Well that was a mouth full!

If you live here in America the quintessential summer holiday is upon us. We have decided to give you the ultimate backyard fun and beach guide. Sew and craft up all of these projects to create your perfect summer!

Swim Suits

Whether lounging by the pool or playing in the sand these suits are what you need for the hot summer months.

Beach Cover-Ups

Make one of these for traveling around or just lazing about.

Backyard Games

These fun (and cheap!) games are a great way to spend a summer day in your backyard, the park, or at the beach!

Summer Accessory

Use this great oilcloth How To to make a waterproof picnic blanket. Just whip up some oilcloth and sew it on to the back of a large cut of fabric!

Complete your day out with the rest of these great projects:

Happy 4th of July Everyone!



photo from Ladies Home Journal

IVANAhelsinki is currently the single brand which speaks to my own roots fully. Behind the brand is a sweet faced Scandinavian girl with a sneaky dark side, I'm in love. IVANAhelsinki is an exclusive art fashion brand which delicately brings together Slavic rough melancholy and pure Scandinavian moods.

Behind the brand is the artist Paola Ivana Suhonen who pulls from her dark naive mind-landscapes, northern legends and western romantics, doing prints, graphics, short movies and well, everything that is involved with the visuals. Paola runs the family-owned company with older sister Pirjo. Paola has created an exclusive collection for Topshop and has gone so far as to curate Dress-go-Around where 10 girls are given IVANAhelsinki dresses, are documented in them, then the dresses are passed on to loved ones.
Here's a special slide show of her gorgeous designs as well.

Paola was kind enough to answer some of my questions below. I hope you enjoy this feature as much as I do:

What is your earliest memory?
We were playing lions in the cage of one Finnish film directors backyard- he actually had had there some wild animals, back in the 20´s.

What is your most treasured possession?
My rescued dog "affe" and my belief in eternal love

What would your super power be?
To sense the ghosts- actually I already have it:)

What is a secret treat that you love?
Old whiskey

What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
A good-mad man

Who in your life has inspired your sense of style the most?
My mom in her 60´s bold dresses and silk scarves and huge sunglasses being a young psychoalalytic-chick (sic) She rocks

What is the worst job you've done?
Selling matches from door to door--and wc paper--oh, that was a bit too much!

Who would play you in the film of your life?

Maja Ivarsson

What is your favorite smell?
Lily-of-the -valley

What keeps you awake at night?
My endless projects which I just can´t get enough of..

Describe IVANAhelsinki in three words.
"dresses for beautiful girls"

Tell us a joke.
I hate jokes. I´m a serious girl:)

Thank you Paola.

Photos courtesy of IVANAhelsinki. Artwork by alison dahl.

1. Where are you from and/or where do you live?

I was born and grew up in Bournemouth on the south coast of England but since I've moved about a lot. I spent 3 yrs in Portugal and Spain and 8 yrs in France and now here I am in Vancouver, BC. We've been here for just a year and love it!

2. What was the 1st thing you made? How did you start sewing?

The very first things I remember sewing were little felt mice and bears. My brother and I spent lots of time with our grandparents and they were both pretty good at various crafts and happy recipients of anything hand made by us. My grandmother used to knit all the time so I guess it was natural that I had to sit there creating too.

3. What role does sewing play in your life?

My sewing passion really took off when my son was a baby and I found myself a little isolated and in need something to help fill my days, I got a sewing machine and started to make clothes but soon went back to my first interest of making toys. Sewing is something that I do for me. Its all to easy to lose track of yourself in all the day to day sewing and creating helps me to express myself as an individual.

4. What is your favorite and what is your least favorite thing about sewing?

My favourite thing about sewing is that moment when it all starts to come together, when what was once a piece of flat fabric takes on a whole new life. My least favourite thing is cutting out, with toys its very often fiddley and time consuming.

5. If you could make something for anyone who would it be and what would you make?

I would love to make some kind of outrageous toy for Jean-Paul Gaultier...I admire him so much! He was once stood behind me looking in a shop window in Paris and I was too star-struck and shy to speak to him...what a missed opportunity!!

6. What are you looking for on our site? What do you think should be improved and what do you really like?

I look for inspiration and great clothing patterns on BurdaStyle site. I think the How to section could be a little easier to navigate but it really is a wonderful site a mne of information and the patterns are really up to date.

7. What is your motto?

My motto as far as sewing is concerned is measure twice cut once..or is that woodwork?

Scrumptiousdelight's creations are awesome, just plain old awesome. Check out her top ten favorite creations. You can find photos of her creations at her Etsy shop or at Flickr. You can also see them in person at the London Miles Gallery in London. Also at Stitch Wars in Florida and Mortal Plush

Growing up in Trinidad meant that I spent my entire childhood and adolescence in a school uniform. They were strict about everything- if I wore socks that didn't match, we had to change them or go without, and if our skirts were too short or our blouses were too tight, we'd have to go to the supply closet to wear a new one!

