This weekend we are having a class to make this pretty tank. Using Kwik Sew 2498, you can mix and match 4 different versions of this versatile top. You will work with a pattern, make facings and buttonholes, depending on which style you choose. This class is great for beginners and a fun project to stitch up for more experienced sewers.

We love the spaghetti strap version paired with a sweet skirt or layered under a cardi when the AC is turned on too strong! The curved neckline and wider strapped version ( shown here in stripes) looks great with jeans, and can have a plain or buttoned up back. Whichever version you make, you will be grateful for this cool top in this hot summer!

If you’d like to join us, please call the shop to reserve your space! Here’s the details:

Simple Tank
$45 plus materials

Saturday, August 7: 12-4PM

Materials: Pattern, thread, .75- 1.5 yards of fabric depending on size. All materials are available for purchase at Spool. Use of our sewing machines, rotary cutters, scissors, mats, and rulers are included for class sessions.
$45 plus materials

See you soon!

Unfortunately, Philly has entered the rainy portion of our Summer. Fortunately, new patterns from Amy Butler have arrived just in time! The Rainy Days and Little Splashes Jackets are just what I’ve been wanting! Using the new cotton laminates, Amy Butler gives us patterns for two cute coats- one for ladies and one for girls. Mother/daughter ensembles, anyone? The fun colors & prints of our laminates are perfect for brightening a gloomy day.

Both styles of jacket are fully lined with either quilting cotton or, for a heavier jacket, home dec weight fabric. This is quite a nice feature if you remember wearing unlined raincoats as kid – sticky! chilly! Wouldn’t this be great lined in flannel for the rainy Fall days? Cozy!

If you haven’t worked with the laminated fabrics before, don’t be scared! The fabric is actually quite lightweight and easy to work with. There are three things to remember when stitching with this fun fabric.

First and foremost, don’t touch the laminated side with a hot iron! It will melt! Try to finger press whenever possible, but when you do need to press, use a dry iron on a low setting and press on the unlaminated side of the fabric only.

Second, pin holes will not disappear, so only pin in the seam allowances or use paper clips!

Lastly, sewing on the wrong side of this fabric is a cinch, but sewing on the laminated side can be a little trickier & stickier! We have had great success using walking foot for topstitching. The walking foot has feed dogs that work in conjunction with the feed dogs on your machine to move the fabric through at an even rate. No slipping & sliding! This is a super helpful attachment to have for a variety of projects, especially if you want to machine quilt at home. A teflon foot will work beautifully as well. If you’re in a pinch, masking tape on the under side of your regular presser foot will do.

If you keep these three things in mind, your sewing experience will be much easier! Now, it’s time to pick out the fabric for your new raincoat!

July is here! So fast! The last week of June was hot and humid, like only a Philly summer can be. Thankfully, the weather has cooled and now that it is gorgeous and in the 70s, I can think again! This is weather for walking around in town, enjoying the sights. For me, that almost always means coming home with a sunburn. I have taken to wearing a hat while I’m out and about, and it has helped quite a bit in not having a red nose and MORE freckles!

Since it has been so warm, I chose the breathable Essex linen/cotton blend to make my Kwik Sew 3699 chapeau! I lined it with a pretty grey & yellow dot from Laura Gunn’s Poppy collection. I have a real soft spot for yellowy greens. They just epitomize Summer, don’t they? This light color is pretty and deflects that hot sun, plus it looks good with red hair!

Once I cut out my pattern & fabric, this hat took less than an hour to stitch. Since the linen content makes for a sturdier fabric, I only interfaced the brim, so it wouldn’t fall in my eyes. If you were to use a regular quilting cotton weight or one of our Shot Cottons, like I did here, you would definitely want to use a featherweight interfacing, to give it a bit of shape. I can roll this up and put it in my purse and it still comes out looking great!

Now, if you made this hat in Nicey Jane cotton laminate, you would have a super cute rain hat! The weather can change on a dime in the Summer months. Last week, we had a crazy storm that came out of nowhere and lasted only 20 minutes! Now, while this hat may not protect your whole ensemble from a torrential downpour, it will at least save your hair-do and keep the rain out of your eyes. To me, that’s always the worst part of getting stuck in the rain – sporting “the bedraggled look” after the storm has ceased!

