A couple weeks ago, I was asked to compile a playlist for Etsy and Threadbanger  as a collaborative project. I was given the task of choosing a theme and then digging through all of YouTube to find a collection of videos around that theme.

Being a fellow curious onlooker of Craigslist’s Missed Connections, I was instantly excited by the profile of one of my favorite Etsy artists, Sophie Blackall. She looked to this incredible online personal lost and found as inspiration for a collection of art that is now available in book form and on public display in the subways in NYC.

So, take a look at the playlist and let me know what you think. I have yet to watch the video of myself, as I’m weird like that, however I thoroughly enjoyed the others and thought you would too. Below are just a couple that are featured including the Etsy profile on Sophie and a love story between a bicycle and a sewing machine  by peSeta for the New Museum.

Quilt laid out flat (the bag is on the underside)

For a quilt that not only keeps you warm or holds your place at the park but also helps tote your goodies to the game or picnic, try this great project I created for Bernina’s Sewing Republic. The entire how-to is available free for download on the Sewing Republic website. If you don’t want to take the time to create a quilt, you can also use a large piece of fleece as your blanket, or stitch the tote onto a pre-existing quilt. You can make the blanket as large or small as you like. If I was to make it again, I would use a water-resistant fabric for the quilt backing and bag. That way when I lay it down in the grass at the park, I won’t have to worry about damaging the quilt.

Bag with the quilt inside

Last week I posted an interview with my friend Brett Bara, all about her new book, Sewing in a Straight Line, along with a chance to win a free copy. Congrats to Allison C! You are the winner! Thanks to all who commented for a chance to win, and stay tuned for more giveaways soon.

I’m so happy to announce that my dear friend Brett Bara‘s new book, Sewing in a Straight Line, is now available! For anyone that doesn’t already know of Brett, she is the host of Knit & Crochet Now, and an all-around super talented lady.

I first got to know Brett when we both worked together at SOHO Publishing, with her on the crochet side and me on the crafts and sewing side. Though most people know her for her work in the yarn world (and the amazing world of Jell-O!), Brett’s adventures in sewing can be found in her tutorials on Design*Sponge and her new website.

I love Sewing in a Straight Line, and I’m not just saying that because Brett’s a buddy. The book’s projects are so chic, you’d never guess they were simply done all by simply using a straight stitch, which gives beginners the confidence to really dive in and start stitching. I’m so excited to share this great new book with you, that I’M GIVING AWAY ONE FREE COPY! For a chance to win, simply comment on this post by Monday morning, and I’ll choose a winner at random. Giveaway closed. Congrats Allison C!

To get to know a little bit more about Brett’s process behind Sewing in a Straight Line, she was kind enough to chat with me about the book and all things sewing:

Me: What made you first want to create the book?
Brett: I have been wanting to write a book for a really long time. My background, work-wise, is in crochet and knitting, but rather than write a crochet or knitting book, I wanted to write a sewing book because I’ve always been a sewer and I wanted to incorporate sewing into my career. I also was seeing that sewing seemed to be really growing as a trend – that more and more people seemed to be getting interested in sewing. I noticed that lots of people kept mentioning to me that they wanted to learn to sew but didn’t know where to start… and then one day I had an epiphany where I realized that so much of what I sew is made with straight lines only. So I thought, if all those people who want to learn to sew could see how easy it can be (straight lines!) then maybe they would be able to give it a try. And that’s how this book was born!

Brett in her sewing room

Me: When did you first learn to sew and who taught you?
Brett: I think I started sewing when I was four or five years old! My mom was a big sewer and I was always fascinated by her sewing. I LOVED going to the fabric store to pick out patterns, fabric and notions and then watching her make clothes for me – so I was really interested in learning to sew as a kid. I’m sure in the beginning I just played around on the machine, but I remember making my first finished top in second grade. From there I went on to make clothes for myself in junior high and high school, and in high school I also got into quilting.

Me: How is sewing different for you than crochet?
Brett: Hmmm, they’re totally different for me. I didn’t learn crochet till I was an adult, and I think in many ways crochet has always been a “work” thing for me – even though I do it as a hobby, it’s really always been a work-related subject, whereas sewing is more in my blood and is something I’ve associated with free time and pleasure and pure creativity from a very early age. Also, sewing is faster and it doesn’t make my wrists hurt!

