Bolt Neighborhood

Silk and lace...and so much more

by Gina. 

  

We just opened up a whole slew of packages yesterday and today with quite an assortment of fabrics.  We are also in the midst of reconfiguring our pattern selection a bit and are awaiting the arrival of the Folkwear patterns.  With some of those patterns in mind (like the "intimacies" and other undergarment ones), I decided to pick up some pretty lace pieces and some lovely black silk with a bit of stretch.  Perfect for a fancy slip.  Also in the group are some designer fabrics, like a denim and a cotton stretch pinstripe from Ralph Lauren and a couple of knits from Eileen Fisher.  All of them are out and ready for you!  When I left the store this morning Amy was working on getting the latest Kaffe Fassett prints labeled and out on the shelves--as colorful as ever and a really great button print!

 

I've been on the fence lately about bringing in more silk and have landed on the yes side.  I decided to focus on simple dupioni silk.  It's beautiful, rich in texture and color, not terribly difficult to work with and affordable. It is a very versatile fabric.  It can be used for clothing, accessories, home dec projects and even crafts.  Use a snip to add texture and richness to a fabric-decorated note card or recover an old lampshade.  Sally is working on a sample for the upcoming Jalie zipper skirt class in a gorgeous red dupioni, and I've heard suggested, the Oliver + S Tea Party or Birthday Party dresses for little ones in dupioni--perfect little flower girl dresses.  Simple and elegant.  So, whether you're looking for a quick idea for the summer event you're attending, or thinking ahead to holiday attire and gifts, you will find a collection of beautiful, colorful dupioni by the front door.  Enjoy!

   

Mary Go 'round

Shelly is a pattern designer and blogger, and we are lucky to have her as a teacher at Bolt.  You can find her patterns at the shop and her blog here, and her class for the Mary Go 'round dress on the current schedule at Bolt.

My most favorite part of Figgy's is the children. I named my first shop "Figgy's Kids" because of that fact. I love seeing the dresses dance on a little girl or a pair of board shorts dig in the dirt on young boy. When I opened my email a week ago I was happy to see this photo from my friend and photographer Angela. Inside the package was the dress I designed and made for her daughter.

The dress was the finished pattern sample for "Mary Go 'Round".  

For this pattern I knew I wanted to create something simple that a beginner seamster could pick up and create without deciding to never sew again, LOL.  

You know you've been there.  

I decided that making the dress reversible like the bubble skirt was a must! If I could turn my clothes inside out for a clean new look I would buy 3 and have 6 outfits for the week. I was very pleased with the look and the simplicity but extremely nervous for the dress to arrive for Eve's approval.  

Having a child's approval of your work is my dot at the end of the sentence.

I knew Angela's photography would be incredible and had no doubt I would love her shots but when I received the next email with the photos I was ecstatic to see Eve looking ever so lovely and to hear from Angela she loves the dress, I had my (.)

Thank you sweet Eve!

Learn to Sew and Please Your Neighbors.

Bolt Neighborhood welcomes this post by Autumn, who is a teacher at Bolt, blogger, friend, and neighbor.  Find out more about Autumn and her talents and world here, and find out more about this class here.

Making your own cloth napkins is a very practical first sewing project. Cloth napkins are so easy to make and very useful.  They also make a great housewarming or hostess gift.

I have wanted to make cloth napkins for our home for a long time, but not until I signed up to teach the class was I inspired to make my first cloth napkins.  I have a feeling I won’t be able to stop.   My new napkins are loosely based on the Fat-Quarter Napkins in the Weekend Sewing book by Heather Ross.

R., my 4-year-old son, has a very strong opinion about what cloth napkin he will use.  When setting the table he makes sure to give himself his favorite napkin.  The multi colored floral napkin.   He will not wipe his mouth on one of the boring striped napkins.  So, when I went to my fabric shelves to pick out fabric for our new cloth napkins I had R. in mind.  I chose some old Denyse Schmidt fabric with flowers for one side and plaid for the other.  R. will be able to wipe his mouth on the flowers and I’ll have my love of stripes on the other side.  The true test will be tonight when I ask him to set the table and see which napkin he chooses for himself.

