sew fantastic blogs Archives

Sew fantastic blogs: Groovy baby and mama

It has been some weeks since the last installment of Sew Fantastic Blogs. First Amanda, then Trine and then I didn’t have time to do the work that is necessary for a blog post. Trine’s interview is thus two weeks late, but better late than never, right?

So let me introduce Trine from Groovy baby and mama to you. Trine lives in Danmark and the clothes that she sews are just soo scandinavian: modern, casual, easy going – just plain cool. Especially for her own clothes she loves straight lines while for her kids she sews pretty much everything. I love that she still sews for her teenage daughter. Doesn’t that show how cool her stuff must be? Also the dresses for her younger daughter are great, but do you know what I love most? Her boy stuff! Whenever Bertram enters her blog, it’s just wow. After some of her Bertram posts, I might have caught myself, doing my son’s hair like Bertram has his 😉

So here are some of my favorites:

You and me (Trine and her daughter Luna) outfit, Super fun sweater for Betram, why oh why didn’t I buy any of this amazing fabric? 1000 cranes geranium

First things first: Please introduce yourself (who are you, tell us a little bit about your family, which country and maybe city do you live in, are you originally from this country, do you work or are you a stay at home mom, etc.)!
Hi, I’m Trine – a 30 verymuchsomething Dane, married, mother of 4 – two boys and two girls.

Let’s talk about sewing:
When did you start and who taught you to sew?
I started sewing about 8 years ago – and have sewn almost every day since. Yes, I’m addicted! I’m 100% self taught. I’ve never taken any courses etc – besides a couple of years in primary school. Google is your friend!!!I started sewing about 8 years ago – and have sewn almost every day since. Yes, I’m addicted! I’m 100% self taught. I’ve never taken any courses etc – besides a couple of years in primary school. Google is your friend!!!

Do you consider yourself a beginner, intermediate or professional sewer?
Intermediate – don’t think I will ever be professional. I’m to lazy!

Which three tips would you give a beginner sewer?
Always press your seams – both during and after you’re done with a project. Start with some easy project – for instance a tee like my signature one. Only 4 seams and hemming. Always prewash your fabric!!!

For whom do you sew?
I sew for my kids, myself, family and friends. I NEVER sew for my hubby – or other grown men for that matter. Selfish sewing is the best.

How often do you sew?
Almost every day.

What fabric type(s) do you like most to sew with?

I’m a sucker for knit fabric!

How do you get inspired?
Sewing blogs, Instagram, Pinterest.

Do you have any real life sewing friends?
Nope, not really.

You blog at Groovy baby and mama. I’m curious to hear a little bit about your blog:
When and why did you start to blog?
I started blogging shortly after I started sewing. Guess I’ve been blogging for 5-6 years or so. My blog is mostly about my sewing. I’m very inspired by other bloggers and hope to inspire as well.

Is there anything that you would make differently if you started your blog now?
Nah, not really.

How often do you blog? How much time do you spend each day/week blogging?
I don’t blog that often anymore. Perhaps once a week. Instagram has taken over.

Do you plan your sewing, picture taking and blog posts in advance or do you just let things happen?
I just go with the flow. Mostly. I do participate in blog tours and these posts are planned in advance.

What are the three sewn (and blogged) items that you are most proud about or that you yourself like
most? Show us some pictures (with links)!

I’m all about simple sewing – so the items I like the most are not necessarily the most advanced ones. This simple but elegant dress that I made for Project Sewn is one of my all time favorites or this outfit I made my youngest son, Bertram: Finally I’m pretty pleased with this dress that I made for Stylo Magazine (and the matching dress I made for myself)

Do you make money with your blog or do you have any sewing related business (e.g. Etsy or dawanda shop; pattern shop)? Do you have tips for someone wanting to start a blog business?
I don’t make money, no. I don’t sew on commission but sometimes I sell some of the stuff my kids have outgrown – or some of my own that don’t get enough wear!

Taking Pictures and editing these is an important part of blogging. Good pictures are often what makes us want to visit a blog again and again. I’m excited to read what camera you are using and if you have to bribe your kids, too…
What Camera and Objective do you use?
My camera is a Canon 500D! No special objective. I know nothing about photographing…I just do it. And yes, I sometimes bribe my kids…

What is your skill level in photography? Did you learn everything yourself or did you take a course or similar?
See the above – no skill at all – I just do it…or have my kids do it

How do you get your kids to cooperate when you want to take pictures?
I simply just ask them. Nicely. If that doesn’t work I beg – I do a really good puppy imitation…and finally I may have to turn to the bribes if I really need those photos!

What programme do you use for picture editing and which steps do you normally take to edit your pictures?

I always use Photoscape. Here you can see a photo of my signature tee after and before editing.

Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer my questions!
And now let’s get sewing! I’m curious to see your signature tee!

My signature tee is a super simple self drafted dolman tee. As I said before – I’m all about simple makes. I’ve made a lot of these for me and my girls. Only 4 seams and hemming!

Thank you, Trine for joining the series and giving some insight to your life and sewing.

series, sew fantastic blogs

Sew fantastic blogs: Girl like the sea

Today I have another very special guest for you. Tara from Girl like the Sea definitely is one of the most inspiring bloggers out there. Her sewing (mainly for her kids, but sometimes also for herself) is so incredibly unique and creative. She loves to play with fabric (bleaching, painting, freezer stenciling etc.), to add appliques or to modify some patterns. It seems as if whatever she touches turns into something special, cool and sometimes crazy 😉 It also doesn’t hurt that she has three adorable kids and shoots the perfect pics. I also love that she does not only share her sewing, but also daily life, struggle, homeschooling, her son’s incredible eyes etc.

Here are some of my favorites (but there sure are much more gorgeous things to encounter!)

Stylo outfits, Vintage May, Union St. Tee

First things first: Please introduce yourself (who are you, tell us a little bit about your family, which country and maybe city do you live in, are you originally from this country, do you work or are you a stay at home mom, etc.)!
I’m Tara, native to the west coast of the USA. Until age 19, I lived in the forest outside a small beach town in central Oregon. Love took me to the east coast – near Washington DC – where I’m a stay at home/homeschooling mom of three kids. Clover – age 5, Violet – age 4, and Hawthorne – age 1. My
heart is still in the pacific northwest!

Let’s talk about sewing:
When did you start and who taught you to sew?
Aside from some early sewing lessons from my grandma when I was very young, and didn’t appreciate her patience with me, I didn’t learn to sew until I caught that making itch that a lot of new moms get. Between sewing blogs, oliver and S patterns, and youtube, I gradually learned to put things together. After a while, I felt my personal sense of sewing style starting to come out, which felt really good!

Do you consider yourself a beginner, intermediate or professional sewer?
Intermediate. I’ve been sewing in earnest for about 3 years I think, and I’ve learned a lot in that time. But I’m still pretty much seam ripping my way through projects a lot of the time. Somehow, I keep producing things though!

Which three tips would you give a beginner sewer?
1. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. You’re going to make them. I rarely make it through a project without a seam ripping moment. And sometimes your hard work will result in a bad fit, even though you followed the sizing chart on the pattern. You’ll think you had a genius idea for a new way of doing something, and it backfires. Experimenting will sometimes fail, and you’ll learn something, and others you’ll succeed and feel that rewarding sense of accomplishment.
2. Finish your seam allowances! I didn’t know about this when I got started and had lots of fraying happening in the wash.
3.Remember why you sew, and keep remembering it when you feel discouraged by your progress or the cheap, cute things in stores. Trips to Target often result in a sewing identity crisis for me. It happens.

For whom do you sew?
Mostly my kids. On many days, all three of my kids can be found in handmade clothes. I’ve been trying to get into making things for me too, because it’s kind of annoying when I use the good fabrics on the kids and then they don’t wear what I made very often. I’ve also made them some improv baby quilts. And I’ve made my husband a series of silly lunch bags to take to work. One had an embroidered portrait of his face on it. Good times……

How often do you sew?
Every week. Most days I have something in progress, but there’s not always time for me to get some sewing done. Especially with a baby who likes to yank on my iron cord, steal my supplies, scoot chairs over to tables so he can climb on them, and stand on the chair behind me while I sew so he can pull on my thread and push the buttons on the machine. Those of you with sewing rooms: this mama who sews in the multipurpose kitchen/dining room/craft room says you’re lucky!

What fabric type(s) do you like most to sew with?

Jersey knit, french terry, chambray, and double gauze. Is that too many choices? I’ve grown more picky about my knits as I sew with them more, and I adore the organic ones. Chambray and double gauze just make everything look beautiful…..even if my sewing isn’t the greatest.
Ha.

How do you get inspired?
Sometimes I want to make my own version of something nerdy or from pop culture, and I dream it up in my head. Other times I do as others do and get inspired on pinterest. Other times, I take the challenge of a blog tour or series that I’ve been invited to, and use that as the springboard. And sometimes my kids ask for some really weird stuff.

Do you have any real life sewing friends?
I do! Recently, a sewing enthusiast moved here near me and started up a beautiful business called Finch Sewing Studio. Nicole was a true godsend! I’ve also made friends through blogging, some of whom i’ve even met in person.

You blog at Girl like the Sea I’m curious to hear a little bit about your blog:
When and why did you start to blog?
My blog started as a way to share pictures and news about my kids with my parents, who live across the country from us. I started sewing and sharing a few projects here and there, and at some point it just ended up being mostly a sewing blog. Also, I realized that my parents weren’t actually reading my blog……so there was that. Now I keep my blog going because I love the sense of community and friends I’ve found through it. Being a stay at home mom can feel pretty isolating at times. Especially when your parents live so far away from you. Feeling connected to a group of really nice and kind of weird people like the sewing community has been pretty cool. It also pushes me to keep being creative, even when it’s really hard because I feel like I have no time or space, or enough sleep to continue trying.

Is there anything that you would make differently if you started your blog now?
I would have done a better job from day one of organizing my projects and pages on the blog. As it is now, I have a mess that I haven’t time to sort out. I also would have started out on wordpress instead of blogger.

How often do you blog? How much time do you spend each day/week blogging?
If I’m lucky, I get a post done per week. Sometimes two. My kids hate it when I’m on the computer, and their revolts are often loud and messy. There’s nothing like a deadline to get me moving! Sometimes I think that nothing would get blogged if I didn’t do scheduled blog series or write contributor posts. I’m on the Sewing Rabbit blog team, and put together a monthly tutorial of some sort to share on there. If any of you blogging moms out there who get consistent content out multiple times per week want to share your secret, I would LOVE to hear it! haha. But that moment where I hit “publish” is pretty exciting, and keeps me coming back.

Do you plan your sewing, picture taking and blog posts in advance or do you just let things happen?
Life is an adventure here. Most of the time I let things unfold as they will. Planning……not one of my strong points. Though I do have to do some planning when I’m following someone else’s schedule. But I definitely don’t have a schedule written out for my monthly blogging. That will never happen. I can barely plan weekly meals around here.

