Introducing Sewaholic Patterns!

May is the Month of Skirts here at Sewtropolis and we’re kicking it off with the introduction of a new pattern line at the shop: Sewaholic Patterns from Vancouver-based designer, Tasia Pona. We recently ‘sat down’ (okay, we emailed…) with Tasia to learn a bit more about her… read on and check back in after the interview to learn more about our our special Sewaholic offer!

[designer Tasia Pona models the Pendrell blouse, pattern available at Sewtropolis]

Tell us about Sewaholic Patterns! What kind of woman are you designing your patterns for?

Sewaholic Patterns creates pretty, versatile sewing patterns for the pear-shaped women! The styles are designed to fit and flatter a pear-shaped figure, although it's easy to adapt them for any body type. I wanted to make patterns that are easy to sew but fit well, versatile enough to make over and over, and most importantly, flattering and comfortable! The woman in my mind likes to look feminine and pretty, pulled-together without looking too fussy or overdressed. She sews because it's the best way to get unique, fashionable clothing that fits right.

OK, now a little about you... answer these questions three...

How did you learn to sew?

I learned to sew from my mother, when I was a little girl. She let me use her fabric scraps for Barbie doll clothes, so that's how I started off my sewing adventures. My Barbie was oh so stylish! She had a suede miniskirt, a cape, all kinds of awesome things that no other Barbie doll had! That's the greatest part about sewing, being able to make exactly what you want, regardless of what's in fashion or in the stores, and get it to fit you properly. After outfitting Barbie with a wardrobe of great items, I moved on to sewing for myself. In high school I took sewing (every year!) and afterwards, I went on to college and completely my degree in Fashion Design. So I've been sewing nearly all my life!

What's your favorite style of skirt?

I love all kinds of skirts, but my favorite is a full gathered or pleated skirt. I like my skirts to be comfortable and flattering, and I find pleated or gathered styles have the best of both worlds! Pockets are a must, and I like them roomy and functional. I do also love circle skirts, anything that floats out when you twirl around is good in my books! Bonus points for petticoats and contrasting linings. Whatever style of skirt you prefer, skirts should be feminine, flattering, and fun to wear!

What's on your sewing table right now?

The Crescent Skirt, for the Sew-Along! I'm making it up in a pretty red cotton print, and I'm still looking for the perfect bright turquoise for a coordinating slip. I do have a few other projects on the go, including a Vintage Vogue dress from the early fifties in teal wool. I found the most amazing vintage glass button to finish off the dress.

What can we expect to see from Sewaholic this year? Any new patterns on the drafting table?

Most definitely, there will be new patterns this year! My goal is to release at least four new patterns this year, to build up the collection. All of the new styles will work together to build a pretty, handmade wardrobe! Dresses, skirts, jackets, trousers - several exciting new designs are in the works!

We heard through the grapevine that we can get some help from the designer while working on our Sewaholic patterns! Tell us about your sewalongs!

What's a sew-along, you might ask? A Sew-Along is like a long-distance sewing meet-up. Like when two friends who live in different cities go see the same movie separately together, and then call each other to talk about it afterwards. It’s like that, but for sewing!

We all sew the same pattern, with our own choice of fabric, and then I’ll post step-by-step photos of the sewing instructions. We’ll sew a little bit every day or so, and the posts will be there for those who work at a more relaxed pace. Everyone who's sewing along can ask me questions along the way if they get stuck, and when it’s all done we each have a pretty, finished project! I also post tips, tutorials, and designer's recommendations - plenty of reasons to stop by and check it out, even if you're not sewing along at the same time.

The great part is that there’s a whole bunch of us doing it together. What I've found from the first Sew-Along is that sewist are generally kind, helpful people. People will comment with their own suggestions and tips, what worked for them, and offer opinions and alternate methods. At the end of it all, we've all learned something new, even the intermediate and advanced sewists! And it's incredibly helpful for beginners to be able to sew with confidence, knowing there's a whole group of people who will help them along the way.

Let’s see the patterns!

The Crescent Skirt

The Crescent skirt is the newest offering from Sewaholic and is a fun and flirty skirt – perfect for summer! With roomy pockets and the option of an above or below the knee length, you can make up a few for the weekends and a few for wearing to work!

 

The Pendrell Blouse

The Pendrell Blouse was the first release from Sewaholic Patterns and is perfect in one of our summer voiles! This beginner level shirt works on its own or paired with a suit.

Check out the Pendrell sewalong posts for great tips on how to sew up this sweet little blouse!

 

[View A]

 

[View B]

Thank you Tasia for taking the time to answer our questions! Check out Tasia’s blog and keep up with new releases by following her Facebook page.

