Tuesday, June 30, 2015

The Great Pattern Hack :: Kait Witte

It's my turn to post and this was quite the challenge for me! I'm used to being on the other side of the camera :)
For my hack, I chose the Anna Blouse by Charise Creates. It's perfect as is... but in the spirit of the Great Pattern Hack, I made it into something a little bit different...
I've been really into tea length dresses so I made the Anna Blouse into an Anna Dress! I kept the keyhole neckline and the tucks, lengthened the blouse, added an elastic waistband and used bias tape around the armscye to make it sleeveless.
For the bodice, I used Clipdot in White and for the skirt, I used Glitz Garden.
To alter the pattern, follow the diagrams and instructions below--
 As you can see on the diagram above, I cut the pattern apart on the "lengthen here" line. Then, I taped the bottom part of the bodice to some craft paper and lengthened the "fold line" to 35". I drew a perpendicular line out 16" to create some extra width in the hem of the skirt. Finally, I drew a diagonal line from the outer bottom corner to the waist. I repeated the same process for the back. Note that the bottom hem has a slight curve and the fold line is 34" long.
For the bodice, follow the Anna Blouse instructions. For the amrscye, follow E, F and G (if you'd like to go with the sleeveless option) but I think the cap sleeve would be pretty too!
Skirt Sewing Instructions:
  • Sew the skirt front to the skirt back (with right sides together) on both sides. Finish these seams with pinked edges or with a serger.Press open.
  • Sew the skirt to the bodice with right sides together using a 5/8" seam allowance making sure to match your side seams.
  • Finish the edges of this waist seam with pinking shears or with a serger and then press up towards the bodice.
  • The above seam allowance will become your elastic casing- stitch the seam allowance to the bodice using a straight stitch... or just stitch the seam allowance like the demo in this video. Make sure that you leave a 1" opening for your elastic.
  • Hem the bottom edge of the skirt (**my hem ended up being a little bit uneven... due to some faulty math on my part :) so I just evened it up before hemming.)
  • Measure your waist and cut a piece of elastic that is about an inch or two shorter than your waist measurement and insert it into the waist casing through the opening. Stitch the two ends together making sure that your elastic isn't twisted. Sew up the 1" opening in your casing. 
  • And, voilĂ , you're done! 
Supply List:
Fabric- 1/2 yard for the bodice
1 3/4 yards for the skirt
Sewing Machine
Sewing Machine Needle
Scissors
Matching Cotton Thread
Pins
1 1/2 yards of 1/2" bias tape
Craft Paper and Tape

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Delia Randall is up tomorrow... Can't wait to see her hack!

Monday 6/29- Kick off with Jessica Abbott: Me Sew Crazy
 Tuesday 6/30- Kait Witte: Making it Fun
Wednesday 7/1- FLASH GIVEAWAY!!
Thursday 7/2- Jane Kohlenstein: Buzz Mills 
Friday 7/3- Melissa Quaal: A Happy Stitch 
Monday 7/6- Rachael Gander: Imagine Gnats 
Tuesday 7/7- Tamara Serrao: Kaya Joy 
Wednesday 7/8- Betsy Blodgett: Indygo Junction 
Thursday 7/9- Laura Titchener: Craftstorming 
Friday 7/10- Kristin Timm: Skirt as Top 
Saturday 7/11- Celina Bailey: Petit a Petit and Family
Monday 7/13- Celina Bailey: Petit a Petit and Family 
Tuesday 7/14- Sanae Ishida: Sanae Ishida 
Wednesday 7/15- Erin Sundet: Sewbon 
Thursday 7/16- Delia Randall: Delia Creates 
Friday 7/17- wrap up! Surprise give-away!!
Do YOU want to get involved?
If you'd like to join the Great Pattern Hack, grab some Michael Miller fabric and show us your skills! Hack a pattern (any pattern) and share your pictures on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Make sure to tag your photos so we can find you- @michaelmillerfabrics and @ahappystitch and use the hashtags- #GreatPatternHack #MichaelMillerFabrics #AHappyStitch 
There will be lots of fabric and pattern giveaways throughout the hop so stay tuned!
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The Great Pattern Hack :: Jess Abbott Part 2!

All about that dress!
**Jess used Growl by Thomas Paul for Michael Miller Fabrics

For more details and to make this look, visit Me Sew Crazy.

