April Fashion Sewing Club Begins Tomorrow


We’re back!!
You are looking at the new and improved Katie and Kristin. Standing between us is Elaine Stoltz who was our teacher and makeup artist for four days. We learned so much but have to wait for our color swatches before we can start practicing our friends and families 🙂 You’ll know when we are ready!

So we are scrambling to get ready for Fashion Sewing Club tomorrow at Treadle. We hope to see lots of you Tuesday or Saturday and because of the great turnout, we will return to SR Harris in Burnsville on Thursday, April 19 at 10:30.

Here is the calendar for April. Hope I won’t be late Tuesday as putting on more makeup than I’m used to takes time! The pressure….

April 2018 Fashion Sewing Club:

Tuesday, April 10, 10:30 and 6:30 at Treadle
Saturday, April 14, 10:30 at Treadle
Thursday, April 19, 10:30 at SR Harris, Burnsville

Classes at Treadle Yard Goods, St. Paul
Sewing Kids Clothes, Tuesday, April 17, 1:00-4:00
Unlined Outerwear, Tuesdays, April 17, 24 and May 1, 6:00-8:00
Serger-Basic and Beyond: Tuesdays, April 24, May 1, 1:00-4:00

Classes For Kids at Treadle
Kids After School Sewing: Tuesdays, April 10, 17, 24 and May 1, 4:15-5:45

Classes at Edina Yorktown JoAnn
Sew Social, Thursday, April 12 and 19,1:00-4:00
Learn To Sew, Monday, April 16, 5:30-8:30
Serger Down and Dirty, Monday, April 16, 1:00-4:00
Serger Bells and Whistles, Monday, April 23, 1:00-4:00
Three Seam Pillowcase, Monday, April 23, 5:30-8:30
Learn To Sew With Interfacings, Monday, April 23, 6:00-8:00
Comfy Pant, Monday, April 30, 5:30-9 pm

Classes For Kids at Edina Yorktown JoAnn
Kids After School Sewing, Thursday, April 12 and 19, 4:30-6:00

Notes from March Fashion Sewing Club

Our trial event at SR Harris had 27 attendees!! Talk about not enough chairs and thanks to our regulars that also showed up to support us. It was so overwhelming, I couldn’t figure out how to get photos of show and tell. We’ll be ready for next month-we’ll be at SR Harris/Burnsville on Thursday, April 19 at 10:30 along with our regularly scheduled Treadle times-Tuesday, April 10 at 10:30 and 6:30 and Saturday, April 14 at 10:30.

Two things to pass on from SR Harris show and tell: a link for hemming napkins-almost guaranteed simple and fun?
And check out the Genevieve Jacket from StyleArc-

Three asked-about topics from Treadle meetings were:
1. The style guidelines we are featuring every month from Triumph of Individual Style. It’s hard to buy the book but this link will get you an e-copy for $19.95 along with the instructor’s guide.

2. “Design Your Own Wardrobe” 4 week course from Seamwork. Looks like they’ll offer it twice yearly. Check it out here.
3. Printing PDF patterns-here’s an online source that will ship to you (even says “pattern printing” on the main menu). And Pattern Review now offers to print any PDF pattern you order from them for $4.50 (or $4.05 for members). Great deal!!

Color Training

Exciting news in the Material Girls’ World! This week, Kristin and I are training to become certified color analysts.

Long gone are the days of the four season color plan. The majority of people don’t fit strictly into these categories. Many are a combination of cool and warm. A nuanced approach is often necessary when taking personal color contrast into account. It’s not uncommon for an ideal color to change as a person ages. These are some reasons why Kristin and I want to add this service to our toolbox.

My color journey began with Nancy Nix-Rice, a certified consultant from St. Louis. She identified tones in my skin, eyes, and hair and provided a custom color palette to enhance my personal coloring. I was blown away by the impact for the following reasons:

1. I look so much better! People have noticed that I sparkle and look younger when wearing my ideal colors.

2. Shopping for fabric is streamlined. Focusing on fabric ideal for me saves time. I simply bypass numerous gorgeous bolts better suited for someone of different coloring.

3. Use of a color palette increases my ability to mix and match successfully. When the color palette is based on innate personal coloring, wardrobe pieces go together.

