Whipstitch

Whipstitch Has Moved To A New Address!

2009-12-29T12:41:00.002-05:00

Our blog has relocated to a new URL. Please update your feeders, and we'll wait with excitement to see you over there!

Thanks a ton for sticking with us--we won't disappoint you.

The new Whipstitch blog:
http://whipstitchfabrics.com/blog

We've Moved! Er, We're Moving!

2009-12-28T15:11:00.002-05:00

As we work our way through this next week leading to 2010, I've made the big jump to move the Whipstitch blog over to WordPress. It's still in transition, but I'm thrilled to add all the new features and to create a whole new look and feel for our site. Please join us there:

http://whipstitchfabrics.com/blog

Adjust your feeders accordingly, and thanks for making the move with us!

Convo w my husband

2009-12-17T09:08:00.002-05:00

Me: I think after the New Year, I'm going to start running again. You know, like train for a 5k or something.

Him: (snort) (snicker) (cough)

Me: Um, why is that funny, exactly?

Him: Well, honey, I mean, no one trains for a 5k. That's like saying, "I'm training so I can pick up this jug of milk." It's not very far. Like, a block.

Me:

Him: Seriously. No one should have to train for a 5k.

Me:

Him: I mean, Yay! You're awesome! Woot!

Me:

Him: Love you.

Me:

Ed. Note: My husband is tremendously supportive in all things. Like the rest of us, though, occasionally he speaks before the filters kick in. Hoping the stress of the holidays isn't keeping any of us from feeling the love that the season brings!

Tomato Pincushions and the Lowly Pin

2009-12-15T09:58:00.006-05:00

I'm reading a seriously geeky-cool book right now:

It's written by an archaeologist from BU and focuses on the archaeological remains of sewing found in historical sites around the world. I'm fascinated by all of it, in the most nerdy way--right now, I'm on the chapter about pins: how they're made, when and how they were created and how they changed over time, and what they look like when found in an archaeological site. I had no idea there were so many varieties of pin heads throughout history, or that until the 1800s, pinning for sewing was the least of their uses! Apparently, clothing was all but pinned in place for most of human history, and pinning for sewing was somewhat second place.

So this morning, while eating breakfast (I only ever get to read recreationally before bed and over cereal--and yes, I am such a dweeb that learning about archaeological pin facts counts as "recreation" for me), I was learning about pin cushions and their amazing variety.

Like this puppy:

(from the Southampton City Council Archives)

This is commonly referred to as a "needle case" by archaeologists, but the author of this book points out that since the case would likely have been stuffed with a sawdust-filled cushion and used to store pins, as well, that the carved bone tube attached to a long cord would have been carried on an individual--usually a woman--for emergency pinning during the day. Say, if her veil slipped or her corset busted a string. I love that idea: that something so small is a reflection of real life, and that when we consider the Middle Ages (from which this needle case dates), I think of them as being sort of staid and dry and uninteresting, but they were filled with people who had concerns both large and small, ranging from "Will Father return from the Crusades?" all the way down to "I sure hope the wind doesn't knock my veil down!"

Considering that every pin until 1834 was MADE BY HAND, they were quite expensive, and represent a primary investment in a household, making their storage and even display a big part of daily life.

So imagine my delight this morning when I browse my reader and find this gem, from Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing:

She's taken the time to write a post about the tomato pin cushion--my all-time recommendation for pin cushions, and a classic--with some lovely factoids and great comments from readers. Thought you'd all like to check it out! (Her blog, by the way, is smart and witty and a joy to read, every day--you really might want to consider adding her to your feeder.)

Happy stitching, everyone!

Whipstitch: One of the 100 Atlanta Businesses to Know!

2009-12-14T12:26:00.005-05:00

Yesterday, in between folding laundry and dropping kids off at Youth Group, we stopped in at a book launch:

CRAVE is an organization that has been working across the country to promote women's businesses by connecting women to one another and creating a community of entrepreneurs who share a similar aesthetic and goal. As part of that, they publish books specific to cities across the country that highlight 100 businesses and offer a glimpse into who is behind each one.

I'm super proud to have been included in the Atlanta edition of this book, just out yesterday. My sweet husband came with me as we toured host shop ecoEmporium and ate yummy goodies from some of the featured vendors.

I'm so pleased with how our spread turned out, and glad to know there are dozens and dozens of other women out there--some of whom I'd never heard of until flipping through the pages of the book--who are balancing their families and their passions, and are really taking leaps of faith in starting their own businesses.

Even cooler, the book gives us the opportunity to share our ideas and inspirations and lessons learned with one another, and I've had such a good time reading what these other ladies have to say.

If you'd like a copy, they're available on the Whipstitch site--great if you're an Atlanta local, and since all the featured folks are also online, a great resource if you love indie businesses and design!

Progress is Being Made

2009-12-11T15:59:00.002-05:00

Coming along nicely! Y'all have a great weekend--I'll be here. Sewing.

Couldn't wait to dig in...

2009-12-10T09:02:00.004-05:00

When the voiles arrived night before last, I couldn't wait to dig in--I ran out the door to teach my class and had to actually tear myself away from playing and unfolding and running my hands through them.

Last night, during our staff meeting, all of us continually returned to the stack of bolts, passing our palms over the almost impossible buttery softness of this fabric. Like many retailers, I think I might've been a little concerned that when these fabrics arrived, our clients wouldn't really know what to do with them, but the honest confession is that they feel so dang good that I almost don't care: more for me! OK, not really, because we have 450 yards and that might be too much even for me (just barely), so by rights I ought to share, but I will truly, truly enjoy cutting each and every order of this fantasticness.

Voile has primarily been used as an apparel fabric, and has the most gentle, drapey hand you can imagine. It folds itself across your skin like an embrace, and every move you make caresses you. I mean it. A blouse? A summer skirt? Just imagine. Think of a long-sleeved top under a winter sweater: your secret soothing comfort to get you through awkward family gatherings. Or maybe you haven't had a nightie in a long time? Here's your chance to bust out your lace and skinny elastic and put together something really luxurious.

But Anna Maria has done all of us a tremendous service: by bringing us this coordinated collection, she's offering us a chance to bring voile far beyond the realm of clothing and into the rest of our lives. What about the simple jewelry pouch from One Yard Wonders? Such softness will take good care of your treasures. Or a lingerie bag for the washing machine? My delicates have never had it so good. Maybe a sachet for after those undies come out of the wash? What better gift for the someone who has everything?

For my part, I couldn't wait to dive in and get started:

All those other ideas will have to be put on hold, because in the car yesterday, I had an light bulb moment, and know exactly where my first cuts will be heading. Another peak tomorrow of progress made--maybe you can guess where I'm going with this? As you think it over, check out the Little Folks charm packs we've custom cut over in the Whipstitch shop!

Happy crafting, all!

Little Folks voile: It's here, it's here, it's finally here!!

2009-12-08T18:54:00.002-05:00

At 6 o'clock this evening, as the rain poured down through the light cast by the street lamps, my doorbell rang, mysteriously. Thank goodness it was my best friend, the UPS man, bringing some old friends in new clothing: the Little Folks collection from Anna Maria Horner has arrived! The dobby dots appear to be lagging behind for some reason, but the voile prints are ALL here, and will be loaded into the shop and ready for purchase tomorrow morning.

Hooray! I can't wait to dive into this collection--it's even softer and yummier and bolder and brighter in person than you've dreamed...

Modern Home Sewing

2009-12-07T11:43:00.008-05:00

Some of you know that I'm a vintage sewing book junkie. I pick them up wherever I can: flea markets, thrift stores, antique malls, online, if it's a sewing topic, it's going home with me, and the older the better.

This is one of the newest in my collection:

Published in 1953, it tackles the sticky topic of how to use the NEW, MODERN zigzag sewing machine!

I love the emphasis on creatively extending the budget with sewing around the home:
And it even includes refashioning advice--two whole chapters!
I love that vintage books don't shy away from discussing sensitive subjects, like fitting "problem areas" like a "bulging tummy."
Plenty of the content here is super useful today, too, like removing stains:
But here you see my dilemma: the binding is caput. And it's killing me. Anyone have a suggestion for where I can get this timeless beauty rebound? My preference is some kind of library service that takes the cover off and puts it all back together (rather than the Kinko's-spiral-binding option) but I'm pretty open. I want to save this gem!
A lot of this reminds me of my grandfather's family, some of whom survived the attacks on Pearl Harbor on this very day, 68 years ago. The skills they took for granted are ones we struggle to learn, and the things that we do easily would be completely foreign to them, and yet we all have plenty to talk about.

Keep in mind: some of the best sewing advice is the simplest. This book was published for an audience for whom a sewing machine with a zigzag stitch was a novelty! And yet look at all they were creating by hand. If they could do it, we can totally do it. Sew on, y'all.

Advent Calendar

2009-11-30T07:54:00.004-05:00

Growing up, my mom had this wonderful Advent calendar that came out every year right after Thanksgiving. It was entirely made of felt, and she'd put it together when I was tiny and we were living in Germany, so it had a delightfully subtle European influence. Deep blue background, with a jute braid winding up the center as the street through the center of a little town. At the top of it all, and at the end of the street, a sweet village chapel with a star burning bright above it, welcoming the arrival of Christmas. Along the sides of the street were felt houses, one for each day from December 1 through Dec 23, and pinned to one all during the month was a paper doll family--one for each of us. The family would move from house to house all month long, a different house each day, finally arriving at the chapel on Christmas Eve, beneath the shining star. Some years, when we all remembered, we'd move the family to the star itself on Christmas morning.

I loved seeing this scene replay itself each year, and it has become such a permanent part of my memories of childhood. I've been through shops and seen other Advent calendars, some good--hand carved pieces from Guatemala in one--others not so much--paper cards with a candy for each day that had creepy woodland creatures on them, some sort of Easter/Christmas mishmash. None of them, not even the bestest handmade ones, really could hold a candle to the one I grew up with. In my mind, it is larger than life, and holds so much more than the bits of felt that went into making it.

And for me, that's what handmade really comes down to: not the cache it currently holds, but the connection it creates and the past-joined-to-future aspect. I want to pass that on to my own children, and have waited entirely too long to grab the dog by the ears (as the Romans used to say) and make it happen.

If I learned nothing else from the yard upon yard of gorgeous hoarded wool that I lost to the Great Flood of 2009, it's that waiting hardly ever pays off in sewing. Do it NOW, I say.

So I am.

This week's major project: a modern re-creation of this 70s epic masterpiece. I'm thinking 3D applique on a felt background. Anyone else have suggestions? What do you do (if anything) for an Advent calendar in your house?

Hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving, and looking forward to spending the Christmas season with you!

FINAL Flood Sale, and a chance to SAVE

2009-11-19T09:47:00.006-05:00

During our FINAL Flood Sale this Sat in the shop, we're bringing in the nearly 500 yards we have left of prewashed fabrics that MUST GO to new homes to make room for incoming inventory. Some new twists to make it more interesting:

Early birds benefit! My adoring husband will be in the shop with me bright and early that morning to help set up and get all the fabric organized. We expect to arrive around 9ish. Store officially opens at 10, but ANY purchase made earlier than 10 a.m. receives 10% off! Let's get this fabric out of our studio and into your hands, people. Late risers welcome; feel free to wear your jammies, if necessary. This special discount is announced here on the blog ONLY, so feel free to Twitter/Facebook/blog it yourself to spread the word. (Or just do what I would do: bring your mom and scoop up all the best stuff for yourselves!)

During the sale, we'll be collecting canned and dry goods for donation to local food pantries. Bring one or more canned goods, and receive a FREE fat quarter all throughout the sale! Our choice (so you know it'll be yummy) and limit of one fat quarter per customer, please.

Bring 10 OR MORE canned goods to donate, and receive an ADDITIONAL 10% OFF your Whipstitch purchase during the sale. This applies to early birds, too. Plus, with a donation of 10 or more canned goods, take 10% off all December workshop registrations. Whoopee!

FYI, y'all, our goal is to SELL OUT these fabrics on Saturday. We'd love to see you be part of that! All sales AFTER 3 p.m. are 20% off the already shockingly low price of $6 per yard. Keep in mind all your yard sale training: come early for the best selection, come late for the best discounts (and hope that your dream fabric will still be there). Or follow my mother's advice: hit the sale early, take yourself around the block and out to lunch, then come back and hit it again late--it's a win-win.

Looking forward to seeing familiar friends and new faces, and planning for a thank-filled Thanksgiving for all of us.

**If you're out of town or won't be able to make it on Saturday, these fabrics are listed in the sale section of the Whipstitch shop, and are available for purchase by the yard or by custom cut through Saturday. We'll pull the listings during the sale to avoid double-selling, so feel free to pop by and grab some now while you can!

FINAL Flood Sale!

2009-11-18T10:02:00.008-05:00

We had scheduled our November Sewing Circle for tonight, but we've had to cancel the event to prep for our next big SALE:

THIS Saturday ONLY,
we'll have ALL remaining flood sale fabrics in our brick-and-mortar location for just
SIX DOLLARS A YARD!
Forgive me for all the yelling, but we've got to, got to, got to make room for all the new fabrics we have on order (can anyone say: entire Anna Maria Horner Little Folks collection??), and so these flood fabrics NEED NEW HOMES!

These are BRAND NEW, prewashed fabrics, ready to stitch. Remaining prints include (really!):
Anna Maria Horner's Good Folks
Joel Dewberry's Deer Valley
Erin Michael's Goodnight Monkey sock monkey collection
Wendy Slotboom Lily Pond
Amy Butler Midwest Modern I & II, Lotus and Belle
Alexander Henry
Kona cotton solids, madras plaids, and plenty more!

We still have nearly 500 yards of these fabrics, and they all MUST GO! We'll have them all displayed and ready to cut by the yard inside Whipstitch from 10 am to 6 pm on Saturday, November 21. Can't wait to see some of you then for the first time, and send you home loaded down with amazing deals!

Head on down to visit us, and when you're done and still in the shopping mood, browse the incredible selection inside Beehive Co-op, our host shop. Imagine: for the fewest of dollars, you can purchase ALL your fabric for your handmade gifts, and pick up some amazing local design to fill in the rest, and all BEFORE Thanksgiving. Help that turkey go down a little easier: get your holiday craft on this Saturday!

See you then, and truly, truly: thanks for ALL your support this year, y'all!

**Updated to add: See additional DISCOUNT opportunities here!

Countdown to the Holidays: New Workshops!

2009-11-17T08:03:00.000-05:00

As we gear up for the holidays, so many of us have AWESOME plans for the bestest gifts for all the folks we love. As the Big Day gets closer, most of mine get downsized or eliminated--there's just never enough time.

We've planned our December workshops with just that in mind: we're offering a series of one-night classes that focus on getting you ready for the holidays, and as we get closer to the end of December, the projects get quicker and easier, making it possible for you to jump in at the last minute and still look like a star!

Workshops include:
Men's Neckties
Embroidered Tree Ornaments
Holiday Rick Rack Attack
Festive Table Setting
Re-useable Eco-Tote (great for a gift bag, and can be used over and over!)
Freezer Paper Stencils

Come by and get your game on!

Hemming and Alterations Workshop!

2009-11-09T08:45:00.003-05:00

I was a little shocked this past week when I had nearly a whole class of my Intro Sewing students bond deeply in the first five minutes about their dislike of needing to have every single pair of pants altered--not because they don't like it, but because I (at 5' 5" and short waisted, like my grandmother Miriam) have not had this experience. Pants are often too long on me, but with my new-found love of wearing heels, I've even got a solution for that.

So I was a both surprised and envious to hear SO MANY of my students say they take each pair of pants they purchase over to the alterations shop and fork over their $30 to get them hemmed or let out. No wonder they get frustrated in the dressing room!