What are the three sewn (and blogged) items that you are most proud about or that you yourself like
most? Show us some pictures (with links)!
Your latest project is always your favorite, right? It’s REALLY hard to choose. But I’ll try to pick a few of my more recent favorites…..

Abe Lincoln stamped fourth of july dress, vintage May outfits, Cowardly Lion Costume:

Do you make money with your blog or do you have any sewing related business (e.g. Etsy or dawanda shop; pattern shop)? Do you have tips for someone wanting to start a blog business?
I make a little bit for my contributor posts, but as far as my own blog – nope. I don’t make any money off of that. The idea of trying to present myself to sponsors terrifies me. Sorry guys, I have no advice.

Taking Pictures and editing these is an important part of blogging. Good pictures are often what makes us want to visit a blog again and again. I’m excited to read what camera you are using and if you have to bribe your kids, too…
What Camera and Objective do you use?
My camera is a lower end DSLR – Pentax KX and I usually use a 50mm 1.8f lens.

What is your skill level in photography? Did you learn everything yourself or did you take a course or similar?
I’m self taught (more accurately, youtube and blog taught). I’m an enthusiastic amateur photographer, I suppose. These days I’m working on getting comfortable with full manual mode

How do you get your kids to cooperate when you want to take pictures?
First, I think they’re just used to doing it since I’ve been taking pictures of the clothes I make them since they were really little. So they just expect it. They know the rules too, and are horrified if I let them eat in something before it gets photographed. Hahaha.
Next, I try to take them to interesting places or give them a fun prop to take pictures with. That way it’s more of a fun game or experience than just standing and posing for mom. And I also try to let them incorporate their personalities in by giving them a “do whatever you want now” time at the end. I get set up with any props or backdrops before even calling them to do photos, and I try to get my camera exposure and white balance figured out ahead of time. And I try to keep it quick!
Buuuuuuut sometimes I have to use bribery anyway. Lol! We have something called “choc-o-clock” where I give everyone a nibble of chocolate for fun.

What programme do you use for picture editing and which steps do you normally take to edit your pictures?
I use photoshop – I shoot in RAW format and do a lot of my editing in the camera raw program. I’m pretty clueless with photoshop though, so it’s always a bit of a struggle for me!

The before and after is a shot from Violet’s birthday. The lighting was tricky because I had sunlight streaming in, but she was in the shadows of a box. All of my edits, aside from adding the text, were done manually in adobe photoshop camera raw. I used curves adjustments, tinkered with exposure, sharpened it, and touched up the lighting balance on her face. Then I bumped up the vibrance of the colors, while desaturating the yellows a bit because there was a color cast going on with her face.

What would blogging be without other blogs? I’m always on the hunt for new inspiring blogs. And I love to get in contact with people from different countries. Who knows maybe you have some blog favourites that I don’t know about?
What are your three favourite sewing blogs to read? Why?
I’m not sure I can narrow down my three favorites, so I’ll go with some of my newer finds….
One of my newer favorites is Ginger Makes. She sews up some great women’s wear, posts the awkward outtakes, and her quirky personality is charming
I’m also delighted to have discovered Stitched Together. Rachel is an amazing and inspiring person. Her kids, including their adopted Ethiopian daughter, are gorgeous. And her projects and photography are also beautiful.
Grainline studio is also a relatively new one for me. Jen is a professional pattern maker, sports a very cool effortlessly disheveled sense of style, does really great tutorials on technical sewing skills, and I like her instagram feed.

Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer my questions!
And now let’s get sewing! I’m curious to see your signature tee!

My signature tee is so very me. It’s got some textile manipulation going on with the bleach swirls I added. My fabric is a nice organic knit with 4 way stretch. Geeky pop culture references and abundant use of freezer paper stencils with fabric paint are things I probably do way too much of. And I added a personal twist with the fabric space helmet applique with hand painted details. My most used pattern by far is the flashback skinny tee from made by rae, and that’s what I used to create this tee. Violet has gotten a lot of wear out of this, which I made on request for her birthday. You really can’t get more “girl like the sea” than this one! Haha!

Thank you so much, Tara, for joining the series. I really am a big fan of yours, your sewing and photography and I enjoyed learning more about you.

If you haven’t read all of the old interviews, you can find these here. Plus, come back next week to meet the amazing UK-based pattern-maker, fabric-shop-owner and blogger Amanda from Kitschy Coo.

series, sew fantastic blogs

Sew fantastic blogs: Elegance and Elephants

My warmest welcome to Heidi from Elegance and Elephants. I’m so, so glad to have her here today. Heidi was the first person ever to invite me to take part in a blog tour. I was more than surprised that someone as amazing as her would even think of me. The more I got to know her since then, the more I felt that Heidi is an extremly nice and modest person. Being in the finals of Project Run and Play, creating all kinds of patterns (dresses, hats, jackets, sweatpants etc.) and sewing the most beautiful kids clothes hasn’t made her arrogant at all. She still is respectful and nice to everybody, no matter if they have 10 or 1000 followers. I’m really happy that I got to know her!

And now let me show you some of my favorites on her blog.

Fedora Hat pattern (so cool!), gorgeous clothes for her children, super cool boy clothes

First things first: Please introduce yourself (who are you, tell us a little bit about your family, which country and maybe city do you live in, are you originally from this country, do you work or are you a stay at home mom, etc.) My name is Heidi and I live in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada with my husband, Michael, and two children, Tobias and Anja. I was born and raised in BC, although my parents both immigrated to Canada. I became a stay-at-home mom after working as a Music teacher.

When did you start and who taught you to sew? I’ve been sewing for as long as I can remember, taught by my mom when I was a child. I learned how to sew on a machine when I was in junior high school.

Do you consider yourself a beginner, intermediate or professional sewer?

Advanced intermediate.

Which three tips would you give a beginner sewer?

1. Don’t try something too difficult at first. One technique at a time.

2. Don’t be afraid to try new techniques. It took me years to try zippers because I was afraid and then I couldn’t believe how easy they are!

3. Before investing in new patterns, try out the many free tutorials now available online. Take advantage of the wonderful online sewing community.

For whom do you sew?
For my children, although I used to sew for myself and would like to start again.

How often do you sew?
A day rarely goes by without me sewing something. It’s a part of my daily routine.

What fabric type(s) do you like most to sew with?
I have a preference for natural fibres so I typically sew with cottons, linens, and wool blends.

How do you get inspired?
I’m inspired by almost anything. Everywhere I go I see potential designs in everything.

Do you have any real life sewing friends?
I do have friends that sew, although we never get together to sew specifically.

You blog at Elegance & Elephants. I’m curious to hear a little bit about your blog:

When and why did you start to blog?
I started blogging in November 2011 after my husband’s persistent encouragement. He saw my passion for sewing for our children and he thought it was a good idea to share. He was right!

Is there anything that you would make differently if you started your blog now?
I think the only thing is I would’ve narrowed the topic of my blog sooner. I started blogging about everything I made (baking, cooking, sewing, etc.) but later narrowed it down to just sewing for my children. This focus is very good for me as I enjoy not feeling the pressure to blog about everything I do.

How often do you blog? How much time do you spend each day/week blogging?
Typically a couple times a week. As far as how much time I spend, it depends on the time of year. If I’m about to release new patterns, it’s very busy, and I spend most of all of my free time on blogging, but there are times, especially in the winter and summer, when I like to take it easy.

Do you plan your sewing, picture taking and blog posts in advance or do you just let things happen?
A little bit of both.

What are the three sewn (and blogged) items that you are most proud about or that you yourself like most? Show us some pictures (with links)!

Classic Johnny, Signature Look (PR&P Sew Along), Fall Collection

Do you make money with your blog or do you have any sewing related business (e.g. Etsy or dawanda shop; pattern shop)? Do you have tips for someone wanting to start a blog business?
I started selling patterns last year after reading books about drafting and later taking a couple of online courses. If someone was interested in selling sewing patterns, I would recommend taking Lauren Dahl’s Pattern Workshop From Sketch to Sale course. It’s the most comprehensive and applicable course for the aspiring pdf designer, in my opinion.

What Camera and Objective do you use?

I use a (DSLR) Nikon D5100 with two lenses: 18mm-55mm and 75mm-300mm

What is your skill level in photography? Did you learn everything yourself or did you take a course or similar?
This is one area where I really want to improve. I’ve never taken a course, and it’s been all trial and error. I recently got a new lens that I’m really thrilled with, so I’m more confident about my photos.

How do you get your kids to cooperate when you want to take pictures?
I make sure they’re comfortable, from being rested and fed, to trying to have fun with our photo shoots. I get them talking to me about things or to each other if I’m photographing them together. There’s always a small reward at the end, whether it’s a visit to the playground or a treat. I’ve started paying my son a small amount for being my assistant (holding my light reflector, carrying props, making funny jokes, etc.) when we’re ‘on-location’ and I’m taking photos of his sister. They do well when they interacting.

What programme do you use for picture editing and which steps do you normally take to edit your pictures?
I use Picmonkey and more recently, I’ve started using Photoshop. I resize and then play around with the photo’s highlight and shadow levels in its histogram. As I mentioned, I got a new lens, so now I don’t have to edit half as much as I used to.

So tough to choose only three, but I’ll try!

maja.

Maja is one of my ‘real life’ friends who I have known since college. We also worked as teachers together and went to the same church before she and her family moved to another part of Canada. She doesn’t blog regularly, but when she does, her photographs are gorgeous (as are her children), and she is a creative genius when it comes to planning her kid’s birthday parties.

Little Kids Grow

Shannon is so passionate about what she does. I have no idea how she keeps it all together being the homeschooling mother of seven, but she does! She’s a huge source of inspiration.

Sanae Ishida

Beautiful clothing, clever, well-written posts, and stunning minimalist photography. I love browsing Sanae’s blog.

Do you follow any blogs that are written in another language? What are your three favourite ones?

Besides, yours, I like Emma en Mona, and dotta.

My signature tee is one I designed for my Fall 2014 Collection. It’s called the Hemlock Top and the simplicity of it, with the feminine feature of the flounce at the shoulder, is one of my signatures. And I love the rich purple colour.

Thank you for having me here today, Annika. It’s been a pleasure to share more about me in this awesome series!

Thank you so much, Heidi, for taking part! I really love your family pic and the shots from your new fall collection are simply gorgeous! I loved to learn more about you and your writing!

