SewBaby News

  Good news!   We are excited to announce that you can now pre-order the new Spring/Summer 2012 My Image and Young Image Magazines !  They are coming all the way from the Netherlands, and we can't wait!  So, if you are dying for summer outfits and want to get started sewing something fabulous, order your copy(ies) now!  You can be assured that we will send your magazine(s) out as soon as they arrive to us.  You can see the Instructions included are in English, German, French and Dutch.  There are no illustrations in the instructions.  These are master patterns which means that you need to trace them to preserve the original.  You will need to add seam and hem allowances to the patterns.  The sizes for women include European sizes 36-44, and for children 80-164 (approximately 18 months- youth size 12). Here is a link to the fashion shots in this issue My Image Spring/Summer 2012 .

The holy grail is..... a GREAT FITTING PANTS pattern. What seamstress hasn't searched high and low for one.  It doesn't seem to be so much to ask, does it? Yet, it has eluded me for all of these years- until now. YES!  It's true! I think I found the perfect pants pattern for my body!  It is from Vogue 1200- an Anne Klein pattern.  The ONLY alterations that I made were that I lengthened it and lined it.   Need I say more?   Pants Back I used a stretch wool gabardine for the outside, and a silk crepe for the inside.   It doesn't call for a lining, but without one, you would have seen the outline of the pockets a little too much.    I've never made a full pants lining before, but it wasn't hard at all.  I read up about it in Sandra Betzina's Power Sewing book, and she recommended that you sew a smaller seam allowance in the lining, because it doesn't have much give.  I cut just the front and back pieces out of the lining, one inch shorter tha

I was on such a roll the first 2 weeks of January, thanks to the Fabric Stash Contest, making 4 items, that I decided to tackle my most challenging project in the third week, while I still had plenty of time.  It's a good thing I did.  It took me a while to make this one, and I'm not sure I'd have the energy had I saved it for last! Instead of the Butterick coat that I had planned, I made a last minute switch for Vogue 8693 .   It's a Marci Tilton design, and this is the first one of her designs that I've made.  Lot's of people rave about her patterns- lots of neat angles, loose fitting and comfortable. So, this jacket looks pretty simple on the face of it. But it is definitely an unusual design, and I had to concentrate on this one. My boucle fabric that wanted to ravel itself silly added to my challenge. Lining with the points cut out. The original jacket pattern only has you do a partial lining.  My fabric was a little on the thin side, and wi

 January is National Mentoring Month and January 26th is National Thank Your Mentor Day.   I would like to thank my Mom, Barbara Atkinson, for teaching me everything that she knew about sewing, and encouraging me to follow my spark.  I have no doubt that it was difficult at times, if not most of the time. In addition to teaching me for nearly ten years: -She would sit with me for HOURS in the fabric stores when I was picking out my 4-H projects. -She would spend money on fabric and patterns for me that she could have spent in many other ways. -She would rip out my sewing mistakes so that I wouldn't have to, and she would console me when I didn't win a prize in the 4-H contests. -For my college graduation present, she gave me my first Bernina sewing machine (better than a new car to a sewist!).    Did you have a mentor?  For sewing, or life in general?  Feel free to share your story here! -Ann

My easy to sew layered look- infinity scarf, shell and cardigan. I love silk charmeuse and silk chiffon! But sewing them can be a real pain.  So, in a compromise, I decided to sew the simplest things possible with them.  Forget about set in sleeves, collars, etc, and go for a pullover top or an infinity scarf.  Leave the tough stuff for fabrics that are better behaved. Top from McCalls 6519 I've had this crazy animal print silk charmeuse for a couple of years.  Since I bought it, I've often wondered why.  It's garish, it's loud and not "me".  Yet, for some reason, I love it.  Now with animal prints being in fashion, what better time to sew it up! I chose McCalls 6519 - a really basic shell.  I would normally have to do a full bust adjustment, but I had enough fabric to cut it on the bias, which gives it enough stretch that I could get by without one. I did add some length to the body, and used a self-fabric bias binding instead of the recommended

I wanted to make something warm and snuggly for my daughter who loves to wear dresses, and I found this great fuschia and grey sweater knit on the clearance section at Joann's.   I think I paid a whole $3/yard for it!  I chose McCalls 6161 because I wanted something easy to sew, and carefree to wear.  This fit the bill.  I didn't have enough fabric to make the cowl the full size, so mine is quite a bit smaller than the original design. The whole pattern is only three pieces- the front, back and cowl.  Sew the side seams, sew the shoulders, hem the raw edges, and you've got a dress!  The cowl is just a tube that you sew the ends together.   It truly is a one hour pattern. I just saw it on Clearance on the McCall's website, so if you'd like this style, grab it before it's gone! My daughter's already worn this a few times, so I will probably be making more of this one. 