Do YOU want to get involved?
If you'd like to join the Great Pattern Hack, grab some Michael Miller fabric and show us your skills! Hack a pattern (any pattern) and share you pictures on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Make sure to tag your photos so we can find you- @michaelmillerfabrics and @ahappystitch and use the hashtags- #GreatPatternHack #MichaelMillerFabrics #AHappyStitch 
There will be lots of fabric and pattern giveaways throughout the hop so stay tuned!
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Monday, June 29, 2015

The Great Pattern Hack :: Jess Abbott!

BurdaStyle Shorts transformed into a date night skort!
Check out Jess's DIY tutorial to make one for yourself! 

Jess used Seedling by Thomas Paul for Michael Miller Fabrics. Click here to view the entire collection.

Click here for the original BurdaStyle Flared Shorts pattern.
For the DIY Skort instructions, please visit Jess' blog, Me Sew Crazy

And, how about the cutie in the summer tiger dress?!
**Madeline in her vintage style sundress also featuring Seedling by Thomas Paul
  Jess is planning to post more about the sundress on her blog tomorrow so be sure to check it out!

Thanks so much to Jess for kicking off the Great Pattern Hack

I'm up tomorrow with the Anna Blouse by Charise Creates. Can't wait to share!
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Monday 6/29- Kick off with Jessica Abbott: Me Sew Crazy
 Tuesday 6/30- Kait Witte: Making it Fun
Wednesday 7/1- FLASH GIVEAWAY!!
Thursday 7/2- Jane Kohlenstein: Buzz Mills 
Friday 7/3- Melissa Quaal: A Happy Stitch 
Monday 7/6- Rachael Gander: Imagine Gnats 
Tuesday 7/7- Tamara Serrao: Kaya Joy 
Wednesday 7/8- Betsy Blodgett: Indygo Junction 
Thursday 7/9- Laura Titchener: Craftstorming 
Friday 7/10- Kristin Timm: Skirt as Top 
Saturday 7/11- Celina Bailey: Petit a Petit and Family
Monday 7/13- Celina Bailey: Petit a Petit and Family 
Tuesday 7/14- Sanae Ishida: Sanae Ishida 
Wednesday 7/15- Erin Sundet: Sewbon 
Thursday 7/16- Delia Randall: Delia Creates 
Friday 7/17- wrap up! Surprise give-away!!
Do YOU want to get involved?
If you'd like to join the Great Pattern Hack, grab some Michael Miller fabric and show us your skills! Hack a pattern (any pattern) and share your pictures on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Make sure to tag your photos so we can find you- @michaelmillerfabrics and @ahappystitch and use the hashtags- #GreatPatternHack #MichaelMillerFabrics #AHappyStitch 
There will be lots of fabric and pattern giveaways throughout the hop so stay tuned!
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Friday, June 26, 2015

The Great Pattern Hack!

What is the Great Pattern Hack?
The Great Pattern Hack is a two week celebration of bloggers, fabric, pattern designers and creativity that will run from June 29th to July 16th. Co-hosted by Michael Miller Fabrics and A Happy Stitch, each day of the blog hop, a blogger with "hack" a pattern, using awesome patterns and brand new Michael Miller fabrics. Each blogger is using an existing pattern but making it their very own.

What is wrong with the pattern? Why do you have to hack it? It sounds so mean.
Nothing! Nothing is wrong with the pattern. Not a thing :) We are pattern hacking to mix it up and to have fun. We have invited some of the best, most creative, lively blogging sewists to share how big (or little) tweaks can offer so many versatile options without big (or scary) efforts. Think of us as sewing ninjas armed with fabric, scissors and thread!! :)

How can YOU get involved?
Do you want to join in? Grab some Michael Miller fabric and show us your skills! Hack a pattern (any pattern) and share your pictures on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Make sure to tag your photos so we can find you- @michaelmillerfabrics and @ahappystitch and use the hashtags- #GreatPatternHack #MichaelMillerFabrics #AHappyStitch 
There will be lots of fabric and pattern giveaways throughout the hop so stay tuned!
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Our dream team of bloggers!!
Monday 6/29- Kick off with Jessica Abbott: Me Sew Crazy
 Tuesday 6/30- Kait Witte: Making it Fun
Wednesday 7/1- FLASH GIVEAWAY!!
Thursday 7/2- Jane Kohlenstein: Buzz Mills 
Friday 7/3- Melissa Quaal: A Happy Stitch 
Monday 7/6- Rachael Gander: Imagine Gnats 
Tuesday 7/7- Tamara Serrao: Kaya Joy 
Wednesday 7/8- Betsy Blodgett: Indygo Junction 
Thursday 7/9- Laura Titchener: Craftstorming 
Friday 7/10- Kristin Timm: Skirt as Top 
Saturday 7/11- Celina Bailey: Petit a Petit and Family
Monday 7/13- Celina Bailey: Petit a Petit and Family 
Tuesday 7/14- Sanae Ishida: Sanae Ishida 
Wednesday 7/15- Erin Sundet: Sewbon 
Thursday 7/16- Delia Randall: Delia Creates 
Friday 7/17- wrap up! Surprise give-away!!

