New Fabric Collections in Store!

This week I had the great pleasure of putting the most brand-new fabrics on our website. This is the first time I've gotten to unwrap and tag the newest of new fabric and let me just say it was a rush! Thus far I've been getting the website up to date with things that were already in the store. Getting to put fabric on the website as soon as it's been unboxed is EVEN better!

There are two new collections from Moda: Scrumptious from Designers Bonnie and Camille. I think this might be my favorite of the new (though it is really is hard to decide). It definitely has a vintage flair and the colors are right up my alley.

A few of the fabrics from Scrumptious.

The second Moda was, Soho Chic from Sandy Gervais. This fabric is so rich looking and still kind of exotic. I love that combo! Can't you just imagine the most plush room with a mahogany poster bed, and french doors that open up to the french rivera?

SoHo Chic from Moda.

Finally, the new line from Art Gallery is called Minimalista and has a completely wonderful sixties mod look. The color is so wonderful and I love all the geometry of these fabrics. Not to mention they feel amazing (am I the only one who loves to feel fabric). I don't know how quilting cotton can feel like silk, but it totally does.

Minimalista from Art Gallery Fabrics.

You can find all of these in our brick and mortar store or online, here. We would love to feature projects made with these fabrics, so bring them in or send us pics so we can see what lovely ways you use the fabric. I'm leaving next week for a sister/mom trip, so if it's quiet around here you'll know why. I hope your fall is going splendidly.

Happy Sewing

Love, Jessie

Dress Disaster!

Have you ever had one of those projects where you have in your head just exactly how you want something to look? Add to that a deadline for which your really excited. You work quite focused to reach these goals. And then... then it doesn't come out exactly how you envisioned it. In fact by the time you're done you've been looking at the fabric for so long that your nearly cross eyed and you can't decide if it even looks pretty and vintage like you thought or if it somehow turned japanese kimono/ old lady night gown before your very eyes.

This is what happened to me this week. I'm leaving tomorrow for a weekend conference on writing. I wanted a new dress (the one I talked about briefly here) to wear to this conference. I wanted to look quirky, vintage, and trim all at the same time. Oh heavens, today when I finally stitched the last hem and pressed the last seam I couldn't even tell if I liked it. I can't tell if it looks good! I might have cried a little (but in my defense I was also really hungry and it's so gloomy here I'm suffering from a lack of vitamin D).

I took a few pictures (because of course it was the topic of today's blog) and then put it away. Maybe tomorrow with fresh eyes, a cardigan, and new boots I'll feel differently. Maybe tomorrow instead of it looking like a nightgown it will look Madeline in Paris like I intended.

Sewing can so mirror life, can't it? You have a vision in your head and plans and sometimes it just doesn't turn out the way you wanted it to. Sewing has such risk involved, you can't truly know how something will look, fit, feel, match until it's made, until you've already put in all that time. And I think maybe it's a good thing, maybe it helps us handle those bigger life issues where things didn't turn out the way we wanted them too. But, there's still learning; I'm still a better seamstress then when I started this dress (I did a successful full bust adjustment and I drafted my own collar). And, maybe, if you layer a cardigan over your new-made dress, then maybe, just maybe, it will turn out, just in a different way then you had intended.

More pics to come once I've gotten some things to help it out.  If your looking to sew your own dress might I suggest this pattern available in our online shop: It's the Monique pattern from Serendipity Studios.  I made this dress and I wear it all the time.

Find the Pattern Here.

That's the pattern above and this is me in the dress.
An actual success, I just had to show you that not all
of my projects end in tears (this one ended up in Jamaica!)

Also check out our Pinterest Board Apparel filled with all sorts of good ideas.
I hope your sewing and your life is filled with good stitches.
Happy Sewing
Love, Jessie

Tis the Season for Rain Jackets.

