Archive for the 'stitchery' Category

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AMISH BARS : DAY 2

Published on August 26, 2010 in patchwork, stitchery and the workroom. 0 Comments Tags: Amish Bars.

All the Amish Bars quilt tops were finished in the early part of day two. How wonderful to make such a simple quilt top. We spent the rest of the class working together to layer and baste each of the seven quilts. The great thing about group basting is that with all that practice, you get really good at the process.

With all our quilts ready to go, we attached walking feet to the sewing machines and started to machine quilt. Many of us got some preliminary ‘stitch in the ditch’ quilting done. Today we’ll look at doing some additional quilting and cut out our binding fabric. I think this quilt will actually be finished tomorrow!

ALSO – the new Liberty of London fabric arrived!

AMISH BARS : DAY 1

Published on August 25, 2010 in patchwork, stitchery and the workroom. 3 Comments Tags: Amish Bars.

This week is the Amish Bars Quilt day camp. Since I get to be a student in this day camp, I thought I’d document each day.

I changed up the fabric selections that I had posted a few weeks ago. I finally decided who the quilt was for and that helped to finalize it. Some friends recently had their second baby boy down in Austin, Texas. I’ve chosen to make them this quilt in an aqua blue/brown/cream palette.

We put together our quilt tops today. I can’t wait to show you all the wonderful fabric choices that everyone made. Tomorrow we’ll be getting the quilt back ready and basting the top, batting and backing fabric together. The goal is completed quilts for Friday!

BUILT BY WENDY + ECHINO DRESS

Published on August 17, 2010 in stitchery and the workroom. 19 Comments Tags: built by wendy, echino, simplicity 3835.

This Built by Wendy dress pattern (Simplicity 3825) was lent to me ages ago by Angelune. I had been wanting to make it with the little sleeve ties and was waiting to find the perfect fabric for it. A few weeks ago Karin dropped by the shop with the pattern and bought this green echino fabric for it. I realized I had both that pattern and the green echino fabric at home already. I decided to be a bit of a copy cat. Thanks for the inspiration, Karin!

This echino print is so wonderful, the pattern has such a large repeat which is oriented along the crosswise grain, rather than the usual straight grain. Cutting the pattern along the the crosswise grain means that you usually need a bit less fabric for clothing. Though the print comes in a couple other colours, I went for the bright green to match my green Repetto shoes. I’ve seen this fabric made up into an Aline skirt by Kathleen and it’s awesome.

Since the echino fabric is a heavier cotton/linen blend, I went with doing a simple short sleeve rather than those cute ties. The stiff drape just wasn’t right for it. It’s been a while since I’ve made a dress with an invisible zipper. All my Japanese Dress Book frocks slip right over my head! Thankfully, I actually enjoy putting zippers in. Maybe that’s weird, but it’s so satisfying.

I had cut out the neck yoke, but when I sewed it on, I felt a bit claustrophobic in the dress. I decided to do bias trim around the gathered neckline instead. I’m much happier with it.

For my pockets, I used the new techniques that I learned in the Pocket Clinic class. I chose the green Filigree fabric by Anna Maria Horner which matches perfectly.

If anything, this dress makes me feel bright and cheery. Perfect for summer days, but perhaps even better when fall starts to creep in.

HANDY APRON

Published on August 6, 2010 in gardening, natural dyeing, stitchery and the workroom. 14 Comments Tags: handy apron, hapa-zome, India Flint.

I designed the Handy Apron shortly after opening the workroom. At the time, I was the only one working in the shop and often found myself trying to find my one tape measure or remember where my pair of scissors was. I decided to take a crack at creating my own utility apron that could double as a gardening apron or just a generally handy apron with pockets and loops.

I’ve made a few of these and love wearing them. All the little pockets are great to stash all kinds of things you might want to have quick access to. When I saw this French botanical fabric (the writing is in French, but the fabric is Japanese), I knew I needed to make myself a gardening apron. I used contrasting fabrics for the first time, choosing a plain linen for the ties and for the tool loops. When the apron was finished, I thought it would be fun to add some texture to the natural linen. During the India Flint workshop, India talked about a technique she would often do called hapa-zome. Essentially, you hammer or smash plant material (leaves or flowers) into fabric to create an imprint. I really wanted to try this simple technique out. I snipped some leaves from the garden and set about smashing them into the linen ties. Some things worked better than others, but I was amazed at the clarity of the images this technique left behind. When reading up on other people’s experiences with hapa-zome on the internet, I found that most people would layer the plant material in between two pieces of fabric before smashing. I used a metal hammer and carefully tapped directly onto the leaves that lay on my fabric, which was laid out on top of a piece of template plastic on top of patio stones. This is an incredibly satisfying process, as you can imagine.

To set the imprints, I just used my iron to steam the fabric. I’ve also read about using salt water to set the prints. To test the fastness, I threw the apron in the washer and dryer. There was a bit fading. I think it was mostly all the smashed plant material being washed away, but I quite like the faded look. This method is not super permanent, but apparently it can be extended by pre-mordanting the fabric and also by waiting as long as possible before washing it.

