Sharon Sews

Not me...my niece. When I asked if she'd help me with a summer dress design I'm working on, she not only said "yes" but said mentioned that she misses our weekend get-togethers from her childhood. She and another niece would spend the night and, among other things, I'd help them with a sewing project. You know what? I miss that those get-togethers also. I figured when she hit her teen years there were more important things to do than hang out with your old auntie. I'm glad to find out I was wrong. To prepare for our weekend get together - as of yet unscheduled while both nieces find time in their busy social lives to spare a weekend away from friends and school activities - I asked her to choose some Amy Butler fabrics she found appealing. The beauty of the Internet! I sent her a link to Amy Butler fabrics, she emailed me her choices, and with printed copy in hand I purchased three of them from Treadle Yard Goods. (The bottom fabric with the large floral

I too have been bitten by the spring clean-up-the-sewing-studio bug. One of the first areas to be attacked is my pattern collection. As this collection has grown, I've grown lazy about putting patterns away in their correct category. As I began weeding patterns, I found this treasure buried in a pile of 70s era patterns. Isn't this dress lovely? It's a McCall's pattern from 1953 (McCall's 9239). If you look closely at the waist and bodice you'll notice that there is gathering under the bust as well as a front inset. The illustrations don't show this, but there is also an underarm gusset. The full skirt is gathered and sewn to the dress top at the waistline with a waist stay sewn in as a final step. The buttonholes are bound buttonholes, plus there is a lapped zipper at the side seam. A fabric covered belt completes the look. It's amazing the amount of detail in this simple dress as well as the instructions included on the instruction sheet of this vi

The latest Sew Forth Now podcast is online - this one includes an interview with Cheryl Weiderspahn - the author of Low-Sew Boutique . If you thought my reversible apron with the detachable bib was clever and cute, you should check out Cheryl's pattern line. She's the queen of versatile clothing. The Sew Forth Now podcast has reached its one year anniversary and to celebrate Lori has three gifts to give away. All you have to do is leave a comment stating what country you are from, why you listen, and if you listen a few episodes at a time or keep current. You have all month to enter. Details here . Now, I'm off to download the podcast.

The same reporter who created the YouTube word association interview with Tim Gunn (post with YouTube link here ) wrote this follow up piece Everybody loves Tim Gunn...except Anna Wintour . Honestly, how can you not love Tim Gunn?!?

My apron for my flirty apron swap partner is done! (No thanks to my expensive painintheneckwillnotmakeagoodbuttonhole sewing machine.) Sometime you feel like a flirt... ...sometimes you don't. But wait! There's more! Flirty cooks can get a bit distracted while cooking in the kitchen so sometimes they need an apron bib... ...and non-flirty cooks are sensible enough to know a bib helps protect that gorgeous top they're wearing. Apron design inspiration This was a fun project to do especially because I wasn't able to get a real good feel for my swap partner's likes and dislikes. I used advice my mother would give me when I was younger and would agonized over choosing just the right gift. She'd tell me to choose something I would like to receive. Which is exactly what I did. I ended up not sewing any of the four options I had originally thought I would use. My design inspiration was another vintage apron pattern from the 1940s as well as a photograph of a 1970s S