We've got the solution for you this week: guest instructor Marilu Poole, who teaches our hand-sewing and couture techniques classes, is offering her Hemming, Repairs and Alterations workshop this Wednesday night! She'll cover hemming jeans, letting out pants, using the invisible hem stitch on your sewing machine, hemming by hand, and correctly sewing on a button, plus basic techniques for taking in or letting out the waistband on pants and skirts. All essential skills, and all taught by someone with more than 40 years' experience sewing. I'm super bummed I can't be there, but you're in GREAT hands with Marilu, and you'll go home with plenty of hands-on experience and a written guide for working on your own later.

Class meets Wednesday, November 11 from 7-10 pm at Whipstitch. Register online or email with questions, and have fun hemming!

December Intro to Sewing (Among Other Things)

2009-11-06T16:08:00.003-05:00

I'm heading out of town on a super fun sewing trip next week, WITHOUT MY CHILDREN. That sentence has to typed in all caps, because I can hardly believe it's true. On the one hand, I miss them already and can't believe I'll be away from them for so long! On the other, as I wrote my friend the other day, I fully plan to go to the bathroom BY MYSELF and eat meals while they're STILL HOT and watch TV WHENEVER I WANT (and no Sesame Street, either).
I have a list of things to do while I'm out, though, most of them things I've put off since the flood--call me naive, but I never really thought it would take this long to get these unruly ducks back in a row. Here we are, though, with the website not updated and the blog neglected and so many new fabrics to post in the shop.

In the coming days, look for:

The Whipstitch Fabrics site to get a huge update, including all our new classes for December, January and February!
The Whipstitch Etsy shop to get a PILE of new inventory, including Rouennieres, Happy Campers, and Authentic from Moda, all of which came in these past two weeks and have been itching to be added to the shop!
New blog posts and updates, including the shamefully late update on our Sew-A-Thon and a much deserved post dedicated to our talented winner
Some truly gorgeous photos of the Sewing Retreat we took to the North Georgia Mountains (gulp) nearly a month ago
Details and photos of my trip to Ohio this week, including some tantalizing hints about what exactly I'm doing there!

I'm so excited to have the studio back up and running and have the focus and time to get back to y'all. I will go ahead and warn you now that my perfectionist side isn't going to allow me to post images of the new space yet--I still have a couple Final Touches to add (including shopping for some new art on Etsy to grace the walls of the studio!).

Thanks for being patient with us, everyone. It's good to be home.

P.S. We've added TWO December Intro to Sewing classes to the schedule, and will get you stitching away in plenty of time for holiday gifts! Check out the AM Intensive and the PM Series, and register online!

Sincerely

2009-11-02T15:37:00.002-05:00

I sincerely hope this is the busiest time in our lives. I've never felt so swamped, or had my "important" and "urgent" lists quite so looooonnnngggg.

I am sincerely grateful to announce that the construction is DONE, and that we're putting final touches on the furniture. Moving Day has arrived!

I sincerely promise that I'll post photos of our new (truly amazing) studio space soon. Once I get back from my week-long trip to Ohio to work on a project I've been anxiously anticipating for most of a year. Oh, the joy!

I sure do miss y'all. Looking forward to seeing you soon.

Sincerely,
Deborah

Fall Sewing Retreat

2009-10-08T10:51:00.003-04:00

We're coming up on just a WEEK until the Whipstitch Autumn Sewing Retreat in the North Georgia mountains, and I am SUPER excited. We're busy little bess over here, packing up orders from our flood sale and preparing to relist the fabrics we have left and list some that didn't make the first round. If you're looking for somewhere amazing to sew up all that new, freshly-laundered fabric goodness, JOIN US! We still have spaces left for the retreat. Just email deborah at whipstitchfabrics (dot) com and we'll get you all squared away!

WOW!

2009-09-29T08:27:00.002-04:00

Thank you all so much for the great response to our flood sale! Clearly $6 a yard is motivating for a lot of you, but from the messages and convos and thoughtful gestures I've received over the last few days I also know that many of you are truly happy to helps us make some space to rebuild after this flood.

The orders are flooding in (ahem), and it looks like a very busy few days coming up for us! Please be patient as we pack each order up with care and ship them off to you. We're working super fast to get these all out and on their way with our thanks!

Do leave a note and let us know how the prewashing is working for you, too: we're starting to hear that some of you would like to continue to see prewashed fabrics as an option in the shop, and we're certainly open to the idea if there's enough demand!

Thanks again, y'all. Keep those orders coming and we'll be working late into the night to get them out the door to you.

FLOOD SALE

2009-09-28T07:37:00.000-04:00

If you've been reading the blog, you already know that our studio was flooded with the crazy rains that hit Atlanta recently. Here's the short version:

It's Monday afternoon. I'm standing at the back door of my basement studio, overlooking our yard, which backs up to a creek. I get better cell reception when I'm outside, and I make a quick call to cancel my sewing class for the night--it is pouring down BUCKETS of rain at this point. Everything outside, though rainy and wet, looks normal. No flood. I hang up. It's 3:15 p.m.

At 3:40, our preschooler wakes up from her nap, and we all pile into the car to go pick up my eldest child from school--me, our three-year-old, and our one-year-old. I open the garage door and begin to pull out into the driveway. I see, to my absolute horror, that not only has the creek overflowed, but it's come up into the yard and within a foot of the garage door. I flip out a little, and pull back into the garage, intent on making sure the studio--and the fabric--is safe and secure.

Once back inside, I throw a bag of play sand at the base of the back door to block out any water, and begin to move bolts of fabric that are close to the ground. Most of our fabrics are stored on shelves, but the lowest of these is only 3" or so off the floor, so I move quickly to get those to higher ground. I reach down for a bolt of Joel Dewberry's Deer Valley, and I see water begin to move across the hardwood floors. It's coming inside.

This is where I really start to panic. My first move is to unplug all my machines: laptop, sewing machine, serger. I'm still moving fabric when I realize the water is coming in FAST. I drop what I'm doing and head to the garage, where the water is already moving up the tires on the minivan. I jump in, soaked above my ankles, and pull the van to the top of the driveway, where I put on the emergency brake before heading back inside. Like I said, I kinda panicked.

I'm on the phone with my husband, watching all this water come in our house and flood my studio, and I say, "What do I do????" He tells me, very logically, "You LEAVE. There's nothing you can do: the water is in. Just go." It's wise advice, and exactly the voice of reason I needed to hear (another reason I love him so much: he's such a good balance for me). But it breaks my heart a little to know I can't do anything. I grab my laptop, pray for the best, and hightail it outta there with my kids.

The answer to that age-old question: What would you grab if your house was on fire? My kids and my laptop, apparently.

I pick up my eldest, and head back home, uncertain of what we'll find. The good news is that by the time I get home about an hour later, the waters have receded: no standing water is always a good thing. The bad news is, I wasn't able to rescue everything.

The furniture, for the most part, is toast. Part of our basement is our family room, where our kids play while I work--one of the amazing advantages to owning a cottage business. Two sofas, an Ikea chair, rug, all pretty soggy. Let's not talk about the hardwoods and the drywall.

I had a large box of about a dozen sewing books on the floor near the back door, just in from Amazon: Anna Maria's book, a copy of Midwest Modern, Heather Ross' book, Amy Karol's. Next to these was every issue from 2008 & 2009 of Burda World of Fashion. Tucked in-between were about a dozen new Vogue patterns I'd been debating on making. All were soaked.

Two rows of fabric bolts were still on lower shelves when the water came in, and were wet on the bottom, soaking the cardboard bolt they're wrapped around.

A large box of trims--ric rac, ribbon, some silk panels my great-grandmother brought back from a trip to Asia in the 40s--had been on a lower shelf, and were wet and soggy. Some of the silks were fragile, and had dissolved inside their protective tissue paper wrapping.

My spools of thread, all sorted inside clear acrylic boxes, were swimming in an inch of water.

A box of vintage sewing patterns, in the hundreds, had washed out of the garage and was scattered across the lawn, where they lay sad and limp as my husband and our neighbors helped us begin the clean up.

Here's the good news: about two-thirds of our fabrics were totally unaffected, which is pretty unbelievable. If you've seen any of the photos of the flooding from all over Atlanta, you'll understand just how big a miracle that is all by itself. The other good news is that while another third of our inventory did get wet, almost none of it was damaged or stained--just wet. I can't even express in words how deep my gratitude was when I realized that, and how truly thankful I still am not to have lost so many fabrics I really love. With our family safe, this wasn't a tragedy by any stretch. Finding that our inventory was in good shape was a very nice added bonus, though.

It's been a LONG week, but we've taken each bolt of wet fabric and lovingly cared for it so we can still offer it to you. Really all the wet fabrics needed was a little TLC: each one has been laundered in mild detergent, tumbled dry, and gently folded. They're stacked in our temporary studio (which is to say, our living and dining rooms) and waiting to head home to someone who will love them. Now, if you ask me, PREWASHED & ready to cut and sew is pretty awesome, since I tend to want to get started with new fabric RIGHT NOW and don't want to wait for the wash cycle! We think that's a great value-add for our customers to be able to order fabric that's ready to go the minute it gets to your door. But we also feel that since the fabric isn't brand spankin' new off the bolt, the right thing to do is pass on a price break to you. Marking these fabrics down and sending them on to you also helps us to control inventory over the next 4-6 weeks while we work on demolishing and reconstructing my studio and getting things back a little closer to normal.

We'll keep making lemonade out of these lemons over here (we're working with a contractor on plans to expand the studio by moving a wall when we rebuild, and to add a large storeroom for fabric with shelves that will be 12" off the ground), and while we do, I sincerely hope you will, too! For real: take advantage of the sale and help us move these fabrics to new homes so we can rebuild and continue to bring you the amazing prints you love with the fantastic customer service we've become so proud to offer.

Thanks again to all of you who've taken the time to write and post on Facebook and Twitter as we work to restore our home. It's meant a lot to me. We're keeping it all in perspective, looking for good to come out of what seems like bad, and hoping to include you in that by passing on these sale prices to you. The sale lasts as long as these prewashed fabrics are in stock--and who knows? If prewashing is a huge hit, maybe we'll keep it in the shop as an option for new fabrics as they come in. Just let us know if you like the idea, drop by and browse the sale section, and thanks again for the loyalty and support!

Flood Management

2009-09-25T20:15:00.000-04:00

As a result of the horrendous rains all over Atlanta last week and early this week, our home was flooded on Monday evening. Like lots of cottage businesses, Whipstitch operates out of our home, so we've been working non-stop to mitigate the damage, assess inventory, and reconfigure our online shop over the next six weeks or so while the flooded portion of our home is demolished, dried-out and reconstructed. Please be patient with us!

For the time being, the Etsy shop is closed, giving us a chance to re-inventory all our fabrics and trims and adjust our listings. The shop on Peachtree is still open and operating on normal business hours. We hope to re-open our Etsy shop by Saturday, September 26 if all goes well!

Updates are coming with details of the flooding, and the reconstruction--it looks like it might be possible for us to actually improve the Whipstitch studio as a result of the loss (by moving a wall and adding a storeroom): making lemonade wherever we can!

I'll also post updates with the winner of the Sew-A-Thon, but things happening in threes the way they tend to, my laptop lost its internet connectivity (through a wholly non-flood related incident the same day), so I'm afraid that's been delayed as well.

We're sure hoping to come out the other end of this a lean, mean, fabric machine. Stick with us, and thanks to all of you for your patience and kind words!

Sew-A-Thon this Friday!

2009-09-16T07:15:00.001-04:00

You guys, I am SO excited about this Friday. We're staying up ALL NIGHT and sewing NON-STOP, and we have so much going on in the back ground!

It all starts at 7 p.m. with our Sew-A-Thon reception, a chance to meet some of the contestants, take a tour of Whipstitch and our host shop, Beehive Co-op, and have some yummy treats. At 10 p.m. the sewing begins, with all our contestants sitting down at their machines to make some magic happen.

We've been blessed with some truly generous sponsors for this event, donating everything from gift cards to jewelry to wine and food! These tempting goodies will be dangled in front of our contestants during the Sew-A-Thon itself to tempt them to abandon the chase, and the rest will be shared amongst our guests during the reception. Check out the list and their links below, and then plan on joining us on Friday night.

Beehive Co-op
Our fearless home, where you can find the most wonderful collection of local, independent design.

Lush Designs
One of my favorite jewelry designers, with her signature sentiment bangles.

Just Add Honey
The only independent tea you'll ever really love, and we'll be drinking it in all night.

Mama: Handmade Goodies for Body and Home
Fantastic candles, lotions and scents, all handmade in itty bitty batches.

Kroger
Everyone needs groceries!

My heartfelt gratitude to all our sponsors, and I hope we'll see you there for part of the night! We're stitching until only one stitcher remains. Winner gets a free berth at our Autumn Sewing Retreat. We still have THREE spots left, so if you'd like to join our Sew Champion and the rest of us in the North Georgia Mountains for some sewing and relaxation in October, we'd love to see you!

Embroidery Obsession

2009-09-08T11:13:00.005-04:00

The winner of the embroidery starter kit over on The Long Thread this past weekend has been announced, and her kit is all packed up and ready to go to its new home. Myself, I've been a little preoccupied this past Labor Day weekend. I have become a Woman Obsessed.

My second embroidery project ever:

See, our guest instructor over at Whipstitch for the embroidery workshop next week gave us a preview, and I began one project, but when it was done, I wasn't--except my order from Sublime Stitching hasn't arrived yet. The focus and relaxation from the stitching was SO unexpectedly welcome, and I was a junkie looking for a fix. And then this past weekend, football invaded.

My husband is a huge SEC football fan. HUGE. As are all his college buddies, many of whom came to our house prior to the big game at the Georgia Dome this past Saturday. I made hot wings and they drank beer. They left for the game, I cleaned. They came back, drank more beer. The next morning, I made pancakes and bacon. There was no more beer.

Through it all, I stitched. I worked on my logo in embroidery, and it soothed me. As the plays went on, I felt relaxed. As the coffee table got a little stickier, I was unperterbed. As we stayed up well past midnight, I was perfectly content.

I never knew stitching and sports went together so well.

We have ONE spot left in our Welcome to Embroidery workshop on September 16--come find your own little bit of happy!

Giveaway and Sale Code: Enjoy Your Day Off!

2009-09-04T10:36:00.007-04:00

Here's hoping the Labor Day holiday means you'll have the day off on Monday! For those of us with kids in school, I'm not sure we get the day "off," necessarily, but around here we're trying to plan a walk to the park in this nice, cool (freaky) weather we're having.

So why not celebrate a little in advance? Whipstitch has a giveaway starting today, and a new sale code, just 'cause.

Giveaway at The Long Thread
This September, we're offering a brand-new Hand Embroidery class series over at the Lounge. I'm over the moon excited about it, having succumbed to the super-hip appeal of Jenny Hart over at Sublime Stitching. I've got a skirt in the works--I can't say much until I really get it going, but man, is it gonna be GOOD.I adore my sewing, but on travel holidays like this one, always feel like I want to spend my time working on a project--but can't take my machine in the car. Hand work is a great answer for that, and embroidery is instant gratification mixed with the relaxation that comes from focusing only on one thing: the stitches. Soooo soothing.
In anticipation and excitement of the new class (and a new obsession), we're sponsoring a giveaway and Ellen over at The Long Thread has been gracious enough to host it! As part of our class, students receive a complete starter embroidery kit. Win one for yourself by hopping over to The Long Thread and leaving a comment! Let Whipstitch know what classes you'd like to see us offer, and come check out our new stitchwork options in the class listings.

**Updated to add: a couple comments on Ellen's site pointed out they're having a hard time finding supplies like these at local stores. ALL the supplies included here--including patterns from Sublime Stitching!--will be available in the shop by next week. Thanks for the comments, especially the new class suggestions, and keep 'em coming!

Sale on Be A Man fabrics through Monday
Oh, how I love these fabrics! They're tough, they're funny, they say "physical labor" to me--but only in the very best way.

Tires and bolts and wrenches.Tough-guy slogans and manly checks.
And a little touch of happy hour at the end of the day.

All Be A Man fabrics--the entire collection!--are on sale for $7 a yard through midnight Monday night, Labor Day. Use code BE A MAN at checkout!

