RSSArchives: May 2007
May 29, 2007
Singer Sewing Books
Singer Simple: Sewing Guide ($19.95) - Link.
Singer Simple: Home Decor Handbook ($19.95) - Link.
To keep with our afternoon sewing mood, here are four great books from Singer to help you develop and grow your sewing skills. All books are paperback spiral bound and can sit nicely next to you at your sewing machine or craft table.
The first two books are part of the Singer Simple series and are handy guidebooks you can keep as a reference next to your machine at all times. The Singer Simple Sewing Guide is like a handy sewing class filled with tons of technical sewing information. Beginners can easily read through the book to learn more about all the aspects of sewing from how to thread your machine to how to chose the right fabric for your project. More advanced sewers should have this book handy when you need to refer to a certain technique that you don't do often, such as how to insert a zipper. The next book, Singer Simple: Home Decor Handbook, also takes the same guide approach but breaks them down into various essential home decor projects. Learn techniques to help you make different kinds of window shades or pillows as well as the technical guidelines on how to sew fabrics with stripes, plaids, and prints.
Easy Singer Style: Pattern-Free Fashions & Accessories by Kate Perri ($21.95) - Link.
Easy Singer Style: Pattern-Free Home Accents by Becky Hanson ($21.95) - Link.
The Easy Singer Style books will unleash your creativity and help you master the art of sewing. Both books cover has 15 fun and easy projects in depth from design through the sewing process. To start, Easy Singer Style: Pattern-Free Fashions & Accessories by Kate Perri will show you how to make your own fashions. From embellishing jeans to sewing up a skirt based on your own measurements, each project guides you with step-by-step photos and descriptions to help you through the entire process. Some of my favorite projects in this book are the grab and go bags, fabric belt with slide buckle, reversible tote bag, and the sassy skirt. The book also includes a bunch of templates you can use for the projects. The next book, Easy Singer Style: Pattern-Free Home Accents by Becky Hanson has lots of great home projects that I'm eyeing to sew up for myself around the house. I love the place mats, drawstring storage bag, and ribbon striped pillow. Some of these projects would be great to whip up and make as gifts too! The book also covers easy quilting techniques and gives you a few projects to try your hand at quilting such as the quilted sunny table runner. What's great about these two books is the equal concentration on creativity and sewing machine techniques to help you build your sewing skills. These are the perfect books for any beginner or intermediate sewer!
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
May 29, 2007 04:35 PM
Bazaar, Sewing |
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New Singer Embroidery and Sewing Machines
At the Maker Faire, Ralph Morehouse from Singer was on hand to demo the latest in Singer sewing and embroidery machines. Ralph was stationed in the CRAFT Corner and also provided sewing machines for Giana Gonzalez to use for her Hacking Couture, the Italian Hack workshop, that ran all weekend. Giana and I opened the boxes together on Friday afternoon to set everything up and we were amazed there were a two embroidery sewing machines in the mix. "This must be what guys feel like when they see a Ferrari," exclaimed Giana. I agreed, likening it to a surprise Christmas in May.
On Sunday when I had more time to walk around the expo hall, Ralph gave me a special demo showing me the latest that Singer is bringing us with embroidery and sewing machines. And lets just say I was more excited than when I was opening the actual boxes!
Singer Quantum Futura (CE-200)
Suggested Retail Price about $800
The Singer Quantum Futura is like an affordable first class plane ticket to heaven. I am pretty computer savvy so when Ralph showed me the process of the machine embroidering the image from the laptop, I believe I had my jaw open. He explained to me that this machine could be likened to a "sewing machine printer". Whatever design in most any kind of format that I wanted to create on the computer from illustration, design, to photos, could be embroidered by this sewing machine.
A special computer software program processes the image or illustration and creates thread layers (for photos, details are simplified). Once a color is all done, the machine will stop for the next color that's set to be embroidered. Pictured above, the Quantum Futura machine processes all the brown first, then starts in on embroidering the yellow to make up the final wheat stalks. Currently, these sewing machines connect only to PC laptops but for those of you tech savvy enough, you can see if the new Intel Macs running Windows will be sufficient enough.
But wait, if $800 is still a bit too steep for you, you can get the embroidery basics with the Singer Futura (CE-100)which retails for about $500 and still lets you connect a laptop to the machine!
Singer Quantum XL-6000
Suggested Retail about $3,000
The top of the line right now is the Singer Quantum XL-6000 which has more power with a color touch screen display, multiple thread spools, multiple languages, improved embroidery lettering, and a continuous hoop which allows for creating borders for garments and home decor projects. Pictured above is Ralph testing a "G" design for Giana's Italian "Gucci" hack explorations.
