This week is the start of a whole new online series and the theme revolves around the many reasons people start to sew. There are so many stories behind that very first stitch! 

​How about you? What led you on the path to sewing?   Do you remember what got you started? For me it was the simple desire to create clothing that was different from what everyone else was wearing, and the ambitious goal to fill my closet with custom made, one of a kind creations. From start to finish, I reveled in the sheer joy of making  garments from "scratch." Beginning with trimming the pattern tissue and ending by stitching the final hem I enjoyed both the journey and the final outcome. Throughout my teen years I would often come home from school and whip up something new and different to wear the next day. Of course I had many other interests and activities growing up but sewing always yielded such tangible results. I wish I had a photo library of each and every piece. Some would be inspiring and some would be good for laughs but they would all tell a tale of many happy hours in front of the sewing machine!

In this new series you'll see many designers and educators share their own passion for sewing and generously share the tips they have developed along their own personal path. The beginning of our sewing journey may start with something big or small, from important life events like weddings to the desire for designer style clothes, the need for creative costumes, disappointment with ready to wear, special occasions, the need to outfit babies and children, the list goes on and on!  This series explores these pathways to sewing and many more. Topics include:

• Sewing For Babies & Children
• Let’s Dress Up
• Distinctive Style
• Costume Fun
• Wedding Bells
• Cosplay
• Sewing For People Of All Abilities
• Stepping Out
• Sewing 101
• Decorating At Home
• What’s Trending?
• Fashions & Fit
• Sewing As A Business

Angela Wolf opens the show with an adorable little girl's dress you can sew on the serger in no time flat!  Speaking of flat, in this episode you'll learn how to flat lock a hem so you can lace ribbon through the "ladders" that form on the right side of the fabric. You don't need a high-end serger for this technique. An ordinary three thread serger stitch with a few tension adjustments will produce this decorative and functional effect. Angela used the Brother 5432 PRW model. This has got to be one of the most affordable yet full featured sergers ever invented. It has self threaders for the needles, a large extension table for bigger projects, plus a free arm for serging tight spaces. Watch as Angela guides you step by step to making this cute little dress. Next up she shows a quick way to sew spaghetti straps on the serger. This method is a longtime a favorite of mine for making camisole straps out of nylon tricot. The slippery fabric turns easily and in mere minutes you have perfect skinny spaghetti straps. 

Sewing for little girls is something I have enjoyed for many years as I watched my many nieces and great nieces grow up. I developed a version of this T-shirt dress that several nieces have worn. Here​ is a photo of a favorite style I turned into a popular serger class years ago. I like to start with  a white undershirt from the boys department, add machine embroidery to dress it up, attach a fabric skirt gathered on the serger, and then finish with lettuce edging on the neck and sleeves. It takes less than an hour front start to finish. It's a darling dress that's perfect for a little girl to "twirl" around in! I thought you might be interested in making one or more yourself so I've added a Free project page to my site. Just CLICK HERE  to download the instructions.

In part two, pattern designer Krista Tracy makes a trendy waterproof backpack you can use as a diaper bag or as a pool or gym bag. She has lots of tips and techniques for working with polyurethane laminate fabric, commonly known as known as PUL. ​CLICK HERE to view fabric options from a favorite online resource, Fabric.com. They have a great selection of solid colors. I must admit I have not sewn with this fabric but I need a new swimsuit storage bag for traveling. Krista has given me the confidence to take the plunge! Excuse me while I pop over to fabric.com to purchase a piece of yardage. I'll share my results in a future blog. Let me know if you have sewn with this fabric. What did you make and what did you learn along the way?  I'd love to hear you share your sewing stories!

Delightful dog coats are the first project featured on this week's online It's Sew Easy TV show. My good friend Paulette Bell  designed and stitched a whole collection of adorable dog coats. Although the ten needle machine is featured here, these would be super quick to create on any home embroidery machine. The basic pattern is a simple circle sized to fit after taking one little measurement on the dog's body.

Paulette is the queen of the multi-needle machine and my go to person for any questions I have about these souped up "embroidery only" machines. Her knowledge and experience goes far beyond the basics. She has a creative mind and thinks of interesting ways to make the most of these machines. Have you ever thought of turning your embroidery skills into a money making business? If so, you owe it to yourself to explore the available options for multi-needle machines. If you're interested in more information you can CLICK HERE to compare models in the Brother line, and then search for a local dealer and test drive one for yourself.

Back to the doggie duds . . . You'll find complete instructions for these when you login to the website. The circular style coats you see on the set were sewn from polar fleece. Check out the big dog in the scene! Paulette made the orange coat by shrinking a wool sweater and using the resulting fabric for a fancy way to dress up her dog. 

In the second segment Angela gives instructions for adding a hand warmer to workout wear. The whole idea behind these garments is their suitability for action and exercise and the hand warmer makes a lot of sense. Despite the fact that these clothes are designed for activity, I'm a huge fan of garments like this just for lounging around the house.