Happy Campers: Coming Soon!

2009-08-28T14:37:00.004-04:00

Another new fabric line that I love, love, love with plenty of plaid to get me through the fall and into the cooler weather.

Happy Campers, by American Jane for Moda, which I first saw at Quilt Market in Pittsburg last spring.

Can you dig the ViewFinder quilt??

I adore the retro images, which remind me of the stories my mother tells of the trip she took with her parents and sister, driving from Florida to Yosemite and camping out in an Army surplus tent along the way.

My deep and abiding love for all things plaid is refelcted in this collection, amply.

Plus, who doesn't love a little vignette or two?

Reds, blues, greens, yellows.

I'm especially partial to the basketweave. Comes in three colors! This collection is set to be released in the next few weeks, and will be in stock in the shop.

See you then!

Sew Much Comfort: stitches for wounded vets

2009-08-25T14:08:00.005-04:00

My industrious neighbor recently sent over a quick email alerting me to the work of Sew Much Comfort, a charity organization who coordinate sewing adaptive clothing for wounded soldiers returning home.

I'd never heard of them, but a short visit to the Sew Much Comfort website gave all the details: when wounded soldiers return home, many of them have casts or IVs or other medical equipment that make wearing ordinary clothing next to impossible for them. Sew Much Comfort has a bevy of volunteer seamstresses who use the patterns and materials provided to add Velcro openings or remove seams to allow these wounded vets to put on and remove their clothing more easily, and avoid being stuck in a breezy hospital gown as they recover.

Regardless of how anyone might feel politically, making recovery more tolerable for these soldiers and airmen seems like a charity most all of us can get behind. If you'd like to get involved, find the form here to have a volunteer packet sent to you. The organization does ask you to stitch and return a sample garment to ensure the quality stays high, and then continues to provide materials for you to sew for as long as you'd like to stay involved.

I'm off to review my own packet, which arrived last week, and to be thankful that my own husband (who has twice been deployed to Iraq as a Medical Service Corp officer with the Air National Guard) has never needed the amazing help this organization offers.

Sign Up NOW for the Whipstitch Sew-A-Thon!

2009-08-24T10:42:00.007-04:00

Alrighty, folks! I've teased and dropped hints, but today's the day: the official announcement that opens registration for the Whipstitch Sew-A-Thon!

Do you have what it takes to be the last one standing or, in this case, the last one sewing? On Friday, September 18 Whipstitch hosts the first annual Sew-A-Thon, where Atlanta sewers will be challenged to continuously sew until only one remains. The stitcher who lasts the longest will be named champion and win a free trip to Whipstitch’s upcoming sewing retreat, not to mention a nifty trophy.

Our Sew-A-Thon will test the creative endurance of 10 area sewers who will be required to actively participate in some sort of sewing activity non-stop for 55 minutes out of each hour--cutting the pattern, stitching, pressing,basting, anything as long as it's working toward the completion of a sewing project. Skill? Doesn't matter if you're a super beginner! Endurance? Well, that's the key. A panel of expert judges will be on-site as long as it takes to declare a winner. Throughout the night contestants and observers will be treated to live music, snacks, and hourly specials in the shop.

The lucky and dedicated winner will be eligible to attend Whipstitch Lounge’s fall sewing retreat October 16-18 at Glen Ella Springs Inn in the gorgeous North Georgia Mountains for FREE, their reward for outlasting the competition!

The event begins at 7 p.m. Friday, September 18 with a wine and cheese reception. The sewing beings at 10pm, and sewing enthusiasts are encouraged to come throughout the night to cheer on their favorite crafty contestant!

Registration for one of the ten spots available in the Sew-A-Thon is available by emailing deborah {at} whipstitchfabrics *dot* com.

See you then!

*For more info on the retreat, or to register, see the online registration form. Only seven spots remain!

SALE this weekend: Deer Valley from Joel Dewberry

2009-08-21T19:55:00.006-04:00

Delicious Deer Valley, from the super talented Joel Dewberry for Westminster.In shades of persimmon, tarragon, and goldenrod.All on sale this weekend in the Whipstitch Etsy shop.10% off the first 5 yards of Deer Valley, and 15% off 6-10 yards. Now through Monday morning at 9 a.m.

Use code BLOGGER in the Buyer's Comments at checkout.

Patchwork Distractions

2009-08-21T11:49:00.002-04:00

I intended to finish working on these:

But I got distracted by these:

Am also wondering if I want to take a chocolate break with a chocolate lollipop given by a detergent company:

See y'all Monday!

New in the Shop: Panache by Japanese fabric designer Sanae

2009-08-19T10:11:00.005-04:00

These bolts just arrived on Monday, and I love them! I was a little hesitant based on the swatches I originally saw, and felt like I liked it but wasn't totally overwhelmed or anything. When it arrived in person, though, it grew on me almost instantaneously.Fabulous, rich shades of pomegranate and bark and sprout green.Modern swirling florals and stacked circles.
Scaled dots and coordinating tonal prints.The part I might be most excited about, though, are the twills.Bottomweight versions of the large-scale print.In three colorways, perfect for skirts to transition to fall (and back to spring). Or maybe a sassy fitted jacket?
Drop by our little fabric shop and check out the collection!

20-minute skirt tutorial

2009-08-14T08:07:00.022-04:00

Just in time for weekend sewing: The 20-minute Skirt Tutorial! After posting the quick skirt I made for our preschooler, I had some requests and emails for a tutorial, and am happy to put it together. Starring Alexander Henry's Rock-A-Bye Rhymes in pink, a new 20 minute skirt for Miss M.

Not only is this skirt super quick to put together, it also only requires a half yard of fabric, making it a fantastic stash-buster. And since the measurements are fairly loose, it can be a fantastic gift item for all those birthdays and holidays. Nearly a perfect project, for any skill level! BONUS: As we go along, I've included additional instructions for those of you who'll be using a serger, or who've just gotten one and are wondering when and where to serge. Yippee!

Lay out a half yard of fabric. Prewashing is always strongly encouraged. Trim the length of the fabric based on the height of your child. Our girl is pretty average in height for a 3-year-old, so I cut this to 15"--the length I wanted the finished skirt to be (13", long enough to end right at her kneecap) plus 1" for the waistband and 1" for the hem. Adjust your measurements accordingly.Remove your selvedges! Be a good kitteh.
Fold fabric right sides together, matching raw edges along the former selvedges. Stitch a seam using your presser foot as a seam guide, giving you approximately a 1/4" seam allowance.
Press your seam allowances open. You now have a tube of fabric with a single seam.(If you're using a serger, rather than pressing your seam allowances open, serge the seam and press the serged seam allowance to one side.)To create the casing for the waistband elastic, first fold over the upper edge about 1/4" (but remember that the measurement is pretty flexible--just fold over a little bit, OK?). Press that in place at the iron.
Then fold over again, making a casing the same size as the elastic you'll use. In this example, I'm using 3/4" elastic, so I folded over a teensy bit more than 3/4" to give myself some wiggle room.Stitch very close to the folded edge to create the casing, but leave an opening where the elastic will be inserted (skip past all the serger instructions for an image of that--it's three or four pictures down).
(If you're using a serger, you can skip all the folding and pressing. Just serge all the way around the upper edge of the tube, running back over the first stitches at the end and chaining off.)
(With a serged edge, fold over to a depth equal to the width of your elastic, plus a little--here, I've folded over an inch.)
(Stitch your casing down right on top of those serged stitches.)
When you get almost back to where you started stitching that casing down, leave an opening where you'll insert your elastic--it doesn't need to be huge, just about 1.5 fingers wide. Be sure to backtack on either end of this opening--you'll want it strong enough to withstand putting elastic in later.
At this point, I go ahead and stitch the hem. I think it's a ton easier to do it here than to do it after the elastic has been installed and the skirt is all gathered up. Create the hem almost identically to the casing for the waistband: start by folding over 1/4" on the lower edge.
Then fold another 3/4" to create a 1" hem. Press in place, nice and crisp. (Now, I should point out that you can totally create the hem on the serger the exact same way you did the waistband: serge the edge, then stitch over the serged stitches on your machine. But I think the folded-and-stitched edge on the inside of the hem looks nicer, don't you? Choose the one you prefer, and go with that.)
Stitch super close to the folded edge.
When you get back to where you started, stitch right back over where you began and backtack. Your hem is done! Easy, huh?
OK, now we put in the waistband elastic. First, cut a length of elastic the same measurement as your child's waistline. This gives you an extra inch for overlap when we stitch it closed, plus just the right amount of stretch (without squeezing little tummies).
Find the biggest safety pin you have. Most times, I use a diaper pin, but today I found a giant gold-toned one in the pin cushion--no idea where that came from, but gift horses, right?
Place the safety pin into the opening you left when you stitched the casing.
Pull the pin through, and the elastic will follow behind.
Push the safety pin along, allowing the casing fabric to bunch up as you go. (Note to self: get a manicure!)Once you've got a big ol' bubble of fabric bunched up behind the pin, pull it on out, holding the pin in place by pinching it through the fabric. Keep going all the way around the casing--your goal is to bring the pin out the other side, and drag the elastic with it.
Thanks to my friend Courtney for this little trick: to prevent the other end of the elastic from being sucked into the casing, as well, use a second (smaller) safety pin to anchor it to the seam on the outside of the casing. (Although, let's be honest, she really should get back on that blog...)
Eventually, your safety pin will come out the other side of the opening in the casing. Jubilee!
Pull out enough elastic on either end to work with it. Overlap the two ends by about 1" and pinch them together.
Stitch the two ends together forward and backward, about 3-4 times to get a good anchor going. You'll want it strong!
Once the two ends are secure, you'll have a loop of elastic outside the opening in the casing.
Pull the loop to the inside of the casing.
Stitch the opening closed, just that one little bit. Trim all your threads, both here and at the hem.
I like to add one final step: I stitch through the elastic at the side seams to prevent it from shifting and rolling over. I really, really hate it when the elastic gets all twisted inside the casing, mostly because it's super uncomfortable. In this skirt, with its one seam, I make that one seam a side seam, and stitch forward and backward through the elastic there, 3-4 times, just like when I joined the elastic ends. I do the same thing at the other side, directly across from the seam, after I've stretched the skirt out and evenly distributed the volume of the gathers. Perfect, no-shifting waistband!
And this, 20 minutes later, is the finished product.
A sweet, simple skirt that is totally adaptable and embellishable (if that's a word). Imagine it with pockets, or rick rack, or a contrast hem! So easy, so quick.
Now, before you get all, "Sure, 20 minutes for you, but not for me!" I'll grant it might not take 20 minutes the first time. But so many things in sewing are like a parabola: they get closer and closer to zero each time you do them (but never reach it). So maybe the very first time you do this it takes an hour. But the next time? It'll take half that. And the next time, you'll shave off a few more minutes, and on and on. It'll never happen instantly, but the more you do it, the more quickly you'll get it done. I believe in you!
Now get on out there, and do some dancing!

A Philosophical Moment, or Thanks for all the Bolt Love!

2009-08-10T08:14:00.003-04:00

We had SUCH a good time Friday night with all the bolts in the shop that we held it over to Saturday, and I was pleasantly, delightfully surprised by the enthusiasm from everyone who visited.

Not only did we have a steady stream of traffic, including former students checking back in and sharing news of all the amazing sewing they've been up to (plus some deeply awesome celebrity visitors--how cool are they?), it was such fun to see all our fabrics in a different setting and through everyone else's eyes. Really, what a cool weekend.

I've had a LOT of requests to do this again, and can tell you for certain that we WILL. I can't promise, however, that it'll be all the time. I don't often write this here, but one of the things I love about our space inside Beehive is it allows me to share Whipstitch while still making my family the most important thing in my life. I'd love to hang out all day with everyone who comes through the shop, but these early years while our little ones are still young are so important to me--so for now, the plan is to keep the bolts in the studio for the majority of the time, and bring them out to play every month or two. If you've got suggestions or requests, I'd love to hear from you in the comments!

As I'm waxing philosophical and pointing out the really important things in life, it's funny to notice how I feel that I've come full circle. Every five years or so, I look back on my life and I have a good laugh--you gotta laugh. Looking at all that's gone on in the past few months, all the changes and excitement and fear and anxiety and new friends and old friends, all of it--I'm actually reminded of a piece of art I did in college. If ONLY it had survived the Great Water Heater Meltdown of 1996... I took a Drawing for Non-Majors class, and wow, but did that describe me: NON-major. Drawing has never been my strong suit, and most of what I produced in there was reflective of that. But it was also the first time I had ever, ever in my life done art when no one was picking on me or correcting me or telling me it sucked, but rather saying it was OK to experiment and see what happened, and if it wasn't what I had hoped, that was OK, too. More of the Thomas Edison approach to art, and for someone who tends to be SO detail-oriented and perfectionist that I often preferred not to even try than to try and find that it wasn't what I'd hoped, it was a refreshing change.

My black-and-white pieces were seriously flawed, to put it kindly. But the first time we did color, working with oil pastels, I was deeply inspired. I remember working feverishly on the floor of my kitchen, creating a piece that was a maelstrom of darks and black and swirls of anger and hurt in the upper half of the piece, and dividing the paper with a flowing line. Below that, peaceful blues and greens and creamy whites, with a giant sea turtle floating lazily across the swells of color. In text, across the top, a Maya Angelou quote: "There are years that ask questions..." that was completed on the bottom: "And years that answer."

That drawing was such a reflection of where I was then, and I am surprised and startled and thrilled and frightened that it is so relevant to how I feel right now. I started out with Pretty Jane three years ago, and was never truly fulfilled, spent so much time thinking that it wasn't where my life was meant to lead. I find myself today feeling as though Whipstitch is EXACTLY where I am meant to go, and that I am doing just what I was created to do--that all my strengths and loves and passions and skills and experiences are just what are necessary for me to do what I am doing right this instant. What an amazing sensation, to know that for years I was asking questions, waiting--sometimes anxiously, sometimes patiently--to hear what came next. And now I am in a season where I feel total confidence and fulfillment, unexpectedly but so thankfully.

The support and encouragement from each little experiment I run at Whipstitch is confirmation of all this. It makes me so grateful for every single person who has come through the shop--virtual and on the ground--and who has taken a class or written a comment or reached out and made me feel welcome. Thanks again for all the continued and amazing love and support, everyone. You make Whipstitch such a very cool place to be!

Bolts in the Shop TONIGHT 6 to midnight!

2009-08-07T07:25:00.001-04:00

Tonight, we're trying an experiment. Whipstitch is a stitch lounge, in a dedicated space inside Beehive Co-op. Our square footage, and my commitment to my family, prevent me from keeping all 450+ bolts of our fabrics in the shop all the time. Instead, I've developed the concept of stocking precut yards, half yards, fat quarters, and bundles in the shop, and delivering continuous yardage on demand. You see what you love in the shop? Let me know, and I'll have it in the store or in the mail within 24 hours!There are times, though, when each of us would prefer to have our gratification NOW. With folks beginning to think about handmade holiday gifts, and with school going back next week around here, now seems like a peak time to start stocking up for all the projects we have in the works.So this Friday, August 7, I'm loading up every last one of our bolts and filling the shop to the rafters with fabric! We'll have wine and music, snacks and good company, and we'll be cutting your fabric right there on the spot for you to take home with you.
Come join us, and introduce yourself! I've been so fortunate to get to "know" lots of my Whipstitch customers online, and I'm always excited when I finally meet them in person. Come visit for a bit, and let us get to know you while you browse and explore and fall in love with our fabrics in person.See you then!

Coast-to-Coast III: One Down, Two to Go!

2009-08-06T08:02:00.000-04:00

Dear Dana,

I absolutely ADORE the suit you finished for Goose! Super cute, and so motivating for me--I can't slack off now, since you've already got results! I did have a realization, though, that once I'd stitched my suit, I'll have to *gulp* try it on, and I'm thinking today's not the day. So I did a little side-trip to the least threatening (meaning: most forgiving) of the three suits I have planned: Miss M's, our three-year-old.

