I had the brilliant idea to use oilcloth to sew rain jackets for my boys. Brilliant because they love them, but sewing them was...the opposite of brilliant. I’ve worked with laminated cotton before, so that wasn’t really the issue because I knew ahead of time what I was getting into. But oilcloth is stiffer than laminated cotton, and really wasn’t meant for making garments. So this post proves is can ...
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Hooray for Chambray! It’s one of my favorite fabrics, and I’m so delighted with all the talented chambray creations this week! Now I’ve got so many ideas on what to make with all the chambray in my stash. And if I ever run out, CaliFabrics has a beautiful collection. Feeling patriotic, I jumped on the new star chambray fabric. My daughter has outgrown all her dresses from last summer. With that ...
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Welcome to chambray week. Sit back with your tray tables in their upright and locked positions and enjoy the ride! You're in for a treat! 6 amazing bloggers have worked their magic with chambray fabric from CaliFabrics and have some inspiration for you. Classic Blue Cotton Chambray First of all, we need to make sure we're all on the same page about chambray. Chambray fabric is a woven fabric. It has colored ...
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There's something cool going on in the sewing community! It's a children's sewing competition called Project Run & Play. Project Run & Play is the Indie Sewing community's version of Project Runway...but for sewing children's apparel! Each week, the designers compete to create their best outfit based on a theme. A panel of "celebrity" judges awards them a score in 4 categories, and then a reader's voting poll is opened. ...
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Have you seen the fancy sweatshirt trend? Or maybe you’ve heard it called the dressed up sweatshirt? Well, I’m officially on that train. As a mom at home with my 8 kids, looking pulled together while still being comfortable are about as high as my priorities get! For this dressed up sweatshirt, I used the most elegant flocked scrollwork on white floral lace for an overlay on the softest gray french ...
Read MoreRecently I sewed a 16 piece capsule wardrobe for my baby in her next size. In my last post, I showed you the bubble skirt I made from "earth" floral London Calling lawn fabric. That fabric inspired and became the theme of much of the rest of the wardrobe. First of all, I picked a color scheme. Based on the floral pattern, I chose chocolate brown and two blues. After I had ...
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Are you ever surprised by a fabric crush? While scrolling through the CaliFabrics new fabric selection, I came across this Earth Floral London Calling Cotton Lawn by Robert Kaufman, and somehow it just spoke to me! What did it say, you ask? “Buy me and use me everywhere!” Who am I to disobey the siren song of fabric? For my older daughter, I sewed the Apple Picking Dress pattern by Oliver ...
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Happy New Year everyone! One of my reSEWlutions this year is to try new things. And of course that includes new fabrics I've never tried before! I hold Adrianna, the designer behind Hey June Patterns responsible for this new fabric obsession of mine. When she updated the Union St. Tee pattern, she updated the fabric recommendations to include modal, bamboo, triblend, cotton/poly and rayon blends. Since I’d worked with everything on ...
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Here’s a tip for all you cozy fabric lovers: grab some of this chocolate brown french terry today! With this softer than soft chocolate french terry, I made a Tallinn Sweater by Hey June Patterns for myself. (Oh, and I just noticed the Tallinn Sweater is the featured pattern of the month over at Hey June, so it's 15% off using the code "Tallinn15" !!) It’s very stylish, and discreet for ...
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It’s that time of year…corduroy time! Now I’ve got to admit, corduroy is one of my oldest fabric loves! I mean it’s so great to sew with; stable and pliable but soft and comfortable to wear. Let me show you what I mean. After scouring the corduroy selection at CaliFabrics, I settled on some Brown Baby Wale Corduroy. The first thing I sewed from this fabric was a Sandbridge Skirt (pattern ...
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Today is the snuggle-y-est post ever written! When you combine the softest french terry ever, and the squishiest baby, you’ve got enough snuggles to go around! Now I really must start with an apology. This particular french terry fabric has sold out. Twice. It’s really, really, really that good! But you can grab some of this floral french terry, which is just as pretty, or this chocolate french terry, which is ...
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My daughter has a beautiful hourglass figure which I have absolutely no clue how to fit since I have no figure (or if you’re being kind) am more of a rectangle! I sew so much for my other children, but recently decided it was time to get it right on fit for my oldest child. First I had my daughter try on several shirts I sewed for myself to gauge the ...
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I spent much of this summer (and last summer too) sewing swimwear! From never having sewn a swimsuit before, to being considered somewhat of an expert, I learned just about everything there is to know! And I want to share some some vital things I learned with you before you start. Because sewing your own swimwear is a very, very rewarding (and even addicting!) thing to do. Tan and mustard vintage ...
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Today I've got some tips for you on how to get the most garments from your cuts of fabric. If there was a hall of fame for the least amount of fabric wasted, you just might find me there! In fact I've even got a series over at Skirt Fixation about classy ways to use fabric scraps. Intervention may be necessary soon... From 2 yards of Desert Camouflage fabric, I made a tween ...
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After a little break in which I had a baby, I'm excited to be back to talk about sewing for tweens! I have 2 kids in this age category, and 3 that have gone through it, so you might say I have a little experience! In this post I'm going to share with you my experience on fabric to use in sewing for tweens. Choosing fabric for tweens boils down to what ...
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The tagline for the Cali Fabrics blog is “A Sewing Blog for the Fabric Obsessed” and you may have noticed those of us who contribute to the blog are very serious about our fabric choices…even the plain white boring fabrics! Last time I showed you some cuter than cute baby sweaters, and today I’ve got some more cute baby clothes for you…just not quite as exciting. I’ve been sewing for my ...
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Warning…today’s post may give you a raging case of baby fever! With a new little one expected to arrive within a few months, I’ve been on a baby clothes sewing kick. Since it will still be cold when baby arrives, the item I’ve probably had the most fun sewing is baby sweaters. Combine tiny, cute sweater patterns with the softest fabric from Cali Fabrics, and you’ve totally got the ability ...
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Recently I sewed 2 pairs of jeans for my boys using some awesome denim from Cali Fabrics. As a first time sewist of jeans I learned quite a bit, and I thought I’d share some tips and tricks to help fellow jean makers. Use the right tools: You don’t have to go out and buy a whole new set of tools, many of these items you probably already own. And some are ...
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Cali Fabrics has a HUGE selection of faux fur! There are over 100 faux furs in the Cali Fabrics shop! To name a few, there's Black Mongolian Faux Fur, Rabbit Luxury Faux Fur, White Snow Leopard Faux Fur, or maybe you'd prefer Green Gorilla Faux Fur. I had the opportunity to sew up some animal vests for some of my kids. I learned quite a few things sewing with faux fur. If ...
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Are you sewing for fall yet? It's hard to think about it when the weather tops out over 100, but just think how glad you'll be to pull on a new cardigan on the first chilly evening of fall. To set the right example of sewing ahead, I sewed up 3 garments for fall, using some amazing fabrics from Cali Fabrics. Since I didn't choose the easiest fabrics to work with, ...
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