Me Sew Good

Seems like the natural progression of every blog leads to a Top 10 list of some sort. So, here’s mine. The Top 10 reasons I sew.

10. It’s WAY cheaper than therapy. All of us have our issues. Don’t lie to yourself – you have ‘em too. Sometimes just doing something productive and hands-on allows my brain time to re-organize and focus more acutely.

9. I like to make stuff. I always have. I’m an old skool crafter…like since 1978, when I was 2. My mom pretty much mandated the crafting culture in our house.

8. It’s a right- and left-brained challenge. Make no mistake – sewing will put your maff skillz to the test. If I had a dime for every time I have added 3/4 to 1/8, I would be able to buy a small country or an army of rickshaws. That would be rad.  But, it’s also creative. Figuring out the silhouette of a garment and designing new lines is nothing if not creative.

7. I’m a hoarder. Ok, a controlled hoarder. No one needs to call A&E or anything. I just like to collect sewing stuff…and then I use it. But, I also like my stash. Hoo boy. Well, it’s better than hoarding empty Lean Cuisine boxes, cat box liners or Ramen Noodles.

6. There’s never a shortage of projects on hand. I have drawers and binders packed full of amazing projects jockeying for my attention. I feel like the Duggars’ mom.

5. Fabric and craft stores make for super solid people watching. Have you ever been to Joann Fabrics on fleece sale day??? You should try it, but don’t go there intending to buy anything because the lines are hours long. Just take up a place close to the cutting table and watch the action unfold. I’ll give you a short list, a scavenger hunt of sorts:

• Mom jeans. Tons of mom jeans. Elastic. High waist. Maybe some acid wash. And probably some high waters.
• A few cases of Phil Spector hair.
• Questions about how much fabric it takes to make various garments for cats.
• Women with 2 or 3 carts of bolts of fleece. We’re talking 15-20 bolts. And they only want 1/2 yard of each.
• Tons of great shopper-to-shopper conversations. The “fleecies” are not kidding around. They talk. And loudly. Just listen.

4. This:

(Credit: HandmadeRyanGosling)

3. The unlikely people I’ve met who share a passion for the thread. I’m not going to say that I used to hide the fact that I sew, but I didn’t always make it immediately known. This was mostly because it used to be considered a “matronly” thing to do. One day, I just decided I didn’t care anymore and started talking about it more. And I found SO many people who either also sew or who are amazed that I do. It’s such a unique trade these days that I love talking about it now.

2. It’s a connection to my mom and grandmother. The nostalgic action of laying out a pattern, cutting, pinning and sewing a garment always makes me think of my mom doing the same on the dining room table when I was a kid. She made me scads of beautiful clothes, including my Prom dress and my wedding dress, which I will always treasure. Sewing is one of the ways she has always shown she loved us.

1. The smile on my daughter’s face when I make her something. I’m sure this is what my mother felt too. It’s an amazing thing to toil over a dress and present it to the biggest, brightest smile I’ve ever seen. There is absolutely no feeling like it. I hope she gets to feel it some day if she has a kiddo.

Tags: reasons, sewing, top 10

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I should start by saying that I hate to shop. I mean, seriously hate. I know the power of that word and I do not use it lightly. It’s just not in my genes. I go to the mall less than 5 times a year. My family’s weekly Target trip takes less than 20 minutes.

So, finding solid fabric choices can be difficult for a determined non-shopper such as me. I don’t have the patience to sift through mountains of selections and typically, the quality of the fabric I find in big box stores leaves much to be desired.

But, that hasn’t stopped me from accumulating this:

And this:

Oh, we’re just getting started:

Plus this:

That drawer is about 18″ deep. As is this one:

So, despite my strong aversion to shopping, I have managed to build quite the stash.

The only possible exception to that rule is the premium cotton and wool fleece at Joann, which has never steered me wrong. I don’t work in decorator fabrics much, but when I do, I find good selections at both Joann and Hancock.

Quick disclaimers:

1. These shops are in Louisville, Kentucky and are worth the trip if you are within a few hours’ drive. The folks who own and run them are SO knowledgeable and helpful. Check them out. And buy local!