My color journey has convinced me that no matter how cute the pattern, or how well its sewn, I’ll always look best when sewing my personal best colors.

We know how great it feels to love what we sew. Our goal is that you’ll love your results too.

SR Harris Here We Come!


Spring trends and the final version of March’s Fashion Sewing Club will make an appearance at SR Harris’s Burnsville store tomorrow-Thursday, March 22 at 10:30 am.
This event is free to all. We hope to meet and inspire new sewists (and a few of our loyal fans-thanks!!!).

We’ll focus on making the spring fashion trends wearable for our personal styles and then show our garments from March Club, which were also presented at Treadle Yard Goods last week. Our goal is to continue Fashion Sewing Club both at Treadle and SR Harris.

“Sew and Tell” is encouraged as your name will be added to the drawing for the door prize which will be a cut of fabric supplied by SR Harris. Show us what you like to sew!

Come check it out-we’ll be in plain sight from the front door! Sylvia and the staff at SR Harris have been great to work with and want to be more than just a place to buy fabric. Let them know if this format is something you’d like to see more of.

Ruffles for Every Body!

Some trends, like clockwork, signal the change in season. It seems like each year ruffles mark the start of Spring. And this year, the story remains the same. Whether you cascade them from shoulders or spiral them off hips, ruffles/flounces create a soft, feminine look that can make you look fashionable. The tricky part is that they add volume, so placement is key. Let’s take a look at how ruffles/flounces can be successfully used on three body types.

1. Pear Figure

Pear figures have proportionally larger bottoms than tops. Adding ruffles/flounces to the upper body balances the figure and draws attention to the face. Take a look at New Look 6507. This asymmetric ruffled neckline works well. Similarly, the strong shoulder line of Burda 6429 offsets a larger hip nicely.

2. Inverted Triangle Figure

The opposite of the pear shape is the inverted triangle. The defining feature is narrower hips than shoulders. In order to look more proportionate, volume is needed on the lower body. Adding ruffles and flounces to skirts and shorts is one way for the inverted triangle to look proportionate. Consider McCalls 7287 and Simplicity 8606 as great options.

3. Oval Shape Figure

Typical characteristics of an oval figure are narrow hips and an undefined waist/midsection, which is often the largest measurement. The goal of the oval is to de-emphasize the midsection while defining a smaller area, which is often right under the bust, and elongating wherever possible. Subtlety is recommended for ovals embracing the ruffle trend. Strategic placement and drapey fabrics are key. The oval should consider subtle overlays, drapes, and flounces as a more flattering alternative and use them in elongating angles to maximize their look (see beautiful evening gown above).

Butterick 6396 (View A) features a flattering flounce. Try Pamela’s Patterns Draped Front Cardigan for very soft, subtle fullness at the wrist and hem.

No matter what your body type, Spring into the season wear fashionable flounces and ruffles.

How to Wear Necklaces With a Cowl


Inspired by a new-to-me blogger, Brenda Kinsel, and her post from yesterday, I put on several necklaces grouped to make a statement.

This is my new wool knit tunic-fabric from SR Harris, Vogue 9022 but modified to copy the Stylearc Cher Knit Dress.
Brenda talks about “nothing earrings” or support earrings for a statement necklace. These small squarish hoops are may favorite “nothing earring”. The necklaces together are OK. I’ve met my balance point criteria as far as where the necklaces rest.

My frustration is how to keep the necklaces from sliding forward and rumpling the cowl. Those of us that live in colder climates have these issues. Maybe we should start sewing a hang tag on the outside back neck to keep necklaces in place.

So for now, I changed necklaces and added a safety pin from the inside to hold the necklace in place. Can’t be rearranging all day 🙂

Any ideas? Other than wearing pins or scarves for a splash of color and focal point?

Wearable Spring Fashion Trends

Now that the season is turning, its fun to look at the upcoming spring fashion trends for 2018. If you’re at all like me, I tend to follow a particular style rather than trend. However, looking modern is nice and if a certain trend fits into my aesthetic, it’s fun to embrace. Here are a few 2018 spring fashion trends that caught my eye. I’d love to hear your take on these too.