Sheena Matheiken grew up in India, where it was mandatory for her as well to wear a school uniform. Recently, she decided to embark on a activity inspired by her experience called the Uniform Project. Part exercise in sustainability, part fund raising venture, Sheena's decided to wear the same dress a day for an entire year. Boring? No! Each day, Sheena comes up with an outfit that's quirky and inventive, making use of layers, accessories (most of which are donated), thrift store finds, and crafty alterations. The dress itself is pretty innovative- designed by her friend Eliza Starbuck, it can be worn both ways (front-to-back, back-to front) and as a blouse or jacket. The best part about the project is that it raises money for the Akanksha Foundation in India. Pioneered by college students in India, this foundation provides children from the slums with all the supplies (and uniforms!) that they need for school, and also runs summer camps, drama, computer, and dance classes to equip kids with the skills they need to succeed. Every day Sheena donates a dollar to the organization, and also accepts donations of money for the organization and accessories to keep reinventing her outfits.

Check out Sheena's site, as well as the site for the Akanksha foundation. Get involved by donating to the Uniform Project, or even by signing up to volunteer to assist the kids with the foundation in India. Well worth a trip, don't you think?

-Amanda BurdaStyle Team

Recently I joined forces with my stylist friend and visionaire Elissa Raymond to assist her in a Manhattan based photo-shoot for Kohls, an American department store similar to Target who carries licensed lines like Simply Vera & ELLE.

Has anyone ever worked as a stylist? I've styled my own shoots and have done some editorial but I had never worked on such a large scale production. Our base was an enormous RV parked outside of Pastis, an incredibly beautiful & infamous restaurant in the meatpacking district of Manhattan. Elissa has the back of the RV; there were racks to hang the looks we'd be shooting and couches and tables for shoes & accessories. Elissa had heaps of accessories; gold, silver, brass chains, sunglasses, clear glasses, bracelets, stockings, shoes, boots, hats, scarves galore. Now wouldn't it be fun to scour the Earth for those things on someone else's budget?!

Every stylist has a "book", and when I arrived (ahem, at 4:30 a.m.) to meet everyone, Elissa had me take a look. Inside are spec sheets and snaps of the approved looks to be shot with editor's notes. The marketing team at Kohls adds notes in the margins like "make sure to show lapels and cuff details" and "no leggings with this" or "show the pant's cuffs" and it's Elissa's job to follow suit. Sometimes she does and sometimes the notes sound as if they are coming from a man in a suit in an office in Milwaukee- not a style guru.

The actual shoot consists of a dance between photographer, model, stylist, guy with fan, and hair & make-up. Around her waist, or in our case, my hands, as Elissa thinks the belt ruins her look, a stylist has clips, pins, double-stick tape, snips. A few snaps then "stylist in!" a tug here, flatten a wrinkle there, pin that collar down, clip the back, make it more snug, while hair is acting against nature; trying to tame stray hairs with spray and gloss. The photographer is lucky if she gets 5 shots in before these adjustments need to be made.

All in all I enjoyed the day. The locality made it simple, most of the time they are in a studio in Milwaukee which to me sounds a bit tough. A stylist needs to be in pretty good shape and be on her feet all day. Elissa miraculously can wear her cute, pointy Italian leather lace-up boots without complaint. And she will never be caught dead wearing knee pads.

Looking for a dress that gives you more bang for your buck? Try sewing yourself up a convertible dress! Not only is this style all the rage in Hollywood at the moment, but it also allows the wearer to change the look of their outfit just by altering the ties. There are several tutorials for making this frock including Rostitichery's Infinity Dress and BurdaStyle's own scriptandserif. Dresses not your style? Try the convertible dresses' sister tute, the convertible shirt!

Yesterday, the whole BurdaStyle office was in shock. It seemed so strange that the King of Pop would be gone so soon. Though his life was plagued with controversy, Michael Jackson has had an undeniable influence on culture, music, and style. Michael Jackson singlehandedly popularized aviator glasses, leather jackets, gloves, and his signature white socks. He resisted fads, sticking to his own edgy and unique take on fashion. Most of us in the office grew up listening to and watching Michael Jackson, and like the rest of the world, we're still in shock. Rest in peace Michael! We'll miss you.

BurdaStyle Team

All pictures are from www.gallery.steady-laughing.com.

The BurdaStylers of Milwaukee were armed with their sewing gear and ready to mingle at this Tuesday’s very first Sewing Club! This event was packed with a super-fun show-and-tell and conversations on what the next meeting would bring.

This club mixes sewing veterans with beginners, and aims to have fantastic sewing fun for both! Tentative plans for what they may do in the future include sewing quilts for an international adoption agency and baby kimonos for local hospitals. How cute!

At the next meeting, though, the first order of business is to work on the pleated clutch pictured above. Their next meeting will be held July 21st at 7 p.m. If you are in the Milwaukee area and would like to join, please contact Club Leader Tekstile.

For more information on BSC Milwaukee, visit their blog at MilwaukeeSewingClub.wordpress.com.

Keep up the great work guys!

-David BSC Coordinator

Join one in your neighborhood!

Congratulations to Easbrooke! The handy dandy Random number generator helped pick us our winner. Thank you all for entering!

Here is a really cool interview with an antique sewing machine collector over at Collectors Weekly. It's a really interesting article, with great pictures, I recommend it!