New Products

Natalie Chanin, the woman behind the line Alabama Chanin, has recently released her second book regarding hand sewing and sustainable living.  Her first book, Alabama Stitch Book, introduced readers to her company’s philosophy and lifestyle.  Now, with the second book, readers have a chance to indulge in more than just sewing projects: recipes and furniture suggestions round out real lifestyle advice.

If you’d like to get started with a sewing project, choose from one of the DIYKits available from the Alabama Chanin online store.  The kits come equipped with everything you’ll need to complete your journal cover, or reverse-applique scarf, or corset.  Try a kit or choose your own fabric and make a project from Alabama Studio Style.  And check out Natalie Chanin on her blog tour at the following blogs:

Heather Ross Journal

Anna Maria Horner

EcoSalon

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.

Although sewing can be a solitary endeavor (think of those times you’ve been hunched over your machine, hours into a project, ripping seams in silence) Havel’s Sewing would like to take a moment to shine a spotlight on all the ways sewing has become a mighty social force. Whether you’re in an informal sewing circle with a few of your old college friends or you meet at the local coffee shop once a week for a Stitch n’ Bitch session, sewing and crafting brings people together.

Best Friends Quilt Shoppe

First, there’s the fabric shops. Many offer classes, of course. But Havel’s Sewing has found that many also offer clubs and social events aimed at avid sewists. Best Friends Quilt Shop in Cincinnati, Ohio hosts a “Stash Pot Pie” every 3rd Saturday. Customers can join in the fun, eat pie, take advantage of free patterns and the company of other quilters. We’ve even heard of ladies playing poker for fat quarters with their fabric store friends!

make workshop nyc

Stitch Lounge is no longer around, but a crop of similar studios have popped up around the country. The concept to these “sewing lounges” is that you have a place to meet up with other sewists and either use the studios machines and notions or bring your own and create in good company. Classes are often offered, and other sewists are there to answer questions. A few studio owners have even published books full of fun sewing projects.

American Sewing Guild

The American Sewing Guild offers local chapters who meet regularly to discuss various sewing topics. They also offer discounts at fabric stores and with notions dealers AND host a national conference where members can take classes with nationally recognized artists and designers.

But if you’re a little too busy to get to the meeting, then you can always login online and enjoy the vast social sewing networks the internet has to offer. Almost every fabric designer seems to have a Flickr pool where you can check out projects made with their fabric – or upload your own! Also, BurdaStyle is an excellent source for ideas and patterns.

No longer do those seams need to be ripped in silence. Meet up with your friends and gab while your stitch. Share your projects and your expertise online. You’ll certainly gain inspiration, and maybe learn (or teach) a thing or two.

Pincushions are a necessity in any sewing workspace.  And they’re often a fun and rewarding sewing project, as well.  Here at Havel’s Sewing, we’ve collected our favorite pincushion projects from around the web.  Feel inspired?  You can buy the pattern for a few of these beauties, check out the Flickr tutorials, or click on the picture to go directly to free directions.  Pretty up your sewing space with a practical place for your pins.

Take a look through this inspiring little book from the “Pretty Little” series from Lark Publications.  How About Orange? featured a little mushroom from this book a few days ago.  The Flickr tutorial walks you through the steps.  Click on the picture to buy the book.

Pretty Little Pincushions

We can’t resist this cactus pincushion made by Megan from Crafty Intentions.  Your pins are the prickly points on this imaginative pincushion.  Although we couldn’t find a pattern, you can purchase other plush items through her Etsy store.

Cactus pincushion from Megan at Crafty Intentions

Doesn’t this cupcake pincushion make your mouth water?  We think it would make a great birthday gift for the sewist in your life.  Or from the sewist in your life!  The pattern is available at The Calico Cat.

Cupcake Pincushion Pattern from The Calico Cat

This dainty teacup and saucer pincushion is as elegant as it is useful.  And a great way to repurpose never-used china!  Invite other crafy ladies over for tea and teacup pincushion assembly.  Click on the photo to go to the free pattern from Tipnut.

The Flower Pot Pincushion from The Long Thread offers an invaluable way to use some of your larger fabric remnants.  We like this particular project for its flexibility in size and materials.  Make one for your workroom and never lose a pin again.

Flower Pot Pincushion from The Long Thread

What do you think of the wristlet pincushions for projects while you roam?  This wearable wrist pincushion from Planet June is as useful as it easy appealing.  Click on the pic to go to the instructions.

One for Your Wrist from Planet June

Anna Maria Horner has a wonderful free pattern for a Wildflower Pincushion from Better Homes & Gardens. Use her fabulous fabric for a wild and wonderful burst of color in your sewing room.

Wild Flower Pincushion by Anna Maria Horner

For more pincushion projects, check out this list from Tipnut of 60 Free Pincushion Patterns. Craftershock has a wonderful post on 9 Precious Pincushions that will awaken your crafty ambitions.

A few of us here at Havel’s Sewing have been comparing notions in our sewing baskets. We’ve got a variety of needles and rulers and pins, for sure. But when it comes to our cutting tools, everyone agrees on three absolute essential cutting tools to complete your sewing kit.  We all agree, too, that Havel’s Sewing offers your best bet for great quality notions.

