That doesn't mean you can't merge your technological passions with your old fashioned sewing sensibilities. Take a look at these fun projects to see ways you can be tech savvy in your craft room.
Showing posts with label Quilt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quilt. Show all posts
Thursday, April 26, 2012
iSew, you sew
Yeah, it's a cheesy way to title a post. But what would you call a post that merges technology and sewing crafts? We all love our gadgets. We all have computers, smart phones, GPS, MP3, etc. We wouldn't give them up for the world because they're what makes living in the future futuristic.
That doesn't mean you can't merge your technological passions with your old fashioned sewing sensibilities. Take a look at these fun projects to see ways you can be tech savvy in your craft room.
That doesn't mean you can't merge your technological passions with your old fashioned sewing sensibilities. Take a look at these fun projects to see ways you can be tech savvy in your craft room.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Fat Quarter Projects
Now, if you're a quilter, then you know what a fat quarter is used for: a quilt. But, would it surprise you to know that it's not the only use for those easy to buy little swatches of fabric? Here are some interesting projects culled from Pinterest (really, you guys gotta get on that site). Just click on the link below each picture to be taken to the tutorial.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
The Sewing Studio is on Pinterest!
What? You don't know what Pinterest is? Well, it's high time you did. It's the singularly most exciting site to pop up on the web for creative minded individuals. Simply put, it's a visual collection of the things you love.
"But, I have bookmarks," you're probably saying. And that's true. But take a moment to look at your bookmark folders. They may be neatly organized, they may not. But all you'll see are words, usually the "title" of the page. You may have bookmarked that page because you liked one image, and the title may not even describe that image, so it could be months before you even remember that particular piece of inspiration.
With Pinterest, you "pin" an image to one of your "boards" so that you can instantly look at all of the images that inspire you. As seamstresses, we're incredibly visual people, so it's far easier to see the things that inspire us rather than read about them.
To get started, you'll need an invite from someone who is already signed up. And you're in luck, we're signed up. If you'd like an invite, just drop an email to chad@sewing.net and he'll get you set up with an invite. We want all of our customers to enjoy this site, so we'll get you started.
Once you get the invite, you'll need to sign up using either your Facebook account or Twitter account. It makes logging in simple and easy.
And then you're in, and you can create a few boards. They'll be default boards already, but you can rename those. You can create as many boards as you want, but name them something interesting and fun to grab other pinners' attention. You probably want to have boards for things like "Quilting Inspiration" or "Bonnets for My Baby's Head". Whatever you're sure you want to sew or create in the future, start a board so you can start pinning pieces of inspiration.
For instance, you may have an idea for a quilt, and you like a panel from a quilt you saw on a blog, and you like the colors you found someplace else, you can pin all of those little pieces that will eventually comprise your new quilt to a board called, "My New Quilt".
There are two ways to find inspiration and pin it to your boards. First, you can install a "Pin It" button in to your internet browser. That way when you're surfing the net, reading your regular sewing and quilting pages, you can pin things you like.
The second way, and the most addictive way, is to explore other people's boards and find pictures they've pinned, and then "repin" those pictures to one of your boards. This is what makes this a "social network" because you can follow other pinners and see everything they pin.
There are also smartphone apps to keep you pinning on the go. We've been too busy exploring other people's boards to play with any of those apps, but we will. If you have, and have tips for using them, please add them to the comments section below.
Trust us, it's EXTREMELY fun and INCREDIBLY addicting. If you're not careful, you'll spend too much time finding inspiration and planning new projects and have no time to actually complete new projects!
If you'd like to see our boards, head on over to our page and take a look around.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Quality Fabrics: Good Cottons
It may come as a surprise to some of you (but not all) that there are different quality fabrics. Not just that silk is obviously finer than cotton, but even within the realm of cottons all fabrics are not created equal. One distinguishing factor is the thread count.
Thread count is the number of fibers both horizontally and vertically in a square inch of the fabric. Obviously, the higher the count the stronger the fabric. But what does that mean to a quilter?
Primarily, it means your quilt will stand a better chance of withstanding time. Lower thread count fabrics will fray easier and stitches will lose their integrity rather quickly. Imagine spending all that time on a quilt, hoping to turn it into an heirloom for your new baby granddaughter, and it pulls apart before she's out of diapers. But that's only if the thread count is horrifically low.
