by Dave | Aug 17, 2015 | Blog, Fashion, Inspiration, Lucy's Sewing Lab
It’s time again, to worry about fall fashion. You know, visit the library, local bookstore, or coffeeshop and study up on what’s new and make lists of where you may find the fabric you are lusting after. I start my search at Girl Charlee. I just love the hand of that fabric. Then I hit Fabric dot com. Both stores are equal as far as I am concerned. I’ve never had a reason to complain. My new favorite place for shopping is the thrift stores. Those 2xl shirts have a lot of fabric and where I live, Mondays are 99 cent clothing days. $5 will get a lot of fabric.
September is the month I scour all the fashion magazines, deciding where I’ll shop and what I’ll buy. I’ve been doing this since childhood. So far I’ve discovered,
- Huge earrings are back
- Lace, lace, lace, we can’t get enough of it. I’m so glad! I love lace, it makes me feel sassy.
- The choker is also back, pretty cool, especially compared to those hot turtlenecks.
- And, slipping into fall is the uncovered shoulder look. Pretty useful under a cardigan, vest, or kimono. What do you think?
- I think this is going to be a great season. Patterned and lace tights are back. (I promise that was not me screaming 🙂
- There seems to be a patchwork trend going on here. Great for us!
- Neutrals are back as well. I feel like the Fall theme is “BACK” lol
- White is sliding into the new season. Paired with colored faux fur makes the look feel right for the season.
- Pantone is kind to us this season giving us a wide variety of colors to keep from getting bored.
[envira-gallery id="1635"]
[envira-gallery slug="1635"] WOW! I love the variations.
- If this isn’t enough to get you started there is a Facebook page I am sure will help choose some colors for your fall wardrobe.
Remember, it’s more about style than fashion. Use your go to styles and change the colors or textures. Show me what you come up with, ENJOY!
![Budding Designers]()
by Dave | Aug 11, 2015 | Blog, Experimentation, Fashion, Inspiration, Lucy's Sewing Lab
Budding designers begin young,I don’t know about you, but as a child, a very young child, I was a budding designer. I always had paper and crayons or pencils to quickly sketch whatever it was in my head I thought someone may want to buy. Not only was I designer, my grandmother sewed. Double bonus! I think it up, put it on paper, and my grandma makes it a reality. I remember they had those little plastic forms you could color over and create something wonderful. Wonderful and just like everyone else’s. How boring! I did nt want to be that person making the same thing everyone else made. I wanted to be the girl with all original clothing. Funny thing is, now that I make my own clothes, I color the pattern the same way I want the garment to look in the end. Also at that time I can change the sleeves, the skirt, anything I don’t like about the pattern.There is a new line of products like this for children.
Perfect for the catwalk designer
I’m not sure how kids would like these, but I am pretty sure I would need to buy some for me to try out. You know, nothing is worse than disappointing children on Christmas. Besides, I may come up with new designs. This does not mean I will be giving up on using paper and pencil sketches. I just means I want to try the newest toys! ENJOY
by Dave | Aug 9, 2015 | Beginner Tips, Blog, Lucy's Sewing Lab, Tools and Technique
Birdnesting, maybe you’ve never heard it called that but I bet it’s made you mad. You know, when you are sewing along and life is good, you cut the threads, turn it over and it’s a MESS. Horrific, mess, “I can’t wear this,” mess. That’s birdnesting! Why is my machine making me mad? For me, it’s mainly the result of laziness.
- I sometimes think it’s okay to use two different threads, one for the top and one for the bobbin. If you do this, get ready for birdnesting. Your machine is OCD and does not like to be messed with in this way.
- That metal plate, you know, the one under the presser foot and above the bobbin? If that thing is not tightened, your machine will make clunking noises and as a result, birdnesting! I guess, maybe I’ll check everything on my machine before sewing to prevent this.
- The “experts” say that the quality of thread really makes a difference. I’m listening to them. Because I hate having to use that seam ripper. They suggest using the thread designed for the machine.
