Listen Up!

Like so many of us makers, I like listening to podcasts while sewing. I get a lot of great information and shots of inspiration not only on what to make and how to make it, but also how to develop my sewing skills and how to share my projects. Here’s my top-of-the-charts list of podcasts. Who are your favorites and who did I miss?

• Hashtag Authentic It’s hard to sum up Sara Tasker’s podcast since she interviews so many different professionals as she connects them all back to today’s maker community. Legal perspectives on accepting gifts from vendors, emotional fortitude when posting your work online, balancing (or not) work and home, getting yourself out of a creative slump.
• Crafty Planner  Focus your sewing machine, or hand needle, on quilts for this well crafted podcast.
• Hello Atelier A sweet and airy interview series covering some of the most well-known names in the sewing industry. Listeners get the inside scoop on how these creative folks got to where they are today.
• Love To Sew I used to tune out whenever I came across anything that had to do with sewing garments because I thought it was too overwhelming of a skill to develop (in fact I completely avoided that section and classes at the last Sewing Expo I went to) but after listening to hosts Helen and Caroline interview a long list of creative guests I thought “hmmm . . . maybe sewing clothes isn’t so scary.” Their sense of humor, non-judgemental tone, and the respectful interview style makes their podcast a favorite listen.
• Making While the focus is knitting, this podcast is an invigorating listen about other folks’ passion for their craft and how they’ve developed their career.
• Modern Sewciety A hoot and a half while Stephanie chats with quilters and sewists and what projects they’re working on.
• Sewing With Threads A new podcast from Threads Magazine that focuses on industry professionals.
• While She Naps A great combination of sewing and small business conversations from Abby, a life-long crafter and sewist.

Oh Skirt!

I’m the first one to admit that I’m a bit of a prude when it comes to what I consider appropriate for my daughter’s clothing. She likes a skirt that gives a good twirl (who doesn’t) and I like a skirt that functions as more than just an oversized belt. This turned out to be a fairly easy project to create, once I figured out the proportions of the six trapezoidal panels.

The bamboo jersey in a charcoal and white stripe that I picked up from Vogue turned out to have the perfect amount of stretch and drape. And I’d be remiss in not pointing out the finishing touch of the wide elastic exposed waist band, thanks to Dana over at Made Everyday. I love how it completes the design and completes the construction in one easy step.

Side note: Instead of using muslin for my first draft, I used the backs of a bunch of the summer camp t-shirts that she’s collected and outgrown. While it was a bit too snug to actually wear, the multi-colored panels created by the t-shirts turned out to be a pretty fun design–I’m going to have to make another t-shirt-back skirt for her now that I’ve got my pattern worked out.

Okay, kid, go on and twirl now!

Just a T-shirt

When I first re-activated my sewing hobby, I didn’t even consider garments. Sewing clothes seemed so complicated and tricky that it felt unapproachable to me. However, investigating how to up my pillow & quilting game led me to Dana’s Made Everyday YouTube channel where I found a tip for adding an elastic waist band to a skirt, and the video that played after that was a tutorial on how to make a t-shirt. Huh. A t-shirt. Dana’s easy instructions made it seem pretty easy, actually. Maybe that’s something to consider.

A few weeks later I was listening to the Love to Sew podcast and was completely absorbed by the conversation Helen and Caroline were having about what it means to them to sew their own clothes. Of course, they don’t sew everything in their wardrobe, but what they do sew gives them such pleasure and a sense of power over their own appearance. Don’t you feel great when you get dressed in the morning and the fit and color of your clothes just works in every way? Don’t you feel like you can conquer the world that day? So maybe, just maybe, when you look in the mirror some mornings and you don’t feel so great about the way you look it’s not because of the way you look . . . maybe it’s the clothes. Okay, ladies, stop badgering me! I’ll make a t-shirt!

So I made a t-shirt. And it fits. And the colors are all me (side note: the daughter thinks I’m ridiculous for making one sleeve a different color). Okay, so some of the seams are a little wobbly, but man do I feel great wearing it! And with Wendy Ward’s new book in my sewing library, I’m going to fine tune my skills and my next t-shirt will be even better. Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait. a. minute. . . . can you buy merino wool by the yard? Holy smokes, if I change the fabric of the t-shirt from cotton jersey to wool does that make it a sweater . . . oh no, mind blown, must lie down . . .

Market Tote

There’s something about this bag that I just love. I keep going back to this pattern by Ginger Cakes to make another one, kind of like going back to your favorite restaurant and ordering the usual. It’s a great size for a trip to the grocery store or to lug my lunch and reading to work and back. And somehow the handle hits that magical length that’s short enough to allow me to hold the bag in my hand without dragging on the ground and long enough that I can shoulder it to have my hands free.

For the tan and olive version, I was happy to use up some fabric I had in my stash. Both pieces were fairly heavy–almost upholstery weight–so I didn’t use any interfacing. On the black and white tote, I skipped the stash and paid a visit to my local fabric shop, Vogue. I was lucky enough to come across this sharp black and white pattern to pair with the black pocket. Both are quilting cotton, so the interfacing was a must on these. The base and handle fabric is–believe it or not–painters drop cloth from the hardware store. The finished project is durable enough to use and abuse, so I’m off to market . . . see ya next time!

100% Acrylic

I’m not sure if this project falls under sewing win or fail. I was really interested in trying out felt for this idea I had for a pillow . . . appliqueing brightly-colored squares of wool felt onto a canvas background. I thought the texture and saturated colors of the felt would compliment and contrast with the texture and color of the canvas. And, I’m happy with that part of the project. But, I was so excited to try it that I settled for some acrylic felt from Target instead of waiting for an online order of wool felt to show up. (Surprisingly, I wasn’t able to find a local store–big box or small proprietor–who carried wool felt. That’s what I get for living in a small metro area like Chicago.)

The problem I have with it is that the acrylic is stiff and has a slick feel to it and made my hands sweat while I was cutting and sewing. I bet the rigidity and texture is probably ideal for another craft project, but not for a pillow. Not exactly what you want to snuggle up to. Well, my impatience got the best of me on this one, but I learned my lesson! I guess this is a sewing win and fail. Anyone have a favorite brand, or a recommendation on a source, for wool felt?

My First Quilt Wasn’t

Okay, quilters, don’t laugh at me. Please. When I first tried quilting, I didn’t realize there was such a thing as batting.

We had just brought home two chairs with cushions in an awesome shade of olive green. They were perfect for the design of our house, but just a little too deep for me to sit in comfortably. A lumbar pillow was in order and why not make it quilted? I stopped in to Vogue to pick up a little inspiration and a few quarter yards of fabric. Back at the cutting table with my complimentary-to-olive fabrics and sketchbook opened to a doodle that I thought would make a great pillow design, I made my pillow. I was happy with the colors and shapes of the fabric and liked what the top stitching added to the design, but was a little deflated (what?) at how flat the texture was. Where’s the quiltieness? How do quilters get that cushy, thick, nubby soft feel that everyone loves about quilts? Maybe if I wash and dry it? Nothing doing.

And so began my education into quilting and now I know better: you need some cotton batting to make a quilt sandwich (thank you Erica Arndt), a little free motion quilting inspiration from the Midnight Quilt Show and you’re all set! And that’s why I’ve started this blog—I’ve learned so much from the generous sewists who post tutorials and patterns, sewing wins and fails, inspirations and frustrations that I wanted to add to that body of knowledge. So join me as I sew my way from project to project.

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