Sew Daily

That's Not a Sewing Machine! That's an Iron!

Rose@Stitch — Wed, 22 May 2013 09:00:00 GMT


My older daughter demonstrates today's principle while making a tablecloth. Step 1: Press before sewing.

Step 2: Sew.

Step 3: Press after sewing. Easy!

If you really want to learn how to use a sewing machine, I have an important tip for you. Set up your iron and ironing board close by. Everything--and I do mean everything--will look better, fit better, and stitch out more accurately if you press as you go along.

Carpenters use the phrase, "Measure twice. Cut once." A good mantra for all sewists would be, "Press twice. Stitch once."

Pressing your fabric before you start cutting is a must. And if you've pulled your pattern pieces from a tightly stuffed envelope, there's no shame is giving them a light once-over. (It's tough to pin and cut accurately using a rumpled pattern piece.) After stitching a few seams, it's a good idea to press the seam as it was sewn, and then (depending on the project) press the seam open or press the seam to one side.

When I first started sewing, I only pressed my projects at the very end--probably in anticipation of stitching up the hem.

I don't remember what article I read, or when the lightbulb went off in my head, but once I realized that pressing was a part of the sewing process, I never looked back.

My iron and ironing board (actually, it's a padded desk top) are now two steps from my sewing machine.

And while my iron doesn't always get the glory, I know that it should.

If you're looking for some simple, charming dresses to sew (and press!), check out I Am Cute Dresses.

How many steps do you walk to get from your sewing machine to your ironing station?

Happy stitching,

The New Stitch with Style Is Now Available!

AmberStitch — Mon, 20 May 2013 07:24:00 GMT

I am so excited to that share with you that the new special issue Stitch with Style 2013 is now available. The entire Stitch team has done a great job of creating this issue devoted entirely to fashion garments and accessories, and this is definitely a case where a picture says a thousand words. As with every issue, all patterns and full instructions are included. Just take a look at the gorgeous projects Stitch artists have created :


Cap Sleeve Cocktail Dress Gretchen Hirsch	Reversible Girl's Dress Melissa Stramel	High-Low Chevron Skirt Michelle Freedman


Dresden Bag Sara Lawson	Tie-On Collar Tina Lewis	Garden Party Fascinator Sheila Zent



Easy Kimono Sleeve Dress Charise Randell	Upholstery Swatch Clutch Lisa Polderman	It's a Cinch Belt Amanda Madden



*Stitch with Style* Available now!

I hope you enjoy sewing the projects as much as we enjoyed making this magazine. Check out Stitch with Style 2013 in the Sew Daily Shop!

P.S. I would love to know your favorite project!

Happy stitching!

Introducing Craft Daily!

Rose@Stitch — Wed, 15 May 2013 09:00:00 GMT

Two things are vital for my ongoing love affair with sewing--technical instruction and visual inspiration. Now both of these are available with one click of my mouse.

The new Craft Daily site is up and running--with streaming videos for sewists who want to improve their skills and be inspired to expand their sewing horizons. Craft Daily makes these videos available anytime and anywhere. Introducing your new sewing resource: CraftDaily.com.


Online education manager Laura Esposito gives a preview of how Craft Daily works. Watch it here.

Watch Tricia Waddell demonstrate helpful tips for garment sewing.

When I attend sewing workshops or take classes at my local shop, I always come away energized. I'm inspired to try new sewing techniques--and I also have been given the skills to move ahead successfully with more advanced projects.

Watching someone insert a zipper, hem an a-line skirt, or demonstrate an embellishment proves the old proverb that a picture is worth a thousand words.

When a technique is new or unfamiliar to me, I also find that I don't need to see it once. I may need to see it done three or four times--and, I'm not ashamed to admit it--ten or eleven times.

If you want to expand or enhance your skills, Craft Daily will bring all the sewing classes you would want to attend right to any of your devices with a strong internet connection (Mac, PC, iOS). Watch what you want and when you want.

You can also build a library of your favorite videos, so you can keep track of those you've seen and want to watch again. I've been meaning to brush up on some of my dormant quilting skills--I'd like to be able to free-motion quilt better than I do now. Attending some Craft Daily classes while I have my next project in front of me is sure to reduce my frustration and increase my free-motion skills!

Check out Craft Daily. Previews of each video are available so you can get a flavor of what each one offers. It's brand-new, so take a look.

Happy stitching,

P.S. Craft Daily is not just for sewists. Take a break from sitting at your machine to fine-tune your knitting skills, brush up on your collage techniques, or dip into jewelry making. With Craft Daily, you can expand your boundaries and bring talented artisans directly to your desktop.

To Save a Chair

AmberStitch — Mon, 13 May 2013 07:27:00 GMT

Last winter my friend Kitty and I used to walk every Sunday. We live in a beautiful, tree-lined neighborhood and strolling along, commenting on this house or that, provided us endless entertainment.

A seashell pink fabric
inscribed in French gave this
discarded heirloom new life.

As we approached a particularly well kept house one day, I noticed a complete table and chair set in the driveway--marked as a giveaway. While the chair seat pads were dated and worn, the table and chairs were in beautiful condition. The wood gleamed, the legs curved sweetly, and it was clear that this was a handmade set that had been much loved over the years. As if to put a point on that love, each chair had a set of hearts carved out of its back.

