Whisper Project #2: a textile exhibition

A few days ago I was delighted to attend the opening of a textile exhibition in Ingersoll, a small town near me. This was the opening of the Whisper Project #2, a project of the Fergus-Guelph Pod of SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates), which I belong to. I don't get time to participate in a lot of activities with the group, but this is the second time I've made a piece for this project. 

It's really fun -- it works like the old fashioned game of telephone: the first person gets a photo and creates a 12x12 piece based on the photo, then passes a pic of only their piece (not the original) to the next person in line, and so on, until the end of the line (usually 5 to a group). It can result in some pretty neat artworks! 

This time I was smack dab in the middle of a group, and really enjoyed working from my inspiration piece, which was beautiful. I was able to see the whole show hung, 7 groups of five this time, and it was great. 

My piece is called "Before the Coffee Gets Cold", inspired by the Japanese novel of the same name, and I was so pleased to see that it was on the promotional card for this show. What an honour! 

This was great fun, and the show will be moving around to various locales over the year, so I may get another chance to visit it again. It's nice to have a deadline to help you finish something :) 

Weekend Review: Made to Measure

 

Made to Measure / Elisalex Jewell 
Beverly, MA: Quarto, c2023.
176 p.

I was recently able to find myself a copy of this book by Elisalex Jewell, who also runs By Hand London - a well established pattern company. I was interested in this one because it does not include "patterns", rather it's a look at drafting your own simple patterns using your own measurements. I appreciated that this idea was carried through to the samples and photos, using models of various sizes and shapes to demonstrate the idea well. 

The concept of this book is to empower sewists to make their own outfits based on their measurements from the beginning rather than altering a purchased pattern. However, the book does begin with some tips on fitting issues and solutions, in case the drafts need some tweaking. I'd rate this as a book for the advanced beginner, or a fearless beginner, looking to improve or widen their range of skills. I would call myself an intermediate sewist, and I think there are great ideas in here that I haven't tried yet. 

It starts with an intro to basic tools, fabrics and techniques. Then it moves on to fitting tips, including a layout about shoulder slope which I think is so important to fit and doesn't often get mentioned. This section is practical and condensed but I think of great use to a newer sewist. There are also tips on hacks to basic designs (ie: sleeves) and a guide to taking your measurements. And in this section she also includes a circle skirt calculator & instructions for a quick make. 

The rest of the book is the 16 patternless projects. These are made up of plenty of dresses and skirts, but also include a top and a couple of jumpsuits. Each features at least one photo (on varied models), drafting instructions with diagrams, sewing steps with diagrams, and some alternative ideas to personalize the project with a different neckline, sleeve, etc. They are clearly laid out and look appealing in the samples. I'm particularly interested in the Willow Wrap dress (not a wrap bodice but a skirt that wraps around and ties in the front) or the reversible blouse. I found the projects were modern but classic for the most part, and so this book could be useful for a longer time than if the projects were super trendy. 

I thought this was a pretty solid book and hope to be able to test out some of the designs this year. 

Modernizing an 80s Burda tunic

I made one last 2024 project which I finished on Dec. 31 - just squeaking it in! The PatternReview Modernize Vintage contest helped me to hit that deadline, as I was inspired to get going on this project by that contest. Even though this is barely vintage (mid-80s) and I didn't make too many changes to it, I still enjoyed making it a lot and love the result!

It's a combination of 2 things from my stash that I've been wanting to use for a while. First is this great Burda pattern -- Burda 4709 -- which has the tunic view but also a knit skirt, pants, and even stirrup pants  - remember those?? 

I have been meaning to make the plain tunic for a while and I finally put it together with this fabulous fabric. It's a Dries van Noten scuba knit, which I won from EBT Fabrics last year. There was 1.5 m of it and I was never certain what to make with it. But it was perfect for this top. 

