In this video, Sheryl Belson interviewed Anita Morris from Anita by Design. You will love Anita’s exuberance, authenticity, joy and sparkling smile! She shares her passion for helping people learn to sew, her unique way of planning her sewing projects, as well as how she has weathered some of life’s hardest moments. This chat is one you definitely don’t want to miss. You can follow Anita on Instagram and YouTube.
~Sheryl Belson
Q. Item Created
A. Blouse
Q. Independent Pattern Designer
A. Itch-to-Stitch
Q. Name and Number of Pattern
A. Bonn Shirt/Dress
Q. Fabric Used:
A. Picasso Rayon Poplin in teal
Q. Special Embellishments/Notions Used
A. Superior MasterPiece cotton thread
Q. Skill level required?
A. Advanced beginner or Intermediate
Q. Are the instructions easy to follow?
A. Yes, and they are quite thorough. There are several sleeve variations of long, short, mid-length and flare; this is the long flare. I’ve made the mid-length also, in a blue rayon print. Have not made the dress.
Q. Are you pleased with the finished result? Did it meet your expectations?
A. Very pleased. I had a bit of difficulty with the hem this time. I chose to use a rolled hem foot to make it simpler than trying to press 1/8″ double ironed hem with slippery rayon. The result is that the hem has a fluttery look, which mimics the flared sleeve.
Q. Did it look like the picture?
A. Yes, it did.
Q. Did you make any modifications in the pattern?
A. No.
Q. Are there any changes you would have made?
A. I might try it with a straight hem, rather than a curved one, and perhaps add a side slit. If I did that, I would also do the mid-length sleeve and make that hemmed rather than gathered and banded.
Q. Did the pattern teach you any unique or special techniques?
A. This was the first flared sleeve I’ve sewn. I like the effect.
Q. Would you make this again?
A. Yes.
Q. Would you recommend this pattern to others?
A. Yes, I would.
Pattern Link: https://itch-to-stitch.com/pattern-release-bonn-shirt-dress/
I purchased the fabric from a store in Missoula, Montana that also has a web site, The Confident Stitch. The online store and their customer service customer are top notch.
~Joanne Jensen, Plano Chapter
Not really designed for construction, variegated threads are multiple colors within a single strand. When you look at a spool, you may see distinct color patterns or simply a blending of similar colors, depending on the brand, how the thread is dyed and how it’s wound on the spool or cone. Stitching with these threads on your sewing machine also produces differing results. Sometimes, surprises happen unexpectedly!
The spacing and repetition of colors within the spool vary by thread type and brand. Some multi-color threads repeat colors in a regular sequence, others offer random color repeats and others may change hue every inch, or every few feet. Colors can be related by shade, such as a light, medium and dark tone of the same color, or they can be bold contrasting colors, like a mix of red, white and blue within the same strand.
Sometimes the color change is distinct, abruptly changing from one to the another, but more often the changes are gradual with a melding from one shade to the next.
How the thread is dyed determines how it stitches out, in combination with other factors like stitch length and width, and the actual stitch selection.
Look for variegated threads in multiple fiber options—cotton, polyester, rayon, metallic, silk and texturized nylon. They also come in different thread sizes, depending on the use. Heavier weights are ideal for multi-color free-motion quilting.
Variegated threads can be used in a number of ways. Satin stitching takes on an entirely new persona creating stripes of color—either distinct or melding.
A striped appliqué edge is interesting as well. Topstitching with variegated thread is fun, free-motion quilting allows for blending colors found in fabric prints, and the world is your oyster with decorative machine stitches.
When selecting decorative stitches, look for those that are formed only with a forward motion for the best color clarity. If you choose reverse-motion stitches, you can end up with slightly different colors on top of each other as the stitch is formed.
Variegated thread also makes interesting serging stitching lines, whether used as an edge finish or for flatlocking within a garment. Unless both sides show, use the variegated thread only in the upper looper and needle, along with a coordinating solid in the lower looper.
Machine embroidery is a great place to use variegated threads for either subtle or bold shade changes. But, be aware that depending on the thread patterning, you can end up with stripes in your programmed design.
Before committing to a project, be sure to test-stitch with the variegated thread and stitch settings you plan to use to see how the color variations will actually stitch out. Or, better yet, try the same design with different variegated thread types and brands.
Another type of multi-color thread is twisted thread—two or three plies of different colors twisted together to create a heathery look. Look for analogous color shades (like light blue and dark blue) creating a denim look, or more contrast in colors for bolder effect.
Twist threads are ideal for embroidering animal motifs with fur or feathers, topstitching and decorative stitching where you don’t want stripes to be prominent.
There are several types of hand-stitching threads available with multi-coloration. Look for embroidery floss and fine wools, as well as multiple sizes of variegated pearl cottons.
So, add some color changing to your world!
~Linda Griepentrog
Linda is the owner of G Wiz Creative Services and she does writing, editing and designing for companies in the sewing, crafting and quilting industries. In addition, she escorts fabric shopping tours to Hong Kong. She lives at the Oregon Coast with her husband Keith, and two dogs, Yohnuh and Abby. Contact her at .
by Nick Pope, adapted from a story on esquire.com/uk/ on 8/18/20
It all started with a pair of old curtains. In late March, as Colorado crept into lockdown, 23-year-old Jonathan Simanjuntak began his search for a new hobby. “Quarantine was getting really serious,” he told me from his home in Aurora, a city spread across two of the state’s hardest hit counties. It didn’t take him long to land on sewing. “If I’m being super honest, the fact that I can’t afford Gucci and APC [a French RTW brand] had a lot to do with it.”