A light rain was starting to fall, and I panicked that it would shortly be ruined. I could not understand why someone would put such a lovely set, clearly a kind of family heirloom, out in the rain, but I could see that the sparkling and modern home had no place for sentimental pieces.

We practically ran home to get my car and drove back, hoping fervently that they would still be there. I needed just such a set for my place in Boston. And I had the perfect fabric to cover those worn seats. Some time back, my mother had given me several rolls of decorator fabric and one of them was delightful seashell pink inscribed with French seaside words.

My husband just rolled his eyes as we pulled into the driveway, but he helped unload the chairs and table and immediately set to work helping me to recover the seats. It turned out that he was quite handy with the staple gun and in no time, the chair pads were every bit as pretty as the rest of the set.

These days the set sits in the Stitch offices, known as "The Sewing Café", and it's always available for an impromptu tête a tête. I still wonder about the history of the set, but I am so glad that just a little imagination and some pretty fabric gave it a second life.

There are many kinds of heirlooms worth saving and making. To create some beautiful future heirlooms of your own (in the form of sweetly smocked and embroidered little girls' dresses), check out Sew Beautiful magazine.

Do you have a family heirloom that you gave new life? I would love to hear about it!

Happy stitching!

Staystitch? But I Want To Get Started!

Rose@Stitch — Wed, 08 May 2013 09:00:00 GMT

Last Saturday morning I ran through my errands efficiently because I had a fun sewing project that I was excited to start--a wrap coat in a bright Trenna Travis print (Michael Miller Fabrics). I'd been doing a lot of sewing for babies recently, so it was a treat to be doing some garment sewing in a woman's size again.


For a 5/8" seam, staystitch 1/2" from the cut edge.

Curved seam edges benefit from being staystitched before construction.

I took the time to cut out the outer coat and the lining in the same cutting session. Sometimes when I just want to start sewing some pieces put together I put off cutting out the lining until later. This time I even cut and fused the interfacing before I put in a new needle and wound the bobbin.

So I was raring to go. And then what's the first instruction? Staystitching. And lots of it.

Like priming the walls before you paint, staystitching is a necessary--but unseen--part of the sewing process.

What is staystitching, exactly? It's a line of stitching 1/8" inside the seamline on a single fabric layer that helps stabilize the fabric. For the coat I was working on, the staystitching went along the princess seams on the front and back, around the neck line of the coat, and the neck edge of the collar. Then repeat for the lining. Lots of staystitching....

So the question is: Is it really, really necessary? And the short answer is: Yes, it is.

In addition to keeping the fabric from stretching during construction, it also acts as a reinforcement stitch line if you need to clip any curved seams. If you are working with a more loosely woven fabric, it will help keep the fabric edges from pulling out of shape.

For all the time you will spend putting together your project, staystitching is a very small part. And once you commit to it, it's a fairly relaxing thing to do.

So, do add staystiching to your sewing repertoire. Your sweet, steady seams will thank you for it.

And if you're looking for a great gift for Mother's Day, check out the Craft Tree eBooks.

Have you embraced staystitching? I'd love to hear if you start with it or skip it.

Happy stitching,

I Owe It All To Mom

AmberStitch — Mon, 06 May 2013 07:43:00 GMT

With Mother's Day coming up, it got me to thinking about my own mother and how grateful I am to her for giving me a love of sewing. My mother is an exceptional seamstress, and I grew up in a home of several sewing machines, ranging from the fancy to the antique (a Singer treadle machine was converted to a vanity for my teen bedroom!)

My mother's childhood sewing machine.
My mom, around the time she was teaching me to sew.

When I think about all the patience my mother practiced when teaching me to sew, I can get a bit emotional. Only now at this point in my life can I really appreciate what it took for her to sit down with a determined, but impatient teenager and show me how to evenly gather a ruffle for a challenging summer top that I simply had to make in a gorgeous navy and white Hawaiian print. And how at almost midnight, when I was nearly in tears because I really wanted to wear that top the next day, she sagely advised me, "If your sewing is starting to make you cry, it's time to stop sewing."

That's the kind of advice that's useful in a wide variety of circumstances.

Sewing has bonded us our whole lives, and it is just between the two of us. Neither of my other sisters got the sewing bug. In fact, my mother mounted her childhood sewing machine on a block of wood and presented it to me (it really sews!). I keep it on the shelf in my office to remind me of that bond we share.

Sewing has given me limitless hours of pleasure, and I doubt I would have ever stitched a stitch, let alone the many garments I've made since that ruffled summer top, if not for her patient tutelage.

For loads of gifts and patterns you can give your mother, check out the Sew Daily Shop.

Did your mother teach you to sew? I would love to hear all about it!

Happy stitching!

What's with All the Sewing Gadgets?

Rose@Stitch — Wed, 01 May 2013 09:00:00 GMT

Walk into any sewing shop and you will see walls of sewing notions and accessories. And every year, more and more gadgets hit the market.


Expand this simple metallic gauge to get perfectly spaced buttonholes.

It takes up so little room!

Buttons right where you want them-- not where the pattern dictates.

Over the years I have accumulated more than my share of them. Which ones are truly worth investing in?

Here at Stitch magazine, we value good quality scissors, obviously. I also insist on marvelous pins and top-of-the-line handsewing needles.

After that, your projects will begin to dictate what sewing accessories will make your stitching experience more pleasant and/or less frustrating.

