Friday, May 24, 2019

Textured wovens + garment sewing—a hot topic at Spring Quilt Market

Modern garments featuring textured wovens from
Diamond Textiles.  Photo credit: The Sewing Workshop
Plenty of excitement and enthusiasm for sewing and quilting with textured wovens and yarn-dyed cottons emerged from the Diamond Textiles booth at Spring Quilt Market in Kansas City last weekend!

I assisted in the Diamond Textiles booth where Rohni Sandu, owner and President of Diamond Textiles, and her staff entertained a steady stream of quilt shop and fabric shop owners right up to the Market's closing bell! In addition to ordering yarn-dyed cottons, ikats and textured wovens to meet their shop’s demand for quilting, applique, stitching, embroidery, wool and needle punch projects and classes, the store owners were interested in fabrics for garment sewing!

Quilting cottons are doing
dual duty!

Diamond Textiles was right on trend sponsoring a pre-market educational Schoolhouse session with Linda Lee, a nationally known sewing instructor, author, pattern designer and owner of The Sewing Workshop.

Garment sewing is back and on the rise. The significant response to and attendance at the Schoolhouse session was evidence of this! Shop owners were looking for ideas, inspiration, tips and resources for classes and sewing projects and they wanted quilting fabrics that were also appropriate for garment sewing.  

MixIt top and Six Sense skirt.
Photo credit: The Sewing Workshop
The schoolhouse presentation focused on choosing fabrics and textured wovens for various garment types. Linda's trunk show showcased garments using patterns from The Sewing Workshop—tops, dresses, skirts, pants and jackets—and fabrics from Diamond Textiles—yarn-dyed solids, textured wovens, pintuck cottons and embossed cotton fabrics.

The array of garments reflected both classic and current styles and included fun details such as visible “big stitching” and improv piecing—techniques quite familiar to quilters. Linda discussed fabric and garment pattern pairings for today’s sewers and quilters and how fabrics found in quilts shops are not exclusive to just one discipline. 

Shown left is an ensemble using Diamond Textiles embossed cottons. The top is the MixIt Tee paired with the Six Sense wrap skirt with an assymetrical pocket.
Below are photos of the garment samples that found their way back to the Diamond Textiles booth after the schoolhouse session. 

The Cottage Shirt is shown in a yarn-dyed solid fabric from the Diamond Textiles Manchester collection. 
Cottage Shirt featuring a Manchester yarn-dyed solid.
Visible "big stitch" hand stitching accents a wide hem and the button holes up the front.
Hand stitching details on the Cottage Shirt.
The Six Sense asymmetrical skirt with a pocket is made with Diamond Textiles unique cotton embossed fabric. Also in a cotton embossed, is the MixIt top. The complementary color scheme of this ensemble is quite eye-catching.

This graphic, black-and-white top is the Hugo Top made with PT 3218, from the Diamond Textiles pintuck line. You can't have too many white shirts in your wardrobe, in my opinion!
Hugo Top with Pintuck cotton.
The Picasso Pants is a new pattern from The Sewing Workshop. It has the lantern style pant legs with front, side and back panels. This version was made with a popular textured woven from the Nikko Geo collection. Don't you love the contrast top stitching detail??
The Picasso pants made with Nikko Geo.
One of my favorite Sewing Workshop patterns is the Siena and Cortona which offers two styles of button down tops. Here is the Cortona top made with a textured woven (Nikko 3775) from one of the Nikko collections.
Cortona Top in Nikko 3775 textured yarn-dyed woven.
And this is my Siena Shirt using Tweed Thicket  a new yarn-dyed woven from Diamond Textiles (collar, sides, sleeves and back) and an Australian aboriginal print from M&S Textiles for the front panels.
Siena Shirt with Tweed Thicket.
I also got to wear my new Diamond Textiles patchwork jacket that was completed just in time for Market (nothing like a deadline, right?). It uses a variety of textured wovens from several Diamond Textiles collections. I love to mix and match the colors and textures from this company's fabric lines. This jacket is one of my #MakeNine projects.
Patchwork Jacket showcasing a variety of textured wovens from Diamond Textiles.
Amid the quilts hanging in the Diamond Textiles booth were additional garments from patterns by Tina Givens, Wiksten and In the Folds. 
Diamond Textiles booth at Spring Market featured yarn-dyed textured wovens,
ikats and embossed cottons in quilts and garments.
Diamond Textiles ikats and textured wovens are fabulous for handbags, totes, home decor items and other accessories.
Box Bottom Slide Clasp Purse from Reets Rags to Stitches.