She is thrilled, beyond all measure. I like the overall shape, which I drafted as you did: Sharpie and guts. This might be as close as my pattern-loving heart ever gets to bungee jumping, but I felt so rebellious and unfettered!

I used my machine's stretch zigzag stitch for the major seams

and then finished them off with the serger.

My copy of Fabric Savvy recommends using wooly nylon in the loopers with the serger, but I used our regular thread and it seems to have retained the necessary stretch. I'm not super certain what the wooly nylon is meant to achieve--do you have any idea? I've never used it before, but have a few spools I inherited from Sandra, so obviously it's something used by Those In The Know.

Elastic: I went with standard elastic, right out of the stash. I love that you had no trouble finding the good stuff, but when faced with a whole other trip to the store with three kids in tow, I determined that our swimming in the lake and at the beach, with the occasional Slip-N-Slide (like today) was unlikely to dissolve the standard elastic before she outgrows this suit. Since it's sort of a prototype anyway, I'm hoping my laziness works out for us!

The straps are constructed of two strips of the same fabric, folded in on the edges and folded again. They seem to have plenty of stretch and the fit was pretty simple to adjust.

Next time, I'm thinking an adorable ruffle or maybe some kind of pleating. I love what Su did on hers, and can totally see a girly detail like that for these dots.

Things that worked:

Rather than making casings for the elastic, I stitched it on the inside and then folded it over, and stitched again. This is how I used to do my diaper covers, and it's always worked great.
I finished with a twin needle, which I hadn't used before, and am really happy with how professional it makes everything look.
Following the curve on the template swimsuit gave a nice shape to the back--her last suit fit like a sack, and I wanted this one to follow her body a little better, mostly so there would be fewer places for sand to hide. Seems to have worked well!

Things I'm planning to improve for the Beta version:

The original suit has a little gathering at the neckline that I didn't gauge accurately, so the new one gapes just the teensiest bit there, but overall I'm super pleased with the results. The gape at the neckline really bothers me, even if she doesn't care at all. I think a ruffle there would help, but I'd also like to give the elastic a little more stretch.
I took WAY too few step-by-step photos. Am already planning out the suit for our teen, so I'll be better behaved on hers!

Looking forward to seeing what you're cooking up for yourself! The weather here is scorching, so I'd best be getting busy on my own. The girls begged and begged me to join them under the hose as we were taking photos, and I was sorely tempted. Once I've got my sassy new suit, I won't have a reason to say no!

Talk to you soon,
Deb

Vintage Thread Cards

2009-08-04T11:52:00.003-04:00

My wonderful neighbor across the street discovered these vintage thread cards in her grandmother's stash and thought of me. I love the images, the colors, the texture of them. Mostly, though, I think I'm drawn to the text on the back:

It has never occurred to me in this world of luxury and technologicaal advancement to be concerned with whether or not my thread is going to fade or bleed into my fabric. I do think occasionally about whether or not a cotton thread will stand the test of time, or if my bleach will eat a polyester thread to little bits, but I'm deliciously free of having to worry about my black thread being "fast." I'm so busy hoping my children won't be...
Like that first one? Then this second one takes the cake:
If only we all still spoke this way, and "desired to call special attention" to the little things that most affect our day. Imagine toiling over a sewing project, putting your soul into it, stitching it up BY HAND, only to have it ruined when it's laundered. Plus, you can't simply run out and replace that ruined garment: you must WEAR it, and your heart breaks a little each time. I would want to call special attention to anything that would spare me that tiny heartache each day. Wouldn't you?

Autumn Sewing Retreat Registration Available Online!

2009-08-03T08:35:00.001-04:00

Wow, y'all. I am so excited at the fantastic response we've been getting for our Autumn Sewing Retreat. The registration form is now available in PDF format for download. Please grab and print and as always, ask questions if necessary!

We've got 14 spots at the Inn total. As of Aug 1, we have seven spots remaining. Your best bet is to email me by writing deborah [at!] whipstitchfabrics (!dot) com first to confirm that a space is still open and to claim it in your name. Spaces claimed in this way will be held for 7 days, awaiting the arrival of your registration and payment, either by check, money order, or PayPal.

I can't even tell you how thrilled I am as I look forward to this event. I stopped and talked to a former student the other day (who has become a good friend) and she said she realized the other day it had been nearly seven years since she'd gone away, just her and the girls, no kids, no husband. I thought it over and I'm pretty sure it's been FOURTEEN for me. Ack! So, you know, I pretty much need this retreat as much as anyone. The guest list so far is excellent, and I can personally assure you that you will find yourselves in top-quality company. Keep in mind that high-level sewing skills are NOT required, and that we'd love to see you no matter how long you've been sewing! That's all part of the fun. We're thinking of this trip as our Sewing Circle on the road.

See you then, and happy stitching!

Coast-to-Coast: Sewing Swimwear, Part II

2009-07-27T08:39:00.003-04:00

Dear Dana,

OK, I am so envious that you had the foresight to order solids from Spandex World. Might have to get myself back over there and consider some options to do some sort of colorblock action... So chic, right?

I saw you mentioned needles. I've been doing some reading (consummate researcher, that's me!), and Sandra Betzina recommends the ball point needles for Nylon/Lycra blends--she says the stretch aren't as good. (I have a copy of Fabric Savvy and it's SO useful for this kind of thing.) I'm thinking I'll have both on hand and see which I prefer, but hopefully the ball points will do the trick.

Since I was already in research mode, I went out today looking for patterns. I'd love to make my own, but I feel pretty sure the wise course of action might be to construct something from a pattern first before winging it. Harks back to my archaeologist/measure-twice-cut-once days, y'know? I envy you that you jump in and see what happens--I would love to do that more often.

A rabbit hole search led me to Kwik Sew patterns for active wear--not really what I had in mind, but a start. Another led me to their swimwear patterns, which were more along the lines I envisioned.

Someone else recommended Stretch and Sew, which were OK too, but by this point, I was feeling inspired and impatient, so I went ahead and just dove right in. I know! I was pretty surprised too, but this whole project just has me so darn motivated.

I used a suit whose dimensions fit me well--everything I've read has said that the body length is the most important dimension to get right, since the fabric will stretch side-to-side.

I laid it out on some art paper I snaked from the kids, made a sketch, added seam allowances, and felt totally ready.

Somewhere along the way I read a hint to tape down the fabric, and I gotta say, it was totally right on the money--HUGE help when I got the rotary cutter going and started cutting.

So here's where I am now:

Just the one at the moment, since the girls both took theirs out of town with them. I'm planning to stitch this one up and check the fit to see if my methodology holds water (hey, look at that! an archaeology reference AND a swimming pun! in the same sentence!), and then tackle the other two.

Are you wondering about elastic like I am? I've seen plenty of folks mention using swimsuit elastic, and others who say it doesn't make a difference and the regular stuff is just fine. Call me crazy, but I don't really want to do casings--what if we use fold-over elastic, instead??

Oh, we're so close. I can feel it. But you ever notice that most of the mistakes in sewing happen riiiiight when you start to think, "Hey, this is going really well! I'm making such great progress! I'll be done so much sooner than I thought!"? Ever notice that? And then your bobbin runs out.

Can't wait to see what you're doing on your side of the Americas!
Deborah

Double Gauze Surprise!

2009-07-22T08:56:00.004-04:00

The girls are off at their grandparents' this week, giving me time to work on some top secret projects (more details soon!). I wanted to have a little something to surprise them with when they return home, though, so I whipped up one of my favorite 20 minute projects: a girls' elastic waist skirt.
This one is for our three-year-old, and takes just 1/2 yard of fabric and truly only 20 minutes. I went with one of Heather Ross' Far, Far Away prints, snails in blue and orange. The weather is still hot, and the double gauze of this print is the perfect weight to get us through the last days of sweaty as we look forward to fall!

For more double gauze prints, check the Whipstitch Shop. Happy stitching!

Series: The Anthropology of Sewing; Part I: The Craft Gap

2009-07-21T08:30:00.002-04:00

During my interview with Fox-5's Good Day Atlanta, I mentioned The Craft Gap. It's my theory of why crafting--and sewing specifically--seems to suddenly be everywhere all the time: blogs, the news, street fairs, online shops, all over.

Sewing has always been around. In my former life as an archaeologist, I spent plenty of time looking at the physical evidence--material culture, we called it--of the lives women lived in the the past. This has always included sewing implements: needles, awls, hooks, pins. So the perception that sewing is new is false. But it feels so new, so NOW--why is that? And what has caused sewing and craft to suddenly become the hip thing to do?

My hypothesis is that we're witness to the crest of a generation who didn't have crafting and sewing as a central part of their experience. I call it the Craft Gap. Born anywhere from, say, 1965 to 1990 or so, we didn't have sewing presented to us as a viable, valuable outlet for creativity. Now, I'm not saying NO ONE born in those years ever learned to sew--obviously that's not the case, or I wouldn't be sewing today. I am saying, though, that there was a distinctly different attitude toward sewing after 1965ish than there had been in the past. 4-H programs were fewer in number, Home Ec classes were disappearing all over, and fewer moms and grandmothers were passing on their skills, either because they were less involved in sewing themselves, or because we were less interested in picking up a craft that was increasingly viewed as dowdy and out-of-touch.

What this has left us with is a whole generation--mostly of women, but certainly of men, too--who don't have the background and the years of experience that our predecessors did. And there seems to be some part of us that misses it.

These days, as I teach sewing classes, I see student after student come through and repeat these same ideas to me: I always wanted to learn but never knew where to go; my mom/grandmother/aunt wanted to teach me and I wasn't interested; I took home ec, but haven't done it in so long that I feel like I don't remember anything. And all of us--me included--have this sense that there is a richness lacking from our day-to-day lives as a result, that having this creative outlet and challenge and inspiration and accomplishment would make us feel more satisfied and connected and a part of something lasting and bigger.

I'm looking to explore in this series of blog posts some of the really big questions, the answers to which I hope will support my Craft Gap hypothesis:

who?
why now?
can it really be a resurgence if it never went anywhere??
how is modern sewing a reflection of a change in design aesthetics over the past 40 years? and where does "crafting" fit into the current interest in "design"?
where to next??

I'd love, love, love to hear your input as I go along, and answers to the inevitable questions that come about from asking these kinds of questions in the first place.

To start with, what made YOU want to learn to sew? Leave your answer in the comments, and a randomly selected comment will receive a coupon code for free shipping in the Whipstitch Etsy shop!

Autumn Sewing Retreat in the North Georgia Mountains

2009-07-20T08:03:00.007-04:00

I am over the MOON with excitement to announce our newest venture: a fall sewing retreat at an inn in the North Georgia mountains! Long strolls through the autumn leaves, cool breezes, a sweet bed-and-breakfast on a secluded seventeen acres, and the run of the place as we sew, sew, sew!

The Glen-Ella Springs Inn is located in Clarkesville, about 90 minutes north of Atlanta in the foothills of the Appalachians. It is the most beautiful place, tucked away on its own estate, and frequently booked for weddings and events. It has received piles of awards as a top place to stay in the Blue Ridge, and is frequently noted as one of the best dining establishments in all of Georgia--I mean, really good food. The setting is idyllic, and the staff are extraordinarily lovely. I've managed to snag it for a full weekend in October, the perfect time in this part of the world to experience the autumn weather and the amazing colors of the trees in the Georgia mountains.

We'll all meet at the Inn on Friday by 4 p.m., and enjoy the hospitality of the amazing staff until Sunday after lunch. Registration includes a double-occupancy room; ALL meals, snacks and continuous beverage service; a picnic hike to the falls on Saturday (or you can drive and meet us there, if you'd prefer); nearly 20 hours of sewing workshops; and yummy goodies and surprises throughout the weekend!

Dates: Friday, October 16-Sunday, October 18, 2009
Capacity: We have room at the Inn for 12 stitchers; all rooms are double occupancy
Skill level: ALL skill levels welcome! We won't be offering our Intro Sewing series this weekend, but we'll have plenty of workshops available that will suit you no matter how much experience you have.
Cost: $495 before August 14; $535 August 15-October 10 (or when spaces are full)

This will be the first ever location workshop Whipstitch has done, and I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am about it. I enjoy our monthly Sewing Circle, Sip-and-Stitch, more than I can say, and have met SUCH wonderful people there. I'm looking forward to enjoying this beautiful location and lots and lots of sewing with all of you!

I'm currently working on a downloadable registration form. Until then, please email me if you'd like to go ahead and snag one of the 12 spots we have available:
deborah (at) whipstitchfabrics (dot!) com

And stay tuned in the coming weeks to hear how you could compete to WIN a free spot! You heard me: COMPETE. Details coming in early August!

WEEKEND SALE: Amy Butler Fabrics 10% off!

2009-07-18T08:57:00.002-04:00

All this weekend, until midnight MONDAY night (a three day weekend, if you will), all our Amy Butler fabrics in stock are an additional 10% off the very low price of $7.50 per yard! Use code THREEDAYWEEKEND at checkout, and stock up--many of these designs are in their last printing and will no longer be available once they're gone.

Happy stitching, everyone!

Coast-to-Coast: A Swimwear Sew-along

2009-07-16T08:02:00.002-04:00

Dear Dana,

First, I owe you a huge thank-you: I'm not convinced I ever would've found Spandex World without you, and I think NOT knowing that a business under that name was out there in the world would've made my life emptier. I mean: Spandex World? How great is that? Second, can I even tell you how excited I am about this project?? Sewing side-by-side (virtually speaking) is going to be so much funner than going it alone. Being able to blog it back and forth, a la Mason-Dixon Knitting, makes it even more enjoyable for me, too, what with my blogland addiction and all. We're, like, bi-coastal bloggers now!

I feel like we're jumping in with the varsity stuff, too, in a good way. I mean, swimwear? My mom used to tell me she made her own swimsuits when she was in college, and it took me years to shake the image of her in woolens from wrist to ankle, with a rubber swim cap. When I finally saw a photo of her--looking disturbingly hot, I should add--on the beach with my dad, in a hipster bikini she'd made herself, I had to throw that initial image out the window, but still never really thought making my own swimwear was something I was likely to tackle. But I think you and I both know that--especially for our girls--what's out there in the stores is sub-par, to say the least. And sometimes downright trampy. I kid you not, I saw a one-piece in a size 3T the other day with a looooooow back and cut-outs on the side. To make it what, sexier?? Yikes.

So that late night when you and I were emailing back-and-forth and you told me you were thinking you might try making Goose a swimsuit, I was instantly intrigued and wanted to hop on that bandwagon. Lucky for us, we both live in climates where we can start on these in July and be fairly certain we'll still be wearing them four months from now!

I went on Spandex World and browsed and browsed, and finally narrowed down my selections--well, narrowed them down by my standards: I still ordered 10 different fabrics, plus lining. I had the girls pick out the ones they like best:

For Miss M, who will be 3 this week:

And for Miss E, who just turned 14:

For myself, I'm thinking this one:

Truthfully, I thought solids looked pretty dull at the time, so now I'm wishing I'd gotten some black. Every girl needs a black bathing suit.

Who knows? Maybe we'll all get more than one! Totally dependent on the Swear Factor involved, of course, but I like to think positive.

I think the best part is that I won't have to go through the whole learning curve all on my own. I mean, I know you're all the way over on the whole other coast of America from me, but I love having someone to share the mystery and fun of learning something new! I've never worked with Spandex or Lycra before, so I suspect I'd've put it off and off and off if I didn't have you to help me get past the initial hesitation. Hooray! Can't wait to see what fabrics you picked out--am totally bummed that the red skulls were gone by the time I placed my order (E had her teenager heart set on them!).

Hoping your machine is fully recovered from its trip to the doctor, and crazy excited to see how this whole experiment goes!
Deborah

Giveaway Winners!

2009-06-30T10:37:00.005-04:00

OK, am recovering from the craziness of the last week (ten days??) and am delighted to announce the WINNERS of last week's giveaways!

