Emily's intro

Hi, I'm Emily, from sunny California foggy Bay Area, and you can find me at Aqua-Star Knits. I've been sewing for as long as I've been knitting (since age 6). Sewing, along with knitting, is a favorite pastime of mine. I almost never use patterns, so I'll be designing a skirt. Wait....*thinks hard* I remember some fabric I was going to make into a skirt. I had cut it all out (does that count as starting before the deadline? *grins*) and then folded it up and put it somewhere. I guess I'll dig it up for this sew-along! I designed it to be super-easy, so that's another plus. ;)

Anyway, that's pretty much it! Happy sewing everyone!

introduction (hello!)

Reading through all these introductions is so inspiring!

I sewed before I knit, for years, and quite obsessively, too... but after an unfortunate crafting incident (my sewing machine started smoking one summer afternoon... then when I moved at the end of the summer it got lost... then I discovered knitting, and you get the picture, right?) I just lost track. I now have a shiny new sewing machine, and have made one little baby outfit for my neice. While making it, I realized that I am very out of practice! Honestly, I thought I would finish the entire outfit in one night, and it took me... much longer than that. I'm so pleased to join this knitalong. For my pattern, I'd like to try to draft my own (simple) pattern using the knitting software I have for skirts. I think if I choose to do a simple shape, I can do it. I'm looking to learning along with everyone else, and getting a cute new skirt as well.

Oh- I'm Mary-Heather, my blog is Rainy Day.

A short history of a nutty knitter!

Once upon a time there was a little girl who loved to sew. Nothing was safe from her eager, needle holding hands, particularly Dad's old socks from the odd sock bag, which were made into, ahem, less than glamorous dresses for Barbies that had long since lost their hair. Then, as the years went by, she discovered other crafts, and the sewing fell somewhat by the wayside. Who wanted to sit down at a sewing machine when there were jumpers to knit, canvases to paint and papier mache to mold?

Then one day, when she least expected it, the sewing bug hit again, this time so badly that her nerdy job was tossed in and a fashion course was enrolled in. All was going well, with first year almost completed, when she suffered a bad case of morning sickness. Apart from a few bunny rugs and pairs of hospital pyjamas, the sewing machine was put away until the stork had well and truly left the building.

But now the bundle of joy that the stork left has begun to grow up a little. Toddlers clothes have been made, and the sewing machine is humming again. Perhaps, just perhaps, it's time for Mum to get a brand new skirt.

P.S. Read more of the wonderful adventures of Leisl at her blog, and hang on tight to your seats as she grapples with Vogue 2762!

Hello, My Name Is...

Well I'm listed on the sidebar as Jennifer but I usually go by Bee because of the sheer magnitude of Jennifer's out there. It's hard work having such an awesome name, and I think all you other Jennifer's would agree. Anyway I'm pretty excited about this sew-along as I have been neglecting my sewing since it turned into "winter" here in Chicago.

I am absolutely in love with the pattern that Tammie will be using, but I am not allowed to buy any new supplies until I use up some of my old ones so I will be sewing a pattern I drafted a few years ago before I knew how to draft patterns. It's pretty shady but it does the trick.



I've got a bit of sewing under my belt as well as some patternmaking but I needed some motivation to get back into it, and this is perfect. I can't wait to see everyone's skirts, we are all going to be so stylin' come spring!

Oh yes, and my internet home is Snaggle Tooth named for my life mascot, the stuffed Snaggle Tooth.

Hello!

Hello from Texas! I am Jenni and I have a blog called Alum Creek. I am an avid knitter and do some sewing. I have a Bernina sewing machine that has been quite lonely lately. I love clothes and am so excited about the opportunity to sew some items along with some great people.

For my skirt, I am going to design my own pattern. I will be making a simple tube skirt in a cotton jersey. I haven't bought my fabric yet. I am going to go hunting tomorrow and if I don't find anything, I will order on-line.

It's been nice to meet y'all!

Hello!!

Hi, I'm Barb and I can be found at Barb Knits! I don't usually sew clothes, but I've been known to make a mean quilt. :) I have a couple of dresses in pieces that I started sewing last year and hope to finish (and fit into!) by summer! I've been knitting for about 3 years, and quilting for about 5.

I still haven't found a pattern I like yet. I'm hoping for a $2.00 pattern sale at JoAnns. :) Yeah, I'm cheap! The patterns that I have in my stash are too small for me. Oh well, the right one is out there... :) It's just a matter of finding it!!!

Talk with you later!

~barb

Fabric print too big?

Hi, my name is Erin and I am afraid of sewing, the I-have-a-mental-block-about-sewing type of fear. I joined sewiknit in the hope that I will conquer some of my sewing phobias.

