited for me to get off work and come by. Now if that isn't customer service I don't know what is??? So in the cab over...notice I didn't even take the subway...I tell myself that I will only buy the two pieces that he is holding and nothing more...yeah right! I walked out of Kashi's spot 30 minutes later with a big bag containing five pieces of amazing fabric and I left behind three pieces because I do need to be able to eat lunch until I get paid again!!!! This is what I got:

1.5 yards of black cotton with white polka dots that has an embroidered border

2 yards of a black/white floral cotton that is so silky to the touch

2 yards of a tweedy teal fabric with an embroidered edge (ready to be made into a skirt!)

4 yards of a chocolate brown cotton eyelet

4 yards of this amazing floral print that is also an eyelet in magentas and browns

We are not even going to discuss how many more yards of fabric this adds to my collection! We are just going to rejoice in the day....now how does that Mastercard commercial go:

Lunch with the girls - $40

Fabric from Metro Textiles - $120

Feeling unpacking the fabric and remembering the day - priceless!

And for the final part of my title, I am flashing my Metro Textiles Pass! Marybeth put a copy of Kashi's business card on her site so I am adding a copy of one to mine! And if you have one flash your Metro Pass!

The day was one of those memorable days ~ priceless, totally priceless!

I don't do it like the books say...

I don't know about you but I don't consider myself a sewing expert...a sewing enthusiast maybe...a fabricaholic definitely but a sewing expert....no way! To me sewing experts are, "The Sewing Divas" or Kathryn (fxzdoc on Stitchers Guild) or Liana (Sew Intriguing) or Ann Rowley on Stitchers Guild but not me. So when people ask for sewing advice I am a little leery about giving it. To me there are just sooo many others out there that do it better and IMHO should be giving advice.

I also think that I approach and solve sewing issues in non-traditional ways. Take for instance lining a sleeveless dress....conventional methods tell you to leave one of the shoulder seams open in the lining and turn the lining through that teeny tiny opening. Once the lining is turned you then press and handstitch the opening closed. I hate that method! Moving all of that fabric through that small opening and then wrestling it flat just drives me bananas.

So after several tries at doing that and wanting to tear my hair out I came up with my own method...this method is not on any pattern instruction sheet or in any sewing book but it works for me.

1. First I machine baste a 5/8" seam allowance on my armholes.

2. Then I press the 5/8" seam allowance down. I do this on both the dress and the lining.

3. Then I attach the lining to the dress at the neckline...clipping the seams and pressing the entire thing down...

4. Sometimes I edgestitch the inside of the lining seamline only and sometimes I edgestitch the neckline of the dress including the lining...sewing the entire front piece together.

5. Then I sew the side seams of the dress and the side seams of the lining separately.

6. Press the each set of seams open and turn the entire thing.

7. Next I take the pressed down armhole seams and give them one more press turning the lining seam allowance in just a little more.

8. Finally I edgestitch the armholes closed - sewing the lining and dress fabric together.

9. Press once more and I am done.

This is totally unconventional and works for me. I have been lining sleeveless dresses this way for so long that I forgot that its not traditional until today when I was working on a dress for my SWAP. And it got me to thinking....I can't be the only one who sews some part of the garment making process in my own manner.

So do you do have a sewing technique that isn't traditional? If so, what? Why did you deviate from the pattern instructions? And most importantly does it work for you? Tell me...I would really like to know that I am not alone in "personalizing" sewing techniques...

Finally here is a teaser picture of one of my SWAP dresses....

Talk to me people & enjoy the sewing journey!

An Ode to Fabric Mart

"Oh Fabric Mart! Oh Fabric Mart!

I love your wonderful fabrics....

You fill my closet with ease and flair

You fill my heart so I don't have a care...

Oh Fabric Mart, Oh Fabric Mart

I love your wonderful bargains!!!!!"

(sung to Oh Christmas Tree!)

Thank God its March because I ordered fabric Monday evening and it had arrived when I walked in from a very exhausting day! Suddenly all seemed right with the world and I didn't have a care...okay, I know you won't get that last statement if you are not a "true" fabricaholic! As previously posted I bought 38 yards of fabric because Fabric Mart was having the mother of all sales....

