by Dave | Dec 29, 2016 | Blog, Lucy's Sewing Lab, Tools and Technique
End of year traditions for blogging. Normally bloggers end the year with a recap of their blog titles. I’ve not decided what to end the year with, other than a BANG! I’ve been reading a lot of sewing and fashion blogs lately. One of which hits home since I’m not in my forties anymore and definitely not a size zero! I used Pinterest and the words curvy sewing. I was so glad to find the kimono listed under curves. It’s a mainstay in my wardrobe.
Curves Ahead
I wear it to social gatherings including weddings. My favorite site for curvy sewing I found through Pinterest. I created at sewing for curvy women board on Pinterest as well. Curves Ahead is a compilation of sewing tips and patterns for curvy women. Stitches and Seams has one of the better tutorials for making pants that fit our curves. Although I am not a plus size I want my clothing to flatter my figure. Curvy Sewing Collective has a great collection, many tutorials, and methods for ladies with curves ahead!
Boomerina has the best compilation for women with curves; an apple body shape. If you don’t know what that means, I’ll break it down; apples are ladies with more of a full tummy than booty. Her website has tips that are really helpful for the sewist.
- Wide stretchy waistbands- I use 1 1/2 braided elastic by Dritz.
- Avoid short or tight bottom half outfits
- Sleeves with a cap or that are short make us look top heavy (I refer to this as “booby out day” lol)
- Gauzy tops used as layering pieces that cover the belly are suggested
- Color blocking is our friend. Study the web for ways it enhances our figure and makes us look gorgeous!
- For more tips I really thing you should visit her website! It’s one of my favorites!
This is quite possibly not my end of year post, so check back for that. Most of all, ENJOY!
by Dave | Jun 30, 2016 | Beginner Tips, Blog, Experimentation, Lucy's Sewing Lab, Reviews, Tools and Technique
So it seemed like to me it’s been a while since I’ve done a review.
Tutorials
Tutorials, what a great topic to do reviews. The Internet definitely has a vast assortment of websites for sewing tutorials. But, just because there is a large variety does not mean they are all equally fulfilling your needs when learning to sew. Everyone can go on YouTube search and videos of sewing tutorials. That’s one way to get started.
You can just look at about.com to learn about sewing. Wikipedia will tell you about sewing, sewing machines, searchers scissors everything you need to know. But without a really good tutorial site to guide you through or hands on training, learning the art of sewing is not exactly easy. There are lots of methods from cutting up tee shirts for patterns, e patterns, and the old stand by paper patterns. Everyone eventually finds their way in or around sewing. When I started sewing again I just sewed. I sewed lines, curves, pillows, pockets, things like that just to get back in the groove. Moving on to patterns, the real deal I used some of the sites below.
Some of my Personal Favorites
When I first started sewingI discovered Melly! Her site is amazing, she covers it all! Those projects will keep anyone busy for quite some time. Have fun sewing, cut up clothing from the thrift store and make something new, it doesn’t matter always how the project turns out. It’s great to have fun.
Threads magazine is another great tutorial they focus more on fit and technique. Their series, “Teach yourself to Sew” benefits the beginner.
Craftsy is a great place to go, they have both free and paid tutorials.
Tutorials for Appliqué Templates and Designs and tons of other fun projects abound. She has pages and pages of fun projects. The sewing machine needs you to mess with it, and that is what her site is about sewing a little of this and a little of that. She has a great whimsical area on her website, So Can She .
One day I found an overwhelming amount of information. If that is what you are looking for, All FREE sewing is your new home. All free sewing is an example of a wonderful tutorial site, they take you from objects they don’t have to be sewn all the way through bridal wear.
Melly’s tutorials are wonderful! She is thorough, imaginative, and can get you through pretty much anything.I like the way her site is set out, the site is easy to read easy-to-follow and includes email for subscriptions.
Of course Pinterest has tons ideas tutorials and such the one I use the most is Colette. She has authored a few books that I enjoyed reading as well.
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by Dave | Jun 24, 2016 | Beginner Tips, Blog, Experimentation, Fitting, Knit Tips, Lucy's Sewing Lab, Tools and Technique
I design a lot of my clothing, I’ve been dying to take my designing to the next level with a dress form! Constant trying on, next running to the mirror, next adjusting, next ripping seams, next sewing seams, next, next next, it takes for EVER! Then when you THINK your garment is ready you try it on…..NEXT what the is the fit? Do I want to portray this look? People see me everywhere I go. Do I feel good wearing clothing I should hide? See the problem? A dress form takes care of the guess and next work.
So, what’s really NEXT?
Learning the ebb and flow of threads combined to create the fabric chosen for the garment. It’s easier once on the dress form to define how the fabric reacts to movement, wrinkling, , and how it generally lays against a 3 D object, eventually your body.
A really cool part about a dress form is examining the look of the garment on something that is three dimensional. Hangers cannot make clothing look good. If they could, the body consciousness in America would not exist to the extent at present. I recommend shopping around before deciding on and purchasing a dress form. Also studying up on the dress form you purchase is a great idea. I went with brand name only. I should have visited this instead.
Singer does it for me again! I don’t like the color, but I’m creative, I can recover it to match my studio. I love that it’s so completely adjustable. I found this one at Amazon. The features are wonderful. All of the below information is excerpted from Amazon. I am not an affiliate.
13 key adjustments (bust, waist, hips, neck/back) provide a perfect fit
Height adjustment lets you customize the dress form to your height in a snap
Foam-Backed fabric exterior allows you to easily pin dresses, skirts, tops and patterns
Four leg metal base for extra durability and added stability
Pin cushion with key holder provides convenient storage for pins and adjustment key
In my own opinion, this dress form is pretty generous in range of size. I like that the dress forms size changes with the twist of a knob. The foam backing is a dream for any designer or seamstress. I’ll follow up with a real life experience as soon as I get the chance to enjoy it.
