Review: All New Fabric Savvy by Sandra Bertzina

I first encountered Sandra Betzina in her wonderful Craftsy classes. So, I was super happy when I saw that she had a new version of a wonderful book: All New Fabric Savvy.

If, like me, you hoard magazine articles about different types of fabric and pore over fabric choices in blogs, this book is for you. If, also like me, you can never remember where you saw those great tips on sewing scuba fabric, this book is DEFINITELY for you!

Each entry gives you the background on the given fabric and also has tips on pretreating, pressing, hemming and (most importantly, for me) matching the fabric to the project so that you can get the most out of your sewing time.

My favorite resources are in the back of the book: a visual glossary of techniques, details on interfacing, presser feet, tools, choosing knit fabrics, determining fabric content, linings and stain removal.

The knit fabric section, in particular, is invaluable. I love that Sandra includes tips on choosing the best fabrics and also knowing when to stay away from certain fabrics that look great on the bolt but are either hard to sew, tend to pucker or just aren't worth it.

She even covers Cotton for Quilters and, instead of saying, "Just don't do it!" suggests the types of garments that work the best for those super-popular, cute and relatively inexpensive fabrics.

Overall, I recommend this book heartily for sewists of all experience levels.

Gray Shirt

This is Stretch & Sew 760, and I made it as sort of a test.

Would a Stretch & Sew pattern really work with woven fabric? The answer: yup, this one does. 

A lot of side-seam shaping and no darts might make this a good candidate for a plaid shirt. I would reshape the collar, though. 1975, I think? That collar could achieve liftoff!

The shirt-tail hem is fantastic. I'm planning on basically grafting it onto a lot of my other shirt/top patterns in the future.

Basement Sewing Space

What have I got to show you?

Last year, our water softener went haywire and flooded part of our basement because our floor drain backed up.

Fortunately, we have insurance for sewer backup, so after a little angst, we got it all cleaned up and had new carpet installed.

That room is what I would call semi-finished. It has carpeting and some drywall, but also some areas that are straight-up 1950s basement, complete with concrete walls that probably shouldn't ever have been painted, since now the paint is flaking off.

We had to move all of the stuff we were storing in there so that they could put in the carpet. Dee and I talked about it. She said, why not just make that your sewing cutting area and storage space? It already has closets.

I said, "I love you."

So, we did.

Weird closets that I will now stuff with my sewing stuff.

Cutting area. Storage under table for trash, scraps and patterns.

Tunes.

Boomer, plus some storage. (BEFORE)

New Knitting Bag!

Way back this spring, I stopped by Yarnover, met June Hemmons Hiatt and purchased a knitting belt from her. I wasn't looking to learn a new way to knit, but these things happen, apparently. :)

I really like the belt, but there was just one problem. The 30 cm needles I bought with the belt were too long for my favorite sock-knitting bag.

Obviously, I had to sew a new knitting bag, right? 

Enter Kwik Sew 3728, view B. I've written about using this pattern before, but it was a different view.

Oh, and I used this awesome Wonder Woman-themed fabric from Joann's.

I LOVE it! I made a few changes. 

- No piping. 

- Fusible fleece (Pellon 971f) to give it some body. 

- Awesome zipper that looks like metal, but isn't.

- I used nylon webbing for the straps and buried them in the seam instead of attaching them to the sides. 

Thrifty Lined Shopping Bags!

If I had more time when I was working on Crafting the Resistance, I would have added this shopping bag! Instead, it's now available as a stand-alone sewing pattern on Craftsy and Etsy.

I designed the Thrifty Lined Shopping Bags to be easy to sew and fun to use. They are fully lined and can be cut out of a 40-inch-wide piece of fabric. This means they will fit on most quilting cottons, even if the yardage shrank a bit during prewashing.

These bags only require 1.3 yards of fabric if both lining and fabric are the same, or 2/3 of a yard of each fabric if they are different. You may find it easier to keep track of which layer is the lining and which is the outer bag if you use contrasting fabrics for your first few bags. 