Finally the sun is back! I love rainy weather but only for a day here and a day there. Once it's been raining for a few days I begin to feel sad, seriously I'll cry over anything. Can you say Seasonal Affective Disorder?

This chilly wet weather inspired us to put our laminated fabrics on the website because of the beautiful possibilities there are for jackets. In fact I made a jacket out of fabric from the store last year and it is STILL the piece I am most proud of and the piece that I get the most compliments on. When I began working on this jacket it was out of necessity, I needed something I could wear so that I could walk the dog even if it was damp outside, my old school sweatshirts just weren't cutting it any more. However, even if it was out of practicality that this jacket was conceived I wanted it to be something special. I envisioned it harkening back to some of my girlhood things; something pink, and floral, and with butterflies. Friends, I get more compliments from women and girls of all ages on this jacket, then on anything else I've ever made! I love this jacket, and the rain boots (something I've always wanted) simply make the ensemble sweeter. If your interested in a more detailed post on the rain jacket you can read about it here, here and here

Just being a little silly.

If your interested in making your own jacket, or if you're wondering what else can be made from laminated fabrics (there are sooooo many good ideas, chair covers, table clothes, traveling pouches, bibs, aprons, reusable market bags...) check out our new Pinterest board, laminated fabrics. And if your interested in the fabric I made my jacket from, or the pattern they are available in the store (along with so many others) and in our online shop.

I lined the jacket in flannel to give it a bit more warmth.
This is MI, after all. I call it "french bicycles"
(it's actually from the baby department).

The pattern I used was very straightforward. I
left off the extra thing over the shoulders.

I did finally finish the last apron, and am hoping to cut into my dress pattern today! Oh I'm crossing my fingers that I can get it finished before next Friday (when I hope to wear it). Wish me luck, and as always...
Happy Sewing to you friends
Love, Jessie.

Happy Sewing dear friends. I hope your weekend is going well and your spending this wet rainy weather snuggled up with a needle, thread and a cup of tea. I've had a very productive weekend filled with finished Halloween costumes, a wet but fun walk in the woods for some fun upcoming blog posts and snuggles with my little ones.

I did manage to FINALLY get one of my aprons finished. I still have one more to do before I'm allowed to start on the dress I was talking about in an earlier post. I'm having a very hard time being motivated to do these, for some reason (as I love aprons and wear them daily). Maybe now that I've got one done getting the second finished will be easier (but, oh how I'm ready to start that dress).

The apron I did finally finish I really love. It's a gift for a friend and the tea cups are perfect (that fabric was bought about six months ago and finally got used) the contrast fabric in green is from the shop. It's an RJR fabric called Garden Medley. It's the perfect green with the same diamond pattern as on some of the cups with just a bit of pink. I love it when fabrics work out that way. The shape of the apron is very 1940's which, I'm sure you're beginning to discover, I totally dig! It covers so much and believe me, I need a lot of coverage (I'm not sure if I'm a good cook but I KNOW I'm a messy one). The pattern is also from the shop (and you can buy it online) It's the "All Day Apron" from Indygo Junction. It was a nice pattern to use with pretty easy directions, and not a ton of pieces which I like.

The bag you see in these pictures is the "Mondo Bag" and let me just say it is HUGE! It holds sooo much. There is a class starting Oct 10th 10pm-1pm and the cost for the class is $7 and the kit is $48, which is pretty much the cost of the materials so you get the great sewing time with lovely ladies free! You can check out the details online. 

I hope you had a great weekend and I hope your week ahead is filled with,

Happy Sewing

Love, Jessie

Fig Tree Fabrics.

I had the pleasure of putting all the fig tree fabric from Moda on the website Monday and can I just say, "Ahhhhhh" and then swoon. It was all so pretty I nearly went mad. I wanted to go skipping with it through the store (which reminds me of a musical my sister and I want to write called the fabric and book shop musical. It would include a lot of using scissors and books as precussion). Instead of frolicking and singing through the store, I made a Pinterest board for all thing Fig Tree. Check there for some inspiration and pretty pictures of fabric. And, if you can't get into our brick and mortar shop you can always shop for it in our online store.

