THE FASHION WORKSHOP

Sewing a Jacket - Part 1

2012-02-01T15:31:00.000+13:00

I'll be doing a number of posts on this so you can follow along as I sew this jacket...

The pattern I'm using is one I bought off BurdaStyle, but the process is basically the same for most jackets. I'll warn you now that I'm not 'tailoring' this jacket with all sorts of internal construction or hand sewing (that would be nice but very time consuming!), I'm just going to sew with the least fuss possible to keep it simple.

Having said that, Burda are notorious for their unhelpful and incomplete instructions so sewing that double collar and figuring out the sequence with all those collar pieces should be interesting!

Big gulp, okay here we go...

The Pattern:
12/2011 Herringbone jacket #121
See the BurdaStyle pattern page here

This pattern comes as an A4 pdf with lots of pages that you have to print out and tape together. I took mine to Warehouse Stationery and had them print it out for me. It's best to find the page that has the 10cm square drawn on it and then just print this page only. You might need to try printing it at '100%', 'fit to page' or any other variations the printer offers - the aim is to get the version where the square measures exactly 10cm (don't forget to take a ruler or tape measure with you to the printers). Then you can print the rest of the pdf using the same printing command.

Each A4 page has a white border around it (because printers can't print ink right to the edge of the paper). I trimmed the right hand border and the bottom border off each page but left the top and left hand borders attached. Then you can just overlap each page and tape them together. Much easier than trying to tape the paper edge to edge.

Once all the A4 pages are stuck together you can cut out the pattern pieces. This pattern doesn't come with seam allowances included so if you prefer to add seam allowances to the pattern itself then do this before cutting out the pieces. You may need to add extra paper on where the pattern pieces get close to or overlap each other. If you are okay adding seam allowances as you cut then go ahead and cut out the pattern without seam allowances. If you're not sure what you're doing, lose concentration easily or want to be very accurate with your cutting I really recommend adding seam allowances onto the pattern.

I also like to add information to my patterns in thick pen to make the pieces easily identifiable. To these patterns I added a note to remind myself that there are no seam allowances included. I also added cutting instructions and a piece name so I didn't have to keep checking the number against the pattern piece list.

The Fabric:
Blue wool that has some body but is not as thick as coating weight fabrics. I plan on dry cleaning this jacket so did not pre-shrink it, although if I was being really particular I would have pre-shrunk it by blasting it with steam from the iron (hovering about 3cm above the fabric).

Laying up & cutting out:
The pattern is too thick to be pinned (having been printed on basic 80gsm printer paper) so it's best to weigh the pattern down and draw around it with tailors chalk or a disappearing pen. Actually I use this method for everything because it's quicker, I can't remember the last time I pinned a pattern! Don't forget to draw 1cm (or whatever size you want your seam allowances to be) outside the pattern to account for seam allowances. I drew in a 4cm deep hem.

This pattern doesn't come with a layout plan so I just layed the pieces out in the most economical way. Usually I start with the largest and 'place on fold' pieces and then place the smaller pieces in between. Make sure you place the pieces that need to be block fused together to make that easier. I'll explain block fusing in a moment.

Double check that all the pieces are correctly layed out, with grainlines parallel to the selvedge and all seam and hem allowances added in. Then cut them out, but cut the the pieces to be block fused as one big piece.

Block fusing:
A jacket needs a lot of interfacing to give it the structured tailored look. Some of the pieces will be partially interfaced but some of them need to be entirely covered with interfacing. In most cases you can use your pattern to cut the interfacing piece and then fuse the 2 together, but if you've ever tried this with small, fiddly or curvy pieces (like skirt waist facings or collars) you'll know that they don't always end up the same shape or size. If your fabric piece stretches out of shape and then you fuse it to your interfacing it will stay in that stretched shape!

Block fusing is where you cut once piece of fabric that is big enough for all the small pieces that need to be interfaced. You also cut one piece of interfacing the same size. Fuse the 2 together. Then you can layout, mark and cut the small pieces. Do not bother marking out the pieces onto your fabric before you fuse because the heat from the iron will shrink the fabric slightly, making all the pieces slightly smaller than they should be.

Fuse these parts of the jacket - the front, collar, pocket flaps (not shown) should be block fused.

Bundling:
Once all the pieces are cut I like to bundle them into a neat roll tied with a scrap of fabric so I don't loose anything between sewing sessions. Be sure to roll rather than fold your bundle to reduce kinks.

Next time:
I'll show you how to get started on sewing the jacket!

Don't think your skills will stretch to a jacket? Our Sewing Techniques Workshop will give you the confidence to tackle more advanced projects. See details here

Tutorial: How to create a fashion template from your own body...

2012-01-30T16:49:00.001+13:00

Some of my own fashion sketches

When fashion designers get ideas for garments and outfits they sketch them out quickly, often using templates to save time. These templates are just body outlines and there is no reason why we can't use the same idea for designing and sewing our own clothes. The templates you find on the internet will be stylised, stretched out to make the designs look better (one of the many reasons why the fashion industry uses tall skinny models) which is not particularly useful when we're designing for a particular body shape.

Below you'll see how to go about creating a template that has the same shape and proportions as your own body and how to use it...

Step 1: Take a photo of yourself
Take a photo of yourself wearing as little as possible. Just in your underwear is ideal. Consider wearing shoes. Print out one copy. Don't forget to delete the photo from your camera/phone as well as from your computer! May I introduce my lovely assistant Kim. I can guestimate her curves from the shape of her dress.

Step 2: Trace your body
Place a blank piece of paper over your print out and trace the outline of your body with a pencil. You may need to use a light box or hold it up against the window as you do this. Don't forget to draw in the shoes, hair and underwear. When you're happy with it, go over in pen. See how much more realistic even Kim's body looks than my fashion figures?

