"Decide What To Be and Go Be it" - Avett Brothers

My new favorite quote.

A few years ago I bought two basic Janome sewing machines with an idea of using them to teach or hold open workshops during the summer.   I'm not sure which I like more, teaching or opening my sewing room up to someone who knows how to sew but doesn't have a machine and just needs a space to create.



Last night, a sweet high school
senior called asking if she could use my machine.  She was working on a Christmas present for her sister and just needed to finish it up.   She walked in with a bag of filler and her fabric cut and stenciled... she was ready!

With just a few how to's on the workings of the machine,  I left her to do what she needed to do. It was great having someone use the room as their workshop.  I was there to help when she had a question and was able to show her a few tricks to help the project come together a little easier.

I'm so glad you came by Merritt! You did a fabulous job!

Messenger Bags - Star Wars, Captain America and an Owl?

My daughters love Star Wars, starting with 3, 4, 5 and then the beginning movies 1, 2, & 3.  So it was no surprise when my oldest asked for a Star Wars messenger bag for college three years ago.

Recently, a friend asked if I could make a messenger style purse for her daughter who is head over heels for Captain America.  I thought, easy!  Never again will I even so much as whisper those words at the start of a project.  I thought Captain America was popular, thought I could easily buy fabric anywhere... I was so wrong.  What's popular are the Avengers and Ant Man - Who the heck is Ant Man?  I started searching online and learned Captain America fabric is "vintage" and the rare amounts available are ridiculously priced.  So I put it on hold for a while.  I was getting ready to buy Avenger comic strip fabric to begin piecing together my Captain America comic strip but thought to do one last search.  And there it was, sitting on Etsy, reasonably priced...  It was exactly what I was looking for... a comic strip print featuring only Captain America!  First time Esty buyer, love that site.

For a second bag I needed an owl print.  I went to a few area fabric and quilt shops with no luck, most of the owl prints were too juvenile.  So I did a quick search and found Cary Quilting Company.   It's a big old house on a downtown street in the older part of Cary.  I walked in and every room was filled with fabric, there was a wall with notions but the rest of the house... FABRIC.  No crafts, no socks, no jewelry, no candy aisle, no "as seen on TV" gadgets ... just fabric, it was fabulous.  Right away two people offered to assist in my search, together we found the cutest owl print and coordinating fabric.  So a huge thank you to the sweet women who helped me at Cary Quilting Company!

Searching for fabrics can be a little frustrating, but when you find exactly what you're looking for it turns into a very satisfying moment.  Exaggerating? Slightly.  I may be waving my fabric freak flag a little too hard but for those of you who have searched for just the right "something" - paint, ingredient, shoe... I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.

With the leftover fabric, I made key chains or "fobs."  I think I'll be stuffing some stockings with these this year.

An angel for a day

Meeting people at a fabric shop is one of my most favorite places to do so, I think it's because its easy, common ground maybe?   I always gain new insight, learn a trick to making something a little easier and sometimes I even get hugs.   That's just what happened to me the other day after I helped someone's very sweet grandmother pick out thread and zippers for a skirt and jacket she was having made for her granddaughter.

As I was saying good bye, she called me her angel for the day and asked if she could give me a hug. I was about to walk away when she mentioned she hoped her friend still sewed.  I dug into my purse, pulled out an old receipt and wrote down my name and number and told her to call me if her friend was not sewing anymore.  (Business card? Yes, I do have them and I proudly display them at home, where I really need them.)

I didn't think she'd call, I mean seriously, if a stranger gave you their name and number on an old receipt and said they could sew something for you... would you really call?   I walked away kicking myself for not having my cards with me, nothing screams professional quite like an old receipt.

She did call and I was able to help her.  A few days later I had 8 yards of wool fabric, two patterns, a skirt and jacket for sizing laid out on my cutting table.  I couldn't measure her granddaughter because she was away at school so with the help of one of her skirts, a jacket and some guesswork,  I was hoping to get close.  The fabric was beautiful and the pattern was easy to follow.  I haven't worked with wool very much and would never have thought to use it instead of fleece for this style jacket - Great choice, kudos to that sweet woman!

