Sponsors this month:
Create Domesticity $50 gift card!
Catch up:
Beverly:
My Creative Hinterland class is going great! So far I have made:
- Peter Pan collar and keyhole closure – I only made the muslin of that. Not my style, thought I’m glad to know how if I ever want to make something for someone sweet like my mom or a little baby.
- Swing top with the darts moved from the side to the neckline and also made the armholes more “racerback” style and smaller at the shoulder. I made the muslin and also a trial with a leftover piece of fabric that I had when I made a top with a 3 yard length (my usual length I purchase when I don’t know what I am making)
- A PRINCESS SEAMED BODICE! I have resisted even making princess seamed dresses because I thought they would be hard, but it was like magic to close up the dart and make a princess seam. You can make the to the armscye or the shoulder and ours is at the shoulder. For this hack we also made the kind of pockets that we like in the waist of the dress and they line up with the princess seams. I think it would be fun to do some color blocking with that.
Jenny:
I’ve got an opportunity to participate in a low effort holiday craft sale in December, so I’m working on designing the perfect bag for that. I spent my day yesterday testing possible designs. The first was too flat, floppy, and a fail (INSERT PHOTO). The second was closer to the shape I wanted, but also too floppy. My third was just right. I’m about to start making test bags out of linen scraps to work toward speeding up my production time (currently at approx 15 min per bag) as I move toward an assembly line style of sewing these.
I’m planning to finalize my easy-peasey mitred napkin design as well. These will all be stamped with a rubber stamp (planning to create at least one design of that this week) that says “Eat the rich”.
Both will be accompanied by collateral that tells the story of the maker/making/original of the items.
I never thought I’d say I was enjoying making anything home dec – but there you have it.
New Patterns:
https://www.stylearc.com/shop/pdf-sewing-patterns/yvette-woven-dress-multi-size-pdf/
Progress on #pfSewYourStash
Beverly: Used a leftover scrap from something I made about a year ago.
I have a piece of fabric ironed and ready to cut out a dress using a fabric I purchased in October 2020. I only started sewing in May 2020 so that is deep stash for me! It’s a Kokka (pronunciation: Kok-ka ) fabric that I bought from Nekoneko Fabrics in Singapore.
Jenny:
yesterday dress from a precious silk owned since pre-pandemic.
Toaster sweater by Sew House 7 from precious Hello Friend Fabric covid bird fabric & solid cotton scraps
Buying habits. I’d like to chat about how & why we buy fabric & patterns, what’s good & not-so-good about that, and how much is too much, or too little stash (for us individually). What do you think?
I’d do a check in on my statistics so far this year.
39 different sources
21 more than once
9 more than 5
3 more than 10: Fabrics-Store.com 41, Seams Fabric 11, Joann 11
Beverly: Oh boy have I spent a lot on fabric this year! But I have focused more on quality than quantity, which naturally brings me to the kinds of stores I want to support as well. I have used less than I have purchased, because I am a lot more careful about sewing fabric that cost me so much. I don’t want to get too precious with it though! Even if it’s expensive, it’s only fabric – most of it can be replaced and even those that can’t can be replaced with something else good.
My stash size is a bit too large right now because I define the right size stash as what will fit in an organized manner in my sewing room. And things are getting a bit over full now. I should see if Christina from Domesticity would want to host a fabric exchange. I know I’d end up buying stuff in her store and I’m sure others would as well so it would work out for her too.
My buying strategy isn’t great. It’s generally like this – I get and email from one of my favorite fabric companies and I say – oooooo I must have that. And I buy it without a plan. AND, when I do buy for a plan I very rarely actually match fabric to plan.