Step 3: Use your template

Label your template as 'master' and then whenever you want to sketch out a quick garment or outfit idea you can pop her underneath a new piece of paper and draw on top. Always draw the clothing first and then just draw in the bits of the body and hair that are not covered by the clothing, otherwise it'll be a transparent outfit! Let's see how Kim would look in this summery halterneck...

Step 4: Create your own sketch book

Photocopy your master template on a low density so that it comes out really pale. Make 50 copies and spiral bind along one edge to create a customised sketch book. The templates should be so pale that you can draw your designs directly onto them without the original lines being distracting to the finished look.

If you're full of design ideas and want to bring them to life our Beginners Patternmaking Workshop will give you the skills to do it. See details here

Tutorial: How to make animal silhouette cushion covers...

2012-01-30T12:50:00.001+13:00

So it seems that cushion covers with animal silhouettes on them are pretty popular at the moment. I've mostly seen woodland creatures on plaid backgrounds but really the options for the silhouette and the fabric are only limited to your own imagination. Old (vintage) plaid wool blankets have become pretty scarce recently as we all seem to be hunting these down to make into cushion covers and bags, so if you find one or your mother happens to have one hidden away then grab it before someone else does! Since I couldn't find one I used a creamy coloured cotton for these...

What you'll need:

Fabric
Thin adhesive-backed felt
Large sharp needle
Smooth embroidery thread
Cushion inner

Step 1: Make a template
Choose your favourite woodland animal (or whatever) and find a picture. I googled things like 'stag silhouette' and 'bird outline'. Choose a shape that isn't too detailed around the edge otherwise it will make cutting and sewing the felt very frustrating. Print the shape out and use a photocopier to enlarge to the right size for your cushion. If you fancy yourself as a bit of an artist you could draw your own shape. Cut out the paper template.

Step 2: Cut the felt
The adhesive-backed felt comes with a paper backing to protect the adhesive. Turn the felt over so the paper side is facing up and place the template face down on top (this is especially important if your shape is text). Trace around the template to transfer the shape to the felt. The paper backing of the felt I bought had a waxy finish to it so I had to use a permanent marker to trace it. With some very sharp scissors, cut out your felt shape (leave the paper on while you do this!).

Step 3: Prepare your cushion cover
Measure and cut your cushion cover to fit your cushion inner, but do not sew it yet. Peel the paper backing off the felt shape and stick the shape to the front panel of the cushion cover. Be careful about placing it where you want it, centred, straight etc.

Step 4: Sew the felt to the fabric
The adhesive usually isn't strong enough on its own so grab your needle and embroidery thread and sew around the edge of the shape. This takes a while and it can be quite sticky work as the adhesive comes off on the needle. I went for a subtlety with a running stitch in the same colour as my felt, but a blanket stitch in a contrasting colour looks great too.

Step 5: Put the cushion cover together
Continue with sewing your cushion cover now that the silhouette shape is in place.

Did you like this tutorial? There's plenty more where that come from! See demonstrations of all sorts of cushion cover ideas and techniques and ask all your cushion related questions in our Cushion Covers Workshop. See more details here

Timetable changes & results from the 2011 feedback survey...

2011-12-20T10:11:00.000+13:00

So there were so many responses to the survey I sent out requesting feedback on the classes and suggestions for how to improve The Fashion Workshop, it was overwhelming! It's so nice that you all have enough faith in The Fashion Workshop to take the time to help me improve it - thank you!

The winner of the Freestyle Session was Cathy, congratulations Cathy!

Here are a few fast facts about you all...

83% of you class yourselves as beginner or intermediate level sewists
All of you own general sewing tools, but only 90% of you own a sewing machine
About 80% of you prefer evening classes, although from the comments it was clear there are many of you who prefer weekend classes
More than 1/3 of you are interested in masterclasses
81% of you want to improve your skills by learning sewing techniques
Almost 60% of you are interested in CopyCat patternmaking, followed closely by normal patternmaking
A whopping 93% of you want to hear from us monthly or weekly (that must mean you like us no?!)

So what are we doing with this info? Here's what we're planning for 2012...

Evening classes have been extended to 3 hours in length and will run Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 6pm until 9pm
Saturday classes have been added
Experts are being lined up to teach masterclasses at the studio
New and improved versions of Sew Tech and Beginners Patternmaking are back for Term 1
There's a brand new newsletter that you'll get every month

Changes we've made to specific classes...

Freestyle Sessions have been extended to 3 hours long to really allow you to get stuck in. They are the same price at $30ea or 5 sessions for $100
Introduction to Sewing is now short and sharp, taking just 2 weeks. The coin purse has been scrapped and you finish your sling bag earlier. It is also cheaper!
Beginners Sewing now uses commercial patterns (that you choose, buy and bring yourself) to better prepare you for sewing with tissue patterns. This also gives you more time to sew with the patternmaking element removed. Don't worry, you'll still alter your tissue pattern to fit you. This workshop now has longer sessions over fewer weeks.

There are a few other exciting developments that I'm keeping to myself at the moment, but I promise you they're going to make The Fashion Workshop even better! Got some ideas or suggestions? Don't keep it to yourself, let me know...

Bling My Bra 2011 - Photos

2011-12-14T14:09:00.001+13:00

Special thanks to...

All the entrants (for going to the effort of entering!)