Diamond Textiles booth at Spring Quilt Market.
So next time you visit your local quilt shop, don't stop at using those beautiful fabrics for only quilts. Open up the possibilities to yarn-dyed wovens, textures cottons, embossed cotton and ikats for tops, skirts, jackets, pants and other garments.

Diamond Textiles has an extensive collection of weights, colors, textures, and solid fabrics in 44"/45" and wider. They pair perfectly with sewing patterns from The Sewing Workshop. Ask your local quilt shop for both!

Sunday, May 12, 2019

Wiksten Top in Tweed Thicket

Looking for a quick make? The Wiksten Shift Dress + Top is a great choice.

From opening the envelope to hand stitching the bottom hem, I sewed it in an afternoon—including tracing my pattern size, making a muslin, and a mod to the neck.
I already had my fabric pre-washed: 2-1/2 yards of Tweed Thicket, a yarn-dyed cotton from Diamond Textiles
Pocket placement on my Wiksten Top.
There are minimal pattern pieces for this top: front, back, facings and a pocket. It would be an excellent pattern for embellishments, surface design or patchwork if you enjoy any of these processes.
Wiksten Top: front and back views
I opted for a single pocket and decided to make a facing. This Australian Aboriginal print from M&S Textiles Australia was used for the lining/facing.
Pocket facing. Fabric from M&S Textiles Australia

Modifications and Options

  • My Wiksten Top has a slightly smaller neck opening (a personal style preference). I re-drafted the neck facings.
  • This pattern includes a short and long dress. You could modify the length of the top or use the short dress version to make a tunic.
  • I'm interested in adding the side slits (see instructions for the dress) on a top. It would be a cute detail.
  • The pattern instructions specify machine sewn sleeve and bottom hems. I enjoy hand sewing when time permits.
  • I'm planning to use this pattern for an improv patchwork version. I have a length of fabric that's not enough to yield the full garment, but could be "stretched" if mixed with other fabrics.

Front pocket on my Wiksten Top.


The Wiksten Top is another add to Me Made May and a handmade wardrobe.

Sunday, May 5, 2019

Me Made May 2019: celebrating your handmade wardrobe

"If you're interested in improving your relationship with your handmade wardrobe..." consider making a Me Made May 2019 pledge. I did.
May 5: Lolita knit vest and knit top. Celebrating Me Made May 2019.

For the 10th year, Zoe from the So, Zo... what do you know? sewing blog, is encouraging sewists and makers to renew their friendship with garments and wearables that they've made... by wearing them during the month of May.

Take a look at her Me Made May 2019 post to see what this Challenge is about (and not about) and how embarking on the Challenge—for just a month—could benefit you and your wardrobe-making skills and time.

On her blog, you can post your pledge. (It's easy. She's got a script and all you do is fill in the blank.) Here is mine:

I, Veronica @veronica.fiberantics, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May 2019. I endeavor to enjoy wearing MeMade garments daily, explore new combinations, shop my stash first, and finish a yarn-dyed woven patchwork jacket that has been on the UFO pile way too long, during May 2019.

The participants list various reasons for participating: look for gaps in their wardrobes, alter items they aren't satisfied with, get back into sewing/knitting/etc., make a sewing plan, assess their wardrobe and make more meaningful items, etc.

Starting a month of wearing handmade
I started on May 1 wearing one of my favorite shirts—the Siena Shirt—that I made last summer with two red Australian aboriginal prints from M&S Textiles Australia.
May 1: Siena Shirt made with Australian aboriginal fabric prints.
Celebrating Me Made May 2019.

On May 2, I wore a knit tee I made from a self-drafted pattern using a knit fabric from Art Gallery Fabrics. The jacket was Me-Made, but the weather was too warm to actually wear it.
May 2: knit tee and yarn-dyed woven jacket.
Celebrating Me Made May 2019.

Today, May 5, I put on my Lolita knit vest, the third of my Make Nine Challenge finishes, over another knit top from my self-drafted T-shirt pattern.
May 5: Lolita vest and long sleeve knit tee.

Lolita vest back view.

As the month progresses, I'm sure I'll realize how many pieces in my wardrobe were actually made by me... and perhaps purge a few fast fashion items that I no longer need. I'm looking forward to seeing what others have made and to discover some new or interesting sewing patterns. Inspiration will also come from how people are styling their handmade garments.

For more frequent Me Made May posts, follow me on Instagram @veronica.fiberantics. And maybe I'll get better at taking selfies.


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