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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Earlier this year I tried my hand at sewing a new (new to me) kind of fabric called Plisse. I’m pretty sure you’ve seen it around as the texture is very similar to seersucker. Plisse is a woven type fabric and is characterized by its crinkled appearance that is a result of the application of a caustic solution that causes the fabric to shrink and pucker. It’s lightweight in texture ...
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Since I'm here in sunny California, I have only recently had to add layers over my tops. I'm a sucker for sweaters, so I love being able to pull on a warm cardigan and go about my day. What I love about sewing (as opposed to say, knitting) is that I can whip up cardigans and sweaters made from soft sweater knits fairly quickly, especially with some of the basic ...
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Are you ready for some fun? With this top, I know I am. This print is so playful that it is hard not to be happy when wearing it. The fabric is a Floral and Polka Dot Double Brushed Poly. There isn't much left, so grab some before it is gone. For this top, I used one of my favorite TNT patterns, the Dixie DIY - Summer Concert Tee. This pattern ...
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I love sewing with knits! They are primarily what I use for most of my projects. They're soft and comfortable which makes for great clothing in my opinion. Here are a few tips that, in my experience, are useful when it comes to sewing with Jersey knit. 1. Spray starch makes it easier to work with light weight Jersey knits. Lightweight Jersey knits are often drapey, and consequently, a little more tricky to cut out and to ...
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Hello again, friends! Today, I have a post for you on a topic that strikes fear in the hearts of many sewists. (Cue scary music haha) The funny thing is, there's nothing scary about denim at all. It's a fabric many of us practically live in and it isn't difficult to sew! It is just cotton, after all. The fiber most of us start with, and often turn back to ...
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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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There are so many uses for lace in sewing. Accents, trims, overlays, even entire lace garments! I’m kind of lace obsessed, and I use it on so many things. I often hear that lace can be intimidating though. How are you supposed to work with it? It has all those holes and it's a super thin fabric. Well, here are a few tips that I’ve learned that may be useful ...
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One of my absolute favorite things about fabric shopping is getting all touchy feely with it. I really love texture, so my hands are all over the bolts, pulling out just enough fabric to get a good feel for its texture and drape. This is impossible online for obvious reasons (although you can always order a swatch if you're patient enough!). CaliFabrics does an excellent job though when it comes ...
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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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Full Disclosure: I still feel some type of way writing this post, or even admitting such a thing happened, and even though I have MAJOR FEELS about it, I can't deny that is has indeed happened ...my daughter turned SIX! And with 6 came a new sense of self awareness, independence and strong opinions. Admittedly, I'm not surprised that her already strong spirit has intensified, I just wasn't quite ready ...
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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, for my last post, I made a trapeze garment for summer. Apparently, I thought I needed one for Fall too haha. I knew when I picked this fabric, I didn't want to default to a boyfriend cardigan (especially since I made a grey one of those earlier this year). What I did want was something cozy, layerable, up-to-date, and a design that would work with the drape I knew the fabric ...
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Happy (late) Halloween, ya'll! My house has been abuzz these past couple of weeks, not only because I decided to wait until the bewitching hour to start my Halloween costume (doesn't that seem to happen each year?) but also because I'm MOVING TO AUSTIN! You heard that right, folks, I'm becoming a Texan. I love to treat myself to an elaborate Halloween costume when I can and this year I decided ...
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Hi guys! So this year, instead of sewing for Halloween, I've sewn for Disney Dapper Day! Dapper Day is just a few days after Halloween and so I wanted to use my time and creative juices wisely. Dapper Day is NOT a costume event, instead it's where guests celebrate sophisticated style drawing inspiration from the 1950's feel of Disneyland. I love vintage style clothing, and welcomed the opportunity to sew something ...
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I'm what you might call a "jeans and t-shirt" kind of girl. I don't wear skirts, and DEFINITELY don't wear dresses. I've told myself many lies as to why this is - mostly relating to my body and how it "looks weird" in skirts, I'm "too rectangle-shaped" or "too short" for skirts. All of which became very inconvenient when I started preaching custom tailoring and seeing the brave women of ...
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Welt pockets and bias binding add a crisp, finished look to this summer dress. I used a favorite tank top of mine to make a general pattern, then made it roomier by adding width to the sides and a box pleat in the center front. I used a rayon chambray for the body of the dress and a striped chambray for the pockets and bias binding. The rayon chambray is especially drapey and would also ...
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Hi Readers! I don't know about you, but I've been on the hunt for the Holy Grail of shirtdresses for a long time! I've been searching for something classic, comfortable, well fitting with a myriad of options to customize and I think I've found it with the Cashmerette Lenox. This pattern certainly went together easily and I had no alterations to make. A great fit out of the envelope is always ...
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