Finding Your Inner Designer
Every
sewist puts their personal design stamp on each project they sew, from
the fabric and notion choices to fit alterations and embellishment. I'm so passionate about sewing because there is so much room for personalization. I look at every pattern as a baseline and challenge myself to add to it to make it my own.
Discovering the designer within was my inspiration for the new Fall issue of Stitch.
The entire issue is devoted to approaching design challenges with
confidence and sewing with a designer's eye. Here's a sneak peek of the
highlights in the issue!
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Pair of Owls by Heidi Boyd.
Slouch Bag by Cheryl Kuczek.
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Gadget Messenger Bag by Kevin Kosbab.
Poetry Skirt by Katrin Vorbeck.
Hedgehog Pincushion and Tree-Stump Tape Measure by Heidi Boyd.
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GET INSPIRED
- Read our feature on Project Runway,
written by Alissa Haight Carlton, one of the casting directors of the
show. She gives you an inside look at the casting process and how the
producers devise the weekly challenges, plus you'll catch up with your
favorite past winners and contestants.
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Check out our profile on design triple-threat Wenlan Chia of Twinkle,
who designs clothing, knitwear, and home accessories while also
authoring sewing and knitting books featuring her downtown style.
- In our Seams Right technique feature, find out how the right seam or seam finish can give your project a professionally designed look.
- See how Amy Karol, author of the popular Angry Chicken blog, bends her own sewing rules on the path to achieving sewing bliss in our last-page essay.
GET SEWING
Next, we have 38 projects, each one devised to address a design challenge with style. Check out our project themes:
Cocoon -
here you'll find projects that use cozy fabrics with lots of fabulous
texture, perfect for relaxing at home with the entire family. Learn to
make a cozy bathrobe, luxurious velvet pillow, an adorable flannel
scarf, textured stuffed animals, a dog bed, and more!
In the Bag
- make a designer handbag featuring innovative construction, cool
handles and straps, and notions and hardware. And check out our sidebar
on bag construction tips and tricks for customizing your bag.
The Men's Room -
sew projects men will really want, with clever design details and
stylish construction. Make a fleece pullover, the ultimate computer
geek-messenger bag, a toiletry kit with hardware embellishment, and
more!
What's My Type -
use typography as a design element for projects with graphic appeal.
Featuring word-print fabrics, machine and hand embroidery, appliqué, and
more, see how creative you can get with type in your sewing projects.
Work +Space -
get motivated to sew by surrounding yourself with custom projects in
your sewing room. Personalize your creative work space with a unique
sewing machine cover, graphic craft apron, custom pattern weights,
decorative and practical wall pockets, creative pincushions, and more!
GET MOTIVATED
To
give you a taste of the issue, check out these great tips from our
feature profile designer, Wenlan Chia, that will get your design juices
flowing!
Let Your Inner Designer Shine
Following these tips will get you out of any sewing rut and unleash your inner artist.
Know your customer. Whether
you're creating a project for a friend or a family member or working to
make your own designs to sell, always keep the end user in mind. You
want your hard work to be loved.
Know yourself + your strengths. Find
what you love to do and showcase your talents as best you can. If you
know that you can sew amazing curved seams or that you're gifted in
layering appliqués, figure out a way to highlight those points in your
designs.
Always think outside the box. Truly
challenge yourself to push your designs and your sewing as far as they
can go. You'll be surprised at what you can accomplish and create when
you don't let yourself settle for less.
Be open to challenges + criticisms. Take
critiques as challenges to help you expand your sewing horizons and
look at your work from a different perspective. It's a fact that not
everyone is going to love everything you create, so it's important to
stay positive and learn to grow from every situation.
Don't give up. Sometimes,
when you're behind the sewing machine or at the cutting table, a
project can seem so daunting that it may appear impossible. It's not.
Don't give up. Instead, try to push through the problem. In the end,
you'll learn more, and your sewing will improve by leaps and bounds.
Great advice! I guarantee the Fall issue will help you discover the designer within you!
Happy sewing,