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Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Tamara Kate – Birds & the Bees & a Giveaway!


I am thrilled to be with you today on the Michael Miller blog to give you a glimpse into the inspiration for and the thought process behind the creation of my latest fabric collection, Birds & the Bees. I also have a few project inspiration images, including free quilt patterns and finally, a FABRIC GIVEAWAY!

As a fabric designer, I am often asked where I get the inspiration for my work. Honestly, it can come from a wide variety of places… my children’s musings, a nature walk, my Mom’s garden… but in this case, I started with my recollection of a large ceramic bird that my Mom had when I was growing up, by Chilean artist Pablo Zabal. 

Examples of PabloZabal’s work. The one on the left is my Mom’s.

I did not want to create a literal rendering of it, but rather be influenced by my memory of the feeling and whimsy of it. So, after much playing with pattern, form and color, adding some playful feathers, strewn flowers and the occasional fancy-flying ladybugs, this, Feathered Flock is what emerged.
Seeing that insects were creeping into the work again as they so often do with me, I then made the decision to just go for it and make the collection be all about flying creatures. This print, All the Wee Beasts came next.


Take a closer look at the smallest insects in the above image, those little bees. Their abdomen reminded me of a beehive. Honey Honey thus emerged as a geometric blender print, as did Eye Candy, which started as a stripped down, modern flower center. I was thinking about an insect’s attraction to the bright colors, hence the print’s name (along with its similarity to Life Saver candy).
Love Bug simply evolved from looking at the ladybugs in Feathered Flock a little differently, seeing the similarity in their shape to that of a heart. I was remembering growing up in the Caribbean, having winged creatures flittering around at night, so Baby the Stars Shine Bright was born more from memories of tropical nights (without the invasion of big city lights) than anything else.

Sometimes patterns are created more from a need for something to balance a collection. After all those smaller scale prints, Blossoming was all about a large-scale modern flower.

And the need for something more linear came in Loop-di-Loop (my take on insects’ flight paths) and Toutes les Plumes, which, while it was the final print created for the collection, also ended up being one of my favorites.




A few other color versions of certain designs were added to balance the group, called Ladybug.

Once the prints all worked together as a whole, it was time to play with an alternate color scheme. I started playing with magentas and indigo and the Bluejay color story emerged. 


Achieving the colors that are finally printed on the fabric is a fine balance and a team effort, for sure. I hand my work over to the talented Karen Jarrar at Michael Miller who, in turn, interprets that for the mill. She and I work closely together, both giving input to try and end up with a cohesive collection that works for you, the sewer. Whether you are making clothing, a quilt or some other project, I hope you are inspired by the result of what we have created.



Here are a few items I have put together thus far:


Girl’s dress, pattern by Burda Style

Flight Formation Quilt – free pattern download


Flight Medallion Quilt – free pattern download


Night Flight Quilt, based on my Starry Migration free quilt pattern


And now for the Giveaway!

To celebrate the release of Birds & the Bees, Michael Miller is generously offering two fabric bundles, one in the Ladybug group and one in Bluejay, to two lucky winners. These are half-yard bundles, so lots of fabric for you to sew all kinds of amazing creations.


To enter, let us know below which fabric group you would prefer to win and what you would sew with it. We will randomly choose a winner for each.

~comments are closed~ 
And, the winners are...
JoyceLM said...
"My husband's niece loves purple, so if I'm lucky enough to win, I'd choose the Bluejay color group & make her a quilt. Thanks."

&

Erica said...
I love those ladybug prints! I would use them to make a gift for my best friend's twin baby girls who are scheduled to arrive in October!


Best of luck,
Tamara

Oh, and please come take a closer peek at what I’m up to on a regular basis, whether on my blog, Instagram or Facebook.