Felt Candy Hearts for V day

This is a great project to do this weekend! Purlbee.com has posted the cutest project from Molly's Sketchbook for Valentine's day that can be given to any of your Valentine's no matter what the age. Felt Hearts that you can tuck some candy into. I worked on putting these felt bundles together and the colors are so inspiring, the bundle is called Fuschia and you can purchase it here. Yesterday at work I looked at the samples we have there and the stitching is incredibly perfect!  I am so jealous. I changed my hearts a bit. Instead of using one color of felt per heart I used two. Also just a tip, in the beginning I was using embroidery floss that was about 6 strands thick. It looks nice but it is easier to do the running stitch using 3 strands. And for those of you who do not know what a running stitch is this is how you do it.

Insert the point of the needle in and out of the fabric several times before pulling the thread through. This way you are completing a few stitches at one time. Try to keep the stitches and spaced between them small and even. 

 

These little treats I will be sending to my nieces and nephews. They are flat enough to pop in an envelope to mail. Hopefully the USPS won't loose them!
Happy V day!

Cute stuff going on at J.Crew

If your J.Crew catalog has arrived and it is still sitting on your table for you to view here are a few items to check out.  So many vibrant colors, cute items and sequins! The women's line at J.Crew seems to get cuter every season. Jenna Lyons, President and Creative Director, has really brought J.Crew back to life. My humble opinion, prices are a little extreme for what the product is but I guess we pay for the name. Which is why I love sales! Tough for me to pay retail knowing what it costs to make something. None the less there are some awesome pieces arriving Feb 6th to your local store. The best thing about J Crew is that the clothes are comfortable and stylish. I can wear them to work, to any of my 3 jobs of teaching sewing, working in a fabric store or meeting with a menswear client. 

I am sure I can figure out somewhere to wear this lime green sequin skirt!

the stripes on this basic cardi are sequins

loving the stripe knit and water color floral shorts

perfect for a summer evening on Nantucket.

Patch pockets, how to make them.

As a designer and sewer I find myself constantly hiding the raw edges. I teach sewing at a couple places in NYC and in my classes at 3rdward I teach how to make a Butcher's Apron or a Grocery Bag called the Charlie Bag borrowed from Burdastyle.  For both projects we add patch pockets, double sided. There is always at least 1 student sometimes 2 or 3 that say as we are about to finishing sewing the pocket shut, "How do we put our hand in?".

I will start from the beginning.  Place your 2 pieces face to face, sew 3/8" seam allowance leaving 3" to 4" open. Trim corners at a diagonal, flip to the right side, tuck in raw edges and sew a top stitch straight across.  Then we attached the pocket to the bag or the apron.

the ticking stripe is the apron body

Currently I am making some new styles of aprons for Shag. A cute little, sexy shop based in Williamsburg Brooklyn. The owners, Sam and Ashley, are very cool women. I work mainly with Sam and she is easy going and I can always count on her opinion. I digress. Any who, one of the styles I am working on now is a retro inspired with a tad of sexiness to it half apron. I am calling it the Tabitha apron. Tabitha from Bewitched. I am still using durable fabrics as the base so these are functional as well as cute. I posted my progress on facebook and a friend asked about the pocket. I planned on making a pocket but wasn't sure what kind. Definitely not square. This is a curved, sexy apron, a square visually wouldn't work. I was thinking possibly a 5 point pocket. My friend, Stacey, asked will it be heart shaped. Yes that would be cute but doing a double sided heart shaped pocket with raw edges tucked in can sometimes not be completely smooth on the outside. Those of you who sew know curves can be tough. Then I thought, well I don't have to reverse it, I can just sew it on and have a little fringe.

If you want to do this, cut your heart on the fold like you did in grade school with construction paper.  My pocket is double sided here with pink. I did a straight stitch first around the edges then stitched it onto the apron. I stitched it to the half way up the arch of the heart, leaving about a 4 1/2" wide opening. Feel free to place it at an angle or straight.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/91452844/valentine-cafe-apron-red-hearts-and

 Don't feel like making the apron above? You can buy it on etsy, just click the link.

Regular Guy Beanie....my guy ain't regular!

I have mentioned in the past,a few weeks ago, that I was knitting a scarf and hat for my husband using Madeline Tosh Merino. Awesome soft yarn that I bought from Purl Soho where I work part time. Being a designer and sewer and working at Purl I get to see (and drool) at all the new fabulous fabrics that arrive daily.  I also get to learn way more about yarns, knitting and crocheting. I'm such an amateur hobbyist when it comes knitting and crocheting. To be safe I stick to knit purl knit purl and that's it. Last year, 2010, I tried a hat for Christmas. Ooh so bad. This year I knitted a hat that was to be a skull cap, beanie, is there a difference?  I found this  free pattern on Ravelry.  The hat was finished by Christmas Day but was much too big and long, especially since my husband has no hair to fill the hat. It was like meant for someone with very long dreadlocks.

Today I finally finished the second try. Not perfect but I am so happy it's done.
The scarf I also messed up but I was so far along that when I brought it to work at Purl
and Faye recommended I take it apart.  I really did not want to do that. What I did was knit the whole thing...I should just follow a pattern next time.
The second suggestion was blocking it. So I blocked it and it is still curling a little but hubby is happy with it. (or he is a good liar).


Any comments? Feel free to post, would love to hear.

Knit, Purl, Crochet

Wow I am shocked I haven't posted anything for the new year! Well after Christmas, my niece gave me the wonderful gift of a cold. It was vicious. 3 weeks of no voice, coughing, sneezing well you get the point. I am SO HAPPY to be back to normal. I have fallen behind on everything! Don't you just hate that? Late in getting the Christmas decorations down, behind on custom orders, and the office an absolute fabric mess. Well I have so much catching up to do. How has your 2012 been so far?

Color Block Warmer

I want to share with you today this treasury I put together on etsy. My friend Elaine has already purchased a pair of the dragon slippers. Before I give you the link if you don't know what a treasury is I will tell you.  It is a grouping of an etsy member's picks from other shops. Many non crafters don't realise how long and how much passion goes into knitting and crocheting. Many of you also know that this past December I started working at Purl Soho. A lovely fabric and yarn shop in the Soho section of NYC. Working here I see so many knitters and crocheters. It has made me appreciate the craft much more. I decided to create a treasury of knitted and crocheted items called Knit, Purl, Crochet. Purl is the opposite of a knit stitch. In this group there is something for everyone, baby, kid, woman, man and pet! I hope you enjoy and maybe buy one of these one of a kind made with love items.
Please feel free to comment and let me know what you think.

Marmalade