A New Kind of Sew Along

I had a fabulous idea today and I hope some of you will join me. Some of you have seen the fun TripsterShirts I have been making. I know all of you have seen the duffles. I was thinking about that last batch of fabric I used to make duffles and that it is on sale right now at Hawthorne Threads. Time to pick up that line if you like it. I was thinking about how those fabrics would be perfect for the jackets Janet Pray makes in her Craftsy class, "Sew Better, Sew Faster." The photos above show several of her students' work. I got the class for myself, and I hope some of you will sign up for it too - it's only $19.99 through Monday and includes the pattern. If we all take the class and sew jackets together, it will make for the best kind of sew along. I took Janet's moto jacket class and loved it. I am pretty excited about getting the pattern and getting started on this. I may even mix up fabrics a bit.  Let's do it! Here is my affiliate link for the class.  Order 3.5 yards of fabric, use one of the home dec sateens like the ones in the HawthorneThreads link above.

Better Sewing in 2016 Part 2

Sew clothing for yourself. Not only is this a great way to improve your sewing, it will hone other valuable skills.

Sewing has given me a deeper appreciation for what works for me. If I am spending the time to make something it better look great. There is a gal I found on Facebook who does workshops that really help to find your own personal style. I just did the free version of dressing your truth and discovered a lot about myself and why I feel better in certain fabrics, colors and patterns. I recommend you get very clear about your own style before spending money on fabric and patterns.

Once you know what to make, there is lots of help to be had at my favorite educational website, Craftsy, where I am an affiliate.  For the moto jacket I am wearing above, you need this class. It comes with the pattern. Janet Pray walks you though making a gorgeous lined jacket. I felt like I was in an in person class one-on-one with her. I am going to do her jeans jacket class too. She makes the cutest jackets! There are classes for just about everything you can think to sew. The dress I am wearing above is a hacked version of a Vogue vintage pattern 8728. I did a very short blog post about it with a couple more photos. If you want to know the details of the pattern hack, I can share that on my pattern hackers facebook page. 

If you have been out of the loop for a while and you want to start sewing again with something quick and easy, check this out. Craftsy has kits. You get the fabric and the pattern. Right now the prices are amazing. You won't believe it. I love the fabric quality, and there are lots of styles to choose from. Check it out.