Spring 2015 Collection: Smell the Roses!

 

Stitched on white linen with pearl 5 cotton from Weeks Dye Works and DMC

Cottage Roses is the last design in the new spring collection. It is part of my new stitchery series for applique and hand embroidery along with Birds in Flight. I thought it would be great to offer a lower priced set of stitchery patterns to you that you can use on anything you want......these designs lend themselves so well to clothing, bags, quilts, pillows, or a lovely stand alone piece of artwork. There is such a quiet peace in sitting and stitching! I do love that time. In this world of nonstop everything, doing handwork is very grounding and there is something so nice about something you can take with you anywhere and work on it a bit at a time at your whim, using stitches, thread and colors of your own choosing and creating something truly unique.

The pattern includes some tips on technique and how to complete the applique as well as hand embroidery, everything from tracing to stitches that I used. I also add a few embroidery details so that you can use some of my ideas if you want. I fully encourage you to go your own way and make these designs your own, though!

I chose a variety materials for these designs to show their versatility. The main photo is stitched on white linen with pearl 5 threads from Weeks Dye Works and DMC. This particular piece is now stretched and inside an oval frame...perfect for hanging on the wall. There is so much lovely thread on the market! Choose your favorite and enjoy your stitching.

I also used wool from Weeks Dye Works to complete the applique shown in the photos. I particularly love the texture of the pearl 5 on top of the fabric. The details really pop, especially when using a thread that has a lovely variegation.

I offer these designs in a variety of sizes and filled the pattern with as many roses as I could fit, then I give you the option to enlarge or reduce these on a copier to satisfy your own creative desires. I love how versatile these flowers can be, depending on how you want to interpret them with fabric and thread.

I fully plan on adding some of these lovelies to a skirt for the summer. I will love completing the stitching and then getting to wear it during the hot summer days.

Below is our Aspen Tunic with the roses added. You can really see the stitching detail on the close ups of the front and back yokes.

 

 

 

Our Aspen Tunic pattern with Cottage Roses added to the front and back yokes

 

Next up is our Lola Gypsy bag pattern with the roses added. This is the non-ruffled variation of the bag and I think it is the perfect canvas for showing off these pretty blooms!

Our Lola Gypsy bag pattern with Cottage Roses added to the side

 

 



This pattern is available for purchase on our website. Thanks for taking a look and let me know what you think!

Happy Sewing!

Spring 2015 Collection: Meet the Birds!

 

Stitched on white linen with pearl 5 thread from Weeks Dye Works

Next up in the spring collection is a new pattern for stitchery or applique, Birds in Flight. It seems that everything comes around in cycles, and applique as well as hand embroidery are enjoying popularity once again. When I was playing around with this idea a few months ago, I originally played around with doing hand embroidery only, but as I thought about it more, there was so much more I could contribute to the design if I expanded it to the realm of applique. For those of you who have been following me the past few years, you may not know that I started out almost exclusively in applique with touches of embroidery. That seems like almost a lifetime ago! It is amazing to look back over the past 14 years to see how my work has evolved. I am forever grateful to the success of those early applique patterns...they fueled my company for many years until the transition to full tissue garments was complete.

I thought it would be great to offer a lower priced set of stitchery patterns to you that you can use on anything you want......these designs lend themselves so well to clothing, bags, quilts, pillows, or a lovely stand alone piece of artwork. There is such a quiet peace in sitting and stitching! I do love that time. In this world of nonstop everything, doing handwork is very grounding and there is something so nice about something you can take with you anywhere and work on it a bit at a time at your whim, using stitches, thread and colors of your own choosing and creating something truly unique.

The pattern includes some tips on technique and how to complete the applique as well as hand embroidery, everything from tracing to stitches that I used. I also add a few embroidery details so that you can use some of my ideas if you want. I fully encourage you to go your own way and make these designs your own, though!

I chose a variety materials for these designs to show their versatility. The main photo is stitched on white linen with pearl 5 threads from Weeks Dye Works. This particular piece is now stretched and inside an oval frame...perfect for hanging on the wall. Weeks has such beautiful thread! It is truly a pleasure to peruse all the wonderful colors!! The only trouble I have is choosing the one I want to stitch with. I also used some of their wool crewel embroidery thread....just wonderful texture!

