New Month = New Book Blog!

For the month of February, our Senior Designer Amanda Elliott, will be taking us along on her journey of projects from the book

Simple Modern Sewing 

by 

Shufu To Seikatsu Sha. 

A quick description of the book:

25 fabulous, wearable garments from only 8 simple patterns

Sewists will learn how to make a closetful of comfortable and easy go-to garments without needing a library of separate patterns with Simple Modern Sewing. All you'll need to make 25 unique garments are the eight included basic sewing templates included. Shufu To Seikatsu Sha has designed each pattern to be easily adaptable with no-fuss sizing and clear fabric folding and cutting instructions, so it's simple to sew clothes that are perfect for you.

Beginning sewing patterns are often boring or unappealing in favor of being easy to sew. These 25 patterns are just as approachable as traditional beginning sewing patterns, but also have the still style and modernity of more complex patterns. Once you've mastered a pattern, you can combine your creativity with the template provided to design a one-of-a-kind garment with different fabrics or added embellishments like a print lining or contrast-stitching.

Sewers of all skill levels with love the freedom of making custom-cool clothes without all the fuss and hassle of traditional sewing patterns and customizations. Fill your wardrobe in no time with the easy to make and wear garments of Simple Modern Sewing.

 I was thrilled, for many reasons, when I came across Simple Modern Sewing by Shufu To Seikatsu Sha—I haven’t sewn in a long time (a real long time).  I received a new sewing machine for Christmas and was antsy to test it out and the book features several garments with ruffles. The Sew Beautiful staff is quite familiar with my affinity for ruffles—I wear them nearly everyday! For my first project from the book, I was excited to find a simple blouse with bias band ruffles, made in 7 simple steps.

After tracing off the pattern and cutting pieces, I followed the steps: join left shoulder, use bias strips for neckline and armhole binding, create bias band, gather and ruffle band, attach ruffle to neck line, finish sides and hem bottom. Viola! Blouse is complete!

I did not take many step outs while constructing this garment, but I will share some insight.

Make sure you have all supplies handy before starting. It is helpful to have things such as pins, stabilizer, hot iron, a glass of wine, instructions, seam ripper, fabric weights, etc. at an arm’s reach.

Don’t underestimate the helpfulness of space and resources. I found very quickly that sitting on the hardwood floor of my craft room, straddling pattern and fabric gets old, very quickly, especially when the dog comes in, tries to help by applying dog hair, rearranging your pattern pieces, so on and so forth. The aid of a cutting table, clear rulers and rotary cutters are a must for my back, straight cut lines and my next project. 

Iron, iron iron. It really makes a difference.

Prewound bobbins are amazing. Drop and go.

Don’t let techniques you think to be difficult intimidate you. I did not know how binding worked until working with this pattern. I finally took the time to sit down, study the pattern and figure it out. I am almost embarrassed how easy it actually is.

When working with fabrics that don’t have a obvious right and wrong side, like the linen I used for this project, it is helpful to mark the RS with a contrasting thread. It will help keep you working on the correct side when there is a lot of flipping back and forth between sides.

Things to bragging about:

I finished!

I love my machine!

It looks like a real, wearable garment!

Why, yes, I did make this blouse!

Things no one has to know:

When you may have gotten really excited about how things were going and you may have sewn an armhole binding to the incorrect side. More than once.

That you may have had some really choppy cut lines until you utilized the correct materials. (Praise to temporary spray adhesive!).

That you were intimidated by a technique.

Let's here some of your embarrassing sewing moments in comments sections below! We've all been there :) 

Stay tuned next week for some more sewing as I work on the ruffled front jacket with grosgrain ribbon!

-Amanda

Want your own copy of 

Simple Modern Sewing?  

Go to our store and enter code: 

BESTBOOKS10

for a 10% discount!

Sew Serendipity Bags tutorial + Giveaway!

Have you made a Sew Serendipity Bag?

A Bag for Every Skill-Level, Every Occasion, Every Style

Kay Whitt loves designing bags, and you're going to love sewing them!

Take Your Pick of Styles:

With full instructions for twelve bags—and with a few clever variations thrown in—there are plenty of designs to choose from! Pick a handbag that is sweet, sleek or funky. Or check out some of the other great designs: a flirty little backpack, the perfect lunch bag, convenient shopping bags and handy task-oriented bags (whether that task involves a laptop, gym clothes or diapers). Each design is easy to adapt to your style.

