The Make and Do Studio

Want to order your fabric on-line? Here are some helpful hints...

I love the website Whipstitch - I have been following the progress of her bricks and mortar shop in Atlanta, Georgia as well as dipped in and out of her book Stitch by Stitch. If I had the time and the resources, hers is the business model I would look to emulate!. She had a posting via another website I love - Made by Rae about how to shop for fabric online I thought worth pointing your way...

For the rest of the post, click here...

I thought that point number three about drape (I tried to explain this concept to Vicky in my dressmaking workshop last week and this does it better) and point number five (I always check the selvedge for who produces the fabric so that I can "follow" it if I really like it) were ones worth paying attention to.  

Off to sew some bags today (starting to get ready for a our summer change of direction....but all good!)  - hope this was helpful or at least gave you an excuse to stop and have a cup of coffee!

 

Part 2 - want to know my OTHER favourite (small!) on-line shop!

Just back from a few restful days in Edinburgh and am getting ready for our workshops that we have coming down the pipeline - the next one is the Dressmaking Isn't Rocket Science on Wednesday. For this workshop, I use the pattern Schoolhouse Tunic from an American company called Sew Liberated via the Backstitch website.

The package came delivered the next day via First Class post, wrapped in paper with a lovely ribbon and Backstitch sticker holding it all together. I was impressed with the care taken for such a small order - and the fact that she had the pattern in stock! Her price was great too.

They also have a fantastic selection of fabrics - and the website is a breeze to get around.  

What more could a modern day sewer ask for?  Oh - I know - she is on Facebook and also on Twitter @BackstitchShop -  so there you go...

Hope you all have a great weekend and get some sewing/crafting/creating time in!

 

If I am thinking of sewing this dress, I must be on the mend!

I must be feeling better as I think I am going to have a go at this really simple pattern found at Oopsey Daisy  for her simple Paper Bag Dress. 

I have moved from "no sew" mode to "low sew" as this does look really simple. I always wonder if this will make me look......well, like a telephone box as it looks as if it might be slightly on the shapeless side. If I make it, I will try and post a photo so you can decide for yourself!

Making Roman Blinds with Summer

I was so excited when I found out that Sally (and her mother in law) had signed up for the Making Roman Blinds workshop for a variety of reasons.  Sally originally came about 18 monthes ago to the All You Need to Know to Sew workshop and then went on to take the Sling Bag Basics workshop - and then all went quiet as she was busy being pregnant and then being a new Mom. She came back this time with lovely little Summer in tow and she too, got in to the swing of things....

 
Here Summer is with Grandma,  As you can see, it was a bit of a family affair!

And here is Sally, getting ready to start on the structure of the blinds.....

.....under the very capable tuition of Anne, who did an excellent job!

Louise has that look of a woman not sure she knows what she has gotten into - but she did a great job as well!

I have to also say that normally, when workshops are going on and I don't have to actually teach them, I tend to get attached to my computer, doing all things admin (note to those that are thinking of running their own little business - do not underestimate the amount of time you will need to simply keep on top of things!).  But today, I got to spend it with Summer - and all the plates, that I am convinced will come falling down if I don't keep on top of things...well, they kept spinning.

And lastly, I just have to give Summer her three column inches, here she is on my lap quilt - Sally, she is simply beautiful.... you can bring her any time.

Charlotte and the adopted sewing machine - looks like it is permanent!

I love it when a machine adoption is successful......

Hi Maeri,

Just a quick email to say thanks for the workshop the other night. I had a really fantastic time and it was a perfect introduction to sewing, especially helped that I got to practice on my brand new shiny machine. I have gone from never having used a machine before to being able to set up my machine from scratch and sew on it confidently (straight lines at least hehe) I had a little practice last night and so far so good!!

I thought the content of the course was perfect and the little reference booklet will prove invaluable. The yummy brownies also helped as did the coffee and tea on tap throughout. Its got me really interested in sewing and I definitely plan to come on your dressmaking course when my sewing is up to standard and there are any places left on the course hehe.

Im happy to provide further written feedback for your marketing and you are welcome to use anything written above.