My personal preference on some of these variations is to do fusible applique and then add some hand embroidered detailing, such as for the flap of our Madison Wallet Bag, shown here. This is the sample I used the wool crewel embroidery thread. It is amazing how just a few simple stitches with a few colors brings an otherwise flat applique piece to life.

 

Fusible machine applique, shown on our Madison Wallet Bag. Fabric featured is Canyon by Kate Spain for Moda Fabrics

On another variation, I chose to use fusible machine applique and finish it off with metallic thread on the machine. If you have been following my posts over the last couple of days, you have already gotten a sneak peek of this one. It is our new Ava Sundress with the birds in varying sizes flowing up from the hem of the dress. I used cotton voile for the applique as I wanted a bit of a translucent quality and finished it off with Sulky metallic thread for the detailing. I just used a simple straight stitch for this work and my handy frixion pen for drawing in the details before stitching. Note that the birds go from really large to really small on this variation. In the pattern, I give you several sizes, but also grant permission for you to enlarge or reduce the size of the birds as you see fit on a copier.

 

Close up of the stitching detail on the applique on the Ava Sundress

 

 

Fusible machine applique in cotton voile onto stretch chambray on our Ava Sundress pattern. Stitching detail on the birds was completed with a straight machine stitch in metallic thread.

 

On this chambray dress, I again used the wool crewel embroidery thread for the hand embroidery. You'll be amazed at how fast this work goes. I usually complete the embroidery as I am in the middle of constructing a garment. For this one, I stitched the yoke together, added the embroidery, then finished the construction of the dress. It is easier to get access to the area you want to embellish if you do it this way.

 

Close up of hand embroidery work on front yoke of our Aspen Tunic pattern. Stitching completed with wool crewel thread from Weeks Dye Works.

 

 

Close up of hand embroidery work on back yoke of our Aspen Tunic pattern. Stitching completed with wool crewel thread from Weeks Dye Works.

 

 

I have really piqued my appetite for the work I used to do all the time. It is nice to revisit an old skill and see how it can be made new again. I hope I have inspired you to get out your needles, thread, and fusible products so you can get started with this again! I would love to bring more of these designs to you....my brain is on fire with ideas now!

This pattern is now available for purchase on our website. Thanks for taking a look and let me know what you think!

Happy Sewing!

Spring 2015 Collection: Meet Ava!

 

Mid-calf length with contrasting yoke and hemband, made with Hello Darling by Bonnie and Camille for Moda Fabrics

The next design in the spring collection is a throwback to the 70's! Meet the Ava Sundress! I had an old pattern from 1975 in my stash that was calling to me, so I got it out and began looking at the elements I liked. Amazingly, it had great lines but needed a bit of tweaking, so I got to work!

This is a wonderful flowy dress without being too loose. It still has shape while being comfortable to wear. It lends itself to so many different options in fabric! I made several from quilting cotton, but then I branched out and made one from stretch chambray and rayon. It would be fantastic in linen, silk, or even a heavier handed cotton lawn. You might have to line it if made from cotton lawn, depending on the sheerness of the fabric chosen. This dress works incredibly well with border prints as you will see in the photos, so consider using one when making this dress.

This dress is sleeveless. I know a lot of you love sleeves, but this dress would look sort of weird with sleeves, at least in my opinion! If you like the look of the dress but want sleeves, try wearing it with a cropped cardigan. Then you have the sleeves and a cute layered lok without having to alter the pattern.

Design features for this dress include a raised sweetheart neckline that is an easy fit. The yoke is fully lined, so the only facings are very small at the lower armhole openings. The dress itself is darted at the bust for a nice fit. There are princess darts at the front and back waistline as well. The front waistline darts are optional, depending on the fabrics you choose as well as the fit you want. For the rayon version of this dress, I left out the front waistline darts as the fabric was so flowy, it didn't need them. There are three options for the length: knee, mid-calf, and maxi. There is a zipper down the center back. For those of you who hate zippers, this really is an easy one to install, especially if you use MY tutorial for the installation! What are you waiting for?