First, as part of the Grand Opening of our Atlanta sewing lounge, we had a thread drive. Our lucky winner: Theresa! Congratulations, and come by any time to fetch your $50 gift card good for classes or product in the Whipstitch shop.

Next, we have TWO winners from our Vintage Pattern giveaway with MOMSPatterns. You each receive a $10 gift card to MOMSPatterns, and a $20 credit in the Whipstitch shop (either our Atlanta fabric shop or our Etsy store). I can't wait to see what each of you will make!

Our first winner is from the random drawing:
Jessica said...
I LOVE this Simplicity 8262 Tunic top!
http://momspatterns.com/inc/sdetail/35220

For the fabric, I'd make it out of Trees in Cream by Alice Bradley.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26912289

This is fun, thanks for the giveaway!

Our second winner is the Judges' Choice for most creative combination of fabric and pattern:
epban said...
I would pick Simplicity 9204 the 70's Classic Mod Peekaboo Dress in the 70's inspired Mingle by Monaluna Bead curtain in summer (hate to admit I went to college in the 70's!!!)

BIG congratulations to all of you ladies! Please contact me directly at deborah (at) whipstitchfabrics !dot! com and I'll reply with your gift codes!

Hope the rest of you are all having a GREAT day today, and stitching up a storm.

Whipstitch Lounge Featured on Good Day Atlanta

2009-06-29T09:59:00.004-04:00

You guys. What a fun morning. The kind folks from Good Day Atlanta came by the shop today and featured us for two straight hours on their morning show. Check out the video, and come by to visit!

See you soon!

Whipstitch Featured on FOX5 Atlanta Tomorrow!

2009-06-28T20:18:00.002-04:00

I really ought to be in bed right now. Seriously. I have to be up and looking my very prettiest at 6.30 in the morning.

Why, you ask?

The Good Day Atlanta team from FOX-5 is shooting their entire show from the brand-spanking new Whipstitch Lounge in the morning. All two hours of it.

I know, right? How cool is that? We've got a pile of media coverage, mostly because there's all this talk about the "new" craft movement. I get to talk about the Craft Gap (more on that tomorrow in a separate post--it's my pet Anthropology of Sewing hypothesis of the moment), the fabric lines that are in the shop and on their way, all the classes and workshops going on at Whipstitch, and how much fun I'm having. Plus, four of my intrepid students are joining me at that unnatural hour (out of the sheer goodness of their hearts, I might add) to demonstrate our monthly sewing circle. I'm thinking it won't be BYOB like it usually is, though.

Check back Monday afternoon for a link to the video, or watch in the morning, locals: FOX-5 from 7-9 a.m.

Whipstitch Lounge at Beehive GRAND OPENING WEEKEND!

2009-06-24T11:37:00.005-04:00

Join us this weekend for all the fun events, demonstrations, and giveaways. Looking forward to seeing you there!

FYI, parking is FREE for the first hour in the lot behind the shop, off Palisades Rd.

TWO giveaways this week!

2009-06-22T13:01:00.004-04:00

Whipstitch, leading up to the mega-huge launch of our new Atlanta sewing lounge, is running not one but TWO giveaways this week!

We've got MOMSPatterns, co-hosting our vintage pattern giveaway. Leave your comment and get your name in the hat to win $10 in vintage patterns and $20 in fabric!

We're also wrapping up our June Thread Drive, as we fill up our gum ball machine with spools of unwanted thread, all for the chance to win $50 in product or classes next Sunday, during our Grand Opening Festivities.

Visit Whipstitch.com to learn more about the Grand Opening weekend, and come by if you can--but until then, win yourself some free goodies!

Vintage Pattern Giveaway with MOMSPatterns!

2009-06-18T20:05:00.008-04:00

I, personally, just me, own over 1000 patterns. It's a sickness. A whole, huge bunch of them are the result of the Good Old Days when Jo-Ann would put their patterns on 99 cent sale every month; it seemed RUDE to leave something behind at that price, even if I only kinda liked it. Then, I started finding them at flea markets and thrift stores and street fairs. What really pushed me over the hump into the four figures was when my mother passed along her stash and added a solid 300+ to the total. Ouch.

This summer, my teen is home and looking for ways to earn some pocket cash (if she gets over $1000 this summer, she gets to buy another pet, in addition to the lizard she already owns; don't laugh: last summer she banked a cool $1500 from babysitting alone). I offered to give her some tedious, busy-work jobs around the studio to help me tame my mess, and one of those is conquering the pattern clutter, like Kristy over at Lower Your Presser Foot did.

It occurs to me, at the beginning of this project of having her scan all my pattern envelopes into the computer so I can browse my own collection without having to leave my chair (oh, heaven!) that I could very well find a number of patterns that I don't care for any longer and could just get RID of, already. The likelihood is low, I'll grant, but it's POSSIBLE. And allowing for that potential allows me to dream of replacing those patterns--what's the good of breaking into the four figure range of pattern ownership if one cannot STAY there, you dig?
That's where Jen over at MOMSPatterns comes in.

Unbeatable selection. Impeccable service. Delightful personality. My absolute go-to source for all kinds of yummy vintage pattern goodness (and the most insanely fast ship times). And today? She's giving stuff away.
You heard me.

VINTAGE PATTERN GIVEAWAY FROM MOM'S PATTERNS

For the next week, you'll each get to join me in drooling over Jen's luscious collection--with the chance of winning $10 worth of patterns AND $20 worth of fabric for yourself!

Here's how it'll work:

Hop on over to the MOMSPatterns shop, and browse her collection of amazingly cool vintage sewing patterns. Choose one you truly adore. Then, head over to the Whipstitch Etsy shop and find some equally cool fabric to pair with your pattern--hypothetically, of course. Come back here and leave a comment with the pattern you've chosen and the fabric you'd make it out of, plus any other juicy details that might make us think yours is the best. (Keep in mind, you're not locked into your selections, and if you win, can choose whatever you like!) Next Thursday, I will choose two winners (sort of like last week when I asked you to create your own fat quarter bundle over on The Fabric Shopper): one winner will be our selection for the most inspired pairing of fabric and pattern, and the other will be drawn randomly.

You're not in the least locked into your selections in the comments, either, and are welcome to use your prize for anything in the shop. Winners will receive discount codes allowing them to apply their prize to their next purchase (excluding shipping, of course). And if you were to, say, successfully stitch your pattern and fabric, I'd be overjoyed to feature you here on the blog, too, so there's that. More motivation (as if you needed any).

Well? What are you still doing here? Get going, and make some fantasies!

Want an extra chance to win? Do one or more of these:

Twitter a link to this contest, then come back and leave a comment saying you did
Follow this blog, then leave a comment saying you did
Blog this contest on your own blog, then come back and leave a link (I really love discovering new blogs this way!)
Write on your Facebook wall with a link, then come back and let us know in the comments
Stumble/Digg/Kirtsy this and come back to let us know in the comments

Contest ends Thursday, June 25 at 10 p.m. Winners announced during the Grand Opening weekend of our Atlanta sewing lounge!

Daily Candy Love!

2009-06-16T18:53:00.002-04:00

I'm not usually an OMG knda girl, but Oh. Em. Gee. Y'all, for real. Whipstitch is featured today in the Atlanta Daily Candy, here on the eve of our big Grand Opening Weekend. How cool is that??

Hoping to see you all in the shop, June 26th through 28th for piles of demonstrations, prizes, and giveaways!

ATLANTA | June 16, 2009

Get to the Point
Whipstitch Fabrics and Sewing Lounge Opens

Gingham. Florals. Paisley. Checks. Noticing a pattern yet?

You won’t be able to resist when you hit new Whipstitch Lounge at Beehive.

The mini boutique at Beehive Co-Op houses more than 500 chic fabrics and hosts classes by sewer/owner Deborah Moebes. (She earned a design rep for trimmings that sold just as quickly as her apparel.)

Stop by for yards, half yards, and cute-as-a-button sewing kits that Moebes finishes by hand with ribbon. Classes are more cool than quilty: Think women’s collared blouses and pencil skirts versus oven mitts and cat sweaters.

Moebes prides herself on sourcing rare picks from NYC to Japan to keep stylish crafters coming back for more.

After all, you reap what you sew.

Whipstitch Lounge at Beehive, 1831a Peachtree Road, Buckhead (404-351-1166 or whipstichfabrics.com). Grand opening, June 26-28. Fri. & Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m; Sun., 1-5 p.m.

Giveaway: Design A Fat Quarter Bundle!

2009-06-08T14:11:00.003-04:00

This week, we're delighted to host a giveaway over at The Fabric Shopper.

Hop on over and select up to 12 fabrics from the Whipstitch Shop to put together into a bundle. Imagine: spring fabrics, or animal fabrics, or a bundle called "To The Moon, Alice" that's all 50s-era space fabrics. Be super creative--one winner will be drawn randomly from all entries, but the other will be selected as the "most creative bundle" and will not only win their bundle but have it added to the Whipstitch Etsy shop!

Leave comments on The Fabric Shopper to win, now through June 14.

Happy bundling!

June Thread Contest

2009-06-05T20:43:00.005-04:00

Hey, everyone! Over at our Buckhead Whipstitch location, we're ushering in the hot weather with a swell promotion and a chance for you to win a $50 gift card, good for Whipstitch products and classes!

We're filling up a gumball machine with spools of thread, for permanent display in the shop. Now, everyone has at least a dozen spools lying around, half used up, in odd colors, ones you bought for that ONE project but will never use again. Rather than letting them gather dust, let them work for you! Every spool of thread that gets donated to our gumball machine gets a cozy little yard sale sticker with a number on it--your number! At the end of the month, or when the machine is stuffed as full as it'll get, we draw one spool of thread, and the winning number receives a $50 gift card to the Whipstitch shop. Easy, peasy, lemon squeezy.

Drop your spools off at our Buckhead location, inside Beehive Co-op. Can't wait to see that machine spilling over! If I could put my vision for Whipstitch into words, I'd say I want it to feel like a candy shop for fabric. This'll get us on our way!

Invisible Zipper Tutorial

2009-06-03T14:55:00.003-04:00

Over at Clever Nesting, Whipstitch has a new (and pretty solid, I might add) invisible zipper tutorial, complete with numerous photos. Thanks again to Devona and Colleen for allowing me to sponsor for the week!

Featured this Week on CleverNesting!

2009-05-26T14:21:00.004-04:00

This week, we at Whipstitch are proud to sponsor CleverNesting.com, a delightful site dedicated to locating yummy crafty goodness for you and your home.

Check out their truly clever Paper Poppies tutorial (pictured above) and one of my favorites, the Recycled archives, for super cool tips for reusing what you already have!

Check back with them later this week for a Whipstitch guest tutorial: invisible zippers!

SALE ALERT: Anna Maria's Good Folks 15% off!

2009-05-22T10:05:00.002-04:00

If you live anywhere but the South, it may seem totally foreign to you that today marks the beginning of our Summer Vacation. That's right: the kids are out of school. It gets so super hot here come August that no one can even bear to be outside in the breathless air, and the lethargy is so intense by then that only air conditioning can allay the ugly effects of triple-digit heat. In May, though? It's gorgeous, just gorgeous. So most of our school systems, in their infinite wisdom, have the kiddos getting released for their holidays by Memorial Day weekend.

In honor of this thrilling transition to days of lemonade and picnics and walks to the park and clay creatures and painting outdoors on the easel and sundresses and cookouts and all the rest, Whipstitch is putting the perfect celebratory fabrics on SALE: Anna Maria's Good Folks, her collection of cottons with prints that evoke all those delicious moments of happiness and family.

The entire collection--including bundles!--is 15% off over at Whipstitch Etsy from now through the end of May. Just add code VACATION in the Buyer's Comments at checkout and we'll refund your discount, or ask for a custom listing and we'll calculate it in advance! And fear not: we still have yardage of ALL the Good Folks prints in stock; if you don't see the one you're looking for, just drop us a note and we'll get you all squared away.

Oh, and another sale to tempt you: any purchase through the end of May for $50 or more is gets a FREE HALF YARD of your choice* with the same code: VACATION.

Please remember the postal holiday over the long weekend, by the way, and know we'll get orders out first thing Tuesday when the Post Office is open again for business.

Have a great summer, y'all!

Oh, and congratulations go out to Anna Maria and family on the recent addition of baby #6!

*except Japanese double gauze

2009 Quilt Market, Pittsburgh: Part II (Mom Weighs In)

2009-05-21T08:37:00.003-04:00

Guest posting today: my mom. Quilt Market is a professional trade show, and as such, does not permit children on the floor of the convention center. While part of me--the part that spends all day long working in the same room while my children are playing--thought that was a little harsh, another part thought it wise, and after spending two days on that floor alone, I'm deeply grateful for the focus it allowed me. In order to make the trip with a nursing infant, though, I needed said infant to come along. Enter: my mother, who when asked if she'd like to accompany us replied, "That's like inviting an alcoholic to beerfest." Um, so, that's a yes??

Below, Mom guest posts on her impressions of Quilt Market, her perspective as a veteran children's clothing designer and fabric hound, and as...well...my mother. I swear, I did not put her up to saying any of this stuff (but I did tear up a bit when I read it). Thanks, Mom!

It’s been six years since I attended a major fabric show, so I felt like a time-traveler. My custom children’s clothing business, Heidi Kidwear, was named after Deborah’s baby sister, and consumed my life for 13 years. I used to attend the semi-annual Southeastern Fabric and Notions Show at the Georgia Convention Center in Atlanta and can remember vividly how terrified I was making those first buys. I think I bought a SINGLE BOLT of fabric (wonderful corn-on-the-cob print from Alexander Henry) on my first visit and just prayed I’d be able to sell it all. I’m amazed how composed Deborah is when purchasing a gazillion yards of fabric, but then she is more strategic in her business thinking than I EVER was. Heck, I HAD a philosophy, just never thought of expressing it in those terms.

After rambling through the show last weekend, whizzing past those booths I thought dowdy/tacky/unworthy, I was really impressed by 6 or so businesses that were truly modern, yet embodied a retro appeal--Oliver + S and Indygo Junction stand out as pattern companies whose style I admired. As for the fabrics, Deborah and I looked at the collections she was considering, and I was most surprised by how little we disagreed: Happy Campers from Moda, the Rouennieres collection from the French General, Space: the New Frontier from Benartex, Red Letter Day from Lizzy House, the Riley collection by Anna Griffin, all fantastic. We loved the same colors, prints, textures and hated the same ones, too! Even though my Heidi Kidwear designs were nostalgic and used fabrics which evoked my own childhood--lots of cowboys and 50’s references – the only real difference between Deborah and me is the Japanese graphic prints she loves so much [Ed. note: she just hasn't seen the right ones--fear not, Gentle Reader, I'll correct this at fall Quilt Market in Houston!].

I left the convention hall in Pittsburgh full of images and feeling somewhat guilty because, while I had seen some ideas that were very appealing, I simply have not been putting any of that inspiration into practice these past years since I left design. Thirteen years of a basement business, 24/7, being the janitor and CEO all rolled into one had taken a toll and sucked up that creative impulse. Do I still design and sew? Well, yes, but mostly for my home, virtually nothing for myself or even my four grandchildren. Do I miss it? I miss my clients, I miss the rush of having created a fresh design, but certainly DON’T miss the pressure of delivery deadlines! This trip was a wonderful inspiration to begin pursuing crafty endeavors again, for myself this time, and that was an unexpected plus.

I’m unbelievably proud of Deborah’s savvy and entrepreneurial spirit, but unsurprised by her success. When she was a theater major at Florida State her favorite class was wardrobe design and execution. And she has some powerful women in her family who, “back in the day," were doing exactly what she is working on now: two great-grandmothers who were great designers/crafters, two grandmothers who are gifted in widely different media (one in needlework, the other in blown glass), and a mom who just went out there and DID IT. Quilt Market seemed to be a conference of women who fit that description, and designers with real vision. What an amazing collection of talent and excitement!