So this is what I got:

5 yards of a rayon/linen in treebark

4 yards of a red linen

4 yards of a dark pumpkin linen

4 yards of a cornflower blue linen

5 yards of a rayon/poly/lycra (RPL) blend in dark taupe

which just happens to match the 2.5 yards of dark taupe pinstripe super 100 wool that I got from Fikret Fabrics last Saturday ~ woo hoooo!

6 yards of a poly/wool blend in a dark blue/periwinkle pinstripe and

2 yards of a periwinkle wool gabardine which coordinates with the pinstripe fabric

4 yards of a poly/rayon black crepe that is heavy and textured,

and finally 4 yards of a dark gray wool jersey

38 yards for the grand price of $137.40...it is amazing how spending a little money on fabric makes my whole day so much brighter! Ahhhh the possibilities that can come out of this box...ahhhhh the joy and pain that can spring forth...ahhhhh the outfits! Yes, I am one happy go lucky fabricaholic tonight!

I was gonna close with no more fabric for me for a fortnight but after looking it up on dictionary.com, I realize that a fortnight is only 14 days!!!! So I guess no more fabric for me for several fortnights! But I'm kewl and it's okay 'cause I got dreams in a box today!

February's Totals

February wasn't as good to me as January was sewing wise. I only finished three pieces - two pairs of lined pants and a jacket...way below the 10 pieces needed to meet my annual goal. Hopefully I will make it up when summer comes and I start blowing through those pieces. But who knows since the garments that I will add to my wardrobe this year will be more detailed and tailored...ah the dilemmia!

However, I do have my Tamoutsu dress hanging waiting to be finished and a jacket semi-completed that I am dithering on. I am definitely going to get the rest of my SWAP pieces completed this month so I have a plan and know where I am going...well hopefully! *smile*

Fabric *sigh*...well I started the month strong. I was even good in the middle of the month only acquiring 15 yards of fabric...pieces bought to make more corporate chic garments. But then the end of the month snuck up on me....and I stopped by Fikret Fabrics (one of the few fabric stores left on 40th Street) after seeing the Ralph Rucci Exhibit and I had to offer a little support...so 4.5 more yards followed me home. Now I was up to 19.5 yards...still not bad...I could work that out.

Then "the manilla envelope" arrived in the mail...and all sense of rhyme and reason flew out the window! Now before you start moaning let me explain why! First you have to be a member of Fabric Mart's Sample Club which you earn by paying a fee. Half of the fee is returned to you in a $25 off coupon that you can use anytime during the year...I have never held onto the coupon longer than three months...but I digress. Then FM offered 20% off all the sample cut fabrics, the website and all of the notions...I might not have fallen and so hard at that, but they also let me use my coupon alongwith the 20% off!!! The only good thing about falling is that the fabric won't arrive until March so it will go against my March totals.

Finally fabric out this month - 7.5 yards vs. 19.5 yards in. My YTD totals are 9 garments made, 16.5 yds of fabric used and 21.5 yards of fabric purchased....those other yards aren't here yet so they just don't count now! *LOL* I have a ways to go to meet my goal of 100 garments constructed this year but it is too early in the year to call uncle yet!

Ralph Rucci at FIT

(credit: www.style.com - Chado Ralph Rucci collection - Spring '07)

Ann (Gorgeous Things) and two of the other Sewing Divas - Gigi & Phyllis were in NYC last month and went to see the Ralph Rucci exhibit at FIT. Their adventure reminded me that I had planned on seeing this exhibit but hadn't yet made the trip. So yesterday, my daughter and I went into the city to see the exhibit. And it was absolutely fantastically, amazing!

Of course the clothing was awesome....I mean c'mon its Ralph Rucci. However, the idea that stayed with me even after leaving the museum, was how he embraced his vision and remained true to it. One of the wall plaques in the exhibit stated that Rucci knew his evening gowns were so couture that they wouldn't be worn on the red carpet and that he did more busness in daywear and suits. Even though he understood this, he continued to design evening wear that reflected his vision. Those words really struck me.

Then there were the clothes...
The exhibit opens with a white doublefaced wool jacket that is embroidered with words. The jacket is paired with a pair of chocolate brown leather pants that has words printed onto the leather. I stood at this outfit for a while looking at the attention to detail. The words on the jacket were only on the jacket fronts - not the sides and only a single layer of words ran down the center of each sleeve. It was astounding how the two pieces were placed together, the type of fabric used and the embellishment technique. It made me want to run right home and start sewing.