If you haven’t read all of the old interviews, you can find these here. Plus, come back next week to meet the incredibly cool, talented and somehow geeky Tara from Girl like the Sea.

series, sew fantastic blogs

Sew fantastic blogs: Straight Grain

I’m so happy to have An from Straight Grain today. An not only sews the most beautiful garments for her sweet daughters, but she also sells her own patterns(different dress patterns and a sleepsack) which are full of different options and just oh so perfect. She has a ton of tutorialson her blog and also contributes to both the birch fabrics blog and the Miss Matatabi blog. This doesn’t come as a surprise as her fabric taste is impeccable and her clothes always have that little twist that takes them from just a dress to WOW. An also hosted two amazing and inspiring sewing series: Kids Clothes Belgian Stylee and Secret Squirrel. And last, but definitely not least: She is a super nice and friendly woman that I hope to get to know better in the future.

Here are some of my favorites.

Birthday dress and crown, Bean Bag, Bubble Dress with improvisational pleating

First things first: Please introduce yourself(who are you, tell us a little bit about your family, which country and maybe city do you live in, are you originally from this country, do you work or are you a stay at home mom, etc.)!

My name is An, and I just turned 34. I live in Antwerp, Belgium, with my husband Jelle and two kids Norah and Ava. I work part time (60%) as a communications lecturer at a university in the Netherlands. The rest of the time that is left, I spend on my kids and pattern business.

Let’s talk about sewing:

When did you start and who taught you to sew?

I started sewing almost 4 years ago. I took formal sewing classes, but also learned a lot via the internet and trial-and-error of course.

Do you consider yourself a beginner, intermediate or professional sewer?

Intermediate.

Which three tips would you give a beginner sewer?

– Don’t waste money on lousy fabrics. Treat yourself to really nice fabrics. If you spend many hours making a garment, you better do it in a decent fabric.

– Try to use hidden zippers. They scare a lot of beginners, but they are actually really easy to use! You can install a blind zipper in just a few minutes, so they are a lot quicker than making button holes and attaching buttons.

– Kids aren’t Christmas trees – don’t overload them with balls, garlands, lights, and other ornaments. Keep it simple! If you use a dress with a lot of details, use a fabric with a simple print. If you use a fabric with a busy print, go for a simple dress design. The more bells and whistles you add, the cheaper the garment will look.

For whom do you sew?

Almost exclusively for my two daughters. If I had more time, I would also sew for myself, and presents for friends.

How often do you sew?

Only about two times per week, and almost never more than two hours 🙁

What fabric type(s) do you like most to sew with?

I have a preference for wovens, although knits are growing on me! My favorite types are voile, lawn, and double gauze.

How do you get inspired?

I really get inspiration everywhere. I’m pretty obsessed with sewing, so I see sewing projects in everything.

Do you have any real life sewing friends?

Yes! Every Tuesday night, I sew together with 4 friends I met through the sewing course. We alternate between our different homes.

You blog at Straight Grain. I’m curious to hear a little bit about your blog:

When and why did you start to blog?

I started blogging a good 2 years ago, mostly because I wanted to get feedback on my stuff. I had no ambitions with it whatsoever, and I’ve been nothing but amazed by its success… If you had told me back then that I would be selling pdf patterns, working together with some of the nicest fabrics brands and shops, and contributing to sewing books, I would have laughed so hard that my abs would have sustained permanent damage.

Is there anything that you would make differently if you started your blog now?

The name! I didn’t really care about the name of my blog, as I didn’t have any ambitions with it. I also wish I had started on Blogger, instead of switching to it after a few months (I was originally on WordPress; the switch to Blogger did wonders for my traffic).

How often do you blog? How much time do you spend each day/week blogging?

It depends so much on how busy I am at work. Sometimes, I don’t blog for two weeks; at other times, I blog 3 times in one week. I don’t know how much time I spend on it… What I do know is that making the tutorials always takes about 3x as long as I imagined it would. 😉

Do you plan your sewing, picture taking and blog posts in advance or do you just let things happen?

Let things happen. I don’t have time to plan 😉

What are the three sewn (and blogged) items that you are most proud about or that you yourself like most? Show us some pictures (with links)!

I’m hardly ever proud of the stuff I make… Pride generally comes when others comments on my stuff, or share it. Only then I might think “Hm, perhaps that dress wasn’t so bad”. So that is also what the list below is based on.

The colorblocked sundress in the middle has made me quite proud. It was featured on Michael Miller’s Facebook and on BloesemKids among others, and it was pinned a lot by people who are not into sewing, but just liked the color combo. And Norah loved it.

This pleated Hanami dress on the left also got very enthusiastic comments on it, and the pleating technique I used in it has been adopted by a lot of bloggers since. They often do a better job at it than I do, ha!

And finally, a very old creation. I made the bubble dress a long time ago, but the picture keeps popping up on Pinterest. Funny note: mostly people tag the pin with something like “lovely dress!”, but every once in a while, someone tags it with ‘love the haircut!’ 🙂

Do you make money with your blog or do you have any sewing related business (e.g. Etsy or dawanda shop; pattern shop)? Do you have tips for someone wanting to start a blog business?

I have my pattern shop, integrated in my blog and also on Etsy. I also make a bit of money writing tutorials for other businesses (e.g. the Birch blog), but I do that for the ‘honor’ and fun more than for the money.

I don’t really have tips for starting a blog business, as I am a terrible business woman. My decisions are mostly based on gut feeling, emotion, and on my friendships with other bloggers and shop owners.

What Camera and Objective do you use?

I have a Nikon DSLR, but I make most of my pics with a Canon compact camera. The pictures have a better color, so I stopped using the DSLR. I should really figure out how the adapt the settings in the Nikon, but I just don’t find the time.

What is your skill level in photography? Did you learn everything yourself or did you take a course or similar?

I have no skills whatsoever. I have a strong interest in photography, and would love to be able to improve my skills, but I don’t have the time to study photography. One day…

How do you get your kids to cooperate when you want to take pictures?

Ava (10 mo): doing all sorts of crazy stuff to make her laugh, and then quickly taking a picture before she crawls off or snatches the camera from my hands.

Norah (4.5 y): The last thing I tell Norah is too smile because then she makes these really weird faces. What we always do is role play: she pretends that she is Tiny (fictional character in her favorite books), and that I am her little brother Hansje, and then we make up stories while I snap pics. I also always ask her to tell jokes. Her favorite one is: “Two pears are walking down the street, and one gets run over by a car. Says the other pear: “Bye, fart”. I guess she’s into absurd humor.

What programme do you use for picture editing and which steps do you normally take to edit your pictures?

I use Pixlr. Steps I take:

– Resize to 1000×700 px

– Increase Contrast a bit

– Increase Saturation a bit

– Work a bit on Curves

– Color balance if the picture doesn’t represent the colors of the fabric well.

Oh, and I also do some serious reframing, as the pictures below illustrate 😉

What are your three favourite sewing blogs to read? Why?

So difficult to name only three… But let’s try: Eva Mariaand Sanae Ishidabecause of their great photos and good writing. And You and Mie because Cherie is an awesome lady who makes gorgeous stuff for her supercute kids.

Do you follow any blogs that are written in another language? What are your three favourite ones?

I follow a lot of Dutch-language blogs of course. My favorite ones are Eva Maria, which I mentioned already, Emma and Mona, and a new favorite: MyMinnieMe.

Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer my questions! Especially for the one about kids and christmas trees – so true (and funny)!

And now let’s get sewing! I’m curious to see your signature tee!

I’m not much of a t-shirt sewer, so I picked another super quick project. This skirt with lining is made from this tutorial. It consists of just 4 panels in the same size, stitched together. There is no separate waistband, so the dress is really easy and quick to sew.

I made this one from some left-over fabric. It is called Gallop and designed by Melody Miller for Cotton + Steel. I bought it at MissMatatabi.

I even had a bit of left-over from my left-over, so I also made a matching head band.

I took pictures in Antwerp’s Botanical Garden. It is small but super cosy. Norah had such fun running around there!

Thank you so much for having me here, Annika!

–

Well, thank you, An, again for visiting my blog. I loved to hear more about you. I knew before that you are a lecturer, but always thought you work full time. Hearing that you work 60% makes me feel much better. As I work 50% at an university, too, I always thought: How can she do all this and work full time?

If you haven’t read all of the old interviews, you can find these here. Plus, come back next week to meet the always generous and super stylish Heidi from Elegance and Elephants.

series, sew fantastic blogs

Sew fantastic blogs: Handmade by Brienne

Today’s guest Brienne never ceases to amaze and inspire me. Her style is unique and cool and she definitely is the queen of layers and the flashback skinny tee. On her blog you will not only find fun, comfy and stylish kids clothes but also some beautiful garments that she has sewn for herself and of course the coolest bags ever. And as if that wasn’t enough, she also knits everything from scarves to pullovers, stamps and paints her fabric and writes the most beautiful posts about her life with her husband, son and daughter. I’m so glad to get to know her even better today! Do you want to see some of my favorites from her blog?

Harlequin Skinnies, 3 layering pics, STYLO contribution

Hi! I’m Brienne of Handmade by Brienne, a mostly sewing and knitting blog. I like to post about the books that I’m reading too and occasionally about family life. I live in Minnesota in the US in a teeny town right by Lake Superior.

Let’s talk about sewing:

When did you start and who taught you to sew?

Everyone in my family makes by hand. I learned to sew from my mom, aunties and Grandma. But my Grandpa does a bit of sewing himself and makes some beautiful antler buttons too. My husband and father are home designers and accomplished woodworkers. My brother is a sawyer who harvested and milled all of the lumber to build his house. Art is all around!

Because I live in a very isolated, rural area, I started sewing when I was a kid out of a desire to mimic the fashions that I didn’t have access to. I think that’s still a big part of why I love to sew. And I have learned so much from the sewers of the online community.

Do you consider yourself a beginner, intermediate or professional sewer?

Frequently, my vision for a project exceeds my skill by a long shot but I usually try to go for it anyway. Felicia of The Craft Sessions calls this “The gap between taste and ability.” And I would say that I am almost always working in the gap:)

Which three tips would you give a beginner sewer?

1. I usually encourage beginner sewers to start by picking a pattern that they love, even if it seems too difficult. Then commit yourself to learning the techniques as you go. One of the first things that I sewed as a new mom was a pair of wide leg linen pants for myself. Pants can be really tricky, especially on a new mom’s body but I was so proud of them and wore them all the time in spite of their imperfections.

2. Make muslins.

3. Take your time.

For whom do you sew?

Primarily for my kids. I also sew bags and some clothing for myself. I have made some men’s things and I’d really like to make more.

How often do you sew?

Daily. I like to cut things out or trace patterns at night and sew whenever I can during the day. My favorite time of day to sew is early in the morning before everyone else is awake.

What fabric type(s) do you like most to sew with?

Knits. Absolutely and without a doubt. My kids don’t like to wear wovens and knitwear is so quick to make.

How do you get inspired?