I made a few changes to modernize this pattern, aside from the fabric choice. I shortened it a bit, and most importantly, removed the massive 1/2" shoulder pad allowance from the pattern -- you can see the shoulder pads on the pattern cover, and I did not want that much of an 80s vibe ;) I remove it using Sandra Betzina's technique, which works very well. I think I could have brought the shoulder seam in a bit more but this is still wearable. 

The pattern has huge patch pockets as well, which I like. But this fabric was tough and really did not like pins. I ended up using clips to hold the seams together while I sewed, but when it got to the pockets I was stumped for a minute. How to fix them down to edgestitch? I finally came up with the idea to tape them down with basic scotch tape. That held them in place long enough to stitch, and then I carefully peeled the tape off. I did the same thing for the bottom hem, but just held the sleeve hems as they are quite small. 

This is a fun item, and very colourful indeed! I think I'll enjoy wearing it, as I love the colour and the style. The only thing that I'm not as excited about is the fabric itself, which feels very poly, despite being designer. But I'm glad I found a way to use it, anyhow. I want to start wearing all the fun, bright fabrics in my stash.

Sewing Goals & Plans, 2025!

Photo by Ronnie Overgoor on Unsplash

It's time to make some new Sewing Goals and Plans for the New Year. I never go nuts with specific plans, and am not going to try this year, either! I prefer making loose goals to guide me. And that's a good thing because in 2024 I was totally off track when it came to goals and plans. Here's what I'd said I intended to do in 2024, and how I ended up with those plans.
 

1. Tailoring: I'm going to finish the Jasika Blazer course and make the blazer 

Did not do! None of it, actually - didn't watch the course, didn't make the blazer. It is a goal I will carry over ;) 

2. Focus on special details: I want to include more unique details in my projects that I add in myself.

Didn't do -- I didn't actually end up making much of anything this year, so the unique details, embellishments, fabric manipulation etc went by the wayside. 

3. Wardrobe Planning: I've enjoyed doing this and want to go over my current wardrobe ideas. 

I did spend some time on this, and on making up schematics for various wardrobe combinations. I actually spent more time on imagining and planning than on making this year. 

4. Watch classes & lessons that I have available to me through my library (CreativeBug) and the Craftsy membership I splurged $2.49 on (and immediately opted out of autorenew for). 

Um....I didn't do this either! I had big ideas but lost my sewjo for lengthy periods of the year and just never got to these. 

5. Make more textile art! 

I did do a little more of this in 2024 and have a small piece in a show that is opening in January. So that's exciting! I got some textile art supplies for Xmas so will have to test those out in some new projects. 

Photo by BoliviaInteligente on Unsplash

So for 2025, I'm going back to basics, with some of the same goals. This year, I want to:

Sew from Stash - I need to clear out some of my fabric piles, by sewing them up or passing them along. That's a big goal for me this year, and I've joined in on the ongoing 50 Yard Dash at PatternReview to help keep me on track. 

Elevate - I want to include special details or techniques, along with having a wardrobe plan so that I can spend time on things that I will wear. I had a few makes in 2024 that I've only worn once or twice, I don't want to sew by impulse like this again. 

Textile Arts - I would still like to get into more of a habit of spending time on art as well as practical sewing. I really enjoy it when I take the time, and find it intellectually and creatively satisfying. 

Those are my general goals for the year. How about you? Are you setting big goals? Or going with the flow? 

Photo by Rod Long on Unsplash

Weekend Review: The Creative Instigator's Handbook

 

The Creative Instigator's Handbook / Leanne Prain
Vancouver: Arsenal Pulp Press, c2022. 
272 p.

This is a read that followed along with the last two books I reviewed in 2024. And it's my favourite one. This is the craftivism book I was looking for - with lots of case studies, photographs, and practical tips. So many practical tips! 

This is a softcover, kind of squarish, and nice to hold and read. It is so full of information, divided up into chapters that follow a logical progression. It goes from figuring out what drives you, to finding collaborators, to research, prototyping, executing, promoting, concluding and memorializing a project. Really from start to finish. Prain has a lot of experience doing public art projects and it shows. 

