Sewing Blogs

Over at Burdastyle they're running a contest to find the best sewing blogs on the web.

50 bloggers who sew, from all over the world, have entered.  The voting ended yesterday but I think this is still a very handy dandy list.

What I like best about all this is that there's a list of 50 sewing blogs to check out!  Sewing blogs can be hard to suss out from the thousands of other blogs so I'm going to copy the entry list and make my way through it one by one.  Hopefully I'll find some new inspiration and fun new blogs to follow!

Do you have a favourite sewing blog? Leave a comment below~

SCHMETZ Goodies

Have you checked out the giveaway going on all month long over at Burdastyle?!?!

They're giving away tote bags with lots of sewing goodies –  samples, books, patterns, notions and yes, a couple packs of SCHMETZ needles. Each tote is filled with different sewing goodies and may include: •Kai Scissors •2013 & 2014 Needle Travel Guide •Islander Sewing Easy Zippers DVD •BobbinSavers •Cuddle Fabrics •Sandra Betzina’s fabulous Power Sewing Master Series DVD Set •2 books from Joan Ford’s Scraptherapy series •myPad Needle Organizers •Threads •Interfacings •BurdaStyle Winter 2014 Premier issue •And the list goes on! The tote bag is high quality quilted nylon blend with an embroidered SCHMETZ logo.  Lots of room to fill the SCHMETZ tote with your own sewing supplies for class. Submission Dates: January 1 – January 31 Winner Announced: Daily – 1 winner every day in January

I have to admit, I do love a good Schmetz needle!

Burdastyle: Winter Patterns

Wow!  Burdastyle has really been pumping out the new patterns!  In just the past couple of weeks they've released  6 new collections!

Here's a quick peek at a few patterns from some of the collections:

Cameo Collection (10 Delicate patterns), so gorgeous and perfect for the holidays~

Attention to Detail: Some great tailored pieces.  I love the silhouette of the orange blouse~

Holiday Lights: In complete contrast this collection is flowy and pretty.  The maxi dress is flawless.  I like how they show even the casual pieces made up in lux fabrics.

Winter Darling: The perfect name for this cute set of pieces just for your little stylish little girl.  The shorts and vest are the best I think~

There are also two plus size collections that you can check out by visiting Burdastyle and clicking on their blog tab.

Which collection is your favourite?  Have you ever sewn Burdastyle patterns before?  Leave your tips and tricks in the comments below~

Town and Country

I don't contribute to Burdastyle as often as I used to but I still like to visit and see the new pattern collections they come out with so often.

Take a look at some of my favourites from their latest, called Town and Country~

Sometimes it's all in the styling but I think this dress would turn out great no matter what...even if you do decide to wear it with knee socks (???).  There's a separate pattern for the cute little cardigan jacket too.

I love the simplicity of the top below.  Making it in lace like in the pic is a super idea~

This is the kind of top that I would've made in a heartbeat in my twenties.  I'm not sure I could pull it off these days but I still love it, maybe with a lacey little cami underneath.

This dress looks like a sack in the illustration, but look at it in real life!  It's gorgeous!

There are a few more pieces in the collection that you can check out here.

Have you started sewing your fall wardrobe yet?  I have but now we're having a wonderful little heat wave.  Guess I'll just have to wait until I can wear all my new clothes.  I don't mind one bit~

Burdastyle Spring Patterns

Burdastyle has been cranking out the patterns lately.  It seems like almost weekly they put out a new set and they're all cute and affordable!

There's been everything from wedding to '80's inspired to something they call Island Runway which doesn't seem overly "islandy" at all, but is still pretty.

Let's take a look at some of the pieces from my fav collection so far : Blooming Dreams.

This first one is probably more about the fabrics that they used in the samples, but I still love the look.

 Love the ruching on the front of the cardi.

I've been meaning to make a great fitting blazer, this might be the one!

I'm not a fan of the round neck, but I like the shape of this dress.

