Archive for September, 2009

At Havel’s Sewing, we’re always trying to think of cool projects we can make from our fabric stash. We’re also always thinking about great handmade gift ideas for our friends’ birthdays, anniversaries and housewarming parties. Well, how about making personalized fabric collages. Here’s what you’ll need:

1. A stretched artist’s canvas – your choice of size.
2. A pair of sharp fabric scissors to cut strips of fabric.
3. Carefully chosen fabric from your stash.
4. A quote, message or “rules” printed on regular white paper and cut out to arrange on fabric covered canvas.
5. Mod Podge (Original or Fabric)
6. Artist paint brushes.
7. Acrylic paints in various colors.
8. A staple gun (if you feel better securing the fabric to the canvas by stretching it around and stapling it).

Choose the number of fabric strips you’ll need. That should depend on the quote or message you’ve decided on. You can use one strip per word or one strip per sentence or one strip per rule. Cut the strips wide enough that your words will fit on each strip. Also, pay attention the color of each fabric as you layer them. You can attach each strip of fabric with a staple gun or you can coat your canvas with a layer of Mod Podge and lay your strips across that. Either way, coat your fabric with a layer of Mod Podge after you’ve put your strips on the canvas. Arrange your words and brush a layer of Mod Podge over them. Embellish your words with acrylic paint while the Mod Podge is wet or wait for it to dry for a bolder effect. Let it dry and voila! The entire project takes very little time and trouble.

If you find yourself in love with the ease and finished product of this project, find more inspiration in the pages of Cloth Paper Scissors. It was a story about Anna Maria Horner in an issue of this magazine that inspired us to try these types of fabric collage in the first place!

And, for more advanced techniques, check out Fabric Art Collage by Rebekah Meier.

Do you have a drawer full of t-shirts you no longer wear but can’t bring yourself to toss them out? Maybe you have a box full of concert t-shirts from college in your basement or a bag full of sport t-shirts gathering dust in the closet. Well, in honor of National Sewing Month’s competition, why don’t you reuse, recycle and restyle those t-shirts into a colorful, comforting quilt! Reminisce about the t-shirt origins while staying warm this fall under your t-shirt quilt.

For free instructions on how to make a t-shirt quilt, click here.

To take a look at t-shirt quilts made by other sewists, click here and here.

Ever leave the fabric store bewildered?  And all the online stores just don’t have what you want?  Well, now you have the option of printing your own design!  Spoonflower, a company in North Carolina, prints and ships your design for you.  Just create an account, upload your design and they’ll send you your fabric.  All designs are printed on a basic white cotton base.  Expect to receive your fabric within 8 days.

The team behind Spoonflower also offer weekly design theme contests.  Check out their site and their blog for loads more information.

Havel’s Sewing would like to take a moment to commend Schmetz Needles for their quality and durability.  No one knows needles like the Schmetz team.  Since 1851, the company has continued to provide the best household and industrial sewing needles in the business. 

Schmetz offers an “Ask the Expert” service in which you can fill out a questionnaire with your needle concerns and questions and a Schmetz Needle expert will contact you with answers.  Check out their Needle 101 educational literature as well. 

You’ll see on their website that they live by the motto: “Your sewing machine is only as good as the needle being used.”  Make sure it’s a Schmetz.

Remember the long, lazy days of summer camp as a kid? How about all those folksy crafts you made during activities time? Well, camp isn’t just for kids, you know? For all you quilters out there, Havel’s Sewing has compiled a list of quilt camps that offer a variety of classes that will peak your interest and energize your skill set. Some offer on-site lodging and a few offer lunch. All offer the promise of quilts and camaradarie. Take a look.

Country Threads Quilt Camp

For the Midwestern explorer, Country Threads Quilt Camp takes place in Garner, Iowa. They offer lunch and dinner around class time, but accommodations must be made in town.

Quilting in the Desert

Or make the desert your designation with a Quilting in the Desert camp in Phoenix, Arizona. This quilt camp is held at a hotel, so accommodations are no problem. They offer five days of lots of interesting classes with internationally known instructors.