The second thing I did was to completely redesign this dress that's in my cue. (As a side note; am I the only one who's favorite part of a sewing project is the planning part)? I am going to use some of the Fig Tree Avalon fabric and I think it will look really cute (I've asked like ten people their opinions so I'd say I'm good). I was looking for something Navy Blue that will coordinate with mustard, and army green. These are the colors I try to stay near when I'm buying or making things for fall. And this totally fits the bill, along with the fact that I think it will give the dress a really vintage vibe (which is totally my style).

I'm going to change the collar to a peter pan collar and do that in the polka dot while the body of the dress is floral. I'll show pics when I'm all finished!

I can't start the dress until I finish this weeks project, which I'll be blogging about soon. It's a very homey project and is what is inspiring our sewing song list this week. I needed something with a bit of a blue grass vibe while I sew this weeks vintage inspired creation. I hope you enjoy.

We'd love to hear what your favorite part of sewing is. Is it the planning, the cutting, or the actual machine stitching? Whatever it is...
Happy Sewing
Love, Jessie

How To Alter a T-shirt

How many huge boxy men's or unisex t-shirts do you have stuffed in drawers at home? So many, and some of them are from events and things we'd like promote or remember. Well, never fear the t-shirt tutorial is here! It is so incredibly easy to change the shape and size of a t-shirt, the first time I did it I nearly fainted in front of my mirror in glee, this opens up so many more nerdy shirts for me. I hope these pictures and directions give you the courage and knowledge you need to no longer relegating those 5k and volunteer shirts to your pajama drawer.

What you'll need:

A t-shirt that fits you well (to use as a template)

ball point sewing needle

matching thread

My son is in love with this local restaurant/shop, Station 66, (as am I) and has been bugging us for a t-shirt from there for a while. His birthday is saturday and I wanted to get him one as a gift, but alas their shirts are only in adult sizes. Very basic sewing skills to the rescue! I bought an adult small and am using a shirt of his (size 6) that I know works well.

Step 1:

Turn your huge shirt inside out and lay it on a flat surface being careful to smooth out all the wrinkles and line up all the seams

Step 2:

Take the shirt that fits you well and lay it on top of the t-shirt you want to change. Make sure the shoulders are lined up and everything is smooth (really take your time on this step you don't want to accidentally alter your shirt crooked) Pin through all the layers in a few places to keep it from slipping.

Step 3:

Trace around the sides and up along the bottom of the sleeve of your well fitting shirt. As you trace along the bottom of the sleeve extend your chalk line to the edge of your shirt. If your going to want to hem your new shirt be sure to leave an inch or so beyond the bottom of the well fitting shirt to fold in. Don't trace around the top of your shirt this will be left alone (In other words we won't be altering the original shoulders or necklines).

Step 4:

Carefully remove the well fitting top shirt. Your working with knit fabric here so remember to change you sewing machine needle to a ball point needle. No Sew right along the lines you've marked, straight up the side. Pivoting at the armpit and continuing where you marked the bottom of the sleeve. Do the same thing on the other side.

here you can see the new lines. 

I'm sewing right on the chalk lines

Step 5:

Cut away the access fabric along your new seams (I like to leave about 1/4 to 1/5 inch of fabric. Knit doesn't unravel so don't worry about the raw edges. Cut the sleeve back to your desired length (you can hem the sleeve but I find it's a bit tricky with the knit and since it won't unravel I simply make sure it's a nice clean cut and leave it at that.)

Step 6:

Go back and reinforce the stitching in the underarm.

Step 7:

Cut the shirt to it's desired length. If you want to hem the bottom now's the time. Turn in the raw edge about one inch, iron and sew a new hem. I like to sew two lines of stitching along the hem; the first 1/4 inch from the fold and the second 1/4 inch away from the first row of stitching. I find this gives it a pretty professional look.