Burdastyle patterns are purchased online and usually don't run too much more than $6.00 each.  You download them onto your computer and then print out on regular 8.5" X 11" paper.  Then you have to cut the papers to fit and tape it all together.  It's a bit of a pain, but you get great up to date styles without having to wait for the next season to hit.

You can even try some of their patterns out for FREE!

Have you ever used Burdastyle patterns?  Any tips?  Leave a comment below~

Burdastyle: Featured Member!!

What an exciting day!  Head on over to Burdastyle and check out their current Featured Member... it's me!!!

No matter what your level, Burdastyle is the place to be if you're a sewer.  There are currently over 491,000 members (can you believe they found me out 491,000 people?!?!?!) who come together to create a very fun and supportive community.  You can post your own projects, they have loads of free draws and fun competitions (you night remember my Halston Inspired Dress from their Party Through the Decades competition).

Sometimes they even get well known high end designers to create and share patterns!

Karl Lagerfeld Jacket Pattern

 There are always great articles:

Great article on Bias Tape uses

 And awesome tutorials:

Amazing tutorial on covering shoes with fabric

And every once in awhile they interview one of their members, share photos, sources of inspiration, etc.

Excerpt from my interview:

              Do you have a style icon who inspires your sewing projects?
                 I have a theory that people always long for the era of their childhood.
                For me, that was the 70’s. I was still a kid so I was too young to wear
               the glitzy disco stuff from the end of the decade and was too young at
               the beginning to fully grasp the freedom of the styles in the earlier part
               of the 70’s. So, now I’m naturally drawn to it. Right now I love the boho
              chic vibe and use lots of Rachel Zoe and Nicole Ritchie images. They’re
              both quite commercial but the look is easy to infuse your own style with.
              Plus it’s a style that suits almost anyone.

Check it out and let me know what you think~

Time to Vote!!!!!!

AHHHHHHH~!  O-M-G!  O-M-G!!!

I can't believe it!  My Halston Inspired Dress made it to the Top 50 in the Burdastyle Party Through the Decades INTERNATIONAL Competition!

Can you tell that I'm a little excited?!?!



My project is Number 30.  Please go and vote (for me) before December 8th.

Just click here to go directly to my project.

Thanks everyone!  Wish me luck!

Show and Tell: Burdastyle Competition

I'm sure any of you who are sewers are familiar with the burdastyle site.  It's an amazing place to get sewing tips, free (and/or inexpensive) patterns, advice, and showcase your own projects.

Right now they are holding a contest...and I entered!  It's sponsored by Bernina and the grand prize is, of course, a sewing machine.  It's called "Party Through the Decades" and each submission has to choose their favourite decade and submit an inspiration board as well as a photo of their project.

If you've read my "About Me" blurb on the sidebar you can easily guess what decade I chose...the 1970's of course!  And I was completely inspired by Halston, one of my favourite designers of the decade.

My inspiration board is a mix of classic Halston along with the newer Heritage line:

And here's my creation:

Part of the submission is to give a short blurb on why you chose the era that you did.  Here's what I wrote:

"I love everything about the 70’s. It was a decade when glitz and glam were the everyday norm. I’m especially drawn to Halston and the beauty in the simplicity of the shape and movement of the fabric that he was able to capture.

This piece appears simple but to attain such simplicity one must achieve perfection in each and every stitch, otherwise it shows. The beautiful olive green colour adds to the elegance and sophistication as does the authentic era belt.

All the “it” girls of the era wore Halston. They, and their clothes, epitomized the jet set lifestyle. I hope that you can see the Halston influence in my creation and I can’t wait to wear it!"

You can check out the other submissions by going here .  And you can check out my projects page here .  I don't know if number of views and number of time favourited matters in the decision making...but it probably wouldn't hurt.

Once you see all of the amazing submissions you'll probably agree that I don't really have a very good chance of getting too far in the competition, but it was still fun, and it was a good incentive to get me to make something special to wear for the holidays!  Now I'm ready to party all Christmas season long~

Wish me luck!