What was the best part of our going to Pittsburgh? Well, there were really three: spending a HUGE amount of time with Baby Oliver (our own personal Michelin Man); being able to offer enthusiastic support to Deborah; and the city itself – terrific downtown location, lots to do, and the beautiful Allegheny River right outside the door. From an arm's length view, an absolute top drawer weekend!

2009 Quilt Market, Pittsburgh: Part I (A First-Timer's Confessions)

2009-05-18T08:36:00.026-04:00

By the night before we left for Quilt Market in Pittsburgh, I was wondering why I was even going. I had plenty of work to do at home, it was sorta becoming a pain to make arrangements to be gone for four days, and I was exhausted. But with tickets bought and my mother already in the car to drive over from another state so she could fly up with me (hey! free child care! except, I bought her ticket and paid for her room, so not so free! but hey! child care!), it was a little late to back out.

And WOW, am I glad I didn't! This was my first ever Quilt Market experience, and it did NOT disappoint.

I knew to some degree--thank you, Internets!--what I ought to expect, but I wasn't sure what the emotions would be like, or what my own experience would be. I knew I would have a good deal of anonymity, which I like; I've always been the girl who likes to do a lap before committing to a location, and being anonymous is a huge help in that department. It was such a treat to be able to leave baby with my mother and hit the convention floor all by my lonesome, with nary a care and the freedom to allow my feet to roam where they chose.

Let's just start by saying Quilt Market is HUGE--and I'm assured by a number of other attendees that this year was a "small" year and I should just go ahead and start preparing myself NOW for what Houston will hold come October.

I should also admit at this point that I took NOWHERE near enough photos of the amazing, amazing work of quilting artists that hung on display. Like this one, part of a series of quilts in the style of the Old Masters:

Picasso, anyone?

And this one, part of a series of International Quilts--this Japanese artist was inspired by sun and nature:

There are also a number of clothing competitions, like the fashion entries I passed on the way in. Here, the blue ribbon winner (for obvious reasons):

The New York skyline, in chiffon and silk:

Hand-beaded bodice, and a kicky little jacket to top it all off:

Amazing, amazing. But I was a woman with a mission, and even the overwhelming array of inspiring work would not deter me from my goals. I had four things in mind: my appointment with Moda; seeking out new manufacturers I hadn't carried before (but only the very bestest of those) and specifically locating boy prints galore; new women's sewing patterns; and spending some time figuring out where Whipstitch fits into the Bigger Picture of the fabric world. Here's how it went:

Goal #1: Moda appointment. Check. They build little villages everywhere they go, and this year were united with a theme so mighty that no one was immune. Moda, it turns out, really "duz" do it all.I had to wiggle my way through the crowds to my appointment with my lovely rep, Becca. She brought me presents! And a contest! I totally love her!She also showed me this:
The Rouenneries collection from The French General, full of piles of linen and cotton blends, all woven in a way that mimics the 18th-century fabrics they're designed to recreate. Her book, Home Sewn, is due in the shop soon, and is yumtastic. This fabric will FOR SURE knock your socks off.

I also picked up the delicious Authentic collection from Sweetwater, based solely on my obsession with dictionary and text prints.And a stand-out favorite: Happy Campers. Crazy cute, inspired by 50s camping and motor touring. My mom 'bout flipped, and so did I.Do you see the Vieww Finder? Do you SEE it?? (Stay tuned, bee tee dubs, for a giveaway: I totally pushed at least four quilters out of the way and snatched a fat quarter bundle of this collection from a hidden corner of table at Sample Spree so's I could bring it back home and share the love. Will be doling it out in weeks to come!)

Many thanks to Moda, too, for the lovely evening dinner cruise down the Three Rivers. My mom and baby O and I all dug the romantic candlelight and the food and ambience. We were totally planning a boat tour, and then Moda comes along and drops one in our laps! Hooray for Quilt Market!
OK, on to goal #2: new suppliers. I stopped by the Benartex booth and picked up bolts of this fantastic space fabric (this particular shot is a portion of the loot I hauled back from Sample Spree, but it'll totally have to be another post). I'm secretly grooming our 8-month-old son for NASA, but the regretful truth is that most space-themed fabrics make the same mistake: they think space needs to be gussied up or cute-sified in some way, and ignore the stark beauty of space itself. This collection totally gets it right, and includes a panel with photographic images of the Hubble, the surface of the moon, and nebulae galore. Awesome.

Along those same lines, I popped into the Westminster booth and visited with my adorable rep, Tom.He introduced me to the Be A Man collection, which I completely love for all the same reasons I love the space fabric: it's masculine but not cutesy, it's boy-themed without being obnoxious, and there is no sissy in it anywhere. Any fabric that periodically instructs, "You'll work hard and you'll like it" is OK in my book.Since goal #2 was to find some great fabric lines from suppliers with whom I haven't been working so far, I was delighted to find this deliciousness:Little Golden Books fabric! Starring the Poky Little Puppy! It's like my childhood--but on fabric. Can't wait to get this in the shop, in time for back-to school.

Because I already have solid relationships with Robert Kaufman Alexander Henry, Michael Miller and Seven Islands, I wanted to save my meetings with them until I'd really checked out some of the other, smaller fabric manufacturers. When I did get down their way, though, it was like running the gauntlet:A gauntlet that ended here, in Japanese fabric land:What a way to end a walk! This is also where I found some truly gorgeous creations from Heather Ross' Far Far Away collection. There's just a teensy little bit of this left in the Whipstitch shop, so if you're feeling inspired, get it while you can! I'm pretty sure I rode the down escalator while she was on the up escalator, and that made me feel some kind of affinity for her AND her fabrics. She was in this booth later that day for a book signing, but I was already headed to the airport by then--bad planning!I visited Pink Fig shortly after escaping Moda-land, and stole some shots. Am all out of her CuppyCake dress at the moment--good thing I've got more on the way!Way over on the other side of the market was the ModKid booth, whose patterns I think would be swimming in Bari J's fabrics.These sew up so cute, and like all the best patterns, take on such a different personality depending on the combination of fabrics you select. I've sold out once already and have just restocked a bunch of these in the shop.Speaking of Bari J... I enjoyed stopping by and seeing the delicious new collection from the always lovely lady (I totally follow her on Twitter, so naturally I feel as though we're old friends). My rookie mistake at QM this time around? I didn't have the good sense to hit these booths when the designers were IN them! What was I thinking?? Would've loved to have seen her in person--maybe Houston, yeah?

Having said that, though, I AM totally BFFs with Amy Butler now. It's true. I mean, we didn't really talk, exactly, but she was super nice and totally said I looked "fabulous"--direct quote there. I was wearing a snazzy A-line skirt out of Joel Dewberry's Aviary sparrows in dark green, but still--this is AMY BUTLER we're talking about. I got a photo of her in her gorgeous booth, but the light was off:So I took another:And then we had one of us together:

You see it? What, no? Yeah. That's what happens when you buy a camera that's too fancy for you, and then hand it to a stranger to take a photo. You get bupkus. (Sigh.) It's all true, though. We hugged, y'all.

Same thing over at the Oliver + S booth: totally BFFs now. Liesl--always chic, impossibly cool, so, so nice--and her delightful sidekick Todd have more or less SWORN to me they're coming to my house for barbecue next time they're in Atlanta. I mean, technically, I just told them where my favorite places were and Todd wrote to say he'd for sure check them out, but they were really enthusiastic, and I think that means they're coming over, right? Don't you think?The Oliver + S booth was flawless, their patterns are so well-written and well-designed, and these two were such a joy to meet in person. I'm all set to stitch up a whole bunch of these for our littlest ones this summer. If only she'd bust out some in teen sizes for our eldest... I'll have to talk to her about that when she comes over. I suppose that's the update on task #3: women's patterns. There are so many companies who I WISH would make them. I adore Indygo Junction (whose booth I didn't get a shot of), and was also impressed by Canadian company Favorite Things.They had some super cute women's blouse designs, and a coat I really wanted for my own self:

Goal #4 was to reflect on my philosophy, and if you take a gander at the shop, you'll see a little hint of that. Rather than dividing selections by designer or supplier, I've reorganized the fabrics over at Whipstitch Etsy based on content and weight. I want y'all to be able to find so much beyond (the admittedly fabulous) designer quilt-weight cottons we all love so much. There's a whole world of linen (look for it in the Rouenierres collection) and shot cottons (from Kaffe Fassett and Robert Kaufman), twills and canvas (like the new Moda fabrics I'm listing this week), and fabulous silks and wools (like the DellaQ fabrics I'm itching to get my hands on). All these and more are on their way to the shop, and I think adding them helps reflect my ideals as a shop owner: I want you to find inspiration and delicious surprises that delight you and draw you on to dream new, big things. I hope that's what you'll see there!

In summary:

Spent wayyyy more than I should've, but since I had placed myself on a pittance of a budget, blowing it wasn't as damaging as it might've been. And who can argue with some of this stuff, for reals??
Met folks I never would've met otherwise, and might've scored a new BBQ BFF out of the deal (see you soon, Todd!)
Feel totally more connected to the delightful underbelly of the fabric world, and proud of it
Had a solid opportunity to review the Whipstitch philosophy and generate some really extraordinary new ideas for the shop. Just you wait til you see 'em!

Already looking forward to Houston in October. In the meantime, y'all stay tuned: next post, my mother (a veteran children's clothing designer and fabric shopper in her own right) sounds off on the arms-length Quilt Market experience. Just try finding THAT anywhere else.

Quilt Market!

2009-05-17T17:35:00.003-04:00

I'm back! An exciting and BUSY four days at the 2009 International Quilt Market in Pittsburgh. Details in the morning, with wayyy more photos than you could possibly want to see. Tune in Monday for the slide show! Highlights include:

Amy Butler is my new best friend
Moda builds small villages everywhere they go
Japanese double gauze is taking over the planet, and Heather Ross is their leader
Liesl of Oliver + S is every bit as cool as you'd think, and totally coming to my house
I spent way too much money, but look at all the cool stuff I got!!

See you then!

Whipstitch Hip Fabrics and Sewing Lounge OPENS in the heart of Atlanta!

2009-05-09T08:29:00.001-04:00

We're OPEN FOR BUSINESS!

I can't tell you how overwhelmingly excited this makes me. In my wildest dreams--my driving-down-the-interstate-reading-the-lotto-billboard-and-fantasizing-what-I'd-do-with-that-money dreams--I can only have ever hoped that I'd have a little fabric shop all my own. And here it is! Sooner than I'd hoped, and not at all like I'd expected. And isn't that totally the way all the best stuff comes about??

When I started designing children's clothing three years ago, I didn't really know where it would take me. Somewhere deep inside, I sensed that it wasn't design that my life held for me. When I began teaching sewing classes in Atlanta a year later, it was as though I had a flashlight that gave me an inkling of where I was headed. When the idea for this shop came about right on the heels of opening my Etsy fabric shop, that's when the light really went on and I felt like I'd found work I can love forever and ever. Like, no more Mondays kinda work. Like, I LIVE my work (a la Martha) and would do this for free.

The space we've moved into is in addition to the Etsy shop, and is in a lot of ways an extension of it. It's an idea that hasn't really been tried before: since the shop is inside Beehive Co-op, a very cool designers' co-op in Atlanta, we don't have a full-time fabric cutter. The fabrics are by the yard, half yard, and fat quarter, and in bundles of the same cuts. Y'know, like an Esty shop but in real life.

Need more than a yard? Call in a special request--pick up in 24 hours at the shop, or have it shipped!

Our sewing classes are going full-force, too, and this amazing light-filled space gives me lots of room to host folks looking for community or advice or just a place to sew.

Thread! Notions! Supplies! And all IN-TOWN! For those of you not in Atlanta, you cannot possibly know how big a deal that is--the box stores, of which there are exactly TWO inside the city, do NOT want you there; and the other box store is 19 miles away, no joke. The whole idea of getting thread this close to the city center, well, let's just say I feel funny inside when I think about it.

We have a comfy chair surrounded by the most beautiful fabrics, so come sit a spell!

Read a magazine, get inspired!

Find the perfect patterns for the perfect fabric for the perfect project you've been putting off.

Take a turn decorating our chalkboard, and be sure to mark your calendars for the Grand Opening on June 6th, catered by Mint Julep (you'll DIE when you taste the mushroom pinwheels--WOW!).

Can't wait to see each and every one of you in the shop (directions here). Geography is no excuse!

Heather Ross' Far Far Away Collection for Kokka: IT'S BACK!

2009-05-08T13:31:00.002-04:00

Back in stock: seven bolts of Heather Ross' last collection for the foreseeable future, Far Far Away for Kokka of Japan. Yumtastic!

Last shipment? Gone in 24 hours, no lie. Get it while the gettin's good, folks!

Dropped by the shop and didn't see the listings? Convo me or send a tweet @whipstitch and I'll get you all squared away!

Last-Minute Mother's Day Project Ideas

2009-05-05T15:47:00.008-04:00

We're getting down to the wire, everyone. And all over Blogland I see great ideas for gifts for Mom--assuming, of course, that I'd planned ahead. Considering my sister's Christmas gift from 2004 is still in my closet, unsent, let's just say I'm not always a good planner in the gift-giving department. So here, for all of us, some suggestions for quick, 20-ish minute gifts for Mom this Mother's Day!

Tired Mom?

How about a soothing eye pouch, filled with lentils and dried lavender flowers? Or an energizing one, filled with rice and rosemary? I like to make them so they cover the cheeks, too, and really block out the light. Just sketch the shape, cut two, stitch in the ties, and voila! Instant rejuvenation, and a quick and easy project for you. Add a hand-drawn tag, and you'll shame your sibling, for sure.

Relaxing Mom?

An easy scented trivet/coaster for her morning coffee/tea! The rice and crushed clove & cinnamon filling is poured into stitched channels so it will spread out beneath her cup or teapot and release its scent when the warmth hits it. Plus, this protects her nice furniture, and catches any drips!

Sentimental Mom?
Why not whip up a thoughtful hand "print" card? My mother and I have always had the same hands--same oversized knuckles, same funny shaped thumb.

Try one using WonderUnder and some cool, Mom-themed fabric.

Or why not one you've stitched yourelf? I traced my hand on the inside of a piece of card stock in pencil, then stitched right over it in contrasting thread. Erase the pencil marks, then add a sweet message for a gift she'll treasure!

Crafty Mom?

How's about picking up a couple bundles? Of fabric! Check out our designer fabric bundles on Etsy for a selection that'll get her creative juices flowing, and gift her with a stack of yummy potential. Whipstitch will even ship direct to Mom via Priority Mail!

Been-Waiting-A-Long-Time-For-This Mom?

Maybe you've been SO remiss that your mom deserves a party. Or maybe a gift card for classes! Our in-town Atlanta sewing classes are registering for the summer months--isn't that something she'd love? Pick up a gift card in any amount and she can use it to come share her skills and learn some new ones.

Consider a gift card for Mom' Night Out, thanks to Whipstitch! She can drop off the kiddos, they make a craft, she gets to play, everyone wins. And YOU are the most thoughtful cat around--especially if you make a reservation at the same time. Nothing says thank you quite like dinner, dessert, candlelight--and time out of the house.

Or if you've REALLY dropped the ball, schedule a surprise party for Mom at our Buckhead sewing lounge! We do birthdays and baby showers, but why not an UNbirthday? Or a Mother's Shower? Your guests come in, make a gift on the spot with the help of our instructors, have snacks and cake, and Mom leaves with handmade gifts and the certain knowledge that she's treasured. And it only takes a moment of your time!

Best wishes to all the moms out there this week--here's hoping the other 364 days of the year find you just as appreciated!

What I MUST make next

2009-04-30T21:37:00.005-04:00

Amazing, amazing girls' dresses from Katie Did. So, so gorgeous. Get thee to her blog. Admire, comment, and return.

I mean, that top one?? So simple, such clean lines! And the second one? With the teeny button placket and the horizontal bands? Come ON! Freakin' genius, they are.

Wow, I have SO much to do, and already I can see tomorrow slipping away...