The next outfit that stayed with me was a jacket and skirt made from double faced wool (which he uses alot) that had pieced inserts on the jacket front and sleeves and also inserted into the matching skirt. The entire outfit looked to me like felted wool jersey and of course, my mind rocketed back to the bag of felted wool jersey scraps I have been holding on to.

I mention those two outfits specifically because they struck an inspirational chord within me...something I could come home and replicate in my own wardrobe. That is not to say that there weren't some other amazing outfits in this exhibit. He uses alot of wonderfully rich and luxurious fabrics. He uses interesting and different embellishment techniques. His attention to detail is amazing and it is hard to describe his construction details without tripping over superlatives.

As we were leaving the exhibit, there was a glass case that held one of Rucci's small sketch books opened to a page showing a sketch he had made, a fabric swatch and some notes. My daughter noticed it first and motioned me over. We both just stared because it looked exactly like the notebook that was in my bag! And if I had opened it, there would have been a page with a sketch, a fabric swatch and some notes...that was so thrilling to me!

(credit: www.style.com - Chado Ralph Rucci - Spring 2005 collection)

So what did I take away from the exhibit:

1. Hold tight to your own vision and incorporate it into the clothing you make.

2. Don't be afraid to experiment with color, texture and design.

3. Details, details, details ~ the care he took with the details many times made the garment!

4. Don't go anywhere without my sketchbook!

If you can get to New York City before April 14th when the exhibit ends, please plan to spend some time at The Museum @ FIT visiting the Ralph Rucci Exhibit ~ "the Art of Weightlessness." It's free so there is no reason not to go!

(credit: www.style.com - Chado Ralph Rucci Fall 2005 RTW Collection)

And if you won't make it to NYC before then, you can see his Fall '07 collection here and his Spring '07 collection here. All outfits pictured in this post are shown in the exhibit.

Yeah, I Said It! - Sewing News has reached the local level

Everyone knows that I LOVE sewing! And recently there have been several articles in the news magazines (Time) and segments on the national morning news shows on the resurgence of sewing. Well that news has now filtered down to the local level because about three weeks ago I was interviewed for a sewing article in my local area newspaper. It was really interesting because the author of the article found me through my blog! Too kewl, huh!

Because I like to share...the article is listed below:

The Times of Trenton Archive
COPYRIGHT (c) The Times of Trenton 2007

Millions of sewing enthusiasts are finding fun, friends and fulfillment as they stitch away
By NORA O'DOWD
STAFF WRITER

The way Elizabeth Anderson sees it, "If everyone in the world sewed, it would be a much better place."

While it's unlikely that everyone will pick up needle and thread, each day more and more people are joining the estimated 35 million stitchers in the United States.

Classes at area sewing centers such as the ones Anderson and her husband own are bustling, while dedicated seamstresses are blogging about their latest projects. Teens look forward to their sessions on streamlined machines that bear as much resemblance to those cranky old black Singers as PT Cruisers do to Model T's.

Experts chalk up the surge in sewing to various reasons: the influence of home-makeover programs and shows such as "Project Runway"; an urge for self-expression; a surefire way to stretch a wardrobe.

"It's part of the do-it-yourself craze," says Karen Koza of the Home Sewing Association, a national nonprofit group that bills itself as "the authority on all things sewing."

Sewers, "young and old, want to look like their contemporaries, but also stand out," Koza says.

That's an aim Pat O'Brien, a sewing instructor with Stony Brook Sewing and Vacuum Super Stores owned by Elizabeth and Howard Anderson, knows all about.

"Kids now want to stand out, they want to personalize their stuff," she says on a break between classes at the bustling store in the Hamilton Marketplace. "When I was a kid, all we wanted to do was blend in, make sure we were all wearing the same thing."

It was a fact demonstrated yet again at the beginning of the school year when her two teenage daughters got rave reviews for the fabric-hemmed skirts they'd fashioned from old jeans.

"Sewing skipped a generation," says O'Brien. "My generation."

As a teenager in the '70s, O'Brien was taught to sew by her mother. But she was reluctant to wear any of the clothes she made for fear of being seen as poor or, worse yet, different.