2. I acquire fabric for and make mostly garments. I don’t quilt and I don’t usually make home decor type things. So, these selections are based on that parameter.

Most of the time, when I need a fabric purveyor I can count on, I hit up The Smocking Shop. The fabric picks are few, but always of very high quality. They are generally grouped in color families, which is nice when I need to find a few complementary fabrics for an ensemble. The ladies who work in the shop have such a great eye for what goes together. I never get out of the shop for under $75 and that’s partially due to Susie, who always convinces me that I need more fabric. It’s not a hard sell, to be frank.

When I want to look at Amy Butler fabrics in person, I take a trip out to Among Friends. It’s a quilt shop, but they carry all of the AB fabrics, so I can touch them and see which weight I like. Her fabrics tend to be pretty expensive, so I generally buy them in small lengths and use them for accents on bags and small items like that.

When we traveled to NYC, I, of course, hit up Mood. That place is so dense, it was almost hard to take. The people who work there are extremely helpful, but you can’t go in there without a specific list of what you are looking for. It’s really not a good place for browsing, unfortunately. I bought a lot of stuff and am afraid to use it for fear that I will mess up on fabric I got from Mood. Sorta defeats the purpose of buying it, right? Next time I go, I am going to prepare with a list of garments I want to make, what kinds of fabrics I want to use and the color palettes I need.

Okay, so that takes care of brick and mortar shops. Now, let’s talk online!

Of course, there are TONS of sites I visit for fabric. A lot of times, I just Google the exact kind of fabric I am looking for and just use their Shopping returns to find the right stuff. But, when I want to get a stamp of approval from a particular fabric outlet, here are my top picks:

Hawthorne Threads. Of course, we all love Amy Butler. No doubt there. And Hawthorne has her stuff. They also have Joel Dewberry, Michael Miller, Lotta Jansdotter and Alexander Henry, which I love as well. Hawthorne has a great selection in general and they ship quickly.

Etsy. Yep, Etsy. There are tons of great fabric purveyors on Etsy. Be careful here, though – be sure you look at reviews and ratings before you engage in a transaction. That’s what I love about Etsy. You can hear what people think before ordering. Also, if you generically search for “fabric,” you get a bunch of stuff that’s not necessarily fabric swatches and sections you can purchase. You get every item that mentions “fabric.” So, you have to sift through that riff raff a bit. It’s worth it. There are some great choices there.

I’m not being funny when I suggest fabric.com. What a fantastic URL, right?!? Wish I had bought it. They have EVERYTHING. Literally. Search the wackiest thing you can think of and you will find it.

If you’re looking for a particular motif (airplanes, squid, fleur de lis, whatever), try Spoonflower. OMG. I lurvs me some Spoonflower. Just in case you don’t know about Spoonflower, the basic idea is that anyone can upload a design and have it produced for a nominal per yard fee. They produce fabrics in various weights and cuts. As an example, I like this fabric below. Take a look at the drop down to select the type:

So, you can see how many different weights they will produce for this print. You can order exactly what you want!

Same goes for cut sizes, although there aren’t as many choices. Still great, though:

Heather Bailey’s site is fantastic and her taste is on point. Check her out.

That’s a basic primer on outlets for building an unreasonably large stash. Yes, Hoarders should be called on me. Right away. Please. I am asking for help here.

Tags: fabric, Shopping

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I have been looking for a great Maxidress for several months now. My qualifications are simple:

• Long (thus, the “maxi” title)
• Knit
• Stunning print
• Under $50 preferably
• Great fit in the bodice

Well, guess what? It’s near on impossible to find a dress that fits all of these. Every time I found a fabric I loved, the dress was $150. Every time I found an amazing bodice fit, the print stunk like a port-a-potty at Bonnaroo. And, when I found something that was less than $50, the fabric was cheap and laid oddly.

What’s a sewist to do?!?! SEW IT!

I dug through the pattern stash and found this sweet baby:

I really liked the look of the bodice on this one, especially the gather in the well…shall we delicately say…the upper swim suit area.

