The Sweatshop of Love Blog

It’s Hobby Week! Which means you’ll be seeing a lot of crafts around here this week and absolutely no knitting. Kinda hard to believe, right? Everyone needs a break once in a while, and apparently instead of going on vacation I take out my sewing machine.

Scrap Map!

My biggest project this week is my scrap map from See Kate Sew, which I got a start on this weekend. A LOT of prep goes into this sucker; a lot of cutting, a lot of ironing, a lot of pinning. I had quite a production line set up – cut out the paper state from the map I printed out, find a scrap piece big enough for the state, cut out interfacing, over to the iron to press them together, back to the couch to cut out the state from the fabric, and over to my desk to pin the state to the muslin.

I was sore all weekend from all the squatting. Yes, this is embarrassing.

It's Not Perfect

Mistakes have been made. When I excitedly ushered the ever-charming PT, who doubles as a geography expert apparently, over to my progress he instantly rattled off all the states I fucked up. ‘Nevada is wider. Missouri doesn’t have a panhandle. You call that Wisconsin?’

I ironed Ohio to his face and we’ve moved on.

Progress!

All I’ve got left are those hard states, and then all that top stitching. In her tutorial, Kate says you won’t like your map until you top stitch it, but I’m really digging it now! I can’t wait to love it even more after I spend 1985562587356 hours top stitching around every state.

I’m a workaholic. It’s less noticeable because most of what I do is a hobby to everyone else, and because I love it so much I don’t constantly complain about my 16 hour days. But I wake up early, I work all day, and then I go to sleep. I get excited for the weekends because that means I get to work even more.

Scrap Map!

It’s important to have hobbies, and as ridiculous as it is for me to say, I need to take a break from the knitting a spend some time doing other things I love.

Pretty Print Fabric Belts

It’s not like I don’t have a million crafty project lined up, like I’m sure all of you do! I bookmark crafty projects till my heart content. But just like if I were a lawyer or doctor or salesman, I can’t stop working long enough to pick up any of these projects.

Tap Pants!

But I recognize that I need a break. As I’m sitting here typing I’m wearing wrist supports because not only am I having wrist pain from knitting, I’m having wrist pain from typing.

The Sweatshop of Love has been too much sweatshop and not enough love lately, and I’m using crafts to fix that.

Girly Embroidery

So I hereby declare next week HOBBY WEEK! No knitting. No work. Just crafts. Sewing and embroidery; playing with fabric and floss and hot glue guns. It’s going to be glorious.

I’ll be documenting my hobby-ing daily. Short posts with little typing and lots of fun, crafty pictures.

HOBBIES! What a revolutionary idea!

I sew, but I would hardly call myself a seamstress. My mom, who is an amazing quilter, taught me to work a sewing machine when I was in high school and I’ve been sewing on and off ever since. I get in sewing kicks where sew constantly for a few weeks, then don’t touch it again for 9 months. I’m currently in a sewing kick! As you can see by all. My. Sewing. FOs.

I know enough about sewing to get by. If the apocalypse comes I’ll be able to sew myself a pretty sexy toga. Because, clearly, Americans will all be wearing post-apocalyptic togas.

Want to sew but don’t know where to start? Pick a pattern! Here are a few things I’ve picked up along the way.

5 Sewing Tips for People Who Don’t Sew: Getting Started

1. Buy the Right Pattern Size: If you wear a size 6 at Target you will NOT be a size 6 in a sewing pattern.

Pattern Sizes

Looks confusing, right? This is the size portion on the back of a pattern envelope.

Measure yourself around the fullest part of your bust, your natural waist (basically right under your ribs), and at your hips. Match those measurements to the measurements above, taking the largest measurement as your size.

For instance, my measurements are 36, 27, 37, so according to the above chart I’d be a size 14 because my largest measurement is my 36 bust, matching the size 14 pattern size.

(Don’t let this size send you into an “I’m fat!” tailspin. At Target I’m a size 2 or 4/XS or S. Pattern sizing has never changed, so this is the size you would have been in 1954. It just shows how ridiculous our sizing has become.)

Take this size, go one size lower, and buy patterns for that size! For instance, I buy patterns for size 12.

2. Buy the Right Fabric: The pattern will give you a whole list of possible fabrics that I have never heard of, so I just use common sense. Look for words you know, like when you read ingredients lists on the back of processed food labels. Jersey=Knit. Cotton? I know that one! All you need is an idea of the fabric the pattern is calling for and you can run with it. If you use broadcloth for a jersey dress you will get a dress that won’t fit.

3. BUY NOTIONS! I don’t know how many times I’ve gotten home from JoAnn with a pattern, fabric, and no zipper. No hooks and eyes. No snaps. NO THREAD. I’m not even kidding. A lot goes into making a dress! It’s not just fabric.

Notions List

So here again is the back of a pattern envelope. In this case, if you were making Dress C you would need thread, three packages of double fold bias tape, and four buttons. If you were making Dress A you would need thread, three packages of double fold bias tape, and five buttons. If you were making Dress F you would need thread, a 7″ zipper, a hook and eye, and one package of twill tape. The pattern will tell you how to use your notions.

