February StashBusting Interview Tips On Sewing For Others

Hello Stashbusters! Do I have a treat for you! The lovely Katie from Kadiddlehopper is my guest poster for this month. Her monthly lists and the amount of sewing she gets done are a true inspiration. Without more ado, I'll let her share her tips on sewing for others this month! Happy Valentines day!

I'm so excited to be able to share some stashbusting tips here with Emily! I was thrilled when she and Cindy of Cation Designs continued their Stashbusting Sewalong into this year. Last year it was so helpful to have the support of the other stashbusters, and this year has been even better! So anyway, on the the interview!

Tell us a bit about yourself. How long have you been sewing? What do you like to sew?

Hey y'all! I'm Katie and I blog at Kadiddlehopper. My mother taught me to sew so long ago that the memory is lost in the sands of time. As long as I can remember, I've had a needle and thread in hand. I also took some Home Ec. classes in Junior High, but I generally just ended up helping the other students in my class. When I was an unruly teen, my sewing took a back burner to general rabble rousing and it wasn't until I was pregnant with my second child that I remembered that I knew how to sew. My prescient hubby had gifted me with a sewing machine several years earlier. I fired that baby up and got to work! Before I knew what had happened, I was sewing my own wardrobe, as well as most of what my children wear. I've occasionally dabbled in Home Dec and bag sewing. I even have pieces of a quilt in a closet somewhere, but my one true love is sewing garments. 

Clockwise from top left - Emma's winter SWAP, outfit #1, Ottobre baby gift, Simplicity 4711, Emma's winter SWAP, outfit #2, BFF Baby dress, New Look baby dress

Why do you enjoy sewing for others?

Mostly, I really love sewing just for the sake of it, so when I get the chance to do some sewing for someone who appreciates it, I jump at the chance. I'm mostly a selfish seamstress, but I do get a lot of satisfaction of seeing my creations on my loved ones and friends. I also really enjoy sewing children's clothing. There are fewer fit issues and the projects use smaller pieces of fabric - perfect for Stashbusting!

Clockwise from top left: Ottobre dress, Kitschy Coo Mini Penny, Ottobre coat, Kitschy Coo hoodie and Ottobre jeggings, LouBee Hosh Pants

How does sewing for others affect your Stashbusting?

Well, it definitely gives me more variety for my stashbusting efforts! Fabrics that I know I would never use for myself often find purpose in clothing for my family and loved ones. As mentioned, kids clothing also uses up those smaller scraps that we all seem unable to part with. I especially love it when a wee bit of fabric that I held on to for some reason becomes the focal point for a new creative endeavor.

Clockwise from top left: Ottobre jeans, Swim trunks for 2, LouBee Bimaa, Double the PJs, Ottobre outfit, Sporty Pocket shorts, Winter Wonderland tour, Ottobre raglan tees

Any tips or tricks for making sure your handmade item is loved/worn/appreciated?

I think this is the trickiest part of sewing for others. I find that the more involved I can get the recipient into the process, the more likely it is to be appreciated. When sewing for my own family, I will ask for help in choosing the pattern or fabric. Sometimes I'll ask my kids to come into the sewing room to choose fabric for themselves or ask them to draw me a picture of what they want. When you are sewing a gift, this is a little trickier, especially if you want the gift to be a surprise. In that case, I think the better you know the person you are sewing for, the more likely you are to make them something that they will love. Consider the colors they like and their lifestyle. Do they love bright colors or prefer subdued tones? Do they like their clothing to be trendy and of-the-moment or do they have a more classic style? The closer you are to the person, the more likely you are to be able to answer those kinds of questions, and the more successful you will be.

Clockwise from top left: Burda pants, Bow tie, Kwik Sew pullover, Kwik Sew bike shorts, Vogue shirt

What have you sewn that you and the receiver loves the most?

Ooo, that's a tricky one! I've been sewing pretty constantly for quite a while, so I've made a lot of things! I think if I had to choose just one thing I think it would be Myra's Princess Merida costume. I made it for her for Christmas 2012, and it is still the favorite of all her dress up dresses. She wears it all the time. In fact, she's wearing it as I type this.

