Enchanted By Sewing

A bustier is an alluring garment, one many women would like to wear - if they dare. When I began to notice that women of all shapes, sizes and ages sewed and wore their bustiers with pleasure and pride, I decided to take a chance and learn to sew this very structured garment, that can be designed to flatter a wide variety of figure types. This episode emphasizes Cut and Cloth. Next month's episode focuses on Construction.  

  Is that garment you're sewing a shirt or a blouse? Is it the collar stand, or lack thereof that makes you decide one way or another? How about set-in sleeves versus dropped? Maybe it's your choice of fabric.... This month Laurel talks about her experiences creating her No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Shirt, with a Butterick pattern that sometimes says shirt and other times blouse. She also discusses sewing techniques that say shirt, and chats a little about the history of shirts and shirty language (with special attention to a scene from a Harry Potter book ).    This podcast is an extension of  my on-web sewing life journal Me Encanta Coser, a blog that tells the story of an arty-romantic plain sewist in CA. My blog is written in English. The blogs name, and occasional references, pays tribute to the beautiful Spanish language which is a part of both the history and modern culture of the San Francisco Bay area, where I live.

An interview with Esther, owner of a local sewing business, Tocci Quinces & More.  Highlights of our conversation include: - How Esther learned to sew on the job sewing in Mexico for a maquiladora in Mexico City and how her desire for a different life for herself and her daughters, motivated her to come to the US, where she trained for and worked at medical jobs for several years.  - Eventual acquisition of her business - Esther’s dreams, experiences and plans for the sewing and business education, that are helping her to grow her business. - Flights of fancy from both ladies in regards to sewing inspiration for specialized Mexican techniques and garments. Show Notes at http://EnchantedBySewing.blogspot.com, include links to cutural, artistic, and geographic resources.

Show Notes : http://enchantedbysewing.blogspot.com. This month I’m taking a leaf out of the book of some of the podcasts and columnists I enjoy, who run a themed quiz during the winter holidays. I’ve always enjoyed taking these kinds of mini tests,  and feeling like a smarty pants when I’m  able to answer their questions. I also get a kick out of trying to wow my family with my knowledge of trivia on various subjects. They are rarely impressed. My own, Enchanted by Sewing holiday quiz is focused around four fabrics that work well for sewing, wearing and enjoying here in California’s temperate San Francisco Bay Area. So pull up a few bolts of your favorite stuff, plop down on top, and let’s get started. And don’t forget to keep score! During the audio quiz... you will be ranking four fabrics in terms of their strength. At that time, I sing you a little fabric themed tune. Since cotton is one of the fabrics in the quiz, I thought you might enjoy my updated version of the old "Boll Weevil" song. The lyrics I ad

It's a good time of year to consider how rethinking of women’s societal roles and life choices has affected attitudes towards the use of aprons, and take a free trips through time as well. Free apron pattern download and discussion of sewing techniques.

I was intimidated by sewing well fitting jeans, in addition to learning how to achieve an authentic jeans-styling look when it comes to fabric, hardware, and embellishment. So, I put aside fit issues, for the time being,  and created a jeans-style skirt.

    My experiences creating a) a Duct Tape Dress Form (with a friend) b) a Uniquely You Dress Form (Instructor Judith Jackson)  1)What is a dress form? (also see Sew Forth Now Podcast)  2)Why I wanted a dress form3)Body Issues and your Team 4)Two types of dress forms I experienced.  5)Cost 6)Materials (tools)   and Resources (web stuff) 7)Safety- Cautions about Standing - also -Working around kids - Two good reasons not to !   8)Social Comfort/Body Issues  and Your Team  9)How I've used my dress forms and other Ideas for Use - Wedding/Special Occasion Sewing? 10) Technicos: In-depth details about how I made these two different styles of dress forms     ~ ~ ~ Show Notes http://EnchantedBySewing.blogspot.com    

Professional and weekend wear are well integrated in Susan's wardrobe. Business casual is her everyday look and skirts and dresses are important for Susan's girly-girl style, whether at home or work. No coyotes or mountain lions slipped through the parking lot (as we'd both hoped they might), but snakes alive, did we have a good time talking late into the night! Come along and listen in.