Now, finding a nice, mid price range, knit fabric was another story. I combed a bunch of my usual online fabric haunts, thinking that as a general rule, the brick and mortars don’t have cute knit fabric of which to speak. (That grammar is totally right, by the way. Ask The Blue Book.)

Lo and behold, a sign appeared and Joann be thy name. I stumbled upon this gorgeous knit fabric at the store and scooped up 3 yards of it:

That photo sort of lets the cat out of the bag on the construction. Suffice it to say that I am CUH-RAZY about this dress.

I will admit that the pattern was a bit confusing at times. I’m not a novice sewist, but I’m also not an expert. This pattern certainly challenged me. For one thing, the bodice is seven separate pieces, plus seven for the lining. So, 14 total pieces in this little nugget.

The seam ripper turned in its time card with a junk ton of overtime clocked on it. And that’s an understatement.

I had to recut several pieces after tearing them out.

Nonetheless, I persevered. Check out my seam matching at the center seam!

I’ve never been that successful at pattern matching. I usually pick patterns that don’t require this kind of meticulous matching because I am generally so bad at it.

Despite all of these things, this was still an extremely rewarding project. Once I got the bodice together, the skirt was so simple. Just two big panels sewn together at the sides, then gathered at the top to fit the bodice.

I ended up liking this so much that I wore it to my mom’s Kentucky Derby party! If you hail from Louisville, you know that going to either the actual Derby or a Derby party is a required venture on the first Saturday in May. The party was casual, so I threw this baby on and looked the part! Check out Little MSG’s Maxi! She wanted to “match,” but I didn’t have time to make her one before the party. So, she chose the next closest thing!

Tags: knit, maxidress

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Little MSG has this adorable little dress from the Gap that she loved:

And, as you can probably see, she did a little number on the bodice with our friend, the Sharpie. A little closer look:

Boo, right???

Never fear! I’ll just cut that part right off!

BAH! Yeah, yeah…don’t worry. I saved the skirt!

So, just to recap the steps so far:

1. Have a favorite dress.
2. Hit it with a Sharpie.
3. Hit it with a Sharpie again.
4. Cry.
5. Have your mom cut off the bodice.

Yup, that’s about where we stand.

Next, we’ll attach a regular ole white t-shirt to the skirt to refashion this guy back into a wearable garment:

It looks kinda wonky here because hangers stink. There, I said it. Hangers stink. Call me Mommie Dearest if you want.

Well, that dress is really plain and boring. Little MSG, who has…well, let’s just say…eccentric…taste in clothing…would not have this.

So, I combed through my stash and found everything I could that fit the color palette of the leftover skirt. At this point, I wasn’t sure what I would use and what I wouldn’t – I just wanted to see all of the options:

In the photo above, there is thick grosgrain ribbon, plaid piping, dark lime ribbon, white flowered trim, small green rick rack, medium dark green rick rack and white carpetball trim. Is that stuff called carpetball trim, really? I’m not sure.

Then, I decided it would be cute to put a little apron panel at the seam between the shirt and the skirt. So, I raided the stash again to find this light cotton, lime green gingham:

Doesn’t it look cute with the grosgrain and rick rack there?

Okay, so then I sewed up the apron panel, gathered it at the top edge and sewed it at the seam. Here is the panel before I attached it:

I used pink thread so you could see the way I sewed it. You may note the two rows of gathering stitches at the top of the panel.

At this stage I also noticed some ink or paint at the hem:

So, guess what? This dress became a shirt at this stage. HA! I re-hemmed it about 2″ shorter and then put the carpetball strip and the thick white grosgrain on the garment.

I still felt like it needed a little something, so I hit the stash for a third time and found another complimentary ribbon, as well as an adorable button. I made a little flower for the bottom corner of the apron panel:

ERMAHGERD. Charming. Charming. Charming.

And, the final reveal!

You can see Little MSG’s flair for color here with the pink pants, Easter egg socks and pink deck shoes. There is no marching to the beat of her own drummer here. There’s a whole drum corps with this one.

