Welcome to the Clothes Making Mavens podcast. Helena and Lori are two women who love to talk sewing but have exhausted the good humor of their non-sewing friends and family, so they now talk to each other! From across the continent they Skype to discuss their obsession with garment sewing. They also interview other like-minded sewists and delight in the wonderful international sewing community.
Check out these floral dresses at Northpark. Fleurs de Villes Exhibition
Dallas welcomes the exquisite Fleurs de Villes ARTISTE exhibition, a floral spectacle making its Texas debut at NorthPark Center through March 24. This world-renowned show presents 15 unique fresh floral mannequins, each crafted to celebrate the rich arts and cultural scene of Dallas-Fort Worth.… Read the rest
This is the first of a series designed to help us know each other better and what better place to begin than our new president, Joanne.
Joanne was born in Queens, NY, and shortly after her family moved to the original Levittown on Long Island where she grew up. Joanne is the oldest of three daughters. … Read the rest
Markita loved to travel and to share her experiences. Even though she is no longer with us we wanted to share this last post that she wrote for us.
by Markita Hall-Gumble
My friend Kim – @quiltaholicsanonymous and I have been on a shoe adventure. Kim the amazing quilter didn’t stop with 2 pairs of SneakerKit shoes. … Read the rest
by Nia Kelley-Jester
Materials Needed:
• Freezer Paper
• Laser or Ink Jet Printer – For this example, I used a Brother Laser printer and white muslin. Personally, I haven’t tried this process with an ink jet printer since I don’t own one, but it is reported to work. Disclaimer: Please test your materials.… Read the rest
Markita loved to travel and to share her experiences. Even though she is no longer with us we wanted to share this post that she wrote for us.
by Markita Hall-Gumble
To recap, in July 2023 I visited Bali Indonesia for textiles. This post is about a side trip organized as part of the Wacky Jacky Bali class. … Read the rest
by Markita Hall-Gumble
The last stop in Bali is the ancient village of Tenganan on the east side of the island of Bali. The villagers are called Bali Aga or original Balinese. To visit the village, you take a car to the outside gate of the village. There is an entrance fee, which provides you with a local villager as a guide. … Read the rest
The dates of the class were listed incorrectly. The actual dates are Friday and Saturday, February 23 & 24. The post has been corrected.
… Read the rest
The Dress Diary of Mrs. Anne Sykes
by Melanie Kindrachuk, Librarian & Sewist
If you are interested in history, clothing, textiles, and material culture, you’ll love this one. The author was given an unusual scrapbook, which was full of snippets of fabrics from across the lifetime of Mrs. Anne Sykes, stretching from her wedding day in 1838 onwards.… Read the rest
by Sally-Ann Flak
What are some of the hottest fashion trends that we as sewists can readily join in? One fashion staple that has been gaining popularity for the last few years has been quilted garments, in particular, quilted coats and jackets. Many of the most popular Indie designers and even the big 5 pattern companies have been showcasing patterns that are available and appropriate for the creation of quilted coats. … Read the rest
by Markita Hall-Gumble
In June 2023, PatternReview.com held their in person event in Lowell Massachusetts. Besides getting together with the sewing tribe, we visited the Boott Cotton Mill Museum and the New England Quilt Museum.
The Boott Museum is part of the National Park Service and is so worth a visit, as it documents an important part of textile history in America.… Read the rest
by Jane Dempsey
I saw this Santa Design on Facebook and fell in love. I have never embroidered on velvet, and it has 83,000 stitches. But the design went on sale, so I bought it.