Recently I ordered this hoodie pattern from hotpatterns.com. The envelope has an interesting word to describe this style. This jacket fits a category they're calling  Athleisure attire. This terminology perfectly describes why I like this style for casual wear.  It has an athletic look but it's just plain fun, and comfortable to wear! I even found the perfect fabric at my local big box fabric store. It's a lightweight French terry and comes in a variety of interesting colors. I picked traditional sweatshirt grey and plan to add some embroidered embellishment to make it into a stylish statement piece for fun and fashion. CLICK HERE if you'd like to take a look at my fabric choice.

If you're looking for a more traditional hoodie style you may want to look at Hot Patterns Daytona Hoodie. This version has a more standard fit and includes some great options for short sleeves and a vest. I like the added bust gathers and the fact that they designed this hoodie for a woman's curves.

Have you ever thought of adding a monogram to make a classic hoodie classy? CLICK HERE to see project instructions from the Brothersews website. These would make great personalized gifts!

​Just the other day I saw a white hoodie with the word BRIDE emblazoned in crystals on the center back. What a nice touch for a special occasion! As you can imagine, there are lots of possible ways to turn athleisure into a fashion statement.

​Are you ready to watch the show? CLICK HERE to view episode 913 until noon on March 25th. Enjoy!

In the 1990's designer labels were de-rigueur. By definition, this means they were seen as necessary if you wanted to be fashionable and popular. However, the grunge look took hold as well. It seems as if fashion fanatics were on one extreme side or the other. This show will remind you of items seen in this past decade yet I think it will inspire you to re-create with fresh new methods.

I'll begin with the end of the show this time. It's a short segment featuring decorative stitching that mimics hand embroidery. You'll see a variety of samples I stitched with thick threads that would never go through the eye of a needle. So how is this done? The technique is known as bobbin work. It's accomplished by stitching from the wrong side of the fabric with special thick threads feeding from the bobbin, and normal weight threads in the needle.

I LOVE bobbin work!!! It is fun and easy on the sewing side of the machine, and really unique when stitched in the hoop with machine embroidery designs. The majority of the samples seen on this show are stitched with built in decorative stitches on the sewing side. I used baby yarn, silk ribbon, and threads designed for sergers. Click on the image of the children's fleece cap for complete instructions for the cap seen on the show.

You can click on any one of the titles below to explore more bobbin work projects and ideas. You are sure to learn additional tips about this interesting, "upside down" embellishment technique known as bobbin work.

This is a technique that requires good thread for good results. My preferred brand is the Gutermann elastic thread on a spool. You should find it wherever standard Gutermann sewing thread is sold. I also like to use the carded elastic thread  designed for jewelry making. 
As usual, you'll want to test for best results. CLICK HERE to download instructions for  a scarf project made with elastic thread.

Ready to learn some new and interesting techniques? You can CLICK HERE to go watch episode 912 of it's Sew Easy TV. This episode is currently showing online from March 11th to March 18th at noon. Enjoy!

Styles from the 1980's are pretty easy to identify. Shoulder pads were exaggerated, opulent fabrics and shiny trims were seen both day and night, and romantic details such as lace and ruffles were prominent and prolific!

On the casual side of dressing, jogging suits became acceptable outside the gym and sportswear included details and fabrics found in dance and exercise wear. Denim turned designer style with patches, labels, and specific pocket trims that shouted out the name of each designer on the fashion map! 

Angela Wolf begins the show with a lesson for creating a peplum top from a T-shirt pattern.

She'll show you exactly how to add elastic  using the Brother 5234 PRW serger to keep stretchy seams from over-stretching. To me, the serger is one of the best sewing inventions ever! It makes sewing with knits and  imitating ready to wear techniques easy! While many machines have mock serger stitches there is nothing quite like the smooth, finished look of a serger stitch. The elastic foot used in this show makes it easy to apply ​Dritz clear and flexible elastic incorporating it right into the seam. Since this foot is adjustable you can use it to simply feed elastic into a serged seam, or you can adjust so the fabric is eased onto the elastic all in one step. Watch this episode and you'll gain confidence to try these techniques in your next knitwear project.

Next you'll see Cindy Hogan add designer details to denim jackets. Do you have any plain jean jackets that are begging for some embellishment? If the answer is yes you will love the ideas in this episode. I buy jean jackets on sale so when inspiration strikes I am ready to go sew! This technique is a great way to transform a denim jacket and elevate it from so - so to spectacular!

Watch her design at the computer, cut with the Brother ScanNCut digital cutter, and  embroider circles all in a super short period  of time. You could make a similar jacket design with simple shapes and small fabric swatches.

Cindy is a master at teaching embroidery software techniques and at making them understandable for all levels of embroidery enthusiasts. In this program she uses a ​Special Brother program, the BES 3 Lettering and Customization Software. In fact, Cindy literally "wrote the book" on this program. You can CLICK HERE to visit her website and find out more.

Ready to watch the show? CLICK HERE to watch It's Sew Easy episode 911 until noon, December 11th.