Lilian Mutsaers [Massey University Fashion Lecturer] (judging)

Fifi Colston [Fifi Colston Creative] (judging)
Fran Oliver [Frances Oliver Photography] (event photography)
Marie Deonarain (raffle sales, exhibition setup)
Jemma Prescott [Enticing] (exhibition setup)
Carol & Marie at Massey University Fashion Department (dress forms)

And of course our wonderful sponsors...
The Southern Cross Garden Bar Restaurant (venue and prizes)
Mercury Sewing Machines (main prize)

Global Fabrics (prizes)

Holland Road Yarn Company (prizes)

Enticing (cupcakes)

The Mat Class (prizes)

Paramount (prizes)

Mad Millie (prizes)

A la Mode Photographic Boutique (prizes)

Excellence Award

Anne Aitchison

Title:

Come on boobie light my fire

Inspiration:

"Don't burn your bra" - be proud of your breasts and treat yourself to the nicest bra you can find!

Prize:

Mercury Lexa 320 Overlocker (Mercury Sewing Machines)

Come on boobie light my fire Anne Aitchison

People's Choice Award

Anne Aitchison

Title:

Come on boobie light my fire

Inspiration:

"Don't burn your bra" - be proud of your breasts and treat yourself to the nicest bra you can find!

Prize:

$100 voucher for sewing and patternmaking classes at The Fashion Workshop

$75 voucher for Holland Road Yarn Company

$75 voucher for Global Fabrics

Come on boobie light my fire Anne Aitchison

Photos from the exhibition and awards night...

Images by Frances Oliver Photography

Lilian Mutsaers (judge) and Fifi Colston (judge) with Jenny Deonarain (The Fashion Workshop)

Tweety Birds Marie Deonarain

A Tale Of Two Swans Renee Fletcher

This time my eyes are down here Kylie McArtney

BRAtender Judy Connolly

Sweet As !! Barbara, Nicole, Paulette and Brenda

BRAtender Judy Connolly

Purple Feather (left) Gill Linney

From the Ashes Michelle Miller

Play Well Alison Linney

Boom Bust Anita Watson

Safety First Yasmin Merwood

Bullet Proof Nicola Cloherty

Mardi Bra Jess Krieg

Fiesta! Teresa Buckthought

Tweety Birds Marie Deonarain

Flower Bomb Michael Shaw

Maschera Liz Cook

Vintage Bra Jacqueline Hill

Zombra Danielle Greene

Piece of Heart Severine Meunier

Zombra Danielle Greene

Keeping abreast of things Briony Bradley

The Secret Garden Natalie Sorensen

Bratanical Madi Robb

The Secret Garden Natalie Sorensen

Pretty in Pink Jane Dagger

From the Ashes Michelle Miller

Jane Dagger (left) with her bra Pretty in Pink, which earned an honorable mention from the judges

Boobeyes Alana Webb

Play Well Alison Linney

Fiesta! Teresa Buckthought

Candelabra Barbara Knight

Tweety Birds Marie Deonarain

Jen (The Fashion Workshop) draws the raffle prizes

Judge Fifi Colston draws another raffle prize as Grace claims her Mad Millie cheesmaking kit

Delicious cupcakes from Enticing

The best sewing gifts for 2011...

2011-12-07T11:48:00.000+13:00

If you are as bad as me at dropping subtle hints about things (actually saying 'hint hint' and jabbing someone in the ribs with your elbow does not count as subtle) I suggest leaving this page open on your computer for your sibling/parent/better half to happen upon...

1. Invisible Zip Foot ($10 - $30): If you've been struggling to insert invisible zips using a normal zip foot, or worse, using one of those plastic feet you get from Spotlight, then this little beauty will revolutionise your zip sewing. It works by rolling the zip teeth out for you and then aims the needle in exactly the right spot so there's zero chance of you not getting close enough to the zip teeth or actually sewing over the teeth (I know you've done that!). Step one, use normal zip foot to baste zip in place. Step 2, use invisible zip foot to sew zip in, and guess what? Step two takes LESS time than step one! Insane. Gives you a perfect result and I can't really stress enough how awesome these are. Get one for your machine from your dealer or buy on TradeMe.

2. Tefal Cordless Iron ($140): Don't get me wrong, I love my Philips iron. It has a Teflon plate. It never drips. It gets hotter than my GHDs (almost). Most importantly it doesn't have an auto shut-off (why would you want to switch the iron back on every time you have to iron a seam?). The only thing that would make it better would be if it was cordless. Which brings me to the Tefal Cordless Iron which has made it onto this list simply because it's cordless at a respectable price. If I get one for Christmas I'll let you know how it performs in the other categories. Get it at Farmers.

3. Fashionary Sketchbook ($32 - $40): Whenever you get ideas for garments or outfits, just jot them down in your Fashionary. These sketchbooks have templates already printed in them for you to use as a guide for your drawings, but they are near invisible so once you draw over them no one will know you cheated! They are also packed full of fashion information (34 pages worth!) including specs, seams and body measurement tools and charts. They come with men's or women's templates, in A5 or A4 size. Covers are black and sometimes are available for a limited time in colours. Free shipping, order by 9th December for delivery in time for Christmas. Get it at Fashionary.

4. Sewing Jewellery ($17 - $834): There are a number of cute sewing jewellery pieces on Felt. This 'inch by inch' bracelet by Cloth Paper Scissor has a wonderful vintage feel to it. Shipping $4.50. Get it on Felt. Or splurge on these beautiful tape measure rings and bracelets by Joanna Campbell. Get them in gold or silver plated as a ring at $475 or bracelet at $834. Get them at Avid Gallery, 48 Victoria Street, Wellington.

5. Sewing Classes ($30 - $450): Come on, you knew this was coming right? Get all those friends bugging you to make them stuff off your back by giving them a voucher for sewing or patternmaking classes, or redirect their numerous "how do I..." questions to an expert teacher by gifting a freestyle class. Vouchers for specific classes or dollar amounts. Order by 16th December for delivery in time for Christmas. Get them at The Fashion Workshop.