See you again soon hopefully

Charlotte

How does Dolly do it?

When I work on Make and Do stuff from the luxury of the Beech Road outpost, I can listen to whatever I want and today, it is Dolly Parton.  My musical taste really does have a bi-polar feel to it and I am by no way religious but she has a new album out The Gospel Collection and it is great though my personal favourite album is Little Sparrow.  I digress...

Photos from our dressmaking workshop - we had a day to chat, layout patterns, chat, talk about the pattern, chat, cut, stop for a lunch of ginger and roasted squash soup and home made rolls, sew, chat, sew....I think you get the idea. But I have to say in our defence, you really do work hard and at the end of 8 hours of pretty much keeping to task, you have a lovely shirt/dress that gives you the strong foundation needed in order to understand basic pattern language, cutting techniques, putting it together before you sew and then working with the machine to get the best possible outcome for your shirt/dress.

School House Tunic as it is seen in paper form....

Getting ready for the cutting....those scissors were my grandmothers!

And the fabric is on its way to being this....

A versatile, top that is from a great little pattern company in the states called Sew Liberated. Sarah, the keenest of all my sewers, sent a photo to me via her iPhone of her finished dress on its first night out - I am still trying to get it off the phone but will post it if I do!

Give me three days in York and I come back a well rested woman!

First, a felt making class last Thursday which was good fun to serve tea at.  As Beryl is the instructor, I am just the dipping in and out lady - "more coffee?" - which I really enjoy.  Below is Anne, under the guidance of Beryls finger, getting to grips with all the apparatus needed to felt...

And then the next day we had a weekend away without any children - some call it a late honeymoon.  We had a fantastic three days away  - did I mention no children - and while we were wondering around, I discovered a few places worth mentioning:

• Grace and Jacob is a lovely little shop that combines felt making and sewing. The quirky felt slippers in the window caught my eye and then the shelf of Amy Butler fabrics pulled me inside. Fiona owns the shop and was knee deep in moving boxes but she took time out to have a chat with me when I am sure she could have been unpacking a box or two.
• Duttons for Buttons - it is still a bit of a wonder to me that this shop, which does what it says on the tin (though they have expanded a bit).  I recently bought a gorgeous Karen Millen wool winter coat at a local charity shop but it was missing buttons. One trip to Duttons and my Karen Millen is about to get a button makeover!
• York Quilting Museum - I know I keep saying I am not a proper quilter but I did want to have a look at what was on offer. Smaller than I thought but well laid out.  And behind the museum...
• The New School House Gallery -  Very light and open - their displays (we both loved the ceramic artwork by Fenella Elms but unfortunately, our wallets did not!). Well worth a browse, because behind the gallery was..
• The most serene public park I have been to in recent memory. It was designed by Annette Parkes and goes back to the city walls.  And it is a council owned park - that really blew me away.
• And it is worth one last mention about the Italian restaurant that sits the front of the gallery, Le Langhe - the deli alone is worth a visit. It had a bit of the same feel as Valvona and Crolla in Edinburgh.  The food was authentic and the wine went down a treat!

Checking out the Festival of Quilts at the NEC

I decided to spend one of the nicest Sundays so far at the lovely concrete jungle that is the NEC in Birmingham.  Why? Because even though I don't consider myself a proper quilter, I do love to look at what proper quilters/sewers do.  And the last seven years has seen the Festival of Quilts become the main exhibition for both those that want to show their quilts and for those that want to sell things that are part of the world of sewing - from the latest line of fabrics, to the sewing machine that can hoover your house whilst sewing (just kidding - but it is probably around the corner!).  A few of the highlights for me were:

• Bumping into Kaffe Fassett while he was signing his new book Quilts en Provence  - I have to admit I didn't realise who it was (even though I know all about his contributions to the world of sewing and fabrics). I politely said excuse me and then noticed a flurry of ladies pointing whilst he made he way through the crowd - where he made his way to his table and started to sign.  Below is a photo of a section of one of his quilts on display  - the photos don't do them justice as they really have to be seen close up to appreciate how he works with colour:
   