" 'What, you can't afford to buy your clothes?'" was a typical reaction to her homemade ensembles, O'Brien recalls.

The women's movement then relegated sewing to a quaint domestic science soon expelled from schools' curricula.

"As the baby boomers became mothers and grandmothers, retiring from the work force, they've turned to sewing as a creative outlet," continues O'Brien. "And their daughters have become interested. But there's no one to teach them." That's where O'Brien and thousands of other sewing instructors across the country come in.

At the Stony Brook centers, classes run the gamut from quilting to embroidery to home decorating.

A recent class was devoted to making panels for quilts that will be raffled to raise money for breast cancer research. The buzz of activity suggested a hive; questions ("Do we stitch the binding on or quilt first?"), comments ("There's a dog hair in my quilt!") and encouragement ("Just like that, that's it!") ricocheted around the quilt-paneled room.

Some of those quilts are works of art: Two, placed side by side, materialized from different interpretations of the same pattern. One shows gardens of demure and diminutive roses while the other is an explosion of bright insistent flowers. Some fan out their colors in peacock fashion; another uses the copper hue of new pennies and the brown of old ones.

Lisa Dekovitch, one of O'Brien's students, describes the joy of translating colors and fabrics she loves "into something that everyone can enjoy as much as I do.

"Quilts know no age limits, everyone from infants to the elderly loves to be comforted by them. I love mixing different fabrics and textures together and making it a `Lisa quilt.'

"A part of me is thrilled that I possibly could make something that could still be loved many years from now," says Dekovitch of Bordentown.

But quilting is just one aspect of the needlework being done by men, women and children.

Teens gravitate toward the "Make It You" line, says Elizabeth Anderson. That includes patterns for bags, belts and pillows in candy-color fabrics and sparkling accessories.

"Sewing now is for entertainment," she says. "Maybe you won't be able to compete with the outfits at the store, but it's a creative way of expressing yourself . . . it's doing something creative for your soul."

Once a technique is learned, it can be applied to other projects.

"You can translate the techniques of quilting onto garments, home decorating . . . it's not restricted to one area. There's a blurring of the lines," says Anderson.

Classes are a give and take, chimes in O'Brien. "Students ask for projects requiring specific skills. Some are afraid at first, but I tell them, `If you can turn on the machine and sew a straight line, you can learn.'"

All agree that sewing machine innovations have hastened the revived interest.

At the Stony Brook center in Hamilton, pale machines proceed along a shelf like a sleek train. They're computerized, portable and second nature to a generation that thrives on technology.

Older sewers may be a bit intimidated at first by the variety of options, such as pushing a button to accomplish a buttonhole, but once they see the results, they're sold.

"The technology has helped tremendously," says Koza of the Home Sewing Association. "The new machines are fun to use."

Anderson talks of struggling with treadle machines, while O'Brien recalls tensions - never being able to get the right setting on the machine and the resulting tensions with her mother as teacher.

"All that headache stuff is gone now," says Howard Anderson of the sleek machines, which can cost anywhere from $79 to $7,000.

Barry Yellen, manager of the American Sewing Center in Princeton, says he has noticed a lot of first-time sewers visiting his shop in the last three years. "More people are taking lessons, and the classes with younger people are growing," he says.

Sewing classes also are offered at area schools, whether as part of the curriculum or as an afterschool activity.

In the Ewing Township School District, for example, students can get a taste of sewing in middle school then take more in-depth courses at the high school, according to Brian Bittings, a district supervisor.

"The kids love it," says Bittings of the high school courses on designing contemporary clothing and apparel design and construction.

Both elective classes are well attended, says Bittings, and a few of the students are boys.

Then there is Sew Trendy, created as a partnership between the Home Sewing Association and the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America, Inc. It's intended to involve select high schools, including many in New Jersey, and their communities in a yearlong sewing and design project, says Koza.

Sewing as they reap
For Carolyn Norman of Somerset, sewing has been a passion for most of her 47 years. Home-ec classes were complemented with instruction at home from her grandmother. By the time she was 11, Norman had learned to sew. "I sew everything!" she says, including her wedding dress, maternity clothes, prom dresses for her daughters, school clothes. "Everything!"

Only one of her three daughters sews, and very few of her friends are interested in sewing. Working as an executive assistant in New York, she leaves for work at 8 a.m. and does not get home until 7 or 8 in the evening.