Here's a notion that I don't use every day, but when I am marking buttonholes on the front of a blouse or want to evenly space some pleats on a skirt, this is the tool I turn to: the Simflex expanding sewing gauge. This gauge really only does one thing--it measures equal distances accurately. That's it. But it does it so well, so quickly, and as a bonus, it's fun to use. Double Bonus: It doesn't take up much space when not being used.

Once I had this gauge, I no longer had to rely on the pattern's recommended buttonhole placement. I could set one of the gauge's points where I wanted my middle button, then easily expand or contract the gauge so that the top buttonhole was in the perfect place and--without any math at all--every buttonhole was spaced precisely. Delightful!

A lot of sewing notions have been around for centuries. To discover beautiful stitching tools and techniques from the past, check out Piecework magazine.

At workshops and classes, I always love to see what people pull out of their sewing kits. So, after the basics, what's one of your must-have notions?

Happy stitching!

Pomme Potholder, Spring 2013

Rose@Stitch — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:20:00 GMT

For the Pomme Potholders, please note the following correction:

Replace Step 16 with the following:

CREATE THE STEM

Step 16. Fold and press the Stem lengthwise, wrong sides together.
Press ¼" under the edges opposite the fold, then edgestitch.
Fold the Stem in half widthwise.

Try This Free eBook: Children's Sewing Patterns

AmberStitch — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 07:43:00 GMT

I am so excited to introduce you to the Sew Daily ebook Children's Sewing Patterns: 4 Free Sewing Patterns for Kids.

Bath Time Buddies by Lisa Cox
Springtime Bibs by Heidi Boyd
Loopy Elephant by Heidi Boyd

We have pulled together a collection of some of our most favorite children's sewing patterns to create an adorable quartet of projects. Children's patterns are often quick to stitch, and these items give you maximum cute for your efforts.

The Bath Time Buddies by Lisa Cox are cute animal wash mitts that will make bath time fun! Easily constructed from super-soft terry toweling, cotton fabric, and polar fleece, they can be sewn up in no time. Choose from three different animal variations for the perfect buddy.

The Springtime Bibs by Heidi Boyd are garden-inspired bibs that are almost too pretty for dinnertime! Plush organic terry makes a great absorbent backing and Velcro makes the bib easy to get on and off wiggly toddlers. Colorful bias tape frames the bib while holding the layers together.

The Loopy Elephant by Heidi Boyd boasts playful flapping ears that are studded with silky loops for little fingers to explore. Lovingly made with super-soft flannel and Minky fabrics, he's intentionally designed without detachable eyes to be a safe baby gift.

The Hilltop Drive Baby Quilt by Kevin Kosbab is the perfect gift for a toddler ready to move into his "big boy" room! With rolling hills and fusible appliqué inspired by a fun landscape print, this baby quilt can quickly come together in a weekend.

I hope you enjoy making and giving these treasure in Children's Sewing Patterns: 4 Free Sewing Patterns for Kids. Each is design to bring pleasure and make memories for the little ones in your life.

P.S. Be sure to forward this email to your friends so that they can get this eBook, too!

Happy stitching,

Amber Eden
Editor, Stitch magazine and Sew Daily

Do I Really Need to Interface? Really?

Rose@Stitch — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:00:00 GMT

Recently, one of my daughter's friends used her Facebook page to put out a request for sewing information. "I'm new to sewing. I'm making a dress for myself, and the pattern says to interface. Do I really need to? It seems like it a lot of trouble."


Interfacing. Boring to look at... but using it will give you fabulous results!

Rather than respond, "YES! YES! YES! A THOUSAND TIMES, YES," I took a few moments to collect myself, and then more gently encouraged her to indeed, take the extra time to interface. It is a little extra effort, but the results are certainly worth it.

Those of you who already interface will not need much encouragement to continue doing so. You have experienced the crisper collars, the stable button bands, and the well-turned cuffs.

But if you have resisted interfacing, it may be for the following reasons:

1) It takes time. Yes, it does. But not that much time in comparison to the results. Your garments and projects will thank you for giving them the support they need.

2) I don't know what interfacing to use. It is overwhelming when you consider the options. Sew-in? Fusible? Knit? Woven? Lightweight? Heavyweight? And what exactly is fusible web? Your choice of interfacing will depend mainly on your fabric and what you want the interfacing to accomplish. When you're starting out, rely on a knowledgeable sales clerk and the pattern recommendations.

3) I'm not sure how to use it. The thing about sewing is that there is always something to learn--and plenty of people and places that are happy to help you. Your local shop, your friend's mom, books, YouTube, classes and workshops... the world is your educational oyster!

So, if you've not interfaced before, I hope you'll give it a try!

And for some inspiring projects and patterns, pre-order your copy of Stitch with Style--or digitally download it here.

And my question is, if you could only interface one thing on a garment, what would it be? Tough choice, eh? Let us know!

Happy stitching!

Tip for Beginning Sewists: Handsewing is your friend

Rose@Stitch — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:18:00 GMT

When I was a beginning sewist, I avoided handsewing at all costs. If the fabric could be coerced under my machine's foot, that's where it went. Just recently, I began to change my ways. Why? Because sometimes, it is so much easier to handsew. So, so, so much easier.


Handstitching the binding to the inside was easier.

This baby jacket sleeve cap was meant to be handsewn.

Handstitching--it's not just for hems!

Want proof? Of course you do. Well, here it is.

