Saturday, April 19, 2014

How to Make Gathered Curtains in 3 parts

My Weekly Craftsy.com Blog Post


I have begun a 3 part series on making gathered curtains. It begins with a post on a way to determine gathered fullness. Anytime gathering is involved the fabric being used will ultimately determine how much fullness is needed, or desired. Fullness plays a big role when it comes to making curtains as you need to know how much to account for so you can order the correct amount of fabric. 

The post illustrates a simple method using a yard stick. Here is the link:  http://www.craftsy.com/blog/2014/04/fabric-gathering-techniques/

This weeks post describes the hardest part of making simple gathered curtains - measuring and calculating. Determining the finished and unfinished curtain dimensions is vital to 1) determining how much material to buy and 2) creating any type of curtain. Once that's done, the actual construction of the curtain is quite easy. Here is the link: http://www.craftsy.com/blog/2014/04/how-to-make-gathered-curtains/

Look for part 3 next week for the easy steps to sewing this simple yet versatile curtain. 
 

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Catching Up

Once again its been awhile since I last posted anything. It's been a busy month of sewing and writing. I have two more magazine articles coming out next year so I have had recent deadlines to meet. Boy, they are a lot of work. Designing and sewing up the six sample garments took a toll not to mention all the sketches and photos that needed to be done for the articles. I'm a bit pooped but happy they turned out well and got out on time. 

I have also been writing articles to spur interest in sewing classes.  Here in the Detroit marketplace I believe there are a lot of people who want to learn to sew, but simply don't know where to go to learn. The sad fact is there really aren't that many places around here for lessons. I am hoping to raise awareness of where people can go to learn and how popular sewing has become.  

As a side note, I believe the interest in sewing is about to skyrocket. The very popular British reality TV series, The Great British Sewing Bee is coming to the U.S. I don't know when the U.S. version will debut, but I predict it will do wonders to reinvigorate interest in the craft even more than Project Runway. So, stay tuned.

I have also expanded the number of locations where I will be teaching. Mostly sewing for beginner classes, but I will be doing several Kids Sewing Camp sessions as well.  Look for my beginner sewing classes at Scrappy Chic the scrapbook mega-store in Livonia (www.ScrappyChicLivonia.com for details). At Sandy's Sew & Vac I will be teaching a great summer dress class in June. Then come July and August I will be teaching several kids classes (www.Sandysmakeitsew.com for details). 

Oh, and lastly, look for another one of my Burdastyle.com webinars. The topic is how to manage and control the unruly nature of sewing with sheers. I have had a lot of practice lately and can't wait to share some of my ideas.  Go to www.burdastyle.com to register. The session is on Monday, June 9th at 2 pm EST. 

Also, don't forget my weekly blog posts on Craftsy.com