6. Bias Tape Maker ($15 - $20): If you've ever needed bias tape for a garment you'll know that they come in only a few different widths, cotton or satin, and in horrible colours that never seem to match your dress/pants/cushion. Oh you want patterned or striped you say? Good luck! No, if you want a good bias tape you'll have to make it yourself, but don't even bother going to the effort without using one of these bias tape maker tools (a bias tape maker is to bias tape as invisible zip foot is to an invisible zip). Simply cut your bias strip to the right width (unless you have superhuman patience, use the continuous method), feed it through the tool and iron as it comes out the other side. Voila! Perfect bias tape. Get it at Spotlight.

7. Patternmaking Software ($170 - $260): Can you just imagine how fun sewing would be if you had a computer program that let you enter your body measurements, and then adjusted every pattern in it's database to magically fit you? Wouldn't it be even better if you could then point and click to create your own design? Well hold onto your hats people because it does exist and it's called Wild Ginger PatternMaster. Just get the version/s you want out of Boutique (womenswear), Knits (womenswear), Bodywear (lingerie, swimwear), Celebrations (bridal, eveningwear) and Tailormade (menswear). Beware, you'll need some sewing knowledge to use the patterns you print out! Get it at Wild Ginger.

8. Pattern Magic by Tomoko Nakamichi ($32): Japanese designers excel at innovative design, and it really made my day when they finally published the Pattern Magic books in English. If you've already done a little patternmaking these will expand your mind and your skills. Brilliant if you love to wear stuff that makes other people go "How the heck does that work...?!" Free delivery, takes up to 10 business days. Get it at The Book Depository.

9. Tailors Chalk Wheel (about $10): Forget pinning patterns and transferring darts with needle and thread (who has time for that?!), using chalk to draw straight onto your fabric is faster and more accurate. These chalk wheels give you a fine chalk line, never need sharpening, and keep your hands clean of chalk dust. The chalk just brushes off or wipes away with a damp cloth, but always keep markings on the wrong side of the fabric where possible. White should always be your first choice as it comes off most easily, but for those times when your fabric is just too pale to show the white chalk the wheels also come in blue, pink and yellow (refills also available). Get them at Spotlight or on TradeMe.

10. Pattern Magazine Subscription (about $150): Lately I've found myself browsing through the pattern catalogues in Spotlight on a weekly basis, and for some reason I'm always annoyed that they're the same designs as the week before (despite the fact that they're only released seasonally). So I'm thinking I'll have to subscribe to a pattern magazine to get new styles delivered monthly. In case you're new to this, these look like fashion mags but the garments in the photos are supplied as patterns with the mag (yes, it is awesome). Melanie of The Curious Kiwi blog is somewhat of an expert on these mags (she posts a rundown of the best styles as each mag arrives), and suggests BurdaStyle seems to be a safe bet as it is in English, has multi-sizes and after a recent slump, the designs are finally returning to fab-ness. See all the options here.

Papercut Patterns' Milano Cape

2011-04-05T14:54:00.001+12:00

So the Term 2 timetable is up and bookings are open, and we have a very exciting feature workshop this term thanks to Katie Brown of New Zealand's own Papercut Patterns.

Katie creates her own designs and sells the patterns with instructions. Now these are no ordinary patterns, they come in their own little cardboard box which transforms into a hanger so you can store your pattern neatly in the wardrobe. The pattern is printed on proper paper, not that pain-in-the-butt tissue. The instruction booklet is gorgeous with clear drawings, and honestly, even before I'd cut anything out I knew I loved it.

Katie sent me the Milano Cape to try out (huge this winter) and below are the pics I took while testing the pattern for the workshop. The cape is double breasted with 6 buttons, a flat Peter Pan collar, side single welt pockets and full facings. It can be sewn in wool for a winter coat, in silk or cotton for a lighter-weight option, or in nylon for a raincoat. Mine was sewn in a drapey wool.

In the workshop we'll use the Papercut Pattern (your copy is included in the price of the workshop and is yours to keep) and work through the process of sewing it up. We'll go over laying out and cutting out your fabric, using interfacing, sewing welt pockets, accurate topstitching, sewing collars, applying facings, and sewing buttons and buttonholes as you work on your own cape.

Feature Workshop: Papercut Patterns Milano Cape
Thursdays, 5:30 - 7:00pm
Starting Thursday 5 May
5 x 1.5hr sessions
$245
More info / Book now

You can purchase Papercut Patterns on their website or from Global Fabrics.

Behold the Milano Cape...

You can see Katie's version on the Papercut Patterns site :)

What our students have been doing in class...

2011-03-03T18:06:00.000+13:00

Such wonderfully talented students! All delightfully surprised at what they have been able to achieve in a few short weeks.

From the Intro Sewing class:

Melanie's yummy apple flavoured sling bag...

...and matching zippered coin purse.

Andrea's robotic sling bag...

...and coin purse.

Sharyn's beautiful paisley sling bag with heart shaped button.

From the Cushion Covers Workshop:

Liz's silky eggplant coloured cushion with invisible zip.

Linda's sophisticated black & white cushion with a grey one she made on her own at home...
displayed on her living room couch!

From Tee Party Workshop:

Jacqueline's slogan tee which she reduced from a massive XL-sized
men's tee down to a teeny tiny girl's tee - and kept the slogan!

Melanie added butterfly motifs to beautify her tee.

