Burda Style For people who sew

Start your Summer off right by joining us in McCarren Park June 11-12 for another crafty weekend at Renegade Brooklyn! Stop by our Make + Take booth to stitch up your own drawstring bag on one of BERNINA’s amazing 3 Series machines, learn how to properly sew on a button with the skilled experts from Blumenthal Lansing, or just pop in and say hello. With over 300 artists on hand showing off their creations, plus workshops and loads of great food – this is one weekend festival you don’t want to miss!

Was it really that long ago that people actually dressed to take a trip? I can hardly remember the time before (much to my visual dismay) sweatpants, backpacks and Ugg boots were considered suitable travel attire. Gone are the days when it was a luxury to fly the friendly skies, now we’re just happy to take off and land with all of our belongings and our sanity still intact. Also gone are the days of the uber-hip and glamourous airline stewardess in her micro mini and go-go boots – she has since been replaced by conservative men and women in dark and frumpy sack-like suits usually with little or no attention paid to style and tailoring.

Another year, another successful trip to Maker Faire! We were so excited to once again be a part of this amazing festival of DIY and for the wonderful opportunity we have to teach people how to sew and expose them to what we do here at BurdaStyle. Click through to see pictures of our adventures on the West Coast and join us in September when we bring you another Make + Take right here in our own backyard with Maker Faire New York.

BurdaStyle Day 2011 was a success!

On Thursday, May 12th the BurdaStyle team celebrated our official day at Purl Soho, eating pops and talking everything from sewing schedules and future projects to favorite materials, designers and more! Check out a few of the photos from the event and find out how you can get involved by starting your own Meetup event where you live!

BurdaStyle’s second book project is underway and we want your help! Take our quick, four minute survey to give your input on our next book endeavor and let your voice be heard! What decades of fashion are you inspired by? What patterns would you find most useful for your sewing projects? Click here to begin!

Between now and June 15th you can cast your vote for Audience Fan Favorite in the 5th annual Independent Handbag Designer Awards. This year’s contest is packed with amazing entries in categories ranging from Best Handmade Handbag to Best Red Carpet Ready Evening Bag. Winners will be announced on June 15th and will be featured in the September 2011 issue of InStyle Magazine. Head over to InStyle.com to check out all the entries and cast your vote for the next big handbag designer!

Maybe you’ve noticed that in our last few blog posts there have been some extra features hanging around our pictures, collages and mood boards. We are now using Thinglink on our blog, a new way to tag photos, share links and make our blog posts more informative and fun. When you see a dot on a blog picture, simply let your mouse hover over the area and a box with a link will pop up. Follow the link to learn more about what’s in the picture, share the photo with your friends via Facebook, Twitter or email or embed the image to your own blog!

We’ve partnered up with the amazing mecca of all things DIY, Instructables, to host a unique fashion challenge perfect for all you crafty designers, DIY maestros and hobby sewing enthusiasts. Check out contest details and how to enter after the jump!

As our community is expanding and we are welcoming new members, we thought it would be helpful and informative to communicate how a BurdaStyle Member Project is defined.

Currently, over fifty five thousand member projects have been shared on BurdaStyle. That’s a BIG number!

Our projects section is as diverse as our members. Whether you are inspired by fantastical cos play costumes, retro looks, glamorous ball gowns, or classic and clean silhouettes, there’s certainly something for every taste!

Cotton, the fabric of our lives, has been increasing in price since Fall of last year and continuing speculations show no signs of stopping. I read a headline the other day that said cotton is at it’s highest price since the Civil War and it got me thinking, has the higher price and worldwide shortage of cotton affected your sewing or project plans? Cotton is a staple in sewing and craft and with a shortage in China (the world’s largest supplier of cotton) and natural disasters in Texas (the #2 supplier of cotton in the U.S.) what does that mean for our everyday sewing endeavors? Will higher cotton prices have you using other fabrics? Skipping out on muslin? How much does fabric price factor into your projects? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

BurdaStyle Day, May 12th is only days away!

Over 40 groups have formed on our official Meetup page, and we are so excited for all of you to meet one another live and in-person!

It’s that time of year again, time to pack up our sewing machines and head out West for Maker Faire San Mateo and we couldn’t be more excited to be a part of this amazing creative event once again! Watch out for our Make + Take Lounge where we’ll be helping newbies learn how to sew and giving you stitching veterans a chance to show us your stuff with our fun and Easy Drawstring Bag project. Come hang out, test your skills on one of BERNINA’s amazing new 3 Series machines and whip up your own bag with one-of-a-kind fabric specially printed for us by our friends at Spoonflower.

Want to learn to sew but don’t know where to start? Or maybe you’ve been sewing for years and want to take your skills to the next level. With the Sewing Studio: Fashion Fitting, Home Decor & More video course, you’ll learn the essential tricks and techniques you need to get started or take your sewing skills from amateur to professional in no time.

If you’re a foodie, you know all about the slow food movement; taking care to know not only where your food is coming from, but how it is prepared – to be more in touch with what you’re eating and the process involved. This mindset has taken hold in the world of sewing and craft as well and spawned a new generation of creators who are not only more conscientious about their consumption but are also more aware of how their creations impact the world around them.