Last weekend I was working on a small baby jacket, to fit a nine-month old. It's a fun and easy pattern with only three pieces--front, back, and sleeves. I added a lining so that it would be a bit warmer, and it also makes the inside look so nice. The edges are bound with bias tape. This pattern could not be easier.

The thing is, some of these areas are really tiny--the ends of the sleeves, for example. And some are just tricky to maneuver--such as setting in the lining sleeve.

After I wrestled with machine-stitching one side of the binding to the outside of the jacket sleeve, I got out my hand needle and handstitched the other side of the binding to the lining. It was far more relaxing--and actually took less time! For the lining, I pulled the jacket inside out, and pinned the lining sleeve cap to the jacket body. (I realized looking at that middle picture that I have a lot of random pins, and a fairly random method of pinning!)

Handstitching around the sleeve was a 10" sewing commitment. Two sleeves--20" total.

(Those of you who are really thinking this through may wonder why I didn't stitch the lining sleeve by machine, the same way I stitched the outer jacket sleeve to the jacket body. Good question! I wasn't paying attention for awhile, and got a step ahead of myself. Oh well.)

So, if you're looking at a tiny, tricky, or otherwise noodle-y bit of sewing, lift that presser foot and pull out your hand needle. You'll be glad you did.

And if you're looking for some inspiration for things to sew, you can pre-order the 2012 Stitch Collection.

I'm curious. When do you switch to handstitching--or do you avoid it at all costs? I'd love to know!

Happy stitching!

The Fabric Had Me at Hello

AmberStitch — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 07:16:00 GMT

I've had a lifelong love affair with fabric, and I really think that my love of fabric is what got me started sewing. As a beginning sewist, I would l wander the fabric store aisles with lust in my heart and big plans on my mind. I often bit off more than I could chew and had much more fabric than I could stitch up.

I have just one rule of fabric shopping:
I never pass up vintage bark cloth.

At a certain point, I had to be careful about walking into fabric stores because I just didn't have any more room for fabric.

But there always comes that time when the fabric lies in wait and springs on you when you least expect it. That's exactly what happened to me when I walked into an antique mall recently.

I was there scouting out a chair for a photo shoot. I found the chair, sent the images over to the art director, and waited to hear back.

That was some fateful time on my hands. I wandered into one corner of the house of treasures and there it was: a stack of vintage bark cloth, just looking at me like, "Hello."

Now, I have one rule about fabric: I never, never, EVER pass up vintage bark cloth. First of all, I just don't come across it that often. Second, I am a complete sucker for it. Whenever I see bark cloth, visions of scatter pillows and full, gathered skirts start dancing in my head.

You will be glad to know the restraint that I showed. The fabrics looked to be 1940s or 1950s upholstery swatches from a long-gone fancy showroom on Fifth Avenue in New York City.

I swear that fabric was stalking me. I had no choice. I only bought 3 panels and I have absolutely no idea what I will do with it.

For now, I'm just happy to look at it adoringly.

For plenty of patterns to use your favorite fabric on, check out the Spring Clearance Sale in the Sew Daily Shop, featuring tons of items 30% to 70% off.

Do you have a story of a fabric love affair to share? Do tell!

Happy stitching!

Sewing Gifts with a Sentimental Twist

Rose@Stitch — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 09:00:00 GMT

One of the best things about being handy with a sewing machine is being able to sew gifts for family and friends. And if you can throw in a little sentimentality with it, so much the better. Here's a little idea from something I made a few years ago for my mom and my sisters.


Our piano bench cover had a lot of memories--but also showed a lot of wear.

Making notebook covers preserved the good memories--and let us, literally, hold onto my mom's handiwork.

Let me set the stage for you. Growing up, my three sisters and I all took piano lessons. My mom had made a wonderful cover for the piano bench back in the day when crewel embroidery was all the rage. And though none of us were prodigies, we spent quite a bit of time sitting on the bench plinking out scales and bits of Mozart and Bach.

At some point, the linen wore through and parts of the embroidery ceased to exist. My mom bought some lovely upholstery fabric and I recovered the bench for her. I took home the sad little cover and put it in a drawer.

Years later, it occurred to me that although I couldn't bear to toss this worn textile out, it also didn't have much purpose languishing in the drawer. So I carefully washed it, assessed how much was salvageable, and decided to make little notebook covers for my family for Christmas. Even though no one had seen the bench cover for years, and each notebook had a very different look, they immediately knew that these were little bits of our family history. What fun!

If you need a little inspiration for gifts to sew for your family and friends, check out Mollie Makes Feathered Friends or The Artful Bird.

Sewists tend to be very generous people. I would love to hear about some of the gifts you've made--and the stories behind them.

Happy stitching!

How Could One Adorable Pattern Cause So Much Trouble?

AmberStitch — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 08:09:00 GMT

Not long after I started at Stitch, I received a note from a frantic reader. She was in the dead heat of making a baby swaddle for a newly arrived relative and she could not figure out the pattern instructions. I could just picture the situation because I have been there many times myself.

This adorable swaddle has
been one of our most popular patterns.

I quickly turned the query over to the technical editor, who spent 10 hours trying to determine the issue with the pattern, including actually taking the pattern home and sewing it from scratch herself. In the end it came down to a simple matter of reversing a pattern piece and we posted the correction on SewDaily.com.

The Stitch editorial team puts tremendous diligence into producing clear and accurate instructions because, being ardent sewists ourselves, we know just how frustrating it is to find a mistake in a pattern. If there is a reader query on a pattern, we make it a point to respond asap. We do that because we've all been there, stitching our way to a deadline, only to be stopped in our tracks by a mistake in the instructions.