If you’d like to make a hat of your very own to protect that beautiful face, join us for class next weekend! Please call the shop to reserve your space. See you soon!

Sun Hat
Sunday, July 11: 1:30- 3:30PM
$25 plus materials

Materials: Pattern, 1 yard fabric total, 3/4 yards interfacing, thread. All materials are available for purchase at Spool. Use of our sewing machines, rotary cutters, scissors, mats, and rulers are included for class sessions.

New skirts! This style is in all the shops this season, and I think it’s adorable. Accentuating the waistline with wide belts and waistbands is a trend I can get behind – so flattering. We used Erin McMorris’ s Go by Bike print and Kaffe Fassett’s Bekah for our skirts. I can picture the first one being worn to an afternoon lunch, while the second can go out for a night on the town. Since this skirt is so quick to make, you can have one for whatever mood strikes you!

Using just 1.5 yards of fabric, 3″ wide elastic and Kwik Sew Pattern 3744, we made our own version of this popular look. Summer style should be all about ease, and this skirt’s elasticized waist can be worn high or low, cutely and comfortably. It even has a pocket for carrying small essentials. You can make this in an afternoon, and get a good understanding of gathering and sewing with elastic, and wear it out that night!

Join us in class to make your very own own skirt of the season. Please call the shop to reserve your space. See you soon!

High Waist Skirt
$45 plus materials

Saturday, June 19: 12-4PM- next week!
Saturday, July 10: 11-3PM
Tuesdays, August 10 & 17: 6-8PM

Materials: Pattern, thread, 1 yard of 3″ wide elastic, 1.5 yards of fabric, optional sew on snap for rosette. All materials are available for purchase at Spool. Use of our sewing machines, rotary cutters, scissors, mats, and rulers are included for class sessions.

Try on Amy Butler’s Mini Dress for Summer! Easy to follow, the pattern includes instructions for a top & tunic, but we went for the full dress. Nothing is better in warm weather than putting on ONE garment, adding flip flops and walking out the door!

We chose Robert Kaufman’s Chambray for our version. Like Shot Cotton, it has a different colored warp and weft, but it’s not as gauzy, allowing for details like the front pleat to really stand out. Isn’t that color gorgeous? One of my customers says that purple is the new black. I can see why!

Pleating details on the straps give the dress that little something extra, and ties in with the deep pleating on the front. Pretty!

Yes, this dress does have a back zipper. Don’t be afraid! I always recommend that sewers jump right in and try out zipper applications, even if you are a newbie. It’s the best way to avoid developing a zipper phobia, and the only way to finish and wear this dress!

Nothing says relaxed summer style like a wrap skirt! Versatile, easy to wear and easy to sew. We made ours using Kwik Sew 2954 and Kaffe Fassett’s Roman Glass print.

The slimmed down a-line shape of this skirt, combined with waist darts, gives a more flattering appearance. Finish it with a waist facing and simple tie closure. I dig the 70′s vibe this skirt is giving off, and I know it will look amazing with all the wedge heeled sandals I’m seeing out there!

This pattern is a great first step into garment sewing. We’re having a class starting up in June – you’ll have this done in time to wear to the 4th of July picnic! Please call the shop to reserve your space. See you soon!

Wrap Skirt
$45 plus materials

Sundays, June 20 & 27 12:30AM -2:30PM

You should be familiar with sewing machine basics to take this class. We recommend purchasing your fabric ahead of time, so that it can be laundered in time for class.

Materials: 2 – 3.5 yards of fabric depending on size and length, pattern, thread. All materials are available for purchase at Spool. Use of our sewing machines, rotary cutters, scissors, mats, and rulers are included for class sessions.