I cleaned my sewing room yesterday.  This was no easy job.  I'm a truly MESSY sewer, who goes from pattern to pattern, without ever putting away anything.  If you ever wonder how I can whip out projects so fast, this is the reason- I just throw things over my shoulder and never look back. Eventually I reach a point where I can't find something, and I say "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!", and I break down and pick stuff up.  This happens about once a month.  What a bad example I am.  New sewists, please don't sew this way!  Look how pretty my sewing room is when it is clean.  I should keep it this way always. Anyway, in the cleaning, I actually found a top that I made, but never wore from December!  WOOHOO!  At least I got some reward for cleaning! This top is from Simplicity 2195 , which is another Khaliah Ali pattern.  I am a HUGE fan of her patterns.  They always include multiple items and are trendy, but still flattering if you don't have *uhhum*"a p

All of us at SewBaby are daydreaming of fresh blossoms and pretty blue skies...But since it's only January, we have to pretend it is spring!  Good thing we got these new cotton prints by Maywood Studio to help us make believe!  Wouldn't these fabrics be great for so many different projects?  Dresses?  Skirts?  Table cloths with coordinating napkins?  What about some cool curtains?  Or a SewBaby double duty bag?  So many possibilities!  

It's January 15th and with this project under my belt,  I'm done with 4 of my 8 planned projects for the Patternreview.com Fabric Stash Contest!   Woohoo!  Right on track. This is McCalls 6512.  It's designed  by Melissa Watson, who is the daughter of Pati Palmer.  Pati Palmer is one of the authors of Fit for Real People, which is a fantastic fitting reference book.  It was a nice surprise when I opened the pattern that it had the directions and markings for making a bust adjustment.  This makes things so much easier!  I cut a 14 at the shoulders, a 16 at the sides, and then did a 1" full bust adjustment.  This added a dart, and lengthened the center front about 1".  I really wanted full length sleeves, and I added some length to the sleeve back and the front yoke/sleeve pieces. This is another fabric I received in a mystery bundle from Fabric Mart Fabrics.  It's a gorgeous fabric, but not one that I would have chosen on my own.  I believe that it

This is the skirt from the Simplicity 2344 pattern.  This is using 1 yard of a black wool tweed that is just gorgeous. It's so basic, that I'm afraid this will be the most boring blog post ever, but you know, I'm really glad that I've got a black straight skirt in my wardrobe now! This takes just 1 yard of fabric, and it will go with just about anything!  I did make several changes: 1.  Lengthened it 5 inches.  This is a lot.  I'm tall, but not that tall!  It hits me just below the knee now.  2.  Lowered the top of the front slit by 2 inches.  It was a little indecent when I sat down initially.  I work at a school, so I need to look somewhat respectable! 3.  Added a lining and interfaced the top of the lining. The original pattern calls for you to stabilize the waist with twill tape, instead of a separate facing or waistband. I've done this method before, and it's not my favorite.  It's a shortcut that will work in a pinch, but if you'

I have decided that I LOVE vests!  Today it is chilly in my office, and as soon as I put this vest on, I felt fine.  Jackets are too restricting to me because of the sleeves, but a vest adds warmth where I need it, and adds another layer of interest to an outfit. This vest is from Simplicity 2344 .  It is a Khaliah Ali pattern that includes multiple cup sizes for a better fit. The pattern also includes a straight skirt, a jacket, knit blouse, and wide leg pants.  Quite a nice selection, and I do plan on trying out the other pieces. I did make one significant alteration- I felt that the collar of the vest was going to get in the way of some of the collars on my shirts and dresses, so I redrew the neckline so that it just curves down from the shoulder.  I made mine from a metallic tweed that has just a subtle golden shimmer.  I'm pretty sure this was in a Fabric Mart mystery bundle.  What I like about mystery bundles is they force me to try new fabrics.  I prob

This Contest is now over.  Thank you to all of our entrants!  Congratulations to Katja for giving this nameless knit a name! Jellybean Giraffes Jig In The Garden on White Jersey Knit   (say that tongue twisting title 5 times fast!)   Introducing Our Win A Yard Wednesday Contest!   This is our special new contest that will happen on one Wednesday of each month. We'll have a different contest each time, and you'll have the chance to win a yard of fabric! That's right, a WHOLE YARD!!!!! All you have to do is come up with a creative name for this cute jersey knit fabric.  Continue down for full contest rules.   Here's How You Can Win 1) The fabric name must include the main description & color(s) of object, shape, design, animal,etc. 2) The fabric name must include the main background color (ex: WHITE)                     3) Comment on our Win A Yard Wednesday Facebook Post or SewBaby News Blog

This is the first project for my Fabric Stash Contest!  I am sooo thrilled with this dress.  It turned out better than I expected.  The pattern I used was Simplicity 2337 which is one of the older Project Runway patterns. It has several views, and I made View A which has the front that overlaps with pleats over the midsection.  I tell myself that this is tummy camouflage.  I made a Full Bust Adjustment on the front pieces, using Debbie Cook's wonderful tutorial on her blog Stitches and Seams .  My high bust measurement is 36, which matches the pattern size 14.  My full bust measurement is 39, so I added 1-1/2" to the bust area on the side front, then added length to the center front and facing pieces.  I ended up needing to add an extra pleat to match the lengths, so I don't know if I calculated something wrong, or just made the other pleats too small.  Either way, it was an easy fix.  Close-up of fabric My fabric had a little stretch to it, so I dec