There are tons of examples and interviews included in each section, with many clear photos of the projects and participants. The originator shares how and why the project came to be and there are often sidebars with hints and tips. All through the book, the text blocks are in colour and the whole experience is bright and refreshing and encouraging. 

The projects are focused on public, participatory art projects, whether that's visual arts, theatrical or performing arts, craft based activities, or music. Not all of them are "Protest" art; while some are specific to social issues, while others are aimed at building community and connection. So there is a good mix of ideas here for many different kinds of projects. If you want to learn from experience, and have a great roadmap to follow if you are new to creating public art projects, this is the one to read. I loved it. 

Prain has written other books on craftivism, whether that's embroidery, yarn-bombing or textiles in general. They are all worth checking out as an introduction to different styles and practictioners. But this one is exactly what it says it is - a complete handbook for any creative instigator who needs a hand! (Preview here)

Top Five of 2024!

 

I'm back to blogging after a little holiday break. It was a lovely relaxing time to eat and doze and perhaps even sew a bit ;) But to cap off the year, and start a new one, I wanted to look back over my 2024 sewing and see what I liked about it. 

What were my favourite makes of 2024? For the last few years, I have put together a Top Five post of my faves -- it's a good way to see what worked and why, and what to try next! 

Without further ado, here are my fave projects of the last year: 

Butterick 6655 - this is my favourite piece. The fit is great, the fabric is really comfy as well as being a print I love, and the colour means it goes with everything. This is the second time I've made this pattern and I love both versions. 

Simplicity 9601 - this is one I also love - it's a 90s pattern and made from an upcycled duvet. The colour is amazing and it turned out to fit me well. Love it. I would use this again.

Oxford Dress by Treize Coquelicot - I made this for the Spring Literary Sewing Circle project, and it turns out that I really like this pattern! I used some stash fabric and it just worked beautifully. Cool and comfy, I've worn this a lot. 

Butterick 6727 - this was one I made as part of the Fabricville Blogger program, but I really enjoyed this cotton fabric. It was great to sew with and the pattern suited the print well. Such a cute and colourful one. 

Factory Dress Top by Merchant & Mills - this is one of those projects that I had in mind long before I made it. I think that the print and the silhouette work together very well here. Also a repeat of a pattern I've made before. 

And one little bonus fave, the bag I made in a workshop with my Garment Guild! It was fun and I used fabric from other participants as the lining, which was extra nice. 

The less successful projects of the year were ones that I ended up not liking the fit of (no matter how I try, I just don't like flowy oversize things!) or that I just chose the wrong fabric for. Only a few duds, not too bad. 

I also took a look at my year of sewing and compiled some interesting stats. I made 21 items (most of them shared on the blog).  That's quite a few less than in previous years. There was a mix of 9 indie, 5 big four, and 6 Burda. And I made one patternless project, the bag above!

I don't usually repeat patterns but this year I did make frequent second or third versions of patterns I've used before, with 2 of them ending up in my best 5! The patterns I used for another go round were Butterick 6655, Factory Dress Top by Merchant & Mills, Style 4037, the Style Arc Lacey Dress, and Burda 115-11-2018. Fully a quarter of my projects this year were repeat patterns, a record for me, I think. 

And I used Burda the most in my sewing this year, with 6 patterns coming from magazines or envelope patterns. Then Butterick with 2, and everything else was one each from varied companies. 14 of my projects were made with stash fabric, and 7 were made with new to me fabric either bought or received as blogger partner projects. But I bought much more fabric than I used this year (some fabulous thrift store finds) so I've got to get busy sewing down the stash in 2025. 

I had a lot of sewing slumps in 2024, and sort of let most of my original plans go by the wayside. I'm hoping to get back on track this year, and be able to both plan and execute my ideas, whether those are wardrobe pieces for me, for others, or art pieces that I'd like to complete. Looking forward to being more efficient and motivated this year! 

 

Happy Holidays!

Happy holidays to all! I will be taking a short blog break during this busy season and be back with you in a couple of weeks. Enjoy the holidays whatever you do, and don't forget to spend some time relaxing as well.