OMG! Heart

Hello Kollabora.com! You new crafty website you… Hmm, what to say about this new online community slash craft site that’s kind of like a when Craftsy met PS I Made This and I Spy DIY love triangle?

1.) Somebody over there is my long lost craft twin.
2.) Fiberistas unite!
3.) Seriously though, did you make this site for me?
A.) Kraft Krush!

I first heard about it through a lovely welcome note I got in my inbox! On first glance, I liked the layout and design, visual yet minimal Pinterest-style moodboardy. M.I.A. as interpreted by Saved By The Bell font. But further exploration revealed it’s chock full of great projects and handy features for the savvy crafter.

I raided their pattern library for some great projects. Here’s just a few of my picks, take a peek, you get the idea. :) Join the Kollabora community too and share your knit love. Heck Yeah!

❤ Patterns range from Free to Pricey! Quick to Fair Isle.

❤ It’s not just for Knitting and Crochet, but also features Sewing and Jewelry! The Quad-fecta.

❤ Fun Fact: Kollabora features many knits/designs from people and places I love!! Many already featured on my site. Sister from another misterrr! I also met a bunch of the Kollabora team at this year’s Maker Faire where they had a really fun booth full of Berninas and Novelty Yarn.

❤ Bonus: Kollabora makes shopping for your project materials easy! Just click on a project you like, check the items you need, {pattern, yarn, needles}, GO! And voila, all the materials you need for that one project without having to click all over the internet (lazy fingers) for them! x.x $$$ Q.Q

Patterns In This Post:
Florence and the Machine Sweater
Novita’s Snood Dogg
Fair Isle Capelet
Greta Capelet
Halloween Origami
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Every single quilt pattern below is FREE from Art Gallery Fabrics. And is just a few of many other free quilt patterns they have. The skill level varies greatly but the patterns aren’t really marked. So if you’re a beginner quilter, try gauging how difficult a pattern is by looking at the intricacy of the pattern. Does it contain a lot of complex shapes? How many different shape variations are contained in the one quilt? Some easy ones are “Dream of a Garden” and “Posh Flowers”.

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This pattern is available for FREE from Art Gallery Fabrics. I found it while browsing all their lovely fabrics. It’s a really cute bag and the pattern is pretty simple! Available for download in PDF format, the pattern includes easy to follow illustrated instructions and real size templates that you can use to cut your pattern out.

Saddle Bag Pattern by Pat Bravo
Finished Size: 9.5″ x 6.5” not including straps

Notes:
They also have a whole page of other really cute free sewing patterns that they designed! And also a ton of FREE QUILT PATTERNS that are really good ones! Post about free quilting patterns from Art Gallery Fabrics coming soon.

Switch out the above fabric combination for something more subtle and versatile. Perhaps try a corduroy.

I plan to make this bag out of denim! I have a lot of old denim sitting around that I’ll probably never wear (or fit in) again! Le sigh. So in an effort to make lemonade out of a sour situation I plan to re-purpose that denim for pieces to make this bag. Possibly in a patchwork denim style. The strap will definitely include patches of different kinds of denim. Perhaps the body of the bag too. Great for odd shaped pieces too. Stitch those together free-form quilt-style to make a larger piece of fabric to work with. Then use this fabric to cut the pattern out as is to form some great irregular designs!

If using a heavy weight fabric like denim, skip the interfacing and just follow the directions as is.

Recycle your old clothing, linens, scrap materials etc. This is the perfect project for it. It doesn’t need large swaths of fabric, so it can be a great way to make use of scrap fabric.

I also like this pattern because I wanted to make a toddler or baby purse and was hoping to translate the pattern to a smaller scale for a cute little girlie purse! Or perhaps enlarge the pattern for a larger adult messenger-style purse.

Folkwear Patterns is dedicated to creating sewing patterns for ethnic and cultural clothing from all over the world and throughout history. From cheongsams to han boks to dirndls to flapper dresses to vintage bathing suits! They offer a huge variety.

