Hello everyone,

“How come they dont prewash their fabric? They seem to be using it of the bolt?” You see even my hubs has learnt, through living with a sewing mad wife that rule number 1 of sewing is you prewash your fabric. So why oh why do they misrepresent sewing like that in the show!!!! I generally watch it as a reality TV show because well the contestants aren’t the best amateur sewers as professed – because why would you pit a newbie sewer who has never made a jacket (or even sewed a bias bound neckline) with a vetaran who has been sewing for 30 plus years? No to me its like a Big Brother of sewing. The other day (60’s week I think – they made the one thing I am buying that book for _ the Mondrian dress that I have coveted since seeing it first on FabriKated’s blog. But what on earth was the new judge wearing? Purely from a curiosity perspective – as a seamster when I see clothes I automatically deconstruct them but I could not figure out what she was wearing. Still its fun to watch.

I have been reading a few books.

Draping The Complete Course by Karolyn Kiisel which I also borrowed from the library. I absolutely love this book and it has been added to my xmas gift list (Mr SNS now knows what to get me ). It explains everything step by step and something I believed had to wait till I had time to go to a night class seems within reach. It has some fabulous looking projects to do and it includes an instructional DVD.

Couture sewing techniques has just blown my mind and changed my finish level. Its leveled me up significantly. I honestly did not appreciate hand sewing before but seeing all the fine gowns that are all made by hand I was like wow! I have been applying some of the techniques n my recent makes and I am not disappointed. I wish I had come across this book sooner. As it is, I bought form the US where it was so much cheaper than buying here in UK.

I borrowed this book by Dennic Chunman on pattern drafting. Its interesting in that it has what I consider to be avant garde projects so very much a fashion design student book. It excelled at explaining some reasons behind why things are done a certain way. Also interesting was his point that pinning on a dress form does not give you a good indication of how a dress looks on a real person (there are example pictures in the book but I forgot to snap them on my phone). He advocates using a real model early on in the process (key back to GBSB and their refashion challenge where they have to pin on a dress form). Though an enjoyable read, I shant be buying a personal copy for my sewing library.

New sewing tools that have bee amazing…….

I bought some beeswax on a whim during a late night phone browsing session as a result of reading the Claire Shaffer book. When I used it at first it was making the tangling worse and I abandoned it. But when I read further I learnt that you had to apply a bit of heat to it so I tried that the next time. Something strange happened and the thread went from being curly to bone straight and did not tangle at all. Its made sewing by hand a pleasure I had never experienced before.

I also picked up a loop turner and yes its worth the £1.81 and 2 weeks I waited for it to arrive from China!

I am also currently obsessed with trying to draft this lowered shoulder dress I saw in an optician waiting room magazine. Its a Peter Pilotto $1800,00 dress. With any luck I might finish drafting it in time for next summer :-).

Images from matchesfashion.com

Thanks for stopping by, do you have  a book recommendation or sewing tool? Please share I learn so much from your collective experiences.

As always thanks for stopping by. I’ll be back soon. Happy sewing!

Hila

XoX