One note. I used organic cotton canvas as a sew-in interfacing inside the apron. This is something I’ve been using as a substitute for interfacing in my bags and other projects. I didn’t pre-wash the canvas before using it and it shrunk a fair amount when I washed the apron. I ended up taking part of the apron apart to adjust for the shrinkage. I hadn’t run into this problem before, since I don’t usually wash my bags. I will pre-wash the cotton canvas going forward, just in case.

LIVERPOOL SHIRTDRESS

Published on August 2, 2010 in stitchery and the workroom. 16 Comments Tags: Amy Butler, B & J Fabrics, Liverpool, shirtdress.

It’s taken me a while to tell you about this project. I made Amy Butler’s Liverpool shirtdress back in June, but needed to make some further adjustments on it and I ended up starting another project instead. You know how it is.

The fabric I chose is from B&J in New York and is a lovely cotton shirting fabric. The buttons I found in my collection from my New York days. They are absolutely perfect with this fabric! Since I worked in the garment district, I would often wander through the fabric and trim shops after work purchasing random bits and bobs. It’s so satisfying when those odd purchases make perfect sense nine year later.

I made a couple adjustments to the pattern right from the start. I adjusted the shape of the collar and made it more square. Amy’s collar was a bit too flared out for me. I also made the dress less a-lined and added side seam pockets. The pattern calls for ties that are sewn into the side seam and can be tied either in the front or the back of the dress. I decided to create the tie as a separate piece. I also made it extra long, so that it wraps around twice and gives me options with the type of knot or bow I might want to do.

Because I make so many Japanese dress book patterns these days, I sometimes forget to read the instructions when I’m doing an English pattern! I didn’t realize until I was almost done the dress that I had cut the back piece of the dress as one panel instead of two pieces. Oops! This meant that I had an extra inch in the body of the dress which actually made a big difference in the fit. I went back, removed the collar, cut the back in half and put in the french seam that was meant to be there. Depending on your print choice for this pattern you may want to omit doing the french seam and opt for cutting out the back as one piece. To do this you simply need to remove half an inch (the seam allowance) from the centre back line of the pattern piece. For plaids or ginghams or stripes, this would allow the print to flow uninterrupted across the back.

I got stuck when I was doing the cuffs. I just couldn’t seem to figure out her instructions no matter how many times I read them. I finally googled this problem and discovered several people posting about having this same issue. If you ever get stuck on a pattern, I recommend doing a search on the internet. You’ll probably discover an answer to your question. Amy has posted an addendum to the Liverpool pattern here that elaborates on how to do the cuff.

Another note on the sleeves. They are long. I did the 3/4 length sleeve and they come very close to my wrists. It would be wise to measure your arms versus the sleeve pieces to figure out the right length for you. I plan on wearing the sleeves rolled up, so I didn’t fix this.

This is also the pattern we did in our Shirtdress Day Camp. We had a really fun week, sewing, chatting and working together. Everyone’s Liverpool turned out fantastic! Here’s our class photo. We have one more day camp coming up this summer and I’m looking forward to being a student this time and spending the entire week sewing and quilting.

CHOOSING AMISH BARS

Published on July 28, 2010 in colour, patchwork, stitchery and the workroom. 15 Comments Tags: Amish Bars.

I’ve been thinking about my fabric choices for the upcoming Amish Bars quilt camp. It should be easier to pick, since I really only need two fabric choices, but I can’t decide. I thought it would be fun to mock up some options and see what this quilt could look like. These were done rather crudely in Photoshop, but it helps to get a visual. Sometimes with quilts it’s hard to imagine how all those fabrics will look together. I still haven’t quite settled on a combination, but luckily I have a couple more weeks to play around with it and get it just right. I love the graphic simplicity of this design so much.

Fabric selections : 1. Karyn (Blue Geo Print with Cream Text) 2. Jerisse (Black Dressmaker’s Form with Mauve Bramble & Vintage Lady Illustrations) 3. Rosalyn (Nectarine Mini Check with French General Plaid) 4. Debbie (Ash Grey Fusions with Aqua French General)

COLOURFUL FABRIC DRESS BOOK : T-SHIRT

Published on July 23, 2010 in japanese dress/craft, natural dyeing and stitchery. 6 Comments Tags: Colourful Fabric Dress Book, logwood, nani IRO, natural dyeing, tie dye.

After the India Flint workshop, I was inspired to try doing a simple tie dye t-shirt. I used the super simple pattern from the nani IRO book, “Colourful Fabric Dress Book“. We have some lovely white organic cotton jersey at the workroom that was perfect for this project. I cut out the pieces (there are only 2!) for this project and wrapped some rubber bands around the sleeve area and the hem. I decided to forgo mordanting the fabric in order to get a softer result. The next time I dye this cotton jersey, I’ll try using milk as my mordant. (Awesome tip from India Flint!) I used a very exhausted logwood dye bath we’ve had at the shop for almost a year. Every time we do a Natural Dyeing class, I always get Julie to leave behind the logwood since I’m so in love with grey.