It’s a gold mine of basic patterns for say halloween costumes! Theater Productions, Renaissance Fairs, LARPing etc. Yup. Looking for a Samurai Costume? Find it here. Need a Tango Dress? A Sailor’s Outfit? Cowgirl? It’s here. Or perhaps outfitting your next theater troupe or your child’s play that needs Poodle Skirts and Varsity Jackets. Greased Lightning!? Or you and your special someone’s custom renaissance fair outfits! Home sewers can sew your own!

If you’d like to sew your own traditional cultural costumes, this site has a great variety from many cultures from Greece and Poland to Vietnam and Nepal to Scottish and Austrian to Afgan and Egyptian to Bolivian and Huichol. And many historical clothing styles like Edwardian, Victorian, Frontier, and Prairie! Also great for pattern makers and designers as a starting point for your own designs!

• 
  #205 Gibson Girl Blouse
  Misses Small to 3X. $16.95
• 
  #207 Kinsale Cloak
  One size for men and women (finished length from center back neckline to hemline is 55″/139cm). $16.95
• 
  #226 Princess Slip
  Misses 6-16. $14.95
  (No longer avail. for sale.)
• 
  #508 Traveling Suit
  Misses’ 6-20. $22.95
• 
  #503 Poiret Cocoon Coat
  Misses’ Extra Small to Extra Large. $19.95
• 
  #270 Metro Middy Blouse
  Misses Extra Small to 3X Large $16.95
• 
  #133 Belgian Military Chef’s Jacket
  Misses 8-18; Men’s 34-44. $14.95
• 
  #101 Gaza Dress
  Misses 6-18. $14.95
• 
  #123 Austrian Dirndl
  Misses 8-16. $19.95
• 
  #206 Quilted Prairie Skirt
  Misses 6-16. $14.95
• 
  #227 Edwardian Bridal Gown
  Misses 6-16. $19.95
• 
  #119 Sarouelles
  Misses 6-18; Men’s 32-44 $16.95
• 
  #127 Seminole Jacket & Skirt
  Misses 6-16; Men’s 34-44. $16.95
• 
  #153 Siberian Parka
  Sized for men and women Extra Small to Extra Large. $16.95
• 
  # 118 Tibetan Panel Coat
  Misses 6-18. $19.95
• 
  #130 Australian Bush Outfit
  Misses 8-20; Men’s 34-44. $19.95
• 
  #208 #208 Kinsale Cloak
  for Young Maidens
  Girls 2-12. $16.95
• 
  #223 A Lady’s Chemise
  Extra Small to 3X Large. $16.95
• 
  #132 Moroccan Burnoose
  All sizes. $14.95
• 
  #218 Child’s Frontier Shirt
  Child’s 4-14. $16.95
• 
  #220 Garden Party Dress
  Misses 8-14. $14.95
• 
  #228 Victorian Christening Gown
  & Toddler’s Dress.
  Infants 2-9 months; Toddlers 1-4.
• 
  #225 Childhood Dreams
  Girls 2-12. $14.95
• 
  #203 Edwardian Underthings
  Misses Extra Small to 3XLarge. $16.95
• 
  #125 Huichol Wardrobe
  Blouse and skirt Misses 6-16;
  Other pieces Misses small to Men’s large. $19.95
• 
  #253 Vintage Bathing Costume
  Misses 6-20. $19.95
• 
  #222 Vintage Vests
  Misses 6-16; Men’s 36-44. $16.95
• 
  #126 Vests from Greece and Poland
  Misses 6-16; Men’s 34-44. $16.95

Founded by three women in California during the 1970′s it was bought and sold to Taunton Press (Threads Magazine) then Lark Books (Fiberarts Magazine) and then sold off again to Sterling. However, now it is once again independently owned by three women today that continues to publish its wonderful array of cultural sewing patterns. I hope they bring ALL their original patterns back into publication.