The fact that my most-loved piece is a simple knit costume dress reminds me that our projects don't have to be fancy, couture ballgowns or super detailed and difficult for them to be loved. They just have to come from the heart and speak in some way to those we're sewing for.

I'm so glad I got to share a bit of my sewing and Stashbusting journey with you today. I hope your needles will always be sharp and your seams always straight. Happy Stashbusting, y'all!!

Birthday Dress In A Day McCall 8128

Pebbles had a birthday on Monday. I was kicking myself for forgetting again when I realized this is only her third one and only the second time I've had to remember to do something for it. Initially, I was going to make this adorable tiered skirt that she would be able to throw over tights in the winter and transition easily into summer. When I opened up the fabric there was just a bit over a yard and since I'm stash busting I switched plans when I remembered this darling vintage McCall 8128 I've been looking for an excuse to make up.

I love the contrast yoke! And all those tiny pattern pieces are so cute!

Just a heads up the pattern envelope said it was a Size 2 for a 21 inch chest. I measured the flat pattern and it only measured 21 inches so it gave just enough ease for her 19 inch chest. I don't know if that was just this pattern or something from this time period. I'm just glad I measured!

Since I had to deliver this that night I knew I wouldn't have time for several of these little details plus I didn't have enough fabric so the first thing I did was eliminate several details.
No Collar
No Bow Ties
No Piping
Used bias tape instead of facings on the neckline.
I also pieced the skirt a bit differently so I could get all the pieces to fit.

Instead of trying to join two pointy seams, when I basted the lace to the fabric I did it right along the seam allowance and attached the yoke with a lapped seam I carefully topstitched down. Much faster, neater and with much nicer results.

Right and wrong sides half pressed.

Next thing I did was get rid of the button back and insert a simple zipper. In about four hours I went from fabric to a dress; just in time for us to walk out the door to her party. I was kind of amazed at how quickly this "detailed" piece came together.

She was thrilled to have her own dress and I was thrilled it fit her. My Dad even said it's one of the best pieces I've made.

Fits so well and she loves it despite the weird faces...

Without intending to I managed to make this fit January's Stashbusting theme. One down, many more to go!

Things I Learned Stashbusting Interview

Good Morning World!
 Today we have an interview from the lovely Cari Homemaker. I met her through the Stashbusting 2013 and she happily agreed to share what she's learned from a year of stash busting. I hope you enjoy it and maybe pick up a few tips! Psst, you can peek at her fabric stash here!

"In January 2013 I pledged to use 25 pieces of stashed fabric for projects before the end of the year. I met my pledge, just barely squeaking by in the last week of the year. That’s 25 pieces I might not have otherwise used, so that was a win, but on the other hand, my stash continued to grow throughout 2013, despite pieces getting used. I plan to continue on into 2014, after all, I did learn some stuff during my year of stash-busting.

1)  Goals are extremely helpful. Even though I did keep adding to the stash through the year, there were pieces that did get used that probably wouldn’t have if I hadn’t been actively working on getting them made up.

Pink Lace Leggings!

2)  I have some lovely things sitting around in my basement. They look even better when turned into something useful and brought out into the light.

Banana Anna

3)  Having stashed fabric isn’t always necessarily a bad thing. Maybe the fabric really would work for something that I didn’t need at the time I stashed it. Maybe the person that fabric is perfect for wasn’t even born when it went into the stash.

Hoodie and a total stash bust!

4)  If I give myself permission to buy more fabric, I will end up finding a reason to buy more. I didn’t impose a fabric-buying ban on myself during 2013, and the stash grew. I don’t know that the opposite will be true or whether denying myself permission to buy fabric will keep me from buying it, but given last year’s results, that’s what I’ll be trying.

5)  Stash-busting is much more fun when done in a group. Thanks Emily and Cindy for hosting us last year and for keeping it going this year."

Can you guess the literary character? See Here

Thanks for joining us for our second year Cari! We look forward to seeing what you come up with this year. 
How about you? Did anything change after a year of stash busting?