Back to the baby swaddle. It is a very popular pattern--with good reason, because it's adorable. Like clockwork every few months, we get another frantic email, from an aunt or grandmother or sister, and the baby swaddle strikes again! We direct that person to the corrections page and avert a crisis. But one day Rose, Eliane, and I got to talking, and we realized that many readers may not know about the corrections page.

We would like to be perfect, but sometimes we do make mistakes and that's what the corrections page on SewDaily.com is for (located under the Magazines tab.) We recommend checking there if you have a concern with a pattern. (You can still write to us, too. We like to hear from you!)

I want to add that I have a new nephew who is of swaddling age, and I plan to make that darling swaddle, too. Stay posted for the finished product!

For many more adorable children's patterns, please check out Sew Beautiful magazine.

What do you do when you can't figure out instructions for a sewing pattern? I would love know.

Happy stitching!

Do You Fill Your Sewing Room with Meaningful Mementos?

AmberStitch — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 07:24:00 GMT

Because I see the sewing space as a very special place where I create, I like to fill that space with items that put me in a creative state. That includes items from my childhood. The richness of memories that certain objects invoke makes me feel nurtured and creative.

This basket holds a thousand memories.

In my early childhood, my father was a military doctor and we moved often, from Missouri to Hawaii to Washington, D.C., before I was 7. Not long after, my parents divorced and we stayed in D.C. for a while and lived in three different places there, and then relocated back to Missouri when my mother remarried. By the time I was 14, I had attended three high schools and much of my childhood items had been shed in the purging that moves always bring.

Not having a childhood homestead I could return to, I have held onto a very few items that magically recall instant childhood memories just by looking at them. In my sewing room, I have a couple of those items carefully placed. One of them, a beat-up white wicker basket is probably the oldest object I own.

It was purchased as a clever catchall for my baby toys. I recall it as early as age 3, the year that I turned from an only child into an oldest sister (ultimately the oldest of six!). Somehow, almost unfathomably, the basket remained in my possession throughout all of those moves and all of those years and on past the many moves I have made in adulthood.

I have upcycled it from toy chest to sewing container and put it up on a shelf where it holds my fabrics. It's the perfect storage basket, deep and wide and stable, and I love the way that it has weathered over time. I remember when my mother painted it. She was on a big nesting binge prior to birthing my sister and painted almost everything in our basement apartment in Columbia, Mo.

I know that many things come and go in life, but this basket will stay with me, in my sewing room, to the end of my days, if I have any say in the matter, as a touchstone of inspiration.

For upcycling inspiration and more, check out the Stitch Auto-Ship Program in the Sew Daily Shop and be among the first to see the latest issue of Stitch.

Do you have any sentimental items in your sewing space? I would love to hear about them.

Happy stitching!

Tips for Embellishing a Leather Tote

AmberStitch — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 07:30:00 GMT

In a recent project from Stitch Summer 2013, Easy Leather Tote, I talk about using a pronged circle die to stamp the lacing and decorative holes in the leather. I want to go a little more into that technique because I had an amazing teacher who gave me all sorts of secrets:

Every crescent had dozens of holes to punch.
The finished front had a nice peek-a-boo texture.

The cool thing about this circle die is that there are 4 prongs, but they are removable, so that you can punch one hole at once, two holes at once, and so on. This is really useful if you are going around curves or navigating in tight corners.

For instance, on the orange leather tote, I wanted to make a design that gave the flavor of tooling. I used a roll of masking tape as my half-circle template and drafted interlocking crescents all over the front of the bag and then "pinned" a zigzag pattern along the crescents with an awl to indicate where I would punch the holes.

Next, I removed three of the prongs from the circle die, leaving just one in the middle, like a snaggletooth. Using my rawhide mallet (or a hammer head wrapped with a scrap of leather), I placed the leather front tote piece on a resilient mat to provide a protective barrier for the leather punching. I actually went out and bought a mat that is especially made for this purpose, but my teacher used an ordinary plastic kitchen cutting board. Either one works.

Then I pounded away, holding my mallet from the end of the handle, rather than the middle. This gave maximum heft and weight to the pounding and I punched each hole with two or three bone-jarring whacks. I also had to stop every so often and pull out the leather "holes" that got stuck in the prong--the awl tip is useful for this.

It took a really long time. My arm was sore and I built up a good sweat, but I punched all the holes along every crescent, and the result was a peek-a-boo textured effect. I loved the pattern. It made the purse look really special, and my time was well spent.

This is just one technique for making a tote. For lots more, check out the new Best of Stitch: Bags to Sew in the Sew Daily Shop.

Do you think you would ever try to do something this exerting or something similar to make a bag? Do tell!

Happy stitching!

How a Project Becomes a Project

AmberStitch — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 07:29:00 GMT

For the most part, projects for Stitch are created by the talented community of designers who contribute to the magazine. But every once in a while the editors at Stitch have to step up the plate and develop designs for the magazine. Take the Stitch Spring 2013 issue. Although we received some gorgeous projects for the Spa Treatment section, we didn't get that most essential of spa gear: the fuzzy robe.

The robe sketch.
The final Comfy Fuzzy Robe.
Rose's robe lives out its days as office mascot.