The online sewing community is just bursting with inspiration. I love a sewalong! It’s such a fun way to attack a project that may be more difficult than you’re likely to sew on your own. Some fabulous sewalongs that I’ve participated in recently include: A Cargo Duffle Sewalong by Sophie of C’est la vie, the Happy Homemade Sewalong a combined effort by Elsie Marley and You and Mie and right now I’m working on the Alder Dress along with Grainline Readers.

Often, my favorite projects come out of a desire to make something that we need. I like having the freedom to create in the face of necessity. I almost never make anything that I can’t see using immediately and projects won’t come to fruition for me if I don’t think that they’ll get used. I am an avid knitter and I get asked a lot if the hand knits get worn. I think that people assume that since wool has to be hand washed, that I might be hesitant to let the sweaters go out into the wild. But not at all! My kids wear their handmades everywhere: running through the sprinkler, playing on the beach or in the snow. I recently dragged a tote that I made using Nani Iro canvas and leather along on a camping trip. It sat with me by the fire and tagged along to the boat launch.

Do you have any real life sewing friends?

I do. I have some dear friends locally who sew. It’s always inspiring to see their kids at the grocery store in their handmades.

You blog at Handmade by Brienne. I’m curious to hear a little bit about your blog:

When and why did you start to blog?

I started to blog last fall just after Kids Clothes Week. I had thought about blogging for a long time but wasn’t sure how to go after it. I took the plunge out of a desire to connect with other sewers. Meg from Elsie Marley asked me to contribute to the Kids Clothes Week blog just weeks after I had begun to post and I was scared but it was a great experience that forced me to learn a lot fast.

Is there anything that you would make differently if you started your blog now?

Oh yeah. But I didn’t start writing one for years because I was afraid that it wouldn’t be perfect. Of course it is not but I’m ok with that. Mostly, I wish that I had the courage to speak up more. My educational background is in global social history and issues of social justice. I think that the world needs moms, sewists, carpenters, lawyers and everyone to join the conversation. I wish that I had the courage to work that into my content.

The blog itself could use a design overhaul, the content could be clarified and organized. But I loathe spending hours at the computer when I could be making something. So I have chosen to let my blog’s look and format remain humble.

How often do you blog? How much time do you spend each day/week blogging?

I would like to post at least three times a week but this doesn’t always happen. Blogging takes me a long time. Editing photos and text takes a couple of hours unless I want to include a how-to, then it takes much longer.

Do you plan your sewing, picture taking and blog posts in advance or you just let things happen?

My favorite posts are the ones that I’ve planned and written in advance like this one. But more often than not, I am flying by the seat of my pants. One evening, for example, I threw a quick post up about a dress that I had made for myself and had almost decided not to share. I ended up winning a contest with the dress – what a bummer it would have been if I had never shared it!

What are the three sewn (and blogged) items that you are most proud about or that you yourself like most? Show us some pictures (with links)

The Senna Tote

Miss Dandelion Doe

Seersucker Skinnies

Do you make money wiht your blog or do you have any sewing related business (e. g. Etsy or dawanda shop; pattern shop)? Do you have tips for someone wanting to start a blog business?

I have an Etsy shop but I am still learning how all of it works.

What Camera and Objective do you use?

I have a Canon Rebel. I am a total novice when it comes to photography. And a tool when it comes to the editing technology. My only skill when it comes to photography is, maybe, the composition of a photo? Again, it’s the taste versus skill problem. I think that I can spot a good photo when I see one but I have a really hard time setting up a good shot.I have the best luck shooting outside on an overcast day. And I never, ever, use any other shooting mode than the sports mode – isn’t that terrible!?

What is your skill level in photography? Did you learn everything yourself or did you take a course or similar?

I am a total novice. I did take a short, one day crash course last spring. It is something that I’d really like to improve on.

How do you get your kids to cooperate when you want to take pictures?

I have had mixed luck taking pictures of my kids in their handmades. For the most part, they are willing to be photographed. It’s just part of what we do. But it can be a struggle too. I try to come up with intriguing props for them to use or to turn the photo taking into another kind of adventure. Last fall, we used a caramel apple for photo taking, I always love including our dog. Sometimes I buy special art materials that I reserve for photo taking. I really do try not to force them to pose while I’m taking pictures and I just snap a whole bunch, hoping to get something that I can use. I try to keep my expectations low and to photograph clothing on the hanger before I photograph it on the kids, just in case some kind of stain disaster should occur. Or in case they are having a meltdown. I don’t want it to be sad for them.

What programme do you use for picture editing and which steps do you normally take to edit your pictures?

I just use the software that came pre-loaded with my computer. It’s pretty limited, which can be frustrating. I always crop my photos and that is about it. I frequently use the “enhance” function under the “quick fixes” tab and that is about it. I adore instagram, though, and I like to monkey around with the filters over there quite a bit.

What are your three favourite sewing blogs to read? Why?

The Craft Sessions is a newer blog written by Felicia Semple from Australia. She has a very clean, rustic style that appeals to me. She takes beautiful photos of her work and her written content is consistently high quality. Plus I met her last summer and she is a truly passionate artist and a good soul.

Phoebe Wahl creates meaningful, lively illustrations. She prints fabric using her illustrations through Spoonflower. And she does some fiber sculpture work, often using upcycled materials. She often illustrates and writes about issues of social justice, a subject that I am passionate about.

Miniature Rhino is a blog written by Jessica Marquez, a New Yorker and Etsy guru. She writes content related to hand-stitching, which is very inspiring to me. Check out her latest post on Shibori Dyeing – woah!!!

Do you follow any blogs that are written in another language? What are your three favourite ones?

I read some that are bilingual, I always read Sophie’s Ces’t la vie, I love Trine’s blog, Groovybaby and Mama, of course.

Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer my questions!

And now let’s get sewing! I’m curious to see your signature tee!

My signature tee is a hybrid. It’s based on the Flashback Skinny Tee, although I re-drafted many lines on the pattern to make it a raglan style and to add a swingy shape. It has a knit base with a woven layer that has been gathered and added to the top. I wrote a bit about how to approach making one of these over here. Thank you so much for having me, Annika!

Thanks again Brienne for visiting my blog. It’s amazing to get to know the people behind the blogs better.
If you haven’t read all of the old interviews, you can find these here. Plus, come back next week to meet the amazing pattern-maker An from Straight Grain .

series, sew fantastic blogs

Sew fantastic blogs – Max California

I’m especially happy to welcome today’s guest, Ari from Max California: If I was to choose to follow only three blogs, her’s would probably be the one that I would decide on first! Her style is completely different than mine. She is a total rock star while I’m just a plain normal person 😉 Together with Kat from Sew Chibi she is doing a monthly series called Sew Geeky where they sew clothes from cartoons, mangas, movies etc that might be a bit geeky – and that admittedly I mostly don’t know at all (guess I’m not a geek? plus these characters maybe didn’t show up as much in german tv?). Her sewing always is different, fun, creative, just “Max” and it really didn’t surprise me that she won season 6 of Project Run and Play and was part of the first issue of STYLO. This girl is just the best… Here are some of my favorites (two of them are quite recent, but you really don’t have to go far back in time to find something you like…):

Sew Geeky: Tank girl; Sew Geeky: Star Wars creatures; PR&P Signature Look

First things first: Please introduce yourself

Hello! I’m Ari and I come from Australia! I live in a small country town about two hours inland from Brisbane (small as in all we have is a corner shop, a school and a hall. Oh and a roundabout!). We moved here almost a year ago and it’s the best thing we ever did! My family consists of my super handsome husband Tim and our two amazing kids Vincent & Edison! I used to study fashion way back in my early twenties and I’ve also done work experience when I was pregnant for a fashion designer which was a great real-life experience! I love fashion, mostly children’s fashion, and I love that no matter what you wear you can make it trendy if you rock it out with confidence! I wouldn’t call myself a fashionable person, in that I don’t follow the seasonal trends, but I do love playing around with outfits and clothing and just having fun with my clothes.

I’m a stay at home mama and I absolutely love it! When I was a kid all I wanted when I grew up was to get married and be a mum, so once I accomplished that at 24 the rest has just been a bonus!

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Photo credit my very favourite Kristina Childs

Let’s talk about sewing.

When did you start and who taught you to sew?

I started sewing when I was around 8 years old. My mum used to sew most of mine and my sister’s clothes – right down to underwear! I was so proud of everything she made me (except for this pair of farm animal corduroy jeans that I’m sure NOW i would have loved so hard, but then, oh man I hated them!)(she never lets me forget that either), so when she made my dad a shirt, my sister a shirt and then some knickers for me out of the scraps I proudly marched to my Opa and lifted my skirt to show him my new underwear ‘from scraps!’. He thought it was hilarious, and every time after that if I showed him anything he would ask if it was from ‘from scraps’. (I eventually got that phrase tattooed on my arm!).

We started with making clothes for our cabbage patch dolls, and while I didn’t sew a lot as a child after that I picked it up again in my final year of school. I remember making myself a really hideous pair of shorts from a bedspread. It had fish all over it and it was just, wow, so ugly but I really loved them! I wore them on the bus and got teased quite a lot for it. I was upset, but it never made me stop sewing for myself! And well, that was 13 years ago and hello, look where I am now! The best thing is those ugly fish shorts were so 90s, and it was the early 2000’s and I’m sure they’re super fashionable now!

Do you consider yourself a beginner, intermediate or professional sewer?

I don’t think I’m professional, I’m sure if I sat down and did all the proper techniques I was taught in fashion school I’d pretend I was close to professional but I’m not. I’m intermediate, I’m learning new things all the time and its terrifying and exciting and it does help me to sew things easier when I do them the -right- way as opposed to my gung-ho guerilla-sewing technique! Still, DIY is all about Doing It Yourself, sooo if the way YOU do something is the best way for YOU to do it, then go ahead!

Which three tips would you give a beginner sewer?

1. Don’t give up! For years and years and YEARS I was making the crappiest stuff, I didn’t use patterns just hacked up t-shirts and made cool new stuff. They were awful, but all my friends LOVED them and people wanted to buy my stuff. I guess it worked with the punk rock style I was going for?

2. Don’t be scared to try new things! This is something I have written up on a little post it note stuck to my wall above my sewing machine. I taught myself how to sew a blind hem like a month or two ago, and now I want to blind hem all the things! Some things may intimidate you, some things you may not want to sew because you don’t think you know how. Just go for it! Jump in, the water’s fine! What’s the worst that will happen? You’ll screw up? That’s not really a problem because there is enough fabric in the world you can keep screwing up until you get it the way you want it!

3. Don’t conform! When you start sewing you will find what you enjoy making the best. For me originally it was t-shirt surgeries! Hacking up band shirts and turning them into cool new shirts or mini dresses or skirts. Then as my skills got better and better I started making rockabilly 1950s inspired dresses. And then along came baby Vincent and all that went out the window because now the thing I love to sew the most is kids clothing! Find what you like and make that. Find your style, the things you enjoy doing, and do that. Don’t let anybody make you think you’re not good enough, or you’re not as good as someone else. You’re as good as yourself, and that’s really all that matters!