I bought this pink batik for my daughter. She wants a tiered ruffled knee length skirt, and I was thinking of using this fabric, but now that I see this photo, the print is probably too big and maybe I should go look for something else with a smaller print. What do you think? I don't think I need a pattern, just cut the fabric into strips, right?

Steph

Hello, I'm Steph of Craftoholic. I used to sew quite a lot when I was younger and even took some advanced sewing classes at my local college. But I've pretty much forgotten all about sewing fancy and now even zippers scare me. I think this sew-along will be great for sharing help and ideas and of course, making cool garments! I've picked a Burda pattern (forgot the number, will update soon) and some light-blue silk/linen/wool blend. I've washed my fabric and cut the paper pattern pieces. I'm thinking of making a mock-up in muslin first to make sure the fit is good. While I have lots of patience frogging yarn, ripping back seams is not a favorite.

A little tip on selecting the right pattern size ( I've learned this the hard way, hence I have a few patterns that even a Hollywood starlet would have a hard time fitting into): Your dress size is not the same as your pattern size (at least for Vogue et al.) While I'm a dress size 6, my pattern size is 14. You should measure your bust, waist and hip before you go to pick a pattern, and check the measurements on the pattern envelope. If your waist measurement falls into one size but your hip into another, pick the pattern according to your hip measurement. It will be easier to alter the pattern to a smaller waist than the other way around.

Allison in Los Angeles Reporting for Duty

Hello!!!

I am very excited to be hitching up to this train! I can't believe how many people were interested! And we have some experienced sewwers in the bunch. That is going to become very important as we newbies have questions.

First, a little about me. My name is Allison and my blog is Neophyte Knitter. I am a civil engineer in Los Angeles, living with my magician boyfriend and two cats. I have been knitting for almost 5 years but my sewing skills are pretty minimal. I know I made a sweatshirt in 6th grade home economics but the only thing I recall is what a bobbin is! Still sewing is a skill I want to gain a little mastery over, if just to be able to sew linings in my knits so I asked and received a sewing machine for Christmas. This skirt will be my first garment.

Without further ado, here is my pattern. It's actually a Destination India one but for some reason on-line it goes by a different number. The skirts circled are the two I am trying to decide between. I am not sure which will be more flattering.

And here are my supplies. I chose this starry green fabric because it reminded me of Springtime. As well as the accoutrements as required on the pattern. I will have to shorten the zipper since they didn't have a matching one in the size I needed. I do have one question thought...what is twill tape? And is it the same as Bias Tape? I got both just in case since one was the color I wanted.

Olga's intro

Hi, everyone! My name is Olga, and my knitting blog is Yo La Tejo. I'm so excited to join this group, and actually begin to put my new machine to use. My mom always sewed outfits for my sister and me growing up, and now that I think about it, I even had a little toy Singer that actually worked! But I never took up sewing seriously; I believed I couldn't even sew a straight seam. I hated the thought of making a cutting mistake, or of ripping out endless badly sewn seams.

But then I took up knitting, and I learned that frogging was just an accepted part of the process. For some reason, this didn't bother me, so when my thoughts finally turned back to sewing, I realized that ripping out seams really is just another form of frogging! Part of the process.

So I bought myself a Singer last fall, and have only managed to hem a few pairs of pants. I really don't know diddly squat, and am learning as I go (my manual and Sewing for Dummies are my best friends).

I'm going to make a skirt from Butterick 5488:



and I bought this Destination India fabric at Joann's on Sunday, at 40% off:



I noticed after I got it home, though, that two pattern repeats don't fit into a yard and a half, which is what I got. After the section you see above, there's this motif:



and then the second repeat of the first motif gets cut off. So I guess I'm just going to have to cut carefully!

Made My Choice

Hi,
I am Tami and I have been itching to start sewing again. I have not made something from a pattern in about 12 years. I went to Joann Fabrics on Sunday and looked through the pattern books. It was a little overwhelming. I think I was there for about 2 hours. I finally chose this Simplicity pattern #0593.



Can’t wait to get started and to see everyone’s progress.

Jen's Intro

Growing up, I would sit amongst my mother's fabric stash and watch her sew clothing and home decor items. My grandmother taught me hand sewing and embroidery before I turned 10. A few years later, I was doing alterations, designing pieces, and costuming. Since then, I've taken up quilting, knitting, and dabbling in other crafts like beading and polymer clay. Knitting has comprised the majority of my projects due to the portability and availability to fill small time slots. I continue to sew smaller items like bags and needle holders which only take one to two hours of work. (Sewing machine neglect.)

Ready made patterns never give me the fit or look I intend. I'll be designing a skirt pattern. I've been drawing out sketches and need to raid my fabric stash a design board. You can visit my live journal or my ultra new Crafty Canary (allergy free) blog.