As a special offer* during the “Month of Skirts” come in and pick up a copy of the Crescent skirt and we’ll include two hours of Q & A Studio Time** with your purchase. The Crescent skirt sewalong is currently underway, so you’ll have access to great tips on sewing your skirt! If you get stuck, come on in to use your Q & A Studio Time and get some extra help from one of us. The Crescent Skirt is appropriate for an Advanced Beginner – if you’ve taken one of our level 2 classes such as pajama bottoms or bias cut skirt, this would be a great next pattern for you.

And watch for our June schedule – we’ll be celebrating a Month of Shirts and devoting our full line up to summer blouses! Patty will be teaching the Pendrell shirt on June 20th!

*offer ends May 31st, 2011

** Q&A Studio time is halfway between independent studio time and personal one-on-one instruction and is geared towards sewists who are able to work independently with some assistance from our staff learning new techniques.

Meet Me in the Study Hall!

You may have have heard that May is Skirt Month here at Sewtropolis, and our first intermediate class in May, is Anna Maria Horner’s adorable Study Hall skirt.

It’s a classic a-line silhouette with box pleats in front and back and a banded hem. The techniques you’ll learn in this intermediate class include inverted box pleats, installing a zipper, and working with two fabrics in one garment. 

featuring Central Park by Kate Spain

As you can see, this skirt is preppy and sassy, ready for knee socks or sandals. I was thrilled at the fit, and the pattern is very straightforward to cut out and construct. You’ll look as smart and accomplished as you’ll feel once it’s completed as well!

One of the things that makes this project intermediate beginner is that it has more seams and pattern pieces to work with than classic beginner projects such as the adorable wrap skirt class that kicks off our month. But the cutting layout on this pattern is easy and sensible, and it’s still beginner sewing, just with a few more construction steps.

Class details

Dates: Thursday, May 5, 6-8p and Thursday, May 12, 6-8p

Cost: $65 plus materials
Materials: Study Hall Skirt pattern, thread, 1.5 yards main fabric, 1 yard contrast fabric, 9” zipper & hook & eye.
Skill level:3/Advanced beginner
Building on the basics, level 3 classes focus on techniques. The level 3 student is comfortable working with minimal instruction and can complete beginner projects independently. Sample level 3 project: A-line skirt.
Instructor: Laura

Call the shop today to register! (612-827-9550)

 

How to use that Rolled Hemmed Foot

A couple of days ago I was using the Rolled Hemmed foot on my machine to hem my circle skirt and thought that it would be a great tutorial for everyone.  

This is what a rolled hemmed foot looks like. Not every machine comes with one, but they are pretty common and finding one to fit your machine should not be a problem. 

Notice the little 'tunnel' in the middle, that's the work-horse of this little gadget.  

 The fabric actually gets fed around and into the tunnel which then creates a nice tight rolled hem.

 

Getting started is the hardest part, I start with the foot up, I loop my fabric around the 'tunnel' and manually feed the fabric through a little bit till it starts to create a rolled hem.

 I then lower the presser foot and if the fabric managed to stay inside the tunnel I lower the needle into the fabric.  

 Once you have that mastered the rest it easy, just go slow, let the machine do the work and concentrate on keeping your fabric lined up where it's suppose to be.

   Notice in this picture how I have the edge of the fabric even with the left side of the inside of the presser foot. 

 

 Any more than this and you're going to get too much fabric to 'tuck' into the fold.  Any less and it won't roll.

 

 Done right the hem will have a nice neat rolled hem.

 

   

Practice using the rolled hemmed foot on a scrap piece of fabric a few times before tackling a garment.  Once you are comfortable roll the hem of a some cloth napkins and before you know it you'll be hemming your own circle skirt.   

May is the Month of Skirts… why not try a wrap skirt?

We are devoting May’s class schedule to skirts! Circle skirts, pencil skirts, study hall skirts, bias cut skirts, a-line skirts… we’ll have something for each and everyone one of you and we’re kicking off the Month of Skirts on May 4th with the wrap skirt!

Here I am modeling the sample skirt!

[wrap skirt in Tina Given’s Birdcage Quiet in Celery]

This class is a level 2 class – if you’ve mastered winding your bobbin and sewing a straight stitch, this class is for you! Not there yet? No worries, there’s still time to sign up for our intro class Sewing Essentials and learn the basics (here’s our class schedule!)

During the wrap skirt class we’ll be covering a few new concepts such as sewing darts, understitching and sewing a button hole. Come to the class with your fabric pretreated and your pattern pieces cut out and you’ll head home a few hours later with a great new skirt!

This wrap skirt is easy to make and easy to wear – the ties wrap underneath the skirt and tie securely at the side – no uncomfortable sliding down! Also, the overlap is nice and wide, making the skirt easy to wear and not prone to unintentional overlap flapping in the wind! With a simple slight a-line shape, the skirt works well paired with flats for a simple casual look, or add a cardigan and boots and wear it to work!