For whom do you sew?

My kids! Vinnie and Eddie, although I’ve been sewing for Vincent for longer so I feel more confident making him cool things. I also have been sewing for myself since there is becoming an abundance of amazing women’s pdf patterns these days! Poor Tim has been missing out, but I would like to change that!

How often do you sew?

It really depends! Sometimes I have the sewing bug and I just want to sew all day and all night and when i have to go to bed I’m on my phone on Pinterest planning the next things I want to sew. Other times I get burned out and I’m just like “ugh no” when I think about sewing. I’m like a mad scientist.

What fabric type(s) do you like most to sew with?

Nothing slinky. I hate silks and satins and fabrics that slip away when I try to sew them! I used to just sew with woven fabrics, I was scared of knits and I loved the structure of putting darts in and making things sit so nicely. Those days though everything has changed and I just sew what the hell ever!

How do you get inspired?

My son is my biggest muse. He has his own style, he’s let me know what things he does like wearing and what things he hates wearing (all his pants must be super skinny!) and he’s the reason I sometimes make really strange things that aren’t the ‘usual’ thing for boys. He rocks out leggings, floral shirts, he really wants me to make him a pair of gold leggings like his sister’s but I haven’t had the chance to make them for him yet! I follow a few kids fashion accounts on Instagram and they’re very inspiring for boys’ fashion.

Do you have any real life sewing friends?

Real life? I have friends online, my bff Kat of Sew Chibi (we talk every day!) as well as the many many talented ladies of the blogsphere, but as in my day to day life that’s a big fat no! My mum doesn’t sew a lot anymore, my sister does sew sometimes but she does underestimate herself a lot which is silly because she makes the most amazing things! Other than that I don’t have any RL sewing friends (although Sophie and I are working on rectifying this asap!)

You blog at Max California. I’m curious to hear a little bit about your blog:

When and why did you start to blog?

I started it when I was pregnant with Vinnie. I was sewing mainly things for myself and posting them on T Shirt Surgery which was a great little sewing community but then I decided I needed a place just for myself and the tutorials I was writing. I started my blog and then suddenly was thrown into the world of sewing for kids when somehow I stumbled upon Dana and Rae’s Celebrate the Boy series.Seriously, total life changer.

Is there anything that you would make differently if you started your blog now?

Nope! We all start from somewhere, and it’s amazing that sometimes there’s these people that have only had their blog for like 6 months and they’re, like, ‘blog famous’ sort of thing. I’ve had my blog since 2008! But you know, I didn’t start my blog expecting to get people that weren’t my mum reading it. If you have something you want to share, then share it!

How often do you blog? How much time do you spend each day/week blogging?

I blog whenever I feel like it. I do get asked to be on various blog events or pattern tours, which is so much fun, and of course I have the monthly adventures of Sew Geeky with my friend Kat so I blog at least twice a month these days, although it’s usually more!

Do you plan your sewing, picture taking and blog posts in advance or do you just let things happen?

If I’m sewing with a deadline, then yes. I used to leave things to the last minute but it’s stressful and the whole family suffers so I do try to get things done well ahead of time! Before I was on Project Run & Play (that’s kind of how people realised I was a blogger and they wanted me to be on their blog parties/tours!) I would finish something and take photos and blog about it all in the one day.
The kids aren’t allowed to wear anything I have made if I haven’t taken photos of it yet. It’s like the blogger code 😉

What are the three sewn (and blogged) items that you are most proud about or that you yourself like most?Show us some pictures (with links)!

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I really love most things I sew! When I put something I have sewn onto my kids I just fall in love with it even more. There’s something about Vin that just makes even the ugliest outfit pretty amazing! My most favourite thing I have ever made Vincent was the blue Sergeant Pepper’s inspired military jacket I made for the finale of Project Run & Play! I put my heart and soul into that piece, and if you click through you’ll hear the story about my Opa and the scraps again but that’s because the linking of the jacket was made from scraps of every fabric I had used throughout the competition!

I also love the Bantha hoodie I made Eddie. It really is the most ridiculous hoodie I have ever seen, it’s horrible to try and wash but she loves it, and I think it’s hilarious on her. It’s quite obscure, not many people know what the heck she is supposed to be, which makes me love it even more!

I also (terrible photo!) love the Greasemonkey coveralls I made Vincent. I made two pairs for him, as he grew out of the first pair, and it’s time for me to make another pair. This little piece is going to be my first ever real life pattern! Which is exciting!

Do you make money with your blog or do you have any sewing related business (e.g. Etsy or dawanda shop; pattern shop)? Do you have tips for someone wanting to start a blog business?

I managed to qualify for a BlogHer account, which means I get a small amount of money each month for their ads on my site. It’s not a lot, but it does come in handy with it sitting in my paypal account (ie, those impulsive $2 on ebay with free shipping from China buys!).

I don’t really have much advice, since I do not have a head for business at all. I’d rather create, and I really despise how money oriented some things can get. I feel if you are blogging just to make money, then you’re really in the wrong field and it is very obvious what you are trying to do (which makes me a little sick) (maybe I’m just being a hippie but some people’s obsession with money is disgusting). It’s difficult, I know I could probably ,make more money by working out how to get more traffic or approaching people sponsorship or taking advantage of some of the emails I get sent to promote certain products.

I remember the first time I was approached it was for glasses and I would get a free pair of glasses. I was really excited, but then when I wrote the post up on my blog? Oh man I felt so dirty! What the hell does glasses have to do with sewing? NOTHING. I know it’s my blog and I can do what I like with it, but really, whenever I see sponsored posts for cleaning products or face wash or whatever on other blogs i just click the hell out of there. I’m just a really -real- person, I want to feel like what I’m reading this person is passionate about, that they love it, not that they got a free whatever out of it you know? And yeh, again, it’s their blogs and they can do what they like but that is just my feelings on the matter!

What Camera and Objective do you use?

I used to use my iPhone for most of my pics! About a year and a half ago I was given an SLR camera from my in-laws which was an AMAZING gift and I literally cried because I wasn’t expecting it. It was right in time for Project Run & Play and it was just. I was very lucky! (it’s also insured!). It’s a Canon EOS 1100D. I just use the lens that came with it which is an 18-55mm. That’s the extent of my photography knowledge!

What is your skill level in photography? Did you learn everything yourself or did you take a course or similar?

Oh man amateur. Very, very amateur. I would love to take a course in photography at our local TAFE (i believe it’s similar to a community college thing) to further my skills. I do think I have a flair for taking photos, I just don’t know all the technical stuff and when I try and read and learn I get distracted to easily! (I have ADD so focusing on one thing I’m not passionate about is really really difficult!)

How do you get your kids to cooperate when you want to take pictures?

I don’t know if it’s just my kids but they LOVE having their photo taken. I’ve always made it fun for them, and because I think yelling at them for not co-operating with something like this is absolutely ridiculous if they’re not feeling it then we’ll stop and try again another day. However I find if Vin is acting up, being really silly, and I ask him if we can just take photos later he FLIPS out because he loves our mini shoots! So does Eddie now.
Maybe it’s because I’ve been taking photos of them for a very long time? They’re used to it, and Vincent follows direction very very well. He’s an amazing little model! Only once I have had to bribe them with Smarties; it was for the Classic Anime shoot we did for Sew Geeky. I was running out of time and HAD to get photos that day and they were just, so not in the mood for any of it! However they will do anything for a smartie (they don’t get sugary lolllies very often at all!) and it was a little stressful but I tried so hard not to snap at my babies (except the snap snap of the camera! Ha!

What programme do you use for picture editing and which steps do you normally take to edit your pictures?

I use Photoshop Elements which is a lovely basic version of photoshop! I do have Photoshop as well, but there is so much I just don’t use that Elements works perfectly for me! I really don’t edit my photos that much, again this is a lack of skill but I don’t really think you need to be a photoshop wizard to blog! I mean you take a photo of what you have made, if you need to photoshop the crap out of it then maybe that’s a little misleading 😉

I really only crop photos, resize them and then lighten them (Enhance > Adjust Lighting > Brightness/Contrast).

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As you can see nothing amazing happening here. Apart from that ridiculously cute little babe!

What are your three favourite sewing blogs to read? Why?

Oh please don’t act like you didn’t see this one coming! My girl Sew Chibi! I love her so much, she’s such a passionate seamstress and her creations are such an art! I rave on about her all the time I know, but there is a reason for that. She is my cheerleader, my Tim Gunn, she helps me with so many things. She is inspiring, she pushes me (unintentionally) to reach new heights with my sewing. I mean she sewed with WATER and then with LIGHTS. Please. Some days she makes me want to just give up the internet because come on! (I’m kidding, Internet I could never quit you).

Another favourite is Tara from Girl Like the Sea. She’s very nerdy and she is an AMAZING mother. Seriously she blows my mind with how epic she is. Her creations are so beautiful, her blog commentary always makes me laugh and her children just give me heart eyes! Ugh I mean look at Vincent’s future wife right here!

A girl I used to avidly follow and talk to back in the days before children and blogs is Lladybird. I’m sure I met her on Craftster or one of the sewing livejournal communities when they were the only places to go for DIY creations! Lauren is so inspiring. She sews so much and she is just, she really motivates me to sew for me! Check her out, I garunte ou will be stuck on her blog for hours as you trawl her archives.

Special mentions go out to my girls Amanda of Kitschy Coo and Sarah of Emmy Lou Bee Doo just because they are super supportive of everything I have ever done and I love them so so much.

Do you follow any blogs that are written in another language? What are your three favourite ones?

First and foremost, I love Trine from Groovybaby and Mama! Her boy fashion is very inspiring for me, and her children are SO BEAUTIFUL to look at oh my goodness! She is Danish.

A recent new favourite is rocKing’sKidi. I don’t even know how I’m supposed to say that! Rocking’s Kidi? I usually say Rocking Skidi ^_^ ANYWAY, I love Elisa’s style a lot and I first found her when I was looking for doll clothes‘ inspiration for Eddie’s new dolls. Her children’s fashion is just as epic!

Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer my questions!

And now let’s get sewing! I’m curious to see your signature tee!

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Weee! Well you know i could have sewn something epic for Vinnie, since he is definitely my signature style little man. However he has a lot of clothes and you know who doesn’t? ME! Yeh. So I knew I wanted to make myself a shirt but I had no idea what sort of shirt to do. I was going to do some t-shirt surgery like what I used to do when I was younger (I don’t think I have any photos on my blog but my sister made one similar just recently). After having a little browse and being in total comic book mode (this month’s theme for Sew Geeky is Marvel Vs DC!) I decided to make myself a shirt inspired by my favourite superhero of them all, Nightwing!