Good Luck, everyone!

Decisions Made

I made a trip to Jo-Ann's yesterday and now have my fabric and pattern.



I'll be making Butterick #4461 (view E).

Greetings from San Francisco!

Hi everyone, yaiAnn here. First I'd like to say thanks to all of you that joined our sew-along. It should be a great feeling knowing that you're in the company of over 70 Sew-I-knitters! So how did I get started in all of this? Well my first experience in garment crafting started with knitting. I unfortunately never got the chance to take any type of sewing classes when I was younger. My mother was a seamstress back in Thailand and when she came out to America never got the chance to pass on her sewing skills to me because she was busy starting up and running a business with my father. So my first experience with sewing started when one of my friends told me she would be teaching classes at this new sewing studio in San Francisco. From there I took a basic sewing class, a tote bag class and a hemming class and I was off. Since then I've only sewn knitting needle cases, and bags and of course tackled some hemming. I'm really looking forward to sewing with you all. (And I'm definitely sure that my mom will be excited to know that I'm actually sewing clothes. She thinks knitting is a waste of time.)

I bought two patterns for this sew-along and hope to at least get through one. The first one I'm attempting is McCall M3341, a basic a-line skirt. When I get through with that I want to make the pieced skirt from Simplicity 4966. I haven't had the chance to go fabric shopping yet, but plan to this weekend. I'm hoping to find some wool or other suiting material so I can wear it to work. But before I allow myself to do a stitch of sewing on my skirt, I have to finish hemming this pile of pants I've had lying around. How's that for motivation?

Joujouka's intro

Hi everyone!
My name is joujouka from "Room101 Flat-B".
Maybe I am the alone participant where passes from Tokyo,Japan.
Anyway I have sewn some bags,skirts and tunic blouses already.
But then I want to step up my sewing skill!
I am so happy to join this sew-along.
...and then I have decided my pattern.
It is from a Japanese book.

But I will add some arrangement.
I'm looking forward to see all lovely skirts.
Can't wait to start!! :)

Hi! I'm Rebecca, from Arkansas. I have been thinking about how I need to get some sewing done, but needed the impetus to do it. I usually knit and quilt, though I have done a lot of sewing over the years. I made my daughter's wedding dress, for example. However, I am not very accurate and tend to switch to hand-sewing at all the "hard parts." So actual sewing for my wardrobe is definitely a challenge. I am intending to make Simplicity 5914 unless I get wimpy about the zipper, in which case I will do Simplicity 8805 instead. Perhaps, with the support of this fine group, I will do both. You can visit me at Fibermom.

Hi from the windy northwest

Hi Everyone, I am a mom in Washington (not Seattle, the quiet south east part) who loves to knit but is starting to get knitting shoulder. So I'm going to sew too! Wait, that didn't make sense..........anyway, you know what I mean. I got my fabric yesterday at Joanne's - some pink girly batik print from the India collection. I actually changed my pattern to just a cargo skirt, because I wanted something simpler. I've been trying to make a bag and its not going extremely well. I'm hoping to improve with the help of all here. Connie

Bettina's intro

Hello everyone!
My name is Bettina from Verstrickt und zugenäht. I'm living in Switzerland and I knit and sew nearly every day.
I decided for "Neue Mode 23389"

I will do the skirt in a pink and white cotton print fabric.
I can hardly wait to start sewing and I'm looking forward to see all your skirts.

Laina's Intro

Hi all! My name is Laina, aka Wicked Knitter, and I'm going to be sewing the Betsey Ross #001 A-line skirt pattern. I just went to the fabric store yesterday and picked out some nice brown fabric. I bought my interfacing, zipper, and clasp as well.

I took sewing lessons when I was little (around 12 years old), and made a few simple garments like a t-shirt, sewing bag, jumper, etc. Since then I've only done intermittent, basic sewing like a pillow case. I haven't made anything from a pattern in about 10 years, so I remember NOTHING! I just ordered a book, Sewing 101, which had some good reviews, so I look forward to learning all about it. I can't wait to start!

I have a question for those in the know: my sewing machine is over 10 years old. I use it every once in a blue moon. Do I need to oil it or something before using it again regularly? Thanks.

Heather's Intro

Hi everyone!

My name's Heather and you can find me rambling on about crafts, knitting and life over at The Knitting Maevan. I've been sewing for about 10 years now, though it's been a few years since I was really into it. This past Halloween I decided to make my own costume (more detaisl on my craft blog), which reignited my love of the craft. I've only been knitting for over a year and a half now.

I look forward to seeing everyone's lovely creations. While I'm by no means an expert (I'm very rusty these days) I'm willing to help where I can. :)