That's when Assistant Editor Rose DeBoer stepped up to the plate (with just a tiny bit of nudging) and volunteered to be the designer.

The first step was to create a sketch, because editors' projects have to go through the same selection process as everyone else. Rose developed a rough sketch based on a kimono style. I completed the final sketch, and we selected fabric swatches to attach to the sketch for presentation.

Once the robe had passed muster for selection and fabric was in hand, it was on to construction, and that meant a full weekend of pattern drafting and muslin-making--the hood was a particular challenge. Then it took most of another weekend of sewing.

Finally, she had finished the Comfy Fuzzy Robe and we loved it! From there, the pattern was sent to our pattern grader for final tweaking, and the robe went on to be a star at the photo shoot.

You may wonder what happens to projects after their day in the limelight. Well, in this particular case the Comfy Fuzzy Robe has gone on to become an ad hoc office member, supervising us from its corner dress form. I keep campaigning to take the robe home, but I have a feeling it's intended for one of Rose's lucky daughters.

To get the feel of being your own designer and create elegant garments with simple sewing techniques, check out Shape Shape 2 in the Sew Daily Shop.

Have you ever just sat down and designed and made something that you really want to have in your home or closet? I would love to hear about your own adventures in creativity.

Happy stitching!

How Did You Start Sewing?

AmberStitch — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 02:54:00 GMT

Believe it or not, "embellishment" is one of the most searched sewing terms online. So I guess that means that it's a sewing technique that is near and dear to our hearts.

I would say that embellishment was among my first "successful" stabs at sewing. I had done a bit of sewing, starting around age 5, but until this first success couldn't really hold up any one item with pride and say, "Look what I made!"

This simple daisy was among
my first stabs at sewing.

It was the early 1970s. I was about 11, and embroidery was all the rage. Stores were selling out of embroidered blue jeans, jean jackets, and just about anything else that could be embellished with thread. (This was to be followed by rhinestone craze. Anyone recall the Rhinestone Studder?)

Well, I didn't have much money, but I did have a really pretty sunset yellow cotton blouse. I bought some embroidery thread, pilfered a needle from my mother's sewing kit, and I set to embroidering the blouse. I stitched little hot pink flowers with bright green leaves on the button placket and cuffs, and then I added a bright pink and orange snail on the breast of the shirt. Why a snail? I have no idea. But when I finished I was so proud of that shirt. It was prettier than anything I could buy and I was smitten with sewing.

There was another not-so-successful project: bell-bottom blue jeans trimmed with orange fur. I still remember the look on the face of my best friend's mother when she saw them. It was definitely horror. But you can't taste success without a little failure.

I think that embellishment is so attractive because it's so accessible. With just a little time and money, you can transform anything.

Would you believe that I still have that shirt in my closet? It's about a million sizes too small, but it still makes me smile.

If you are looking for some great embellishment projects, check out the Inspired to Embellish kit in the Sew Daily Shop.

What was your first embellishment project? Was embellishment a part of your early sewing? I would love to know!

Happy stitching!

This Pillow Needs a Serious Makeover!

AmberStitch — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 07:47:00 GMT

A pillow in need
of a makeover.

When I moved into my house almost four years ago, I was going from a one-bedroom city apartment to a full-size suburban home, and while I had collected and inherited some nice items over the years, I didn't have enough furniture to fill a home, especially the den where we would do most of our living.

I quickly went to Route 110 on Long Island, which is filled with furniture stores from one end to the other. Historically, this miles-long strip dates back to post-World War II, when all the GIs came back from overseas to settle down with their sweethearts, and the Long Island housing market exploded.

After painstakingly canvassing every store on that strip, I picked out a couch that was not too light and not too dark, and in fact almost exactly matched the color of the fur of my two golden retrievers: golden beige. I would like to say that I am very strict with my dogs and never allow them on the furniture, but that would be a lie. I have however trained them to only climb onto certain seating. I am pretty impressed by their ability to distinguish between formal and casual furniture, even if my mother is not. She spends much of her visits trying to mend their ways, and they try to humor her as best they can.

Matching golden beige or not, time (and my dogs) have had their way with the couch and it's time to change things up. I'm not really up to making a slipcover myself, and I don't have the budget to hire someone to do it, so I'll probably find an inexpensive neutral and washable cover.

Which brings me to the pillows.

I have never liked the pillows that came with the couch. But back then they were new and somewhat modern, and friends and family argued ferociously to keep them as is, in spite of my instant instinct to cover them. Fast forward a few years, and they aren't so modern and are a bit worse for wear and tear. I don't think anyone would defend these pillows now, and it's time to recover them.

Pillows are my most favorite decorating tool (closely followed by painting). For me, there is no easier way to change the look of a room and use a favorite fabric swatch at the same time, than by recovering the pillows. The problem is that I have looked at this dotted fabric for so long that I can't imagine it any other way. Any ideas on how I can recover it? This pillow needs a serious makeover!

For lots of pillow projects and more, Stitch eProjects and technique tutorials are 30% off in the Sew Daily Shop.

Let me know how you would revive this pillow if it were yours. I'm all ears!

Happy stitching!

Are You Ready to Learn a New Technique This Spring? I Am!