Tags: gap dress, rehab, ribbon

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That headline reminds me of a terrible photo I saw once of a python that tried to eat an alligator. The snake did not survive. Eek!

Nonetheless, the simile holds true. There is something wicked holding up my creative process right now. I have been working on a rehab of an old Gap dress for Little MSG for well on a month now and it’s still not complete. I have no idea what’s vexed me so, but I feel like I can’t pick up anything else until I finish it.

If someone lends him a book, my husband will read it cover to cover, even if he realizes 1/3 of the way in that he doesn’t like the plot, characters or storyline. He’s just that loyal.

I suppose this odd commitment to projects like this is the same thing for me. I don’t like UFOs clogging up my space and it’s hard for me to abandon a project before I finish it. Yet, this approach also puts quite the kink in my production levels.

Anywho, that’s the state of the MSG union right now. Gonna try to get back in the saddle and finish the dag nabbit rehab dress this week.

Tags: block, creative process

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While working on a project last week, I unwrapped some rick rack that I inherited from my grandmother’s stash and found this captivating line drawing and schematic.

The depiction of the little girl is so enchanting – she looks just like Little MSG!

The drawing seems simple enough…until you try to cut something like this. Geometry is really not my strong suit. I am categorically certain that there is an easy, peasy way to cut this triangle. It just doesn’t work in my head.

So, because I don’t like to play games I can’t win, I will just admire this card for its sweet nostalgia.

If you happen to be drawn to this pattern, please make it and show me what you did! I might even buy one from you!

Tags: head kerchief

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With the rainy Spring season upon us, I decided Little MSG needed a raincoat. Lo and behold, I saw this little ditty at my favorite shop:

Amy Butler patterns are second only to Oliver + S in my book*. I have made several of her adult patterns and tons of her handbags. Her products (patterns, fabrics, etc) are an essential part of any sewist’s stash, in my opinion.

At Joann Fabrics, they have a special collection of waterproof, lightweight fabrics and they are manufactured in kid-friendly color palettes and prints. I selected these two:

To die for, no? I gave Little MSG the privilege of determining which one would be the exterior and she selected the pink. I have to say that these fabrics sewed like butter. {Okay, butter doesn’t sew well…but, you get the point.} I didn’t even have to press the seams as I sewed!

The hardest part was the pockets, only because they were the first items on the docket and I was just getting the hang of the fabrics. Aren’t they so cute?

Once I knocked those out, it was smooth sailing! And we have a happy little sailor too!

The pattern called for top stitching on nearly every seam, which I adore. I think it looks so finished:

Here’s a flat shot of the coat, just to show you all the details:

There is even a little hanging hook sandwiched between the lining and exterior. Pretty cool.

Here’s a closeup of the lining:

My sewing machine has been giving me fits with the one-step buttonhole function, so I put snaps on the coat instead. I looked at Little MSG’s old raincoats and they all had snaps too, so I thought this was a good move.

The instructions also called for a complicated thread technique for the belt loops, but I like the look of grosgrain ribbon for this, so I used two plain brown pieces to make the belt loops.

All in all, I’d say I put about 6 hours into this project from start to finish, which is a little longer than most usually take me. But, it was well worth it for the details and the smile I got from Little MSG when I was done!

* Although there are tons of new independent pattern makers flooding into the market these days, so I am torn. Great examples: Violette Fields, ModKid, Popolok, Ellie Inspired, Foofoo Threads, Lily Giggle, Molly Blossom…I could go on an on.

Tags: amy butler, kids, raincoat

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Happy St. Patty’s Day! Little MSG got some new overalls, courtesy of yours truly!

Sorry for the extended drought of entries here on MeSewGood. It’s been quite a month, lemme tell ya. Anyhow, St. Patty’s Day seemed like a perfect time to jump back in.

I think most mommies who sew for their kiddos like to make them something a little special for each holiday. When I was a little one, I always looked forward to getting a hand sewn garment for each holiday. I love the joy on Little MSG’s face when she tries on something I’ve made for her. I hope my mom felt the same way when she gave us handmade clothes.