Here's a close up of the "G" embroidery and you can see the fine detail this machine can go to.
A sample from the Gucci hack showing a modfied Gucci print embroidered by the Quantum XL-6000.
Ok I'm sure by now after reading all this, you'll all be running out to get these machines. I'm happy that Singer is coming out with these great sewing and embroidery machines that can fit into any crafter's budget. Thanks Ralph for the great demos!
- See all the photos from Ralph Morehouse's Singer demos as well as some shots of the Hacking Couture workshop here - Link.
- Find out more about these and other Singer sewing and embroidery machines, including some video demos and more photos on the Singer web site here. - Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
May 29, 2007 02:45 PM
Maker Faire, Sewing Machines |
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CraftSanity Podcast with Carol Souvion of the new PBS "Craft in America" Documentary
Jennifer of CraftSanity has a fantastic podcast interview with Carol Souvion who was the visionary behind the new PBS documentary, "Craft in America" which airs Wednesday night (that's tomorrow!) this week at 8pm, 9pm and 10pm. But check your local PBS listings to confirm your actual airtime. Link.
Related:
Craft in America: New PBS Documentary Debuts May 30th - Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
May 29, 2007 02:21 PM
General |
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Crafty Daisies Learn to Crochet: Lesson #2
I am really enjoying the Crafty Daisies 12 week crochet lessons that are happening online. This week's lesson #2 is up teaching you the following: how to end your square, slip stitch, half double crochet, double crochet, Triple Crochet and crocheting in the round. You can also join the new Flickr group if you are following along with the lessons and post up your work. Link.
Related:
Crafty Daisies Learn to Crochet: Lesson #1 - Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
May 29, 2007 01:30 PM
Crochet |
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Sunny Day Dress and Top Tutorial
House on Hill Road has a perfect summer tutorial with this Sunny Day Dress and Top! Elastic thread seems fun to sew with. Also, I'm thinking it shouldn't be too hard to modify this dress for an adult size if you don't have little girls. Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
May 29, 2007 12:00 PM
Sewing |
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HOW TO - Make a Homasote Bulletin Board
Shiso Mama shows you how to make a bulletin board out of homasote, a building material made from recycled paper. Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
May 29, 2007 11:02 AM
General, Home Decor |
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Pirates Roundup
Did anybody catch Pirates of the Caribbean 3 this past long weekend? Indie Fixx has a great roundup of Pirate goodies that you can get like this Egg Pirate Stationary and Sticker Set by Surgarlily or Sublime Stitching's Pirate Embroidery. See lots more Pirate picks at Indie Fixx. Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
May 29, 2007 10:01 AM
Bazaar |
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HOW TO - Turn Photos into ASCII Art
Photojojo shows you how you can turn any photo you have into letters and numbers with ASCII art. Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
May 29, 2007 09:02 AM
Design |
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HOW TO - Sew a Pleated Skirt
Ansley at Bleu Arts points us to the Lula Louise site where you learn how to sew a pleated skirt. Check the main tutorial page for other tutorials such as how to recycle sweaters and how to cover O-rings. You can also visit her great blog as well. Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
May 29, 2007 08:00 AM
Sewing |
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Morse Code Knit Hat
Rosemary writes:
Craftster.org member wessles knitted this awesome hat for one of her friends. It appears to be just a regular hat, but closer inspection reveals that the yellow dots are actually morse code! The hidden message is "I'm not wearing underwear today!", which is think is absolutely hilarious!
Check out craftster.org for more photos of the Morse Code knit hat. - Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
May 29, 2007 07:15 AM
Knitting |
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May 28, 2007
May's Sampler Goodies
May's goodies from The Sampler have come in and here's some of the really cool things that have caught my eye. I love the various hair adornments and paper goods that were in this month's box, as well as the funky necklace by Naughty Secretary Club. And of course, the cool Octopus iron on!
Here are my favorites, clockwise from left:
- Froy & Olo Design Thank You cards - Link.
- Two Busy Bee's bobby pin - Link.
- Charcoal Designs Fawn pin - Link.
- Feisty Elle Pink Chibi Bobby Pin - Link.
- Asta Arts Skull and Crossbones stamp - Link.
- Sweet Honey Complex Sushi Charm - Link.
- Casto Creations Gold Key Charm - Link.
- Naughty Secretary Club Necklace - Link.
- Re-Conceived.com Octopus Iron On - Link.
- Andy Pratt Design "I Miss You Very Much" and "Thank You Very Much" Card - Link.
- Ella Studio Douche Bag Card - Link.
