Australian mama Cheryl makes these great Lidmen (and Lidladies and Lidbots and animals for the Lidland Zoo) for sale online and also offers a tutorial on how to make your own. What a great green craft for kids. If you’re lidless, or don’t think your country’s lids are as cool and colorful as Australia’s, you can also buy a kit. (via)
the big winner - Simplicity 3775!
The folks over at Pattern Review have compiled their top 15 favorite sewing patterns of 2007. Amy Butler and Built By Wendy both made the ranks. Each entry includes photos of FOs made from the patterns by Pattern Review members. I’ll definitely be picking up some of these patterns at the next 99-cent sale. (For those not in the U.S. — do you have equivalent sales or do patterns tend to hold fast at full price?)
Three helpful sewing how-tos I’ve bookmarked lately:
How to choose a sewing machine. From Dress a Day.
How to sew with knits on a regular sewing machine. From the Fabric.com blog.
How I design my bags by Lisa Lam at U-Handblog.
“Transport Pillow” by Feed Dog
Glittergoods has been on a quilted pillow kick lately.
Lovely wool tied quilt started in Grandma’s stash and finished by Redheaded Snip It
Lady Harvatine calls this “Audio 1,” inspired by the random zig zags of audio waves
Luckybeans made this red, white, and blue quilt for a lucky cousin’s baby girl
Mr. Monkeysuit found a place for all those Japanese fairy tale prints and other juvenile/novelty fabrics she’s been collecting.
Ruched made a black/white/green/blue quilt inspired by this quilt by Yarnstorm
A month or so ago Pink Chalk Studio released patterns for Anna Banana, a collection of four designs for the table. Lovely!
By Small Means has finished some fabulous white-backgrounded scrappy quilts lately - this is just one of them
You know how you tend to gift the things you make, and you realize you and your family are the last to benefit from your crafty talents? Tree Fall was happy to finally complete a superpink quilt — and her daughter adores it.
And Wise Craft made a “boy version” quilt for her son after her daughter got a girl version of the easy lap quilt from Amy Karol’s Bend-the-Rules Sewing book.
Every day in November, the Sew Mama Sew blog is posting a list of web tutorials centered around a different theme. The idea is to provide lots of inspiration for creative holiday gifts. Here’s the list:
Sew,Mama,Sew! Handmade Holidays: 30 Days of Gifts to Sew
November 1 ~ Aprons
November 2 ~ Pincushions & Pins
November 3 ~ For the House
November 4 ~ Lunch Bags
November 5 ~ Tote Bags
November 6 ~ Blankets for Baby
November 7 ~ For your Purse or Pocket
November 8 ~ Whimsy
November 9 ~ Fabric Ornaments
November 10 ~ Ties and Belts
November 11 ~ Reading & Writing
November 12 ~ For the Table
November 13 ~ Placemats
November 14 ~ Kids’ Clothes
November 15 ~ Warm those Toes
November 16 ~ Gifts for the Crafter
November 17 ~ Purses
November 18 ~ For Baby
November 19 ~ Tech Gifts
November 20 ~ Gifts for Organization
November 21 ~ Pillows
November 22 ~ Fun for Hair
November 23 ~ Soft Toys & Games
November 24 ~ Sachets
November 25 ~ For the Kitchen
November 26 ~ Embellishments
November 27 ~ Gifts for Warmth
November 28 ~ Drawstring Bags
November 29 ~ Fabric Boxes
November 30 ~ Gift Compilations
Related: The Handmade Holiday Pledge.
Ernest the Elephant by Future Girl (pattern
from the book Sock and Glove)
Pear by Cherry Tomato
Pirate Kitty by Craftapalooza
… and a Pirate Bunny by Cheeky Beaks
Nan and Gom by Jess Hutch
A Stupid Sock Creature by Momma Pajama
A Wee Wonderfuls Hand Sewing for Fun Bird by I Knew That!
Bat by Soto Softies
And don’t miss the softie ingenuity going on over at the 2007 Holiday Softie Awards!
Garment roundup!
Crocheted bodice dress by Green Kitchen
Jacket from a Japanese pattern, by All Buttoned Up
Dress from this Burda patter + Ikea shower curtain, by Fehr Trade (which was included in a recent New York Times article on Ikea hacks)
Skirt from thrifted sheet and Sew What! Skirts pattern, by Supafine
And Red Sylvia made this skirt from this McCall’s pattern
Red sundress by Julie Ree for her twin sister
Linen reversible wrap skirt and Built by Wendy top by Soulemama
Baby and children’s quilts tend to be done simply and quickly, 1. because you’re usually working on a shower or birthday deadline and 2. because you know they’ll get messy. Yet they are
some of the most satisfying and beautiful quilts around.
Soulemama’s quilt, made for her son
Becket of Craftlog’s green and brown baby quilt
Six and a Half Stitches’ baby quilt — it includes tags to attach toys to — genius! (Currently being auctioned on eBay as part of One in Ten)
Anita of Bloomin’ Workshop’s monkey & crab baby quilt
Blempgorf’s baby quilt with vintage and japanese fabrics interspersed with embroidery blocks
By Small Means’ baby quilt
I have loved Kathreen’s “what’s knitting” posts of late (if only because I have trouble keeping up with the zillions of knitting blogs lately), so I asked her if I could do similar posts covering the current sewing and quilting zeitgeist around blogland. Please use the comments to let me know of notable sewing and quilting projects, made by you or someone else.