Here's the finished Station 66 shirt next to a regular t-shirt of his. I think it looks pretty good. And, usually when your doing this kind of alteration it won't be as extreme of a size shift so it'll look even better.

If you have any questions leave them in the comments. I read every comment we get. So if there is any step that your unsure about ask away. Also don't forget to check out our first "Sewing Room Tour" and we're pinning away like mad on Pinterest.

Now go and take that shapeless sports shirt and give it some girly shape!

Happy Sewing

Love, Jessie.

Welcome to My Sewing Room,

These shelves are something I'd like to improve on.

Please come in and make yourself comfortable. This post will be short on words and big on gorgeous photos of my favorite room in my house! Yes, I'm lucky enough to have an entire room for my sewing something I am very grateful for. And while there are things about it I'd like to improve (there are no pictures of the closet!! And I'd love french doors to an outdoor patio.) I am amazed at how much more creative I am and how much more I'm able to get done with a dedicated space.

Here it is I'll let the pictures do the talking. And a HUGE thank you to Bethany Clay for taking these photos for me. She has such a great eye and these pictures are so beautiful.

One thing I really wanted in my sewing room was a bed for
my best sewing companion, though he prefers to lay on scraps of fabric.

The pincushion was made out of a tin can by my great grandmother
and those scissors belonged to my other great grandma.

Halloween Costume in progress

Oh Janome what would I do without you?

I love old suitcases and they serve as a great place to store my
vintage patterns.

This peg rack was made by my papa.
I always know where my scissors are...
usually...

I hope you enjoyed our first "Sewing Space Tour" and I hope you'll come again.

Happy Sewing

Love, Jessie

Still Here.

I did not forget you dear readers! This week was a perfect storm of out-of-town visitors and really confusing technical difficulties. I hope you can forgive me! The first sewing room tour will be up soon (hopefully by the end of the weekend) I have a sweet friend coming over Saturday to help me sort out the computer difficulties I'm having with the photo files (the dark side of the awesomeness of working and blogging online). So keep on the lookout for that.

In the meantime I had to announce the winner of the owl pincushion pattern and give you the what's what on the new class schedule for the shop! The winner of the owl pincushion is.....

SUNSHINE RANDALL!! Congratulations! Send us a facebook message with your address and I'll put the pattern in the mail unless you'd rather pick it up in the store. Just let me know.

Now for the updated class schedule:
Alpine Wonder: Wed Dec 11, 10am-2pm and Fri Dec 13 10-2pm
Bali Pop Basket Fri Oc 11 10-2pm Sat Oct 19 10-2pm
Crabapple Hill Club First Tuesday of the month 2pm
Hippy Hippy Shake Sat Nov 9 11-2pm Sat nov 16 10-2pm
Judy Neimeyer Club Third Tuesday of the month10-1pm
Lazy Daisy Wed Dec 4 10-2pm
Machine Embroidery Halloween Wall Hanging Sat Oct 5 10-2pm
Modern Holiday Club Wed Oct 16, Nov 20, Dec 18 2-5pm
Mondo Bag Oct 10 and Oct 17 11-1pm
Pincushion Club Last Monday of the month 10-12pm
Spice Market Tote Nov 14 10-2pm
The Art of Elegant Hand Embroidery First Friday of the month 2-5pm
Twisty Twirly Scarf Nov 13 2pm
Wool Club. Third Thursday of the month 2-5pm

There are lots more details about each class on the website. Click the class your interested in to see the details.

Now if there isn't a class here for all the sewing enthusiasts, then I'll eat my hat. Preferably one I made myself out of real felt! Hopefully I'll see you at some of these classes and we'll get to know each other whilst learning from the best (our own Sue)!

Just Checking in.

