Homage to Mondo

No verbiage needed for this post.

I was inspired by this story and these pants:

I made this:

Back to my Vintage Sew Along garment!

Peace!

DC Threads Graces the Pages of Vogue Patterns Magazine

That's right! You heard right!

DC Threads caught some major ink in the current issue of Vogue Pattern Magazine (February/March 2011).

Linda Turner Griepentrog penned a great piece about "today's sewing circle" - the Sewing Lounge. She featured photos of ten Lounges from all over the US - including Baltimore's The Sassy SEWer Sewing Lounge!

Too bad Allison's Bits of Thread Sewing Studio was but a twinkle of a dream months ago when we were interviewed for the story!

DC Threads was featured in a special side-bar focusing on our community service focus! RAH!!!

The story is great - we especially love the pics of Doris Lum, our stellar beginners' coach and Erica and Teoki, a couple of our fav sewists! How cool is that!????

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There's No Place Like (a) Home!

DC Threads has a permanent home! Two years and two hundred sewists later DC Threads finally has a pillow upon which to rest its head! Allison (a sweet friend and co-founder of DC Threads) has opened a sewing studio in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of DC that can accomodate our DC Threads programming! So, starting next weekend Bits of Thread Sewing Studio will be the new home to DC Threads! Look for lots more chic sewing opportunities!


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Bits of Sewing Here and There

This Fall has been REALLY busy - lots of activity at my day job but not so much in the sewing studio! I'm happy to report that I am co-authoring a book chapter for work (very exciting) but not so happy to report that the task has been way more stressful and time consuming than I had planned! That said, the deadline for the editor is November 1st so I am already planning my celebratory trip to NYC! In the meantime, I wanted to share with you a dress that I made in September. I crafted it from a cut of hearty Italian cotton that I have had in my stash for years! The motif is HUGE and the repeat is even longer so I perseverated over the design for years. And as you can see I just went for plain SIMPLE! How about those strategically placed bodice motifs! Can you tell that I was getting a little bored??? Oh well, a girl needs SOMETHING to fill out the upper half of her garment - why not use an optical illusion!!!!! Not sure how much I will wear it but I finally cut the fabric!! Hope to get back to the sewing machine soon!

Cheers,

Laura

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Sew Local, Know Local!

Thanks Betz White!!!!!

For your compelling philosophy of thoughtful and environmentally-sensitive creativity and for your willingness to share locally!

Yesterday Betz White shared with a small group of metro DC ASG sewists her approach to sewing, her concern for, and interest in, the green sewing/crafting movement, gave us a look at her fabulous line of felted and green clothing and crafts, and provided us a glimpse onto the set of the Martha Stewart Living Show!

Take few minutes and check out her amazing talent - it will be time well-spent! Click here to view: Sew Beautifully; Tread Lightly.

Betz is the author of two books---

Warm Fuzzies

(from Amazon: Warm Fuzzies is filled with techniques, tips and patterns for creating over 30 cute and colorful felted items made from cast-away sweaters, including cozy pillows and throws as well as comfortable hats, scarves, pincushions and handbags)

And, Sewing Green

(From Amazon: By its nature, do-it-yourself sewing is environmentally friendly. In Sewing Green, Betz White takes stitching to an even higher level of sustainability, presenting 25 projects made from "repurposed" thrift-store and back-of-the-closet finds and organic fabrics.)

These books are both terrific - I read Sewing Green last night (before I give it to Ava - sorry girlfriend but I couldn't resist!).

It is a great book for beginning and seasoned sewists - lots of ideas!

Here are a few photos of our time with Betz. She brought along every project described in the books ! They are as beautiful in person as they are photographed in the books!

I'm hoping that our DC Threads Sewing Lounge crew will have the chance to meet her in the near future.

The "Hot Doggie" felted sweater

Warm Fuzzie Confections!

Green Sewing Creations

Thanks again Betz!!!

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Sewing Accomplished!

Not certain where or when my sewing inertia was overcome but I have been productive lately!

I need new DRESSES for work! I'm tired of getting up at "o'dark:30" and trying to find, iron and don multiple garments in an effort to look presentable (if not fab!). So dresses are my new best friend.

Now I do love a good DVF-inspired wrap dress - so I reached into my stash and pulled out a piece of Mood-divinely-soft-geometric-cotton-knit and Butterick 4976....

and here's the finished garment. The only change I made to the pattern was to NOT attach the self-belt so I would have more belting options.

....with the self-belt

....and then with a black patent belt (I love me my patent).

The only other alteration was to add a little elastic trim to the inside of each bodice piece to keep the front from "gapping" - it seems to have worked!

I've been working on a couple of more garments so I will post my progress soon!

Live! That's the message! Live!

I hope Ann S won't mind that I share her words of wisdom with my tiny blogsphere but I just think that she is spot on.

Click her for her words of wisdom: Gorgeous Things

Radio Silence

Facebook has eaten my sewing blog!

Lots of ideas and some sewing progress!

Nothing too much to show for my sewing labors but I have several projects on the ironing board so I hope for some completed garments soon! In the meantime, I have a couple of projects incubating and I need your collective creative souls to send me some guidance!

The Textile Museum is hosting another FAB-U-LOUS "PM @ the TM" garden cocktail party in August. All are encouraged to don their finest Mad Men garments! I have loads of ideas - here are a couple....

I'm think of crafting this Michael Kors sheath pattern from a sleek late 50's - early 60's fabric.

Any ideas about sources of vintage (or vintage-era) fabric??

And I soooooo want to re-create this - a vintage Hermes Trompe-l'oeil dress.

One rub.....I have no experience with painting on fabric. What fabric should I use for the dress? Any advice on the type of paint I should use? Any artists out there who would like to collaborate on this project??

Peace!

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Oh I LOVE this project!! Enjoy!

Uniform Project Picture Book from The Uniform Project on Vimeo.