Give the gift of sewing!!!

Do you have any special friends who are dying to learn how to sew beautiful things for their little girls, but don't know where to start? Virtue Radio Network is offering an amazing online sewing class with Jennifer Paganelli, and I think it would make a wonderful gift! In fact...Mother's Day is coming up on May 8th, and any woman with sewing dreams would LOVE to be treated to this deluxe package! In fact, if you know of any husbands looking for a unique gift to give their wives, I'm sure they would appreciate the hint!

For only $59 (so much cheaper than the day spa), they will get an all inclusive, luxury sewing experience. You can get all the details here, but basically the deal includes a downloadable instructional video (can be watched again and again), a live chat with Jennifer and Dolin O'Shea (patternmaker and couture seamstress), special discounts at Fabric.com, and an autographed copy of Jen's beautiful new book Girl's World (a 24.95 value...not counting the signature)!

The book contains 21 sewing projects, but the one they picked for the class is one of my favorites and is absolutely perfect for beginners. I had the opportunity to try this one out when the book was first coming together.


I made two sizes, and I was amazed at how quickly and easily the dresses went together. As you can see, it looks so beautifully girly on little ones and tweens alike. You can make it out of a single print, or mix and match. I highly recommend this pattern. I've been sewing for years, and I didn't quite "get" finishing neck and arm openings with bias tape until I followed Dolin's instructions. It gives such a nice finish, and is so dang easy. You can see more photos of finished sash dresses and a great video about the class on Jennifer's blog.

More Jamie!

You asked for it...more pics of the new Jamie Dress, modeled by our lovely testers!

Here is sweet Jenny in her gorgeous Jamie sundress made from Honey Child Danielle fabric. LOVE the flip-flops and the gerbera daisies! That girl is single-handedly bringing summer to Texas!!! Check out her blog to see the coordinating Marissa dress she made her precious little daughter.




Above is another beautiful babe from the Lone Star State! Shannon's dress is made of Nelly Melon, also from the Honey Child collection. This talented girl has been busy lately...check out her new Etsy Shop!




Jeanne made this Easter Dress for her stunning daughter (who managed to look perfectly springy despite the freezing cold).

Here is Teresa, a lovely Midwestern lass who brightens the landscape right up! LOVE this purple Rosetta dress on her. Check out Flickr to see pics of her cute little redheaded daughter in her coordinating Marissa dress.




Angie, Tester Tom's wife, is looking amazing in the dress he made for her. According to Tom, she wasn't thrilled to be out in the cold, but she still managed a pretty smile (the things we women do for the guys we love). The regal fabric is Dolin from Queen Street. He also made some beautiful Marissa dresses for his daughter - see them on Flickr!




I absolutely adore this picture of my girl Cathy in her Jamie Dress! That fabric is just perfect for her (Honey Child Danielle), and I love the style with her cute bobbed haircut. She only lives a few hours from me, and we are both so ready for green grass and blue skies!!!





And finally, me in my boggy backyard. I used the periwinkle Maritza from Queen Street to whip up a fabulous retro-frock to wear to quilt market later this spring. In honor of the style and my locale (Baltimore suburbs), I teased my hair into a bouffant and put on some frosted lipstick. Now I have this strange urge do the Mashed Potato like Tracy Turnblad (interestingly, John Waters grew up less than a mile from my house, hon).

In addition to requests for more pics of the Jamie dress modeled, I've gotten some great questions about the zipper insertion. The glue sticks I use are the ordinary ones you'd use for paper projects - Elmer's, Scotch Brand, UHU, etc. The glue will come out in the wash, so you don't need to be too picky. As far as the foot goes, I use my regular presser foot with the needle positioned to the far right hand side. I've never been that skilled with the zipper foot...I can't keep the stitching straight with such a narrow base of support. Between the glue and the wider foot, everything stays in place, giving nice even stitching.

Zipping along with Marissa and Jamie...

Last week, Jennifer Paganelli and I launched two new dress patterns (and of course I am the last to blog about them...that doesn't mean I'm not excited, I'm just all wrapped up in the next set of patterns)! Jamie and Marissa are classic dresses with lots of gorgeous details that make them modern and special. The straps, the waistline, the full skirt...everyone is swooning! The fitted waistline flatters women and girls of all sizes.




To get a great fit like this, the design requires what the pros call "fit control." It can come in many forms...shirring, ties, buttons, etc. In this case, a zipper was truly the best (and easiest) option. Now I know a lot of folks are afraid of zippers and rightly so...most patterns don't really tell you to install them. Rather, they refer you to the zipper manufacturer's 1/2" wide inserted instructions, which give you multiple options in several different languages.




This pattern actually features a side zipper, so the back is nice and clean. This picture was captured mid-twirl.




Here is another mid-twirl pic...you can better see how the back of the dress hangs (and I love her curls)!

Zippers really aren't that hard to install. In fact, it only took me two pages to describe "my way," and I am a super wordy type. I've posted those two pages so you can see for yourself if it is something you want to tackle.







See??? Easy peasy!!! I had several testers who were staunchly "anti-zipper" and they were shocked and amazed at their zipper abilities! The glue stick makes it SO easy! Once you are putting in zippers, think of the sewing doors that will be opened for you!

Free Bosco Bowtie Tutorial!

Something about a bowtie transforms a little rascal into a perfect gentleman (at least long enough for a few pictures).



Jennifer and I have come up with a technique for whipping up impeccably crisp and classic bowties for the guys in your life. And in celebration of her beautiful new book Girl's World, we've put together a free tutorial!



The secret to pleating perfection is a printable template that is included in the file.



The tie can be made in three different sizes, so you can dress up babies and macho men alike. We've even put in actual-sized diagrams of finished bows, so that you can "try-on" for size before sewing!



You can download the free file over at Jennifer's blog. Just click on the picture of the dapper doll shown above!!!