Wordless Work in Progress Wednesday: October 31, 2012

Top Ten Things I Learned at Sewing Summit

A week has passed since I returned from Sewing Summit, and I’m still wrapping my head around everything I learned and experienced. For your reading pleasure, below are the top ten things that I learned from the speakers at Sewing Summit. In addition to the insightful speakers, I met countless interesting people. You can learn more about some of them over at my mom’s blog.

10. Finishing seams is one of the most effective ways to make your handmade clothes look more polished and professional. _{a, e}

9. When starting to sew your own wardrobe, comfort is essential. Work with fabrics you are comfortable with and make pieces that you are comfortable wearing. _a

8. Balancing value, scale, type and color is important when selecting fabrics for a project. If you keep some of them consistent, then you have more leeway with the rest. _b

7. For an appealing, quick loading blog, resize your photos so that they are the same width as your blog (not including the sidebar). _{c, d}

6. To get awesome pictures, don’t be afraid to do wacky things like stand on a bed to get the shot you want. _c

5. While blog design, social networking and high quality pictures are important to creating a successful blog, compelling content is most important of all. _{d, g}

4. Keep creating and create what matters to you. _{e, h}

3. The best inspiration comes from your own life. _{f, g, h}

2. In quilting and fabric, as in novels, the most interesting stories are made up of layers upon layers upon layers of meaning. _h

1. Learn to use the necessary tools. _{a, h}

a.        Handmade Wardrobe with Mena Trott

b.       Creative Fabric Selection with JeniBaker

c.        Photography with Vanessa Hewell
d.       Website Design with Melissa Esplin
e.       Finishing Details with Anna Graham
f.         Keynote with Joel Dewberry
g.        Successful Blogging with Tauni Everett
h.       Fabric Design with Thomas Knauer

Wordless Work in Progress Wednesday: October 17, 2012

Sewing Summit Shop Hop Happiness!

Sewing Summit is a blast so far! Really enjoyed meeting new people and exploring new fabric shops today.

 

 

Wordless WIP Wednesday: October 10, 2012

Camera Strap Covers

Sewing Summit is nearly upon us! I am, of course, taking my camera. Since DSLRs tend to look very similar at a glance, I was worried that my camera might get mixed up with someone else’s at such a big event. The solution presented itself via Issue Seventeen of the Mollie Makes magazine: a camera strap cover! The one in the magazine is awesome, but as it seemed rather too complicated for my timeline, I simplified.

Once I measured my camera strap and calculated the necessary seam allowances, it was a breeze to piece a fabric strip of the correct dimensions and turn it into a fun camera strap. I liked how it turned out so much that I made one for my mom, too! In hers, I incorporated one of her personalized labels, which was fun. Since making my camera strap cover, I have used my camera a few times and found that I much prefer the feel of the cover to that of the original strap. I can’t wait to use it more at Sewing Summit later this week!

Flurry Poochie Bag

Ever on the hunt for cute fabric gift bags to make for Christmas, I decided to use up a few more Flurry fat quarters and give Happy Zombie’s Poochie bag a whirl. Despite that fact that I didn’t pay enough attention to the direction of the tree print, I really like the end result. This pattern uses three fat quarters with very little waste, whips up quickly, and is structured enough to stand up on its own. I especially like the traditional gift bag shape. Since the bag is open, I will add some tissue paper when it comes time to wrap a gift in it. Using tissue defeats part of my purpose for making fabric gift bags for Christmas, as I am trying to reduce the environmental impact of our holiday habits. However, this bag is still visually pleasing and handmade, which is awesome. I will definitely make this pattern again, but most likely for one-time occasions such as birthdays, and not for large scale giving holidays.

Linking up with Finish It Up Friday at crazy mom quilts.

Wordless WIP Wednesday: October 3, 2012

Minnesota State Fair: A Junk Foodie’s Paradise

This summer, I had the pleasure of visiting the Minnesota State Fair. I’ve been to fairs before, but they did little to prepare me for the awesomeness that is the Minnesota State Fair. Within a four hour time span, three of my favorite people and I wandered the grounds, stuffing ourselves with as many unusual, unhealthy delicacies as our stomachs could handle. We sampled sweet potato tots, corn fritters, soft pretzels, cheese curds, a bucket of chocolate chip cookies, old fashioned root beer, corn dogs made with wheat, and best of all, red velvet funnel cake. In addition to gawking at the plethora of culinary delights available, we also managed to see baby ducks, new lambs, horses, cows and quilts. Sadly, we weren’t able to spend much time with the quilts. Next time. We’ll definitely be back, as those sweet potato tots are calling my name.

 

Linking up with Tuesday at the Table at A Quilter’s Table.
 

Sewing Summit?

Are any of my dear readers going to Sewing Summit next week? Let me know if you are, as I would love to meet you in person.