This page is from last year, but the comments just keep on coming. And if you are considering taking this low low priced offer, please read those comments in that link.
And then there's Reddit. Sewing Reddit is not the swirling downspout of doom that Pop Culture reddit is.
I was all in at the beginning, sold patterns on their website, bought classes and watched them, but gave up shortly after the last deal with Bluprint, and lucky for me my credit card number has changed since then (a process I recommend highly every year, especially if you have any subscriptions you paid for with a credit card).
You can, with careful time management, use a Bluprint one week free trial EVEN IF YOU ALREADY HAVE A CRAFTSY account.
Plan open time.
Plan snacks and beverages.
Start your free week.
Set a reminder in your calendar as to when to cancel your free trial.
Watch the hell out of the classes.
You won't be able to keep watching them later, but you can download the printed information for the classes while you are in them.
They will want you to make an account and they will want a credit card number. They are counting on you forgetting to cancel, and maybe you'll want to keep going
(I did this with the Met Opera HD channel, I'm a sucker, and it worked out pretty well until it didn't and then I stopped)
Before we go any further, I'd like to plug Kenneth King's fancy fabrics class, as well as Melissa Fehr's activewear class. You can never go wrong with the Professor; he's a brilliant educator. Melissa's calm voice and clear manner is a balm.
Yes, I Watched Most Of Them.
Bras, velvet, sergers, coverstitch primers, all sewing all the time.
NO KNITTING classes
NO COOKING classes
Just sewing.
(my family was out for a couple days and the cat only eats canned food)
But I'm here for some knit tips.
And since I do love to binge watch, I'm binge-ing the Tilton's shirts classes
For those who just want the quick route, I'd do the Artful t-shirt, and then grab the sleeve chapter on the Ultimate t shirt. The Artful just slips past this, demoing a lot of the other construction bits. Which is cool, but I like to watch people do things that have just eluded me. And this knit stitching thing does elude me. 126 hems or not.
And Marci does sew the armscye seam first in the Ultimate class, then refolds and pins and does the sleeve and body side seam in one go. Which she says not to do in the Artful video.
People change.
I can be flexible.
What I learned:
Consistency is more important than perfection.
If I'm not failing, I'm not creative enough - Tiltons
Make samples.
Play.
A differential feed would be a nice thing in a serger. And of course,
I wish Kenneth King taught everything.
Pressing over the largest ham in town
(by https://www.etsy.com/shop/StitchNerd of course)
I am not sure why I enjoy this. I should just make a YouTube channel called She Sewed Over A Pin.
And if this isn't good enough, have some Bernina tech p@rn.
OH MY GOD JUMBO BOBBIN Why did I just find out about this? Do I live in a cave? Or this one: it just pops out at you!
How many thousands of dollars will this cost? Hm. Guess I can just buy more bobbins and wind them more often. Or buy a second bobbin case and be all ready to go.
I've been working on another culottes pattern. It's way too simple to sell, but I'm still poking at the instructions with a stick.
More skirt like in appearance than it appears below.
Made from two yards of Basic Cotton Ultra (washing report to come) Dalek skirt section at Spoonflower. The panel is 26.95" high, good for me for a skirt
It's one pattern piece and a formula. This seems to be a habit with me.
This is as far as instructions go at this point. They are waiting for September to be tightened up and made better.
referred to as Haslam french knickers. Can't find original source but lots of repins on Pinterest
(very similar to the skirt on the Tiramisu Cake dress)
And here modeled by yours truly also sporting the SewProjects tshirt in the my grill pattern, also from Spoonflower.
The shirt was a test run of potential cut and sew pre patterned stuff. Apparently it is still just invitation only (this T was 30$, slightly less with designer discount).
I will be putting the pattern up on Craftsy sometime in September. It makes sense to make it a free pattern, as it just feels like it's assembled from so many parts.
I would wait for later to talk about this, but frankly, this was the easiest way to post fabric photos to link back to Spoonflower.
I have really enjoyed reading the sew-alongs for folks' projects and patterns. It seems to me that I should give proper due to the Armadillo bag. It's one thing for someone to tell you how a bag goes together, and expect you to buy the pattern. It's another to actually SHOW you.
Subtle plug for MightyO Donuts and Dr Who. Not my bottle of wine, tho.
It does hold a ton, and takes about a yard of 44" wide fabric (a yard and a half if you want the pattern to run up and down, but you can make two). Made of thin, rip-stop or the like, it can do it's duty and roll up like a pro. Or just make up out of whatever you have on hand, and have another tote to go. I've balanced the handles and the bottom seams so it carries the weight in the bag evenly, and the straps are long enough to go over your shoulder (but not so long it drags when shorty me carries it by hand).
Nasty animal print silky will find its purpose
I trimmed away the seam allowance for cutting on the fold
Cutting out pattern, leave piece between straps as one piece
Clip to star in corner
Crosswise layout is cut all in one piece
Sew up side seams
Sew to the end of the side seam
Flip over
Coverstitch down seam you just sewed
Sew straps together (NOT front to back)
Fold over raw edges and stitch em down
Some times a clip helps to keep it folded over
Stay stitch at corners
Clip side seam to reduce bulk when you turn and sew it
More corner coverstitch action shots!
Use care at top of handle; fold over the seam and sew on over!
Reinforce at corners with stay tape or scraps (you could make em in contrast and cute)
Open bag out with side seam at center
Pin em out and sew em down!
Stitch and coverstitch side bottom seams
Or you could do a fancy french seam.
Seam with wrong sides together
Trim seam down, turn inside out
Stitch close to first seam
More Dr Who Magazine in background.....
Trim off the thready excess
Hold up by handle
Fold it over, matching seams
Pin in place
You want to sew two inches from the seam in both directions: 4 inches total folded and sewn shut
To check how big the storage pocket needs to be, do a trial fold up. I'm using the portion from between the straps to make the pocket
Wrap fabric around to see how big it needs to be. When you're stuffing this back in the pocket, you will need more room than you think you will.
That's about right
Pocket in progress; folded and stitched edges before sides
Flap to front, pin to edge between straps
FOLDING! Lay it out flat with side seams center and bottom folded in to itself
Fold straps down
Fold sides in (see the storage pocket is flipped out)
