There is a finished object sighting in this post, but I gotta yap about some other things before we get to that. First, a sincere thanks to all those who commented on my last post about my recent career change. Your support means everything, and I appreciate your willingness to discuss your own career goals and express your desires and/or hesitations about following a similar path. A lot of you said that you aren't "good enough" at sewing to even consider earning money from it. Believe me, you're better than you think, and you're probably better than me. It's amazing what you can do when you set the bar higher for yourself.
Craftsy Blog: Okay, time for some self-promotion. I've joined the ranks of sewing superstars Marie, Rochelle, Alida, Maris and others and am now a regular contributor to the Craftsy blog. I will be posting for the sewing category of their blog about twice a month. My first post is about knit fabrics (surprise), and tips for hemming them. Apparently I'm really into hemming stuff lately. Check it out and let me know if you have a technique to add.
Knits Workshop: omg. A friend of a friend of a friend (alright, we're all friends now) just opened a beautiful sewing studio in Queen Village of south Philly. It's called Butcher's Sew Shop, named in honor of the family-owned butcher shop that occupied the space for almost 80 years. Starting mid-June, they will be hosting intensive sewing classes, like flat patternmaking, draping, and various levels of garment construction from beginner to advanced. There are also shorter workshops and BYO stitch nights, and lil' ole me will be teaching a workshop called Sewing Knits (surprise). There will be three installments of the course on Monday evenings from 6-9pm starting June 30th. If you live in or near Philadelphia and would like to learn how to make the Deer & Doe Plantain T-Shirt, come hang out with us! To sign up, visit here and scroll down to the Special Workshops section to find "Sewing Knits".
Alright, onward.
To round out this theme in threes, here's a dress made from a knit (surprise). Coincidence? Maybeh. I finished it surprisingly quickly so I am glad to throw it in this post with the rest of these knitty announcements.
I was afraid that sewing a dress in this colorway of plaid would be too autumnal or Christmasy or something else that would make people on the street be like "SHE CRAZY." Turns out, people on the street don't notice things like the colorway of my plaid, if you can believe it. They may think I'm a Catholic school girl, however, which is slightly more of a problem.
The pattern is McCalls 6599, the same pattern I used for a striped knit dress in 2012. I loved that dress to the point of spilling coffee all down the front of the skirt. I miss it. Playing with the direction of stripes and plaids is always fun, so this princess seam bodice and flared skirt are good foundations for that sort of thing. I cut the side pieces on the bias, though the pattern doesn't call for it. It's a pattern meant for a woven fabric, so as with the striped dress, I sized down and cut the back on the fold. All seams are serged and hems are coverstitched.
The fabric feels like a double knit and has nice body, which makes it a breeze to sew except at major seam intersections. I bought it from Jomar, a Philly discount fabric store where almost everything is $3.99/yd or less. I went on a major shopping spree there this weekend... I know, after confessing to you all how broke I am. But I set a limit of $100 and got 14 pieces of fabric, or a total of 25 yards, which I hope will keep me busy for awhile. I've already sewn three garments! See? I do still obsessively sew for myself when I have inspiration.
Anyone else sewing plaids for summer?