Brown Chapel at Arrow Rock Quilt Camp

Move back east to Missouri to attend the Arrow Rock Quilt Camp in Arrow Rock, Missouri. Set in a serene village recognized by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, all classes are held in Brown Chapel and are just a walk away from your accommodations at a local bed and breakfast.

Keith House at John C. Campbell Folk School

Not just a quilt camp but offering 33 different quilt classes, the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, North Carolina has a class to inspire almost every type of artist. Accommondations are provided.

So take some vacation time in 2010 and spend some time with a few other folks who have a passion for quilting! You may just meet someone from Havel’s Sewing while you piece together your quilt camp masterpiece!

In honor of National Sewing Month’s Reuse, Remake, Restyle Contest, Havel’s Sewing would like to highlight a few resources for ideas and inspiration.  Each book offers an entire publication full of promising repurposing projects for various skill levels.  For even more ideas, peruse the Flickr Group Pools to see what other sewing enthusiasts have been up to!

Get to the library to grab a copy of Generation T!

 
Dig through your drawers to find all your favorite old t-shirts that seem a little too outdated for everyday wear.  You’ll find new uses for those vintage concert t-shirts.  Packed with several projects to dress up or “upstyle” your cotton tees, Megan Nicolay even offers the humdinger of all DIY projects: a t-shirt wedding gown!

Check out t-shirt tranformations at the Generation T Flickr pool.

Dozens of Ways to Repurpose a Pillowcase

Suzanne J.E. Tourtillott offers many ways to repurpose pillowcases into items for your wardrobe, loved ones and home.  From helpful handbags to heroes’ capes, this book will have you searching through your old linens.  Most of the pillowcases featured here are pretty, but don’t rule out what you can do with those fun and funky designs that no longer have a place in your bedroom.  Or, make a special trip to thrift store to find fine, lone pillowcases just asking for a makeover.

See what others have made with leftover linens at the Vintage Bed Sheet & Pillowcase Flickr pool.

Try this team's "Subversive Seamster: Transform Thrift Store Threads into Street Couture" too!

 
The owners of the now defunct Stitch Lounge offer several fantastic ideas on how to transform your usual wardrobe and give new lives to old clothes.  Havel’s Sewing’s personal favorite is the winter hat made from an old sweater.  Got an old fave that you accidentally shrunk or seems a little to young these days?  Make it a happening hat!

Check out what else you can do with old sweaters at the Made from Recycled Sweaters Flickr pool.

National Sewing Month

Celebrate National Sewing Month by entering the Reuse, Remake, Restyle contest!  Have you repurposed or upstyled a garment recently?  Made pajamas from a pillowcase?  In honor of National Sewing Month, the American Sewing Guild and the Sewing and Craft Alliance sponsor the contest that urges you to reuse, remake or restyle by sewing!

Reuse, Remake, Restyle Contest

You can enter the contest here or visit the National Sewing Month website here for more information.

And check back soon for lots of ideas for repurposing and restyling!

Havel’s Sewing would like to know: Where do you make your masterpieces?  Do you have an entire room dedicated to your sewing endeavors?  A converted closet?  A cleared space at the dining room table?  The creative process is mysterious, and we all need to nurture our imagination by surrounding ourselves with inspiring items.  Your sewing space is essential to your creative spark.  Here are a couple of resources to gain inspiration for your creative domains:

Where Women Create from Stampington & Company

Stampington & Company publishes several magazines dedicated to various fiber arts and other illustrious crafts.  Havel’s Sewing’s favorite is Where Women Create.  The magazine features very talented artists who share their studio and the inspiration behind the space.  You’ll get wonderful ideas for both space arrangements and new projects to try!

Modish Handmade Spaces

The fabulous blog, Modish, offers a Flickr pool called Modish Handmande Spaces.  Readers and other bloggers upload photos of their studios and creative spaces for your perusal and inspiration.  Check out the Modish blog for loads of wonderful handmade items including jewelry, art, pottery and clothing.