Well, I just knew St. Pat’s called for some overalls. Is there any other day of the year when full coverage kelly green is 100% acceptable? Nope. Not even Christmas, folks.

My fabrics of choice – of course, shamrocks:

And little clovers:

I always like a large scale print paired with a smaller one. That’s not really an original approach to fabric pairing, so I don’t claim to be ground-breaking with that assertion.

And, our pattern, as selected by Little MSG (Kwik Sew 3948):

Despite my sewing machine’s best efforts to foil the final product (button holes are my albatross), they turned out pretty danged cute!

And, surprisingly, they fit perfectly. Since I made these over the course of a few evenings after she had gone to bed, I wasn’t able to stop and fit the garment as I moved along. So, I was a little fearful that they would fit awkwardly. But, using her measurements to tailor these bad boys worked out just fine.

There are FIVE pockets on these overalls. One large one on the chest (which you can see in the photo above), two traditional pockets at the front waist (which I lined with the small clover fabric) and two on the “buns area,” as Little MSG calls it:

And, for your viewing pleasure, here’s some additional cuteness – reading a St. Patty’s Day story to her babies:

Tags: kwik sew, overalls, st patricks

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If there is any tool I use more than any other, it’s the seam ripper. I don’t think I am in the minority of sewists in that camp. Everyone makes mistakes, right?

First, a seam ripper is a hand tool used for pulling out…well…seams. Occasionally, lines go awry. Okay, maybe more than occasionally. I probably use my seam ripper at least once on each garment. Could be I am a bad sewist. Nah, that can’t be it…

I was looking at my seam ripper just the other day and got suddenly interested in its evolution.

Look at some early seam rippers:

That one looks like a cross between a barber’s straight razor and a nail tech’s toe cushion. In a nasty, tea-stained envelope. On the plus side, there is also a needle threader on the other end.

How’s about this one then?

ACK! Dentist pick! Terrifying! No need!

And, in the “Chuckles Manson” category, check this:

Doh! That sucker is fierce! You could trim the whiskers off a cat with it!

Here is the one I use:

It’s a good one because of that little lime green indentation. That is where my index finger goes as I tear away at stupid, misaligned seams. And, it’s not nearly as medieval as those crazy apparati above!

As always:

Tags: seam ripper

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Happy Valentine’s Day! My little love got a precious gift of a new Valentine’s Day outfit, courtesy of yours truly!

I started with this fabric from the stash. I’ve had this piece for a long time and always loved it, but was never sure what to do with it. So, OF COURSE, this screamed for an O+S pattern. And this skirt was just the cream for this itch:

Isn’t that petal skirt just the most delicious dish??? I was so excited that I made this skirt in a matter of a few short hours! I’ll show you it a little bit later.

In the mean time, you can’t have a skirt without a top…but, the top in this pattern is a little too summery for a February Thursday. I was really seeing a dainty little heart in the middle of a plain white t-shirt. So, I cut two hearts:

And interfaced one on the wrong side (of course):

Then, I sewed the two hearts together, right sides facing. I left a small area open on the left hand side to pull the heart through. See what I mean?

After I finished, my mom shared a cool technique for this with me. She said I could sew all the way around and then just slash the middle of the back side of the heart to pull the nice sides through. Sounds easier than what I did, so I am going to try it next time!

Before I turned my heart, I trimmed the seam allowance to a scant 1/4″, clipped the curves and slashed as close to the seam at the middle of the heart to make sure it would turn smoothly and look nice.

Anyhow, here’s the heart, pulled through and pressed. I used my trusty red chopstick to push all of the edges to their limits to make sure the curves laid flat and uniformly.

I just used white thread and a blind stitch to attach it to a regular white t-shirt. I think it transformed this white shirt into a work of total delicacy!

So, here’s Little MSG in her finished outfit. Isn’t she angelic???

I love the sweet little boots with it too. She definitely rocks miles of style.

Tags: applique, heart, skirt, valentines day

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