Before the local government could stop him, Jonathan raided thrift shops for fusty fabrics, damaged clothes, and any rag that might prove useful. Three months later, after a lot of trial-and-error and YouTube tutorials, he uploaded his first big project to the 260,000-strong Reddit community /r/sewing: a Dickies-inspired work jacket, upcycled from a blanket and some floral curtains he found at Goodwill. It immediately shot to the top of a subreddit almost entirely dominated by dresses. “Thank you everyone for the nice comments,” he wrote at the top of the post, which gained seven thousand upvotes. “I’m smiling a lot!”
Fusty: smelling stale, damp, or stuffy
It should come as no great surprise that /r/sewing has grown in popularity. As stringent lockdown measures loomed, the world got busy keeping busy. Google searches for “sewing machines” jumped by 400 percent in the U.S., and John Lewis [a British department store] reported that sales of them had risen by 127 percent over April. What might come as a surprise, however, is the number of men who began posting their own creations—from face masks to full outfits—on the forum, a real rarity before the pandemic hit. “I see a lot of new seamsters like me popping up in the subreddit every day,” Jonathan told me. “The first time you put your own work on your body feels like magic—it’s wild addicting.”
According to Merchant & Mills, a former warehouse-turned-sewing emporium in Rye, East Sussex, England, more men than ever are taking to the craft. The British draper received a month’s worth of orders each day at the start of lockdown, but it was their template for a men’s workwear silhouette that reigned supreme. “The Foreman Jacket shot through the roof. It was the best-selling pattern by miles,” says Carolyn Denham, who co-founded the company ten years ago. Even before lockdown, she noticed that men were finally beginning to see the value in producing their own clothes with long-lasting materials. “Sewing doesn’t have to be this mumsy, cutesy thing with pink scissors,” she told me. “Men relate to it being a ‘quality’ thing. I think they hook straight into that.”
Redditor Mehedi Sarri, a 32-year-old librarian from Toulouse, France, learned to sew when he lost his job back in 2017. “When you start sewing, spending six to eight hours on a garment, you realize the value of your clothes.” he says. A new job in 2018 meant that Mehedi’s hobby fell by the wayside, but lockdown presented the perfect opportunity to get back on the horse. A fan of Japanese fabrics like Kokka and Nani IRO, he crafted his own shirts, coats, trousers, and of course, face masks. “Three of my friends expressed their will to have some training sessions with me.That made me so happy,” he says. “I also taught one friend how to sew right after confinement, and he made a bunch of masks.”
Ishmael Jasmin, a 20-year-old Redditor from Los Angeles, has even started selling his own streetwear pieces crafted with woven blanket materials, including a pair of Space Jam-themed shorts. “Sewing has been very beneficial to my mental health,” he told me. “Don’t get me wrong, some projects can be draining and annoying. But when I’m creating something, I don’t have to really worry about any outside noise. Just me and my machine is a perfect combo.”
Original article on esquire.com/uk/
~Betty Watts, ASG member
Betty was the publisher of the print edition of ASG Notions for 20 years. She says, “I like Jonathan’s word ‘seamsters’ much better than sewers or sewists.”
Our thanks to ASG member, Tina Gordon, for her review of this jeans pattern!
Q. Item Created
A. Denim Jeans
Q. Independent Pattern Designer
A. Cashmerette
Q. Name and Number of Pattern
A. Ames 4101
Q. Fabric Used:
A. Stretch Denim with 2% Lycra
Q. Special Embellishments/Notions Used
A. Rivets, embroidered pockets
Q. Skill level required?
A. Intermediate
Q. Are the instructions easy to follow?
A. The instructions were very well written with detailed illustrations.
Q. Are you pleased with the finished result? Did it meet your expectations?
A. I am very pleased with how my jeans turned out. Having struggled with fit issues on another pattern of similar style, my hopes were not set high. Surprisingly, the fit was almost perfect. Really, I think after another washing to two, the “excess” fabric I see will not be noticeable any longer and will have “worn in,” conforming to my specific shape. The pattern says high rise, but it’s really mid at best.
Q. Did it look like the picture?
A. Yes and no. The line drawings are spot on with regard to styling. However, if I had made the pattern for my body type, which looks most like the picture for the apple pelvis style, the jeans would not have fit as well since this view is meant for a flat posterior and not rounded (although my full tummy and straight hips fit the scenario pictured). By choosing the pear pelvis (which is what is recommended by the designer), this view accounts for a round rear, although the model pictured is a true pear shape with a more defined waistline.
Q. Did you make any modifications in the pattern?
A. The pattern is drafted for a woman who is 5’6″, so I shortened the leg length. Otherwise, that’s it. The pattern is already drafted for a swayback with a rounded waistband.
Q. Are there any changes you would have made?
A. The next pair I make I will adjust the rise just a bit, as I like my jeans to sit slightly higher. I will adjust the waistband as well but just minimally to account for my swayback with a round derriere.
Q. Did the pattern teach you any unique or special techniques?
A. I love sewing fly-front zippers. It’s my thing.
Q. Would you make this again?
A. YES!
Q. Would you recommend this pattern to others?
A. It’s definitely drafted for the curvy figure. I highly recommend it for those curvy ladies struggling with fit in other patterns.
Pattern Link: https://www.cashmerette.com/products/ames-jeans-pdf-pattern
~Tina Gordon, Central Savannah River Chapter
