Fabric Mart Fabricistas

Hi Guys! I’m trying something a little different today.  We are going to make a leather bag.  I was looking around the Fabric Mart website for fabric for my next project and I came across Sue’s Pick.  The fabric choice for that day was this gorgeous black leather fabric. The best part was that the leather was only $20 a piece.  When I received it at home, I couldn’t believe how soft the leather was. I was in love. First, we are going to make the pattern and then we’ll sew it up.  You are going to need a ruler, pencil, and scissors to draft the pattern. Purse Pattern Main Pattern Piece – Cut 2 1. Make a 14 x 16 rectangle.   2. At the bottom of this pattern piece, you will cut a 2 x 2 square on each side. 3. At the top of this pattern piece, measure in 1” on each side and then measure from that point down to the corner of the cut-out square at the bottom. Cut that piece off. Pocket Piece – Cut 1 4. Make a 7 x 10 square. 5. Go in ½” at the top a...

I may have mentioned before but one of my favorite textiles to work with is leather.  I love the feel, smell of it and how it sews.  You can really find some good leather gems from Fabric Mart, I will say if you see it get it because more than likely it won’t stay long.  I saw these two hides on the website and had to grab them immediately! For this make I was inspired by another creator Andrea Jones who used Motif Studio Patterns to make her Origami Bag Pattern.  I decided to do the same but color block with the two leather hides from Fabric Mart along with another piece of remnant leather I had in my stash.  I decided to go with the oversized version of the bag pattern. When it comes to sewing leather here are a few tips I want to share.  For needle size you want to go with a larger needle size that is sharp.  I recommend 100/16 or 110/18 for size.  You want to be precise when sewing with leather because it does puncture and leaves marks if you ...

Hi everyone,  I’m back with another blog post this lovely May.  However, to be completely transparent I had lost my sewjo for a couple of months.   If it weren’t for me to have work on this post, I probably still would not have started anything.  I know this is something that happens commonly, but I’ve just felt so unmotivated to sew and I love sewing.  Going from constantly working on projects and pushing out content to not having the urge to do much was completely different for me. I’m so glad I started with this neutral color palette to bring me out of my funk and get back into expressing myself through sewing.   I feel like it’s a perfect way to start over with a clean slate. Sometimes we just need a break, rest then start again.  I saw this gorgeous off-white stretch twill and the texture was so soft and fun to work with.  Most times I choose fabric first then figure out later what I want to make with it.  So, I went to my ins...

Hey all! Sometimes the pattern inspires and the fabric follows, and sometimes it's the fabric that creates the drive to create.  The latter is definitely true with this make:  my first shot at sewing a leather handbag!

Hello- Hope all is well! Have you ever wanted to make yourself a comfy chunky sweater, but you don’t know how to knit? Well, my sewing friends I have good news! You don’t have to know how to knit to make yourself a chunky sweater. You can just buy chunky sweater knit fabric by the yard to “sew” yourself a sweater! Many, many years ago, I had the best chunky sweater knit coat a girl could have. I loved my sweater knit coat so much that I wore it even when it began to come apart in multiple places. I did not know how to sew then, but I hand-stitched the holes together. My stitching was very poor and the thread never matched. However, I figured if I stood at certain angles, no one would notice. One day, my beloved sweater knit coat came apart at a side seam, and before I could get home to “fix it”, the entire side of the coat unraveled. It was done! Such a sad day. Not too long after the loss of my coat, I had enough confidence to believe I could learn to knit and make myself an...