Three Sewing Basket Essentials:

1. A good, sharp seam ripper.

The Ultra-Pro Seam Ripper

The E-Z Grip Seam Ripper

4 3/4″ Dura Snips on a Neck Strap

3. A pair of durable multi-use 8″ shears.

8" Sew Creative Sewing/Quilting Scissors

8 1/2" Curved Fabric Scissors

We like to have one of each product shown at our disposal, but only one seam ripper or one pair of scissors is absolutely necessary.  Over time, as your collection and assortment of tools grows, we imagine you’ll want to take advantage of our wide range of scissor sizes and angles.  Then, when you’re comparing notions with your friends, you’ll be the one with the neatest tools.  And you’ll be the one who knows where to get ‘em.

On the rare days when we’re not feeling so crafty here at Havel’s Sewing, we like to jump online and browse through the ever-amazing blogosphere for ideas and inspiration. A few of our favorite fabric designers have wonderful blogs, as well as wonderful books, that keep our imaginations soaring with dreams of potential projects covering our studio counter. Havel’s Sewing would like to share a few of our favorites and extend our gratitude for their creative spirits.

Seams to Me by Anna Maria Horner

Anna Maria Horner is the designer of Good Folks fabric and the author of Seams to Me: 24 New Reasons to Love Sewing. She manages to design, sew and raise a big family AND blog on a fairly regular basis.

Bend the Rules Sewing by Amy Karol

Amy Karol is the woman behind the blog Angry Chicken. She offers lots of great projects on her site. She is an artist and illustrator and the author of Bend the Rules Sewing. Her latest book, Bend the Rules with Fabric will be available in August 2009.

Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross

Heather Ross designs the Far Far Away fabric for Kokka from Japan. She is also the author of Weekend Sewing: More Than 40 Project and Ideas for Inspired Stitching. Her blog is full of delicious photos and a peak into her life.

How About Orange...by Jessica Jones

Jessica Jones is the designer behind Amusement Park fabric and author of the crafty blog How About Orange? You’ll find lots of inspiration and links to how-tos on her site.

j caroline creative

For more trusty how-tos, check out J. Caroline Creative’s How-To section. You’ll also find plenty of inspired projects on her blog – and the fabric to complete them in her shop.

Once we’ve browsed through these few sites, we’re back at our sewing machines and ready to go! Now, we’d like to know: where do you get your sewing inspiration?

If you cut a lot of fabric, then you’ve seen your scissors dull over a short amount of time. To put the “life” back in your favorite pair of scissors, you may want to sharpen them safely and efficiently. Lots of instructions exist on how to sharpen scissors frugally (with sandpaper, aluminum foil or a screw driver). Expensive options include the purchase of a sharpening stone or a fancy electronic scissor-sharpening machine for around $100. Havel’s Sewing would like to suggest a very reliable, reasonably-priced method.

Havel’s Sewing offers you an affordable tool designed specifically for sharpening your favorite blades: The Swiss Combo Star.

The Swiss Combo Star - Precision Sharpening

For $15.95 you can sharpen your scissors in an instant. The Swiss Combo Star features one side of steel and one side of stone. Just grip the handle and run the steel side along the length of your blade. Repeat with the stone side to smooth and clean the freshly sharpened scissor. Instructions are included with The Swiss Combo Star, as is a nice velvet pouch in which to keep the tool and instructions.

The Swiss Combo Star is a great addition to your sewing basket or craft table. Keep it near your scissors and never experience messy, dull cuts again.

Knitting is neat.

Several years ago, knitting made a comeback. Knitting circles (think Stitch ‘n Bitch) popped up all over the map and the craft world was filled with lots of yarns about knitting patterns and projects (pun intended!). The handmade movement aided in the reclaimed popularity of the needle arts.

And sewing tools rule!

But now, it seems, sewing has made a resurgance. Always popular for some people, sewing has gained a tremendous online following. Many fabric designers are blogging, as are women who write books on crafty do-it-yourself projects. Check out our blogroll to read about those nifty gals. And check out this article on AOL about sewing’s renewed esteem: A Sewing Renaissance.

Here at Havel’s Sewing, we’re glad to see the fans – the faithful and new. Take a look at our product lines to find scissors and tools to help you in your latest sewing adventures.

Applique is the process of ironing or sewing one piece of material onto another. In order to make the object being applied, you must be very precise in cutting your fabric. The pieces used must be very carefully trimmed. Havel’s Sewing offers a variety of specialty scissors designed to make your applique projects cut close to perfection!

Pelican Scissors for Applique

Our Multi-Angled Pelican Scissors (which come in right and left hand versions) provide better viewing and a more comfortable position when cutting. The Pelican “bill” lifts fabric as it trims it away.

Curved Scissors for Iron-On Applique

The Curved Scissors for Iron-On Applique have a rounded blade on the bottom to keep fabric safe, while the longer handles makes cutting around corners simple.

Double Curved Applique Scissors

Our Double Curved Applique Scissors feature short narrow blades with rounded tips reach into small areas without poking or tearing fabric. These are also available with pointed tips, and in both right and left hand versions.

In the applique process, you need to cut closely, with acute precision. And close cuts are what Havel’s Sewing scissors are all about. With designs for both right and left-handed sewers, and multiple angles for better control, you can’t help but stay sharp while you cut your pattern for your applique project.

Check out this video from Graspr that demonstrates how to use one of our most popular items!