I hope you got to take look at the clothes I made with quilting cottons in Part 1 of this post and learned which patterns are best to pair with them. Now let's get to my top 5 tips for sewing with quilting cottons, interspersed with pics of these two adorable sets I made for sisters! Tip #1: Prewash. Many sewists don’t prewash their fabric. I think this is partly because ...
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Quilting cottons are inexpensive as fabric goes, come in a huge variety of fun prints and colorful solids, and are very easy to sew. Don’t let the “quilting” part fool you - you can sew clothes with quilting cottons too! With some thoughtful pattern selection, you can have great results using quilting cottons for clothing. Obviously, don’t choose a pattern that needs stretch, because quilting cotton has none. Also, it has ...
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What's better than a handmade, designer-fabric Hawaiian shirt? How about two handmade, designer-fabric Hawaiian shirts? This time around I will show you how to perfectly match the fabric on the pocket to make it nearly invisible. There's a pocket on there! My husband loved and wore the first Hawaiian shirt I made him with Tori Richard designer shirting so much I made him a second one from the same pattern but a ...
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You know that drawer you have in the kitchen with all the random stuff in it? Rubber bands, pens, stamps, coupons, playing cards ... ours also has a plastic baby from a King cake and a ball that looks like a bloodshot eye. Well this post is the kitchen drawer of the Cali blog today, a random assortment of goodies connected by nothing but the fact I made them recently ...
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When I received an invitation to a company "Day at the Races" I knew just where to go for the perfect fabrics to whip up a winning outfit! I am a huge fan of cotton lawn and had spotted this Robert Kaufman London Calling horses print a while back. Kelly green, navy, and white, what is more perfect for race track attire? Into the cart it went, along with a ...
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I've mentioned before how much I love sewing the designer fabrics I find at Cali Fabrics, and how I like to see if I can sleuth out how the designer originally used it. The Tori Richard designer shirtings were easy – anyone who loves Aloha shirts the way my husband does is familiar with the brand, which has been making quality Hawaiian-style shirts in Honolulu since the 1950's. So, on my ...
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You need rainbow arms and I'm here to help you get them! Here's a step-by-step tutorial for making some awesome armwarmers with knit fabric. OK, you don't actually have to use rainbow fabric but it's really cool if you do and Cali has the fabric pictured in this tutorial available here: Rainbow Stripe Jersey Knit. You really just need any knit fabric with at least 25% stretch and some measurements. To create ...
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Did I get you yesterday with my April Fool's joke? Maybe a little? It's time to show you what I really made with that lovely soft sweater knit! I didn't lie when I said this hot pink heathered sweaterknit was super soft, drapey, and my favorite color! And I really love how the heathered black tones down the brightness. As stated on the Cali Fabrics website, it's a fairly loosely woven ...
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When I got this squishy, soft sweater knit in the mail from Cali, I knew it had to be made into something special. It’s PINK which is my favorite color, drapey, and super cozy. I really couldn't wait to wear it so I just took my 2 yards and made this great no-sew rectangle which is about 72” x 60”. Easy to take it sporty with tennies and no-show socks. But also versatile, ...
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My daughter was home from college for Winter break and you know that means she had another cosplay challenge for me! This one was for the character "Pidge" from Voltron. As soon as I saw the fitted, military-style jacket, I thought, too bad it will be stiff and uncomfortable! Then I hit up Cali for some solid wovens and was thrilled to find STRETCH broadcloth! I never even dreamt I would ...
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Tis the season .... to freak out because you haven't even started all that holiday sewing you planned! Patterns for quick-sew, one-size gifts are at the top of my stack this time of year. But who wants a Kleenex cover? What do you make for someone you don't know that well and keep it on trend? Or even for people you do know well? Here are some ideas and links ...
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I have big dreams of being a crazy cat lady, but having only one cat, who herself is not a fan of other cats, I have to settle for cat fabric. This is not a bad thing! I waited too long and missed out on an earlier cat print at Cali and was so disappointed! But patience is a virtue, when I saw this beautiful cat print double-brushed poly spandex come ...
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It’s time for Halloween sewing! Costume sewing is a perfect way to get out of your comfort zone because you can always fall back on “well, it’s just a costume” that will only be worn for a short time and probably not closely inspected. And, for costumes, hot-glue is totally fair game if you find yourself in over your head or need to fix any boo-boos! My daughter and I got ...
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A pattern with simple lines is such a versatile tool for wardrobe building. Change the fabric, and you change the look. When it's a pattern you know fits you well or that you have spent time adjusting to your perfect custom fit, it's great to be able to sew it over and over without looking like 'that lady who always wears that same skirt'. Here are two different looks from a ...
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I love finding designer fabrics on Cali Fabrics! When the designer is named, it's fun to use some Google-fu to find how the designer used the fabric and let that inspire me. When I found this playful zebra-printed stretch twill fabric from Hudson Jeans, it was easy to find the designer's make by searching "Hudson Jeans zebra" and I found they used it for ... whadda ya know, jeans! It's a ...
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I am a beach vacation kind of girl. I love sun, sand and ocean, and a drink with a little umbrella. I don't love hauling around a lot of luggage, and I refuse to iron any of my clothes. (I don't do it at home, why would I do it on vacation?) So effortless is my favorite word when it comes to vacation wear. My first-packed item is always a knit ...
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Hi sewing friends! Lisa here from Tie Dye Diva patterns talking to you about the gorgeous color-changing sequin fabric known as two-tone, reversible, or flip sequins (or mermaid sequins as my daughter likes to call them!) If you “pet” them one way (and you will), they are one color, but brush them the other direction, they are a different color on the other side! You’re probably seen them in stores ...
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So, there I was, shopping the Cali Fabrics website, when I came across this pretty gem: “Black and Sparkling Silver Striped Sweater Knit”. My inner dialogue, as the person who would be wearing the sweater, went something like this: “Ohmygoshilovesparkles! Festive! Holidays! Yasssssss! Sweater knit, yummy, cozy, classy, let’s do it!” And then the rest of my inner dialogue, as the person who would be sewing the sweater, went, “Uuugggghhh. ...
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I'm a bit of a rebel when it comes to seasons and fabric. I probably should start sewing with all the heavier-weight fabrics that keep us warm as the weather cools down, but right now I find myself gravitating towards gorgeous, breezy cotton lawns and bright, candy colored spandex knits. Cali & Co. does not disappoint with their selection either! I had some pretty tough choices to make, but I'm ...
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Can you believe these four cute looks are really only three garments? This mini "buh-bye-summer-hello-fall" capsule wardrobe is made with versatile fabrics and fun reversible patterns. The tee is one I made earlier, so by sewing only two more items - the Reversible Hoodie Vest Pattern and the So Flippin' Cute Skirt from Tie Dye Diva Patterns, I got multiple kid-approved looks while only sewing two things. Mom for the ...
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