By Carrie, Contributing Blogger: I love to sew, and I love learning about sewing. Few things make me happier. Still, I’ve never had many aspirations toward design. I don’t plan to enter the fashion industry in any sort of professional capacity, and I’m generally content to borrow from someone else’s art, to have a set …

I am a hoarder of images. I love to collect visual inspiration, particularly for sewing ideas. But with the unending supply of beautiful inspiration sources on the web, the amount of input can quickly become overwhelming. I’d like to share some online tools that I’ve used to help manage and collect all of that inspiration. …

Yesterday I mentioned that Claire McCardell was an inspiration for our latest pattern. So, given the “Before You Sew” theme this month and the recent discussion on sewing and wardrobe planning, I thought it would be the perfect time to share this rare book by designer Clarie McCardell, titled What Shall I Wear? The What, …

When it comes to clothes, I’ve come to feel that there are just too many choices. Every season, designers and manufacturers roll out new styles to try, the magazines feature new looks, and people on the street give you fresh ideas about things you might like to wear. Don’t get me wrong, I love new …

I don’t know how useful they are, but these antique thread caddies from KathysSewingRoom are awfully adorable.

Earlier this week, I wrote about the late 19th and early 20th century American tradition of using feedsack fabric for clothing, quilts, and household goods. Obviously, that was an early and innovative form of fabric reuse, which many of us continue to practice in our own ways. There are many reasons to use recycled fabrics. …

The feedsack dress is one of those objects indelibly linked in our minds to rural life in 1930s America. While I often feel conflicted about the glamorization of this difficult period and place, there is no denying that the feedsack dress represents some of the most uplifting and hopeful aspects of craft: creating something from …

I started sewing in part because I wanted to know where my clothes came from. I remember merrily shopping at Forever 21 in my first year of college, only to have my better-informed friends react with horror. Learning to sew my own dresses made me more confident in what I wore, in so many ways. …

Probably because of this painting, I’ve always felt compelled by muslin. Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun painted the portrait of Marie Antoinette in 1783. Word on the street is that it thoroughly scandalized Antoinette’s public, who said the casual, breezy garment wasn’t appropriate for a queen. Muslin still seems like a rather humble fabric — it tends to …

I don’t know if you will agree, but I find the freedom that sewing my own clothes provides can at times be as daunting as it is liberating. By applying a few basic pattern cutting skills to the plethora of sewing patterns available, virtually any style, shape or detail that you could find within ready-to-wear …

{click to enlarge, and feel free to repost!} Weight and Drape Most of us understand the concept of fabric weight. Even neophyte seamsters can tell the difference between a heavy fabric like denim or a wool coating vs a light fabric like silk crepe or chiffon. You can feel the weight of a fabric easily …

For the next several months, we’re going to cover some important sewing themes and concepts here on the blog. For the next few weeks, we’ll be talking about fabric, a subject I am particularly passionate about. We’ll be talking fiber, structure, and choosing the right fabric. Feel like contributing a guest post or tutorial on …

 Since I learned to sew from my mom, I had a lot of tools available to me from the get-go, and I could then acquire other things on an as-needed basis. This was good because, in most towns where I’ve lived, the only place to get sewing tools is Jo Ann’s. The store has a quality that …

Every industry has a lexicon, but how does the lexicon of the fashion industry effect those of us who are interested in style, clothes and their creation but who do not work in it? Obviously, there is a wealth of specific terms related to pattern creation, garment construction and the necessary technology that are common …

The kimono sleeve came into fashion for ‘Western’ women’s clothing towards the tail end of the 1940’s when the exaggerated shoulders which had previously been fashionable began to evolve into a more natural silhouette. As women’s fashion entered into the 1950’s, the fashionable silhouette for shoulders continued to move away from the large padded ‘Power’ …

As much as I love to wear black, there are few things as exciting to a sewer as putting together colors and textures. Playing with color must be a fundamental reason that a lot of us get into sewing. We each have our personal preferences, the colors we think look best on us, and the …

I can’t even tell you how hard it was to pick finalists from all of the entries. The ideas were so diverse and cool, that I couldn’t bring myself to pick just three. So I upped it to five finalists. You can click each one to see the original entry, if you like. Please vote …

Some of you made already be aware of the Me-Made-May challenge that I wrote about on this blog back in April. Initially created as way to expand upon my personal Me-Made-March challenge, Me-Made-May took on a life of its own! Over 80 members of the sewing community participated by challenging themselves to wear their handmade …

I thought I’d celebrate our sweet new lingerie/ loungewear patterns with a fun little contest, what do you think? I’m calling it the Darling Dainties contest (I hope the silliness of that name amuses you half as much as it does me). All you have to do is create an inspiration board based around one …

This is a really interesting leaflet I found via the always lovely Millie Motts. It shows the beginner a step by step method for basting a garment and fitting it before sewing. You can click the images for a larger version. Did any of you learn to sew this way? It recommends basting the whole …