Recently, I decided to redirect some of my sewing energy to dopamine sewing, which means sewing things that I ‘want’ for no purpose other than I want it. This means garments that fall into the inspirational category. I ask myself: “Why do they have to just be inspirational? Why can’t they just be the thing…
Dopamine Sewing: Vogue 1888 Pattern Blouse in Bold Love Bird Linen
Have you seen that Fabrics-Store added cotton to their shop? With this exciting news, I decided to see what I thought of the quality and texture of these lovely floral prints. If you’re on the fence trying to decide if you want to try one, hopefully this review will help you. I jumped right in…
Block printing can be a fun way to experiment with textile design and add a little bit more flair to a project, especially if you’re looking to add some complexity to a specific part of the garment. I’ve wanted to make the Matilda Dress pattern for a while, but was struggling to choose a fabric…
Abstract Expressionist painter Willem De Kooning was obsessed with pink, making it a defining feature in many of his most renowned works of art. These include his formative paintings of women, caught up in great tangles and ribbons of expressive colour. While De Kooning eventually abandoned these figurative references for a language of pure abstraction,…
I have been looking at the Lily collection of patterns from fabric-store for a while now, but all along I presumed that sewing these pieces would be difficult. I noted in the reviews that some people got stuck on the pocket construction, and I already suspected that the front bracket and sleeves would pose a…
Portuguese textile artist Vanessa Barragão makes vast, richly textured and all-encompassing textile creations resembling the flora and fauna of coral reefs, rendered with the traditional crafts of crochet, hand-tufting, felting, embroidery and macrame. On one hand, she draws our attention to the unfathomably complex wonder of coral reef systems, which she calls “cities at the…
Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do. I am Siri Kate but most of my friends call me Siri. I am a 30-year-old divorcee on a journey to create beautiful things out the circumstances I have been given. A lot of people are surprised but I work in sales for a specialty chemical company…
French Post-Impressionist painter Paul Cezanne spent much of his adult life in Provence, and his mature paintings were a response to his immediate environment, conveying the light, hazy colours and undulating forms of the South of France. Pale, airy blues like PROVENCE were a recurring feature, spreading out across vast stretches of cloudless sky, craggy…
Back by popular demand, here is a closer look at making your own block printed fabric. Editor’s note: If you would like to make towels, we have two fantastic tutorials for this here and here. Materials & Tools Lino Handle (roller) Lino Cutters Rubber Block Stamps Block Printing Ink for fabric (oil-based) Scrap cardboard Fabric!…
Contemporary American fibre artist Sarah Zapata reworks the ancient traditions of weaving for the 21st century, playing with how technicoloured yarns, shaggy textures and garish colour clashes can be transformed into larger-than-life sculptures and installations. Her work may appear entirely new and experimental, but she insists it pays homage to the history of Peruvian woven…
Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do. I’m Brandon Hayden of Happily Dressed. I strive to show people that being yourself is the best way to maximize your life. Through my personal sewing projects and teaching classes, I am reminded that we each have something unique to offer the world. Being able to…
When looking at the paintings and prints of contemporary artist Peter Doig, it is easy to link his work with the great expressionist painters of art history, from Henri Matisse to Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Emil Nolde, Paul Gauguin and Edvard Munch. Yet Doig cannily adds his own contemporary twist, through electrifyingly bright, iridescent colours like…
At the ripe ole’ age of 32 and after an almost-ten-year career in teaching, I have recently (and shockingly) found myself in corporate America. While many of you have been walking these fluorescent-lit hallways since graduating from whatever business or engineering program you attended, this is my first foray. I had masterfully dodged these stodgy…
When we speak about natural dyeing, it is in reference to dyeing natural fibres of which there are two categories: Plant & Animal. Plant fibres are cellulose-based and cover anything that comes from a plant or the earth such as cotton, linen, hemp, nettle etc. Animal fibres are made of protein and include anything that…
My favorite sewing machine is the second machine I’ve ever worked with. When I was 15 years old, I was given a pretty basic Singer machine by my mother – completely unprovoked. Unsure why I received this machine, I started making simple alterations to my hand-me-down clothes from my sister, but I don’t remember much…
SEW THIS LOOK
Latest Posts
Search engine
Use this form to find things you need
LATEST COMMENTS
23 Feb 2025 @ 1:50 am by Ramona Putnam
20 Feb 2025 @ 1:57 am by Emma Cartmel
24 Jul 2018 @ 7:53 am by What is a drawstring waist? - Clothing Manufacturer - Modaknits Apparel
23 Feb 2025 @ 1:50 am by Donna Hedges
23 Feb 2025 @ 1:50 am by Margaret Marcy Emerson