Christmas present ideas for people who sew

2010-12-17T14:39:00.002+13:00

I can't believe it's only 8 days until Christmas, yikes! If you're searching for a gift for someone who sews or if your family is bugging you to tell them what you want for Christmas, here are some ideas in no particular order...

1. "P.S.- I Made This... I see it. I like it. I make it" by Erika Domesek. This is the first book by Erika who's blog of the same name is brilliant and full of ideas for creating your own DIY fashion. Check out the blog here, and if you like what you see you can pick the book up at Whitcoulls for about $35.

Win this book: book a sewing class at The Fashion Workshop by 3pm Friday 24 December 2010 and be in to win this book or a 12 month subscription to Fashion Quarterly Magazine.

2. A sewing pattern from boutique Nelson company Papercut Patterns. Katie Brown's designs are really cute and a far cry from what's offered by the major pattern companies. They're also printed onto card so will last a lot longer than those annoying tissue patterns. There are summer and winter collections to choose from... my fave is the Milano Cape. Purchase directly from the website here, patterns range from $22 to $35.

3. Gwynhug Cards. Apparently the original "How much fabric?" reference cards... I haven't tried them myself but they look great and come in metric too. Probably quite a handy little thing to have until you have sewn enough to estimate fabric quantities yourself. You can get them from the website for $15USD + shipping, but possibly not in time for Christmas.

4. Mercury Lexa 320 Overlocker. If you've been trying to sew clothes without an overlocker you have no idea how easy your life could be! The Lexa is a pretty good price for an overlocker that does 2, 3 and 4 thread sewing as well as a roll hem finish. It also has differential feed which is pretty much essential for sewing knit fabrics. You can pick one up for $399 from Grant at Mercury Sewing Machines, and they're based in Petone which is nice and handy (i.e. not in Auckland).

5. A sewing machine for someone who really needs it. For the sewer who already has everything (or doesn't have everything but does have a strong social conscience)... "It can be used to make and repair clothing and to provide a valuable income. Seen as a sign of success, a sewing machine offers a simple solution, allowing families and communities to work their way out of poverty." Purchase through Oxfam Unwrapped for $250 and count the Karma points.

6. Coat hanger paper clips. So cute. Paper clips shaped like little coat hangers. Need I say more? Grab a glass jar of 50 of them from Kikki K in Queensgate for about $15.

7. Half scale tailor's form. These little dressmaker's dummies are really great to design your garments in 3D before making up a full sized version. Although they look teeny tiny they are actually half the size of a full sized one. You can also choose the fabric you want it covered with. Available from Purfex, POA.

8. An adjustable dressmaker's dummy. Purfex is totally the place to go for mannequins. You get what you pay for and you won't regret this splurge. Beautifully engineered and built to last a lifetime, not to mention adjustable at 23 different fitting points to match your changing body measurements. It also has a bar attached to the stand that will have you hemming your skirts and dresses without breaking a sweat. About $500 from Purfex.

9. Anything handmade by you. Make something yourself! There are millions of ideas out there but here's a tutorial I just did for a couple of love birds in a bird house for a secret santa pressie. The person I was buying for is planning her wedding so I did two birds but one works well too. She had just bought her first Christmas tree too so it worked out perfectly. If you're low on craft supplies try Spotlight or Golding Handcrafts. See the tutorial here.

10. Tickets to Handmade 2011. Handmade is "a contemporary, creative and inspiring event — a celebration of beautiful things. Learn the crafts of previous generations with modern style and technology, led by passionate expert teachers." Basically a whole heap of crafting/sewing/making workshops run in one place on Queen's birthday weekend next year. I'll be teaching a couple of classes too... workshops $45 or full weekend pass $299, see website for details.

11. A voucher for sewing classes at The Fashion Workshop. Of course I had to put this in! The timetable for Term 1 2011 is up now and bookings are open. Classes range from $45 to $225 and you can book through our website.

So there are my recommendations... good luck with the shopping madness, have a wonderful Christmas and a safe New Year. Classes start back up on January 31 so see you then! :)

Christmas Tree Decoration: Lovebirds in a Treehouse

2010-12-17T09:31:00.003+13:00

A family member was putting up her Christmas tree only to discover that all the decorations had disappeared, and although the whole family turned the house upside down in search of them sadly they were not to be found. She (understandably) was greatly saddened by the loss of decades worth of decorations bought from Kirks, made by her children as far back as kindergarten (they're all in their 20's now), and passed down by her late parents.

So, being good little children we decided we'd start a new collection of sentimental decorations by each making our own. I quite liked how my one turned out so made another one and photographed the process for you below. Enjoy!

Use a craft knife to cut 7 strips of balsa wood for your treehouse.
Mine were each about 5cm x 1.5cm.

Grab your hot glue gun and glue it all together.

Draw a bird shape on some paper to use as a pattern. Don't forget to add a little
extra round the outside for seam allowances. I cut a rectangle out of the bottom
so that it would sit easily over the base of the treehouse, but you could just position
your bird kind of sideways in the treehouse instead to show off the wings more.
Trace around your pattern onto pretty fabric and chop out 1 pair per bird.

Place fabric right sides together and sew around, leaving a 3cm opening
somewhere inconspicuous. Using a small stitch length and walking the needle
with the handwheel will help deal with its small size.

Turn through to the right side and use sewing tweezers or a pen to push out all the corners.

Use your tweezers to firmly stuff your birds. Make sure you push stuffing into all the corners.

Sew up the hole. No need to be neat :)

Sew some little feathers to the tail end, and to the side for wings.

For the beak I found these large gold sequins (left) that I cut down and
creased in the centre (right). I coloured in the beak area of the fabric before hot
gluing the sequin beak on. You could also use gold card, wrapping paper,
or whatever else you can find.

The beak glued on.