         

Class details

Date: Wednesday, May 4th, 6 to 9 p.m.

Cost: $50 plus materials

Materials: Kwik Sew 2954, 2 – 3.5 yards of material depending on size, thread

Skill level: 2/Beginner - Once you’ve gotten the hang of using the machine, these classes are the next step. You’ll learn about selecting and using commercial patterns and basic construction techniques. Sample Level 2 project: pajama pants

Instructor: Patty

 

Call the shop today to register! (612-827-9550)

Finished: My Flower Box Quilt

If you've been in the store and asked for fabric suggestions from me chances are I've pointed out my favorite fabric from Art Gallery Fabrics.  I just can't get over how pretty it is and how NICE it feels!  Think of your favorite button down shirt and you'll get an idea of what this fabric feels like. Crisp, soft, nice hand...  

Pat Bravo is the designer for Art Gallery quilts and I particularly love her style which is bright and very feminine. 

A couple of weeks ago I decided I needed to make a quilt using some of these fabrics.  I chose 8 fat quarters from the Dreaming in French and Modern Affair line and cut them up to create this lap sized quilt. 

 The quilt block is called Flower Box and is a quick and easy pattern for a beginner to intermediate quilter. 

  There are a total of 10 blocks, 5-light and 5-dark.  Each block starts off as a 9-patch and then I cut the edges off each light and added them to the dark blocks and vice versa.

I chose a flannel fabric by Valori Wells for the back because I love a warm fuzzy back on my quilt.  I also love the big bold graphic flowers on this print.  I decided to free motion quilt around the bold flowers, which means I pinned it with the quilt top face-down and quilted on the back side. 

 

 You'll have to come in and see the quilt, because among all my other technological issues I've had this past month, my camera was one of them.  It decided it didn't like the sand at the bottom of my purse and now won't open and close without much grinding and sticking.  

(I think a new camera is in my future)

Handmade Minnesota Giveaway!

I have been so caught up in the Quilts for Japan that I completely forgot to announce the Handmade Minnesota Giveaway!!  Crazy but true!

I joined the Handmade Minnesota Etsy Street Team right after I opened the store and have been truly amazed at all the creative artist we have in the great State of Minnesota!  I'm excited to be a part of the team and even more excited to be giving something away in order to promote the team!

So what am I giving away?  Well, how about a $25 gift card towards any purchase on-line or in the store!  That's right!  $25 clams, bucks, Washington's or two Jackson's and a Lincoln!    

Want to enter?  Visit the Handmade Minnesota Blog to find out how! 

Tutorial: iTouch Pouch

As promised here is the tutorial on how to make a iTouch pouch. 

First, measure your iTouch.  Mine is 4 1/2" x 2 1/2".  If you were doing a iPhone or other type of phone you'd want to take the depth measurement also.  But since the iTouch is pretty flat I didn't bother with that measurement.

For this project you will need:

• 2 pieces of fabric that measure 7 1/2" x 5 1/2" (one of the inside the other for the outside of the pouch).  
• 2 pieces of fabric that measure 6 1/2" x 5 1/2" these will be for the pockets.
• 1 piece of thick interfacing (I used Pellon 70) that measures 7 1/2" x 5 1/2",
• 1 small hair band or 3" of small piece of elastic; and
• 1 button.

 Take your two pocket pieces (6 1/2" x 5 1/2") and fold in half so you have two 3 1/4" x 3 1/4".  Press

Top stitch 1/8" from the fold. 

 Lay your interfacing down on the table. 

Now lay your inside fabric right side up ontop of the interfacing. 

 

Lay the two pocket pieces on top of the inside fabric so that the folds are facing one another.  

Line up the raw edges.  

Next take the rubber band or elastic piece and lay it in the middle of one of the shorter ends so that the loop lays to the inside.  (I taped mine down instead of pinning to avoid a big 'pin bump'')

Next lay the outside piece face down on-top of your pile. 

Pin everything to hold in place.

Stitch starting on one long end 2 inches away from the edge.  

Now sew all the way around the pouch stopping 3" away from where you started.  (You will be turning your project inside out through this opening so you'll want to leave plenty of space to do that.)

Clip your corners so that everything will lay nice and flat once you get it turned right-side out.  Once it's turned right-side out press it flat with your iron.  

Top stitch 1/8" away from the edge, going all the way around.  This will not only give your pouch a nice finished look, but it closes up that opening so you won't have to do it by hand. 

Sew your button on by hand to the side of the pouch opposite from where the elastic is.

Voila!  A pretty pouch to hold your iTouch, phone or if you make it a little smaller it will hold business cards, gift cards etc. 

Have fun and post what you make on our flicker page.