 

If you are interested in learning how to make these napkins you can sign up at Bolt.  The class is a one night learn to sew class on August 12th, from 6:30-9:00 pm.

Baby Bibs

by Lupine.

It seems like new babies are arriving every week this summer, popping out right and left.  My neighbors, friends, and family, all seem to be having tiny new arrivals enter their lives.  Each one of these sweet new tiny people need a little handmade something to take with them on their wee path as they start out into the world.  

For me, making gifts by hands is a true joy and I love to have a little collection of simple ideas for quick gifts to give on different occasions.  Lately I have been fond of the bib.  Certainly I also love booties, blankets, and bonnets for the smallest folk.

As a mother of two, I have really enjoyed the handmade baby bibs we received when my big girl was was born.  We are lucky to have that pattern widely available to the crafting masses in the book Bend the Rules Sewing by Amy Karol.  Amy has the baby bib details all worked out.  Both the soft flannel backing and the perfect size and shape make these our very favorite bibs on the shelf.  

In Bend the Rules Sewing, Amy offers some great embellishment ideas for the bibs, but simply lovely fabric choices make for great looking baby bibs.  Snaps make wonderful closures, but you can use anything from velcro to buttons.

So I say "Bring on the babies!" or should I say "Here come the baby bibs!"

Ahhh, quilts

by Gina.

  

I've thought a bit about quilts over the last (almost) four years of having the store.  I have often stood in awe of the beauty before me when gazing upon someone's goregous, pieced creation.  And, a bit of terror runs through me at the same time.  Terror at the thought of lining up all those corners or points so neatly.  The thought of cutting out so (the o drawn out for dramatic effect) many pieces.  I suppose I had somewhat resigned myself to the idea of living a life of enjoying other people's work and not doing it myself.  I'm pleased to say, those feelings of terror are fading this summer. 

I had pieced together a couple of quilt tops a while back and never finished them.  It was my first attempt and they are nothing fancy, really.  Simply strips of varying widths, some broken up with a little chunk of lightweight denim.  So, for the first of two baby showers in a month, I jumped in and decided I was going to finish those darn things and give them away. 

I'm in love.  I want to make one every day now.  Maybe not everyday.  But I think of it often and can't wait to have more time to finish up the second one.  I machine quilted both of them with the walking foot we sell at the store. It is a really fun tool.  I know we've been talking a bit about our favorite feet (a previous post).  This may be my first favorite.  You can move your quilt around in any direction with it.  It's quite liberating.  So, for qiult number 2 I just need to stitch the binding on and it's complete!  I've been wondering all day, "would it be weird for me to be hand sewing a quilt binding while having some friends over for a bbq tonight?"  Yep, I want to see it finished. 

This all brings me to the fact that we just opened a box with the lovely book, Matierial Obsession: Modern Quilts with Traditional Roots.  It's inspirational.  I think my next project will involve lots of little pieces and some hand quilting.  I will try my hardest with all those corners, but I'm no longer scared to jump in.  I just need to decide who will be the recipient.  I can't wait!

Mine and Yours Halter.

by Lupine.

Remember the days of Daisy Kingdom matching outfits?  Complete with little tiny matching dresses for your doll? Oh how I wish I could turn back time to the land of Daisy Kingdom.  Walking through the isles of that old Pearl District icon held lots of awesome pictures and memories of 70's inspired whole family matching outfit options.  Upstairs, you could even sometimes find the patterns in the discount room.  

Gone are the days of the Daisy Kingdom Pearl District headquarters, and past are the times when matching outfits were cool; or wait, are they?  An entirely new generation of matching outfit opportunities await in this hip halter top from Amy Butler.  The pattern is sized for young girls, size 7 through a women's XXXL.  By extending the length of this pattern a bit you could also make a really sweet little summer dress, perfect for a swim cover up for little girls and their Mamas.

