Stitch Blog

Send us your ideas for the Winter 2012 issue!

AmberStitch — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 18:28:00 GMT

The deadline is looming and we are looking for projects for the Winter 2012 issue. Get inspired this weekend and send us your project ideas by Monday, March 12. For more information, see the submission guidelines.

Can't wait to see what you send!

Modern Mix Blog Tour

smithnikki — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:51:00 GMT

Modern Mix by Jessica Levitt

Jessica Levitt

Gradations Bag Project

Linen Apron Project

Twin String Quilt Project

Today we are so happy to host the latest stop in Jessica Levitt's blog tour for her new book Modern Mix from Stash Books. For those of you that are not familiar with Jessica Levitt yet, she's an incredibly talented fabric designer with prints available from Windham Fabrics. Luckily for the crafting world, Jessica has expanded her love of sewing to include free online tutorials available on her blog and now the incredible book Modern Mix.

Modern Mix showcases Jessica's gorgeous prints paired with solid fabrics in 16 projects. Before diving into the projects, Jessica first walks you through the basics. Here she gives the tools to help you become confident to mix and match print and solid fabrics like a pro for beautiful results. The projects include beautiful quilts, accessories, home decor projects, and more, making this book a wonderful reference for all types of sewers.

Recently, we were able to catch up with Jessica and chat a bit with her about sewing and creative process:

SEW DAILY: What made you first learn to sew and who taught you?
JESSICA: I first learned to sew in Home Ec, but really that was minimal information. My mom really taught me how to sew and how to follow a pattern and all that. She sewed clothes for my sisters and I when we were little. But my real desire to learn was fueled by wanting to break free from patterns and experiment. I learned a lot by sewing elaborate costumes for my high school drama club. And shopping for fabric is what made me first want to quilt. My first quilt was a Trip Around the World so it didn't really involve any new skills (except maybe rotary cutting).

SEW DAILY: If you could learn to sew anything you don't already know how to create, what would it be and why?
JESSICA: This is a tough one, because I'm never afraid to try something totally new and often do, so there isn't much I want to try that I haven't yet. I guess in the quilting area, I've been meaning to try a double wedding ring quilt. I just haven't had the time to tackle it yet because it's definitely a big project. And in other sewing, I'd like to get a little deeper into historical costumes. I'm not really concerned with the accuracy of the costume, just all the marvelous detail. I think I'm going to make myself a cool Steampunk ensemble that hopefully I can wear at Halloween next year.

SEW DAILY: Where are your favorite places to find inspiration for your designs?
JESSICA: I get inspiration really from everywhere. It's not uncommon for me to grab my phone a take a picture because "ooh, that door looks like a cool quilt!". Lately I've been seeing a lot of patterns I like in ironwork on railings etc and also in stained glass. It fun to take that inspiration and translate it to fabric so it works as a quilt. Also, the fabric itself is often inspiration for me. Sometime a design on the cloth or something I want to highlight can lead to a whole quilt pattern. I'd love to hear where your readers get inspiration from...

And as an added bonus, we will be giving away one copy of Modern Mix! For a chance to win, simply leave a comment on this post by 12 pm (noon) EST, Friday October 14th. We will choose one commenter at random to receive the book.

For more chances to win a copy of this great book, check out the rest of the Modern Mix blog tour:

10/13/11 - Oh Fransson

10/14/11 - Gen Q Magazine

10/15/11 - Quilt Dad

10/16/11 - Confessions of a Craft Addict

10/17/11 - Amy's Creative Side

10/18/11 - Pink Chalk Studio

10/19/11 - Connecting Threads Blog

10/20/11 - Keepsake Quilting Blog

10/21/11 - Juicy Bits

Sew Wild Blog Tour with Alisa Burke

smithnikki — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:49:00 GMT

We’re so thrilled to announce the release of Alisa Burke’s Sew Wild that we’re celebrating with a blog tour! The tour launches today on Sew, Mama, Sew, so go over and see a new tutorial by Alisa, and follow along for photo posts, reviews, giveaways, sneak peeks and more.

SEW WILD BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE

Sept. 14 - Sew, Mama, Sew
Sept. 15 - Balzer Designs
Sept. 16 - Craft Test Dummies.com and The Creative Goddess
Sept. 17 - FaveCrafts
Sept. 19 - Crescendoh - Jenny's Blog
Sept. 21 - Scarlet Time
Sept. 22 - A Stitch in Dye
Sept. 23 - Living Art at the Speed of Life

That’s a wrap!