- Bargains are wonderful, but thread shouldn’t be one of the bargains. Thread should also be polyester, because it results in less lint. No one likes cleaning lint out daily. It takes away from our sewing time! Mercerized Cotton thread is also a good choice for the same reasons.
- Suggested brands are the tried and true Coats & Clark. Lily, Star, and Gutermann are also good brands.
- Sometimes, I also get in a hurry and don’t make sure the feed dogs are down, which can cause all sorts of problems.
- Thread tails should be at least 2 inches long, I know we want to save money, but time is money and using too short thread tails will end up with a mess. Plus, it takes more time than it should.
- Make sure your machine and bobbin are threaded correctly.
- Tension causes birdnesting also, make sure yours is tight enough.
- The spool cap is actually more important than I thought. It keeps your thread from getting out of control, hence, threading the machine properly. 🙂
- One thing I always do is hold onto the thread, both bobbin and machine thread, for a few stitches when I first start sewing. This helps a great deal.
If none of the above help, you may need to take your baby to the local machine doctor. Good Luck and ENJOY!
by Dave | Aug 7, 2015 | Beginner Tips, Blog, Lucy's Sewing Lab
If you’ve been following my blog very long you know I love to sew thrifty! Amazon is one of my favorite places to shop. For various reasons, but mostly because if I spend $35 I get free shipping! I shop at fabric.com and pay through Amazon because, who cannot find $35 of fabric? Shipping is outrageous these days. I will always shop anywhere that will allow me to skip the shipping charges.
So, just now I filled my Amazon cart up with mostly add-on items. They get kinda picky if you try for $25 of just add on items. LOL….It took me a few minutes longer because of this. I had to find some regular price items to make them happy. It made me happy too, I saved $25 plus shipping.
In case you are wondering the good deals are as follows;
Clover Wonder Clips, Red, 50-Pack by Clover
COATS & CLARK Dual Duty Plus Denim Thread, 125-Yard
Wrights 881428 Flower Head Multicolor Pins, 75 pins
Singer Titanium Universal Reg and Ball Point Machine Needles Combo Pack, 8-Pack
Singer Denim Machine Needles, Size 100/16, 3-Pack
Dritz Ergonomic Design Large Seam Ripper
I think that’s pretty good, especially saving on shipping plus $25. Where do you shop for your good sewing deals?
ENJOY!
by Dave | Aug 5, 2015 | Lucy's Sewing Lab
It’s been very busy around here. When I’m not sewing, making jewelry, blogging, or sleeping a new online store is preparing to open! I can’t wait for you to shop LucyLou 918. I’ve started adding items already, but need to tidy up a little before it goes live. For example, I don’t have PayPal set up yet. I have put contact forms on each item though so if you need to ask questions, order, or request something custom feel free to use those forms. I can also be contacted via Facebook email.
I would love to create the item you’ve been looking for and couldn’t find. That’s actually how the idea of LucyLou 918 came about. I have never been able to find anything 100% perfect. Everything I looked at while shopping was either too over the top for me or just plain and boring. This is frustrating! So, I started shopping for supplies to create exactly what I wanted to purchase. As I created jewelry and wore it to work people began to notice and ask about the necklace or whatever. Time passed and these same people began to ask about buying my jewelry. Somewhere around 2013 I started an Etsy shop and really did not tend to the needs of a business for success. I was working outside the home and my grandchildren were with me much of the time. Those two factors prevented me from the work I needed to do. At this time, I do not work outside the home and have more than enough time for a successful venture!
Right now my catalog has accessories for her and the home. A wide array of handmade jewelry, pillows, and aprons. The catalog is growing daily. Like I said before please feel free to contact me [contact-form subject='[Lucy%26#039;s Sewing Lab’][contact-field label=’Name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Email’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Website’ type=’url’/][contact-field label=’Comment’ type=’textarea’ required=’1’/][/contact-form] with any questions or special orders. Remember, Christmas is only 4 months away!
ENJOY!