AmberStitch — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 07:44:00 GMT

My next hand-sewing project:
Scrappy English Paper Piecing
Pillow by Joanna Wilczynska
from Modern Patchwork Spring 2013

Boy, do I have it good! Because Stitch magazine shares offices with Quilting Arts and Cloth Paper Scissors magazines, I am surrounded by my own committee of sewing and mixed-media experts). We have a short show-and-tell session each Tuesday morning and you should see all of the amazing projects that everyone brings in. Which only puts more pressure on me to produce, but in a good and inspiring way.

So now that I have decided to tackle quilting, I naturally turned to the QA team for advice. How lucky am I? To get any answers to my burning quilting questions, I just have to walk down the hall.

Last week I was asking how you find time to sew, and I got some really great comments. One of the most common responses was to carve out a few minutes each day, no matter how little, and stand back in wonder and watch the finished projects roll in. I loved that idea, especially when combined with working on portable hand-sewing projects.

I marched straight over to QA Assistant Editor Kristine Lundblad, who was furiously working at getting those last pages of Modern Patchwork Spring 2013 off to press. As soon as I mentioned that I needed a good portable quilting project, she told me about one of the new projects in Modern Patchwork: the Scrappy English Paper Piecing Pillow by Joanna Wilczynska. She made me copies of the templates and pointed me to where I could print out the project. I got a sneak preview! Pretty awesome.

I had already seen some English paper piecing samples from the week before when QA editor Vivika DeNegre had brought in some little projects she had been working on. Vivika had also mentioned the convenience and portability of English paper piecing--you work with rough-cut scraps and wrap fabrics around the paper templates to piece, rather than stitching them to it.

I am going to start working on that English paper piecing pillow project very soon (right after we ship out Stitch with Style next week!). I can't wait to learn something completely new and share it with you!

For your own sneak preview of Modern Patchwork Spring 2013, you can pre-order a copy in the Sew Daily Shop.

I think it's so important to stretch myself beyond my comfort zone in sewing and learn a new technique. I hope you will join me in learning a new technique this spring, something you've never done before! What will you make? I would love to know!

Happy stitching!

How Do You Find Time to Sew?

AmberStitch — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 07:58:00 GMT

To sew or not to sew?

This is a conundrum that has dogged me for most of my adult life. How do I fit sewing into my life?

The answer, like most decades-long conundrums, is not easy.

For many years, my husband and I went away for the weekend to a place where there was no Internet or phone. He would go out on the lake and fish, and I would sew all day and watch him drift aimlessly around the lake. (He never came back with anything but tales of the one that got away, I might add!)

Then our lifestyle shifted, and we drifted from being city dwellers with a weekend getaway to suburbanites with a house that demanded a lot of attention on the weekends. That really cut into my sewing time, so I started taking classes at a fashion design school.

The rigors of fashion design coursework definitely took my sewing up a notch, but it left little time for the creative sewing I had done back in the simpler days of life without home maintenance. When I am not taking classes, I find that I can go for weeks without working on a project. Life (and taking care of a home) just has a way of soaking up all that free time. And when I am not sewing regularly, I become very, very cranky.

I have tried getting up a half-hour earlier (too hard!), going to bed a half-hour later (too tired!), scheduling sewing time (I can't stay on schedule!), and so many other clever ways that have worked for a bit and then not at all.

I had an acquaintance once who effortlessly turned out one couture garment after another. I knew that she had a busy life, and I asked her where she found the time. "Hand-sewing," was her simple reply.

When I looked puzzled, she explained, "When you are sitting at a sewing machine, it's all you can do. But if you are hand-sewing, you can take it anywhere: a soccer game, a doctor's office, a long trip ...." She hand-stitched all of her seams and finishes. I couldn't argue with the result.

The fact is, there are so many ways to fit sewing into one's life, and what doesn't work this year, may be just the ticket next year. Life is a shifting landscape, and sewing time can shift with it.

I am going to try that hand-sewing tip, because that is where the landscape of my life is now.

For a quick set of sewing projects to get your sewing time charged up, check out the CraftTree publications in the Sew Daily Shop.

What about you? How are you fitting sewing into your life? I would love to get some more ideas!

Happy stitching! (And I mean it!)

Here's how to match a print

AmberStitch — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 07:27:00 GMT

Nothing looks better than a perfectly matched print. Matching prints can be something of a mystery, but here are some great tips on how to get it straight:

Lots of prints to match in the Weekend Travel Ensemble by Carol Zentgraf.
With a large floral pattern you want to carefully match with the adjoining pattern piece.

--If using a patterned fabric, such as a large floral print, you'll need to carefully match the print on adjoining pattern pieces. To do this, you can temporarily place adjoiningpieces right sides together (as they would be sewn) and pick an adjoining point at the top and bottom of each piece to check the placement; mark these spots with a pencil.

--When you are placing each pattern piece in preparation for cutting, make sure you line up your pencil marks along like areas of the print so that the print will be continuous once those pieces are joined (you may need to ensure that the two pattern pieces, once joined, will create one full element of the print, such as a flower).

--Alternatively, you could use the same process to place a cut piece over an adjoining pattern piece that has not yet been cut, adjusting the placement of the pattern piece until the print matches up with the already-cut piece. Make sure thatall adjoining pieces are matched before or as you cut.

For lots of projects that mix all sorts of prints, check out the new Patchwork Please! book in the Sew Daily Shop.

Do you have any great tips for working with prints? Do tell!

Happy stitching!

What's the strangest embellishment you've ever done? .

AmberStitch — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 07:47:00 GMT

Passementerie looks difficult, but it's not.
The cord and braid are poked through the underlined muslin.