I first discovered Folkwear Patterns via Twitter from @RevivalFabrics.

Where To Buy:
You can buy patterns directly from their website here – pattern index.
Folkwear Patterns also has a Retailer List on their website.
Ebay has many resellers that not only sell current patterns but vintage and out-of-print Folkwear Pattern patterns as well.

OMG! HEART how this top came out. Here’s my Circle Top by Papercut Patterns! I chose a wool jersey knit (Gorgeous!) fabric with pleats that I found at Mood Fabric. $14 per yard! It gave it an Elizabethan-ish style. Yet modern. The pattern and the fabric together gave the piece this accordion looking edge. Such a lovely detail. No fancy tricks required. Some Nap wrangling is required though! It’s my ode to Issey Miyake’s Pleats Please!

Knits! This was my first project working with knits and it was actually not bad at all. The fabric was not at all that difficult to work with, all you have to watch out for is not stretching or pulling the fabric. Let it do its thing. Keep the fabric flat, in fact avoid lifting it as much as possible. I even pinned it while it was flat on the floor. The raw edges stay flat enough to work with as long as it’s not overworked while handling or sewing. When in doubt use lots of pins. Go slow and handle it gingerly. That’s pretty much it. The only difficulty I had was in getting it on grain in the very beginning because it does have weight and does stretch on its own. Once it was flat with no wrinkles or bumps I just left it there. Cut around the pieces and only picked them up when ready to sew.

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Finally! My class project is done. I made the Rock Skirt #7462 Pattern by Burda. It’s a two-tiered ruffle skirt. I love the skirt but it was much more difficult than I thought it would be. The gathers were hard to make because the gathers go through 2 layers of fabric and I chose a thick fabric. Le sigh. I also did not love the fit. Somehow it turned out slightly too big!

I liked the length but it was too wide. I’ll have to try it again with a slightly less thick fabric and work on fit. But here it is! The pattern itself was also a little bit difficult to follow because it was European and layout out slightly different from standard American patterns but not too bad if you persevere. See here for full details on my Beginner Sewing Class at The Sewing Studio.

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I just received my Circle Top Pattern from Papercut Patterns today! Designer Katie Brown of Papercut Pattern is based in New Zealand and stresses not only creativity + imagination but handmade + eco-friendly too. Most all the things that got me into sewing in the first place. Heart it!

My pattern came in a box! Or a paperboard envelope instead of the traditional paper envelope to be exact. The packaging has other lovely little details like the cutout logo with little hook! to the lovely printed instruction booklet. I especially like how everything from the packaging to the pattern draft is not only thoughtfully crafted but is made entirely of recycled materials.

Another nice little detail is how simple yet sophisticated the pattern looks. I cracked open the pattern draft, which is on a nice heavy paper rather than the customary tissue paper, and noticed large holes were punched out, a nifty way of lining up pattern pieces I suspect! I remember reading about a similar nifty little trick in Built By Wendy’s Sew U book. (I also have a bunch of Built By Wendy patterns waiting in the wings!) The only minor drawback I see so far is each pattern is only good for one size. This greatly simplifies the pattern pieces for the home sewer but it also means I might have to buy a different size for the same pattern.

Katie even helped me pick out a suitable pattern to start with. There were so many I wanted to try. I needed a relatively beginner one and never worked with knit fabrics or armhole, sleeves, and cuffs before, so this one turned out to be a nice entry-level pattern for me. The Circle Top is like a sweater/shrug that is great for almost any season given the right choice of fabric! It makes a nice winter appropriate piece suitable for layering too, so I also liked that it was something I could make and wear right away. I can’t wait to try it out.

Update: Here’s my completed Circle Top! I love the way it came out.

One last note on the eco-friendly tip… I’d never really considered this as part of my reasons for loving crafty things like sewing but after noticing how Papercut Patterns stressed sustainable materials in all that they do, it sparked an interest in learning more myself. So I did some digging and here’s what I found !