Freebie Friday: Timeless Treasures fabric!

stefanie berganini — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 09:50:00 GMT

Happy Friday and welcome to this edition of Freebie Friday!

We're changing it up this week and giving away something we've only done once before: fabric!!! We have a large stash of fabric samples from our friends at Timeless Treasures, and we'll be giving away several fabric bundles over the coming months.

This week we'll be giving away TWO fabric bundles. We'll randomly choose one of the stacks pictured at left to give to each winner. All fabric samples are cotton and measure 44" wide x 22" long. We've also assembled the bundles so that each is full of coordinated fabrics.

As usual, comment below (one comment per person) to be entered to win. You can comment until you see an official comment from us announcing out two winners sometime next week.

Have a stitchy weekend, and happy Friday!

Bits of Thread Sewing Studio in Washington, D.C.

smithnikki — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 16:36:00 GMT

Sewers in the D.C. area, take note--nestled in the capital of the U.S. is the Bits of Thread Sewing Studio. For those of you looking for a place to learn more about sewing, check out this great location found on Columbia Road, which is run by a local American Sewing Guild chapter. The group calls themselves the DC Threads, and opened the Bits of Thread Sewing Studio in 2010.

Offering classes in a range of skill levels and techniques, sewers in the D.C. area are bound to find a class that will help expand their stitching knowledge. And if you're simply looking for a place to sew along with fellow designers, check out their available studio time when you can come and use the facilities for your own projects.

On the second Saturday of every month, Bits of Thread also hosts gatherings for the DC Threads group. On these days from 10am - 1pm, all are welcome to come in and sew along with experienced and new sewers alike. If you've never used a machine before, don't worry. There are tutorials at the beginning of each gathering to help get you familiar with the machines. Space is limited, so be sure and RSVP ahead of time to reserve your spot. You can even bring in your own machine to learn more about it. The sessions are free, but you must bring your own supplies to work on.

Have you been to the Bits of Threads Studio?

Or, do you have a sewing location in your local area that you'd love to share with SewDaily readers? We'll be traveling the country via a blog tour featuring sewing lounges. Share your favorite in the comments below for a chance to be featured on the SewDaily blog.

Freebie Friday: Amy Butler's Must-Have Pillows!

stefanie berganini — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 08:56:00 GMT

Happy Friday all and welcome to this edition of Freebie Friday!

This week we're giving away an Amy Butler sewing pattern: Must-Have Pillows!!

Stylish + fun, the Main Panels of the "Get the Message" Pillow are made by piecing five different prints together and adding a cute tongue-in-cheek message on each side. You'll also love the extra styles; the "Patchwork" design uses three prints and the other simply uses two. All edged with decorative piping, these pillows will become the house favorites!

As always, comment below (one comment per person) to be entered to win. You can comment until you see an official comment from us announcing the winner sometime next week.

Have a stitchy weekend, and happy Friday!

Freebie Friday: Heat-Reflective Ironing Board Cover and Iron Rest!

stefanie berganini — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 08:51:00 GMT

Happy Friday all and welcome to this edition of Freebie Friday!

This week we have a couple of handy tool for the sewing room to give away: a silicone iron rest and a heat-reflective ironing board cover, both from Dritz.

The silicone iron rest protects surfaces from a hot iron. It's safe for use on ironing boards, tables, or counters, has raised dots that help your iron cool faster, and withstands heat up to 428 degrees!

The heat-reflective ironing board cover has a heavy-duty plush pad that permits soft, smooth, quieter ironing. Scorch resistance aids in longer life, and an elastic bungee cord fastening system tailors the cover for a tight, secure fit. Fits boards up to 15" wide.

As always, comment below (one comment per person) to be entered to win. You can comment until you see a comment from us announcing the winner sometime next week.

Have a stitchy weekend, and happy Friday!

Freebie Friday: Sewing In a Straight Line by Brett Bara!

stefanie berganini — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 09:01:00 GMT

Happy Friday everyone and welcome to this edition of Freebie Friday!

Earlier this week you read a great Q&A with author and designer Brett Bara. This week for Freebie Friday we have 5 copies of her new book, Sewing In A Straight Line, to give away!