Embellishment is not a sewing technique I naturally gravitate toward. I like my garments sleek and clean-lined. But in the process of getting a couture certificate, I had to take a summer course in embellishment. It was a 6-week intensive and for twice a week at four-hour stretches in the dog days of summer, I was completely immersed in embellishment of every stripe and color.

Somewhere in that time, I began to fall in love with embellishment and began to understand its integral role in couture. There is no doubt that you can spend as much time on embellishment as on the garment itself.

By far one of the strangest techniques that I worked on was called passementerie. What a lovely mouthful of a word! Derived from the French word "passemente," it is the art of applying elaborate trimmings made from braid, cord, beads, etc.

I suppose that its most frequent usage is in bridal wear, but it's often seen on couture, red-carpet type gowns as well. At any rate, it's not an everyday kind of embellishment that you just pull out of the hat for any old project.

I created my sample with thick rat-tail cord and a braid so intricate that it almost looked like lace. After underlining the fashion fabric sample with muslin, I started the passementerie by poking the braid and cord through a hole in the fabric and then winding it into loops and curves. By using a thread in the same color as the braid and cord I was able to make it look like it had just landed fully formed on that fabric, like "Hey! Look at me!"

I never would have thought that with a little cord and braid and thread and needle that I could create something so stunning. I'm not saying that I rushed out and applied passementerie to every project I created. But I could have.

That's the thing about esoteric embellishment techniques. I sort of think of them in the same way as I think of my scuba diving certification. I am not an avid diver and haven't pulled on wetsuit in years, nor do I plan to. But it's a good skill to have in my toolbox. You just never know when it will come in handy.

For loads of beautiful embellishments to put in your toolbox, take a peek at the new Handsewn book in the Sew Daily Shop.

Do you have an esoteric embellishment technique in your tool kit? Do tell!

Happy stitching!

If I Were a Quilter

AmberStitch — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 07:01:00 GMT

I have to be perfectly honest: I am no quilter. But I would like to be.

I keep a reminder of my
grandmother in my sewing room.

I come from a long line of quilters. My ancestors were Scotch-Irish stock who settled in the Ozarks in the 19^th century and then "mingled" with German, French, and Cherokee. You needed to stay warm on those chilly mountain nights and quilts fit the bill.

I remember as a child, lying dreamily on my grandmother's four poster bed in the front bedroom of her Missouri farmhouse, endless tracing the interlocking circles of her blue-and-white wedding quilt. It was hand-quilted by my great-grandmother, Jessie Emeraldine, in perfect, tiny stitches.

I loved that quilt, as well as the one in the second bedroom, which was painted a deep shell pink and had a picture of Blue Boy, Pinkie, and A Young Girl Reading on the wall. And inside my grandmother's cedar chest (where I was permitted to look only in her presence, but I sometimes snuck a surreptitious peek alone), were countless other quilts, all neatly folded. I remember taking a deep breath, inhaling the spicy scent of cedar as I admired my forbearers' handiwork.

I didn't inherit any of those quilts (yet), and Pinkie and Blue Boy disappeared in some estate sale. But when I unpacked my sewing room in my new home on Long Island, I also hung my grandmother's picture of A Young Girl Reading above my sewing machine space on a wall that is painted the lightest of shell-pinks. It's there as a reminder of the grandmother who first taught me to sew, among so many other things, and also her home where I learned to love hand-sewing by tracing stitching lines on my great-grandmother's quilt.

My sewing has taken me in the direction of garments and couture, but I have always had it in the back of my mind that I will turn to quilting someday. And now that I am surrounded by quilters (Stitch and Quilting Arts are sister publications), it seems unavoidable.

If you are also a lover of quilts, I would suggest you look at Quilting Arts magazine.

Are you a quilter? Or do you just want to be one, like me? I would love to know.

Happy stitching!

I Have an Advance Copy of Best of Stitch: Bags to Sew!

AmberStitch — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 08:28:00 GMT

I can't tell you how exciting it is to get that envelope in the mail with an advance copy of some hot, new sewing book. Even after all these years as a sewing editor, it still gives me a thrill to get a first peek at the latest publications.

Hot off the press and
fresh out of the envelope!

But when I got the advance copy of the FIRST BOOK EVER of Stitch projects, tears came to my eyes.

Here's a little background. There is a lot to building a sewing brand and for a magazine like Stitch, that goes far beyond the magazine to include an online community, videos, patterns, special issues, and now BOOKS! Stitch was started back in 2008 by founding editor Tricia Waddell, and the magazine had a passionate reception as modern sewists embraced a magazine that was finally for them.

Now Stitch readers have the opportunity to enjoy Tricia's superb talent as an editor again in Best of Stitch: Bags to Sew, which was compiled and edited by Tricia. I have always felt that bag and purse projects are at the very core of what Stitch magazine has to offer and you seem to agree. A recent blog post on bag construction tips had thousands of views. I just love every single bag project in Bags to Sew and it's amazing to have them all collected into one publication.

As someone who is working on a Stitch book myself (shhhh ... top secret!), I know firsthand how much goes into selecting the very best magazine projects, along with adding a few new ones, and editing them to work in a book format. Trust me, you are going to love this one, and I just want to give some props to the Stitch brand for branching out into books! Bravo!

You can pre-order your copy of Best of Stitch: Bags to Sew in the Sew Daily Shop.

Let me know what your favorite project is!

Happy stitching!