Amy Butler

08 Jul Soulmate/Sleepmate/Secura

Such a good feeling waking up in a lovely pair of PJs! Greetings from the gazebo, a colorful escape and peaceful refuge to start my day. In April, I borrowed a pair of Julie's Carolyn Pajamas by Closet Case Patterns. (She's sewn seven pairs - seriously). At last I have my own. If you're a Bedhead fan then you'll love this pattern! (Check out Bedhead's Liberty PJs here.) I sewed the pajamas in Amy Butler's latest fabric design, Soulmate (Free Spirit Fabrics).  Amy's latest collection features 24 designs in 3 color ways of garment-friendly poplin!  Since Amy's fabrics are color co-ordinated companion fabrics, I used...

Read More

07 Nov Whereabouts and Giveaway Winner!

Greetings from the magical land of Morocco! Julie Starr, Dorcas Ross and I are on a trip of a lifetime with the talented Amy Butler and Valori Wells, along with 10 other lucky people! As soon as I opened the email in February, I knew an immediate decision was needed and asked two of my sewing friends to join me. Creative workshops and cultural inspiration galore fill the week along with the opportunity to connect with a lovely group of women, and our leaders husbands. Julie and I made tunics to express our admiration for Amy :) but the most moving experience so far has been spending...

Read More

25 Aug … and the winner is…

iPhone cases, napkins, tablecloths, shoe bags, and a hot air balloon represent a small sample of the 576 creative comments submitted for Susan Khalje's new Couture Dress Video and Pattern giveaway! Many of you were on the right track in assuming I was making bridesmaids gifts. If you were one of the twenty-six readers who guessed -  R O B E S  - you are correct! My daughter, Katie, wanted to give her friends in the wedding party a personal gift they did not already own. How could I refuse? The girls opened the robes at the Bridesmaids' Luncheon on Friday, and wore them on Saturday; a leisurely day...

Read More

10 Aug Kwik Sew 2498

I hear many people saying they can’t believe summer is almost over. My youngest child graduated from college last spring, and I no longer follow a school calendar.  Immersed in summer type activities for the next six weeks, I am in summer mode  and that includes sewing! Recently, Irene made several tops from this  Kwik Sew pattern inspiring me to give it a try.Determined to challenge myself during the past year, I  chose more complicated patterns to sew, but adding five more buttonholes to my repertoire immediately qualified the pattern!Though there’s not much to it, I really like several pattern details...

Read More

16 Mar KNOCK KNOCK

Who’s there? O R A N G E. Orange who? Orange you going to ask what possessed me to order all of this  L O U D  fabric?  __________________________________________ Bigger, Brighter and Bolder does not mean B e t t e r . Hopefully you caught the word ORDER. I’ve had excellent results from ordering fabric online until now, and the reason my latest order is such a disappointment is because I didn’t take the time to order swatches. It never occurred to me that this would be this or that this stripe would be this stripe. and I never dreamed the scale of this floral  would be enormous. I was going to...

Read More

01 Feb Lots of Love

“Where do you plan to wear this?” were the first words my husband spoke upon seeing this dress. I have no idea where I plan to wear this dress, but I’m sure something will come up. Does it really matter? Don’t we find ways to wear the clothes we really like? I wasn’t ready to put this Simplicity pattern away and had just enough of this tangerine and lavender fabric from Amy Butler’s L O V E  collection to make the dress. I’ve had the fabric for nearly two years just waiting for the right pattern to come along. After finishing the aqua...

Read More

29 Jan La Primavera

Dead perennials + leaves in the pool = w i n t e r  in South Carolina; t h e   p e r f e c t   t i m e   t o   g e t   r e a d y   f o r    s p r i n g !  I think it’s safe to say that over the last 5 months I have memorized the online pattern stores of Vogue, McCalls, Butterick and Simplicity, so when I saw this very cute dress on LaRoque’s Facebook page, I knew where to go. This Simplicity...

Read More

11 Oct Liberty of London Part II

My last trip to London was three years ago. My daughters were with me and I enthusiastically prepared them for our shopping trip to Liberty of London, but sadly, things had changed.  No more dressmakers, no quilts and far less fabric. Much of the floor space once occupied by bolts of gorgeous and unique fabrics was replaced with ready to wear shirts and skirts in Liberty cotton prints.  It was depressing when compared to the store I first visited in 1993, and I never saw it coming. The store appeared to have suddenly changed though I doubt that’s the case. “How...

Read More