1. Sequins

Sequins are typically a holiday trend, but not this season. Expect it to be in full force through spring and summer. Think tank tops, simple dresses, pencil skirts, trims on cardigans, etc. I love the idea of a sequined bomber jacket. Take a look at the Jalie Charlie Bomber, wouldn’t it be “killer”?

2. Paper Bag Waists

A paper bag pant/skirt is defined as a pleated/gathered waistline that sits at the high waist. This waistline is perfect for belting and is flattering on the hourglass/pear-shaped figure. McCalls released their version this spring. McCalls 7726 is a recent make of mine, and I’m in LOVE with it.

3. Plaids/Stripes

This classic seems to be everywhere from tops to bottoms. As sewers, we can take advantage of the different angles they offer. Plaids and stripes allow us to strategically create optical illusions to minimize/maximize parts of our bodies. Vogue 9293 gives us lots of options.



Now that I’ve shared three of my favorite wearable trends, I’d sure like to hear about yours!

What are you sewing?

Just wanted to catch up with what we’ve (and some of you) have been sewing-
First, Sewing Kids’ Clothes at Treadle:

Burda 9482
One of our class patterns
Kwiksew quarter zip

After School Sewing at JoAnn and Treadle:

Sew Social/Workroom Social
Bench cushion-done!
After much ripping-perfect!

And then a bit of stashbusting/saving favorite fails from final banishment :-/
Second time making this pattern-different body/another perfect fit!
Too short Toaster Sweater

Minus a good eight inches
Plus 25” of graffiti print knit
Equals a very wearable tunic dress (the sweatshirt fleece is the best!)
Loved the fit and fleece of this jacket but the dots were overpowering
So I colored them with fabric markers!
Saved!

I must confess that the dots look very “Lite Brite”-ish-do You remember that toy?
And now it’s time to get serious about Fashion Sewing Club garments-looking forward to seeing what you’ve created!

Cute Kids’ Clothes-Come Sew Some!

Sewing for kids is so much fun! Here are the patterns we’ll be featuring at tomorrow’s class (which still has a few spaces 🙂


This pattern is a sweatshirt with a ruffle replacing the bottom band to make it a bit more girly. Sizes run birth to 18 months but will probably easily fit a 2 year old.


This pattern is from Burdastyle magazine-11/2017 and comes in sizes 3-7. We’ll have this pattern for you to use if you don’t have the magazine.


This is the tunic version of the pattern which goes from size 4-9.

All fabric shown is knits from Treadle Yard Goods. Great class to for giving your serger a workout!

Sewing Children’s Clothes meets Tuesday, February 27th from 1-4 pm at Treadle Yard Goods. Please call the store at (651) 698-9690 to register.

Thanks to my two cute grandkids (one of whom wanted to remain faceless 🙂 for the fun photos!

Dye-ing to See You

After having my colors done, there were a few items in my closet that had too much contrast between the light and dark colors. Since Katie had done some dyeing, we got together and changed the dominant color (or lack thereof).

All garments had a white background


Pretty good match for my colors
After drying

Of course, the real test is what it looks like next to my skin color, but for that, you’ll have to come to Fashion Sewing Club 🙂

Fashion Sewing Club:
Saturday, February 10, 10:30
Tuesday, February 13, 10:30 and 6:30

Classes at Treadle Yard Goods

Workroom Social, Tuesdays, February 13, 1:00-4:00
Basic Serger and Beyond, Saturdays, February 10 and 24, 1:00-4:00
Sewing For Your Lifestyle, Tuesday, February 20, 1:00-4:00
Sewing Kids Clothes, Tuesday, February 27, 1:00-4:00

Classes at Edina Yorktown JoAnn

Sew Social, Thursday, February 22, 1:00-4:00
Peasant Top, Monday, February 12, and Monday, February 26,1:00-3:00
Three Seam Pillowcase, Monday, February 12, 5:30-8:30
Comfy Pants, Monday, February 26, 5:30-9:00
Serger Down and Dirty, Monday, February 12, 1:00-4:00
Serger Bells and Whistles, Monday, February 26, 1:00-4:00
Sewing For Kids, Thursday, February 22, 9:30- 11:30 and 6:00-8:00
Classes For Kids
Kids After School Sewing, Thursdays, February 22, 4:30-6:00