I am teaching this class at Bolt in a couple of weeks, and the pattern has been a popular seller.  Sometimes it is difficult for a new sewer to attempt things like a key-hole cut out, or figure out how to line a top.  Class will be an opportunity to grow your sewing skill and work on basics like reading a pattern and hemming accurately.  

The above pictures are the women's sized sample in the shop, there is a girl sized sample at Bolt as well, and you can see more pictures of Amy Butler's Sun and Surf halters here.

This class is offered Tuesday evenings, August 4th and 11th, from 6:30 to 8:30.

Un-Sewing

by Lupine.

Often in class, I suggest students get out their seam ripper and have at a bit of un-sewing. I am usually met with a less-than-happy face, one that says some combination of  "Really? Me? Do I have to?" and  "I agree, this looks awful."   

I usually have that same feeling when confronted with the decision of whether to rip or not to rip.  By now (thanks to my lovely Bernina), my seams are pretty neat and my stitches pretty even.  But that can do nothing for an ill fitting side seam in a shirt or a pant cuff that is the wrong length.  Sometimes I just fake it and pretend that "this is the awkward look I was going for." But frankly, those are the items that I never take off the hanger to wear when I am finally finished. It is usually worth just busting out my handy seam ripper and having at it.

Currently I have removed the cuff from a pair of shorts  for the Big Girl.  They are sitting over there (on the ironing board—just to the right of me) waiting to be correctly sized and re-attached.  This time, creating the super nice little gather on the bottom cuff lacking in the first go around.  The shorts were cute, fit well, and Big Girl loved them (even saying they helped her run faster).  But my eyes just wanted to see that sweet little gather  that lead me to the pattern in the first place.   

So, I will take to this un-sewing in two sittings:  First, rip; and second, re-attach.  That way, the pain is slightly less.  And after taking a look at the clock, I realized that it was about 10-15 minutes for the removal of two cuffs, including a row of stitching to attach and another row of topstitching.  Not so bad really.   OK, time to go re-attach some cuffs.

Zippered Coin Purse Tutorial from Sally

As one of Bolt's esteemed teachers, Sally Hess is sharing with us this fun quick project to inspire you to make lots-o-little purses this summer.  I can think of about a million uses for these: cute little girls birthday present, a sweet friend surprise gift, or something to tuck inside a new tote, this coin purse has lots of options.  Try it, and please leave a comment and let us know what you think.

You’ll need:

A scrap of fabric about 5”x8”, interfaced

A 7” zipper

2 Ribbon scraps, each about 2 inches long (or longer if you want to make a wristlet)

Place the zipper face down on the fabric. The zipper should be slightly longer than the fabric is wide. Here I've used a 7" zipper and the fabric is about 5" wide. Center the zipper face down on the fabric, aligning the edge of the zipper tape with the raw edge of the fabric. Sew down the center of the zipper tape using a zipper foot.

Bring the opposite raw edge of the fabric up to the other side of the zipper tape. The right side of the zipper should be touching the right side (not the interfaced side) of the fabric.  

Sew the zipper to the fabric, again aligning the zipper tape with the raw edge of the fabric. Make sure the side seams will line up for the next step!

Here's where my zippered coin purse is different.

Instead of having the zipper at the TOP of the purse, align the side seams so that the zipper tape can be completely flat! This means the zipper will lie on the FRONT of the purse.

Be sure you OPEN THE ZIPPER before you sew the second side seam! 

I sew across the zipper teeth a few times, to be sure it is secure! 

Once you've sewn both side seams, cut off the excess zipper tape, using sharp scissors. It's important that you've used a nylon zipper, not a metal zipper or you could really trash your scissors. In the picture I'm using appliqué/embroidery scissors, but only because they were closest to the sewing machine that day! 

Trimming the corners before you turn the coin purse right side out removes the excess fabric (and zipper tape) that causes rounded corners. 