With no time for a sewing group, Norman treasures her virtual connections.

She keeps a sewing blog illustrated with photos of finished projects and regularly converses with other sewers online.

Like crowded pin cushions, the Web sites are bristling with advice, patterns, questions and answers. There is solidarity in sewing.

"This is really a solitary thing, but you can log onto that board and talk to anyone, around the world, anytime. They have the same sensibility, and it really fosters a community," says Norman.

That sense of community is something the Andersons and O'Brien have noticed about those who sign up for classes at their stores.

"Sewing groups are like the old-fashioned quilting bees, it's a way to connect people of different backgrounds. People who never would have met otherwise are going out to lunch together after class," says O'Brien. "Some are coming to class even if they are not going to sew." Howard Anderson puts it this way: "There's no backyard fence anymore. It's the backyard fence."

Karen Sowney, another student of O'Brien's, talks about gaining expertise with every class until she was able to make a very special gift. "The first quilt that I made was a `memory' quilt for my 84-year-old mother with pictures of our family, which she absolutely treasures," says Sowney of Burlington Township.

The positive energy of sewing may be an antidote for the doldrums.

"I was very depressed last winter when my friend suggested that we take a quilting class together." says Mary Fowlie of Mount Laurel. "That may be one of the best decisions that I ever made. Not only did I learn how to quilt, but it's hard to stay depressed when you're making something lovely. Quilting has helped me so much that I convinced my daughter to try it and she loves it as well. And I've made some very nice new friends."

Koza of the HSA recognizes both the experience of Norman and the camaraderie of O'Brien's students.

"One of the best things about sewing is that it can be as social as you want, and as solitary as you want," she says.

And whether it's a vest passed for admiration from person to person in a sewing circle or a picture of an stunning outfit posted on MySpace, the creativity comes across loud and clear.


Hope you enjoyed the article - Happy Sewing!

Chapter Two Suit Completed

I have finished the Chapter Two suit which means two more SWAP pieces finished too! I usually don't hop around in my sewing projects. Normally I conceive a project and work on it until its completed and I can wear it out the door. But this time, even though I am pretty far along into the boiled wool/glen plaid pantsuit (Chapter One Suit) and actually did some more work on it last night, I really had an urge to move onto Chapter Two.

And to let you know, this is very similar to how I read a novel....just when the story starts to get really intense, I skip to the back of the book and read the ending. Yeah, I know its kinda sad but knowing how the story ends allows me to calm down and enjoy the minute details of the story otherwise I skip right over them in my hurry to find out what happens. I had reached some challenges in the Chapter One suit and since all the pieces of Chapter Two were sitting there waiting and I had started to dream about them....I moved onto Chapter Two.

The Chapter Two pantsuit is a stand alone outfit and also meets two of my requirements for my Dress SWAP. I used what is fast becoming a very wonderful TNT pattern: Vogue 7944 which it saddens me to say is now "out of print" but still available if you move quickly on Vogue's Pattern Site.

The pattern description listed on the back of the pattern is: MISSES’/MISSES’ PETITE JACKETS AND PANTS: Unlined long sleeve jacket has topstitched collar and front opening edges. View B has slits at sides. Pants have waist facing and back zipper closure.

I used five yards of black wool crepe from Fabric Mart to construct these two pieces. 2.5 yards of the fabric was felted slightly by washing and drying it two times. This piece was used for the jacket. The fabric had a real sweatery feel after going through the felting process so I opted not to line it and instead finished all the seams with black Seams Great. My thought was that by using this tailored jacket pattern in a softer fabric that it would give the resulting pantsuit a softer look...a slight twist on the typical corporate black suit.

The Seams Great idea was wonderful in theory but a little more interesting in real life application. The felted wool crepe needed a lot of steam to make the seams lay flat. All of that steam, of course, melted the Seams Great. So I needed to use two silk organza press cloths to get the steam that I needed without damaging the Seams Great that was used as a seam finishing. That challenge aside, the pattern advises you to topstitch the collar and front jacket openings. Since I was opting for a sweater type look, I nixed the topstitching which meant I used my clapper alot to achieve a flat collar and front opening things topstitching definitely assist in achieving.

