SewBaby News

Can you believe it's the last day of March?  It's finally a balmy 63 degrees here in Illinois- shorts weather!   I was on Spring Break last week, and made my first pair of shorts this year and a couple of new knit tops from the latest Ottobre Woman  pattern magazine.  Here are the garments from the magazine:  And here are my versions:    I started with design #19, the Due Tone Long Sleeve Jersey top.  The fabric is a rayon/lycra striped jersey in lime and off white that I bought from Hancock Fabrics in their value fabrics section.  It's very soft and silky, and I love the wide stripe.  I've gotten some good deals from that section lately.  I think this was about $4/yd and this design takes 1-1/2 yards, so I spent about $6 for the fabric. I interfaced the pocket and used double needle stitching to finish the wide hem and neckband.  I think it turned out pretty nice! Next up was #17, the Faded Stripes Jersey Top.   This top has a separate shoulder

Hello everyone and happy Spring! This is the first time that I've taken photos outdoors since October.  It feels so nice to be outside again!  To celebrate the long awaited arrival of Spring, I just had to make a new dress.  One of the most versatile dresses that I think you can own is a wrap dress.  They work for all seasons- just throw on a jacket or cardigan in the winter, and you can make a wrap dress work all year long.  So for this time of year where the temperature is up one day and down the next, a wrap dress is perfect. The wrap dress was made popular by Diane Von Furstenberg in the 70's.  Have you ever seen a real DVF Wrap dress?  If you go to the Wrap Shop you can see that the average price is $400, and all of the gorgeous variations that they offer.  The one thing that I noticed that they all have in common, is that they are made from silk jersey. I actually tried on an authentic DVF wrap dress once, and found out what silk jersey really feels l

Have you started sewing for warmer weather yet?  I've been really enjoying sewing with the new Ottobre Woman issue.   There are twenty designs, and I've made up six of them so far, and I've only had it two weeks!  That probably sounds like a lot, but believe me- these are extremely simple designs!  Most of them have just two or three pieces, so I've been able to trace, cut and sew them in an evening. People talk about a running high- I'm on a sewing high- I'm in the zone and the endorphins are flowing.  Here are my pieces all laid out with some shoes and accessories: I decided on a Spring color palette of white, dark blue, light green and taupe, with the fabrics heavy on natural fibers so that this will transition into hot summer easily.  I've got several pieces already that will blend with these, and my goal is to have something similar to a Project 333 closet. My first project from this issue was #14- the Loose Fit pants. (All Ottobre designs have

Hi everyone! Spring is in the air, and what better way to celebrate than with a SPRING SEWING CONTEST! So gather your supplies and sew up something festive - you could win a $50 gift certificate from SewBaby!   Contest rules: -You can sew anything you'd like, as long as your project is made using at least one product purchased from SewBaby (printed pattern, e-pattern, fabric, etc.) -Post your photos to our Facebook page and specify what product(s) you used in order to be entered into the contest. -You have until Monday, April 6th to post your submissions.  So have fun, get creative, and show us what you can do! Good luck to all, and happy sewing!

Have you heard of Ottobre?  It is a Finnish company that prints pattern magazines for both women and children.  The women's Spring/Summer issue just arrived today!  The pictures above are both the same magazine- they put a cover on both the front and the back!  We carry it at SewBaby and are taking orders for the issue right now at 15% off.   If you compare it to Burda magazine, the designs are much more down to earth and easier to make. Lots of things that you will actually wear!  Every time I get a new one, I say "I'm going to make everything in this issue!"  I haven't yet succeeded in that goal because I get distracted too easily, but I really would love to do that. Here's a couple of nice pants and tops. Gosh I love the fabric on that A-line top! Notice the shoes too.  Mostly flats in this issue.  I really appreciate that. This Kimono jacket and skirt look like my style.  In fact, I think I have the perfect fabric for it. They alway

I know that everyone has different thoughts about buying fabric.  Should you have a plan for it when you buy it?  Do you buy the pattern first, or the fabric first?  I'm much more of a fabric first person.  Sometimes I just buy a fabric because it is different (and on sale!), but I have absolutely no clue what to do with it.  Then I wait, and wait, and sometimes wait some more, until the inspiration hits me.  That's what happened with this fabric.  It's a chevron striped crochet lace that I picked up at Hancock fabrics last year.  I had just been to Italy and had tried on some genuine Missoni dresses, and was inspired by them, but really didn't have a vision for this fabric.  But I thought it was pretty special, and at the very least, I thought it could be a cool swimsuit cover-up. I am teaching a class using McCall's 6754 as the base pattern later this month, and wanted to sew up a sample to show the students what it would look like in r