Raise your hand (or needle)

If you have used a Stretch & Sew pattern or still have a favorite in your stash.  Here is mine --

Per my note on the envelope,
Obviously they ran a little short!

Well-drafted, and versatile wardrobe patterns (a nod here to the stirrup pants of the late 80's/early 90's) - the skirt and the slim pants are still sewable and wearable today.  Beginning in the mid 60's, Ann Person wrote books about techniques on sewing on knits and designed patterns, sewing notions (Perky Bond!) in addition to opening stores and franchises.  She was probably the most instrumental in changing the Big 4 to offer multi-sized patterns and helping several generations learn to sew with knit fabrics.  She was inducted into the American Sewing Guild's Hall of Fame in 2004.  Sadly, Ann passed away on August 10 at the age of 90.  

Tuesday Tip of the Needle

I heart Amy Butler, her fabrics and her generosity! Here's a link to her current free patterns, which include quilts, a pillow, pillow cases and sham, and necklace, wall art, fabric leaves, picnic blanket and carrying case, portfolios and yoga bag! I love the Bloom Quilt and plan to actually use those flowers in another project, too.

Pilgrim & Mills Pants #2

No, I haven't made them. But at our ASG Neighborhood (Support) Group meeting last night we had a swapping table. I brought these and some other patterns and goodies to give first dibs to a sewist who would appreciate them before taking to Goodwill. I can't for the life of me understand why no one wanted these, can you?! This morning I tried Googling the pattern and the designers and nothing came up. I was curious to see Pants #1. Circa 1995, these pants were popular on Prodigy (remember that?!) and the Quiltropolis Sewing List and Wearable Arts Sewing Groups. I had printed off the pages with others variations, just in case. (The pockets do not stick out as shown on the drawing, in the photo the top of the pocket opening is at the knee.) Now I'm looking at them again and wondering, hmm... You do see these pockets and loose styling on recent patterns - Sandra Betzina and Marcy Tilton have versions, albeit a little more subdued. I did get rid of 15 other patterns, but think I'll keep this one around a little longer until it surfaces again. It still looks funky and fun - and stash reducing.

Shapes - PATTERNS, not a workout place!

Has anyone heard or tried the new line of patterns called "Shapes" from The Sewing Workshop? It's a new line from the combined talents of Linda Lee and Louise Cutting, who have proven in the past they know a thing or two about patterns. The patterns look vaguely to me like a combination of Sewing Workshop and slight Issey Miyake influenced-designs. I just stumbled upon them them when I was at their website to find out if TSW was going to have a booth at the upcoming Houston Quilt Festival. (They've been there before and I'm hoping they will return. I'll let you know what I find out.) Very creative how they incorporate a number into the pattern name. Like their other patterns, and I'm including Sandra Betzina's, I'm sure when you see the real-life garments and fun tweaking with fabric and embellishing, they would be more appealing than the line drawings. The patterns are $16 each.


High Five Jacket Sixth Sense Skirt ..... Three Fold Vest
Two's Company Tunic ..... Plus One Tunic

Bunny time

The bunny background --

It is a pattern from SOS Designs, circa 1981. If you couldn't tell it was 1981 by the date, you could from the materials list -- cotton polyester velour and qiana! SOS Designs had a lot of cute patterns in the early 80's. (While I doubt they are still in business under this name, their address was Box 14462, Columbus, OH 43214.) I believe one of the Big 4 pattern companies bought them out (Butterick? Simplicity?); I remember seeing their patterns in the craft section a few years later. The pattern was so cute because it included outfits -- overalls, pinafore, vest with collar (!), a dress, and a long eyelet dress. Such detail and using knit fabric for the body and ears was very forgiving and easy to sew. I made a bunch of them to give away and fortunately kept one. The carrot was my idea wrapping a fabric scrap with orange embroidery thread and the leaves a green embroidery thread tassel. The patterns still pop up occasionally at garage sales, thrift stores and eBay.

I (Heart) Hearts!

This is the pattern I used to make the heart you see on the right sidebar. It's called "Ragged Hearts" by Homespun Quilts (HQ-105). I saw it as a wall hanging in a quilt shop and it was gorgeous. The heart was supposed to be divided into 4's and then stitched together. When I tried that the hearts were off and it looked a little wonky instead of whimsical, as the designer Anna Laura Reidt kindly said in the description. So I redid and made two halves, which seems more meaningful to me. My little potholder/mini quilt goes on display in February and lives the rest of the year perched on the bulletin board above my sewing machine. The other day I did find the rest of the cut out hearts and may try again with a double or four-square. Plus I have those cute fabrics from Moda I just bought!

B.L.T. #311

I tried Linda MacPhee's BLT (Best of Linda's Tops) cross-over top pattern #311 from the MacPhee Workshop. I loved it on another Peggy from our ASG, and thought it might work for this Peggy. It was a well-constructed pattern, all the pieces went together well, and I really liked the way she combined the shoulder and back neck seams. However, I traced, cut, and sewed the wrong size. While Linda says it is a fitted pattern and you may want to adjust accordingly or go up a size which I did. It ran really big on me -- especially in the waist, hips and sleeve arm width. I could have easily gone down two sizes. My operator errors were trying to remember the included 3/8" seam allowance and using a really cheapy thin fabric for the trial run. I think if you follow Linda's and the other Peggy's fabric suggestions and use a good Slinky-type or heavier knit, you will be pleased with the results.