Fabric Shopping, New York City Style

 This past weekend, my husband and I took off for our first real weekend away without kids.  Hard to believe that in almost 6 years, this was our first time getting away.  We're only 3 hours from New York City and figured it was time we go and explore.  Of course, for me, it was fabric heaven!

 

Our first stop on our tour of the Garment District was Mood.  When we got there, we were informed that Mood was closed for an hour while they filmed Project Runway.  I was simultaneously annoyed and excited. We didn't spot Tim, but he's up there!

 We spent the hour exploring all the smaller shops nearby.  My hunt was mostly for interesting knits, the one fabric type that's really lacking in my local fabric shops.  Right across the street from Mood is Stretch House.  I quickly realized that the smaller shops are a whole different world from Mood and the other larger shops.  Prices aren't really marked and you'd be a fool not to negotiate.  The employees were very friendly and I was happy with my purchases.  My next stop was Spandex House.

All these places are jam packed with roll after roll of fabric.  But, the staff pretty much knows exactly where everything is.  After asking about striped, cotton blends, I was led upstairs to the exact spot.  Pretty impressive considering the appearance of chaos.

Later in the day as we were wandering towards Little Italy for dinner, we just happened across Jem Fabric Warehouse. It was really cute with much more character than the other stores we visited.  There's a huge urn of buttons and some nice couches for dutiful husbands to sit down and read on.

And now for the loot!

 I got a yard of a black and oatmeal wide striped knit and a yard of nude swimwear lining for about $10 total.

 I got the best deal on this pink and white striped cotton knit.  The salesman told me it was $6 per yard, but then only charged me for $7 for a yard and half.  I was pretty excited about that!

 

We were lured into the next shop by their "inventory reduction" sign.  And I hate to say it, but the salesman could not have been grumpier.  There were a bunch of rolls of knit, all leaning together in the middle of the store.  I asked for the blue striped fabric, which was at the dead center of the group.  When the salesman found out I only wanted a yard, he almost refused to get it for me!  I ended up getting 2 yards, along with a few others.  All were $5 per yard.

 I also got this beautiful woven fabric for $5 per yard. Finally, we headed back to Mood, where I was pleasantly surprised at how friendly all the sales people were.  After hearing that Project Runway was literally there moments before, I was feeling a bit intimidated.  But everyone was really down to earth and super helpful.  There are no deals at Mood, but the fabric is definitely higher quality than the smaller shops.

 

I got 3 yards of this cotton, spandex, knit and a yard of this interesting knit print.

 I also got a few yards of stretch lace trim after pinning this tutorial for making your own underwear. 

 A pretty sweet haul!

 So, if you're planning your own trip to NYC, here's my advice:

• definitely shop the smaller stores and don't be afraid to negotiate 

• bring some cash as the smaller shops prefer it and it definitely helps if you want to negotiate

•  you kind of get what you pay for - the prices are higher at the larger stores, but the quality if often better

• in general, everyone is super friendly, so don't be afraid to ask for help and don't be intimidated 

Well, there you have it.  We had such an amazing time in NYC and will definitely be back.  Any tips for our next trip?

Skirt Week Fun

 Have you been following Skirt Week over at Crafterhours?  So many cute skirts and great inspiration. 

My Chambray Pocket skirt is up for voting this week!  Such an honor!  I get so much mileage out of this skirt, definitely a favorite in my closet.

And while you're poking around on Crafterhours, be sure to download their Racerback Dress pattern, it's free, and a really great pattern. 

Race Tee Refashion

Yesterday I ran a road race.  I don't run a lot of races, but enough to end up with a drawer full of cotton race tees that I almost never wear.  They are usually too big and boxy for my taste.  As we're driving back from the race my husband says "I bet you could fix up your shirt".  Huh, why didn't I ever think of that before?

I'll apologize in advance, these photos were an afterthought, so they're not my best.

So I sat down and experimented.  First, I deconstructed my shirt. 

 Then I used a pattern I traced from a favorite tee I have, and re-cut the shirt.

 I reassembled the shirt with a new trim around the neck and sleeves.  Now I have a tee I'll actually wear! I did the yellow one first and had some technical difficulties.  I had to redo the neck a few times and ended up cutting into the printed part.

I also learned you should not iron over the print.  It will melt and stick to your iron and make a big mess.

 

I dug out one of my older race shirts and this time, took my time, rather than racing through it, so to speak.  Much better the second time.

 Often times my sewing, like my running is less than perfect.  But, I find if I take my time and try not focus so much on the finish line, I end up with a result I'm happy with.

Here's to being less than perfect, but perfectly happy nonetheless. 

A New Button For Printing

If you look closely, you might notice a new little button at the bottom of my posts.

I've had some readers asking about putting up tutorials in PDF format, which prompted me to find this cool little widget. It will let you save any post as a PDF for easier printing.  You can use it just for printing, non-PDF style as well. 

Try it out.  Let me know what you think.

The Ools

This is probably one of my more random posts.  But, these guys came out so cute, I had to share.

My daughter was at the dentist the other day and we discovered that she has her first wiggly tooth.  Of all the things to get emotional about, this was it for me.  I vividly remember waiting on those teeth, blaming her fussiness on those teeth. And now they're going to fall out!  I'm simultaneously excited and heartbroken.  
In any case, there's lots of talk of lost teeth and the Tooth Fairy around my house.  I decided to get ahead of the game and make some kind of tooth fairy pillow. 
I found this tutorial for a sweet Love Bird.  It has a nice pocket in the front, perfect for a tooth and a little gift.  I didn't follow the instructions really, but used it more as inspiration. 

 I made one for both kids, even though the younger one has a few years to go before any visits from the Tooth Fairy.  He named these guys Ool, which is his silly word for owl.  