You would not believe how clean my sewing room is! I don't even want to sew it's so clean and organized. Under all those scraps of fabric and bits of thread was a real beauty. One of my dear friends came and took pictures on her fancy camera of my sewing room for a new segment we're going to start here on the blog called "Sewing Spaces" where we'll take a virtual tour of a room or corner of a room that has been set aside for creative pursuits. Look for that soon. To go along with our "Sewing Spaces" segment we've started a Sewing Spaces Board on Pinterest. Click Here to check out lots of beautiful spaces and ideas for decorating and organization your own sewing places. While we're on the subject of connecting with us I wanted to point out that If you look to the left of this post you'll see a column titled "Connect with us here" click any of those links to find our website, Facebook, or Pinterest account where we're always pinning inspiring creative ideas.

Don't forget to leave a comment on the last blog post to be entered to win the Owl sewing pattern from Sewn into the Fabric. Click Here to read that post.

New classes starting in the shop. It's the perfect time of year to commit to a new project and hang out with awesome sewing ladies.

Lastly, I wanted to introduce you to our Sewing Song List. I don't know about you but I have to have some sort of music going in the background whilst I sew. I thought it'd be fun to share what we listen to while we create. I'll try and post a new song list each week for you to enjoy as well. This week I'm needing something classic but upbeat to give me the energy I need to do a lot of work fast and well. Sort of a swing feel to keep me planning that cute 1940's inspired pencil skirt I want to sew. And a bit of an homage to my dear sisters who I'm missing immensely right now. I hope you enjoy.
Happy Sewing
Love Jessie.

A Parliament of Owls.

Apparently a group of owls is called a parliament. I just love that don't you?! If only lawmakers were as  cute as this group of little owls, they're certainly wise as they sit upon your sewing desk holding your pins. It seems as if they have all the answers to your sewing conundrums, or at least they imbue a sense of humor to all that you sew!

Owls are all the rage right now and these cuties are small (about the size of a large spool of thread), and very easy to whip up. You could make an entire parliament for your friends with very little time (something that's much appreciated this time of year). The pattern says they're pincushions, and what cute ones they are, but they could just as easily be small stuffed toys for children (age appropriate of course because I think they could be a choking hazard), or Christmas ornaments. Just sew a ribbon loop on the top and you've got the perfect stocking stuffer or package trimming.

What a cute bunch of moda owls! 

A few notes: I mostly used fabric from a Moda Bundle I bought in the shop along with a few vintagy fabrics from my stash. The first few I made looked, well, odd to say the least. If I was being honest I'd say they looked drugged (my husband thought the first owl I made looked like a mad scientist)! I couldn't figure it out until I realized that I had used white buttons as the pupils instead of black! Once I corrected that mistake they looked cute as ever.

I filled mine with corn because I was too lazy to go to the pet store
for crushed walnut shells like they suggested. As you can see my owls
may have substance abuse problems. It's fast if you make a bunch
factory style.

The pattern instructs you to sew the buttons together first and then sew them to the owl. That was a bit fiddly for me and I liked the way the buttons look when you put the black ones off center from the white, I think it makes the owls look amused (which is an idea I got from Ramona Quimby Age 6). So I got out my trusty glue gun and glued the buttons together and glued them to the owls. It worked great for me and was way faster.

I also liked the way the owls look without the yarn. In fact I couldn't decide which I liked better. My husband reads this cute comic to the kids about a lovable owl who enjoys gardening, and I thought without the yarn looked much more like Owly, so I made them both ways.

If your wanting to make your own owls you can pick up a pattern in our shop or you can order it at our online store AND if you leave a comment on this post answering the question: "who or what inspires you to sew the most" you will be entered to win an owl pattern for FREE. We'll mail it anywhere so even if your not local enter (on this blog not on Facebook)! We'll randomly pick a winner Monday!

A picture of the pattern you can buy it at
our online shop or win a copy!.

Happy Sewing,
Love Jessie.