Me: What was your creative process like when you were developing ideas for the book?
Brett: Once my editor and I had settled on the straight line concept, everything flowed from there. I sat down and brainstormed all of the different things that could be made with straight lines… It was totally one of those things where limitations and restrictions make you more creative – it was a fun challenge to think within the constraints of straight lines only. I really wanted the projects to look sophisticated despite the straight line thing, so it was important to me to come up with projects that didn’t look boxy or rudimentary. So I spent a lot of time choosing fabrics that would elevate the simple shapes of the projects, and adding in special techniques like shirring to take things up a notch as well.

One-Hour Skirt Project

Bunny project

Me: What was it like creating all of those projects?

Brett: It was terrifying, and then it was really fun! At first I was really overwhelmed by having so many projects to create, and I lost some time feeling paralyzed and overwhelmed. But of course getting started is the hardest part, so once I got going, it was a great process. I had some help from stitchers, and that helped a lot to manage the work load. I spent a LOT of time in fabric stores, especially Mood (but I never saw Tim Gunn once in all the hours I spent there!). I work well at night, and I logged some major late nights working on this book. But overall it was really amazing to see the pieces come together one by one, and it was pretty thrilling at the end when they were all done, and I actually felt like they had turned out well. I think the whole time I had a big question in my head as to whether the projects were really going to be successful, and it really wasn’t till everything was done that I could look at them all and feel that I was happy with them. That was a pretty great moment.

Baby quilt project

Stitched bowls project

Me: Did you learn anything new through creating the book?
Brett: SO MUCH! I probably shouldn’t admit that I didn’t know *everything* when I started, because I’m supposed to be an expert if I wrote a book, right? But I learned a ton along the way. I had never sewn with knits before, and so I learned how to do that in order to make the knit cardigan. And I had never sewn with vinyl either, and YOU gave me some great pointers that helped me get over the hump with that. I also learned that quilts with irregular angles are very, very hard to write patterns for! (I learned that the hard way – ouch.) And I definitely learned a lot about my own creative process, especially about how scary it can be to start a big project, but how once you face your fear you overcome it and things usually turn out better than you thought they would… and all that jazz.

And as if that wasn’t enough! Check out this great video tutorial of a skirt you can make in just one hour!

Sewing in a Straight Line by Brett Bara – How to Sew a Skirt in One Hour from Rarebit Productions on Vimeo.

A few months ago some friends of mine hosted a Mad Men-themed cocktail party at their apartment. Whether this party was initially planned so that they could dress up in snazzy outfits or simply serve ridiculously strong alcoholic drinks with equally ridiculous names, I’m not so sure. Either way, it was a blast and prompted our circle of friends to hang out on the Upper East Side, dressed to the nines. I showed up in my favorite vintage dress with an Ambrosia salad in tow (which is apparently a vintage Southern thing? The Yanks didn’t seem to have any memories of it, but enjoyed it nonetheless). I also spent more than an hour, an entire pack of bobby pins, and a whole month’s allotment of cusswords on creating my era-appropriate hairdo which was subsequently smashed by the roof of my car.

However, my night actually ended on the Lower East Side much later at a regular hangout with a non-dressed-up buddy. In a stark contrast to the LES scene, I was still in my very large Mad-Men outfit (see below). While at the dive bar in a petticoat, I apparently attracted many strange bar-goers who all decided to comment on my costume. Among them was a fellow named John with whom I exchanged many a joke and then phone numbers. A couple days later, Mr. John asked me out on a date for the following Saturday.

Fast forward to Friday. I’m having the worst day imaginable, however am looking forward to my date the next day which is scheduled at one of my most favorite NYC sites. Then… I receive this text:

So, my exgirlfriend who moved 2 Paris called last night & informed me she’s moving back 4 me, and since I kind of want to marry her, I sort of think I have 2 cancel tomorrow. Sorry for the late notice!

I stared at it for a moment in disbelief, rereading it repeatedly, possibly expecting it to morph into something less absurd. However, it never did. Its craziness seemed to magnify with every read, so finally I reached out to my friends who only added fuel to the fire. With each person I showed it to, it seemed as though the reactions became more and more dramatic. Why on earth would this person choose to share this much information with me? Why not just cancel and not talk to me again? Clearly, they all deemed, I had dodged a bullet. Among the many derogatory terms that were used to describe John during this time by friends, my absolute favorite was “Fart Knuckle.”