- Destination Unknown Luggage Tag - Link.
- Lilybug Sock Monkey Waterproof Bicycle Seat Cover - Link.
- Third Floor Fibers Handspun Merino Wool in Purple - Link.
- Mini Croq (not pictured) - Link.
Learn how you can promote your crafty business by contributing to The Sampler here - Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
May 28, 2007 09:00 PM
Bazaar |
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May 25, 2007
Join the Craftzine Community on Stylehive
Hi Crafters! We are so excited to be a part of Stylehive's new Style Communites that were launched this week! Stylehive is the world's largest social shopping community made of people seeking out the world's most interesting products and for us that includes everything related to handmade goods from plushie toys and indie fashions to the latest craft kits and patterns. If you aren't already a member, register now for free and become a part of the fun at Stylehive. Then join the Craftzine community to get the latest news and crafty picks by us and your fellow DIY'ers.
- Join the Stylehive Craftzine Community - Link.
- See all of Stylehive's New Style Communities here. - Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
May 25, 2007 05:01 PM
Announcements |
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Maker Faire: Wardrobe Remix Presentation
Tricia Royal of Bits and Bobbins did a great job with her Wardrobe Remix presentation at the CRAFT booth at the Maker Faire last Sunday. She's got an amazing recap in her recent post and has included her presentation, including her cool tips on how to get the most out of thrift store shopping. BTW, check out some photos from her talk, including the fun tote she had that day! Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
May 25, 2007 04:01 PM
Maker Faire |
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Stitch: Now Accepting Online Vendor Applications
Applications are now online for Stitch, Austin's largest Indie Fashion Show and Craft Bazaar. The event is November 10th at The Austin Music Hall, but get your application in before the August 15th deadline. Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
May 25, 2007 03:45 PM
Announcements |
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Hallowig Kitty!
Check out this happy kitty on Von Krankipantzen sporting the knitted Hallowig by Meagan Reardon and featured in CRAFT: 01's Curio section. See more photos at Von Krankipantzen. Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
May 25, 2007 03:00 PM
Knitting |
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CRAFT Pattern Podcast: The Spiderweb Skirt by Josi Hannon Madera
This week's CRAFT Pattern Podcast is extra special for the long Memorial Day weekend. The Spiderweb Skirt is a crochet skirt by Josi Hannon Madera of Art of Crochet. It's the perfect skirt to make for the upcoming summer. Recommended yarns are: Knit Picks Shine Worsted, Elann Callista, and Berroco Love It. If you need crochet help, the Art of Crochet has plenty of video stitch guides to help you along the way. You can also catch up with Josi on the Art of Crochet Blog.
- Download this week's CRAFT pattern PDF - Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
May 25, 2007 02:35 PM
CRAFT Patterns, CRAFT Podcast, Crochet, Fashion |
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Threadheads at Maker Faire (Video)
If you want to experience Maker Faire in it's crafty glory check out the recent ThreadHeads video including a great interview with Wendy Tremayne of Swap-O-Rama-Rama. Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
May 25, 2007 02:24 PM
Maker Faire |
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Rainycloud Pattern Now Available at Mochimochi Land
Remember when we posted about the Rainycloud here? Now Mochimochi Land has it available to you as a knit pattern so you can make one yourself. Get the pattern here for only $5. You can also check out the other patterns in the shop. Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
May 25, 2007 12:03 PM
Amigurumi, Bazaar, Knitting |
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Needlepoint Tetris Fridge Magnets
Here's some cute tetris fridge magnets made by lost mitten on etsy. You can also easily needlepoint this with our favorite plastic canvas. Thanks Ryan! [ via ] Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
May 25, 2007 10:05 AM
Needlearts |
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Heirloom Parachute Wedding Dress
Just taking a look at this vintage 1947 wedding dress that's on display at the Smithsonian and you'd have no idea it's actually made from the parachute of the groom who was in WWII.
From the site:
This wedding dress was made from a nylon parachute that saved the groom's life during World War II. Maj. Claude Hensinger, a B-29 pilot, and his crew, were returning from a bombing raid over Yowata, Japan, in August 1944 when their engine caught fire. The crew was forced to bail out. It was night and Major Hensinger landed on some rocks and suffered some minor injuries. During the night he used the parachute both as a pillow and a blanket. In the morning the crew was able to reassemble and were taken in by some friendly Chinese. He kept the parachute and used it as a way to propose to Ruth in 1947. He presented it to her and suggested she make a gown out of it for their wedding.
Read more about this heirloom parachute wedding dress at the Smithsonian web site. [ via ] Link.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
May 25, 2007 09:34 AM
Recycle, Vintage |
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