Here's a quick synopsis of the book (from Amazon.com):

In just one weekend and using one skill, sewing straight, an entire world of sophisticated, but easily doable projects is open to you. Just about anyone can sew a straight line. And with that simple skill and some basic guidance, crafty expert Brett Bara demonstrates how you can make custom home decor, stylish fashions and one-of-a-kind gifts. "Sewing in a Straight Line" is a step-by-step guide to creating 28 deceptively simple projects that look like they came from a chic boutique, far more impressive than you would expect for such little effort! These easy-to-make items offer quick gratification that even the busiest among us will appreciate. From a flirty two-hour miniskirt to the cutest plush toys, many of the projects take only a spare afternoon. With step-by-step illustrations, clear instructions and loads of helpful hints and customisation ideas, "Sewing in a Straight Line" will quickly make a sewing enthusiast out of anyone.

As usual, post a comment below to be entered to win (one comment per person). Comment are accepted until you see the official comment from us announcing the winner. We'll pick 5 people from the comments sometime next week.

Have a great Friday and a great weekend!

Meet Brett Bara, author of Sewing in a Straight Line

smithnikki — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 14:31:00 GMT

Sewing in a Straight Line by Brett Bara

Brett in her sewing room

The One-Hour Skirt Project

Baby Quilt Project

Stitched Bowls Project

Brett Bara, the host of Knit & Crochet on PBS, is well known in the yarn world, however her newest crafty adventures have involved sewing. Her first solo book called Sewing in a Straight Line (Potter Craft) debuts TODAY! Here we have an exclusive interview with Brett all about her and Sewing in a Straight Line. For more on Brett, check out her website where she writes about her crafty adventures in Brooklyn.

And as an added bonus, we even have a video on how to create the super-cute One-hour Skirt shown at left. For the video, scroll to the bottom of the post. And if you still can't get enough of Sewing in a Straight Line, check back this Friday for our Freebie Friday Post, where we will be giving away five copies of this great book.

SewDaily: When did you first start sewing?

Brett Bara: I learned to sew when I was really young, probably around age 5 - from my mom. She's a big sewer and I have very early memories of the dresses she'd make for me. I LOVED going to the fabric store to flip through the big pattern books and pick out fabric for my clothes... and I can remember sitting at the sewing machine and learning to sew seams when I was really little. I made my first top (with her help) and wore it to show-and-tell in second grade, and by middle school I was making some clothes and starting to experiment with quilts.

SD: What made you first want to write a sewing book?

BB: My background professionally is in the yarn world (I was Editor in Chief of Crochet Today magazine for five years, and I'm the host of Knit & Crochet Now on PBS) - but I decided to switch over and write a sewing book because I wanted my career to reflect all the crafts I love to do. I still love knitting and crochet, but I really wanted to incorporate sewing into my work world. Plus, I saw that sewing was becoming more and more popular out in the world, and I noticed that lots of people kept telling me that they wanted to learn to sew but didn't know where to start. I knew that sewing seemed intimidating to people but that it didn't actually have to be fancy and complicated, that there are lots of great things you can make even with simple skills. So that's what inspired me to make a book of cool-looking projects that are easy to accomplish.

SD: How did you go about designing the projects in the book?

BB: My straight-line-only concept was the driving force behind all of the designs. I sat down and thought about what could be made with straight lines, and how they could be made so that they wouldn't look too rudimentary. (I definitely didn't want a book of boxy, blechy projects.) So I thought a lot about fabric choices and special techniques, like shirring, to come up with designs I hope will really surprise readers when they see they are made with straight lines only. I also wanted the projects to teach readers and help them build their skills - so my hope is that once readers are comfortable sewing straight seams, they will naturally ease into some of the more difficult projects which will teach them lots of techniques like installing zippers, making a waistband, binding a quilt, working with vinyl, and more.

SD: Do you have a favorite project in the book?

BB: That's like asking a mother to choose a favorite child! Let's see... I love the Wonky Diamonds On Point Quilt, and the Magic Sewing Kit, and the Heavy Metal Bag. Mister Bunny and Miss Kitty are pretty near to my heart, too.

SD: What are your favorite things to sew?

BB: Home decor is my favorite thing to sew, because I'm really a home design fiend. I can literally spend hours daydreaming about decor, and sewing is a way that I can execute some of my ideas without spending big bucks. And I love to make quilts, although I never seem to have as much time as I'd like to work on them. Baby quilts are always fun because they're a little quicker to complete.