The skirt came together beautifully as did the jacket.   I haven't heard back so I'm assuming everything fits.  I did send a business card home with the outfit if any alterations needed to be made.

You just never know who you'll meet or what will become of that encounter.  For me, it was stepping out of my comfy box and taking a chance even if it was with an old receipt.  And yes,  remembering to have some business cards with me. This was a first, being someone's angel for a day.  I can't wait for the next time.

Finally, out of the closet!

Finding a perfect fit is nearly impossible with anything bought off the rack.   There are those rare moments when you find something that fits like it was made just for you - and it's cause for a fitting room celebration.  For the other times, you find something and it's just a little too long, a bit too tight or too loose, or dips lower in the front than you'd like it to.   Despite the flaw, you buy it because there's something about it you do like - the color, the fabric, the style.   If you're like me, those little things you thought you could live with turn out to be nuisances and eventually making your "wannabe" unwearable.

Perhaps it's a cardigan that needs a front closure, a blouse in the perfect color that rides too low over your jeans or that "deal of a lifetime'" skirt really does hit at an awkward spot.   You may even have a favorite piece you've hung on to for years that needs some updating - hemline shortened, shoulder pads removed, new zipper, jewels are tarnished and need replacing.  Whatever the reason, you really want to wear that forgotten piece and you try it on A LOT but it usually ends up back on the hanger and tucked away.

From a sewing point of view, bringing those wardrobe misfits out of the closet and making them comfortably wearable, even loved again is usually an easy fix.

Reglittering Service

Princess costumes are by far one of the most fun to sew - there's no limit to what you can do, you can never do too much detail, too much dazzle.  

Last year, I made a few Elsa dresses (one of Disney's newest princesses for those of you who may not know.)  After searching for snowflake chiffon or organza, I decided to paint and glitter some plain organza just to see if it came close to what I was looking for.  I wasn't sure how it would hold up though, it was a virgin paint & glitter experience for me.

Recently, someone asked if I could repair a rip in a seam of a well worn Elsa dress and if it was possible to "reglitter" it.     
I'm learning warranties serve many purposes.  The main purpose for me is finding something that works better.  In this case, I'm trying Tulip paint with glitter hoping it will hold up better.  I'm still using Tulip glitter to sprinkle on after painting the snowflakes to add more sparkle.  I washed the dress on gentle and let it air dry just to see how the paint and sparkles would hold up  - everything stayed in place including the gems. 

As for the seam that ripped in the organza - this time I did a french seam.  It's a great seam, takes an extra step but the finished look is worth it.  It's strong and there is little chance of fraying.  But if it should fray, I hope the dress comes back so I can find an even better solution.  



Reglittering service and seam repair for the life of a dress - Because little kids should play hard in their dress up clothes.

A Finishing Touch in a Baby's Room

Making slipcovers has been something I've done for years, off and on. I mainly make and alter clothes but that can be seasonal. I really like when the home dec projects come along. For me, it's similar to making and altering clothes, you still need everything to fit and patterns need to line up. My most recent project was a slipcover for a rocking chair and ottoman for a baby's room.

Finding the right fabric can be one of the biggest challenges in any project whether its home dec or apparel. The mom-to-be knew she wanted navy and white polka dot, that was a definite. She searched the area fabric stores but couldn't find what she had in mind. Looking online was a little more successful for her but when the samples arrived they weren't right for a slipcover.

Specifically, we were looking for a fabric with the weight of outdoor cushions, denim, or something similar. We found fabric at warehousefabricsinc.com. She ordered a sample and it was just what we both were looking for -- for her, the right polka dot in the right color at a very reasonable price and for me, the right weight to make the slipcover and ottoman. Thank you, Warehousefabricsinc.com!

The chair with the old cover removed.  

