What’s new, pussycat?

I love it when a plan comes together!

We finally wrapped up all our legal stuff and signed on the dotted line on Friday evening so we’re finally able to say that our shop is situated at 691 Great Western Road in Glasgow and we will be opening very soon! We – Vonnie, Bob, Jenny, Claire and Dave – have been working solidly to get the place shipshape and ready for action so I’m leaving you with a couple of teaser pictures showing the shop stock being added. Remember you can still shop online while you’re waiting for us to open our doors.

Giveaway!

Well, with us being SO EXCITED by the new stock we’ve been receiving AND with us making lots of headway on our very own shop we decided to do a little mutually-beneficial giveaway. Here is how it works:

1. Leave a comment with the answer to the question below – this gets you one entry

2. Be a fan on our facebook page – this gets you another entry (but mention it in the comments!)

3. Follow us on Twitter and retweet the competition – this gets you yet another entry (again, mention it in the comments!)

In exchange for your hard work, the winner will be able to choose their own prize. How cool is that?! The winner of this competition can choose either:

a) A voucher to a 3-hour long class of your choice, valid for one year

b) A MillaMia August kit

c) A MillaMia Andrea kit

d) Yarn to the value of £25

e) Any two sewing patterns of your choice

The question we’d like you to answer is: What has been your most memorable crafting experience?

This competition will close on Saturday July 31st 2010 at 10pm, the winner’s details will be posted here once the winner has has been notified.

This competition is now closed. Thank you for your entries.

Hot stuff

When we decided we were going to stock sewing patterns at The Life Craft, we made a promise only to stock patterns that we would personally use. For me this was a dilemma because until a couple of months ago I hadn’t actually found any patterns that I would happily buy. When I thought of paper patterns I thought of old fashioned bridesmaid dresses and a brand that will remain nameless. I would perhaps go as far to say I was a paper pattern snob. Or at least something between snobbery and my knowledge of pattern cutting causing me to be super critical of commercial patterns. This was, however, before I had been introduced to HotPatterns. I felt like a kid in a sweetie shop whilst browsing their website! Finally someone had recognised that there was a niche for funky fashionable dress making patterns, WAHEY!

I decided to pick a range of HotPatterns covering coats, trousers, tops and dresses (sorry guys these ones are just for the girls). I genuinely found it difficult picking 7 styles but after much deliberation I managed it! Here are my favourites:

This wrap dress/top is a classic wardrobe staple. Flattering and comfortable, I thought it would be a popular one and appeal to a wide age range. At advanced beginner level this is suitable for someone who has used patterns before and is a competent sewer. I anticipate the most difficult element of this pattern will be the belt or armhole.

Next I decided upon these super comfy casual trousers (I promise I didn’t pick them because I want to look like the illustration). I can imagine these in a fabulous material with a great drape – maybe throw a wee pattern into the mix? Either way this pattern is a favourite of mine. This is also an advanced beginner pattern.

The Riviera trouser and waistcoat pattern reminds me of effortless European style. I’m thinking Zara and Mango sophistication here. The trousers actually remind me of a pair of wide leg suit trousers I used to own. I loved them because they were smart but you could also team them with a pair of trainers and a teeshirt for a relaxed look. At intermediate skill level you would really have to be an experienced sewer who is comfortable with patterns to complete this project.

I know what you are thinking – where are the beginners patterns?! Well here is one just for all you novice sewers. It is perfect if you’ve never used a pattern before but you might want to brush up on your machine skills first. If you’re not too confident I’d advise making a toile first. A toile is a mock up made from a cheap fabric such as calico, a practice run if you will.

I’m saving the best for last here with the Deco Vibo Cocoon coat. How cool is this?! This coat is fully lined which is probably why it has an intermediate difficulty rating. Personally I can’t wait to make this out of a Mary-Poppins-carpet-bag-esque material. I may well just line it in a bright pink too.

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I’m not ashamed to admit I was more than a little bit excited about the arrival of the HotPatterns. The first thing I noticed was how substantial the pattern was. This is no fiddley I’m-going-to-rip-when-you-try-to-cut-me onion skin, oh no. This pattern is on paper, which makes life so much easier. I would actually be tempted to trace this pattern instead of cutting it up because it definitely won’t be irreparably damaged by a clickers awl or tracing wheel, and to be honest sometimes the folds in the pattern annoy me(even if i’ve ironed them out!). Each pattern has a difficulty rating, and an indication as to how many metres of fabric you may need and any necessary notions. In The Life Craft online shop we have added this information so you can buy everything you need in one go, so if you’re impatient like me you can get started straight away!

Some pre garment construction advice:

Familiarise yourself with the pattern before cutting it out. Read over the instructions and have a good look at your pattern. You don’twant to be rash and cut out the wrong size, believe me i’ve done it! Adhere to grain lines in order to get the correct fit and drape. Most of our patterns are from the US but our website has UK sizes for your convenience. Please remember that the sizes on the pattern itself and the packaging will be in US sizes. To convert US to UK add 4 to the US size. For example a US size 10 is a UK size 14

If you are not 100% confident or if this is your first experience of using a pattern then make a toile first! Use a cheap fabric like calico. You can get various weights of calico so try to get a calico that is closest weight to the weight of the fabric you wish to make your final garment from. Toiles do not require zips or button holes or finished edges they are just drafts to test out the pattern.

Wash, dry and press your main fabric before you cut it out according to manufacturers washing instructions. Fabric is liable to shrinkage on the first wash and no one wants to spend time making a garment only for it to shrink on the first wash! Pressing the fabric makes cutting out the pattern easier. It also makes it easier to determine the grain line.

Lastly if you have a problem with your pattern, or you get stuck at any point please do not hesitate to contact me. thats the beauty of buying from The Life Craft – you have full support from our creative team!

So dust off your sewing machines and get sewing!