Sharon Sews

Fall weather has finally arrived here in Texas. That means the a/c is turned off, the shorts are tucked away, and the long sleeve tops are once again being worn. I recently sewed the Banff Dolman Sweater from the Sew News Capsule Studio Plush pattern collection and have found myself wearing it over and over.  While there are a plethora of dolman sleeve knit top patterns available to sew, this one has a colorblocked yoke which makes it a bit unique.  Plus it was included in this PDF pattern collection :-) It's a very 80s shape, and I recall having multiple dolman sleeve sweaters back then.  A quick count in my closet revealed I currently have six dolman sleeve tops that I'll rotate through this season. The recommendation on this top is to choose the size by your waist measurement. I'm guessing because it's designed to "bunch" up at your waist, rather than fall over your hip.  I choose the pattern by my full bust adjustment, and then graded down in the hip area...

The KAWARTHA Cardi Jacket is another PDF pattern included in the Sew News Capsule Studio: Plus h. It's designed for shearling or a heavy knit. I choose to sew mine in this bright cotton candy pink shearling knit I purchased from Super Textiles (link to Etsy shop here ).  The KAWARTHA jacket has a shawl collar, facings, and open front with a fur hook and eye closure. I added a patch pocket on the right side as I like having a place to tuck my phone.  The jacket is a pretty quick sew. After all, there are very few pattern pieces.  The recommendation is to choose this pattern by your bust measurement. I choose to sew a large based on my full bust measurement. I didn't do a full bust adjustment and had plenty of room in the bust. However, the hip area flares out, and I'm not sure if that was an intentional design feature or not. Here's the back view. I like that it covers my rear :-) The designer rated this one as an intermediate skill level, and I'm guessing that is be...

The BALA Wrap Top and TREMBLANT Pleated Pants are both PDF patterns included in the Sew News Capsule Studio: Plush.  The capsule studio collection includes tips for sewing cozy fabrics, like Minky, as well as information on sewing with faux fur.  There are also tips for matching plaids included with the instructions for the pants.  There are six PDF patterns in this collection, each available in sizes XS (bust 33", waist 24-1/2", hip 35") to 7X (bust 58", waist 49-1/2", hip 60").   I sewed five of the six: BALA Wrap Top, TREMBLANT Pleated Pants, BANFF Dolman Sweater, MOONSTONE Jumpsuit, and KAWARTHA Cardi Jacket. I didn't have the supplies on hand to sew the WHISTLER Bucket Bag. That's a sewing project for another day. Make note that the seam allowances vary per project, so be sure to double check if you need to use 3/8", 1/2", or 5/8".  I'd also suggest you print, tile, and trace your pattern pieces before purchasing fabric. ...

Can you tell by my big grin how excited I am to be in the lobby of the office where the magic of Sew News and Sew iT All magazines happens?  You can find my article on how to sew a tiered maxi skirt in the current issue of Sew News . Three of my projects are in the latest issue of Sew iT All (on newsstands as of yesterday), With the lovely Ellen March, Editor-in-Chief, who is also the host of the Sew iT All television program . She is even more delightful in person than I had imagined her to be. She is absolutely adorable. She let me peek into the Sew It All studio but I forgot to take a photo for you. I will tell you it was much smaller than I envisioned it to be. From Left: Beth Bradley, Ellen March, Sharon Madsen, Colleen Exline, Leah Rybak, Nicki LaFoille I was able to meet the entire staff. I do wish there would have been more time as each and every one of them is someone I'd love to get to know better.  We talked about weather, the Ft Collins Fire ,...

While shopping at a local fabric this morning I quickly glanced at the sewing magazines. You know, just to see what was available. Fine, I admit it. To see if the latest SewNews was on display. Now I ask you. How will anyone see my fabulous sweater on the cover when it's displayed like this? Think they'll notice the little rearranging I did? Just trying to be helpful. ******************************************************

Have you see the latest Sew News issue? As soon as I saw it that old 70s song, " Cover of the Rolling Stone " began running through head. I know what you're thinking. " Why in the world would you think of THAT song? "  Well let me tell ya. See that purple sweater? It's mine! Yep, I'm on the cover of Sew News.   Well, not ME, but my sweater. I loved doing this project and am thrilled that the editors thought all of you would like it enough to put it on the cover. The samples arrived in the mail the same day my magazine did and I'm looking forward to cooler weather as I think this will be great worn with skinny jeans and boots. (Or is that oh-so-last-season already?) The "pintucks" on the scarf are created using a serger. Inside you'll find instructions to create another cardigan with an attached sheer three-fabric scarf - no serger needed. Guess what? Sew News has the entire article available on their website. You...

See this magazine? Recognize this face? Or maybe this name? Yep. That's my name and photo right there in color in the latest Sew News magazine. I'm a contributor to the May/June 2011 issue. Next to incredibly talented sewing super stars. That's one reason I didn't have much to share with you during these past months. I was indeed busy sewing but I was sewing projects and writing instructions for Sew News and Sew It All Volume 3, which I believe is scheduled to come out late 2011.  Woot!  Super excited here.  Being published in a magazine has been a dream of mine for sometime. When this issue arrived I flipped through as quickly as I could to see the cover-up in print.  They sure do a nice job with photos and layout if I do say so myself. I'm doubly excited for my next project, which won't appear until the October/November 2011 issue.  You helped me with fabric choices way back in January .  I kept the deep plum purple but didn't us...