Archive
Pattern Companies on Facebook
Seek and ye shall find… more pattern companies on Facebook!
I couldn’t find Brensan Studios, though.
Design Your Own Fabric with Spoonflower
In case some of you have not heard of Spoonflower, I thought I’d give them a mention. I’m going to be lazy and cut & paste info from their site:
Spoonflower makes it possible for individuals to design, print and sell their own fabric designs. It was founded in May 2008 by two Internet geeks who had crafty wives but who knew nothing about textiles. The company came about because Stephen’s wife, Kim, persuaded him that being able to print her own fabric for curtains was a really cool idea. She wasn’t alone. The Spoonflower community now numbers around 150,000 individuals who use their own fabric to make curtains, quilts, clothes, bags, furniture, dolls, pillows, framed artwork, costumes, banners and much, much more. The Spoonflower marketplace offers the largest collection of independent fabric designers in the world. The site has appeared in the New York Times, Associated Press, Vogue, Martha Stewart Weddings, Make, CRAFT, ApartmentTherapy, Photojojo, and many other terrific publications and blogs.
Custom printed fabric
- No minimum order
- $18-$32 per yard and $5 swatches
- Premium natural fabrics
- Eco-friendly textile printing
- International shipping
- Weekly fabric design contest
So if any of you have secretly wished to design some fabulous fabric to make your fabulous clothes, you can! I don’t have any experience with them, but True Up (a fabric blog) gave Spoonflower and three other on-demand printers a try. Check out her results: My Big Digital Fabric Printing Experiment.
Vogue Patterns on Facebook
Did you know that Vogue Patterns has a page on Facebook (FB) where they post photos of people who have made garments from their patterns? Perhaps someone who likes to use Vogue patterns (*cough* LORETTA *cough*) would be interested in having her photos posted on this blog/posted on FB for everyone to admire? Maybe if we pick a Vogue pattern for the next “one pattern for all” challenge, everyone could get posted!
Free Pattern!
I found a site that will give you a free pattern when you create an account (you have to print the instructions and pattern pieces yourself). Who wants to try it? The patterns are out-of-print ones that aren’t wildly exciting, but hey, did I mention they’re free??
ClubBMV for McCall’s, Butterick and Vogue Patterns
Loretta recommends ClubBMV because “they offer sales almost weekly & you can get patterns sometimes as low as $3.99/each. This includes McCall’s, Butterick & Vogue. Shipping is pretty cheap too. I buy all my patterns this way.”
The ClubBMV website says:
Members Receive
- 10% OFF All Current & Out-Of-Print Butterick, McCall’s & Vogue Patterns!
- 10% OFF Vogue Patterns Magazine Subscriptions and Back Issues!
- 10% OFF Butterick, McCall’s & Vogue Patterns Catalogs!
- Club-Only Sales, Exclusive Offers and Downloads!
If you’re interested, you can purchase your 1-year membership for $15 online.
Pattern Options for the Next Challenge
Suzy proposed that all of us make a garment using the same pattern as our next challenge. Below are some possibilities—if you have others you’d like to add, please let me know. I’ve noted whoever showed/suggested the pattern in parentheses.
- Imperial Jacket by Black Cat Creations (Natalee)
- Butterick 5423 (Ruth)
- McCall’s 5760 (Ruth)—out of print
- McCall’s 6329 (me)
- Kwik Sew 3535 (me)—update: no longer on website
- Kwik Sew 3334 (me)—update: no longer on website
- Kwik Sew 3460 (Valerie)
- Yin Yang jacket from Brensan Studios (Natalee)
You can find reviews of some of these patterns (probably not all, though I haven’t checked) at Pattern Review. This site a great resource for information about patterns and sewing. You might have to join to access the older pattern reviews, but the basic membership is free.
Magnetic Badge Holders
Update: She double-checked her order slip, and her source is actually Applied Magnets, item #MB002-ST.
Janelle bought the magnetic badge holders (which she used for her brooches) from this company: K&J Magnets.
She adds: “If you order before 4 pm, you will probably get your supplies the next day without paying any additional shipping.”
I browsed the web and found a few other vendors (I don’t know what they’re like — just FYI):
Stitched – A Quilting Documentary at MFAH
Description from the MFAH website:
“Stitched is a fun-filled documentary capturing the enormity of the quilting world with more than 21 million quilters in the U.S. alone. The film follows three quilters racing to complete their entries for the largest quilt show in the nation – the International Quilt Festival held in Houston, Texas. In an industry filled with quilting superstars who have developed a following by teaching their craft, the Houston show draws more than 50,000 quilters including three controversial artists. Quilting legend Caryl Bryer Fallert was the first to win a major prize for her quilt made with a sewing machine. She mentored Hollis Chatelain who caused a stir when she won an award for a painted quilt. And Hollis mentored Randall Cook who sparked controversy with his quilt of a male nude. In this documentary, these quilters create their pieces to compete in the 2010 quilt show. Behind every stitch, there is a story of friendship, art and passion.”
Show times:
- Wed, Jun 1 @ 7:00 PM
- Thu, Jun 2 @ 7:00 PM
The film’s website: http://www.stitchedfilm.com/
Be Linen Movie (Short)
Check out this BE LINEN MOVIE from Benoit MILLOT on Vimeo.
I found a link to it in the Savvy Sewer Salon at Sawyer Brook.
Sewing Friends Wearables 