I almost didn't have enough fabric for my Honey Dress
Hello Reader
I'm feeling really proud of a few things this week -
We had our third meeting for the Flower Branch Embroidery Quilt Sew Along - two people have completed their quilt tops (one person quilted and bound theirs!!) - the rest of us are chipping away at various stages and are having lots of fun sharing our organizational strategies, mishaps and future quilting design plans.
I figured out a way to cut out my Honey Dress even though I was almost 75cm short of what the pattern calls for. Thank you Jeneane for your perfect suggestion in class.
I made this topic into my next Youtube video to share four helpful tips for making short yardage work. I love sharing more about my nerdy sewing obsessions and this post seems to have struck a chord, as the comments on this have been fast, furious and filled with lots of great insights. Take a peek and add in your own thoughts about how you approach creatively cutting your fabric when you don't quite have enough.
We are now less than 200 subscribers away from hitting 1000 - way in advance of my end of summer goal. Thank you if you've subscribed! This is our first milestone to reach to create a monetized channel.
If you answered the poll last week - thank you! I'm busy working on a few new videos based on your feedback.
I hope everyone is taking good care this week - the heat, the smoke and everything else feels pretty overwhelming. Make sure you're slowing down and spending some with a fun project.
LABOUR DAY HANDMADE GETAWAY We just posted a very special Handmade Getawayweekend that we're hosting with Santosha Farms/Missing Link Adventure Tours over this coming Labour Day weekend - Friday September 4th - Sunday September 6th. At the request of a few of our community members, we've added the option to tack on an extra night before and also and extra night after, which will essentially double the getaway for maximum sewing time + more delicious farm to table meals by Santosha.
This is our first public getaway for this year and it's already half full. Our online studio community members got first dibs and a bunch of them didn't hesitate to reserve their spot for this extra long weekend.
Lovely dinners on the enclosed porch at Santosha include farm picked flowers
DOUBLE TIME Quilt Workshop Okay,here's another thing I'm really proud of - this quilt pattern that came from a book I co-authored with Jacqueline Sava. I was also super touched to be shown a version of the Double Time quilt from some folks visiting the shop in Sprucedale yesterday (and using so many fun fabrics from our Parkdale days) If you've never tried curves in a quilt, if you've got a friend/sister/cousin you'd like to make a quilt with or you just love the graphic possibilities with this design - I hope you'll join us for our online workshop this Fall. Get inspired by taking a look at the hashtag on instagram #doubletimequilt
Patch Pocket detail on my Winter Coulis Jacquard Sanda Jacket
Sew Online with Us One of the joys of our online virtual workshops are that it's always more fun to sew with others. Getting to do weekly check ins and spend time sewing and troubleshooting in community is such a rich learning experience for all of us.
Scout Shirt & Dress - Thursdays, June 18 - July 23 (In Session)
Sanda Jacket - Tuesdays, July 7 - 28 - (In Session)
Honey Dress - Saturdays, July 11, 18 & 25 - (In Session)
Quinn Pants - Tuesdays, August 4 - 25
Factory Dress - starts Thursday August 20th
Chore Jacket Sew Along - starts Monday August 31st
Serger Essentials - starts Tuesday September 1st for 6 weeks
Double Time Quilt - starts Thursday September 10 - October 1st
101 Trouser - starts Saturday September 12th - 26th
the workroom studio members save $25 on every class.
SIMPLY SASHIKO We've added a couple new Sashiko books to our shelves recently. Simply Sashiko gives you simple but thorough lessons on the ins and outs (literally) of 36 different sashiko patterns, plus designs for stylish home and personal accessories so you can try them out. I added a little video flip through the book to the online shop. This book is surprisingly detailed in all the right ways so you can apply these designs to the projects you want to make.
You don't need many supplies to explore sashiko and we've got all the basics and more, including a full rainbow of thread options and our custom curated thread sets to inspire some mindful stitching and mending this Summer.
Ever try to pair a pattern with fabric you already have that isn't quite enough? I did - I was just under a metre short of what the Merchant & Mills Honey Dress needed. In this week's video I walk through 4 ways to stretch limited yardage, including a final trick that a student reminded me of that ended up saving the whole project.
Dresses are keeping everyone cool this summer! We love the variety and styles you have been sending us to print recently. Ruffles, slips, low backs, puff sleeves, no sleeves, long, short the possibilities are endless! We love discovering new indie pattern designers along with you through our A0 PDF Printing Services. Below are a few of the A0 PDF patterns we printed since the beginning of July, maybe they’ll inspire your next make too!
All of these patterns came through our A0 PDF pattern printing service - a wonderful way to explore new designers and level up your handmade wardrobe. If you haven’t tried it yet, it’s simple to upload your files and we’ll print, fold, and ship them right to you or choose local pick up at our Parkdale Pick up Point or here in Sprucedale.
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