I finally had some free time recently to make little Glory something and had really been wanting to use this fabric from my mom's shop ...so voila, a simple, sweet spring dress. Adorned with a simple velvet ribbon and bow with gold buttons up the back.
My mom has recently been giving her Etsy shop a makeover. In addition to fabrics, she has also started listing notions, such as zippers and buttons. I love the range of colors in zippers and the way she has decided to display the listings. She runs a small business that is invalubale to a small community. I look up to her dedication to her work and the creative support she provides for her customers, friends, and family.
You can read more about her fabric store beginings here and here.
We have this big white dining room table that I love -- an ikea purchase that I'm actually still excited about. And I'm always eyeing new fabrics that my Mom gets in her fabric shop, so when this black & white number came in, I knew I needed to make something out of it. One of her beginning sewing classes is to make a simple tablerunner and I thought that it would be perfect to spruce up my table.
decorating, fabric, personal One recurring question I've received pretty much since I started blogging has been the type of sewing machine I use and what I recommend. That can be a very loaded question and also very simple, so I'm going to try to guide you through my opinion and show you the equipment that I use.
I used the same $200(ish) Singer machine from Walmart since I was in high school (probably similiar to this) for a long time. For home projects and during fashion school, it was an electric machine with limited bells and whistles, no fancy names, and had the ability to just sew. And that is my number one recommendation. If you are learning to sew and have limited experience, all you need is to do is just get a machine and sew. Don't spend tons of money and don't worry about tons of options because the fact is, at the end of the day, you're probably just going to be getting use to sewing backwards and forwards for quite awhile.
I finally retired my old machine and invested in the Bernina 330 (above photo) some time ago. As someone who sews nearly everyday, I needed a machine that could handle the amount of sewing I was going to be doing, had very nice buttonholes, and had the capabilites of producing high quality garments. I debated going to an industrial straight-stitch machine but ultimately opted for the Bernina with the intentions of adding an industrial machine within a year. I have been so pleased with this machine! It handles so well and I've really enjoyed it's computerized capabilities. So if you're at the place where you're ready to upgrade and invest in a machine, I'd definitely look into Bernina.
I will say, I still opted for the machine with the least stitches because that's just something I don't use.
Now you may just sew enough that seam finishing is not a big deal to you -- but if you are looking for a faster way to finish seams, I do recommend looking into a serger. I have had this serger for about 3 years and it was a great place to get started. However, when we moved back to North Carolina I was finally able to move in an industrial serger that my grandmother no longer wanted. This Singer industrial machine is about 25 years old and stitches like butter. But again, I recommend starting small and afforable and then eventually building up your arsenal machines as you feel more confident with your own personal skills and needs.
Learning to sew is just like anything else -- you have to start with basics, take it slow, and practice. So while there are tons of sewing machine brands and styles out there, the most important thing is to keep a reasonal budget and not get distracted with all the "special" editions and add-ons. There is always room to grow and you'll find that the more you sew, the more you'll start to aquire you're own thoughts and opinions about your sewing preferences. Happy sewing :)
Although I spend my days making clothing for other people, I sometimes (or maybe I should say.. somehow?!) find the time to whip up something for myself. I recently took the glea blouse and made it out of a liberty print that I purchased last year. And I love it.
jacket - uniqlo / skirt - urban outfitters / boots - apc
daily wear, fabric Remember when I blogged about this book last May? To my pleasant surprise, I learned that a portion of my apparel construction class this semester would be dedicated to experimenting with texture through techniques demonstrated in this book. So I've been busy making small samples that I will later use to design a garment.
Step one to wearing more color: buy a few yards of the latest liberty fabric (or even a classic will do) and make myself something.
An aviation themed blouse would be fun, right?!
fabric 