Because I did not manipulate the fabric used for the pants - the wool crepe is sleek and smooth. I made my regular TNT pants adding a lining and the resulting pantsuit has an interesting look. The jacket fabric is slightly darker and blacker because of the felting process and the pants are a shade lighter but it is a kewl and different look - well at least to me!

I am heading back into my sewing room to work on my black wool crepe version of the Tamotsu dress which I am lining in a lightweight gray sueded silk. I am also changing the sleeves from short sleeves to full length sleeves. Here is a picture of my SWAP so far:

And a picture of the Chapter One suit in progress....

I hope to have it completed soon. BTW, the reason I am not posting pictures of me wearing my SWAP garments is because I am leaving that for the final presentation! Hope you had a productive sewing weekend also!

President's Day Weekend

A three day weekend....Yes!!!!! It is Saturday afternoon and the errands have been done, bills paid and other life intruding on my creative process tasks accomplished so I am off to sew! Three days (well 2.5 now) at home to finish working on the Chapter One suit and the Chapter Two suit (yeah, that will be another post!) but suffice it to say that I have two suits in varied states of construction that I should be able to finish up this weekend.

I also want to make a black wool crepe version of my Tamosotu dress which will finish off one more required element of my dress SWAP. I can tell I am going to be sewing like a fiend at the end of the SWAP competition this year because I have been working very slowly on completing these pieces.

The two pieces of fabric that I purchased from Fabric Mart for more suits ~ five yards of a brown/wine wool crepe (which is no longer on the site) and five yards of a herringbone 100% worsted wool crepe arrived yesterday. These are great cuts of fabric - medium weight with a little heft to them...in colors that no one else is queuing up in the office. I am starting to stand out because I am in corporate gear just not navy, black or grey. Mission accomplished!

So I am off to sew! Hope you enjoy your President's Day weekend also and if you get a chance hit up the local brick's 'n mortar fabric stores and enjoy the sales!!!!

What Is Your Trademark?

Clothing designers have them...certain details that are always present in their collections. Details like how they cut the fabric or a type of fabric that appears in many of their collections, specific colors they use, or the way they fit a garment. Sewers have them too...fabric types that you gravitate towards, certain pieces that you make more often than others, or seaming details that you use repeatedly.

My sewing trademark would be sleeve detailing. I pay particular attention to my sleeves so that I can hide a figure challenge ~ notice that I did not call it a flaw! I do certain things to sleeves to make them work for me...short sleeves are cut a certain length to camouflage but still give a flair to the garment or its cut on the bias to add a little more space to the bicep area without changing the overall shape of the sleeve. Jacket and cardigan sleeves get particular attention because you want to have a well-fitted garment and the sleeve treatment if done improperly can definitely shout, "made with loving hands at home." Not only do I take extra time to measure, fit and adjust sleeve width but I usually add some sort of a seaming detail to give the finished sleeve a slimmer effect.

But this is my trademark...you can see these features in almost every sleeve I make on almost every garment I construct. So what would be your sewing trademark? What detail do you constantly add to most of your garments? What sets them apart as a "fill in your name" original? Or have you ever given it much thought? Examine your garments and see what sewing, cutting or fitting detail they all share and realize that you have a trademark too!

A Revelation

It kinda hit me this weekend, I mean really hit me...that 90% of my wardrobe is made by my own two hands.

As you know I have been struggling with forming a suitable corporate wardrobe after years of working in a "business casual" atmosphere. But on the East Coast this last week the temperatures dropped into the single digits and I was forced to reach into the back corners of my closet to find really warm clothing. And back there, I discovered a treasure trove of tailored jackets.

See my closet is organized by pieces ~ all jackets, skirts, pants, blouses etc. are hung together. Its been this way for years because it "allowed" me the freedom to mix and match pieces which stretched my wardrobe. When I found those jackets (made in a few tailoring classes with the amazing Colleen Jones!) I realized how "deep" my closet actually is and how many pieces I have made.

Now this might not seem like a big deal but lately I've felt as if I wasn't being as productive sewing-wise as I would like to be. Some of this is due to life changes, i.e., the new job and some of this is due to other changes but mostly I have just felt pressured to complete "suitable" outfits quickly. And we all know how hard it is to produce an awesome, high-quality garment under pressure. However, I have had an epiphany...I have reached a turning point. After putting together some new outfits using the long forgotten pieces in the back of my closet, I am realizing the depth of my wardrobe as well as how successful I have been in making a well-rounded and cohesive wardrobe.