Mark the position of the eyes and sew on a couple of beads.

It's difficult to see here but I've cut some more balsa wood and glued it to the
front of the roof (see the finished photos a better view of this). Fold a piece of
ribbon and sew 1cm from the raw ends. Hot glue it to the top of your treehouse.
Cover one side of the roof with PVA and then, working from the bottom up,
layer flat sequins to look like roof tiles. Some of the sequins will need to be cut to fit.
Add extra glue to each sequin before placing in position.

Here you can see the tiles in place. I've also hot glued the birds to the base of the
treehouse. You may like to give the 'male' bird some fancy head feathers too.

Here's a better view of the extra balsa wood I added before doing the tiles.
A heart shaped sequin (or rather a round sequin I cut into a heart shape)
gets glued to the peak of the roof.

The finished decoration.

So that's what I did. There are no rules though, I just made this up as I went
along so have a go at making your own version with your own touch.
Merry Christmas and happy crafting!

Best Cupcakes EVER

2010-12-01T11:41:00.000+13:00

If you made it to the Bling My Bra exhibition you probably saw and possibly tasted one of the many cupcakes kindly donated by local business Enticing Cupcakes to support the NZ Breast Cancer Foundation... and if you were one of the lucky ones to grab a free cupcake you'll know what I'm talking about when I say they are the best cupcakes EVER!

They even got high praise from the Dominion Post's Fashion Editor Carolyn Enting who was one of the Bling My Bra judges.

You can grab their cupcakes from the Lower Hutt Riverbank market 8am-2pm Saturdays. Go say hi to Jemma, she's the founder of Enticing and is really lovely.

Enticing also cater for birthdays, weddings, work morning/afternoon teas, Christmas munchies, Girls' nights, High teas, Picnics... honestly when is cupcakes NOT a good idea??

Oh and they also do amazing truffles... the Oreo ones are my favourite and making an appearance at my Christmas party this year.

Here are some pics from Bling My Bra, but if you're on Facebook search Enticing Cupcakes (it's the NZ one not the UK one obviously!) and you can see heaps of photos of yummy cupcakes there.

Odd note: Why does Oreo come up as a noun in my spell check but Facebook doesn't?

Winners & Photos from Bling My Bra Competition

2010-11-24T16:05:00.000+13:00

Thank you... to everyone who had a hand in supporting the Bling My Bra competition last week!

What a great turnout and what beautiful and creative bras. We made $800 for the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation :)

Special thanks to...
All the entrants (for going to the effort of entering!)
Carolyn Enting [Dominion Post Fashion Editor] (judging)
Lilian Mutsaers [Massey University Fashion Lecturer] (judging)
Frances Oliver [Frances Oliver Photography] (event photography)
Marie Deonarain (ticket & raffle sales)
Jemma Prescott, Uella Watson & friends, Jessica Lee (exhibition setup)
Lilian Mutsaers & Hannah at Massey University Fashion (mannequins)
Rachel Rouge [Dr Sketchy Wellington] (business bra entry)

And of course the wonderful sponsors...
The Southern Cross Garden Bar Restaurant (venue and drinks vouchers)
Mercury Sewing Machines (sewing machine/overlocker and raffle prizes)
Global Fabrics (fabric vouchers)
Minerva (book voucher)
Copy Express Petone (printing of posters)
Enticing (cupcakes)
Arobake (cookies and cookie vouchers)
Paramount (movie vouchers)
Missy's Room (exhibition space in their shop window)
Golding Handcrafts (trims)

The winners were:

Raffle:

There were many many winners of raffle prizes... 14 in all!

Excellence Award:

Bonnie Stevenson-Wright

Title: Untitled

Inspiration:

"I was inspired by a beautiful girl I saw wearing a 1930s inspired

tasselled skirt - I wanted to re-create this 1930s glamour and theatrics in my bra design."

Prize:

Sewing Machine or Overlocker (Mercury Sewing Machines)

$200 Voucher for Sewing Classes & Workshops (The Fashion Workshop)

$50 Fabric Voucher (Global Fabrics)

Runner Up:

Amie McCarron

Title: Disco Diva

Inspiration:

"Inspired by the 80s and also Madonna."

Prize:

Bundle of Sewing Tools & Trims (The Fashion Workshop,

Mercury Sewing Machines, Golding Handcrafts)

People's Choice Award:

Felicity McNeill

Title: A game for two... She has won!

Theme: Life & love is a beautiful game. Play fair, but we as women should remember... there's no harm in maintaining the upper hand!

Inspiration:

Each step is followed by another

our fate is made

one move at its time

A symmetry of motion

...She has won!

(Poem by C.A. McNeill)

Prize:

$80 Voucher for Sewing Classes & Workshops (The Fashion Workshop)

$50 Textile/Sewing Book Voucher (Minerva)

$25 Fabric Voucher (Global Fabrics)

Photos of the exhibition by Frances Oliver Photography...

Abbie Caradus / Untitled

The Fashion Workshop / 50 Cent Mix

Inspiration: Candy, sweets & lollies

Linda Henderson / Bambi Wedge

Inspiration: Stepping out from the tennis court to yacht to the party...

the bambi wedge takes you there!

Amie McCarron / Disco Diva

Inspiration: Inspired by the 80s and also Madonna.

Suzi Heath / Bed of Roses

Inspiration: Daydreaming, wishful thinking & all things womanly.

Marna Swafford / Nude

Inspiration: Keep it simple, keep it natural.

Elizabeth Murray / Tit for a Tipple

Inspiration: Squeeze these voluptuous bunches of grapes and transform them

into the delectable treats known as Mumm, Piper, Moet and Veuve.