I absolutely love the soft dove grey colour of the jersey. I’m also really delighted with my tie dye experiment. I am definitely going to do more. I actually also tie dyed some other pieces of jersey at the same time to make a couple pairs of underwear.

The sewing for this project was merely four seams sewn on up on the serger. It couldn’t be any easier. I didn’t even do anything to finish the edges on the neckline, sleeves or hem. I thought of possibly doing some satin bias trim, but then I wanted to wear it right away. Maybe another day or perhaps I’ll save that for another project.

STYLISH DRESS BOOK 3 : TOP "Y"

Published on June 21, 2010 in japanese dress/craft and stitchery. 10 Comments Tags: Stylish Dress Book.

Stylish Dress Book 3 (available at the workroom)
Top ‘Y’ : French General ‘Rouenneries’

I wore this new top to the Yard Sale Trunk Show for the first time. A few of you have already spotted me in photos and asked if the top was from Stylish Dress Book 3. Wow, you guys are REALLY good! I’m so impressed.

I wanted to make this one for a few reasons. Firstly, it wasn’t a dress. I need more tops in my wardrobe! I also liked the shoulder ruffles. I decided to use this pretty French General fabric. The ruffles feel a bit like wings, but I think they’ll soften up as I wash the fabric more. I think they would drape much nicer and softly with a cotton voile or tana lawn cotton. I used the rolled hem foot to create perfect tiny hems on edge of the ruffles. I’ve been using this foot more and more and really love it.

This is a fairly simple pattern – bias tape up and around the neckline and along the armholes with some gathering along the waist. I love the billowy look and the long side ties. I’m thinking about putting a little hook and eye at the neck to hold the top together. Otherwise, I need to make myself some cute tank tops to layer underneath.

p.s. Have you heard of New Dress a Day? Marisa is impressively remaking 365 thrifted dresses on a budget of $365. Wow!

BUTTON DOWN VEST

Published on June 8, 2010 in stitchery and the workroom. 10 Comments Tags: button down vest, the finishing list.

This was another project from my finishing list that just need a few last details to get it done. I simply had to hand sew the lining closed on the inside and secure the slider at the back.

I was pretty excited to take this class. I don’t usually like vests, but the idea of a one that was tailored to my size was very appealing. We also learned how to ‘clean finish’ the vest, which means that the entire thing is lined, but there are no visible seams. This is one of those sewing mysteries that gives you that ‘aha!’ moment when you learn it. Very satisfying.

I had made a tailored pencil skirt a while back and had some leftover plaid wool from that. I decided to make the vest to match, so that I would have a little set. For the lining and the back, I used a pink floral Lecien fabric that seems to go perfectly with the plaid. Instead of buttons, I actually used pink pearl snaps. the workroom recently acquired an industrial snap press which I couldn’t resist using for this project.

I love the final result. The vest fits like a glove and goes perfectly with my pencil skirt. Now I’ve got a ‘business lady’ outfit for any future ‘serious’ meetings (about fabric? craft fairs?) I may need to attend.

STYLISH DRESS BOOK 3 : DRESS 'W'

Published on June 1, 2010 in japanese dress/craft, stitchery and textiles. 20 Comments Tags: anna maria horner, Good Folks, Stylish Dress Book.

The one textile that I picked up when we went to Brimfield a few weeks ago was a vintage swatch of navy lace. I specifically was looking for something to go with this navy Anna Maria Horner ‘Good Folks‘ fabric for the yoke of a dress. When I found this swatch, I couldn’t believe how perfect it was. I have never seen a ‘plaid’-looking lace like this, but it certainly echoes the diamond pattern of the fabric. This particular vendor had lots of lovely lace swatches, but they were a bit pricey and so I decided to just get this one.

The pattern is the first that I’ve made from Stylish Dress Book 3. It is a slight variation on Dress ‘W’. Rather than create a separate skirt, I simply extended the bodice to make a short shift. I’ve been wanting to try doing a lace yoke on a dress for a while, I was a bit worried about sewing it and whether it would hold properly since the holes are rather large in between the lacey bits. I serged all the edges of the lace when I serged the rest of the pieces for the dress. I thought this would help to give it a bit more stability. The sewing was easier than I thought it would be. I was extra careful when attaching the bias tape around the neck since you can see through the lace to the underside of the bias tape. I think it turned out really well. I really like the little gathered sleeves on this pattern.

My special pocket detail this time used the fuschia Heather Ross mermaid fabric. Surprisingly, I haven’t used any of this fabric before and now I’m a bit sad that I didn’t have the foresight to stash a bit more of it away for myself. Oh well. I did just order the ENTIRE new Heather Ross Far Far Away 2 collection for the shop and I won’t make that mistake again.

Navy is where it’s at right now. I have another navy dress that I’m trying to finish off. (that’s 3 navy dresses in a row!) It has a super cute detail that I’m excited to show you!