Wednesday, April 24, 2013

vote now for the sewcialist emblem

Voting is now closed.
Welcome Everyone! We're here today to vote on the 6 Sewcialists emblem entries. Please consider the following before you cast your vote:
We asked each designer to design an emblem that...
  • Relates to sewing and the social nature of sewcialists
  • Is modern, simple, recognizable and memorable
  • Is useable in black & white as well as in color
You can read the rest of the requirements on the Sewcialists.org site. On this site, you can also find the rest of the Jury Blogs. You are allowed one vote per jury blog. The Jury itself will not be voting. The jury eliminated the short-list portion of this contest. The designs up for vote are the designs that were submitted.
When you vote on our blogs, please make your vote very clear, typing in the # of the entry and the designer's name.
Included before each design is a portion of the designer's cover letter to give you context.
Voting closes on May 8th at midnight Eastern time in the United States. 
Entry #1- Bev
I chose my designs as a globe representing the world wide sewing community, needle and threads to represent sewing, threads of different colours to represent our differences and a computer mouse to represent our mode of communication. SewcialistSewcialist bw
Entry #2- Gareth
I think that this design shows the close-knit (excuse the pun) nature of
Sewcialists. It places them within the circle created by the threads coming from the needles. I think this nicely sums up the idea of a community brought together by the hobby that they love.
Sewcialists

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Entry #3- Sabina

I basically wanted to keep the logo very simple and recognisable. Every sewcialist will at some point use a computer to communicate about their creations or engage with other sewcialists. Although there are lots of different hardware options to enable us to do this (smart phones, desk tops, tablets etc etc) I thought the world at large would be able to immediately recognise a standard laptop to represent how the online community interacts.The sewing machine in the middle was the obvious choice to represent what sewcialists do at the very heart of our creativity. It’s actually based on my Janome 525S machine! The dot and dash circle enclosing the logo represents to me the cutting lines on patterns!

sewcialist logo B&W no word sewcialist logo colour no word sewcialist logo final B&W sewcialist logo final



Entry #4- Joost
The design uses a button and bobbin to relate to sewing whereas the smiley face speech balloon relates to the social nature of sewcialists.
The button is slightly rotated. It makes it visually more pleasing and reminds us that sewcialists needn't adhere to the stereotype of off-the-peg garments. The bobbin is half-filled with thread, indicating it's being used. The friendly chatter that sewcialists engage in online is embodied in the form of a speech balloon/smiley face.
The emblem is simple in its design and its button and bobbin shapes breathe 'sewing'. The combination of three basic elements makes it memorable, yet distinctive.
The black and white version at the bottom and the color version at the top prove that the logo 'works' regardless of colors.
But I don't like the color!
You don't have to. You may like the same dress pattern as another sewcialist, but that doesn't mean you should make it in the same color, right?
The strength of the design is its shape. Only you can choose your prefect colors. So, pick your own colors and make this design your very own sewcialist emblem.
You can do so online at this address:: http://lab.decock.org/sewcialists/
ColorEmblemWithoutTitleColorEmblemWithTitleMonochromeEmblemWithoutTitleMonochromeEmblemWithTitle
Entry #5- Dylan
CoverLetter
LogoProposal
Entry #6- Anne
My design is a patchwork globe revolving on an axis which is represented by the dress form. The needle and thread which changes to a computer mouse representing the lines of communication going round the globe linking sewing and the social media.
My idea for this came from the inclusive and diverse nature of the sewcialist community represented by the patchwork pieces of the countries - linked by a common thread - our sewing and means of communication. My favourite author is Anne Tyler who wrote the book A Patchwork Planet so a bit of me. I also wanted to represent all sewers, the dress form for the garment sewers among us and the patchwork, yes you've guessed it! for the patchwork community.

The text around the outside gives a vintage feel - I think - to the design. I mention the word Sewcialist  at the top and I felt we should aim high - with a bit of humour so a bit tongue in cheek with the proclamation that we will unite the world with our stitches.
anne logo color with wordsanne logo bw with wordsannelogo color no words
Good luck to the designers!

Jury members blogs for more voting. Remember, one vote per blog.

Monday, April 8, 2013

The Wellington pattern pyramid has a new home!

The Wellington Patten Pyramid is moving on to it's next destination. 
My daughter, Alona, drew the winning name for me. 

The lovely Catja from Gjeometry is the next recipient!

I look forward to seeing which pattern(s) you choose!


Saturday, March 30, 2013

Blogger Meetup

A few weeks ago I went to my cousin's wedding and had the chance to meet up with Katie of Kadiddlehopper

She took me to Yellow Bird Fabrics, a lovely fabric shop! We just happened to run into Sunni while we were there. She cut our fabric and took our picture for us.


