Upcoming bag class at the Art Station- May 29th, 2011

I am teaching a sewing class on making a shoulder bag as part of the The Arts Station Workshop Series. I was originally going to stick with everyone making the same bag but after feedback from a beginner's sewing session (4 classes) I taught back in March, I decided that having options for people is best. I haven't tried Noodle-Head's 241 Tote pattern as of yet but I love the look. Soon I will get busy and give it a go so I have a sample for the class. Yeah! new bag for me!

Date: May 29th, 2011
Times: 12 to 4pm
Where: The Arts Station Studio (upstairs)
Cost: $40

The Details: Option 1: an easy beginner bag designed by Amy Butler (on left) or Option 2: An advanced beginner bag (on right) designed by Anna Graham of www.noodle-head.com

Must bring working sewing machine. Writer will provide Opt. 1 pattern, Opt.2 pattern is available for download at: http://www.noodlehead.com/p/patterns.html. Pick up material list for tote at the Arts Station or email ourilan@gmail.com. Writer will provide interfacing and snaps so participants will only have to purchase outer fabric, lining and optional zippers.

Register at The Arts Station (601 1st Avenue). For more information contact Courtney Baker at 250-423-4842 or at assistant@theartsstation.com.

The crunch has begun....

Well spring has sprung in Fernie and now it is time to get started on sewing for the Canada Day Market. This will be my third Mountain Market kick off and I am excited because I am trying something new. I would love to tell you what...but I will wait until I can show you. Soon....


So here is a bit of a preview of a skirt I tried out today. It is sized for 2 T but I feel like the waist may be a bit big. The whole skirt is made with one large rectangle with a middle seam up the back.  The main body is a cotton linen blend and the bottom is made of 10 5X5 squares from a Moda charm pack. the band was then doubled over to make a "hemless" bottom. I was pleased with how it hangs. When my 2 year old ( or " two half" as Ilan would say) wakes up from his nap I will try it on for size.  He will be mortified at 16 when the word gets out that I used him as my model. I will reassure him there are only 2 pictures floating around. My next task is to try out a boys' pants pattern I put together. As I type, I think I really should aim for shorts. I think they may make a better market item is sunny July. I am hoping to be a bit more organized with what I make in terms of sticking to one item and reproducing all that I need until I have enough...Usually after 2 or 3 items of the same style I move on out of boredom. Then it is a huge mish mash. Here's hoping.

Amy Butler Pattern Review- The Frenchy Bag

I am teaching a bag making class the end of May and thought I better test the pattern. The pattern called for either quilting fabric with interfacing or home decorating weight fabric. I had some Amy Butler home dec fabric that I really wasn't sure what to do with. The bag came together fairly easy and would be a good bag for a beginner. The only issue I have with this bag is that is isn't very "kid friendly". I am constantly bending over to pick up my toddler or my infant in his car seat and I find it falls off my shoulder and brushes on the ground. This isn't the fault of the bag's design...only the stage of life I am in. Messenger bags that go across the should are a must right now. The bag also seems a bit narrow at the top and a bit awkward to get into (especially when I cart around diapers, snacks and a big wallet). I think for the class I will either expand the bag's width 2 inches or opt for the Birdie Sling by Amy Butler.

A skirt from the past and one from yesterday's naptime....

I made an a line bias cut skirt last year I think...with a big floral print on the front and have never worn it. This happens to me sometimes...not that I don't like the fit but I end up with many skirts and never have the right top to go with them. So did that stop me from making another skirt? Heck, no! I borrowed Stitch by Stitch by Debra Moebes and loved her "carport skirt" on the cover. I don't have a printer to print off the pattern included in the CD, so just used an a line skirt pattern and created two overlapping panels to create the wrap. So in total I made a wrap skirt using three pieces and used under 1.5 yards of Tanya Whelan fabric. I have a Amy Butler jelly roll from which I pieced together the waist band and ties. Then I discovered the wrap skirt looked great over my other skirt, with the little bit of white ruffle peeking out. Success! This is definitely the month for mom! Two items for me in under 4 days?

New hat for ME!!!

This will be a short post....yeah a new hat for me!!! I have long wanted to try making my own hat. I searched for a pattern and the whole idea never went anywhere as I couldn't find the right one.  Then I got brave and decided to take apart one of my hats that fit well in the crown but I didn't care for the brim. I traced a new pattern from the lining be cause it ironed nice and flat. It worked pretty good. My friend wants one now too....perhaps I will make her hat in to my first tutorial. We will see....things are pretty busy round here...Doing family things on the weekends and I had my last sewing class last night. I will blog about it soon when I get the pics rounded up from everyone. It was fantastic! Or more accurately,  the students were fantastic and fearless! Keep your eye out for the post. 

Bucket Hat

I love bucket hats for babies and kids. I am planning to make some for the market and have been playing around with a few designs. This one I made for Quinn was a bit of a disaster but looks cute in the end. I cut the top out too big, the band fitting around the head was three inches too small and a little too deep. Thankfully, I recycled a military style jacket and lots of seams make the hat look interesting as well as detracting from the botched design. I have since drawn up a new pattern to try again.

Fabric Buckets

I have always wanted to make a fabric basket and have had this tutorial from Vlitjig bookmarked for some time. I did change the dimensions to inches and added a few to make it bigger. The navy bottom portion of the bucket ended up being 12x10inches with a 5x12 inch band on each end of the 12x10 rectangle. The basket is now at home beside our computer and I put my...guess (!!!) camera and cords in it. I made another out of burlap but made it taller and skinnier. Just haven't taken any pictures of it yet. The bucket made a perfect project for the beginner sewing class I have been teaching. It walked the students through simple construction, box corners, lining and top stitching. At the end of the series I will post pics if my students are willing. I have already taught 2 out of the 4 classes and this coming Sunday we will begin a simple skirt. Can't wait!