 I started with making the back chair piece first because it was the focal point, I wanted to make sure all the polka dots were centered and running in the right direction.

Adding the arm pieces came next.  Lining up the dots was a challenge, making sure they were all going in the direction they were suppose to, all directions -- it took some thought, it took a few re-dos to make sure everything lined up.  

Pinning around the curve where the arm meets the back of the chair.

I learned something new with the old slipcover. There was not a "platform' piece, the piece that goes across the seat of the chair. At first I thought that was odd until I took a closer look and noticed there was velcro along the edges of the seat "base" and then velcro on the cover to attach to the chair. Usually you have to tuck in the arms and back and they never stay tucked. It's a nice look for a loose cover but for a fitted cover it's a hassle. With velcro everything stays in place -- pure genius. 

One thing about doing slipcovers - the largest item I can do are chairs because I need to have the piece in my house for fittings. I can't even imagine where I would store a sofa. I may need to ask my dear sweet husband to build a workroom in the backyard just in case I ever sew something larger -- for now, my limit are chairs of any shape and size (within reason, that is.)

Transforming into Captain America

I just finished a costume of Captain America for a someone going to Animaizement in Raleigh, Memorial Day weekend 2015 (she's the one on the left in the blond wig.)   

In December 2014, this artistic student came into my sewing room with a printout of the Captain America she was hoping to go as. The picture was all I needed to get on her page. We talked fabrics, color, and design -- specifically how to get the jacket on and off.   

Starting with a ready made pattern takes the guess work out of sizing. Could you make your own pattern? Of course. I like the ease of a ready made pattern, the bones are there and all I have to do is tweak it to get the look I want.  For costuming, if I can't find a "costume" pattern to match what I'm making I use garment patterns. I found a pattern for the pants that were almost a perfect match to Captain America's.

Choosing garbadine for fabric because of the natural stretch which makes for a very comfortable wearing pant. I sewed zippered "pockets" to the front to match the original costume.  These do not open to real pockets like I'm certain Captain America's do.

Next was the jacket.  Two things things needed to happen -- it needed to open without having an exposed zipper and it needed to have stripes attached to the lower half.  Using a pattern for a fleece jacket with a zippered upper half was perfect.  I used the upper half for the blue part of the jacket and lower half of the pattern for the red and white stripes.
Having no luck finding red and white striped knit in the width I needed, I decided to sew strips together.

Sewing the bottom edge of top (blue fabric) to the upper edge of red and white strips in a curve. Covering the zipper and creating a line similar the picture I was working from was my next step.  I constructed a piece that "opened" at the side.  Sewing it to part of the jacket and then attaching velcro strips to open and close over the zipper.
I added detail to the sleeves - strips to the upper arm and shield like shapes to the inside of the lower arms.

After having both requested parts of the costume completed, it just didn't look right.  It was missing something and I didn't want to deliver it this way.  The missing part? Captain America's utility belt. 

There are three main components to the utility accessory - the belt, two wide pieces that slide over the belt and the six pouches that attach to this wide pieces (three on each side.)  The belt is attached with a metal quick release buckle.

The pouches are made much like an exposed pocket on cargo shorts with stiff interfacing so everything held its shape.  Attaching a few more pieces of metallic fabric to the front flap of each pouch and a piece of velcro to keep them closed, the costume was complete.

Thank you, Amanda, for asking me to help you transform into your version of Captain America for a weekend.

Just a school project

Anyone living in North Carolina or rather the South knows that even a hint of a snowstorm can shut down a town, bring kids home early, keep them home indefinitely, and make bread escape from shelves of every grocery store. This February was no different and it turned a school project into something more.