It has definitely been the summer of Bend the Rules Sewing, Amy Karol’s new
book. It’s got a few great bag patterns, my favorites of which are the Pleated Beauty Handbag and the Artsy Clutch.
Here are some lovely Pleated Beauties:
by Kathy from Pink Chalk Studio
by Blair from Wise Craft
by Make It Snappy …
And some cute little Artsy Clutches …
by Laeroport
by Dogged Knits
Many many more projects from the book can be seen at the Bend-the-Rules Sewing Flickr Group.
“A Dream”
Often called Mississippi’s Grandma Moses of stitchery, Ethel Wright Mohamed was born in 1906 and died in 1992. She used beautiful and intricate stitches to tell the stories of her family’s life on fabric. Through this unique and beautiful “painting with thread” she has given us a view into the history of the Mississippi Delta’s way of life. She called her work “memory pictures.” This history includes her marriage, eight children, and numerous scenes of family memories that they all shared. She included their beloved housekeeper, Mittie, who helped raise the children and care for the family.
“Waiting for Stork”
You can visit the The Ethel Wright Mohamed Stitchery Museum in Belzoni, Mississippi. This summer there is also an exhibition of her work at the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art in Laurel, Mississippi, titled “The Needle’s Song: The Folk Art of Ethel Wright Mohamed.”
Thanks for the links, Stephenie!
Jan Andrea’s Baby Crafts is a fantastic source for baby sewing projects: carriers of all kinds including ring slings, pouches, mei tais, ring wraps and all their variations; nursing pillows, sleep sacks, crib sheets, diaper bags, and chair covers. There are also instructions for converting regular sewing patterns into maternity patterns and altering regular bras and T-shirts into nursing wear. Her own patterns are free and shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license. She also provides plenty of links to other people’s patterns around the web.
(both images from Jan Andrea’s Baby Crafts website)
In to the Woods, embroidery on linen
Tilleke Schwarz is a Dutch artist working in embroidery and also drawings on paper. Look for her work in the upcoming traveling exhibitions Fiberart International (U.S.) and the Knitting and Stitching Show (U.K./Ireland) over the next two years. There is also a wonderful article about her in the current issue of Selvedge magazine.
Count Your Blessings, embroidery on linen
She has a book being released this week — write to info@tillekeschwarz.com for ordering info directly from the artist, or wait a few weeks, when it will be available online at Twisted Thread.
On Color, 66cm by 70cm, embroidery on linen
Denyse Schmidt’s solo exhibition opens tomorrow (3/16/2007) at the P Design Gallery in Denver, Colorado USA. If you’re lucky enough to be in town, you can meet her in person at the opening. The five new quilts are made from wool and vintage cottons. The show runs through May 19.
Last year, Jessica of Seedpod Books and Art attended a Denyse Schmidt workshop and became inspired to host a block swap. Dozens of people participated, creating blocks using any or all of four particular colors of Robert Kaufman kona cotton solid fabrics. Everyone made extra blocks to contribute to a quilt which would be auctioned off for charity. Jessica herself completed the piecing, and the illustrious Ms. Gina of Quilter’s Buzz donated the machine quilting. Here is the finished quilt!
The auction is underway right now on eBay (ending March 6, around 8:30am Pacific time). The full cost of the quilt will go to Heifer International, an organization that provides milk- and wool-bearing animals to families in need. Bid like crazy, people!
Shiso mama makes a small piece of collage art every day. See them all on her website and on Flickr. She explains her motivation on day 1. What a great way to keep the creative juices flowing, and develop your creative voice along the way.
Some are representational, some are abstract. Get a peek into her process here.
The collages are giving me all sorts of ideas for quilts and quilting patterns.
What other do-something-every-day projects are there out there?
Today Quilter’s Buzz posted a preview of Denyse Schmidt’s new fabric line, Katie Jump Rope. Denyse talks about her inspiration for the fabric in the post. I just love it all around! It should be available following its debut at the spring quilt market early this May.
Hillary Clinton wincing, excerpt from Laughing Stock (2006), cotton, thread. 13″ x 13″.
Artist Christa Maiwald, in addition to her work in other media, creates fantastic embroidered portraits of celebrities and everyday people.
Present Tense (2004). Cotton, thread. 52″ x 66″.
Maiwald’s embroidery pieces, hand sewn on cotton and linen handkerchiefs, are executed with a richly detailed elegance reminiscent of early Christian mosaics, but the delicacy of technique and materials is offset by images that are funny, mysterious, crude - at times all three. — from absolutearts.com
(images used with permission of the artist)
Melissa of All Buttoned Up presents this great tutorial for a fabric box perfectly sized to store your trims.
I am loving the new “In the Kitchen” line from Alexander Henry Fabrics. In stock at eQuilter and Purl Patchwork (both ship worldwide). I just wish that Alexander Henry kept their website more up to date so we could see this and other new collections!
People are jump-starting their creativity with creative inspiration boards …
Gorgeous cork boards covered with linen and fused fabric trees by Shim + Sons … see also her wall pockets
Instructions for making a lightweight, pinnable Homasote aka “pressed paper sound board stuff” inspiration board, from Domicile (via Not Martha)
Bella Dia makes collages from inspiring magazine images (above) — see her posts here and here. Try making your own, centered on a colorway, shape, mood, or any other theme you can think of.
Cheeky Mama provides a tutorial on converting a bulletin board to a prettier fabric and ribbon-covered board.
And of course! An Inspiration Board Flickr pool.
