Welcome to another edition of Free Stuff Friday! Happy first day of June! Today at Sew News we are in and out of the sewing lab, making fun projects for upcoming issues. We hope your Friday is also full of sewing and fun!
Just to brighten your day, we’re giving away a copy of Sew Wild: Creating with Stitch and Mixed Media by Alisa Burke and published by Interweave! In this book, Burke explains her messy and wild approach to sewing! She also includes an instructional DVD!
All you have to do to enter to win this fun and exciting prize is post your answer to the following question in the comments section at the end of this post:
Have you ever created your designed your own fabric?? If not, what is your most creative idea for a fun print or color scheme?
On the left side of this post are some of the prints that are featured in Sew Wild, just in case you need some inspiration!
We’ll randomly select one comment and announce the winner on Monday! Good luck and have an awesome weekend!
I have dyed/solar printed on blank fabric. Its fun and a little messy. I would like to see fabric with faint sketchy designs that I can machine embroider on…
I have made my own quilted fabric for projects a few times so that I had a reversible quilted fabric for a bag. I would like to try coloring black and white fabric for projects with colored pencils. Several of my friends in my guild are doing this with stunning results!
i’ve stamped, dyed, solar printed, and machine quilted… alwaysAlwaysALWAYS looking for inspiration!! recently lost all my crafting books in a fire & trying to rebuild my library — this would be a GREAT addition.
I have designed but not created my own fabric. It was a geometric pattern in orange and white, designed in 1969.
YES, TOOK PLAIN WHITE FABRIC, PUT ROW AFTER ROW OF DECORATIVE STITCHES. IT TOOK DAYS. CUT OUT MY TOP. USED THIS FABRIC FOR THE FRONT ONLY. CAME OUT PRETTY.
As a teen (a thousand years ago) I designed material for a designer friend of the banners of all the high school and junior highs in Dallas. It was lots of fun and went over really well. Big sales.
I’ve created my own fabric miltiple times. The most memorable one was the 1st. In my 2nd year of high school, I was given a large batch of 6 inch wide strips of solid gold and solid blue veleteen. I cuth them into 6 inch squares and pieced them back together in a patchwork pattern, then made a floor length robe for myself. I took my finished project to school to show to my dressmaking teacher (who I still admire today) and she looked and looked for any spot where I might have missed matching the squares point to point. after she realized that there weren’t any mistakes she gave me an extra credit A on it! I had not shown it to her for the extra credit, but was quite happy that she acknowledged the work I’d put into it!
I’ve been inspired by Alisa for many years after seeing her work in many magazines. I love her graffiti style and have tried it many times putting my on ‘spin’ on it. Although I have not designed my own fabric, I have re-created many outfits that I otherwise would have used mostly for rags to clean house or car. My favorite is a long chambray sundress that has always been one of my favorites until I got a stain on it in a strange place that I could not disguise with an applique or pocket or anything else. I thought my poor sundress was destined for the scrap pile. But thanks to Alisa’s work inspiring me, the dress is now a masterpiece of graffiti, splatters, tattoo scribbles and other things. In fact, when I’m doing a painting or dying project, I wear the dress only to keep adding more to it each time, whether by accident or intentional. Would definitely love to win this book for more inspiration, I will definitely be buying if I don’t win. — Also, have done the fabric painting with Sharpies and alcohol — so much fun! And it’s something I can do with my little niece, hopefully, she will be an aspiring fabric artist also!
No I haven’t, but I’d love to do a circus themed one based around elephants, as I really love both vintage and current elephant prints.
I haven’t created my own fabric as yet but have done lots of doll clothes. I recently bought an embroider/sewing machine, so will utilize the borders on skirts or vests. Stitching options include not only flowers but scroll and whimsical repeated designs. I can also spice up other small projects, like cloth coasters, aprons or tote bags.
I love 100% novelty prints that evoke a feeling or memory….especially some of the retro styles. I would love to use some of my art work to create a pattern depicting things I do with my girlfriends…..hiking, talking, shopping, lunching, sewing (of course). It would have a black background (easier to clean) with lots of bright colors. It would be fun and whimsical.
I love to make aprons and totes for my girlfriends and would use gingham, dotted or checked fabric in bright colors as the accents (straps, pockets and lining). My girlfriends would know how much I love them and value our time together every time they looked at the fabric!
Yes, I have regularly dyed fabric, usually cottons. I have also used paint, but not really stitching.
I once painted designs on fabric for a dress. Does that count? If not, no, but I would love to a blue and yellow Christmas design.
I have never created my own fabric but would love to create some of my own dip-dyes for pillows and such.
Driving through upstate New York looking at the beautiful fall colors made me want to make a quilt using those colors and immediately start to collect fabric.
I have never created my own fabric. Sounds likes fun. Polka Dots come to my mind. I love polka dots. Creating fabric designs will be great fun! Thanks!
I create a new fabric patttern with each Mug Rug I make. Each Mug Rug is unique.
I have not had the opportunity to design my own fabric, but if I did get the chance it would be print of my everyday doodles with colors that POP!
I designed my own via macrame – I macrame’d a vest that I still have. I made that vest in high school. I doubt that it still fits, but I remember my teacher wearing it in school! It was so fun to do, too. I also did tie dye in different ways, fabric painted, and made a batik fabric that I used to cover a hand-made book. I love that batik – I still have that, too. We’re not just creating or designing fabric – we’re creating memories!
I have not, but I have always been interested in how fabric is designed. How are the professional grade patterns made? That would make a very interesting article or program!
Jenna
callherhappy.com
I have done some Batik prints on silk for scarves and in college designed a print for my niece that we could use to make her curtains for her room.
I would like to create a design with a storm theme.
melodyj(at)gmail(dot)com
Never created my own fabric…have dyed and quilted some..would love this book!
I have never technically created my own fabric, but I think that every time we cut fabric and rearrange it with other fabrics we are really crating a whole new “fabric”. I especially love sewing quilt sandwiches with two radically different fabrics so that when you turn it over, it’s always a surprise.
I love to play and try new techniques. I have painted, stamped, hand dyed fabrics. I
have made a flour water paste and painted in musline, let it dry thoroughly, rolled it up so the dried paste cracks and then painted over the paste so the paint seeps into the cracks. sometimes I let the paint dry, crack the paste again and add a second color. very interesting effect. I have rusted iron on fabric with vinegar and assorted rusty iron parts, chains.
I’ve done this so many times and in so many ways It’s just plain fun to make your own fabrics and totally one of a kind too!
I have not yet designed or created my own fabric. I say yet as I am intrigued to learn how. Excited at yet another learning opportunity!!
I would so love to having a craft shed, I mean studio, in the backyard to play with all the wonderful dyes and paints that are available to consumers now!