My 8th grader was getting ready to participate in a wax museum at school as former Romania Olympic gymnast, Nadia Comaneci. She designed her tri-fold board and had two things left to do before the storm hit - a Romanian flag & an Olympic team jacket.  Call it cabin fever or just a challenge I couldn't refuse, either way I was all over it.  Naturally, I jumped at the idea of creating something from a picture. An idea that started out as a store bought sweatshirt with some colored stripes sewn or glued to the front was now something a little more. As the number of snow days increased, the jacket started to take on a life of its own,  I started finishing seams, fussing over stripes lining up, and fit being just right. I couldn't help myself. Over the top? Yes.  Do I know my daughter is wearing it for just one 40 minute class period? Of course.  Am I aware it'll never be worn again? Absolutely.

A simple flag glued to the middle of a tri-fold board became a flag hung from grommets and chain.


Thankful for the February storms, my 8th grader WILL be Nadia Comaneci for one 40 minute class period.   And we WILL have sweet memories of an over the top jacket with a one time use crafted over a series of snow days in February. The funny part, she's missed so many days of school they may not even have the wax museum.

"This is not a prom dress request"

That was a message I received one day with a description of a character from Game of Thrones and a simple question, "Can you make this for me?"  Deadline? The Game of Thrones premiere sometime in May.  Thankfully it was November, and I had plenty of time.

Knowing very little about Game of Thrones, I started watching it with my husband and found I was more interested in the characters' costumes than the storyline. The costumes are so unique and beautiful - the fabrics, the way they're sewn together, the embellishments.  If you were to ask me what was going on in the episode, I couldn't tell you but ask me about the costumes, I could go on and on.

Searching for inspiration, I found many variations of Robb Stark's costume.  There were details I knew would not be a part of my version - one in particular was the skinned animal fur (as in the entire fur coat including the tail, legs and head) used as the collar to his cloak - that was where I drew my line.  My goal was to create something as close to the original as I could get.


Looking in the home dec department of a local fabric store, I found exactly what I was hoping to find - faux leather with the look and feel of worn leather, easy to work with and affordable.   Without a 'Game of Thrones' pattern, each piece came with a lot of research and thought.  Using pieces from different costume patterns, I modified them to get the look I wanted.



Using suede for the cape and a modified vampire cape pattern, the cape turned out close to what I was hoping - lightweight, draping nicely at the floor.  Finding fur was a challenge - I had some very fuzzy fur leftover from another costume.  Not liking the fuzz, I trimmed it and found that underneath the fuzz, there was an 'wolf like' quality to it and thought this is as close to real as I was getting.

Finding the right material for straps and then figuring out how to attach them for easy wear was my next step.  I found a few instructional videos on making a "Game of Thrones" cloak - very detailed.  It was awesome.  So, the cape came together easily.  It is attached with D-rings for adjusting fit.  Using the same material from the straps, I made a belt and attached grommets and a buckle.  The front of the jacket is held together with grommets and suede lacing.

The college student's response was positive - he was thrilled - he said the fur collar gave him the versatility to be other characters besides Robb Stark. Needless to say, this guy really knows his Game of Thrones characters.  

This project was truly a journey for me, sewing with new materials and watching it come to life.  

"Can you turn my fur boa into a foot rest?"

"What?"

This was a message someone left for me one Sunday afternoon and sure enough, it was exactly that.   The next day, I opened my door to a very sweet woman holding a wooden stool in one hand and a fur boa in the other, a christmas present from her son.  As she was sharing her vision inspired by a HGTV show,  I couldn't help but wonder what her son would think if he knew his mom was turning her Christmas present into a footrest.  I had to ask if she got "permission,"  she assured me he was fine with the idea.  I stood for a while after she left staring at the boa, trying to envision it on top of the stool but mostly, I was nervous about making that first cut.  It's different when you're working with fabric, if you mess up, you can just start over.  This was a beautiful fur boa all put together and here I was figuring out how to take it apart and turn it into something entirely different.  So, I measured, crossed my fingers, and made my first cut.... 

It came together easier than I imagined and when I flipped it over,  all I could think of was the enchanted stool from "Beauty and the Beast."

It's always a thrill to create something from someone's idea or sketch and a greater thrill to capture what they were thinking.