8 Great Bias Tape Project Ideas

2009-04-20T14:53:00.009-04:00

Now, I adore bias tape, no doubt about it. And the continuous bias tape tutorial has been one of my most popular posts. So here, I am proud to present eight really cool ideas for putting all that yummy bias-cut goodness to use.

Bias tape method for hemming jeans, over at Crafting A Green World
Bias-trimmed patchwork pot holders, from Make Something

Very cool bias tape pillow, from VintageChica
Pinwoven Christmas stocking, from Wrights Trims (it's never too early to start prepping for the holidays!)

Bias tape with contrast stitching details for fantastically unique embellishment, from BurdaStyle
Bias baby bib from SewingWeb

Bias bound passport cover, from Tea Pottering

Super awesome, super easy bias tape crown, from The Long Thread

Feel free to add more link in the comments--at the rate I'm making bias tape over here, I need more things to put it on!

Made By Rae Spring Top Sew-A-Long

2009-04-13T10:34:00.001-04:00

Over at Made by Rae, it's time for a yummy spring top sew-a-long to get us all motivated to make some spring tops for the warmer weather we know is on its way!

I know I have some patterns that have been sitting for a shameful amount of time, waiting to get stitched. Must go dig that tomato red linen from two years ago, and make some plans for it!

Grab the badge, link on back, and Flickr up, folks!

P.S. Did you know Rae has started selling her toddler backpack pattern on Etsy? Check it out! I've got some amazing Japanese canvas that's dying to be a playdate-at-the-park-all-summer backpack...

Heather Ross' Far Far Away Giveaway WINNER!

2009-04-10T11:01:00.009-04:00

Our snails are all painted and ready to go, so yesterday just before supper, we got the little ones together for a Heather Ross Far Far Away Giveaway Snail Race! Thanks again to kmdegroot for the fantastic suggestion--her fabric is all wrapped and ready to go out today along with our giveaway winner's!

Our teen acquiesced to act as line judge for the event, and here models the yellow snail--she said it was painted best, but was reluctant to suggest which snail would win. Probably wise.
Here you see the Red Snail jockey selecting her mount.
Two of the neighbor toddlers were out of commission for this event, so we suckered in some of the cousins instead. Here you see the reluctant Blue Jockey, who claims she hates to race because she never wins. I bribed her with a roll down the hill together after if she'd suck it up for your sake, Dear Reader, and she did. Thank goodness!
Yellow Snail jockey is all smiles--for now.
Green Snail jockey is sure he'll win, since he so often has beaten his sister in the past. Beware hubris, my tiny man.
Red Snail is READY TO GO. If only we could get the dogs out of the way and get everyone else in LINE!
Wait, what? Why not? C'mon, it'll be FUN!
It WON'T be fun, you say? And you're SURE? So sure that you want to run far, far away yourself and take your yellow snail with you? So far away that my telephoto lens can only capture you out of focus? Sorry, yellow snail voters--I'm afraid you backed the wrong snail on this one. This little jockey didn't make it back to the starting line...
But the other three were in the blocks and ready to rumble!
SO ready, that there may have been a false start--OK, let's line up ONE last time!
And they're off!
They're in the bottom of the driveway, rounding the goal, and headed into the turn...
WAY out in front..it's...BLUE SNAIL!! The winner by three lengths!
Disappointed and confused, Green Snail realizes he has lost to his sister for the first time. And the last, he says.
Bringing up the rear, Red Snail may have burned all her energy pre-race.
This morning, we drew names from all of you who put your money on the Blue Snail, and that was a LOT of you!
Our toddler reached in to her blue bucket (appropriately enough), and pulled out a name:

Congratulations, CLAUDIA! You're the winner of the Heather Ross Far Far Away Snail Race Giveaway!
Thanks so much to all of you who voted, and keep checking back for news on our next shipment of this fantastic fabric!

Tutorial: Underarm Bias Binding

2009-04-09T09:41:00.001-04:00

We're in a little danger of becoming the all-Far-Far-Away blog here, so I'm posting a tutorial as a buffer!

Summer is coming, thank goodness, and that means sleeveless tops--yay! Personally, I have a very picky attitude when it comes to the strappy top: I don't like the armhole to be too low or too loose. I like good coverage so there is never any lingerie hanging out the side, and so I can feel cool without feeling exposed.

There are, of course, a number of ways to go about achieving that: lining (which doesn't make sense in the summer, as it defeats the purpose of lightweight fabrics like linen), facings (which I generally abhor, as they are the dickie of the sewing world and when done poorly almost always show), and bias binding (my preference, almost always). So below, a quick tutorial for applying bias tape to an underarm on a sleeveless top; this can be adapted to most patterns, so long as they have a bodice with a strap.

For this example, I'm using a Pretty Jane design (and this fabulous Lecien Japanese import print). The square-necked bodice is lined and finished, and I'm ready to attach the bodice to the dress front and back, which have been stitched at the side seams. You'll notice the underarm curve at the left and right; this is what we're aiming to finish with the bias binding here.
Single-fold bias tape works perfectly well for this process, but I never use the stuff in the store: it's so easy to make your own, and I vastly prefer to work with 100% cotton any time I can. I've cut a length of unbleached cotton (the same fabric as my lining) on the bias, and have pressed under one edge 1/4":
At the machine, I've lined up the raw edges of the bias tape along the raw edge of the first underarm, right sides together. I'll stitch these together with a 1/4" seam allowance. Note that the pressed edge is NOT the edge I'm stitching here--we've pressed that under for later.
When the bias tape is attached, you'll have this:
Press the seam allowance toward the bias tape, as you'll be encasing the seam allowances when we stitch the bias tape down. If you need to trim some of your seam allowance to get a nice, smooth finish, now's the time to do it:
I've pinned the pressed bias tape down to illustrate the next step: fold the bias tape back over the seam allowances, so that the original edge you pressed under is now on the wrong side of your dress. We're NOT stitching yet, but this is where we're headed:
BEFORE you stitch down the bias underarm, we're going to attach the skirt to the bodice. This way, when we finish that underarm, we can complete a bunch of tasks in a single step. For this little jumper, we'll need to gather the front and backs first, leaving the bias tape UNgathered:
Front and back with gathers in:
Now we attach the bodice. With right sides together, place the bodice front over the gathered front skirt. At the finished edge of the bodice, tuck the corner inside the bias tape, right up against the seam:
Then fold the bias tape back over it so it's enclosed:
When both right and left of the front are complete, you'll have this--do you see how we're going to get a clean finish and cover that underarm at the same time?
We'll do the same with the backs. At the underarm, tuck the edge of the bodice inside the bias tape; at the back opening, fold the skirt fabric back over the bodice to encase it and create a button placket (I've already pressed under the back opening edge 1/4"--I also recommend interfacing that placket before this step):
Here's a close-up of that back opening, folded on itself to encase the bodice:
Now we go to the machine and stitch straight across the front and the backs, backtacking at the beginning and end of each seam:
When I get to the "break" between the backs and the front, I stitch straight across without stopping--a little bit of a varsity move, but I believe in you:
After removing the pins, I serge my gathered seams at this point. You totally don't have to, though. If you wanna get super fancy, you can always bind these in bias tape for a super clean finish, or leave them as-is:
Clip the corners where the bodice and skirt have been attached, at a 45-ish degree angle. This removes some bulk and gives you a nice, crisp corner when we turn it all right side out:
When we flip the bodice to the right side, the bias tape under the arms naturally rights itself, as well, and is almost in position to stitch down:
Same thing on the back openings, which have created a fast, simple button placket with a clean finished opening at center back:
Once everything is right-side out again, let's press those bias facings down so we can stitch them in place:
At the machine, stitch a very narrow seam, riiiight along the pressed edge of that bias facing. Be sure to stitch a curve here, NOT a straight line, so that the underarm fabric remains flat beneath the needle:
The finished product from the inside, with a super clean, light, easy summery feel:
And the outside, crisp and ready to wear:
Feel free to leave comments if I left a step out, and happy summer sewing, everyone!

Tutorial: Girls' Shirt Dress from Daddy's Dress Shirt

2009-04-08T13:14:00.003-04:00

Fantastic tutorial from the always delightful Dana over at Made.

Turn a men's dress shirt--one that's worn out, or that you scored from a thrift shop or garage sale--into a delicious girl's shirt dress for the summer!

Wouldn't one of these look GREAT with some Heather Ross Far Far Away ruffles? Don't miss your chance to enter to win a bundle of FOUR fat quarters!

Heather Ross' Far Far Away GIVEAWAY!

2009-04-03T17:58:00.011-04:00

So, when I first got swatches of the Far Far Away fabrics, I asked y'all to come up with ideas for a giveaway. The idea was, you think up a nifty giveaway concept, and YOU win the fabric as well as the giveaway winner! Well, today's the day: it's giveaway time!

I had to struggle to save some of this stuff. It flew out the door so quickly that I was only able to snag a few fat quarters--and none for myself! I'm taking the gamble that the six more bolts I have on order will be here soon, and planning to grab my own then. For you people, though, I make sacrifices. So, for EACH of our two lucky winners, FOUR FAT QUARTERS of this magnificent Japanese double gauze have been set aside. Our choice of prints, but hey, you can't go wrong with any of this yumminess.

The first winner? She's the suggest-er of our giveaway: kmdegroot! I know she really, really, really wanted some of this fabric, and now it's all hers! Her suggestion of a good, old fashioned snail race really caught my attention and wouldn't let go, so in honor of one of my favorite prints in this collection, we're racing snails, people!

As much as I wanted to go to the store and grab a buncha snails for this event, I was a little worried they might not perform in a satisfactory manner. Ahem. Instead, I'm enlisting help from our local toddler brigade--on our street alone, we have four children between the ages of 2 1/2 and 3 and they spend a lot of time outside racing in circles on the sidewalk. I thought, Why not harness some of that energy and use it for GOOD?

Our resident toddler has donated her time to personally hand-paint four snails in red, blue, yellow, and green (I loved kmdegroot's suggestion to have the snails in the colorways of the collection, but our poster paints don't come in azure, plum and apricot--shouldn't they, though??). Each of the neighbor children will hold one of these snails as they race from Point A to Point B next Thursday evening. Given the proclivities of children this age, I can't guarantee that they'll all even make it to the finish line, but we'll have a staff photographer on hand just in case there's a photo finish...

How do I win, you ask? For the next week, you'll have the chance to leave a comment here with the color of the snail you think will win the race next Thursday: red, blue, yellow or green. You can enter in three different ways--and you're free to comment in ALL three ways, giving you triple the chances to win:

Leave a comment with the color snail you think will win
For another entry, blog the contest, then come back here and include a link to your blog post in your comment, again naming the color you think will win
For yet another entry, tweet the contest on Twitter as an @whipstitch reply, then come back and comment that you did so, again naming the color snail you think will win

After the race is finished, I'll print out the comments section, cut it all up old-school style, and put all the selections with the winning color in a hat--if I don't see a color on a particular comment, I'll leave it out, so please be sure to include the color in EACH comment you leave! Our toddler will reach in and select ONE winner's comment. The winner will be announced on Friday, April 10 before lunch!

Comments are open NOW--go, go, go people and win what may very well be some of the LAST available scraps of this fabric on the planet. Happy snail hunting!

**kmdegroot, email me directly (deborah !at whipstitchfabrics *dot* com) and we'll figure out how to get yours to you super fast--and congrats!!

Heather Ross' Far Far Away Collection for Kokka: IT'S GONE!

2009-04-01T16:38:00.004-04:00

Here lie the remains of my SIX BOLT shipment of Heather Ross' Far Far Away double gauze. You know, the one that arrived YESTERDAY?? Good night, you people were hungry for this stuff! In a single 24-hour period, I have sold EVERY LAST SCRAP of these 6 bolts of fabric. It's been INSANE. Pardon the all-caps, but I have never in my whole life seen fabric move this fast!

The good news is I have another six bolts on order, and am told they'll ship in the next 3-4 weeks. I'll twitter the arrival so you can have up-to-the-minute apprisals!

The OTHER good news is I had the foresight to set aside fat quarter bundles of FOUR of the fabrics from this shipment to give away! So, if you had your eye on those fabulous prints from yesterday, all is not lost!

Tomorrow, I'll introduce the giveaway, announce the giveaway suggestion winner, and you can all start competing to win this last little bitty bit of wonderful over here. See you then!

Whew--I need a nap!

Heather Ross' Far Far Away Collection for Kokka: IT'S HERE!

2009-03-31T19:45:00.007-04:00

OK, let's start with the crush I have on our UPS guy. It's kinda like a crush on a senior when you're a freshman: you don't even know this person, but you know how he makes you FEEL. Never mind that it's a different driver every shipment; my crush is on the truck and WHAT HE BRINGS ME.

Today's delight: Heather Ross' Far Far Away! Her last collection for the foreseeable future. Her all-in-double-gauze collection for Kokka. The words, "I'm gonna wet my pants" are pretty sure to have escaped my lips, but I know my UPS man will be back despite that particular overshare.

Look at it. Really. I opened the box before I even closed the front door.

One of my customers convo'd the shop and said I should roll around in it. And I said, "Yes, ma'am, may I have another?"

Such deliciousness. I'm almost glad I only got six of the nine prints I ordered today--I'm not sure my heart could've taken ALL of them at once. I jest of course, hyperbole, but you see my point.

Is anyone else flashing back to their sticker collection when they see this? I can't be the only one who remembers 1983 so clearly...
Oh, the happy lily pads! Oh, the perfect scale! The colors! I love allll of it.
And this double gauze is delicious. If you've never worked with it, double gauze is just what it sounds like: two layers of fine cotton gauze, held together by itty bitty invisible stitches. It's not sheer, but it is lightweight. It's not heavy, but it makes the softest quilts. It's a whole new experience, and if I were trying some for the first time, may I just say: you could do a lot worse than to work with Heather's prints!
This apricot color I wasn't so fond of on paper, but in person I think it's shooting to the top of my list--and I'm not the only one: I've sold almost half the bolt already! I have another on order, but Kim wasn't kidding when she said this collection would sell out quickly. And because of Heather Ross' non-compete agreement with her former company, Munki Munki, there won't be another printing. I'm not usually a sky-is-falling-create-scarcity kinda girl, but I've totally already secreted away a little bit of this for myself, for when it can't be gotten later.
Oh, the mattresses!

OK, off to review those suggestions so we can get a giveaway started tomorrow. TWO lucky blog readers will be going home with a chunk of this loveliness!

Heather Ross' Far Far Away is On Its Way!

2009-03-30T12:36:00.003-04:00

I heard from the US distributor of Heather Ross' new line for Kokka, Far Far Away, that my order has SHIPPED and is on its way to me AS WE SPEAK! Am super excited to see this wonderful fabric.

And I also wanted to remind you all: comments are still open to suggest your own giveaway! As a reminder, I'm looking not only for what you'd like to win, but also for HOW it should be won. Shouldn't folks have to DO something? Make a suggestion--some good ones have been to offer a project they'd make with the fabric; host a snail race and allow people to bet on the winner (everyone who picks the right snail gets their number in the hat); and tell a story based on the prints themselves. All VERY cool ideas--keep 'em coming!

We'll close out comments the day the fabric arrives and let you know what we've got planned for the giveaway!

Great Spring Cleaning Tute!

2009-03-26T08:23:00.000-04:00

Check out the fun spring cleaning dust mitt tutorial over at WeWilsons! I have piles and piles of thrift finds begging to be put to use--am loving this idea.

Giveaway at The Long Thread

2009-03-25T10:12:00.005-04:00

Very cool Atlanta local The Long Thread is hosting a giveaway from Whipstitch Fabrics today over at her blog! I'm thrilled to be included with her very hip, super inspiring projects--check out her patterns and tutorials while you're there! Remember to leave a comment on The Long Thread to be entered to win a BAKER'S DOZEN of free fat quarters from the Whipstitch Etsy shop, then check out the links for our Atlanta classes and summer camps.

Oh, you heard me: SUMMER CAMPS. And not just for kiddies, neither--we got 'em for grown-ups, too!

See you soon!