SD: Why do you sew?

BB: I sew because I love the process of getting an idea in my mind, and being able to execute it just the way I want. It's just not possible to find the perfect thing in a store, but if you sew it yourself, you can create it just the way you want it. I also sew because I love the experience of being at my machine, working with fabric -- it just gives me such a great feeling. And, I love love love fabric and textiles, and sewing (obviously) gives me a way to bring them into my life. Also, I hate to shop. So if I need a gift for someone, you better believe I'd rather spend a day sewing it than spend a day schlepping around the stores looking for just the right thing!

SD: What's next for Brett Bara?

BB: I just moved to a new apartment, so the next big thing for me is getting my new sewing room all set up (yaaay! finally! a sewing room!). Now that I'll have more space (and maybe be more organized?) I'd like to spend more time teaching myself to become more skilled at sewing garments, and I'd like to make more quilts. I'm also looking forward to blogging more at my new web site about my sewing projects and other craft projects. Aside from sewing I'm also really into food and desserts, and I'm working on a dessert-related work project that I hope to be sharing with the world soon.

Sewing in a Straight Line by Brett Bara – How to Sew a Skirt in One Hour from Rarebit Productions on Vimeo.

Textile Arts Center Expands to Manhattan

smithnikki — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 19:15:00 GMT

If you live in the New York area, or have a visit scheduled soon, make a plan to visit the Textile Arts Center. Their headquarters in Park Slope, Brooklyn is expanding next week to an all-new location in Manhattan, where they will spread their textile love even further.

According to their website, "The main goal of the Textile Arts Center is to provide support to fiber artists, and everyday people interested in working with fiber, by acting as a resource facility and creative meeting place." Currently located in a renovated sweater factory, they achieve that goal boasting classes in weaving, printing, dyeing, and sewing. I was simply amazed by the number of looms available when I first walked into the large, open space. The environment encourages creativity, while the staff is friendly and eager to talk with fellow textile entusiasts.

Founded by Visnja Popovic and Owyn Ruch, the Textile Arts Center has become an oasis of fabric creativity with artists-in-residence talks, classes, exhibitions, and even open studio time. They offer weekend intensives, and an assortment of workshops for both kids and adults. Check out their online catalog for more information of what they offer. And of course, please stop by their original location in Brooklyn at 505 Carroll Street, or visit their newest location opening next Tuesday, the 19th at 26 West 8th Street in Manhattan.

Freebie Friday: Coats & Clark Thread!

stefanie berganini — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 14:54:00 GMT

Happy Friday everyone and welcome to this week's edition of Freebie Friday!

This week we're giving away a large grab bag of thread from Coats & Clark. This package contains about 30 spools of thread of varying types and weights:

- Dual Duty XP General Purpose is sized for most hand and machine sewing needs. Use on all fibers, knits or wovens.

- Dual Duty XP Fine is a fine, but strong thread. Use for pucker-free seams in lightweight & silky fabrics.

- Dual Duty Plus Hand Quilting is designed as a strong, all-purpose hand quilting thread. Because it has a glace finish, it does not tangle, knot or twist while hand sewing. The glace finish also reduces abrasion on the thread which can cause fraying.

- Cotton Covered thread provides quilters with a thread that has the luster of natural cotton and the strength of polyester. This 35 wt thread has a 3-ply construction which gives extra strength, smoothness, and excellent stitch definition.

Leave a comment below to be entered to win (one comment per person), and we'll pick a winner next week. Have a great weekend!

Free Stuff and Sewing Spaces Revealed

tricia waddell — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 13:22:00 GMT

The Fall 2011 issue of Stitch is here and we have a few free projects to get you going. Check out the Road Warrior Organizer by Kevin Kosbab for keeping all those important car-related papers neatly collected in your glove compartment. And dress up your sewing room with Pretty Pattern Weights and Embroidery Hoop Wall Pockets by Bonnie Ferguson to keep you organized in style.

And go visit my friend Kathy Mack at Pink Chalk Studio for her month long Where I Sew series featuring the sewing spaces of your favorite designers, sewing bloggers, and editors. Check out my sewing space up on the blog today, and be sure to send in photos of your sewing space to add the Where I Sew mosaic. I would love to see where you sew too!