And, I think I've been bit by the softie bug, because right after I made these Ools, I made this guy.  You may recognize him as Otto from Gideon and Otto.  Tutorial coming up soon, maybe even this week.  


What's your favorite softie?

Testing, testing...

 Janelle, of Emmaline Bags, just released a new pattern, The Steph in the City Bag.  I was so honored when she asked me to test it out.  Let me tell you, she is one talented lady!  This pattern is amazing.  You might remember my Emmaline Bag from the giveaway. 

 This bag has all the great features of the Emmaline Bag and more.  Beautiful pleats, fun hardware, a cute belt, and a zipper gusset! 

She shows you how to do an interior zipper pocket, something I never knew how to do before reading her patterns.

So, definitely go check out her blog, where she has some great tutorials, and her shop where you can buy her amazing patterns.  And if you need some inspiration, take a look at her Flickr Eye Candy Pool.  

Kid's Messenger Bag Tutorial

(remember, this is for personal use only.  contact me if you'd like to become a licensed seller)

We've had a lot of birthdays to celebrate this month. It's always fun to give something handmade, so I came up with this cute messenger bag that we could fill up with other fun presents. It's super easy to make and can be made for a boy or girl depending on the fabric.

Here's what you need:

2 pieces of fabric for bag outer, 12" X 9" (I used denim)
2 pieces of fabric for bag lining, 12" X 9"
2 pieces of medium weight fusible interfacing for bag bottom, 12" x 9"

2 pieces of fabric for flap, 9.5" X 8" (I used a contrasting fabric for one side and denim for the other)
1 piece of medium weight fusible interfacing for flap, 9.5" X 8"

1 piece of fabric for strap 28" x 8" (I used denim)
1 piece of batting for strap, 28" x 4" (this is optional)

Start out by fusing the interfacing to the outer bag pieces.


In the bottom corners of the 12 inch side of both outer pieces, mark a box that is 1.5 x 1.5 inches.

Then, cut those corners out. Do the same for the bag lining.

With right sides together and 1/2 inch seam allowance, sew the outer main bag panels along the sides and bottom. Do the same for the bag lining pieces. Press seams open.

Now match the side seam to the bottom seam on each corner. Trim and sew across with a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Do the same for the bag lining.
When you turn the outer part of the bag right-side-out, you should have something that looks like this.

Now, let's work on the flap. Fuse the interfacing to the wrong side of the fabric that you want to the outside of the flap.

Next, we'll round the corners. Lay the 2 flap pieces out with right sides together.
Fold in half matching the shorter (8 inch) sides. Use something round like a CD or jar cover to trace a rounded corner and cut.Here's what you'll end up with. Now along the long rounded edge, leaving the top, straight edge, open.
Clip curves, turn and top-stitch.
(ignore the fabric change....I was working on 2 bags and took a picture of the wrong bag...)
Next, we'll do the strap. Take your strap fabric and fold it in half the long way. Open it up and fold the edges in to fold line you just made, essentially folding your fabric in quarters. Place the batting inside.Top-stitch along each long side and down the middle.

Now we just need to put it all together. Pin the strap to the right side of the bag and then baste in place.

Pin the flap to the right side of the bag and baste in place. Double check to make sure that the fabric you want to see will show when the flap is closed.
This is the hardest part of the whole project. With right sides together, pin the bag lining over the bag exterior. You'll really have to pull it up to match the raw edges since you've got the strap and bag flap in there.

One it's all nice and pinned, sew around the top, leaving an opening for turning.
Turn and top-stitch making sure to close up the opening you left for turning.
There it is! Fill it up with some fun little presents and give it to someone special.

Emmaline Bag Sewing Pattern - WINNER

And the winner is.....

Kristie!

Kristie said "I love the bag pattern. It'd be perfect for summer. Such fun details too.
If I ever have the courage, I'd love to give your swimsuit tutorial a try. For now, I've only made the bookmarks and bibs. The fingerless gloves are calling out to me for the fall. Thanks for so many great tutorials!

Thank you everyone who entered.  It's so fun to hear about everyone's favorite tutorials. 

And keep an eye out for Janelle's newest pattern, the Steph In The City Bag.  

I'm pattern testing right now and can't wait to see the results!

Skirt Week

 Have you heard the news?  Crafterhours is hosting a whole month of skirt related posts and a little friendly skirt competition.

Check out all the info here.  

What's fun is that you can enter any skirt you've made since July 1, 2011.  So if you made a skirt in the past, you can enter it now!  I pulled out my Simplicity 2226 skirt, which I made last fall and still love and wear A LOT. 

 I also made this skirt last month and haven't had a chance to photograph and post, until now. 

I used the instructions from Simplicity 2226 to do the waist, but the rest is self-drafted.  The pockets were real, but ended up bunching funny, so I sewed them closed. 

Can't wait to see all the fun skirt posts starting on May 21.  

Do you have a skirt you're going to enter?

And, don't forget to enter the Emmaline Bag Pattern GIVEAWAY here.  The giveaway ends, Friday, May 18 at 11:59PM Eastern Time.

GIVEAWAY: The Emmaline Bag Sewing Pattern-CLOSED

 

I am so excited to host my very first giveaway!

A few months ago I was searching around for a bag pattern and came across The Emmaline Bag. I tried it out and fell in love.

What I love most about this pattern are the details.  The hardware, pockets, pleats, it has it all!

So, to win your own PDF copy of this pattern, leave a comment telling me about your favorite Zaaberry tutorial that you've tried or would like to try.  

Be sure to check out all ofJanelle's awesome patterns and tutorials as well.  


Here are the details:

• 1 entry per person please
• be sure to leave your email address so we can contact you and email you your pattern  
• Good luck!  

Giveway ends Friday, May 19, 11:50 Eastern time.