Turn it right side out and you’re finished! 

The photos don't show the ribbon being inserted, because it is put in the side seams. But here's how to do it:

On the side with the zipper stop, take 1 1/2" ribbon and fold it in half. Tuck the ribbon under the zipper teeth, with the raw edges of the ribbon lined up with the raw edge of the fabric. At this point, the zipper tape will be extended beyond the raw edge of the fabric, thus hiding the ribbon. Pin the ribbon in place and sew the side seam.

On the side with the zipper pull, take 6" of ribbon and fold it in half. Tuck the folded ribbon under the zipper teeth with the raw edges of the ribbon lined up with the raw edge of fabric. This side is trickier, because the zipper has to be open. Pin the ribbon in place and then place each side of the zipper teeth on top of the ribbon, holding the zipper teeth as close together as possible. Carefully sew all the layers, reinforcing the few stitches that are holding the zipper teeth together. With the long bit of ribbon, you can wear the purse around your wrist or you can attach it to your Farmer's Market Tote Bag! That way your money is close by and doesn't fall to the bottom of the bag!

My Favorite Foot. It will be yours too.

by Lupine.

 

Edge stitching foot

For my sewing machine of course.  As for the ones I walk on, I would never choose one over the other.  Can you imagine the problems that would cause?  But when it comes to sewing, there is one that is amazingly useful and you may all ready have it. My foot of choice, the one I could not live without, is the edge stitching foot.  For me it is foot #10.  I am a Bernina owner, and this is not one of the feet that came standard with my machine.  But some genius sewing lady talked me into buying it years and years ago, and I thank her for that every time I sew.  I have found this same edge stitching foot in the little bag of feet that many of my students bring to class and they never even knew it was there or what it could do.

 

Side view. Note the metal guide in the middle of the foot.

It has a little metal guide that runs through the center of the foot as you sew along the edge of the fabric.  By simply adjusting my needle position, either to the left or right,  and using this little guide against the edge of the fabric, I get perfect topstitching and edge stitching ever time!  It is lovely and peaceful and even, dare I say it, FUN to topstitch a project.  I look forward to putting the finishing touches on my garments, and with out this I would be totally nervous and frustrated.

Foot in action. Needle position far left, guide against fabric edge.

This foot is looks a bit different for everyone, but it is readily available for most models.  If you haven't yet explored the world of feet for your machine, it is time.  You will not be sorry.  They can take the process of sewing to a whole new level, like you magically got 10 times better and all you did was change out your silly foot.  No joke.  There are lots of great local dealers out there like A Common Thread, who deals in Bernina's and Janome's.  Janome feet fit most clip on style footed machines.  Also try Montavilla.  If all else fails, try the internet.  But the thing you get at these other places that you don't on line is a little help if you need it.  I love this part of buying from local shops, because I usually need the help. Take a look, you may have this one all ready.  Try it and enjoy your new happy top stitching experience.

Skirts of Summer

by Lupine.

Sewing skirts for little girls can be addicting.  There are so many great choices of fabric and trim, and there's no end to the details that can be added.  A good starting point for a basic pattern is the Lazy Days Skirt pattern by Oliver + S.  Featuring an elastic waistband and darling ribbon detail, this skirt is comfortable and easy to wear,  and can be made quickly and embellished many ways.  

Pockets could be added.  It could be made in multiple layers.  There could be a delicate trim of lace or ribbon, seam binding, or bias tape.  The possibilities are really endless.  

Many of you will be ready to make skirts with this free pattern download, but for the more cautious or the beginning sewer, I'm teaching a class at Bolt this week.  You could learn or improve a few sewing skills, including how to make an elastic casing and finishing a bottom hem with trim.  

There are a couple spots left in class, so please join us.  You will be turning out skirts by the armload after this one-night class where you can complete a little girls' skirt and learn some fun sewing stuff in just 2 hours.

The class is Wednesday, July 22, from 6:30-8:30 pm. To sign up for class please call Bolt at 503.287.bolt