Have you heard of the burrito method, but aren't sure you want to try it on a garment? I included step-by-step photos for using it, so this is a great first project to try that technique!

Holiday Ornament Variation + Party Notes for Tonight

Like most crafters, I have a stash. Some of the things in my stash are so old that I can't remember where I bought them! 

Such is the tale of the glass ornaments I used for my Pussy Hat Holiday Ornament. They were nice and big - about 3 inches in diameter. That's around 75 mm. One of the larger ones is on the left in this photo.

I found some 70 mm ornaments. Sounded like, basically, the same size, right? 

Well, 5 mm is 5 mm! I followed the exact same directions to make a hat for the smaller ornaments. All I had to do to "make it work" is flip up the brim of the hat. I think they're super cute! Why not make 2 larger ornaments to represent parents and smaller ones for the kids on your list?

P.S. - Three notes about the party tonight!

1) The weather is pretty cool today, so if you have a hat, wear it!

2) I made two of the "original" Holiday ornaments and eight in the "kitten" size. They will all be available for sale at Knit and Bolt tonight. If you want one, you should arrive early! I suspect we will sell out.

3) It's not too late to RSVP. We would love to make sure we have enough treats for everyone, so please RSVP, if you can!

Alternative Stuffing

In Crafting the Resistance, I told you I stuffed my pet bed with scraps and leftovers from other projects. I told you about that, here, too! Here's Travis, enjoying his bed last April.

So, you can see that the stuffing works! All it needs is a good shake and maybe some massaging to be very comfy. But, it's pretty heavy and bulky, which may not be too practical if you want to, say, toss your pet bed in the back of your car when you take your pets with you on vacation or just give a bed to a friend of yours without making them feel like you're passing off a bag of old laundry to them.

Here's an alternative, if you want one. Make your bed fleece cover and zippered insert as written in the book. Then, instead of stuffing the insert with scraps, use the same pattern pieces to cut out 2 layers of 1-inch foam. You may need to trim the foam a bit to get it into the insert, but experiment to see what works best for you. This version is light and lofty!

This could work as a cushion for people, too, of course!

Book Launch Day!

It's the official launch day for Crafting the Resistance! I'm getting ready for our launch party, which is on Friday, since, you know, Tuesday night isn't the best time for a party. Megan, at Knit and Bolt, had a great idea for the samples from the book - so I'm labeling them all with their page number.

I hope to see you all Friday!

Book Launch Party!

Come meet me and get first crack at my new book, Crafting the Resistance: 35 Projects for Craftivists, Protestors and Women Who Persist. There will be samples from the book to be check out, books to get signed, donut holes to be eaten, and new friends to meet.

“Craftivism is a way of looking at life where voicing opinions through creativity makes your voice stronger, your compassion deeper, and your quest for justice more infinite.” ~ Betsy Greer

Spend your Friday evening with us and let's start Crafting the Resistance.

Let us know you're coming!

If you can't make it, try to catch me at the other events where I will be vending! No matter where you buy your book, I will sign it.

Purple Reins of Power Scarf

I had to include a small nod to Prince in the book. Now, I know that he isn't connected in everyone's mind to liberation and rights for all. But, for me, his music was a window into a world where it was OK to be a woman, man, or something people just didn't get.

I included tips in the book about how to create a very neat hemmed edge, even in a slippery fabric like polyester chiffon. I do have this warning, though - in general, more expensive materials will be easier to work with. No matter what fabric you use, make sure to test your stitching!!!! That is one of those things that is always true, but even more crucial when you're using a tricky fabric.

Freerange Pussyhat Symbols

One of my coworkers thought this looked like a bow and I spent about 4 hours brooding about it. It just goes to show that you can only see some things if you are looking for them!

This is practically a no-effort project, so, like the yellow rose pin, would make a good first project for a beginner.

Yellow Rose Pins

The yellow rose was a symbol adopted by suffragettes. It was connected with purity and truth, since it's the color of sunlight. This project is very, very easy and would make a pretty good introduction to sewing.

