Farwell to our Blog

As the title indicates this post marks the end of The Top Stitch Blog. We feel as though this little corner on the internet has run its course and, with new posts being almost non-existent it seems natural to take a break from this little project and focus our attention on other things like our wonderful customers, our busy little store and the wonderful community we are building through our facebook page. Thank you to anyone who has stopped by this space, we look forward to serving you in person.

Playdate Outfit

I made this outfit for my granddaughter Lily, both the dress and the Capri outfit.  I loved the pattern instructions.  They were straight forward and I didn’t have to make up my own direction (which for those of you that know me, I rarely follow the pattern directions).  The pattern is multi-sized, XS-L and fits sizes 2-8.  It is fully lined, but instead of using buttons, I used snaps so that it can be reversible. This will be a bonus for Lily as she is learning to dress herself (she’s 2, just ask her).  I haven’t made the flower yet, and I think it could be super cute on a headband, however, will want to run it by my daughter for her advice.  Take care and happy sewing!

Summer wallpaper

Summer finally made it to the Northwest.  We had a very, very long Winter, followed by a very, very long Spring and last weekend launched into Summer!  Starting in Spring, my husband Randy and I decided to update and remodel our home!  After a few bids, we decided we could do most of it ourselves.  What would have taken 6-8 weeks by professionals, will take us until Christmas at the rate we are going, but I’m okay with it.

Last Saturday we decided to tackle striping wallpaper from 1 wall.  Well, I wasn’t expecting it to be such a long  job!  Oh my gosh, what was wallpaper glue made from 20 years ago???  What I know for sure, no way, no how am I ever going to wallpaper a wall again (sorry Amy Butler wallpaper)!!!  This leads us to what will we do with this wall because it clearly needs to be re-textured.  I read that walls could be covered in fabric!  What a great idea.

Here are 3 choices.  A solid would be soothing and offer a different texture than paint.  I love green, so either of the other 2 prints would work and add a vintage feel.  Which do you like?

Instead of glue, you starch the fabric and apply it to the walls.  It is supposed to be easy to remove too.  I haven’t done this before and I still need to sell the idea to my husband.

Once we are done with painting, texturing, painting or fabric covering, Randy will be making floating shelves for our end tables.

Kinda like this.  Once we are done, I’ll post some before and after pictures.

Sew Wonderful

There are so many wonderful projects out there to share and encourage you with. I hope you are happily sewing now that our evenings are a little brighter and longer!

1. Love this sweet lap duvet cover from Purl Soho! Perfect for laps or cozy picnics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Every baby/toddler needs swim pants this summer. Here is a great Aquarius Swimmer Reusable Swim Diapers tutorial from Sew Mama Sew.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Scrap projects are the best and this is a super practical one, scrap busting pot holders from My Girl Thursday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Check out this cute elastic waist skirt project from Freshly Picked, perfect for summer!

Quilting for Modern Quilters

I am loving this new book The Modern Quilting Bee Block Party by Alissa Haight Carlton and Kristen Lejnieks.  

This book covers a quilt for each month of the year starting with a traditional log cabin block using modern fabrics.  Stop by the shop and check out our scrap basket,  the perfect place to find just the right pieces for this block!

I am impressed with the wonky log cabin.  Here is my chance to get out of my box.   No need to square up until the block is finished. 

My friend Patti stopped by the shop today to sew and we got pretty excited about all the potential quilts to make with these amazing modern fabrics and inspirational patterns from this book. 

In fact, if you are interesed to learn more about mixing these wonderful prints, look for Patti’s upcoming class at The Top Stitch, color and design.  Patti will be featuring this book in the class!

I’m sure I’ll be writing more about this book soon.

Happy Sewing, Carrie

A Few Fun Things

Here are a few ideas to inspire and encourage your creativity this week:

1. Who doesn’t love Elizabeth Taylor’s iconic style? Check out The Muse Files: Classic Elizabeth Taylor for BurdaStyle patterns.

2. Check out this great tutorial on how to refashion a silk shirt on One Pearl Button.

3. An adorable bow tie for little boys on Living the Swell Life. I wish I would have had this up before Easter, sorry!

4. And of course the always wonderful projects from Purl Soho. Check out this Mini Masking Tape Quilt on their project journal.

Fabric Delivery

Lily got a special package in the mail this week, a box of fabric from grandma!

Getting everything out of the box.

 

Inspecting her inventory.

 

The first thing everyone should do when they get new fabric.

 

Feels just right!

 

Love it!

Dandy Jane Free Pattern!

Click here for the little red gnome pattern!

Dandy Jane

We have wondeful and talented employees at The Top Stitch and I thought it would be fun to show them off to you here. We are going to start with Chris Mark who has worked for me the longest and is such a creative and inspirational seamstrist to have in the shop. Here is a little bit about her and her Etsy store.

 

:: The Top Stitch: What’s the name of your etsy shop and what do you sell?

Chris:  My shop name is ‘dandy jane’ and I sell sewing and embroidery patterns. 

:: The Top Stitch: How do you come up with new designs and ideas?

Chris:  Vintage fashion is a big inspiration for me.  A lot of my dresses are modeled after dresses and tops that I wore as a child in the late70s/early 80s.  The 50s also represent a kind of prim sweetness to me, and I love the clean lines of 60s fashions.  For my embroidery designs, I draw a lot of inspiration from dutch folk art.  I like the bold simplicity of a lot of it.  I’m also working on some stuffies that also follow that theme of simplicity, using felt and simple shapes and construction.

:: The Top Stitch: What artists/crafters/teachers have inspired what you do?

Chris:  There are almost too many to list!  My daughters are my main inspiration.  I really love making clothes for them and I hope they’ll let me for as long as I can!  My mother, who used to make me clothes in high school (that I actually wore – a lot!).  And I work for a great seamstress who is a constant source of inspiration and encouragement!  Other artists whose work I love include Hillary Lang of Wee Wonderfuls, Amanda Blake Soule of Soule Mama, Alicia Paulson of Posie Gets Cozy and a lot more that I’m forgetting right now.  But I think you can be inspired by anyone who makes things with their own two hands. 

:: The Top Stitch: How does the balance of family and work play out for you?

Chris:  Well, the word balance implies things like harmony and equal distribution of time and energy, so I don’t know if that quite fits our family yet!  I’m sure it’s that way for most families though, and it’s just something that we figure out together from day to day.  It’s important to me that when our family is together, we focus our attention on each other, so I don’t do much of my work when the kids are home and awake.  There are times, of course, that they don’t need me and are content to play in their little imaginary worlds, so I can sneak a few minutes of sewing or drawing here and there.  My etsy shop is just starting out and we’re also homeschooling, so our house is buzzing like a busy little hive right now!  Hopefully things will soon settle into a comfortable rhythm for all of us.  Until then, I work mostly evenings after the kids are in bed and the few hours they attend school outside the home (part-time).

Check back later this week for a free pattern from Chris at Dandy Jane!

Clever Corners

Its been pretty quiet around here. Between a busy shop, getting sick and snow I just haven’t felt much like sitting down and writing and more like laying down and taking a nap. Its winter, that’s acceptable right?  I came across this today and thought it was worthy of sharing:

Check out this awesome tips and techniques on perfect corners on Sew4Home

Happy Sewing!