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Fall Quilt Market 2009

October 13, 2009 – 3:09 pm

Each fall quilt shop owners descend upon Houston, Texas for the extravaganza of the season–Quilt Market. They come to buy things that they later sell to us in their stores. As a writer, I’m allowed in to look for new products and network with the various companies in attendance, so I can share their news with you in stories and venues like this. There are special media events, TV filmings, etc. that also happen at the show and perhaps you’ll be seeing news about the event on your favorite sewing/quilting shows. There are ongoing demos of new products and also special events just for magazine editors and writers to learn about new products.

So, what’s new? Look for more and more kits–for stuffed animals, clothing and quilts themselves. Kits save you the hassle (and in some cases anxiety) of picking out coordinated fabrics for projects–you just pick up a cleverly packed bag of components. Lots of great books coming out in the fall–one really helpful one is called Marvelous Miters, by Susan Cleveland–it simplifies those pesky corners not only on quilts, but the same techniques apply to garments. Susan also has a new tool for making precise prairie points.

I saw some wonderfully soft bamboo/rayon felt from National Nonwovens, and a new line of visual-assist products from Simplicity cleverly called C.C. Bigger–if you need a magnifier, check it out later this fall. Ghee’s has rainbow tooth zippers that are great fun, and Clover Needlework is coming out with some new Yo-Yo Makers–a butterfly and a shamrock. Looking ahead to spring ‘10, an oval yo-yo maker is on the drawing board.

Of more costly interest, is the new Baby Lock Sashiko machine. It makes that wonderfully precise running stitch traditonally done by hand, but now by machine. There’s no top thread, only a slotted needle and wire arm mechanism to catch the thread making the stitches with a bobbin thread. Check your local dealer for a demo…it’s pretty darn cool!

Another new book and demo I saw was on dyeing fabrics with permanent markers. Design Originals has published Creative Dyeing for Fabric Arts which explains the very easy technique of coloring with markers and then adding alcohol to blend the colors–even kids can create some wonderful things using this technique.

So, be on the lookout in the coming season for these new and innovative products.

By LindaG | Posted in Events and Classes, General Information, Sew & Craft Industry News

Top DIY Halloween Costumes for 2009

October 11, 2009 – 10:38 pm

Halloween is the one time of year when it’s socially acceptable – and expected – to wear something totally over-the-top, absolutely ridiculous, or perfectly funny. Sewers and crafters of all skill levels can take advantage of this opportunity to create a costume for their own inner child, whether it’s a fairy princess or a swashbucklin’ pirate. To help you decide what kind of character you’d like to be, we have released our annual Top DIY Halloween Costumes for 2009. Have a fun time!

butterfly1_35

By SCAJanice | Posted in General Information

Off to Fall Quilt Market

October 7, 2009 – 6:32 pm

I’m about ready to get on a plane to Houston, Texas to attend one of the industry’s largest events–Quilt Market. You’ve probably heard about it, or its counterpart Quilt Festival. Market is where shop owners go to see the latest new products and fabrics, and order them for their stores…they’re ordering fabric by the bolt, and quantities of items to stock, so it’s a wholesale show only.

I go to the show to learn what’s new in the industry so I can share it with you, and to help give me new ideas for magazine stories. Although I can’t buy anything there, I can certainly soak it all in.

Next week, I’ll write about what’s new and any new industry gossip I hear at the show–there’s always something unexpected.

In the interim, keep sewing and make something great for Halloween–whether it’s a cool costume to wear, or something to decorate divine.

By LindaG | Posted in Sew & Craft Industry News

Sewing fleece, lining pants, shortening a zipper

October 3, 2009 – 2:20 pm

Sewing dilemmas usually have simple answers.

How do I finish fleece edges, both on clothing and on a double-layer blanket?

Fleece is one of the easiest fabrics to work with, as it doesn’t ravel. On garments, you can finish the edges by simply turning them under once and stitching, either with one or two needles. Another option is to add ribbing to the edge–like at cuffs, necklines or lower hems. Depending on the project, you can also simply cut slashes and make fringe. For a double-layer fleece blanket, a quick and easy finish is to fringe the edges and tie the two layers together in overhand or square knots.

How do I line pants that don’t call for it?

Cut the lining using the same front and back pattern pieces as you did for the pants themselves, eliminating any pockets. After constructing the pants and lining up to the point of the waistband, slide the lining into the pants wrong sides together and baste at the upper edge. Turn and finish the zipper area of the lining. Attach the waistband to the pants catching the lining in the seam. Hem the pant lining legs 1-2″ shorter than the actual pant leg and stitch a French tack to anchor the leg lining at the seamline. Hand tack the lining around the zipper area.

How do I shorten a zipper?

It’s easy to shorten most zippers–simply do so at the upper edge. Stitch the zipper in place first, extending the length into the upper seam allowance. After stitching, trim the excess zipper tape length 1/2″ above the desired finished length and clip off the extra teeth. On metal zippers, you can use pliers to remove the original stop and relocate it if desired. On molded plastic tooth zippers, simply hand stitch a bartack at the upper edge to keep the pull from sliding off, then finish the upper edge opening as the pattern recommends. If you prefer to shorten a placket zipper from the lower end, extend the tape beyond the opening, stitch across the tape/teeth several times, and trim the excess length after installation.

By LindaG | Posted in Sewing, Quilting & Embroidery Tips & Techniques

Cool Jewelry, Cloth Dolls & Fabric Wrapping

September 27, 2009 – 8:44 pm

As National Sewing Month draws to a close, I hope you’ve used your skills to help teach someone to sew, perhaps helped a community group like Project Linus or the Girl Scouts, and that you’ve enriched your own repertoire of sewing expertise by reading some really good books. If you haven’t gotten around to the latter just yet, let me recommend three that are great fun, keeping in mind that our love of fabric spans many other crafts in addition to garment making.

If you enjoy using common crafting materials in uncommon ways, check out Custom Cool Jewelry, by Melinda Barta. Pendants, charms, beads and stitched fabric pieces will send you to your stash for just the right findings. And there’s lots of opportunities to expand your knowledge base if you’re a novice jewelry maker by learning about the various types of clasps, hardware, tools, etc. Over 200 projects fill this colorful tome.

Once you’ve created some fun fabric jewelry, wrap it up in style by following the illustrations and photos in Wrapagami, by Jennifer Playford. It’s all about fun ways to wrap gifts with fabrics, derived from the Japanese tradition called tsutsumi. The innovative cloakings are the perfect way to showcase beautiful fabrics, and the recipient can also reuse the fabrics for another purpose. The twists and ties are easy to do and the intrique is ever so fun with these 25 ways to wrap.

Think outside the box to the world of dollmaking with Cloth Dolls for Textile Artists, by Ray Slater. This book details not only the structural insights for creating bodies, faces and clothing, but also information on a wide range of textile techniques from embroidery and stenciling to felting, stamping and dyeing, so you don’t even have to be a dollmaker to learn from this colorful book. Personally, I’ve never made a cloth doll since early childhood, and that one certainly didn’t have the finesse of those shown in this book. But, after reading this, I’m intrigued to give it a try. Who knew I’d someday be forming wire armatures wrapped in colorful threads and braids, then making clothes with more details than many of my own?

There are so many great fabric, sewing and embellishment books out there today that it’s hard to pick just one, so share with your friends and expand your knowledge base continually–it keeps your brain from getting rusty, as my mom used to say!

By LindaG | Posted in Sewing, Quilting, Embroidery & Craft Products