Congratulations to the winners and thanks to everyone for participating!! send me a mail at mvk(dot)fashion(at)gmail(dot)com with your mailing address to claim the prize!
Thank you, Hollie for offering this fantastic giveaway and good luck with your invention. If you want to learn more about the tool, please visit Hollie's website
It was so interesting to read about your most dreaded step in sewing that I had to combine your comments in one post! So, find out what are the most dreaded sewing steps among the readers of this blog:
1. Laying out & Cutting
I dread the most the laying out, pinning and cutting. If all the pieces were cut out for me and all I had to do was just sew, that would be great. (Sew Tell)
I actually like the cutting of the pattern pieces (as long as there are not too many) but I DREAD wrestling with my fabric to get the selvedges lined up properly without any twisting of fabric...really dread it, teeth gnashing experience.... (Meri)
I absolutely despise cutting and it always takes so long.....This 'lil gadget would really speed things along for me. I'm always double checking my measurements for the seam allowance so I end up having to cut the fabric at least two times! Always cutting off the excess that I left "just in case" my bazillion measurements were wrong... (Tara)
I sew extensively and almost daily and cutting takes most of the time so i am quite excited and love to win this. (Creative Mama)
I dread the cutting out process the most so this would always come in handy. (Jali)
cutting out the pattern is my most dreaded event (Joyce in NC)
2. Buttonholes
I think my most dreaded sewing step is machine buttonholes simply because I feel I can't control them. If the machine decides to do one of them smaller/ different/ bigger than the other it will. Unpicking buttonholes is not fun. (Suzy)
The worst thing ever?? (Machine) Buttnholes. No matter how many time I do practice ones and even if I get all those PERFECT - I will end up having to redo 9 out of 10 buttonholes on the garnment. I have countless of shirts waiting to be finished... all I need to make are those #@!§$&%€ buttonholes!!! I want a 'clip-in/strap-on-buttonhole-maker'... did you read that Hollie??!! Please!!!(DaneMum)
My most dreaded chore is button holes. My machine can't be bothered to make them all the same or even to complete them a lot of the time. Maybe one day I'll learn to do hand stitched button holes. (BeccaA)
3. Marking Fabric
Most dreaded step for me is marking fabric after it's cut. There is no easy way and it's SO time consuming! (Forrest Nicole)
hmm... probably marking my cut pieces, especially on something like tweed... takes forever! (Emory)
4. Tracing Patterns
I hate tracing patterns and pressing. If those were not an issue, I'd have a lot more clothes made, lol! (Shayla Sharp)
Oh that gadget looks extra fab to someone who makes their own patterns! I wouldn't have to sit there with a ruler tracing around the pattern! Now that is a step I dread...(Candace Clay)
5. Hemming
I dread hemming. Not the actual hemming, but deciding how long an item should be and marking it. (goodworks1)
6. Hemming and Grading Trims
And I hate a number of things but there's a tie between hemming and, strangely, grading/trimming seams. I'm always SURE it's going to make the garment fall apart in my hands, LOL! (lakaribane)
7. Adding seam allowances
one of the most frustrating sewing steps is adding seam allowance to a pattern (that) doesn't have any :) (Stephanie)
My most dreaded sewing task is probably the most important one, the fittings and muslins to get a proper fit. (Helen)
10. Understitching
My most dreaded sewing step is understitching. I botch it up at least once almost every time! (Paula Gardner)
11. Agonizing over Perfect Pattern (I can so sympathize with this one!)
Dreaded.....I wracked my brain for a bit, and I think at this point I can honestly say there is NOTHING about sewing (so far!) that I dread. There were a few things that were scary until I dove into them, and now I'm finding that anything brand new is just another exciting challenge to try. Hopefully I've learned enough patience at this stage of my life to treat formerly boring tasks as more of a zen-like exercise in patience now. Yup, even thread tracing and and seam ripping.... And now that I've said that out loud, I've no doubt that some new dreaded task will rise up to bit me in the butt lol! :D Oh oh wait! I know! I DO have dread! It's agonizing over the perfect pattern for a fabulous & pricey & irreplaceable cut of fabric, and then second-guessing my decision as I finally cut into it. (Jilly Be)
Thanks to Hollie for the great giveaway that triggered these comments, and check out her website to learn more about her Seam Allowance Guide:
To check out the winner of the giveaway, go to this post
(don't miss an exciting update at the end of this post!)
Readers!
Thank you so much for your feedback on my LBD muslin. While I am tinkering with it, here are some new goodies for you! Yes! It is another giveaway!
This is a special giveaway, though, because the tool below has been invented and patented by one of our fellow home seamstresses. Can you imagine?!
Hollie Bell, who lives in Australia, studied engineering many years ago, but then fell into her current career of building loan calculators for mortgage brokers and banks. “I am very lucky that it only takes up five hours a week,” she said. “I love being self-employed and hope never to have a real job again.”
Now, readers, admit, how many of you sympathize with Hollie? (by the way, if you want to pour out your frustration about full-time working, please feel free to do it here! I doubt your employer will look for your comments on my blog.)
Oh, how much I have to say, but back to the subject. Holly is quite an experienced seamstress, readers: she started sewing when she was 12. “I have resurrected my love for sewing in the last few years,” she said. “Although, it’s very hard with two high-maintenance little kids.”
She invented the tool last year, when she was working on a top from Marfy patterns (the ‘notorious’ Marfy patterns - no seam allowances, no instructions…). “I was a bit annoyed at the whole tracing process and my mechanical brain knew there must be a far simpler way.”
The seam allowance guide functions as a magnetic attachment for your scissor blades, which guides your scissors as they cut the fabric at a consistently equal distance from the stitching line.
Hollie has been offering the tool on her website and has received a lot of positive feedback since the launch. “I love starting a project from an idea to seeing it in my hand, and even better when the feedback has been so positive,” she said.
Thank you, Hollie, for offering this unique tool to Frabjous Couture readers! So, here we go, friends! I have one seam allowance guide to give away, and all you have to do for a chance to win is leave a comment here, and, if you like, share with others what’s your most dreaded sewing step.
Good luck!
Of course, I forgot to enter the last day to enter! Shall we say Friday next week? So be it!
The Update!!! Due to such a positive response, Hollie has generously decided to offer two additional Seam Allowance Guides to Frabjous Couture readers!
All you need to do to win one of these two additional guides is back-link to this giveaway by using "Links to this post" at the end of the post and then creating the link! (Alternatively, just post a link on your blog and let me know here that you did it!) If you have already commented on this post, you can still back-link to increase your chances to win!
Disclaimer: this is not an advertisement and I am not getting any reimbursement from Hollie for promoting the tool.
