Sewing Vortex

Sometimes we need a little nudge to kick-start the inspiration. For me, that was the October Hoodie Along Challenge in the Sew Alongs & Sewing Contests group .  I've been hanging on to an old tee shirt for a long time now. I'd worn it so often that it was soft and faded. Sadly, it sprouted a hole in an unfixable spot. Usually, these garments of mine end up in the donate bin, but this tee has a bit of sentimental value for me. So, I tucked it away, as any sewer worth her salt would do, telling myself that one day, I will find a way to wear it again. Project Pieces I was important to me to use quality materials for my Lufisto tee shirt upcycle. If I were going to take the time to turn it into a whole new garment, I wanted to make one that will last. Luckily, I already had the perfect things in my stash.  The Fabric  I bought 3 yards of black French Terry from Simply By Ti fabrics at their Birthday Sale last April. It's one of those fabrics that yo...

Montana Shirt , Itch to Stitch 's latest pattern, is a total flash back to my youth!  As a teen in the 90's, I lived in flannel shirts. Most of the time they belonged to my boyfriend, but throwing an over-sized flannel on top a tee with some jeans and my Timberland boots was a uniform of sorts for me. Of course, things change over time, and it's been about 20 years since I've owned a flannel shirt. The Seeds of Nostalgia In August, Simply By Ti had a pre-order sale on some lovely plaid shirting. I was totally drawn to them and before I knew it, I had placed an order for 3 different prints. The longer I waited for my fabric, the more excited I got about revisiting a style from my youth. Everywhere I looked plaid shirts stuck out. And so I decided, this will be the Fall of Flannel for me.  After finishing a couple Mila Shirts , I intended to hack the pattern into a full button up for my first fall plaid flannel. Just as I set about gathering my tracing suppl...

Welcome to the Sew Alongs & Sewing Contest Hoodie Along  For the month of October, we are going to do a SAL Group Rewind and revisit the Hoodie Along we hosted in October 2015! Very much like the first time around, the 2018 Hoodie Along will break the process into several parts, a new set of tasks for each week, so that at the end of October you will have a fabulous custom hoodie. How To Participate I'm pretty sure just about everyone has a hoodie pattern hiding in their stash. Maybe you have the pattern from our 2015 sew along, Jalie 2795 . Or maybe you have a TNT hoodie pattern you love to use. You can use any pattern you like for the 2018 Hoodie Along provided it has these key design features: 1. A hood (naturally) 2. Open all the way down the front (No pull on or partial placket styles) 3. Some sort of front closure (no hooded cardigans) You are encouraged to be creative with your hoodie. Think about how you will wear it. Do you want a lightweight jerse...