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Okay so quickly, Nightwing is the first of Batman’s Robin, he’s just grown up! Yeh, I really really love Robin! Now there are quite a few amazing t-shirt patterns for ladies out there, and I got to try out the Trifecta Top by Kitschy Coo for the first time and oooh boy.

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TOTALLY IN LOVE. There are SO MANY customisation options, you can go wild with all the different sleeve lengths, neckline options, hemming options, hell even the little shoulder insert details yeh! So I went with the low scoop neckline, elbow length sleeves and in a way I did the shoulder insets too.

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Man this tee was really TRICKY. I mean it’s a t-shirt, why would it be difficult! Because I like making things hard on myself that’s why! The Nightwing markings across my chest are a reverse applique. The sleeve were hacked a little so that there is blue on the shoulder of the sleeve, then black the rest of the way. The little black ‘shoulder insets’ are actually just like caps! Or upside down pockets, ya know, however you look at it!

The most difficult part was lining up the blue sleeve sections with the blue on the front of the shirt however after sewing the same thing wrong three times I eventually grew a brain and it all came together!

I love the back, how it just looks like a cool shirt! Although I think even from the front, if you didn’t know it was Nightwing I was channelling it still looks like some sort of cool tribal-ish sort of thing yeh? I sewed this tee up in the size 6 (oh how I love the way Amanda’s patterns are organised and sized!) even though my measurements said I was a size 4. My reason? I like oversized shirts basically! I’ve sewn Amanda’s patterns before, and I know that the sizing is spot on for me, so even though size 4 wouldn’t be tight on me, I just wanted a nice baggy shirt! I think it turned out well, like I’ve slipped into Nightwing’s casual shirt while he’s out fighting crime in his suit 😉

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Thank you SO MUCH Annika for having me, I’m thinking about making my About Me page just redirect to here!

Thanks again “Max” for visiting my blog. I really loved to get to know you better!
If you haven’t read all of the old interviews, you can find these here. Plus, come back next week to meet the always inspiring Brienne.

series, sew fantastic blogs

Sew fantastic blogs: C’est la vie

Today I’m really happy that I’m able to introduce Sophie from C’est la vie to you. Sophie’s blog is the one of this series that I know shortest (only since March). But when I saw her Knight Hoodie, I added her blog right to my reader. Since than I have had a growing friendship with this beautiful french woman and sometimes feel ike she is my sewing and blogging soulmate 🙂 I simply love everything that she posts and she is one of my most frequent commenters as well. Plus when I comment on someone else’s blog post, she often has already commented or will comment shortly after me 🙂 We even had the same idea to combine the Mara blouse and the Coachella shorts (my version, her version). However, there’s one thing about Sophie that I don’t think I’ll ever be: She’s classy. I love what she sews for her kids, but when she sews for herself „stunning, beautiful and – classy“ always are the first words that come to my mind. Her style is fabulous (well, I guess french chic) and it thus, didn’t come as a surprise to me when Meg made her a contributor for last KCW.So, here I have some of my favorites for you:

Knight Hoodie, Stepford Dress, Neon fawn lily

First things first: Please introduce yourself (who are you, tell us a little bit about your family, which country and maybe city do you live in, are you originally from this country, do you work or are you a stay at home mom, etc.)!
Bonjour! I am Sophie Crespy, I live in the French Alps with my husband and 2 kids aged 8 and 5. I work full time as a teacher but I would dream to be a stay at home mom!! I think I would actually like to sew all day! That would be great!

Let’s talk about sewing:
When did you start and who taught you to sew?
I started sewing about 2 years ago. The funny thing is I started sewing when I used to scrapbook: I would sew on my layouts, to add texture!
Some of my fellow scrapbookers were also quilters and I wanted to make those beautiful quilts too! Just for the love of colors and patterns! I learnt to sew on the internet, via tutorials and classes (the Craftsy ones are great!).

Do you consider yourself a beginner, intermediate or professional sewer?
Nowadays I think I have sewn enough to call myself intermediate.

Which three tips would you give a beginner sewer?
1. I think learning to quilt first is a great idea: quilting requires precision and you learn to sew perfect seams!
2. Sew what you WANT to sew: when I started sewing, I have NEVER sewn any beginners projects such as pillowcases : I started sewing garments with a dress for myself, which had gathers, buttons, sleeves…. Challenges help you learn!
3. Read your sewing machine manual, like, a lot, really!

For whom do you sew?
I sew for myself and my children. I am slowly starting to sew for others and to gift what I sew. I find it hard though to give away something I made.

How often do you sew?
I NEED to sew every day. It is necessary for my balance and sanity! When I used to scrapbook, it was the same. I just need some creative time every day, at night, after the kids are in bed. It is not easy to balance work/ family and sewing. It happens that I go a few days without sewing, but then I probably think about the next pattern or project and how I will combine fabrics!

What fabric type(s) do you like most to sew with?
Wovens ! I did try knits, but I think it made me curse way too much! I love the soft touch and variety of patterns found in wovens. But I think my love for wovens also comes from my quilting background.

How do you get inspired?
I am an eager blog reader. Online fabric shops are also very inspiring. I am just crazy about prints, colours, patterns. I am also addicted to Pinterest.

Do you have any real life sewing friends?
I do, but not many. I actually started sewing thanks to my good friend Nathalie who is a fabric hoarder! I wanted to have the same beautiful prints at home!

You blog at C’est la vie. I’m curious to hear a little bit about your blog:
When and why did you start to blog?
I started blogging 4 years ago, because I wanted to share my scrapbook layouts with the world. I also got to design for scrapbooking manufacturers and blogging was a requirement.

Is there anything that you would make differently if you started your blog now?
No. Blogging has been such a wonderful opportunity for me who live in a very small town, with few people around sharing my love for craft, to “meet” other crafty people. My blog has grown and evolved over time and I like the way it looks now.

How often do you blog? How much time do you spend each day/week blogging?
It really depends on my life. I used to be very intentional about blogging. I needed to get my readers’ appraisal. I have grown out of that feeling now. I don’t blog out of duty or to impress others. I really try not to compare myself to other bloggers. I blog to share, in hope of inspiring others, and show them that there is so much joy to be found in sewing and crafting.

Do you plan your sewing, picture taking and blog posts in advance or do you just let things happen?
I tend to let things happen, because I am not a professional blogger. I mean, I make my living elsewhere, so I just want to keep it fun and casual. I sew what I want to sew, because I love a pattern or some fabrics I have. I also sew because someone needs a special kind of garment. I also take part in pattern testing or blog hops, but only because I choose to, and because I love the pattern/ blogger/ designer. I would dream to make sewing my first job, but I doubt it will ever happen, so I try to keep things real! Sewing is just my passion, not the way I can make a living!

What are the three sewn (and blogged) items that you are most proud about or that you yourself like most? Show us some pictures (with links)!

1. The fawn Lily dress for my girl: I just love the combo of colors I ended up using: and that Nani Iro flannel is to die for!2. The Knight Hoody: the best sweatshirt EVER! My boy wears it all the time!
3. The Louisa dress: it was my first Compagnie M. pattern. Liberty Lawn and chambray: a win for sure!

Do you make money with your blog or do you have any sewing related business (e.g. Etsy or dawanda shop; pattern shop)? Do you have tips for someone wanting to start a blog business?I have an Etsy shop but I almost never fill it! I sold 3 of my quilts and 2 garments. But selling garments make me too nervous. I am a perfectionist. I would love to sell more quilts though because I have enough in my house right now but can’t help making more!!

Taking Pictures and editing these is an important part of blogging. Good pictures are often what makes us want to visit a blog again and again. I’m excited to read what camera you are using and if you have to bribe your kids, too…
What Camera and Objective do you use?I use a Canon EOS 1100D. and the objective is AFS 18-55mm.

What is your skill level in photography? Did you learn everything yourself or did you take a course or similar?I am intermediate. I learnt from books mainly and would recommend this one: Mamarazzi, by Stacy Wasmuth.

How do you get your kids to cooperate when you want to take pictures?Well, they love that I make garments for them and are usually proud to have their photos taken. As a scrapbooker I am used to take LOTS of photos, so they are used to it too! But promising sweets can help!

What programme do you use for picture editing and which steps do you normally take to edit your pictures?

I can’t afford Photoshop. I use the Windows Live program. It is very basic, but enough for me and the time I have at hand! I usually add more light, more saturation and reframe the photo.

What would blogging be without other blogs? I’m always on the hunt for new inspiring blogs. And I love to get in contact with people from different countries. Who knows maybe you have some blog favourites that I don’t know about?
What are your three favourite sewing blogs to read? Why?http://www.briennemoody.typepad.com/
http://www.stitched-together.com/
http://maureencracknellhandmade.blogspot.fr/: this one is my favourite quilting blog.

I think what these blogs have in common is that the bloggers are what I call “soul sewers”: they sew beautifully and write beautifully too. Their projects reflect their identity. The fabrics choices are perfect to me: not too trendy yet unusual and beautifully mixed. They also tend to alter patterns to make them their own. I also like that they share a bit of their journey through motherhood. Maureen Cracknell is just a quilting genius. She trusts her creativity and just creates what appeals to her. It seems every new quilt is a piece of art!

Do you follow any blogs that are written in another language? What are your three favourite ones?
Most of the blogs I follow are in English/American.

Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer my questions!

And now let’s get sewing! I’m curious to see your signature tee!

I made a Mulberry shirt for my boy with some fabrics he chose from my stash! He loves these foxes!
He also wanted the hood version and short sleeves and I think the result is the cutest thing!

Thanks so much Sophie for visiting my blog.
And everybody, come back next week get to know the fantastic Ari from Max California!

series, sew fantastic blogs

Sew fantastic blogs: mirid

Today I’m very pleased to welcome my real-life sewing and blogging friend and neighbor Miriam from mirid. As amazing it is to get to know other sewing fanatics online, it still is even better to meet on a daily basis, to go fabric shopping together and to spend nights sewing and chatting together. If you want to know more about how Miriam and I met, please read this post. Here, I only want to say how extremly happy I count myself to call such a fun, open-hearted and creative woman my friend. Miriam is super talented. She has written severalsewing (and crafting with paper) books, constantly thinks about new sewing projects and has fabric and trim in every colour and material. She even was in the finals for “Germany’s most creative blogger”. She loves to sew bags – even though she already has more than enough – and the details that she includes in each of her makes are fantastic. Here are my favorites.

Wolf bag, Skirt and matching clutch, beautiful bag

My name is Miriam, known as Miri D through my blog, going towards 40, living with my boyfriend (btw, not planning to get married) and our six years old son in a small (tiny small) bavarian village, after some stops in Kassel (Germany), Graz (Austria), South Caroline (USA) and Frankfurt (Germany).