Higher thread count cottons are just softer. And when you imagine that newborn skin, don't you want the softest materials rubbing up against it? That's why it's important to ensure higher quality cottons go into your quilt.
Another element to your cottons you want to look for is that the pattern is woven into the fabric and not simply stamped on in ink. If it's just a pattern stamped in ink, it runs the risk of smearing or washing away too easily.
There are many fine cottons that are imported, and are always an excellent place to start, especially for an heirloom quilt.
When quilting, it's important to take the time to choose quality fabrics lest you want all of your hard work and creativity lost before it really has the chance to be appreciated.
Thread count is the number of fibers both horizontally and vertically in a square inch of the fabric. Obviously, the higher the count the stronger the fabric. But what does that mean to a quilter?
Primarily, it means your quilt will stand a better chance of withstanding time. Lower thread count fabrics will fray easier and stitches will lose their integrity rather quickly. Imagine spending all that time on a quilt, hoping to turn it into an heirloom for your new baby granddaughter, and it pulls apart before she's out of diapers. But that's only if the thread count is horrifically low.
Higher thread count cottons are just softer. And when you imagine that newborn skin, don't you want the softest materials rubbing up against it? That's why it's important to ensure higher quality cottons go into your quilt.
Another element to your cottons you want to look for is that the pattern is woven into the fabric and not simply stamped on in ink. If it's just a pattern stamped in ink, it runs the risk of smearing or washing away too easily.
There are many fine cottons that are imported, and are always an excellent place to start, especially for an heirloom quilt.
When quilting, it's important to take the time to choose quality fabrics lest you want all of your hard work and creativity lost before it really has the chance to be appreciated.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Wintersburg Winter Shop Hop
Any quilters out there? We thought so. It's time for another bi-annual Shop Hop! It's a ridiculously fun event that spans seven Central Florida shops over four days. It's a quilter's dream!
The only thing you need to participate in the Shop Hop is a love of quilting, and a passport which you can purchase at any of the participating shops. The object of the Hop is to visit each store on the list to get your passport stamped and turned in at the last store you visit in order to be entered for the grand prize of 70 yards of fabric! There will also be a second prize of 35 yards of fabric and $50 and $75 prizes at each store. Over 15 Prizes will be awarded in all!
You can also collect a quilt panel from each store that can be combined into a beautiful quilt (some assembly will be required, but that's the fun part!) Each store will have their completed quilt on display for you to admire and be inspired by, and you will also have the opportunity to purchase the finishing kit.
The Shop Hop will start on October 5th and run through the 8th. Operating hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except on Friday which gives you three extra hours until 8 p.m.
In addition to The Sewing Studio, participating stores include the Bernina Sewing Center in Lake Mary, Quilters Cove In Orlando on Curry Ford, Clermont Sewing and Quilting, Cornerstone Quilt Shop in Orlando at East Colonial, SEW-MINI Things in Mount Dora, and Nancy's Quilt Shop in Winter Garden.
Passports sell for $5 prior to the event, and for $6 during the event.
This is an excellent opportunity to pick the brains of the quilting experts at each store and be inspired by the thousands of yards of wonderful fabric on display to create your own special quilt.
The only thing you need to participate in the Shop Hop is a love of quilting, and a passport which you can purchase at any of the participating shops. The object of the Hop is to visit each store on the list to get your passport stamped and turned in at the last store you visit in order to be entered for the grand prize of 70 yards of fabric! There will also be a second prize of 35 yards of fabric and $50 and $75 prizes at each store. Over 15 Prizes will be awarded in all!
You can also collect a quilt panel from each store that can be combined into a beautiful quilt (some assembly will be required, but that's the fun part!) Each store will have their completed quilt on display for you to admire and be inspired by, and you will also have the opportunity to purchase the finishing kit.
The Shop Hop will start on October 5th and run through the 8th. Operating hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except on Friday which gives you three extra hours until 8 p.m.
In addition to The Sewing Studio, participating stores include the Bernina Sewing Center in Lake Mary, Quilters Cove In Orlando on Curry Ford, Clermont Sewing and Quilting, Cornerstone Quilt Shop in Orlando at East Colonial, SEW-MINI Things in Mount Dora, and Nancy's Quilt Shop in Winter Garden.
Passports sell for $5 prior to the event, and for $6 during the event.
This is an excellent opportunity to pick the brains of the quilting experts at each store and be inspired by the thousands of yards of wonderful fabric on display to create your own special quilt.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)