• The Cotton Patch stand was gorgeous - so many sewing related items to chose from that it really is hard to concentrate on just what you would like to buy.  I kept my hands in my pockets as my Mom recently brought me a very large addition to my stash but temptation was all around me!
• Speaking of temptation, Amy Butler is bigger than ever and was a big part of the Cotton Patch stand.  It is easy to forget that she is a designer so therefore, she can turn her hand to anything - not just fabric.  And she has started to do that - wallpaper, stationery etc.  
   Check out the rain coat! 
• The most untraditional but incredibly striking quilts that I saw were made by a lady named Pauline Burbridge . All of her pieces were black and white (with grey thrown in) and had this incredible amount of detail that made them look like block prints or pen and ink drawings. You looked at them from a distance and they had almost an ethereal presence but then as you got closer, the detail became more obvious and you saw them in a whole different light.  They made my eyes water with the amount of work she must put into them - even the small wall pieces were stunning. I would love to try her method and she apparently holds a short course at West Dean College in Chichester. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps........

Let me introduce you to Sarah B...

 I would like to introduce you to Sarah B.  Sarah came to one of my All You Need to Know to Sew classes quite a few months ago - I think she had seen my flyer in one of the local shops. She had been given a lovely little machine from her fiance and wanted to know how to get around it. So off she came to the workshop, which if I remember correctly was a bit busy. We also discovered that we were both planning our weddings so we had a few chats about where we were up to with the planning etc. and she left saying that she was keen to come to other classes so she would be back. I often hear that as folks that take the classes get really excited about the possibility of what else they can do. And sometimes they come back and sometimes they don't - it is the ying and the yang of life.

True to her word, she has come back - to the Sling Bag Basic class and to the Basic Quilt making class. But what makes her story a bit different is that she takes days off work to come to the classes.  This came out when we were talking about how much she is enjoying the sewing and Sarah said that even though she enjoys taking time off for holidays, she liked to be able to do things for herself that she can enjoy all year long, not just for when she is on holiday. 

How great is that?

And I think she is so right - and not just because she is coming to my workshops! - but because life is bit too short to hold your breath until the next holiday.

It has changed the way I look at things.....in the best possible way.

Thanks Sarah!

 

Its a bird, is a plane...... it's a man with a cushion?

 

Yes folks - that indeed is a photo of a man.....not just any man but what I would consider to be a very brave man. You will see him pointing to a cushion cover, which he completed whilst attending the Everything You Need to Know to Start to Sew Course earlier this month - which is my precursor to all things sewing related.  I have to come clean though - Pete is a friend of mine.  We worked together in a previous life and when Pete heard that I was offering classes in, amongst other things, sewing, he said he really wanted to learn and signed up.  And the rest is cushion history.... 

It has also been really busy at the moment as I have added on more of the classes that are proving to be popular  - Everything You Need to Know to Start to Sew was only going to be once every three or so months but at the moment it is every two or three weeks! I also added another Quiltmaking course as the one I am currently running is full too.  It is great news but it means that the work/balance gets tipped the wrong way sometimes.  I have also decided, based on feedback from folks that come to classes, I will offer a dressmaking course in September - which might not mean much to you but I can be a bit of a perfectionist at the wrong times and it has reared its ugly head with reference to designing the Dressmaking course.  Several people have said to me that they have taken dressmaking courses that are long in length but that they felt when they left the course, there were big gaps in basic instruction.  Or the classes were so big that they spent most of the time trying to get the instructors attention or machine time. My idea is two half day courses, with a gap of a few weeks in between (very much the same as the Quiltmaking course) where at the end of it, you have all the basic instruction you need to go it alone.  And like all the other courses - everything is provided and the numbers will be low - under four in a class. So now that I have said it out loud, I need to kick the perfectionist to the curb and get busy with getting it up and ready for September!

I also thought I would leave you with a photo that I took at the last class - it is a photo of pecan pumpkin bread ready for our half time break.  Anyone that knows me knows I like to bake and I feel that if you are making the effort to come to a workshop - I should make the effort to feed you well.  

 

Well, as the week ahead holds three adult workshops and two end of term kids workshops, I think I will hit the hay (a good Vermont expression!) Night....