Burda Style For people who sew

Today gives all of us sewists a reason to celebrate – over 100 years ago, the sewing machine was invented! While Karl Friedrich Gegauf’s machine was just a simple commercial hemstitch, it’s evolved into more sophisticated models. Read more about it’s history and how you can celebrate and share your love of sewing. Happy Sewing Machine Day!

If you’re like me, your sewing room is overflowing with notions – pins, rulers, markers seem to dominate every corner of table. But now your notions don’t just have to be left in the sewing room…. transform them into jewelry and wear them everywhere!

I’m sure that I can’t be the only one that does it… watch runway and awards shows just to see what everyone is wearing. One of the hottest trends this season are Grecian-style dresses and top – not only do these look flattering to almost any shape, they can be quite simple to make. These designs are typically made from lightweight materials such as chiffon, thin jersey, and even some satins which give these garments the drape and pleats which are the defining element for this style. Don’t know where to start on making this look for yourself or how to handle these materials? This great article by DIY Design will teach you how.

I recently had a friend decide that she’d like to take up sewing. The first question she had for me is, “What machine should I buy?” While I think that’s a difficult question to answer (I equate buying a sewing machine to buying a car – while I may like one particular model, it may not work for you), we were able to ‘narrow down the field’ a bit by determining what she might like to do with her sewing machine and how much she might want to spend.

A friend recently asked me how I managed to get so much sewing done – especially with a young child at home. I jokingly said “You know how they say men think about sex every seven seconds? I think about sewing that much.” While everyone knows that “seven seconds” is a myth, it did get me to wondering, is it just me, or am I the only one that thinks about my projects (current and future) that much?

Being a short person, I jumped on the maxi dress trend a little late thinking it would look horrible on me. However, after finally giving in and sewing one, I have to admit, with the right design and fabrics, it looked fabulous on. This spring, maxi dresses are the ‘it’ look and I don’t plan on letting this trend go by. The problem? There’s hardly any patterns available, so what’s a girl to do?

How do you catalog your ideas? Do you rip inspirational photos out of a magazine and put them on a bulletin board or notebook? Do you sketch out the design after seeing something that catches your eye? Or do you do it virtually with sites like Pinterest (there’s even an app coming soon for your iPhone)?

Personally, I’m totally excited about Pinterest. With me being able to read so many of my favorite inspirational magazines on an eReader, I’ve lost the ability to rip out favorite photos and look at them for inspiration. Now I’m not limited by magazines, I have the whole internet to pin!

For most of us, upcycling, transforming a old, outdated, or unflattering garment and turning it into something updated and modern, is not a new technique. However, new eyes are turning to this trend as even (future) royalty are embracing it. Recently, Kate Middleton stepped out in an altered herringbone coat which not only has people talking, but is sparking a new interest in refashioning an existing wardrobe. Don’t quite know where to start? Check out Little Green Dresses: 50 Original Patterns for Repurposed Dresses, Tops, Skirts, and More, Sewing Green: 25 Projects Made with Repurposed & Organic Materials, and ReSew: Turn Thrift-Store Finds into Fabulous Designs for great tips and the inspiration to get you started!

It’s Valentine’s Day. While tutorials and links abound for creating love themed items, what about those who are against the holiday? It’s a fairly new trend that’s becoming more popular across the country – Anti-Valentines. So how can you ‘celebrate’? You can start by baking cupcakes (non-love themed of course), whip up a themed shirt, stitch up a voodoo doll, and send out a few gifts (or just keep them for yourself). Whether you choose to celebrate Valentine’s Day or not is up to you, but no matter which you choose, there’s something crafty you can make to show love….or disdain for the day!

Regardless of what Phil has to say, I’m feeling like winter is never going to end (I mean, 6+ more inches in the forecast for us tomorrow?). Since my winter coat has become a permanent fixture on my body lately, I was looking for some ‘fun’ accessories to spruce it up and decided on… a hat! While constructing a hat may seem daunting, there are a number of books, patterns, and tutorials that can simplify the process. One of my favorites? Saturday Night Hat: Quick, Easy Hatmaking for the Downtown Girl. Even though this title has been around for awhile, it has some great basic styles to get you started, fantastic tips, and inspiration on sprucing up some vintage finds. Looking for a few more ideas? Check out this article from DIY Design – not only are there lots of styles to think about, but links to tutorials and patterns to make them up.

For many crafters, recycling Tyvek into bags, wallets, and wearables isn’t new. This material commonly used in building materials, billboards, and mailing envelopes is beginning to become more “mainstream” as many projects have appeared in books such as Betz White’s Sewing Green and Simplicity’s Go Green patterns. Looking to try this product out for yourself? Be sure to check out the awesome projects here on BurdaStyle (like nycdesigner’s awesome jacket) or Material Concepts – a website devoted to innovative Tyvek uses. Be sure to read up on how to work with this material before you sew -great information from du Pont themselves!

Snow may still be on the ground, but spring is right around the corner. For many of us, we’re still busily sewing for winter. However, for others, preparations for a new spring wardrobe has begun. If you’re ready to ditch the wool then here’s a few tips on how to jump start your spring fashions:

Cutwork is one of the sexiest vintage details out there. It’s also the brainchild of nuns. Go figure.

A forerunner of needle madee lace, cutwork is an umbrella term that is used for a number of different techniques – Broidery Anglaise, Renaissancee Embroidery, Richelieu and Venetian Embroidery. They all pretty much result in a similar effect, that is, a cut-out shape in linen or some other tightly woven
fabric where the raw edges are bound by satin stitches, buttonhole stitches or, in the case of Richelieu, a modified buttonhole stitch.

As I gear up to change the serger blade on my new machine for the first time, I thought it might be a good time to remind everyone about proper (preventative) maintenance for you machine. Since your sewing machine is the largest investment you’ll have to make, it’s important to take care of your equipment!