California Sewist seeks inspiration at the Victoria and Albert In the June Enchanted by Swing podcast I shared some of my favorite sewist sights in London: Tana Lawn fabric at Liberty, street fashion and a trip to a special exhibit at Buckingham Palace. Before the show returns to a California sewing scene,  I take you along with me on a tour of the Victoria and Albert fashion gallery. It's just like we're walking the floor together (and yes - we do take a tea break too), looking at all the details dear to a sewists heart. Did you see that cuff? How did they make those roses? What is giving that bodice it's structure?  Yes, the sights and sounds (even some of my camera clicks) of the gallery are all there. It's an in-the-moment show.

California Sewist seeks inspiration at the Victoria and Albert In the June Enchanted by Swing podcast I shared some of my favorite sewist sights in London: Tana Lawn fabric at Liberty, street fashion and a trip to a special exhibit at Buckingham Palace. Before the show returns to a California sewing scene,  I take you along with me on a tour of the Victoria and Albert fashion gallery. It's just like we're walking the floor together (and yes - we do take a tea break too), looking at all the details dear to a sewists heart. Did you see that cuff? How did they make those roses? What is giving that bodice it's structure?  Yes, the sights and sounds (even some of my camera clicks) of the gallery are all there. It's an in-the-moment show.

London's got what a sewist yearns for, historically inspired fabric and fashion, not to mention the regular inspirations we bring back from vacation tripping in an historically rich area. When this California sewist vacations in London she does more than promenade along the Thames. She visits historic Liberty to buy soft delicate Tana Lawn fabric and the Victoria and Albert to study historic fashion. She also looks both ways before she crosses the street (cuz she can never remember which way the traffic flows) to take camera phone photos of street fashion.

In celebration of Mother’s Day… Laurel reflects on her own experiences with mother-daughter sewing. She also finds out that this relationship doesn’t always fit into a traditional pattern. This conversation with sewing cohorts, who happen to be related, may surprise you as much as it did the show hostess.

This interview is about more than sewing, it's about a Californian who admits to having fun with her two teenage sons, drawn together by their shared joy in living history....What first drew me to Laura is that, in addition to costume sewing, she has a flair for  integrating elements of costume sewing into her daily wardrobe. She sews for well-known living history events, such as the Renaisance Faire and Civil War Reenactment Days. Our conversation about her experiences creating unique agreements for  local personal theater - the Nor C Cal Pirate Expo had us both laughing, and me reaching for the edit button when it came time to clean up this interview to keep this podcast rated 'clean'!

Vests give freedom of movement, are a way to showcase fabric, and provide a touch of formality in a casual world. Includes a nod to history, vest patterns and technique for an alternative way to sew a lined or reversible vest . Pensamientos: Tutus vs. Tofu contrasts plain sewing basics with sewing enchantment.

Our Best Holiday Issue Ever! Sewing Nightgowns, Robes, Men’s Nightshirts, and Ideas for Pajama Sewing. Laurel is a classic romantic when it comes to nightwear sewing. This month she shares some of her favorite night garment sewing patterns, thoughts on winter gown and robe fabrics, and an audio tutorial on sewing tucks.  The show also includes an informative interview with Anthony G., another student in the Cañada Fashion Sewing Program, some of which was surprising to Laurel when it came to what Anthony shared about natural fibers and Harry Truman!

Reflections on trouser-wearing ladies in past, recent and modern times including Marie Antoinette, Katherine Hepburn and Doris Day, as well as Laurel's own memories of the struggles over changing cultural attitudes. Discussion of trouser patterns used by the hostess, ideas for sewing fabric and thread belt loops, and specialized techniques for creating in-seam pockets. Includes a lively interview-conversation with Sally-Ann, another student in the Cañada Fashion Sewing Program.

Why I find dress sewing enchanting. How I’ve been working on making that enchantment both a time for special occasion sewing, and also a time to add to the practical part of my regular, daily arty-romantic California wardrobe. Includes reflections on dress fashion history as well as techniques for sewing a fitted facing at a dress neckline.   

1)  An extension of  my sewing blog http://MeEncantaCoser.blogspot.com 2)  Celebrating National Sewing month  Personal Style, Designs, Building Sewing Skill Set Short Interview with Kayla, a local fashion student 3)Tee Time – Sewing The ubiquitous tee shirt is the modern day equivalent of great-great grandmother's calico dress 4) Tee Time Patterns – New, Used and Altered 5) Tee Time Techniques with help from Kayla  6) September Sewing Basket 7) Contact Show Notes and Comments http://EnchantedBySewing.blogspot.com 8) Next Months Theme and Pensamientos on Sewing Enchantment