¿ ¿Sewing time, what’s that.?? Just finding time to write seems to be a struggle this week.
Thursday night I met a friend at the local Barnes and Noble for what was billed as an evening of knitting but actually ended up being an evening of browsing through knitting and sewing books, drinking coffee, and talking up a storm. Not a bad way to spend an evening at all.
When I walked in to the store, I saw the new Sew Stylish magazine and quickly grabbed it before heading up the escalator. After that, I kind of flipped through it here and there between fits of talking and giggling, put it down on a shelf while I looked at crochet books and proceeded to forget all about it until I was leaving the store. Then I had to go back in and buy a copy. Of course I am glad I did because I have been hauling it around with me ever since, flipping through the pages, looking at the articles and the ideas and just generally getting a major sewing inspiration hit.
Generally I have been very interested in this magazine even though I did not subscribe to it, although I would have eventually. I cannot be convinced that my failure to subscribe has lead to its demise, barely before it got started, because I have been down this road too many times with magazines from Taunton Press. I have been charter subscribers to most of their new magazines, loved them, and have been sorely disappointed when they cease publication and my subscription is applied to one of my other Taunton subscriptions (like Threads, my subscription to which I believe is due to expire in something like 2011).
But enough grousing…back to the magazine. There are a lot of good tips and ideas in this magazine and more than just a compendium of ideas and tips, I like the way they have tied all this information together by building a collection of garments based on one pattern; Simplicity 3631:
I am actually rather impressed with the things they have turned out of this with this pattern, and if you haven’t looked at this magazine, I think you should. I would have loved something like this when I was learning to sew because it ties ideas for actual garments that I could sew now in with all kinds of useful information that I would otherwise have to search for in a bunch of different books without much confidence if I was doing the right thing when applying it to the garment I was trying to make.
This pattern is on my "to buy" list, even though I was not particularly thrilled with it when I first saw it on the website. There was a pretty interesting discussion about it over at Stitcher’s Guild but I wasn’t really convinced about it until I started looking at some fall inspiration garments and thinking about a few things I wanted to make, including my plans for making something inspired by that Anthropologie embroidered baby-doll top that will be neither baby-doll nor a top by the time I am done with it. Unfortunately this pattern was not yet in stock last time I was in my local JoAnn Fabrics before I left for Knoxville. I continue to hope that the pattern drawers will be restocked soon.
Comments
8 responses to “Sew Stylish Dreams”
I had the same reaction to this issue of Sew Stylish and Threads. I let my Threads subscription lapse because it had become too geared to sewing newbies. However, the last two issues of Threads were fantastic. They went back to showing the vintage details that make a good garment great.
When I saw Sew Stylish, a light bulb went off in my head. They are splitting the market because they can’t make all people happy with only one magazine. Now I have to decide which one to get. Sadly, my sewing skills have become rusty and any sewing chez badmom has been of the quick children’s playclothes variety.
I, too, was impressed with the variety of garments turned out with just one pattern. The article showing how to move garden variety bust and waist darts to the angled seams of a contrast yoke was impressive. It did not talk down to the beginner at all.
I also liked the article showing how to make a duct tape skirt sloper. I have hip dysplasia and one hip is higher than the other. I need to try that. I wonder if I can rope Iris into helping?
I had the same reaction to this issue of Sew Stylish and Threads. I let my Threads subscription lapse because it had become too geared to sewing newbies. However, the last two issues of Threads were fantastic. They went back to showing the vintage details that make a good garment great.
When I saw Sew Stylish, a light bulb went off in my head. They are splitting the market because they can’t make all people happy with only one magazine. Now I have to decide which one to get. Sadly, my sewing skills have become rusty and any sewing chez badmom has been of the quick children’s playclothes variety.
I, too, was impressed with the variety of garments turned out with just one pattern. The article showing how to move garden variety bust and waist darts to the angled seams of a contrast yoke was impressive. It did not talk down to the beginner at all.
I also liked the article showing how to make a duct tape skirt sloper. I have hip dysplasia and one hip is higher than the other. I need to try that. I wonder if I can rope Iris into helping?
I’m impressed from what you show. I wish I could get it here for less than the Italian national debt. I’m sick of extreme and quirky fashion, and the tailored but with distinction look is appealing.
I’m impressed from what you show. I wish I could get it here for less than the Italian national debt. I’m sick of extreme and quirky fashion, and the tailored but with distinction look is appealing.
Well. This is the third post I’ve read on how wonderful this edition is. I’m going to have to track one down. Funny, I don’t think I saw one at Joann’s yesterday either.
Well. This is the third post I’ve read on how wonderful this edition is. I’m going to have to track one down. Funny, I don’t think I saw one at Joann’s yesterday either.
Hi there Mardel,
Just my luck….as soon as I get interested in a magazine it’s gone! Oh well, LOL!
Do come and visit me at http://Off-The-Cuff-Style.blogspot.com and see what I’ve been up to!
~Pam
Hi there Mardel,
Just my luck….as soon as I get interested in a magazine it’s gone! Oh well, LOL!
Do come and visit me at http://Off-The-Cuff-Style.blogspot.com and see what I’ve been up to!
~Pam