Roundup of Interesting Things

 I've been doing some sewing the last little while, as you might have noticed from my last post about projects underway; sadly I can't share anything I've finished this week quite yet as they are both for other things right now. 

But I can share some of the interesting things I've been reading and watching and seeing around the online world! I have found that I've been spending a lot of time listening to podcasts while sewing, and they are 95% sewing/fashion ones -- probably the usual suspects, like Here We Sew Again, PunkFrockers, Check Your Thread, UnCut, Stitch Please, Stitchery Stories, and the Dressed Podcast, among others -- but if you haven't checked these ones out they are all a lot of fun to catch up on. I've also been listening to UkrainianSpaces, a fabulous Ukrainian based podcast (in English) in which the two hosts interview tons of people on a huge range of topics to do with Ukraine, colonialism and much more. So good. 

Talking of Ukraine, through some other podcasts I've discovered some projects people have put together to support Ukrainian refugees. One of these is a cute crochet amigurumi Bear that a Spanish couple designed, to give Ukrainian crocheters a chance to make these and sell them. You can find their info mainly on IG or FB right now, and it looks like orders are via direct message on IG or by email. Look for Amoami.Design. They are quite cute. 

Those of you who were following along with my Peace for Ukraine stitching project this fall might like to know that the designer of that project, Embroidery Art by Nat, is now a refugee herself; she and her husband and cats have left Ukraine and are currently living in Poland while they wait for applications to come to Canada to go through. She asks anyone who can help to join her Patreon, as that is their sole income right now. If you're interested, there are many cool patterns and perks in her Patreon subscription offering including the Peace for Ukraine pattern.

On a lighter note, I've also been watching some street fashion on YouTube to relax. I randomly discovered this Street Style Paris account and have really been enjoying their short videos. Always fun to see real people and daily style. 

I also just watched this London street style video that gives a tour of the wonderful Gingerbread windows at Harrods/Christian Dior. The video is 30 min. long but I just dragged it to the spot that highlights the windows ;) Pretty amazing. Can you imagine being the person to design and make these elaborate window displays happen? Watch this to kick off your holiday spirit ;)

 

This N That Tuesday

I didn't post on my regular days last week -- what with work and the world, I was distracted and busy, and haven't got much sewing or writing done at all! But I'm starting to work on a few things so thought I'd just share a couple of the projects underway in my sewing room currently. 

As I mentioned previously, I've signed up for the Burda Teacher Certification Course this fall, and have been working away at it. I finished my first two projects but then stalled a little on getting going on the third one, a dress -- which is odd since that is my most common type of project!

I'm trying to use stash fabrics for my sewing this fall though, and I wasn't feeling any of it. This weekend I went through some of my stash again, and decided that the retro style of the dress will be perfect for this super bright leopard print sateen, and just like that, I'm feeling like sewing again. 

I also spent some of last week tracing off more Burda patterns from recent magazine issues. I'm hoping to get a few of the cold weather designs made up quickly enough to wear them this year! I have the cover dress from the November issue and a long sleeved pullover dress from the October issue traced and now just have to match up some of my fabric to these styles. 

Plus I've been going through Instagram and other sewing related social media, and have found a huge number of challenges, sewalongs, and contests that are appealing to me...but I have to find time and decide which ones I might actually be able to do. 

First of all, though, I must finish my project for the Literary Sewing Circle. I can't neglect to finish the item for my own sewalong, after all! I have traced off my pattern and am just trying to decide which fabric to use for this dress...more will be revealed soon. I hope that you had a chance to read along with us in this round featuring Louise Erdrich's The Night Watchman, and that you've enjoyed the posts if so; and of course, that you'll make a project too if you can. 

I hope everyone's sewjo survives this week and that we still have the luxury of time and mental space to sew when it's all over.

July Sewing Plans!

Photo by Héctor J. Rivas on Unsplash

It's July already! Staying home all the time really makes the days meld into one another. At least the weather is telling me it's July -- hot and sticky -- looking forward to some relief. At least my sewing nook in the basement is nice and cool and it's where I'm spending a lot of time.

Here are my plans for July, and I'd better get them sewn up as I will be going back to work at the beginning of August! Thank goodness for that.

The first project I want to tackle is this pair of shorts (Butterick 3777, a 1986 pattern) for my husband. I'll be making the longer short from this bottom weight cotton poly I found at the thrift store about the same time as I found this pattern, at least a year ago. They are elastic waist, mock fly and cut on pockets so not too difficult but some things I've never made before -- ie: a fly -- plus fitting for a totally different shape! I'm looking forward to the challenge.

And the #CaftansandCocktails2020 Instagram challenge has inspired me to look at some of the kaftan-ish patterns I own. There is this nicely shaped Sew News kaftan, all done via measurement, and I have a pretty rayon to try it out with. Nice and light for summer.

After making my grey Cielo top last month, I've been wanting to make the dress version. I have a black silk noil from a fancy garage sale a couple of years ago, and it's just the right amount for a basic black Cielo dress. I think I'll get a ton of wear out of this. 

And what is a month without an 80s pattern for myself? I love this Butterick 4734 shirtdress from 1987. And I have a thrifted sheet in an 80s inspired print that I am going to make into View E, the white one in the centre. While it's styled with a purchased belt, I am also planning to make a matching belt for it. 