Pattern Price: $25.00 NZD

PROJECT IN PROGRESS: Pleated Skirt Pattern by DIY Couture.

Here’s a prototype of the Pleated Skirt that I’m currently working on. Sometimes called a muslin or toile. It starts as 2 rectangles, lots of marking and pinning for the pleats, sewing of the pleats, joining the two main skirt pieces together on the side, leaving a slit for the zipper, then cutting and sewing the waistband (2 more rectangles). A total of 4 rectangles! Hemming the skirt edge is also required for finishing. So far the measuring, cutting, and marking were the most intensive for this pattern. More about DIY Couture UK

Materials:
Fabric
7″ Zipper
Hook and Eye

Skill Level: Intermediate Beginner

Measurements:
Skirt Body – 2 Rectangles – Width 12in +3cm + 60cm; Height 16in + 3cm
WIDTH is your waist size ÷ 2 + 3cm for the seam allowance. Then an additional length for the pleats, 12 pleats x 5cm = 60cm.
HEIGHT is simply the height of your skirt from your natural waist to where you’d like it to fall + 3cm for the seam allowance.

Waistband – 2 Rectangles – Width 16in + 3cm; Height 8in + 2cm
WIDTH is calculated by measuring the waist of the skirt after the pieces are joined + 3cm for seam allowance and zipper.
HEIGHT is simply double the height you’d like your waistband to be + 2cm for seam allowance. I wanted a 4in waistband, so I need an 8in high piece.

Notes:
Hem the bottom edge of your skirt after sewing in pleats and before joining the skirt pieces.

DIY Couture patterns tend to always start off as rectangles or straight edged pieces. Perfect for using your rotary cutter and self-healing mat!

This was slightly more difficult than the Gathered Dress Pattern. In general I find DIY Couture instructions very comprehensive but there’s always one small detail left out. For example, I had trouble understanding how to measure and mark the pleats properly. And when folding, I did not understand how to gather the folds. So I just winged it. I will post the completed skirt soon!

Pleated Skirt Pattern by DIY Couture
Price: $14.00 USD

Here’s DIY Couture’s Gathered Dress. The above is the Flared Dress version with straight bodice as seen on Pages 16-17 and Page 47 of the book. More about DIY Couture UK.

Width: Chest 22 inches, Hem 27 inches
Height: Chest 8 inches, Body 21 inches (Total: 29 inches)
Fabrics: Gabardine-type (body), Cotton Polyester blend (lining)

Tools I Used: Quilting Ruler, Rotary Cutter, Self-Healing Mat, Tailor’s Chalk, Dressmaker’s Shears, Pinking Shears, Measuring Tape, Sewing Ruler, Tracing Paper, Tracing Wheel, Pins
Materials Needed: Fabric – for finished garment and a nice lightweight cotton for lining, 1/4 Inch Elastic – about 6-7 yards, Thread
Skill Level: Beginner

The instructions were moderately easy to follow for a beginner sewer. There were some drawbacks though. I made 2 other sample dresses (one with a lightweight denim and another with an organza-type fabric) using the Tube Dress version before I made the above one. Some tips and issues I came across:

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“The DIYcouture collection consists of twelve simple, classic pieces that can be almost endlessly re-invented.”

DIY Couture, London publishes sewing patterns to die for!! DIY Couture patterns feature simple visual instructions (no sewing patterns!) doing away with having to learn to read and cut patterns the old fashioned way. Making it accessible for even the non-sewer to try their hand at making their own clothes. Every single item above is sewable by you! Get inspired! Get off your computers! Handcraft your own heirloom garments while supporting the “slow revolution”. OMG! Heart it!! Here are my samples for Gathered Dress and Pleated Skirt.

Single Patterns are $14
Two Patterns are $25
Three Patterns are $35

Full Collection http://www.diy-couture.co.uk/collection.html
United States Shop http://www.diy-couture.co.uk/shopamerica.html