I have a degree in administrative law, quit after a couple of years (thank goodness!) and restarted in an advertising company. Now – several years later – foudn my passion in writing craft books. Plus, I can actually live of my work, that amazes me every time I think about it!

Let’s talk about sewing:
When did you start and who taught you to sew?

I started sewing when I was six or seven years. My mom had a sewing machine that was … well … kind of a mess. The tread tension somehow didn’t exist. But it couldn’t prevent me from sewing little things for my dolls.

Do you consider yourself a beginner, intermediate or professional sewer?

Well, I don’t sell my sewn stuff, so I’m not really a professional. But I think I’m a little more than intermediate.

Which three tips would you give a beginner sewer?

Borrow a machine, get yourself some inexpensive fabric and try. This way you can find out if you really like it.

For whom do you sew?

For me, for our son and sometimes for friends. But I don’t sell my stuff, so I usually know the person who gets something from me.

How often do you sew?

As often as possible, but since I’m working and have a familiy my list of sewing tasks is growing longer and longer.

What fabric type(s) do you like most to sew with?

I loooove jersey! There’s nothing more comfortable.

How do you get inspired?

Since we live in a small village there is no real street style. I usually get my inspirations through internet, while traveling and discovering different countries and once in a while through craft fairs.

Do you have any real life sewing friends?

Sure! You for example!

You blog at mirid. I’m curious to hear a little bit about your blog:
When and why did you start to blog?

I started a little more than three years ago. I published a couple of DIY books before but there are always ideas that are just not right for a complete book or are a variaty of an idea from a book. So, the blog is the perfect platform to show these ideas. And it’s a good start for creative interchange.

Is there anything that you would make differently if you started your blog now?

I would put my signature on every picture right from the beginning. You don’t know how many people have use for your photos if it doesn’t contain some kind of mark.

How often do you blog? How much time do you spend each day/week blogging?

That depends on how much time I have beside my work. I try to blog twice a week. But often I only have time for one post, or even less …

Do you plan your sewing, picture taking and blog posts in advance or do you just let things happen?

I rather let things happen.

What are the three two sewn (and blogged) items that you are most proud about or that you yourself like most? Show us some pictures (with links)!

Actually, I’m most proud of these two items, just because I actually wear them often and I feel very comfortable in them.

Ribbon shirt, Mayana skirt

Do you make money with your blog or do you have any sewing related business (e.g. Etsy or dawanda shop; pattern shop)? Do you have tips for someone wanting to start a blog business?

I work for a bookpublishing company, writing DIY books. So, they usually do the marketing. With my blog I don’t make money, it is rather a support for my books.

Taking Pictures and editing these is an important part of blogging. Good pictures are often what make us want to visit a blog again and again. Unfortunately, I only have a compact camera (and two kids that rather want to play with their friends than take pics). I’m excited to read what camera you are using and if you have to bribe your kids, too…
What Camera and Objective do you use?

I have a Canon Eos 300 D, the objective is a photosensitive Sigma.

What is your skill level in photography? Did you learn everything yourself or did you take a course or similar?

I taught myself. But a good camera made that pretty easy. Plus: My work in an advertising company a couple of years ago somehow gave me a feeling of what might work. But I’m far away from professional.

How do you get your kids to cooperate when you want to take pictures?

I usually don’t take pictures of our son. I don’t want him on the internet. That’s a point he has to decide in a few years.

What programme do you use for picture editing and which steps do you normally take to edit your pictures?

I usually work with Photoshop and I love it. So, I’d like to show you one easy but remarkable tool I use in Photoshop. It’ll work for Photoshop Elements as well. It’s called: Levels. Sometimes you have photos that somehow look “foggy”: no real black parts and no real white parts. In order to really shine a photo needs both; the very dark parts and the very light parts. This is a photo I took this spring in the Death Valley area in California.

As you can see, Death Valley seems soooo boring. When you select >Image >Mode >Adjust >Levels you can see the above pop-up called “Tonwertkorrektur”. The black (kind of dumpling) part represents the colors used in the photo. And you can also see that the black part is only in the center. This means, there are no real light colors and no real dark colors in the photo. When you push the little arrows towards the center (see red circle below), the light parts are going to be lighter, the dark areas are going to be darker. And that’s how my photo turns out:

Look at the incredible intensive sky! Death Valley is the place to be, right?!

What are your three favourite sewing blogs to read? Why?

I really like Anlukaa, she has a very unique style. And I looove her glass work.

Do you follow any blogs that are written in another language?

What are your three favourite ones? I just stumbled over Maria Denmark. It contains a bunch of sewing tipps.

Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer my questions!
And now let’s get sewing! I’m curious to see your signature tee!

This shirt somehow describes my style pretty good. It’s a plain shirt with a colorful detail.

Thanks a lot Miri for visiting my blog.
And everybody, come back next week to see what Sophie from C’est la vie has to say.

series, sew fantastic blogs

Sew fantastic blogs: Vera Luna

The moment that I discovered Saskia’s blog some time last year, I was hooked. Her blog is simply fantastic. Whenever I see that she has written a new post, I go there right away! Her t-shirts, sweatshirts, shorts etc. are always unique. Stamping, sun-printing, color-blocking, freezer paper stenciling, bleaching, dip dyeing – just name a fun technique: Saskia will have done it. And not just done it, she will have made something amazing with it! Since I and she hosted Secret Squirrel we have been in loose contact, connected through our love for everything Astrid Lindgren and Scandinavia. She is such a warm and friendly person with an amazing style. Here are my favorites.

Amazing triangle sweater, secret squirrel outfit, surfer shorts

First things first: Please introduce yourself (who are you, tell us a little bit about your family, which country and maybe city do you live in, are you originally from this country, do you work or are you a stay at home mom, etc.)!
I’m Saskia from the Netherlands. I live together with my partner and our three children (6, 4 and 1) in a city in the middle of the country. I work four days a week as a scientist (inventor) at the research lab of a big tech company. So during the day, I’m surrounded by technology-loving nerds (mostly men) and at night I’m part of the low-tech (and entirely female) sewing blogosphere. Quite a contrast! The main ingredient of both activities, however, is the same: creativity. When I’m not working or sewing, I love to spend time outdoors with my family; walking, cycling, playing and enjoying nature.

Let’s talk about sewing:
When did you start and who taught you to sew?
I started to sew when my oldest – a girl- was born. It must have been hormone-driven, because I’ve never cared much about clothes for myself (still don’t really), but somehow I loved to sew for her. Another reason was that when shopping I rarely found clothes that I liked, especially for girls. It’s just too ruffly, pink and sweet. Boy clothes are a little bit better, but too often they involve stupid texts, cars, trucks or monsters. And cool unisex clothing is difficult to find and expensive! So I just started off with some simple skirts (just two panels with some elastic), and before I knew it, I was hooked. I never followed classes, but learned from doing, making many mistakes, and of course from reading blogs and tutorials.

Do you consider yourself a beginner, intermediate or professional sewer?

I would consider myself an intermediate sewer. Nevertheless, I still keep things really simple. I avoid button holes, zippers and other tricky stuff as much as I can, and I’m sure I’m doing many things completely wrong.

Which three tips would you give a beginner sewer?
Tip 1. Try,
Tip 2. Try,
Tip 3. Keep trying. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes! Because:
a. you will learn from your mistakes (your mom/dad/teacher may have told you so a thousand times, but I’ll just repeat it here), and
b. your mistakes may seem huge when you’re making them, but they’ll tend to become invisible when your creation is finished and being worn.

For whom do you sew?
I sew only for my kids (and other people’s kids). I haven’t got the guts to start sewing for myself (yet).

How often do you sew?
It varies. My creativity waxes and wanes. Usually, when starting a project, I just want to finish it immediately, so I’ll work a few nights in a row to complete it. Then it can take a few days, but also weeks until a new idea pops up.

What fabric type(s) do you like most to sew with?
I sew practically only with knits. My kids love to wear comfortable, practical clothes, and I love how the stretch of the fabric tends to forgive most of my errors due to hasty cutting and imprecise sewing.

How do you get inspired?
O, that’s an interesting question. Inspiration can come from everywhere. Sometimes it’s a word (Ole Guacamole), sometimes it’s a pin on Pinterest (the sailor sweater), sometimes it’s a blog post featuring a cool technique such as discharge printing.

Do you have any real life sewing friends?
Nope. Not really. But I recently signed up for the volunteer job of ‘head costume seamstress’ at my kids’ school, so things may change soon….

You blog at Vera Luna. I’m curious to hear a little bit about your blog:
When and why did you start to blog?
I started blogging a year and a half ago. I had been sewing and following blogs for a while already, but finally felt confident enough to share my creations in the blogging world.

Is there anything that you would make differently if you started your blog now?
No. I don’t think so.

How often do you blog? How much time do you spend each day/week blogging?Just as my sewing, the frequency of my blogging waxes and wanes. It really depends on the flow of my creativity, productivity and other life commitments. I try to blog at least once a week, but during busy periods, it easily drops to once a month.

Do you plan your sewing, picture taking and blog posts in advance or do you just let things happen?
I’ve noticed that my creativity flows best when it is not constrained by plans, pressure or deadline, so I just go with the flow.

What are three sewn (and blogged) items that you are most proud about or that you yourself like most? Show us some pictures (with links)!
O, that’s a difficult one. Usually, my latest creation is my favourite. However, my all-time favourite must be the triangle or zigzag sweater, stencilled with discharge paste. This was one of these magic moments of creation where I didn’t plan anything, but just started off and let it evolve. I loved the sweater so much that I copied it into a tee.

Another favourite is the set of colour-block tees that I sewed during the latest edition of Project Run and Play. Even though I used a similar pattern for all tees, each of them is distinctively different and has its own character.

Finally, this sailor sweater. I went out of my comfort zone by incorporating neon pink and I loved it!

Taking Pictures and editing these is an important part of blogging. Good pictures are often what makes us want to visit a blog again and again. Unfortunately, I only have a compact camera (and two kids that rather want to play with their friends than take pics). I’m excited to read what camera you are using and if you have to bribe your kids, too…
What Camera and Objective do you use? I use a DSLR (Canon) with a fixed 50 mm lens and a zoom lens.

What is your skill level in photography? Did you learn everything yourself or did you take a course or similar?
My mum was an avid amateur photographer, who conveyed her love of photography and taught me the basics of photography: composition, exposure, aperture, etc. Later, I followed several courses. However, as with sewing, I’ve learned most by just doing and experimenting. Having a digital camera has really helped in this; the possibility to shoot an endless number of pictures and the immediate feedback has made my learning curve a lot steeper.

How do you get your kids to cooperate when you want to take pictures?
Ooh, that’s a difficult one. I haven’t figured out the right strategy yet. Although I’m officially against bribery, and tried to avoid it as long as possible, I’ve recently caved in and discovered that it significantly improves my kids’ cooperation. If possible, I try to go to a fun and photogenic location (the park, the woods) and do a little photoshoot while my kids play. Otherwise, I try to keep it as short as possible.