I bought a gorgeous brown wool blend jersey for a summer Renfrew and a stretch cotton remnant which will be a skirt for my daughter.
If you are ever in Salt Lake for a visit, be sure to stop by Yellow Bird. Katie and I petted the Liberty Lawn they had in stock. I didn't understand why it was so coveted until I touched it! It is worth the price, and I think I will be buying some in the near future!

After our fabric shopping, we headed over to Capital City Antique Mall. We were having a great time playing with the vintage cameras when it occurred to me that we should be taking pictures of our adventure. (You can see more pictures over on Katie's post.)

We found quite a few pattern stashes to raid, and I loved seeing them in old suitcases.

I found some sewing machine accessory boxes. This is the one I didn't buy.

There were several racks of vintage clothes, with a few pieces that made us question, "why?"  Here is Katie with one of them.



I did buy a few things at the antique mall. 
I found a few patterns to my liking, but none of them are for me. 
This Simplicity pattern will be great for one of my daughters one day.

Here is a closeup of the Spadea unprinted pattern.

The PJs and robe are perfect for Drew, and the adorable girl's dress will one day (hopefully) be for my a little niece. 

The Singer sewing machine accessories box I bought didn't look that exciting at first, but the top piece came out and revealed a surprise.

This is the lower section with the real goodies!

A binding foot...

...and a ruffler foot. I'm pretty sure these will fit my older machine!


I had such a great time with Katie! She is vibrant, energetic and so lovely. I had a blast! Thanks for showing me around! 

Wellington Pattern Pyramid Has Arrived!!

The Wellington Pyramid arrived a week ago, but I've been lazy. Sorry about that!  These patterns have travelled around quite a bit.  Will they be coming to your house next?

These are the patterns sent to me from Laurie and Kerrielee over at Sew Exhausted. Thank you, ladies!


I picked 3 patterns to keep- 2 for me and 1 for my daughter.


And here are the 3 I am adding to the pyramid.

First up is Simplicity 4951, easy chic. 

Vogue 7353 is a lovely fur accessories pattern.

Lastly, is Vogue2659 with 5 easy pieces-  top, capri pant, skirt, jacket, and dress. 

If you'd like to be entered to receive the Wellington Pattern Pyramid just leave a comment below before 12:00am PST (GMT-7) April 7, one week from today. This is open to anyone with a blog. I will announce the winner on April 8.

You can find the origins of the Wellington Pattern Pyramid here.


Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Polka Dot Frock

I joined up with Scruffy Badger Time for Polka Dot Frock Fest in February. Of course, in my usual style, I didn't finish it in February. I managed to wash the fabric that month, that's it.  The pattern is New Look 6000. I love the pictures on the pattern jacket. I wasn't sure how it would look on me, however. 
I used a double knit from Girl Charlee. They don't normally have double knit in stock, but I lucked out with a dotted one!
I graded the pattern up, as it only goes up to size 16. I basted it together and it was huge! I ended up taking it back in to just barely bigger than the 16, cutting the neck and shoulder seams down between sizes 12 and 14.  

Checking the fit before adding sleeves and neck facing.


Catch stitching the hem.
The dress went together rather quickly, and I really shouldn't have put it off so long. I was just so unsure of the sizing. It all worked out in the end!


I wore it to my cousin's wedding for it's debut.


I love the pleating!

Unfortunately, the fabric is very fond of static. I need an awesome slip and a can of static spray, apparently.
I do love the dress. The neckline is wonderful.The sleeve length is great for me. I didn't add the cuffs, as I didn't really prefer those. 


I may sew this again, but not any time soon.


Friday, March 1, 2013

sewcialists seeking graphic designers


Calling all graphic designers!

The Sewcialists are seeking emblem designs for our budding community of sewing aficionados.
Who are the Sewcialists?
Sewcialists are those who sew and chat about sewing, fabric stashes, etc on social media.
What are we looking for? We are looking for a design that:
  • Relates to sewing and the social nature of sewcialists
  • Is modern, simple, recognizable and memorable
  • Is useable in black & white as well as in color
What will the winner win?





  • A 1 year subscription to Make magazine
  • A $100 cash prize. The cash prize of one hundred US currency will be paid through PayPal only
  • A custom ipad sleeve
We are proud to have MAKE as our official competition sponsor! They're the ones giving the winner the subscription.

Deadline for submissions is April 20th. Submit to jury [at] sewcialists [dot] org
We have a sewcialists jury of 10 who will be blogging about this contest. Check out the jury list at sewcialists.org.
General Voting
April 24 until May 8: The jury members will open up general voting on the designs that made it to the final round.
  • Voting will happen via comments on the jury blog posts
  • Every sewcialist has one vote per jury-blog
  • One person can vote multiple times (as long as it's on different jury-blogs) on different designs, or on the same design.
Any questions? Please let me know! Feel free to share this contest with your friends. It's open to all. The fine print can be found at sewcialists.org.