Be careful not to drink too many of these jugs or you may find yourself soused.

Kim Barker / Untitled

Jessica Lee / Button Me Up

Inspiration: I love bras and I love vintage...

what better to merge the two than cover a bra in vintage buttons?!

Felicity McNeill / Spirited

Theme: The gift of perspective has the power to raise.

Inspiration:

Come, fill the Cup, and in the Fire of Spring

The Winter Garment of Repentance fling:

The Bird of Time has but a little way

To fly---and Lo! the bird is on the Wing.

(Poen by Omar Khayyam)

The Fashion Workshop / Cut 1 Pair

Inspiration : Home Sewing

Gillian Linney / Untitled

Inspiration: Games

Hillary Reekers / A Rose By Any Other Name

Inspiration: Roses & Ribbons

Marie Deonarain / Sunshine Cowgirl

Alison Linney / Untitled

Rachel Rouge for Dr Sketchy Wellington

Dominion Post Fashion Editor & Bling My Bra judge Carolyn Enting (centre)

and Rachel Rouge from Dr Sketchy Wellington (right)

Bling My Bra Entries on Display

2010-11-13T19:20:00.000+13:00

Here are some of the entries on display at Missy's Room on Cuba Street.

As we were setting up the window I kept getting distracted by all the things I wanted to buy! So many beautiful bargains to be had...

These 4 bras are on display until Monday afternoon. After that you can see them, plus the rest of the entries, at The Southern Cross at 6pm on Monday night. We've found enough mannequins for all the bras so they'll all be displayed properly!

See you there :)

The Missy's Room window...

The Fashion Workshop's home-sewing-inspired bra...

Inside Missy's Room...

Student Work: Some of the projects completed this week

2010-11-04T10:30:00.001+13:00

There have been some hot projects finished in the last week or so, and often by students with very little sewing experience! Well done everyone - so proud of you :)

Shopping/Gym bags made by Geri and Liz (top) and CJ (below) in the Introductory Sewing class...

Rachel made a beautiful hoodie with nifty zip pockets in the Hoodies Workshop...

Tiffany used a freestyle session and one of The Fashion Workshop patterns to make these mega-comfy yoga pants...

Liz also made these cheeky side-tie panties in the Boxers & Briefs Workshop. This pair was made in just 2 hours...

There are still a couple of spots available in the last Introductory Sewing, Boxers & Briefs and Hoodies Workshops for the year... see website for details

Free session to bling your bra

2010-11-01T16:14:00.000+13:00

FREE session at The Fashion Workshop this Wednesday night:

BLING MY BRA
Free Sewing/Blinging Session
Wednesday 3 November
8pm - 9:30pm (doors close 8:30pm)
At The Fashion Workshop, Level 1, 60 Ghuznee Street

All the machines and tables will be set up and available for you to use to bling your bra. Or cosy up on one of the couches if you're sewing by hand. Just bring your bra and your bling and any special tools you think you'll need. Remember your bra doesn't have to be sewn! Do whatever you've gotta do (staples, tape, chewing gum...)

There'll be snacks too.

The doors will be closed from 8:30pm so pop on in before then.

Hope to see you there!

BLING MY BRA: Where to get supplies with which to bling said bra

2010-11-01T14:58:00.000+13:00

Okay here are some places to get stuff for your bra... your bra doesn't have to be sewn!

WHERE TO GET A BRA...

Your knicker drawer
Op shop
Someone else's washing line
Retail store (boring but acceptable)

THINGS TO DO TO YOUR BRA...

Sew to it
Build on it
Cook it
Glue it
Staple it
Tape it
Be creative and think outside the bra

WHERE TO GET NON-SEWING SUPPLIES...

Anywhere!
Op shops
Pantry
$2 shop
Nature
The wine rack... okay maybe wishful thinking on that one
I'm sure you can come up with better ideas than me for this!

WHERE TO GET FABRIC & SEWING SUPPLIES...

Spotlight120 Old Hutt Road
Kaiwharawhara
Wellington
http://www.spotlight.co.nz/

and

North City Mega Centre
9 Tutu Place
Porirua

A great range of sewing supplies, a large range of basic and fashion fabrics. If you go on the weekend go as early as possible as the lines get long and the children get loud!

The Fabric Warehouse25 Hutt Road
Pipitea
Wellington

Wonderful range of fabrics at great prices. Excellent selection of trims and elastics. These guys are very generous with their cutting. Decent range of threads. Don't expect to find your general sewing supplies here.

Global Fabrics - BLING MY BRA Sponsor!15 Garrett Street
Te Aro
Wellington
http://www.globalfabrics.co.nz/

Specialise in beautiful end of line designer fabrics. Especially great range of silk fabrics. Again, pretty good prices.

Pete's Emporium4 Lydney Place
Porirua

A treasure trove of trims, elastics, buttons and toggles at amazing prices. Small selection of basic fabrics.

Arthur ToyeThe Grand Arcade
16 Willis Street
Wellington
http://www.arthurtoyefabrics.co.nz/

Very trend focussed selection of quality fabrics, but expect to pay a bit more for it. Small selection of interesting trims.

Fabric Barn191 High Street
Lower Hutt

Reasonably good range of fabrics with some good deals to be found at the back of the store.

Golding Handcrafts - BLING MY BRA Sponsor!17 Marion Street
Wellington

and

Harbour City Centre
Lambton Quay
Wellington
http://www.goldingcraft.com/

Small range of sewing supplies, interesting trims, buttons and the like.

SherazadBNZ Centre
B1 No.1 Willis Street
Wellington
http://www.sherazad.co.nz/

Great range of beautiful silk fabrics and trims. Top of the range with prices to match.

