{ Habitat by Jay McCarroll, photo by Laura Singewald of Spool Sewing in Philadelphia } In part two of my interview with Jay McCarroll (here’s Part 1), I asked him to take us through the story and inspiration behind Habitat, and to talk about the process of creating each print and how they fit into [...]
Jay McCarroll’s fourth fabric collection for FreeSpirit, Habitat, was released last month and so far it has gotten tons of love all over the blog world. On the off chance you don’t know who Jay is, he was crowned the winner of the first season of Project Runway for his colorful, inventive final collection that [...]
Earlier this year Fabric on Demand joined the pioneering Spoonflower in offering affordable digital fabric printing over the internet to the everyday crafter. Soon after, two more services popped up, Karma Kraft and Eye Candey. (Full disclosure: the latter two are also True Up sponsors.) I had a single design printed by all four services [...]
Historically, the introduction of new technology does not usually result in an immediate change in design styles. Initially, design for any industrial application continues to follow the style associated with the preceding technology; the first motorcars, for example, were designed to resemble horse-drawn carriages. Change only begins to occur once practitioners coe to understand the [...]
Well, it’s 105 degrees Fahrenheit here today. Texas is in for a long, hot summer. A morning spent at the shady neighborhood wading pool today got me thinking about sewing my own swimsuit. I probably won’t this year, but it’s fun to think about. Are there any good fabrics available? The answer is oh, yes. [...]
For the cotton-centered sewist, silk tends to be the most mysterious and daunting of fibers. I’ll try to demystify silk for you in a series of posts this week. Like previous series on rayon and linen, I’ll talk about how the fabric is made, different weaves and knits, and sources for buying yardage. Today: all [...]
Today I am thrilled to welcome artist/designer/writer extraordinare Heather Ross (blog). She’s here as part of her Blog March to promote her brand new book Weekend Sewing. The publisher, STC Craft, is giving away a copy of Weekend Sewing to one lucky reader. Just comment on this post by this Saturday, March 21, 2009, at [...]
General Facts Popular Dress Rayons, from the 1943-44 Fall-Winter Montgomery Ward catalog – Rayon is not quite a natural fiber but not completely artificial, either. It is derived from cellulose (the structural component of green plant cell walls), but cellulose must be processed significantly in order to become rayon fibers. – It has been around [...]
In case you didn’t know, the main purpose of the International Quilt Market is for fabric and quilt supply retailers to see, touch, test-drive, and order products from manufacturers. Diane of Bee Square Fabrics and her husband Michael were nice enough to let me tag along as Diane ordered fabrics from Moda. Some fabric companies [...]
The second stop on the San Francisco Textile Tour (first stop: Britex) was Urban Burp. I originally learned about it from this post on the Golden Yard and this post on Apartment Therapy. The shop is owned and run by a very friendly woman named Electra Skilandat. She’s a longtime collector of vintage fabrics who [...]
Reds, pinks, oranges, and yellows in my newly decluttered stash. If you have realized you have a fabric clutter problem, it’s time to do something about it. As Peter Walsh stresses in It’s All Too Much, decluttering is not about getting new shelves or fancy color-coded containers. It’s about prioritizing your and your family’s favorite [...]
I’m seeing this previously posted picture in a whole new light now! The book It’s All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff by Peter Walsh has completely changed how I think about my possessions. I read it after writing this post, in which I got a little defensive [...]
image from Wikimedia Commons I’m going to be talking about different types of cotton in upcoming posts, and I’ll be posting the much-anticipated tutorial on trueing up your fabric. But first, we have to get a good grounding in basic weaving terms. Ready? There will be a quiz later. Kidding. Unless you want a quiz. [...]
Some readers have posted about their favorite contemporary fabric ever. What’s yours? Post about it on your blog or on Flickr. I love hearing how your favorites reflect who you are as a sewist and person. !!blue loves Ume-Komachi – Blossom CampFollowerBagLady loves this one from Amy Butler’s Ginger Bliss californiaAMY loves these polka dots [...]
Barkcloth is a type of cotton (sometimes with rayon or linen content) with a special weave that gives it a nubby texture reminiscent of tree bark. It is defined by that texture rather than by weight, fiber content, or print. It is typically a medium-to-heavy weight fabric suited best for upholstery, drapes, and other home [...]
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