What programme do you use for picture editing and which steps do you normally take to edit your pictures?
I used to do my processing in iPhoto, but I recently discovered PicMonkey and I love it! The first and most important step I always take is changing the ‘levels’, which makes the photo brighter and fresher. Instant improvement! Depending on whether I’ve shot inside or outside, I need to tweak some more about the colour temperature etc.

Do you follow any blogs that are written in another language? What are your three favourite ones?
I follow a number of Dutch and Flemish blogs. Amongst my favorites are:
– Mamasha, mother of two sons and pattern designer of Zonen 09. She creates cool boy clothes and patterns with a vintage touch.
– Oon. Perfect photos and impeccable clothes.

Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer my questions!
And now let’s get sewing! I’m curious to see your signature tee!

So, the tee! Would you believe that this assignment gave me a serious case of sewing block? It sounded simple enough: just sew a tee. Tees are my staple, so this shouldn’t be a problem, right? Well, it was. It must have been the qualification ‘signature’ that got my wheels spinning. Because, sewing just another tee is of an entirely different league than sewing YOUR SIGNATURE TEE. I’m sure that Annika didn’t intend it this way, but I did get stuck on this question: what is my signature style? I tried to get inspiration from my previous creations, but even though I could see a clear trend there (more about that in a later post), I couldn’t think of anything new that would reflect my signature. So in the end, I decided to forego the idea of creating MY SIGNATURE TEE, and sew just another tee. And you know what? As soon as the pressure was released, creativity started to flow again.

I went through my humungous pile of stash and found a blue tee and tangerine tee (size 18 M) to upcycle. Looking further, I found some teal blue knit (a remnant of my son’s Secret Squirrel outfit and some mustard yellow knit (which I’ve used in various combinations before). Together, these four colours matched perfectly. They had this retro feel to them, but I couldn’t immediately pinpoint it to a specific era. Fortunately, Pinterest gave the answer….

I found that this particular colour combination was often used in mid century graphic design. Seeing all those retro posters from the ‘space race’ era sparked my creativity. And thus the Space Race Tee was born!

The two tees had exactly the same size, so I could reuse the original neckline and sleeves. I simply cut out a V-shape in both and sewed them together. This resulted in my favourite detail of this shirt; the colour-blocked sleeves….

Then I added a yellow V and finally added the teal knit to form the bottom of the tee. I didn’t use a pattern, but just kept adding parts. A result of this ‘add as you go’ strategy was that the tee became larger and larger… Originally intended for my one-year old, I soon realized that the tee would not fit him before next summer. In the meantime, the tee kept growing, and in the end it even fit my –very tall- four-year old. Admittedly, it’s a bit snug on him, but I think that just adds to the vintage feel of it. And once he has outgrown the tee, it will just have to resort in the closet for another few years until his little brother grows into it!

One thing that I really had to add as part of my signature was some freezer paper stencilling. Hence the rocket badge!
So there you have it. A SIGNATURE TEE nevertheless. Thanks Annika, for hosting this wonderful series!

Thanks so much Saskia for answering my questions. It seems that besides Astrid Lindgren, we have much more in common: A job in the man’s world, not too much interest into clothing until our daughters were born, a love for more “cool” looks rather than ruffles and monsters. And that signature tee: I’m sorry that calling it “signature” made it so hard for you, but I must say: This shirt really shouts “Vera Luna” to me. You nailed it. And its amazing as always!

I hope you enjoyed getting to know today’s guest, Saksia. Come back next week to get to know my real life sewing friend, mirid. And if you haven’t done so yet, read the other interviews here.

series, sew fantastic blogs

Sew fantastic blogs – special edition: Elsie Marley and Kids Clothes Week

Today, we’re having a special edition of Sew fantastic blogs. I asked Meg from Elsie Marley and the creator of Kids Clothes Week to tell us about her blog and about Kids Clothes Week which is going to happen next week! I’m so pleased to have her here. Especially in the english-speaking kids sewing world, Kids Clothes Week is something each and everyone tries to participate in and the projects that pop up every day in the project pool are just amazing. If you haven’t taken part so far, make sure to join the fun this year!
Meg started a “sew-along CENTRAL” where you can subscribe to a monthly email that informs you about on-going sew alongs! Besides this her personal blog Elsie Marley is also full of fantastic makes. Here are my favorites:

Jacob pants, Coastal cargos, triangle pocket dress

First things first: Please introduce yourself (who are you, tell us alittle bit about your family, which country nad maybe city do you live in, are you originally from this country, do you work or are you a stay at home mom, etc.)!
Hello! My name is Meg Freeman and I live in Madison, Wisconsin with my husband and three kids. Before we had kids, I worked as a baker and a chocolatier. Like so many others, I started to sew after I had my first baby. I discovered what a wonderful creative outlet sewing is and became quite taken with it.

Let’s talk about sewing:

When did you start and who taught you to sew? Are you a beginner, intermediate or professional

sewer?

My mom taught me how to sew when I was in high school. But I was in high school, so I was suborn, impatient, and had a crazy sense of style. I fought with my mom, I fought with the patterns, and I fought with my sewing machine. Needless to say, not much came of my high school sewing adventures. After having kids I came back to sewing a little bit older with a little more patience.

For whom do you sew?

I sew primarily for my kids. My daughter is 8 1/2 and my two sons are 7 and almost 5. They are very excited about the clothes I make for them and very nice about the ones they don’t like–hiding them quietly in the back of their dresser drawers. I do sew for myself off and on, but I enjoy sewing for kids because it’s quick and because kids have such a happy style.

How do you get inspired?

Pinterest is my main source of inspiration these days. Though I find the best sort of inspiration comes from the mistakes I make. Looking at pictures is nice, but playing around with new techniques or trying to do new things with old patterns really gets me excited to sew.

You blog at Elsie Marley and started Kids Clothes Week (KCW).

When and why did you start to blog at Elsie Marley?

I started elsie marley because I wanted to be beholden to someone (or something). I had creative to do lists miles long, but never any reason to do the things on them. You don’t really need a reason to be creative, but sometimes I feels like you do. Now if I want to make an 8 foot high paper mache snake, I can just say that I’m doing it for the blog 🙂

I’ve read several times on your blog that people think your name is Elsie (in fact I did, too), but it’s not. So will you tell us why you chose this blog name? Does it have a special meaning (maybe one that is harder to understand for someone like me from another country, some kind of insider joke)?

My kids were babies when I started the blog and I was reading quite a lot of nursery rhymes. I fell in love with their archaic language and just the bizarreness of them all (rock a bye baby, on a tree top?!). Elsie Marley is the name of a nursery rhyme about a bar maid: Elsie Marley grown so fine, won’t get up to feed the swine, lazy Elsie Marley.

What are the three sewn (and blogged) items that you are most proud about or that you yourself like most? Show us some pictures (with links)!

Oh so hard to choose! My favorite thing is always the last thing I made 🙂 Let’s see I really loved the Triangle Dress I made for the last KCW.

My son still wears this button up shirt I made from a vintage sheet (so soft!). And even though I made them ages ago, these mini quilts are still one of my favorites. They hang on my dining room wall!

Each season sewers around the world set their alarm clocks for the start of Kids Clothes Week. We allreally love these weeks. Tell us about the beginnings of KCW! When did you have the idea to do KCW and how did you start it?

I started Kid’s Clothes Week because I wanted to make clothes for my kids, but never could do it. I would be too tired or too busy or not in the right mood to sew. I thought if I set small goals it might be easier. So I challenged myself to sew for 1 hour each day for 7 days. And it worked! I got off my butt! I sewed things! And that is how KCW was born.

How many people participated in the first KCW (approximately) and how many participate now?

There were only a handful of people that first time and I think the largest ever was over 700. We have four a year now, so there are less people in each one but more over all. I’d say it’s about 300 on average.

If you consider all the past KCWs: What are your three favourite creations from the KCW participants (I know that you obviously don’t remember all those 100s to 1000s of entries, but maybe some were so amazing that you still remember them)? Show us some pictures (with links)!

Brienne’s arrow vest is my newest favorite

Erin’s lightning bolt Bimaa is fantastic too.

Tasha’s version of the Sally Dress is so print-liously awesome.

You created an extra platform for KCW where each sewer can upload her projects, comment on the different patterns, scroll through project pictures of the other sewers etc. Did you do this on your own or did you “outsource” it? The platform is so perfect that I imagine it must have been a huge amount of work.

I partnered with Dorie Schwartz from tumbling blocks. She is responsible for the awesomeness of the KCW community site. I could not have done it without her!

Do you have new ideas for KCW? You recently introduced contributors for each KCW (see also next question) and now also dedicate a theme to each one. What will come next?

Oh we have lots of ideas for KCW, but they are all secret 😉

What would blogging be without other blogs? I’m always on the hunt for new inspiring blogs. And I love to get in contact with people from different countries. I love that you chose bloggers as contributors for the KCW blog that so far haven’t had a super big, but rather a small to middle fellowship and that you give them the chance to show their creations and to talk about kids’ fashion, trends etc. (btw. two of them, Brienne from Brienne Moody and Sophie from C’est la vie are part of the “Sew fantastic blogs” series, too). So far your choices were amazing and I loved to get to know these blogs. Who knows maybe you have some more blog favourites that I don’t know about?

What are your three favourite sewing blogs to read? Why?

Skirt as Top: Kristin always make gorgeous clothes for herself and her kids.

Sanae Ishida: Sanae makes an insane amount of clothes, all gorgeous!

Brienne Moody: Brienne sews like wild with prints and I love it!

Do you follow any blogs that are written in another language? What are your three favourite ones?

http://huisjeboompjeboefje.blogspot.com/

http://jochapeau.blogspot.com/

http://groovybabyandmama.blogspot.jp/

And now let’s get sewing! I’m curious to see your signature tee!

I’m not really sure what my signature style is. Simple and happy, maybe. Those are the kind of clothes I like making for my kids. I also love mixing different prints. So I chose a blue flower print and blue pinstripes for my signature tee. Stripes and florals is not the most creative of my print mixing, but it’s still pretty cute. I used Made by Rae’s flashback tee pattern and added striped, ruffled sleeves.

Thanks a lot, Meg, for answering my questions about your blog and Kids Clothes Week. It was super interesting to get too know you a little bit. And I surely would have never guessed that Elsie Marley comes from a kid’s ryhme! Also, this shirt is so cute. Since quite some time I wanted to mix floral and stripes. Seeing this makes me want to start sewing right now…

Wow, wasn’t it amazing to learn about Elsie Marley and Kids Clothes Week? For more awesomeness come back next week to get to know my friend Saskia from Vera Luna and check out the earlier interviews.

Instagram: @naehconnection