Come Sew with Me!

I grew up with my mother sewing me pretty little dresses, skirts and blouses.  I wish that I had paid more attention to what she was doing, she made it seem so simple.  I began my own sewing journey in 1994, when for my first year wedding anniversary my loving husband gave me a Brother sewing machine.  At the time, I really hadn't expressed much interest in it except that I had mentioned to him that I wish I had learned when I was younger.  I am in awe at the things he actually hears me SAY.... 

At first I tried simple patterns and got clothing that resembled somewhat awkward tents but I persisted to no avail.  I am by nature not a quitter, so I decided to take my first sewing lesson at Hancock Fabrics.  I wanted to get the most out of my lesson, so instead of taking their advice and choosing a simple pattern, I chose an advanced dress pattern by Vogue.  I completed the dress and even wore it to a few weddings and I'm a little ashamed to admit it, but it still hangs in my closet even though it hasn't seen the light of day since about 1998. 

Over the years, sewing has come in handy, as a mother of 5children, who regularly rip their clothing, knowing how to do simple repairs has saved me a ton of money.  I have also enjoyed the many years of creating special costumes for my kids.  I have made many princess, witch and cheerleader dresses.  I have also made many costumes for my sons, surprisingly, when my son chose to be a werewolf, I could not find a ready to wear costume. 

I have to admit, that my sewing obsession sometimes has to do more with the fabric itself.  I sometimes find prints that I just fall in love with and then can't decide if I want to cut it up.  I know weird, but if you are a true sewing enthusiast, you will understand this. 

So, where do I get some of my favorite fabrics?  Here is a small list of online companies that I like to order from:

Distinctive Fabric Superstore: Has a nice selection of fabrics, prints and good prices.  I especially like their clearance section because I like to get the most for my dollars.  Another plus is that you can purchase by the yard or bolt.  http://www.distinctivefabric.com/

Warehouse Fabrics Inc.:  An excellent site to find retro fabrics for the mod decorators or fashionistas!  I love their huge selection of fabrics from the past to today.  What I especially like about this site is that you can search your fabrics by designer, very helpful when you have already started a project and ran out of fabric.  http://warehousefabricsinc.com/RETRO.html

Amy Butler Fabrics: This is by far my favorite fabrics, but they are a bit pricy.  The prints are lively and the colors are wonderful.  I tend to use these fabrics for smaller projects but with a larger budget it makes beautiful clothing as well.  http://www.amybutlerdesign.com/products/

In this post I wanted to share a bit about my sewing history and give you some excellent places to look for your next sewing project.  I hope that you will also share with me how you got started and where you find your favorite fabrics.  Thanks

Happy Crafting,

Ana

P.S.  This is a small pic of Amy Butlers Love Collection titled Bliss Bouquet/Emerald, which is currently on my to buy list!