One-word Wednesday: Stuck

Sewing book shopping...again

Dear Readers, please let me introduce you to my newest sewing book purchase: Little Things to Sew by Liesl Gibson of Oliver + S fame. It just hit bookstores earlier this month and I'm already in love. Read more about it after the jump!

One-word Wednesday: Laundry

The newest t-shirt quilt

Last year, a few weeks after I finished my first t-shirt quilt, my buddy Allison asked if I would make one for her. Not one to turn down a friend, I agreed (plus, she offered to pay me, so how could I say no?!?!). A few months later, she showed up at my office with a box of t-shirts she'd been collecting since high school. Fast forward several procrastination-filled months later and we have this...the life of Allison in quilt form. Read more after the jump!

One-word Wednesday: Drawing

Behold, the magic bag

Looking for a nice way to warm up on a chilly winter's night? If you're like me, you'll just stick your feet on your husband as soon as you crawl into bed, but for others (who are, perhaps, a little kinder to their hubbies), you might want to try making your own magic bag. It's pretty much as easy as you'd think: Cut fabric to desired size, sew up sides leaving one open for filling, fill 2/3 full with material of choice (rice, barley, wheat, buckwheat hulls, etc.) and sew closed.

Here are a few pics of one I recently made for my friend Kim (not only does she have an awesome name, but she also happens to be a very talented photographer).

She specifically requested an extended length design in heavier weight fabric so that it will last a long, long time. I had this fabric on-hand in my stash (originally from IKEA). I used French seams along the long edges to make sure they were nice and sturdy. Once filled, I double stitched the end closed so that none of the rice will escape. The finished piece was super quick and easy and looks better than the store-bought versions. Don't you agree?

What fabric heaven looks like

The fabric Gods were smiling on me yesterday when my friend Miranda passed on a rather enormous bag of unwanted fabric. Awesome friend, don't you think? I happily spent a couple of hours sorting through the bag and putting some order into this windfall. Knowing what you have in your stash is key to keeping costs down on sewing projects so I wanted to make sure I got a grip on my new and improved stash before too long.

Mid sort: mostly down to the wee scraps at this point

Quilting cottons, linen, corduroy, decor weight, felt - you name it, it was in that bag.

When storing fabric, it's a good idea to make sure you're putting away clean material. Take the time up front to neatly fold and stack each piece and you'll never regret it down the road when you need to pull fabrics and whip something up in a flash.

Behold the towering piles of quilting cotton

All told, yesterday's haul more than doubled my already impressive fabric stash. What you see below is just the cut lengths of quilting cotton. I also have two big bins filled with many other types of fabric as well as the better part of a garbage bag filled with small scraps that will be perfect for quilting...this is what I mean by fabric heaven.

Sorted, stacked and placed in their new home

I actually added even more after this shot was taken!

All this new fabric has really gotten my creative juices flowing. I've put out a call to friends and family to see if anyone wants me to whip up a quilt for them and I already have a few takers! I'm gonna be one busy girl for the next little while...and loving every minute of it!

Sewing 101: Patterns

A friend of mine recently decided to get back in front of her sewing machine after a long hiatus and came to me with questions about where to buy patterns these days. I remember when I first started sewing - must be over 20 years ago now (and, yes, I did start sewing when I was five, thankyouverymuch) - you had to venture out to the fabric store, sit down at those banks of pattern books and dig through massive filing cabinets filled with patterns. My how times have changed.

For those of you just getting back into sewing, and those that are just starting out, here are a few of my favourite pattern resources to get you started.

Anyone read Japanese?

Let me introduce you to my latest obsession: Japanese sewing books. And, yes, they really are written almost entirely in Japanese...no handy dandy English translations to help you out...only illustrations to help guide you along.

I first stumbled across this one, Stylish Girl's Clothes, on Make Something. If I could, I would only dress Abner in clothes just like these. Aren't they adorable? I love the simple lines and non-kiddish colours and fabrics.

Isn't the styling of this book just incredible? Seriously, could I have those floors please?

One thing I really like about this book is the coordinating pages for spring/summer and fall/winter. I don't think assembling complete outfits is my forte so these pages are super helpful for folks like me.

Aren't these little hooded capes cute? And that drop-waist skirt on the facing page, is just so sweet. I picked up some remnant fabric at a friend's place yesterday and already have plans to use it on this skirt.

Here is another new addition to my growing collection. It's called Heart Warming Life Series: Little Girls' Outfits. My brother picked it up for me for Christmas and I absolutely love it! This one has much more detailed pictures with the instructions, so I imagine it's going to be easier to work from. Why there is a picture of a little girl eating a giant cracker on the front, I don't know, but it's still cute.

This vintage-y shirt reminds me of some of the pieces I might have worn when I was little (hello '80s!).

Given our rainy West Coast weather, this sweet little rain coat will be a must-make this spring. Can't you just picture Abner's curls spilling out beneath that sun hat? Seriously...so much cuteness, I just might explode.

OK...I love these shorts. It's actually the detail on the bum of them that I love the most, but it just didn't seem quite right to post a picture specifically of that little girl's back side. Trust me - it's a cute detail and I will definitely attempt to make a pair of these for Abner.

If you would like to pick up your own copies of either book, both were purchased from The Workroom in Toronto. Would love to know if anyone has seen them in the Vancouver area.