Happy stitching,
Tricia

Freebie Friday: Amy Butler Sandlewood Jacket Pattern!

stefanie berganini — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 09:39:00 GMT

Hello stitchers and welcome to another installment of Freebie Friday!

This week we're giving away a sewing pattern from Amy Butler: the Sandlewood Jacket.

Turn heads with this dramatic & light modern reversible jacket. The clean cut of this silhouette is designed with options for 4 lengths, different sleeves & a tie so you can create your signature style, or make one for any occasion. Make in either 44" quilting/fashion fabrics or 54" home decor weight.

Leave a comment below to be entered to win (one comment per person, please!). We'll pick a winner next week.

Happy Friday, and enjoy the fourth of July! May you have great BBQs, fireworks displays, and red, white, and blue sewing adventures this weekend!

Exclusive Q&A with Flirt Skirts Authors Patti Gilstrap and Seryn Potter

smithnikki — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 18:08:00 GMT

When two great friends get together to combine their creative and design powers, great things happen. Such was the case for Patti Gilstrap and Seryn Potter, the founders of Flirt Brooklyn, a hip clothing boutique located in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. Started in 2000, it is home to many local clothing designers including items by Patti and Seryn. In 2007, the pair created Home Ec., a place where they could share their love of sewing and design. This year they have branched out with their first book, entitled Flirt Skirts (Potter Craft), featuring 20 skirt projects inspired by their stylish collection. Read on for an exclusive interview with Patti and Seryn to learn more about their inspirations, history, and more, and check back on the SewDaily blog this Friday for a chance to win a copy of the book for yourself!

Sew Daily: Where did you first learn to sew and who taught you?
Patti: It's hard to pin down exactly when I started sewing but it was apparent from an early age I was very into making things and it became obvious that I had a knack for putting things together. My mom had a sewing machine and let me use it to experiment. As a teenager I got my own machine and a job at the local Jo-Ann fabric. From that point on there was really no stopping my quest for sewing knowledge.

Seryn: I have a love for clothing and design and a knack for buying and merchandising but actually learned to sew much later and what I know I learned from Patti. It makes you look at what you wear so much differently once you actually learn how it goes together. You start to ask a lot of questions when you shop especially in stores where everything is cheap. Learning to sew has actually been one of the most challenging things I've ever done.

SD: How did you come up with the idea for Flirt Skirts?
Patti & Seryn: We were originally approached by Sharyn Rosart of Quirk Packaging to write a book about sewing. Skirts have always been something of a specialty for us. Flirt Skirts is an offshoot of our custom skirt service that we have been featuring at Flirt for almost a decade! After opening our shop and spending day after day with customers it became apparent that the biggest issue customers face when shopping is fit. We began offering customers the option to design their own skirt by trying on samples of our skirt styles and then customizing their skirt by choosing their own fabric and making modifications to the fit specific to their bodies. It's been a huge hit with our customers and we've made hundreds of skirts over the years. Our Skirt-tificate is a big gift around the holidays. So it just seemed natural that we would write a book that is basically our custom skirt service put entirely into your own hands from start to finish.

SD: Tell us a little bit about your Home Ec Sewing Studio. How did you get started? Where do you see it going from here?
Patti & Seryn: Home Ec started as a simple search for a larger production studio for our own clothing line. We had been sewing our designs in the tiny back room of our boutique in Brooklyn and it was obvious we needed more space. We found this amazing space that was much larger than a studio and started to play around with the idea of teaching classes. For years people had asked us if we taught sewing but we always said no because we had no space to facilitate classes. Home Ec gave us the opportunity to take our boutique concept to the next level from featuring local designers and handmade items to teaching people how to make things themselves. We developed a roster of classes and started signing up students. That was nearly five years ago. Looking forward we hope to continue to share our philosophy of creativity through our classes, our book, and our patterns.

SD: How did you two meet and combine your love of design?
Seryn: When we met it actually had nothing to do with clothing or design. Patti had moved to NYC to pursue dance and choreography and I had moved here to pursue a career as a singer/songwriter. Which, of course, meant that we waited tables. I had been working at a big bbq restartaunt in midtown while performing and recording with my band. I was getting tired of waiting tables and my sister and I had opened a small tea room inspired by our english grandmother called Tea Cozy. It was very cute and we were doing well but I realized that although I had worked in food service for years I didn't love it. In the meantime my guitar player who also worked at said bbq restaraunt had started dating this girl who had started working at the restaraunt after I left. He told me her name was Patti and how she made clothing and eventually we met one night at a friends show and exchanged information. Later on that year my sister was getting married and needed to find someone to make her bridesmaids gowns. We were out fabric shopping and I suggested I get in touch with Patti to possibly make the gowns. As I was mentioning this I looked up and there was Patti shopping for fabric. The rest is history.

