I recently met an amazingly passionate filmmaker named Maureen Gosling. I was so excited to learn about her current documentary, Bamako Chic. The new film tells the story of women in Mali who create complex dyed textiles as not just a creative outlet, but also to support their families and communities economically. Maureen is having […]
You know, as long as human beings have been squinting and poking at the tiny eyes of sewing needles, it’s pretty amazing that it’s taken so long for some clever inventor to address the problem. These spiral eye sewing needles are available direct from their inventor, Pam Turner of Minnesota. I’ve never used one, but the user feedback I hear echoing through the tubes is uniformly positive.
Bust has a great tutorial for tie dying tights on their site. It’s written by Callie Watts, and she uses a conversational style that is clear and concise. I have always been intimidated by the dying process, but she makes it seem simple. Oh, and the tights are super-duper cute too!
Delicate embellishments are a classic way to spruce up just about anything. I remember having tiny pink ribbon roses on my favorite pinafore when I was young, and the dainty trend is retuning in a big way. Materials: Wide wired ribbon, about 1′ Thin ribbon, about 2′ Large eye needle Thread a large eye needle […]
I finally have had a chance to sit down and really look at Alabama Studio Style, and I have to say it makes me even happier that I’m about to leave for vacation! The book is full of gorgeous projects, and with the emphasis on hand-sewing, it’s the perfect thing to tackle when you have […]
After taking a great surface design class, I find myself drawn to new methods of altering fabric. I love seeing this method of gel glue batik, a process in which the resist (usually hot wax) is replaced with kids’ blue gel glue from the school supply aisle. Jennifer of Swallowfield got this lovely resulting design […]
Cross Stitch Ninja, an author on the amazing (and delightfully revolutionary) blogradicalcrossstitch.com is learning textile engineering. How cool is that?!?! The owl fabric that she recently created is mind blowing. I can hardly set an alarm clock, let alone program a loom to weave a pattern based on a vintage cross-stitch! Well done.
