SWAP

We met for SWAP on Thursday evening. There was 5 of us counting Moncia, ( our teacher, helper). Here is a photo of Lisa , she is making a skirt . It turned out so cute. She has more cute fabric to make another one.
Ashley, (remember her cute skirt from last week?), well she worked on a bag this night. A cute Valentines heart bag.
And I finished my wrap skirt and am so happy with it.
We meet again next week on Friday. Come and join us. And we are trying to come up with a really cute name for our group..... can you think of any?

sew~amy

sewing that's been going on

Ashley has been coming to Quilting Adventures to sew and is a beginner. She took the "smartbag" class and then decided she wanted to make a skirt. With the help of Monica... here it is....

Isn't is adorable. This is only the 2nd thing she has ever sewn.
Monica is working on a shirt for her hubby...
And I ( Amy) am going to be working on this pattern. The slipper pattern , if Monica and I can get it figured out.
Don't forget SWAP is meeting this Thursday evening @ 6pm @ Quilting Adventures.

starting a wrap shirt.

Don't forget SWAP is February the 12th. Bring your patterns, material or buy them when you get there. :o) Sew much fun!!!! We even have a serger you can use.

I am starting a wrap skirt from the Indygo Junction pattern. It seems to be pretty easy so far.

Here is the gorgeous fabric I am using for my wrap skirt....


See you in February :o). Amy ( sew~amy )

Amy PJ Pants

Amy is wokring on a pair of pj pants. She hasen chosen the cutest Amy Butler fabric and she is creating a cuff at the bottom with white bamboo corduroy. They are going to look terrific. Here is a photo of one of her pants legs with the corduroy sewn at the bottom. Can't wait to see them completed......Don't these give you ideas for Christmas gifts? I'll post the fabric information later.

Choosing A Pattern Size

One of the most difficult tasks as we begin a garment sewing project is the choice of pattern. Both the style and size can become an issue and often intimidate us to the point of no return; we give up, and our dream of making a perfect handmade garment is lost. Armed with three crucial measurements however; we can avoid this scenario. We can choose the pattern best suited for our bodies and therefore eliminate many of our frustrations during the sewing process.

And the magic Measurements are:

1. Waist- This is taken around your belly button for most women, if however you are in doubt simply tie a piece of elastic around your waist and measure where it settles on your body.

2. Hip- For most women this is typically 6 inches below your waist, if you are unsure, this is the widest part of your lower body.

3. Bust- This measurement is taken around the apex of your breast. There is an exception to this rule however; if you have a cup size large than a C then you should take a high bust measurement (slightly above the apex) This adjustment is necessary because commercial patterns are typically created for a C cup and while bust adjustments are fairly simple shoulder adjustments are more difficult. With a large bust you could easily end up with a top that is much to large for you and therefore be forced to make large shoulder adjustments.

Once you have these three measurement you are ready to choose the perfect tissue package for your body. Taking the time to do the work before you ever touch your fabric will make creating your own garments a fun and rewarding experience. I hope this helps but if you have additional questions post a comment or email me.

Happy sewing,

Monica

First Meeting

Our first meeting was fantastic! Though our numbers were small our enthusiasm was great! I am so excited about all of the garments we are going to be creating. We all have different goals for the group ranging from learning new techniques, fitting methods or simply making ourselves set aside time to sew. Our primary subjects for this meeting were pattern size choice, the crucial measurements, the importance of making a muslin and finally we discussed methods for making and exact replica of our bodies in the form of duct tape. I will create separate post for these three topics to make it easy to reference back . As you begin work, pattern selection and fabric choice email photos so that we can all share in the fun as your projects take shape.

After the meeting Joyce and I discussed our group and decided to open the group to everyone interested in garment sewing. For the remainder of the meetings the fee will be $5 per session and you can bring whatever project you'd like to work on. I will help you troubleshoot as needed. At the beginning of each meeting I will go over one specific construction technique or fitting strategy and then we will be free sewing for the remainder of our time. This is a great opportunity to meet other garment sewers and set aside time to sew. As you work on and complete garments please email me photos and I will post them. Joyce has also added several fabric suitable for garments and as she adds more I will post photos and information.

Our next meeting is October 9th from 6-8. I can hardly wait to see what everyone's creating! Here's a link to the shop's site; www.quiltingadventures.com


Happy Sewing !