I’ve figured it out, I used a chop stick to adjust the size. Important tip that could change your life!
by Dave | Apr 30, 2016 | Beginner Tips, Blog, Lucy's Sewing Lab, Tools and Technique
The Serger
I’ve been reading, and reading, and reading about the this toy/machine. I read so much I decided I can’t live without one. So, I purchased this beautiful piece of machinery. [envira-gallery slug=”juke-serger”] I threaded it, on my own, and actually sewed some old Levi jeans as a test run. Do not try to sew over the seams. I broke my needle and to replace it, which I’m working on right now; you have to use the teeniest allen wrench known to man.
I would recommend getting a Bachelor’s degree in sewing with a serger before doing anything fancy. While studying I found you some really great sites:
Crocheting with Your Serger This is a bit advanced, but since it’s my favorite I had to post it first.
How to unpick Serger Stitches I promise, this is the best part of owning one!
Gathering on a Serger Some sites tell you how many feet you need for your already expensive machine. This one does NOT!
Four Signs you should Invest in a Serger
Flat locking One of my very favorite posts!
MUST Print I promise, you will be so thankful you printed this. Every word you need to know, and it is FREE, well expect for the ink and paper.
Best Stitch Guide EVER
TEN best Serger Tips
National Serger month Great make and takes and wonderful advice.
Please before you embark upon this journey, read up on the machine and make it less scary. This list is less intimidating than you may believe at first. Just relax and soon it will be your friend and you will wonder how you ever made anything without this machine. Do not listen to those telling you how many feet are needed to properly use this machine. I promise there are ways around everything.
by Dave | Mar 7, 2016 | Beginner Tips, Blog, Lucy's Sewing Lab, Tools and Technique
Color Theory (history of fashion)
Not the most entertaining part of creating apparel, but the most crucial when designing and sewing garments.[envira-gallery id="2923"]
[envira-gallery slug="primary-colors"]
- Can you believe the first color wheel was invented by associating each color with a note one a musical scale? This was accomplished by Newton.
- 100 years later psychological studies began on the effects on colors.
- Goethe divided the psychological effects of colors into two groups.
*Plus side (red, orange, yellow) colors producing cheerfulness and excitement
*Minus side (green, violet, blue) colors of weakness and unsettled feelings.
THE REAL DEAL (COLOR RULES)
- Any two colors opposite each other are harmonious.
- Colors spaced around the wheel forming a triangle, or rectangle are also harmonious.
- Color schemes——also known as harmonies remain so no matter what the rotation angle is.
BASIC COLOR SCHEMES[envira-gallery id=”2926″]
- Monochromatic Color Scheme-The use of color tints and saturations of one color.
- Analogous Color Scheme– This color scheme uses colors next to each other with one color ore dominate to enhance the color scheme.
- Complementary Color Scheme- One of the most used schemes, the colors are opposite each other on the wheel. This scheme is used best with a cool color with a warm color.
- Split Complementary Color Scheme- Uses three colors. One color is chosen as well as the two adjacent to the first color, providing a high contrast.
Triadic Color Scheme
The triadic color scheme uses three colors equally spaced around the color wheel. The triadic scheme is not as contrasting as the complementary scheme, but it looks more balanced and harmonious.
Tetradic (Double Complementary) Color Scheme
The tetradic (double complementary) scheme is the most varied because it uses two complementary color pairs. This scheme is hard to harmonize; if all four hues are used in equal amounts, the scheme may look unbalanced, so you should choose a color to be dominant or subdue the colors.
http://www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-theory-basics.html
by Dave | Feb 20, 2016 | Beginner Tips, Blog, Experimentation, Fashion, Inspiration, Lucy's Sewing Lab, Tools and Technique
Fashion hacks are my favorite sewing inspiration. Do you specifically shop for fashion in pattern catalogs or on pattern sites? I found myself really wondering if these things are really in fashion or just look good to other seamstresses. I started about a year ago shopping in fashion magazines and stores for hacks. I didn’t want to look cool to the sewing community, I wanted to look cool!
Free People Fashion Hacks
[envira-gallery id="2845"]
[envira-gallery slug="freepeople-lace-up"]This is one [envira-gallery id=”2855″]of the better descriptions. It not only lists the fabric but also the exact fabric content and points out the seaming around the bust as well as details about the hem we cannot see. Thanks for the help needed on our own fashion hack. 🙂
This dress! [envira-gallery id=”2853″]I cannot wait to make. Do you see the simplicity of the lines? The photo boasts, “Made in suede!” Easy peasy!
We all need casual I don’t care clothing in the warmer months, right? Here’s another of my favorite fashion hacks.[envira-gallery id=”2851″]This is a Raglan top with a wide neckline. They have Shirred the neckline, but you could get a similar look with elastic. I would hem the neckline. Then sew the elastic directly to the hem. Encasing the elastic would take away some of the free spirit. If you want to know how to shir, Seamingly Kitten has a great tutorial. Basically you need elastic thread.
By Gum By Golly is a really hip seamstress. [envira-gallery id=”2849″]She sews like I sew, a lot of self drafting. In case you haven’t heard, the turtleneck is making a comeback! She nails it and gives great instructions to make your own. WHO WHAT WEAR is featuring dark denim. I’ve had dark denim [envira-gallery id=”2847″]in and out of my stash for over a year now and I just bought quite a lot of some very lightweight dark denim at Hancock Fabrics. I love the look of this dress they featured. It’s essentially your favorite tee-shirt, nipped at the waist, and made longer.