Glorious Heather Ross Time-Suck

2009-03-21T20:45:00.002-04:00

Looking for something to while away some daylight this weekend? Heather Ross is running a design contest over on her blog, Weekend, to promote her new book, Weekend Sewing. The entries so far are OUT OF THIS WORLD inspiring. Check out some of Heather's favorites, including the one pictured above. Hey, maybe send in your own! It can, after all, be totally pretend and fantastical, i.e. you don't ever have to find the time to make it, just to dream it up. And isn't a pretty Sunday afternoon made just for such a thing??

I'd love to see them here, too, to inspire your fellow (and sister) Whipstitchers. Feel free to CC me on your email to Heather, and we'll ooh and aah in multiple virtual locations at your brilliance and creativity.

Class Listings Online!

2009-03-18T16:38:00.001-04:00

It's simple and it's spare, but we now have our class listings posted online! Since I've been in the process of upgrading the Whipstitch site and we're nearing some level of completion on that, I got an itch to go ahead and post the upcoming class series and workshops. If you get a sec, feel free to come on over and check them out! We'd love to have you drop by.

Whipstitch Sewing Classes: hip sewing in the heart of Atlanta

Twitteriffic

2009-03-17T20:35:00.004-04:00

I love Twitter. Really, I do. It's like microblogging--all those ideas that don't have time or depth enough to develop into full blog posts, but that WANT to get out. Those are Twitterable. Just today, I learned of Patty Young's new sewing pattern line, and set up a wholesale account so Whipstitch can carry them the minute they hit stores. How great is that?

I offered a Twitter-only surprise today, too: my 400th heart on Etsy received a 25% off gift certificate to anything in our Etsy shop, just for hearting us. But she wouldn't have known without Good Ol' Twitter!

I've got a bunch of other Twitter-only promos in the works. Come on over and make yourself known! I promise, I'm not one of those creepy Tweeters who tweets every 35 minutes with their URL and LOTS! OF! EXCLAMATION! POINTS! I like knowing who's out there, and what they're doing, and connecting with other crafters and indie business owners and bloggers and designers--and guess what? They're all on Twitter, too.

I'd love to see what you're up to. Follow me at http://twitter.com/whipstitch

Feelin' Flattered

2009-03-16T22:33:00.004-04:00

Kim Kight over at TrueUp has been kind enough to interview me, and I am feeling very pretty right now. Not only is she the lady behind DioramaMama, she writes this fantastic all-fabric-all-the-time blog. TrueUp is one of my favorite fabric blogs (one of my fave blogs, period!), not only because Kim updates frequently--it's also well-written, well-researched, and her lovely big sisterly voice makes it a joy to read. I'm a proud sponsor, and thrilled to have been featured!

Run on over and check it out, y'all! And thanks again to Kim, a fine hostess indeed.

Even Better In Person

2009-03-12T23:12:00.005-04:00

There's been a ton written recently about Heather Ross and her imminent hiatus from the fabric design world--read all about it here.

Her last collection, Far Far Away for Kokka, is due out any minute now. I've just received swatches from the US distributor, and I gotta say, folks: WOW. This stuff is all kinds of great. When word got out about the non-compete agreement and it became clear that Heather would need to take a break from fabric design, Kokka opted to pull the cotton sheeting printing of these fabrics and is producing them only in double-gauze. It is TO DIE FOR, for reals.

I've already placed an order, and am giddy with anticipation for its arrival in the shop, and I've come up with a brilliant GIVEAWAY IDEA: I'm inviting Whipstitch readers to offer yummy giveaway ideas in the comments section--if I choose your suggestion, YOU'LL get one of the prizes in addition to the giveaway winner! Consider it a little compensation for sharing your intellectual powers with Whipstitch.

Look for the giveaway and the fabric sometime this summer.

Charm Pack Pattern Series, Pt 5: Skirts for Girls

2009-03-11T16:17:00.005-04:00

Today's charm pack idea is a simple, sweet one: charm square skirts and jumpers for girls! This pattern, available in the Whipstitch Etsy shop (in the patterns section), is from Indygo Junction, and gives clear, concise directions to make these sweet outfits.
I like that the construction is so straightforward--this was a two-ish hour project for me, but could easily have been a one-hour skirt if the babies had been asleep (ahem--I think most of us know that if the kids "help" we can double the amount of time the task will take to complete...). It's absolutely an ideal project for beginning sewers or those who want to start small when making clothing. I often hear folks say that to start making clothes, you should begin with pajama pants, but I think that's a terrible suggestion! Pants are notoriously hard to fit properly and PJs are notoriously oversized--nothing discourages you like a project you can't wear. This skirt is mostly straight, short seams, plus a hem, rick rack, and an elastic waistband, so you cover a bunch of essential skills in a short period of time.
I call that type of pattern a "movie pattern," one where I like to pop in a DVD--an action film, say, or a romantic comedy, you know, Sandra Bullock maybe, something light--and watch while I sew. Neither takes my whole brain, and I feel like I've used my time well.

I also like that, as with any charm pack, this little skirt has a wildly different personality depending on which collection you choose. I used Lila Tueller's Soiree for this one (also available at Whipstitch Etsy in the precuts section), but imagine it in Good Folks, like the table runner--wow! I'm thinking I'll do the jumper version next out of Neptune, as a swimsuit cover-up for the summer...
Our little model seems to like it. She said, "Makes me dance! In the wind!" This pattern, by the way, is a size 3/4/5 modeled on a 2.5 year old--lots of room to grow, lots more dancing to do!

Continuous Bias Tape Tutorial

2009-03-09T21:38:00.005-04:00

I've had some questions about how to create the continuous bias tape for the piping I mentioned in my last post. I'm re-posting a tutorial I put together last October for my other blog, Pretty Jane.

My students in the Intro Sewing class all make continuous bias tape. I make it right along with them each month, and give them a copy of printed instructions courtesy of the Dread Pirate Rogers, but have always wanted to have better photos to offer. While I was busy making the changing pad cover for New Baby, I went ahead and shot some photos of the CBT process with the gingham I used to wrap the piping.

Bias tape, very simply, is just a strip of fabric cut on the bias--the 45 degree angle across the grainline of the fabric. It has the most give you can get out of a particular cut of fabric, and allows you to bind curves and seams, wrap piping, or edge finish a project. It's great stuff, I use it all the time, and knowing how to make and apply it will revolutionize your sewing--honest.

You can easily make bias stips just by slicing across that bias line. This is the technique I use when binding armholes or necklines, something relatively short. When I need longer pieces, though, I'd be forced to stitch each of those strips together into one longer strip, and that's a huge pain in the behind, as far as I'm concerned. It's much easier to make CBT--Continuous Bias Tape--by stitching a larger piece of fabric together on the bias and then cutting THAT into strips. You get piles and piles of bias tape this way, and you get the freedom to choose any fabric you want rather than being limited to the solid, poly-cotton blend available at the fabric stores. You can also manipulate the width of the bias tape better--I'll elaborate on that at the end of the post.

So, how do we make CBT? Golly, I'm glad you asked.
Here we go:

Start with your fabric. The reason I prefer the Dread Pirate Rogers' instructions is that, as opposed to lots of other methods (Martha's included!), she starts with a rectangle of fabric rather than a square. Since a cut of fabric IS a rectangle, this makes more sense to me, and is more economical. Here I've rolled out some apple green gingham:

Cut off a length of your fabric. How much depends on how long you want your finished bias tape to be, but if you've never done this before, I'd start with about half a yard--that measurement seems to make a piece that's easy to manipulate without being overwhelming:
Trim off the selvedges of your fabric. (Selvedge edges shrink at a different rate than the remainder of your fabric, and should always be removed--even if it feels like a huge waste of a straight edge!).
Fold one selvedge over to meet the top edge of your fabric, forming a 45 degree angle on one end, and a triangle on top of the main portion of your fabric:
Trim this triangle away by placing your blade along the folded edge and cutting:
You should end up with two pieces of fabric, like this:
Move the triangle to the OTHER end of the original piece of fabric, placing selvedge edge to selvedge edge. You'll know you got it right if your shape is now a parallelogram rather than a rectangle:
Place the triangle and the original fabric right sides together, selvedges touching:
Stitch a seam along the selvedge edge. I use the edge of my presser foot as a seam allowance guide (most presser feet are approximately 1/4" away from the needle, giving you a 1/4" seam allowance), but you can use whatever seam allowance you choose--just remember what it was so you can give the next seam the same allowance:
Press your seams allowances open (and consider if it's time for a new ironing board cover--oh my!):
You should now have a piece of fabric that looks more or less like this:
Starting at one angled edge on the WRONG SIDE of the fabric, begin drawing lines parallel to the bias angle and marching across the fabric. I use a quilting chalk for this, but whatever marking tool you prefer is fine. I space my lines with a quilting ruler, too, since it's clear and acrylic and sticky on the bottom, making my marks more consistent--and consistency is the KEY with this step. It doesn't have to be perfect, but the closer it is the easier the next steps will be:
How far apart you space the lines is dependent on how fat you want your bias strips to be. If you've not done this before, may I suggest that FATTER IS BETTER to begin with--you can always scale it down when you feel more confident with the technique. For this example (and to wrap the huge, fat piping in my project) I used the width of my ruler as a guide:
At the other end of your fabric, you may not have a full width left, like I had in this example. Cut that paltry little vestige off to make sure each of your strips is of equal size:
OK, here comes the confusing part, at least for most people. Our goal is to create a TUBE of fabric, then cut that tube apart to make a long strip. We DO NOT want to stitch a tube, then cut it apart into a series of donuts, so the edge that we stitch needs to be slightly offset. In order to achieve this, we're going to number the lines we just drew, starting at the edge with number ZERO, and moving across each line sequentially (the first chalk line is ONE, the second is TWO, etc):
On the BOTTOM of the fabric, we number again, but this time, we start with number ONE at the edge, and the first chalk line is TWO and the second is THREE... The point here is that the TOP of one chalk line never has the same number as the BOTTOM of the same chalk line (the printed instructions have a good illustration of this):
Once all the lines have been numbered, bring the two straight edges (i.e. the top and bottom of your piece of fabric, NOT the bias edges) together, right sides together. We're going to match the numbered lines to one another--line #1 meets line #1, line #2 meets line #2, etc. Pin these in place. This step feels AWKWARD, as it makes a twisted tube of fabric--that's OK, since we WANT it to be offset:
Bear in mind that as you match these lines up, they're at an angle, so they won't match one another on either side of the fabric--they'll actually cross one another. You're going to put in a seam that will run through the point at which they cross. Just keep pinning and matching the best you can--it's much more important that your seam lies flat than that your numbers and lines match flawlessly. You should end up with something hopeless that looks like this, and will almost certainly be thinking, "This lady is nuts, and this is never gonna work." Hang in there!
Take your twisted tube to the machine, and stitch a seam with the SAME ALLOWANCE as the last seam you stitched, whatever that was. Remember to keep reaching beneath your work and making sure that there are no catches or random bits of fabric getting caught under the needle--you really don't want to have to do this step over:
Press that awkward seam open. A sleeve board is great for this, but an ugly, stained ironing board will work, too (note to self: make new ironing board cover):
OK, this is where the magic happens. At each end of your tube, you have a little tail of fabric hanging off. You also now have a SINGLE line of chalk going around and around the fabric. Choose one end of the tube--doesn't matter which one--and begin cutting the line next to that little tail:
KEEP CUTTING all the way around, through a single layer of fabric, and watch as the tape begins to take form:
When you come to one of your seams that you've pressed open, cut right across it and keep going:
Ta da! The finished product: yards and yards of bias tape from your favorite fabric. I make lots of this at one time when I have the time, then store the rest for the NEXT project. That way, I get the enjoyment of it and I use my time economically:
Hope the images helped, and that the length of the instructions doesn't intimidate--the first time can be a rough road, especially if you're teaching yourself, but after that it's SUCH a quick, simple process that I know you'll make it a regular part of your sewing skill set.

Happy sewing, everyone!

Previously posted on Pretty Jane, October 2008

Charm Pack Pattern Series, Pt 4: Anna Maria Sets the Table

2009-03-07T12:29:00.005-05:00

Believe it or not, our house is done in pretty neutral colors. I think folks expect me to have a house covered in amazing fabric, but the truth is, I work with color all day every day, and the neutrals are a relief. They give my brain a little respite and some time to process all the ideas that are birthed from looking at color and pattern all day long. Plus, my husband is a little averse to bold color in the common areas--he embraces it fully in personal space, thank goodness, or I'm not sure we'd've made it all the way to the altar, but that's a story for another time.

Given this predilection toward more serene decorating, I was a little concerned that this particular charm pack project wouldn't appeal to me in its finished state. In fact, I was strongly tempted to make the whole thing with one colorway only, to tone down some of the boldness a bit. In the end, I wanted to use a single charm pack rather than two, and I chose to trust Anna Maria's design sense to give me a finished result where the disparate colors and elements worked to create a harmonious whole.

Boy, did they ever. I freakin' LOVE the result here, and am thrilled and get little butterflies every time I look at it.
The table runner is made with a single Good Folks charm pack, available in the Whipstitch Etsy shop. Incredibly simple pattern:

select the charm pack you'd like to use--nothing says it has to all be from one collection, but I really, really love the results with this one.
determine the length of your finished table runner. I knew I didn't want to have the runner hanging over the ends of the table, so it's intended to stop just short.
arrange your charm squares into a pleasing pattern. I wanted to ensure that the Adriatic and Byzantine colorways of Anna Maria's collection were more-or-less evenly spread out, so I opted to alternate the deeper blues and greys with the bright, bold pinks and golds throughout the runner.
stitch rows of charms along the SHORT edge of the runner. In this case, I stitched 16 rows of 3 charm squares.
stitch the short rows together along one edge, paying attention to your pattern

I knew I didn't want to quilt this table runner, but I also knew it needed some element to take it from humdrum to really special. I opted for a piped edge, using the Small Gathering in citrus fabric to make continuous bias tape to wrap the piping. I love that all the Small Gathering prints from this collection seem like a totally different fabric in various spots, and am super pleased with how this turned out as bias tape.
Piping made the corners look especially inviting, too.
The whole thing is backed by a length of Filigree in sun, meaning that in theory, the whole thing is reversible.
But really, why would I ever want to turn it over??
The babies love it, too. Although, I did almost lose my mind when middle child used it as a tissue for her runny nose. Oy!

Charming Table Runner

Supplies:

one charm pack of at least 40 squares
1/8" piping cording
fat quarter of fabric to make bias tape to cover the piping
1/2 yd of fabric for the backing

See steps above.

Charm Pack Pattern Series, Pt. 3: Charming Necklace

2009-03-04T14:44:00.007-05:00

Today's charm pack pattern comes from the ladies over at the Moda Bake Shop. Moda, the fabric manufacturer who has pioneered the precuts available today, has set up their own Research Lab to develop patterns and ideas for charm packs, jelly rolls, and other precuts. This necklace idea is similar to one shown on Martha Stewart's show not too long ago, and is made using the Neptune charm packs available in the Whipstitch shop! Cute, cute, cute.

See the step-by-step here.

Next time: Anna Maria decorates the table--with charm packs.

Ladies and Gentlemen, We Have a Winner!

2009-03-03T14:56:00.004-05:00

OK, everyone, it's time! Our Wonderland fat quarter giveaway came to a close on March 1, and I'm delighted to announce that lizze is the winner! Lizze, you'll be contacted via Etsy convo to notify you of your prize, and can claim it at your leisure.

Every purchase between 2/14 and 3/1 was automatically eligible to win 10 fat quarters from the new Wonderland collection by Japanese designer Momo for Moda.

Precuts from this collection are already in shops (including ours!) but yardage hasn't arrived yet. The day it gets to us, lizze, it'll be headed to you! Congrats!

In the meantime, Wonderland fat quarter bundles and charm packs are 10% off with the code WONDERLOUNGE in the Whipstitch Etsy shop. Add the code in your "Buyer's Comments" on checkout and the discount will be refunded to you.

Coming up: the charm pack pattern series continues!