And one of my goals for the rest of the summer is to make my way through my mending piles and my stack of UFOs. I've got a start on them, but found this pattern in my UFO pile, so have moved it to the sewing table instead. I think it will be good for these steamy summer days, in this gingham floral rayon.

I'm also hoping to get to some little mending jobs, and to finish making up a few more masks for me to use as I return to work. Hopefully that will all be reasonable in the time I have! 

How about you? Are you sewing more or less these days? Do you have big plans or are you sewing as you feel like it? I hope you enjoy your summer either way. 

Handy & Unusual Sewing Tools

At the last meeting of our local Stratford Garment Guild, we shared some of the more unusual sewing tools found in our sewing rooms.

This got me thinking about some of the more unusual things I use, and I thought I'd make a short list here showing off some of the oddball tools that serve me well!

1. Telescoping magnetic wand

These magnetic pick-up tools can also come with a light (like mine) and can be easily found in the automotive department of your local hardware store. Handy for dropped and missing pins that end up under your sewing table. And for getting in between the wall and your cabinets!

2. Plant cover fabric

I buy huge packages of this at Dollarama to trace my pdf & Burda patterns -- it's cheap, easy to see through, and takes a ballpoint pen nicely. It is a little harder to see your pattern notations on this than it is on tissue, but on the other hand this stuff is sturdy! It reminds me of interfacing. You can't iron it unless you use low heat and a press cloth though - it will melt on to your iron otherwise. Heads up.

3. Crayola Washable Markers

Even though I do have a Frixion pen or two, these wide Washable Markers are handy for marking pattern notations on the wrong side of fabric. I like how quick and easy they are to use with basic cottons or any smooth fabric. And they almost always wash out well (NB: Test First!) They are helpful with darts, notches, etc. Even with embroidery!

And in new & strange tools that I don't have yet  -- I want to add a tape dispenser clip to my arsenal soon: my husband saw one at Michaels, though they are also available at Staples. It should make taping together pdfs much quicker, if the tape stays put on the edge of the table.

Do you have any unexpected items that make your sewing life easier? Do tell!

Halfway Done: 2019's next projects

Well, it's hard to believe but 2019 is half gone! I feel like I've stayed pretty much on track with my goals to sew mainly from stash so far this year -- I've sewn up more than I've purchased.

But that is shortly to become untrue, since we've got the bad news that our local Fabricland is closing due to rent and space issues. I've been so upset by this news, I've hardly been able to go into the store -- it makes me feel so sad! I hate to see the employees who have just found out their jobs are disappearing; I get so upset on their behalf. And on behalf of this very creative community that I live in that has so very many people who depend on this store for their own small businesses, or like me, just as the place to go when I need to feed my creative soul. I really don't know what we will do without it, since there are no garment stores anywhere else in our county, and I won't be driving the hour or more out of town to get to other stores very often at all.

But I've been writing to the company and to the city, along with many others, and we hope that something can be done. It's been very hard to deal with over the last couple of weeks, though. Very discouraging to the sewists among us. I will be buying as many standard supplies as I can in the closing sales, although I feel terrible that there has to be a closing sale at all. So, my stash will likely grow.

But in other, and much better news, I'm starting up a local Garment Guild this fall! So excited to meet other garment sewists and talk about our passion. We're working on the fall program now and it's going to be both super fun and very educational. If you're local, check us out at Stratford Garment Guild or on our FB  page or instagram feed to join the fun.

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As for July's plans -- I am hoping to have some time to sew this month as I have a few days off.

I have some ideas of what I want to make, and what I need to make -- not always the same thing!

First, the needs -- I need 2 basic straight skirts, one white and one black, to wear with all of my light summer tops. Fortunately I have suitable fabrics in both colours, and need to decide which two of these four patterns I will use (the top two are in the lead right now).

Then I have a dress I've wanted to make for a while, Butterick 6185. It's now cut and prepped for sewing so I should be able to finish it this month. I even had fabric in my stash that's similar to the pattern cover image!

And then a couple of more dresses (anybody surprised?) in the stack. I really want to make a Style Arc Adeline dress. I like the shape and wonder if it would suit me. I've picked out an acidic apple green linen...actually an old tablecloth, for this make! Also, I've been reading a lot of Virginia Woolf this summer (currently on The Years, which I'm really enjoying) and I just realized that Virginia Woolf's first name was actually Adeline -- which makes me really want to make this dress even more.

Then there's another Style Arc, a pattern that I've made before -- the Lacey Dress. Last time I used a stiff cotton, so I changed the gathered skirt to a pleated one -- this time I have a striped rayon in mind so want to make it again and see the differences due to fabric choice.

In a perfect world I'd finish these so I could also squeeze in a By Hand London Anna Dress -- I have a beautiful rayon that I'd like to use for that as well.

And I have my eye one last Big Four pattern, this light summery New Look 6340. I have the perfect thrifted cotton for this one, already washed and pressed and ready to cut...if I get to it this month!

And amongst all the sewing, I really want to trace off a few PDF patterns to start working on next month! My list includes Jennifer Lauren's Quincy and Sorrell dresses; Sew Over It's Penny Shirtdress; the Himari dress from Love Sewing magazine; and the Chalk & Notch Fringe Dress.


What about you? Do you have a big summer sewing list? What's on your sewing table these days?