Hone Your Skills:
Check out the technique section, which includes step-by-step photos, to freshen up your skills and learn about a few new notions, too. Next, move on to the projects to put your know-how in motion.

• Flip to the Simple Bags for something quick and fun to sew. And even though these bags are easy to make, the end results are clever and cute.
• Step it up in the Intermediate Bags section, with bags that play up your style. Learn a few new skills, try out a few new tools and make yourself a bag you can really show off.
• The Challenging Bags section takes you to the level of bag maven. The bags' construction may be complex, but the instructions are not. Sew it together step by step, and find yourself with a truly professional, beautifully constructed bag.

The bags in this book are truly extraordinary—and with Kay's instruction, they are oh-so-easy to make.

Includes 6 Pull-Out Pattern Sheets!

Below are some excerpts for you from Sew Serendipity Bags!  Kay shows how to make handles, how to install a double loop slider, and how to install grommets!  

Read on...

Making Handles

Many of the handles for the projects are made in the same manner. Be sure to piece the strips together as instructed per project to ensure the proper length as well as width. Once the strips have been cut, pieced and interfaced on the wrong side of fabric, follow the steps below to create the handles.

1
Place two strips right sides together and stitch down one of the long sides with a 1⁄2"seam allowance. Press the seam open.

2
Fold in one of the outer raw edges so that it just touches the raw edge of the seam allowance and press.

3
Repeat for the other outer raw edge.

4
Fold the handle strip in half along the seam, with wrong sides together, and press.

5
Edgestitch down the long open side of the handle, then down the long finished edge. To edgestitch, begin at one end and follow the finished edge all the way around a piece. I like to stay within 1⁄16" to 1⁄8" away from the edge for this stitching.

6
Topstitch each side. To topstitch, begin again at the same end where the edgestitching started, only this time, complete the stitching approximately 1⁄4" in from the previous stitching line. Notice how I use the outer edge of my machine foot to gauge the distance evenly all the way around the piece.

Repeat for any remaining handle strips, then trim the handles down to the length specified in the instructions.

Pivoting

When edgestitching or topstitching handles, I like to pivot the piece and stitch across the end. Pivoting at the end of the handle saves time and means that there will be fewer threads to trim later.

1 When you are within 1⁄8" of the edge, stop with the needle firmly in the fabric. Lift the presser foot, and rotate the fabric.

2 Drop the presser foot, and continue sewing.

Installing a Double Loop Slider

Installation of a double loop slider enables the handle to be adjustable. This is particularly handy on the Cross-Body and Convertible Backpack projects. This is a simple installation once you know how to do it.

1 Feed the handle end through the slider.

 2 

Put the end of the handle through the D-ring or swivel clasp, whichever applies to the project.

3
Pull up some slack in the handle portion that feeds through the slider. Slip the end of this handle under the slack, and next to the middle bar of the slider.

4
Feed the end over the middle bar, keeping it under the slack.

5
Fold over the end of the handle 1⁄2" and place that end as close as possible to the slider while still being able to machine-stitch to secure it.

6
Stitch across the handle end. Repeat for added durability.

Installing Grommets

Grommets (or eyelets) allow for a finished-edge hole to be put into a bag. These are used for the media pockets on the Laptop Messenger, Convertible Backpack and Multi-Tasker Bag.

Tools needed:

1
To install a grommet, place the front portion onto the piece, following the placement in the project instructions. Use a temporary marking pencil to trace the inside of the circle.

 2 Start the opening with an awl.

3
Enlarge the opening with a sharp pair of scissors.

4
Place the front portion of the grommet in the opening with the back portion on the 

other side of the piece.

5
Use grommet pliers to attach the pieces around each other and secure to both sides of the fabric. 

Now, would you like to WIN your own copy of 

Sew Serendipity Bags??

Click HERE for the entry form!

And for those who don't want to wait, order your own copy!  HERE, at the Martha Pullen Store, we have it on discount, just for you, our blog readers:

Retail: $29.99

Your price: $19.79

You save: $10.20 (34%)

(Plus, save an additional 10% by entering code: MPSEWMONTH12 upon checkout!!)