4. Buy the Right Pattern for You: Go about picking out a pattern just like you would pick out the finished product in the store. Don’t look at the pretty dresses on the cover of the patterns because most of that is in the fabric. Separate the fabric from the silhouette of the garment. You have a lot of empire waist dresses in your closet? Look for empire waist  silhouettes. Know you look bad in tunics? Don’t buy a tunic dress pattern just because you like how it looks on the model on the front of the pattern in the same way you wouldn’t buy a dress based on how it looks on the manikin.

Buying a pattern is like buying a dress without trying it on AND in black and white. You are adding color with fabric to the basic shape of the garment you are seeing in the picture.

5. Shop for Patterns Before You Get to the Store. Sure, you don’t know what JoAnn or Michaels or your local fabric store is going to have in stock, but you don’t want to be fighting with people who actually know what they are doing for pattern books and spots at the pattern book table.

All patterns are online. Simplicity. McCalls. Butterick. Go to their websites and search their patterns. Write down each pattern number you are interested in with a list fabric and notions each pattern needs. This way you can check your stash before going to the store instead of trying to remember what you have when you are in the store and inevitably buy extras.

The patterns are kept in large filing cabinets organized by brand and number at the store. This way you can go directly to each filing cabinet, pull your pattern, and be off to the fabric and notions sections in no time.

Now get out there and get sewing! Or, actually stay home and do some research first, THEN get out there and get sewing.

Knit and Crochet Blog Week continues!

Is there a skill related to your hobby that you hope to learn one day? maybe you’re a crocheter who’d also like to knit? Maybe you’d like to learn to knit continental, knit backwards, try cables or attempt stranded colorwork.

Umm. No?

I need less things I want to do all the time, not more. For instance, yesterday I was doing some cleaning and I had a huge pile of fabric on my work table that has been sitting there for over a year. I hadn’t touched it.

I’ve got a big dresser full of fabric that I discovered was also a huge mess. So I pulled it all out, started organizing, and I find all this pretty fabric! Instantly I’m pulling out a NEW huge pile of fabric I need to make clothes out of immediately.

THEN my eyes fall on the new JoAnn flyer. Their sale starting Saturday has $1.99 Butterick and McCalls patterns. It’s FATE!

However:

Simplicity Sewing Pattern Cynthia Rowley

I stumbled upon this one. Clearly not a McCall or Butterick pattern. But how cute is that dress? Well, ok I’m not crazy about the weird ruffles on the skirt, but option C has the ruffles around the neck opening that I like a lot.

Simplicity Built By Wendy Sewing Pattern

AND THEN I found this pattern! I’ve been seeing it around the blogs more than I’ve ever seen a sewing pattern talked about before. Girls are losing their shit over this simple shirt dress design.

Also not on sale.

JUSTIFICATION: My friend Colleen, who is getting this needlepoint if I ever finish it, is getting married over Memorial Day Weekend (thus needlepoint gift). Do I need a new dress?

… YES!

So I’m figuring this all out in my head: I’ve got 2 40% off coupons, so I can go twice and get both patterns with my coupons and sew my little heart out this weekend!

Win!

I’ve to go make it happen, too, since I had a dream last night that I made the Built By Wendy pattern and wore it and loved it a ton. Which just means that I need to stop thinking and DO.

… wait what was I talking about? Knitting and Crochet Blog Week. Right.

So. No, I don’t need another skill or hobby.

Box Bag!

I’m going to preface this by saying I’m not a great seamstress by any means. I know enough to get by. You know, if the apocalypse hit and there were no more Targets and I had to make myself a shirt.

Or, and this is something I’m increasingly worried about, if I’m sized out of regular stores. Old Navy’s XS is too big for me, which is stupid because I think I’m a normal sized, healthy woman. Will some day I have to make my clothes because my only options are stores I can’t afford?

… um, so I sewed this bag! It’s a box bag, and I’ve been seeing them everywhere. A few of my students use them as knitting project bags because you can keep your yarn in there, just throw the short strap around your arm and knit on the go.

I happened across this Box Bag Tutorial from Stacy Sews and thought I could probably patch one together.

Box Bag with Plaid Lining

Stacy’s tutorial was great. Lots of pictures and I’m sure it would have been even easier if I knew anything about sewing. She described a great way to sew in the button that it took me FOREVER to figure out. But once I did it was a cinch!

Problems:

1. Didn’t have a 12″ zipper, so I used a 7″ one. I’ve got a million 7″ zippers because those are skirt sized.

Zipper Issues

2. Sewed the bottom of the zipper into the seam I had to make because my zipper wasn’t long enough. And fixed it by cutting it.

Strap Issues

3. I don’t like to pin things. I didn’t pin the strap in before I sewed it so the fabric wasn’t matched up correctly. And I left it.

Box Bag with Long Strap

Not a problem? The sweet long strap I put on it!

I hate bags with just short straps. I always have to put it in another bag with a long strap to bring it anywhere. So I cut out a long strip of fabric, sewed it up, and attached it to a bottom corner and a top corner.

Now this box bag is not only a hot knitting project bag, but a biking bag and a dance party bag! It’s like a clutch with a shoulder strap.

I used it Sunday when I went over to a friend’s outdoor birthday party. All I needed were keys, chapstick, my phone, and my knitting.

Can you tell I’m in love? And how perfect is that color? I picked this fabric up at that Portland estate sale. This was the leftover fabric she used to make her curtains out of. Kinda cool, right?

I can’t wait to rock this bag all summer long!