Nasty Nag Pouch

You don't have to use this pouch to nag yourself. It could also be used to "nag" other people. Fill it up with to-nag notes or simply use it to keep your daily supplies in order.

Jabot-Inspired Scarf

This scarf needs just a little lace and shirting fabric to come together. It's perfect for days when you want just a little more pep in your step and would also make a pretty good gift, in my opinion.

Reclaiming Our Time Socks

I was going to start a new sewing project for myself (or maybe finish one) today, but, instead, I spent a little too much time staring at Twitter and decided that I had to finish this pattern and publish it today.

These socks are knit from the toe up – with a twist. When the toe is finished, half of the stitches are put on hold and the top of the foot is worked. Then, the leg is finished. Lastly, the sole and heel are made. A little grafting at the top of the heel finishes the sock. This is all accomplished without seams, as stitches are picked up to join the top of the foot and the sole as you go.

Why put yourself through all of this? If you ever get a worn spot or hole in the sole or heel of the sock, you can simply tear it out and re-knit it. Also, in self-striping yarns, the color changes will be stretched out along the top of the foot, which is fun. If you want to save your prettiest yarn just for the top of the foot and the leg, you can work the toe, sole and heel in a contrasting color (or several colors, or in scraps).

In case you can’t tell, the message behind these socks is “we won’t stop.” We will march, speak and work to reclaim our time, and we have the everlasting, fabulous socks to prove it.

The pattern is available to purchase on Ravelry and I think there will be a kit coming up for it from KnitCircus Yarns.

PussyHat Bombs

I want to stipulate that these are 100% nonviolent bombs. Make them from leftover scraps and share them with the world!

PussyHat Holiday Ornament

Now, I'm not saying that this SHOULD be a gift for your relatives at the end of the year who may or may not agree with you on politics. But, if you wanted to share, I would sure love to see photos of their reactions!

PussyHat Pet Bed

This was a bit of an adventure.

You should know that the first fleece bed I made for my boys ended up being thrown away. I didn't make the fleece cover removeable and, eventually, there was just too much fur on it to make it something I wanted around. To get around that, this one has a pillowcase-style back.

One of the other issues with pet beds is that there aren't exactly a lot of pre-made inserts to stuff them. I mean, no one wants to buy a pet bed to fill a pet bed! So, I had to come up with a way to make it work.

First, I mocked it up with a plain, rectangular pillow as a filler. It looked more like a totoro than a cat. So, I decided to use the same pattern pieces to create a custom-fit fill piece. It was surprisingly very fun and extremely easy. I included instructions in the book for making the fill piece with a zipper. This is great because it's not always easy to judge how much stuffing you need in the bed. If it zips, you can always add or remove more stuffing. Also, frankly, stitching the last little bit closed when you have stuffed something isn't my idea of a great time. I'd much rather just close a zipper!

Speaking of stuffing, I wasn't about to invest in the amount of fiber fill that you would need to fill up this sucker. Also, I'm not sure if fiber fill would feel "solid" enough to the cats for them to use it. They're both a little old and seem unwilling to stand or sit on anything that's very soft or shifty. Instead, I raided my big bucket of sewing scraps and used that as stuffing. Fleece scraps are the loftiest and lightest, but I mix all of my scraps together - fleece, knit fabrics and wovens. I'm really happy with the results I get. Travis loves the bed and basically didn't get off of it for a few days when I first made it.

The ears stay relatively plump and flat because they aren't stuffed with stuffing. Instead, a smaller layer of fleece fills each ear. I have washed this particular bed twice and both times the ears just needed a good shake to look  nice again.

PussyHat Throw Pillow

This is a simple, fleece pillow, filled with a purchased insert. If you have never sewn with fleece, this is a pretty good introduction! I just wish Sabine looked a little more happy about it.

Quilted Mug Rug

This little mug rug was too much fun to make! If you're cutting a fabric and you definitely want to place a certain motif in a certain spot, there are a few options that can make that easier. Quilters call it "fussy cutting," but it's a lot less fussy if you have the right tools!

1) Template Plastic
2) Swedish Tracing Paper
3) Just regular old wax paper