Knit WorldShop 210b Left Bank
Cuba Mall
Wellington
www.knitworldstudio.co.nz
and

62 Queens Drive
Lower Hutt
and
The Plaza
Tawa
http://www.knitting.co.nz/

Mainly a knitting store but also sell sewing machines, buttons and zips.

Fabrics Direct97 Ghuznee Street
Wellington

A decent range of fabrics, worth a look-see.

Levana Factory ShopCambridge Street
Levin
Horowhenua
http://www.levana.co.nz/

Knit fabric seconds from their factory including merino, sweatshirting, ribbing and sports fabrics.

Happy creating!

BLING MY BRA Competition & Exhibition for Breast Cancer Action Month

2010-11-01T14:24:00.000+13:00

So, running around like a headless chooken for the last month or so has resulted in this competition - BLING MY BRA.

Decorate your bra any which way you like, be creative and make it exquisite. Experts will judge your bra and the winner will receive some great prizes including a sewing machine or overlocker from Mercury Sewing Machines.

There are also some cool prizes for the People’s Choice Award, which is decided by votes at the bra exhibition and awards presentation on 15th November. So drag along all your friends and family because the more supporters you have the more votes you’ll get!

It’s just $10 to enter and $10 for tickets to the event (if you enter a bra you get a free ticket!) and there are more prizes to win by buying $5 raffle tickets on the night.

The best thing is that 100% of the proceeds from this event will benefit The New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation’s initiatives and programmes.

See the website for details and to enter: http://www.thefashionworkshop.co.nz/BlingMyBra

It's also an event of Facebook: can't work out how to post a link directly to the event but go through http://www.facebook.com/thefashionworkshop and you'll find it :)

Ps- Please help by spreading the word!

Make your own dress form/dummy/mannequin

2010-10-15T12:04:00.000+13:00

When I was a kid I really wanted an easel to put my art paper on so I could paint like a 'real' artist. So, being completely confident in my ability to build ANYTHING myself I proceeded to build an easel out of cardboard salvaged from old boxes. As you can imagine it wasn't very successful! It wouldn't stand up on its own let alone hold the weight of a piece of paper (hey, it was the heavy watercolour kind okay!).

Luckily these days I have 2 things i didn't have at 9 - a lovely partner to build things for me, and YouTube.

Said partner built me a beautiful solid standing height patternmaking table (out of wood not cardboard boxes!), but YouTube came to the rescue when I was wondering how you would make a dress form of your own body shape if you don't already have an adjustable dress form (and you don't want to spend $300 on one).

NB: If you already have a non-adjustable dress form you can measure yourself and pin padding to your form to fill it out to your size.

Otherwise have some fun with this... They say go topless but they're wrong. You need to wear a bra because when you build your garment on your dress form you want to shape it to fit your body as you would wear it - over a bra!

And just in case you've always wanted an easel too...

Pink Ribbon Day

2010-10-09T16:16:00.000+13:00

People-watching is so much fun! Some great outfits out there Wellington :) and some very generous people with their donations for the NZBCF.

Shame about the photo. When I left home my hair was good. Then it rained. Sigh.

Invisible Zip Tutorial

2010-10-08T11:18:00.000+13:00

Invisible zips are not as hard as they look! In this tutorial you'll see how easy it is to actually insert an invisible zip into your skirt or dress. I suggest giving it a go using a medium weight cotton fabric like calico first as a trial run before attacking your garment.

If I can stress anything it would be that accuracy is probably the most important thing when sewing zips. Line up the top and the long outer edge of the zip tape with the raw edges of your fabric. Try not to use pins as these will distort the zip as you sew, instead sew slowly and use your right hand to adjust the zip as you go.

Always check that your zip is even and pucker-free after basting the zip in place but before sewing it in permanatly. If you're not happy with it just unpick and try again (hence the easily removed basting stitch!).

What's a basting stitch? Just a longer straight stitch that is easy to unpick with your snips or seam ripper :)

If your garment is slippery or stretchy you may like to fuse some lightweight interfacing onto the wrong side of the fabric where you will be stitching in the zip. This little bit of extra effort will save you having to unpick, so worth it if you're easily frustrated.

Here we go...

Girly Bow Tie Tutorial

2010-10-05T10:33:00.000+13:00

A number of people at Frank Kitts Market asked me how to make this adjustable bow tie...

So here is the 'how to' video by The Sewing Studio (they're based in Toronto). Enjoy!

Frank Kitts Market

2010-10-02T20:32:00.000+13:00

Here's a pic of our stall at Frank Kitts Fashion & Jewellery Market last weekend. Was wonderful to meet so many people interested in sewing! I knew you were out there ;)

The pink silk dress took less than half an hour to make (done at midnight the night before!). The hoodie with the fur-lined hood (fake of course) can be made in our Hoodies Workshop.

The cushions are examples of what you can achieve in the Cushion Workshop - at least three different people wanted to know if I was selling these at the market! Maybe I should take some extras next time to sell?!

Stay tuned for a special announcement of an awesome event coming up with a chance to win some great prizes... oooohaaaaaah

Why pay $50 for a cushion?

2010-09-24T11:51:00.000+12:00

There are so many options for creating great cushions. Even simply choosing the right fabric can make a fantastic cushion and completely change the look and feel of your living room. Choose a patterned fabric and it will hide any imperfections! They're surprisingly quick and easy to make and can cost less than $10 each like these ones I made yesterday...

Places are still available for the Cushion Workshop on Tuesday 5th October 8-10pm

New Ghuznee Street Studio

2010-09-21T21:16:00.000+12:00

Here are some pics of our beautiful new Ghuznee Street studio. If you do a class with us this is where it will be!