I can step back now, bask in my accomplishments and breathe. But more importantly I can enjoy the process. I know I talk about enjoying the journey alot but if you aren't enjoying the process, how long will you continue to sew? It is way tooo easy to clothe yourself by buying ready to wear. It's everywhere and in every price range...

My revelation is this...that over the years I have made many wonderful pieces of clothing and that they do reside in my closet. Also these pieces were done in periods of creative freedom that held no stress or pressure to create and that I enjoyed the process ~ that is why the jackets have so many pretty details. So that is what I am going to strive for in 2007 ~ the ability to create garments that stretch my sewing skills and give me a greater creative outlet and more satisfaction.

What are you looking for creatively in 2007?

Its Time to Restock

I don't know about anyone else but late January/early February always finds me restocking my sewing notions. When I sit down to sew, I like to have everything on hand. I hate to run out of thread or hooks 'n eyes, etc. in the middle of sewing a garment....anything that stops the project just annoys the heck out of me. So once a year, I restock.

I keep lists of notions that have been used during the year and place large orders to restock them. What do I buy in bulk and keep on hand? Elastics in all sizes, thread - both for my sewing machine and serger, interfacing, silk organza, needles - both for the sewing machine and hand needles, zippers, and shoulder pads to name a few things.

I restock from places like Atlanta Thread and Supply, Home Sew, Newark Dressmaker's Supply, Nancy's Notions, Thai Silks, and Joann's. Carefully going through my notion supply, I make lists of everything that is low and then I just start ordering. Most of my restocking is done through mail order but I do purchase some goods from Steinlauf and Stoller in NYC.

What do I replace? Thread from Atlanta Thread & Supply - they sell Gutterman Thread for $2.95 for 1100 yards; Maxi-Lock serger thread is $1.99 ~ though I buy my basic colors in the 5,000 yard cones...don't need to reorder as often. I buy elastics from Home Sew and Newark Dressmaker's Supply in 25 or 50 yard rolls. Home Sew also has a great selection of shoes/hats/purses for 18" dolls. Silk Organza is purchased from Thai Silks in three colors in 20 yard lengths. From Nancy's Notions ~ things like snaps, interesting notions, etc. mostly whatever interests me from her catalogue. Steinlauf and Stoller offer gridded pattern paper, zippers in all sizes and rayon hem tape in every color under the sun!

I do this religiously at the beginning of the year because it allows me to sew without worry the rest of the year. So do you restock? Or do you purchase notions as needed? Do you purchase online? Or do you run out to Joann's or Hancock's? How do you keep your notions stashed?

Randomness From Fall 2007 Fashion Week

Below are a few pictures of garments that caught my eye while trolling through the websites featuring pics of Fashion Week Fall 2007....

I like this from Jason Wu's Collection. Look at the glen plaid fabric that he used and how he matched the plaid! I could definitely rock this next fall ~ well an "interpreted" version of it!

And this one from Diane Von Furstenberg made me think - yeap should buy a few yards of that wool doubleknit from Fashion Fabrics Club that is on sale this week for $16.95. Wool doubleknit is going to be soooooo hot next fall!

I am not a huge Betsy Johnson fan but I could see this one toned down (smaller collar & bow - shorter length jacket) with a cute pencil skirt as a suit for fall...

Loved, loved, loved how the pinstripes were manipulated in this very classic suit from Bill Blass! I really liked so many pieces in the Bill Blass Collection ~ see it here.


I am probably one of the few people who were disappointed in the Carolina Herrara collection...nothing just really floated my boat. But then again I am eyeing the collections differently this year...with more of a corporate slant so the Carolina Herrara collection had a nice ladies that lunch flavor but it just didn't do much for me!


And what is with Michael Kors...all the models had long straight hair aka the '70s and I definitely saw shades of Laura Bennett's Project Runway creations in there!

And this from Lela Rose is my Oscar dress pick ~ well if I were going!

I am off to sew...real clothes for a real body! Hope you are enjoying fashion week...check it out at www.style.com and Mercedes Benz Fall 2007 Fashion Week's Official Spot!