Needless to say, the text has stayed with me. It fueled a long-winded inside joke that friends still tease me about, so eventually I decided to embrace its absurdity through cross stitch. Above you can see my angst-fueled labor in action, now that all of the text is complete. Now I’m debating on whether to add an old-school border in a grandma-esque motif. Either way, it’s getting mounted in a frame and hung on my apartment wall to remind me every day of the sitcom that is my life.

A few months ago I participated in my very first Craftster swap. The swap’s theme was Yarnies vs. Sewists. The idea behind the swap was for people who sew to exchange handmade items with people who love to knit or crochet, and since I’m a sewist, I was partnered with the yarnie Miss Barbara.

I loved making projects for Miss Barbara, who loves the color orange and cherry blossoms. She sent over a wish list of items she would love to have, which included a water bottle holder and tea wallets. I created a water bottle holder in orange, and also made her a reversible tote bag to clamp the bottle holder onto. The bag featured orange cherry blossom fabrics with an accent of green silk ribbon. The gorgeous pale yellow fabric featuring the cherry blossoms and birds is a Joel Dewberry print I had been holding on to for the past couple of years without a project home. The gray side is an Alexander Henry print.

Next up were the tea wallets in green fabrics. Each wallet was made to house six tea packets, and closed with a Velcro-ed silk ribbon.

I had such a great time making these items for Barbara that we decided to also do a personal swap after the official one. This time around she asked for items for her kids which included two Halloween trick-or-treat bags, and a Nook cover for her son for Christmas. Unfortunately I was unable to get photos of the trick-or-treat bags for the girls before I mailed them away, but I was able to get two shots of the Nook cover with my cell phone. He wanted something with an Invader Zim theme, which I had never even heard of before. So, after watching several episodes on YouTube for research (and subsequently losing a few brain cells), I settled on creating a cover to look like the Invader Zim DVD box set. One side is Zim and the other is Gir, and the whole thing is made from appliqued felt.

I’ve been an awful swap partner and have yet to post photos of all the incredible items Barbara created for me which includes a throw pillow, a lap blanket, a hat, scarves, gloves, and more, all made from yarn. This week I will upload a second post to showcase all of Barbara’s incredible crochet talents.

Have you ever participated in a Craftster swap?

Now that I have long hair, I love finding new hair accessories to not only wear but to pull my mane back out of my face. Now on the Sewing Republic website is my Twist and Shout Headband project made from faux silk. The above headbands are from the spring 2011 RTW Moschino collection and feature a knot in the middle of each band. This look can be achieved very easily with the Twist and Shout headband tutorial by simply widening the pattern and tying a knot in the fabric strip before attaching the backing. Below is a picture of me wearing the headband for Sewing Republic, which is a great way to get rid of any scraps you have left over.

Last spring I created a top for SewStylish that was inspired by the Marc Jacobs Resort collection that season. For photography reasons, I had to go with bright colors (as you can see below), but I would love to do this again in more muted colors for myself. I’m thinking a taupe top with black ribbon might be nice for this summer. The entire tutorial is now on the SewStylish blog, and features very clear how-to photographs on how you can recreate the look, too.

My version of the ribbon-embellished top as photographed by Jack Deutsch

How-to photographs by Sloan Howard.

When searching for a quick cover up this spring for those chilly evenings, you don’t need to shell out tons of cash for a designer item. All you really need is a couple yards of knit fabric and a little sewing know-how. I created the wrap below inspired by the infamous DKNY wrap for Bernina’s Sewing Republic. The pattern is very simple to draft and very customizable (I’d love to try the peep-shoulder version above next in a silk jersey). Head on over to the tutorial on Sewing Republic for a downloadable pdf of the easy-to-follow instructions.

My version of the wrap made from cotton interlock knit. For a more luxe look like the wraps pictured at the top, try a lighter-weight cotton or even a wool or silk version.

Last week I came across the incredible work of artist Inge Jacobsen by way of Trendland. Jacobsen uses embroidery techniques to alter fashion images used in magazines and other periodicals, transforming the once disposable items into works of art. (I wonder what sort of reinforcement she uses on the backs of her photos to keep it stable while she sews). I love the way she chooses which sections to highlight with her stitches and which to leave alone.

From Jacobsen:

I’m particularly interested in exploring the different contexts in which photography can be used. I like to stray from the conventional perceptions of what photography can and can’t be. With the over saturation of images, my practice seeks to intervene in this overwhelming consumption from the mass produced and alter it to create something unique. By using intricate and, at times, painstaking technique such as embroidery, I am disrupting the easy consumption of these images…