Additional details for this dress include the options to make the yoke and hemband from a contrasting fabric, or adding machine applique. Note the chambray dress with the bird applique....those birds are a new stitchery pattern that I will be talking about tomorrow!

As mentioned before, these new patterns will go on sale this weekend so stay tuned!

It's time for the photos to do their magic....here's Ava!

Maxi length made from stretch chambray by Robert Kaufman. Note the applique birds here....from our new stitchery pattern, Birds in Flight! Birds were cut from white cotton voile, fused, and stitched with metallic thread on the machine.

 

 

 

Knee length with contrasting ruffle hem, featuring a border print that flows across the dress. Fabric featured here is a floral from Michael Miller Fabrics.

 

 

Maxi length, made from rayon by Joel Dewberry for Free Spirit Fabrics.

 

 

Knee length with contrasting yoke and hemband, made from Purebred by Erin Michaels for Moda Fabrics.

 

 

Maxi length with contrasting hemband, made from a border print: Raindot by Michael Miller Fabrics.

 

This pattern is available for purchase on our website now! Go get yours today!!

 

Happy Sewing!!

 

 

 



Spring 2015 Collection: Meet Aspen!

 

Long sleeve dress version with border batik print from Alison Glass for Andover fabrics

Hey Everyone! It's that time again! Sorry it has taken me so long to post about the new collection, but preparing for market in Minneapolis next week sort of took all my time like a large hungry beast! The boxes have finally shipped...as of yesterday afternoon and I am finally sighing a tiny bit of relief. So what better time than to share the new stuff with you?

Meet Aspen! I was inspired to create this design because of the Sundance catalog. Have any of you ever heard of it? That catalog is packed with inspiration for design. I simply love the style of what they sell, just not the price! I love turning the pages and dreaming about new designs. Even their jewelry has inspired me! A friend of mine and I coin their look as "Aspen Cowgirl"....a little bit country, with a whole lot of sass.

Aspen is an easy to sew design that can be worn as a tunic or dress. This style is very versatile and stitches up great in a variety of fabrics. I have chosen some interesting ones and will detail my choices with each photo.

This is a pull-over design, so you don't have to worry about a zipper. The waist is elastic, making it easy to customize to however loose or fitted you would like. The yoke is offered with a button or snap closure, or you can opt to cut it on the fold and skip that part entirely. You don't need to unfasten the yoke to pull it over your head! I have offered two sleeve lengths, short and three-quarter, for those of you who like to have a little more length on your sleeve. Of course, the length of the tunic itself is completely customizable to your personal tastes. You will see in the photos that I have played around a bit with a narrow hem as well as a wide or narrow ruffle.

As for design details, you will see some embroidery and applique on a few of the samples....hold tight! Those are offered as a separate pattern that I worked up for you to use on any sort of project. Those will be shown in the coming days, so consider this your sneak peek into those!

Here is the gallery for Aspen:

 

Short sleeve dress version with a layered skirt and narrow ruffle trim, made from Sentimental Studio's Regent Street cotton lawn for Moda Fabrics

 

 

Long sleeve tunic version made from Amy Butler's Hapi cotton voile for Westminster Fabrics

 

 

Long sleeve dress version with wide ruffle hem and hand embroidered yoke (from a new pattern!!), made with Union Chambray from Robert Kaufman Fabrics

 

 

Short sleeve tunic length with yoke cut on the fold, made from Urban Chik's Nomad for Moda Fabrics

 

 

Long sleeve dress length version made from the Whisper collection by Michael Miller Fabrics. Note the hand embroidered details added to the fabric design....I can really find ways to make a project take a long time!!

 

 

Short sleeve tunic version with a narrow ruffle hem, made from clipdot fabric by Michael Miller Fabrics. Note the wool applique roses with hand embroidered details....new pattern coming for that!

 

I hope you have enjoyed looking at Aspen! This pattern is available for purchase on our website.

 

Happy Sewing!