SD: Where do you find inspiration for new designs?
Patti & Seryn: Living in the city is constant inspiration. We love to people watch and soak in not only the styles people are wearing but the attitude and mood that what they are wearing reflects. Attitude has so much to do with great style. We love clothing history and like to pull details from the past and experiment with new techniques and work those into new designs. We also like to pull inspiration from asking ourselves what we would like to wear today. That answer changes as our lives changes and so our look in constantly evolving.

SD: What was the process like coming up with the skirts together for Flirt Skirts?
Patti & Seryn: Fortunately the ideas came fast and furious and so we just started sketching. That was the easy part! We included a mix of simple to more challenging projects for every level of sewer. The design aspect was a lot of fun as was choosing the fabrics. The writing process was harder. Translating the making process to words presented any number of challenges for us and we learned a lot while doing it. Now on the other side we have a lot of admiration for authors, especially those who write technically, as it is very difficult to be clear while keeping it interesting. We would love to do another book with only instructional illustrations- kind of like Ikea instructions.

SD: What do you love about skirts?
Patti & Seryn: You can get away with a lot in a skirt because it is like a blank canvas. Once you have the basic shape down the possibilities are limitless. Get bold with colors, contrasting fabrics, trims. You can customize it to your personal shape. You can use a lot of details in skirts that you might shy away from in a blouse or a dress. Skirts are great because when paired with an otherwise simple outfit an outrageous skirt can be worked into your everyday wardrobe.

SD: Do you have any advice to pass on to our readers who are looking to pursue their sewing careers?
There is a big difference between sewing for a hobby and sewing as a job. If you are looking for advice when you are just starting out we say: start simple. Don't overwhelm yourself with projects outside your skill set. Finishing projects as opposed to starting a bunch of them but not finishing is far more satisfying and will keep you sewing longer because you are meeting goals. For those looking to sew for a living we have different advice. To those of you wanting to make things for a living we say to be patient and not expect great things overnight. It takes a lot of perseverance and a lot of time to build your customer base. Remember to pay yourself a reasonable rate for your work, take your overhead into consideration when pricing your products, and don't undersell yourself. There is a market out there that appreciates what you do and you will find them if you look.

Freebie Friday: Dressmaker's Handbook of Couture Sewing Techniques!

stefanie berganini — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 13:43:00 GMT

Happy Friday everyone and welcome to another edition of Freebie Friday! If you're just joining us, here's how it works:

Every Friday (unless it's an ultra-busy day at Sew Daily HQ and we forget) we post a blog with something from our office stash to give away. Items range from books to sewing patterns to notions and supplies.
If the item is something you want to win, you leave a comment on the Freebie Friday blog post.
Sometime early the next week (usually Monday or Tuesday), we pick a random winner from the comments. You can continue commenting (only one comment per person, please) until you see a comment from us annoucing the winner.

Easy peasy! :)

This week we're giving away a copy of The Dressmaker's Handbook of Couture Sewing Techniques by Lynda Maynard.

Packed with professional techniques and tips, The Dressmaker's Handbook of Couture Sewing Techniques takes the mystery out of the sewing and finishing techniques that many dressmakers assume are either extremely difficult or are only for professional fashion designers.

Fashion designer and expert sewist Lynda Maynard tackles each professional technique with clear instructions in simple step-by-step stages. Once these skills are understood, sewists will embrace their dressmaking projects with more confidence and the ability to create chic, refined looks. The Dressmaker's Handbook of Couture Sewing Techniques unlocks the door to stunning results with better shaping, simpler construction methods, and professional finishing touches. Lynda also explains several seemingly difficult "secrets," from making bindings and finishing for hems, armholes, and necklines to underpinnings and structuring techniques. Plus, she teaches how to master finishing touches from textured stitches to couching and appliqué. A complete guide to the fabrics suited to each technique and inspirational fashion photography are also included.

Leave a comment below to win, and have a great weekend!