Burda Style For people who sew

Well it’s day 2 here in Austin and today the Etsy venue opened up on E. 6th St. and we were there to join in the fun and do some amazing make & take projects! Thanks to the Singer Co. & The Martha Stewart Show how-to on upcycling t-shirts into grocery bags, and our friends over at Threadless, we were able to teach tons of SXSW attendees how to sew!

Ever find yourself with that pile of old clothes you don’t wear anymore, or that old purse you’re never going to use again, but don’t want to just give it away without something in return? Well, let us introduce you to Swap.com! The amazing people behind Swap hosted an event in Austin tonight at the Texas Style Council Conference and we were there to sponsor it and join in the fun! Check out the rest of the action after the jump!

Well it’s Day 1 of SXSW Interactive and we are already having the time of our lives! Austin is sunny and warm which makes us VERY happy. Such a nice break from the winter still lingering in NYC. :D We’ll be live tweeting from SXSW for the next two weeks so make sure you’re following us on twitter to get all the updates. AND don’t forget to tweet at us and hashtag #BurdaStyle2Austin to stay in the convo! Check out what we did today after the jump!

Spoonflower and Michael Miller Fabrics have teamed up to offer the amazing opportunity to create a licensed line of fabrics through their Project Selvage initiative! Upload your original design over at Spoonflower by March 24th for the chance to be one of 75 semi-finalists who will be posted on Spoonflower.com where voters will decide which fabrics make the final cut. The 10 designers garnering the most votes will be asked to create an additional five prints to be voted on to determine the winner who will score a licensing contract to print their designs with Michael Miller Fabrics, $1,000 and an all expense paid trip to Houston, Texas for Quilt Market 2011.

We love to see our BurdaStyle members receive recognition for their creativity and passion. Most recently two of our members, grosgrain (Kathleen Frances) and elegantmusings (Casey Cartwright) were given the opportunity to show off their creations in the March issue of SewStylish, and we couldn’t be more excited for them!

Are you new in town and looking for the best fabric store in the area? Or perhaps you’re traveling and itching for a craft fix? The BurdaStyle Resource Map is here for you!

BurdaStyle seeks a marketing/sales jack of all trades with a strong background in online properties, preferably with experience in the fashion/style/sewing/DIY industry. This is a cross-discipline position that requires prior experience in sales as well as a solid understanding of marketing, promotions, developing partnerships and management of team goals. We are a digital property that needs a New York City-based Sales and Partnerships Manager. The chosen candidate will have opportunities to take ownership of specific partnership prospects, and will grow such relationships to benefit both BurdaStyle and our partners.

Awamaki Lab is offering a six-week volunteer position to motivated sewing and garment construction instructors. Working in the serene environment of Ollantaytambo, Peru, instructors will collaborate with a local seamstress to develop and execute a design curriculum that helps standardize the skill level of women in our sewing co-operative. Our goal is to harness the talents and capabilities of women in Ollantaytambo to create employment opportunities that build confidence and extend beyond the scope of the local tourism market. To this end, we have set up the co-op to be a site of production for select Awamaki Lab designer pieces, as well as a place where members can explore their own design potential through immersion classes.

We know you’ve got skills. You’re a sewer, a designer and an all-around super-creative person.

That’s why we’re such big fans of Brooklyn’s “innovation incubator”, 3rd Ward — a place where you can make all your DIY dreams come true. They host sewing classes (using Burdastyle patterns!), fashion illustration courses, and jewelry workshops; we’ve even shot some of our looks in one of their spacious photo studios! 3rd Ward’s awesome class schedule offers loads of options for creative activities you’ve perhaps wanted to try but haven’t had the guts to yet – like brunch welding, screenprinting, urban beekeeping, photography and tons more. For people who love to create, welcome to you Wonderland!

Next week the BurdaStyle team is heading south for the winter to Austin, TX to attend the South By South West Conference (SXSW)! We are taking part in so many amazing events that we’ve been bursting at the seams to tell you about!! Check our facebook page to RSVP and for the full details! Nora, Rachel, Carol and Ruth will all be down from March 10th-March 16th so make sure to check out one of these great events after the jump!

All pattern purchases are working successfully.

Not all members experienced issues with pattern purchasing, but if you have attempted to purchase a pattern in the last few days and were unable to retrieve it due to a site issue, please e-mail Answers[at]BurdaStyle[dot]com. We are currently refunding all members who have already contacted us requesting a refund.

We appreciate your patience as our team works to provide refunds to those affected.

Beginning on Friday, February 25th, some of you have reported that when attempting to purchase patterns, you are led to a 500 Server Error or are otherwise unable to retrieve your pattern. Please note that we are currently working with our Technical Support team to resolve this issue, and sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.

If you have attempted to purchase a pattern and are unable to retrieve it due to this issue, please e-mail Answers[at]BurdaStyle[dot]com. We are currently refunding all members who have already contacted us requesting a refund.

We appreciate your patience as our team works diligently to solve this issue and provide refunds.

In an age where we’re more conscious than ever about where and how we are spending our money, the spotlight on fair trade and consumer consciousness is brighter than ever. To meet this new demand, a number of small non-profit companies are working to spearhead the movement of the sort of “farm-to-closet” fashion as I like to call it, where consumers know not only exactly where their clothing is coming from, but can tie a direct line back to the people manufacturing it and their communities.