Isn’t this dress amazing? It’s the new Empire Evening Dress pattern from Anna Maria Horner. I read on Anna Maria’s blog that the skirt from this dress was originally a quilt top, and she had to quickly fashion a bodice for it during a photo shoot featuring her fabric line. Once the photos came out, people REALLY wanted the pattern, and she happily obliged. I’m so glad she did!

There are 4 versions included in the pattern; 2 strapless & 2 with straps, both in long and short lengths. While I love the zig-zaggy full skirt in the cover dress, I decided to try a more simple style for our dress. We used Micheal Miller’s Ta-Dot in a gorgeous teal. The result is flowy, feminine, and all around cute. I think this could easily be a candidate for your everyday summer uniform. Hot weather will be no sweat ( literally) in this cool and comfy frock!

My favorite part is the pretty bodice detail. It really gives the simple shape of the dress something extra special. It’s an easy detail to sew as well! Anna Maria’s instructions are straightforward and easy to follow, making the sewing just as enjoyable as the wearing of your new summer dress!

I was just wearing my winter coat 4 days ago, and now it’s slated to hit 85 degrees here in Philly today! Crazy! When the temperature rises this way, it can only mean one thing – time for new skirts!

I have been seeing fuller skirts in all the stores lately, and Kwik Sew 3637 fits right in! We made ours in Laura Gunn’s Poppy Print, and I love how well the design highlights the large scale pattern. It has a side zipper closure and is put together with minimal pattern pieces, helping your project come together quickly and easily. Feminine and fashionable, don’t be surprised if you want to do a little twirl while wearing this skirt!

If you’d like to try your hand at making this pattern, we are having a class starting next weekend. This is a perfect project for new garment sewers and a fun wardrobe addition for more experienced seamstresses! Please call the shop to reserve your space.

Here’s the details:

Circle Skirt
$65 plus materials

Sundays, May 9, 16 & 23: 12:30- 2:30

You should be familiar with sewing machine basics and have completed at least one other small project to take this class. We recommend purchasing your fabric ahead of time, so that it can be laundered in time for class.

Materials: pattern, thread, 3- 3.75yards fabric depending on size and length, 7″ zipper

See you soon!

Just in time for the first day of Spring, the Flora & Fauna collection from Patty Young arrived in the shop. Aren’t these prints fresh and happy? Bees and hummingbirds are busily doing their duties to ensure a perfect season, while daisies and dandelions are cheerful reminders that soon beautiful blooms will be all around us. After the winter we’ve had, we could sure use it!

To get ready for the warm weather, we made a new version of our favorite satchel, the Birdie Sling. I love a complementary color scheme, and this one is no exception. Honey and magenta tones are quite fashionable these days, and it’s fun to see them paired with such whimsical prints. When making this bag, I usually like to put a larger print on the bottom section, but the since the darker honeycomb reads almost as solid, the pretty shapes in the handle stand out even more. So cute!

This is our go-to purse for all the sunny activities that are about to start. Parties, barbecues, and beach days are coming! Buzz, buzz!

I know that there is still 2 feet of snow on the ground outside the shop, but I am looking forward to Spring in a big way! The recent completion of these Simple Tanks are a big part of the reason! I made a one using Kwik Sew 2498 last summer, and it quickly became a wardrobe staple. I am not a big fan of stretchy, clingy tanks in the warm weather, and I love that with one yard of cool cotton you can make a breezy top in different styles.

Elizabeth sewed up these versions in a rosy pink Shot Cotton, and one in Kaffe Fassett’s Serape Stripe. I thought the rosy one needed a little something extra, and since we recently got some gorgeous embroidery floss in at the shop, I decided to embellish! I carefully stitched a row of little french knots along the neckline. They were easier to make than I thought, and I love the shine of the mercerized thread. Sparkly!

If you’d like to get a little dose of Spring this weekend, we will be having a Simple Tank class. Here’s the details:

Saturday, February 20: 10AM -2PM
$45 plus materials

Materials: Pattern, thread, .75- 1.5 yards of fabric depending on size. All materials are available for purchase at Spool. Use of our sewing machines, rotary cutters, scissors, mats, and rulers are included for class sessions.

Please call the shop to reserve your space. See you soon!