Giveaway for my Facebook page friends!

Dear readers, I wanted to thank everyone who supported my Facebook page in the past couple of weeks. While the blog allows me to post longer pieces, upload tutorials or write reviews, Facebook helps me keep my finger on the pulse of the online style and sewing community!

So, having enjoyed interaction with you there, I am giving away the April 2012 issue of Burdastyle magazine! The giveaway runs on FB and is open to all my Facebook page friends. To participate, leave a comment on my page by Thursday, April 12.

Here are, again, my favorite styles from the issue:

Sew Grateful: Tailored Jacket CD Giveaway

Readers, thank you - I reached another milestone - 300 followers in Google Friend Connect! I am so grateful for your interest and participation here, and the Sew Grateful Week, hosted by fabulous Debi, is just in time! I decided to join it and here is my first contribution: a giveaway

Tailored Jacket:

The Tailoring Techniques of Kenneth D. King

Tailored Jacket is an e-book documenting the process of creating a tailored jacket, from the cutting out to the finishing. With over 300 photos illustrating techniques in detail, the book covers among others

• Materials and tools
• Patternmaking to create the linings, facings, and other corollary pieces so that all pieces fit together perfectly
• Interlinings
• Complete construction of the garment, with "sidebars" at different points in the process. For example:
• The perfect way to ease a sleeve cap
• Constructing the notch lapel, as well as the shawl lapel.
• Handling uneven shoulders
• Constructing the lining, including installing the hidden lining pocket and piping

Thank you, Debi, for this great idea! Finally, thanks to my family for keeping up with hours of talk about couture sewing and my blog, listening to the stories about my fellow sewers and designers, living miles away but being present in my daily life for more than a year. Thank you, ladies (and gentlemen, of course) of Burdastyle, SewWeekly, PatternReview, and the Stitchers' Guild for welcoming me in your supportive and inspiring communities!


 I am always happy to see new subscribers, or followers, but it is not a pre-requisite! So, good luck, everyone! And, of course, I would love to hear your comments - just share what are you Sew Grateful for!

Gadgetmania Giveaway - The Original "How much Fabric?" cards

The Holiday Season has officially started, readers! And so the search for a perfect gift! So, today, as a part of Gadgetmania series, wonderful Gwen of Gwynhug.com is offerring Frabjous Couture readers all over the world a great holiday gift giveaway – The Original “How Much Fabric?” Reference Cards!

A beautiful fabric catches your eye and steals your heart – you must have some! But, how much should you buy? 

"Basically, I always used to way-overbuy fabric and I finally decided that I needed to put a stop to that," said Gwen, "so, with the help of a friend, I entered the fabric requirements tables from thousands of sewing patterns into spreadsheets and created these cards."  

These sturdy plastic reference cards – the perfect size to slip into your purse – summarize the fabric requirements of thousands of patterns with tables and images to help you buy just the right amount. There are tables showing the minimum, average and maximum fabric requirements for dresses, tops, skirts, pants and jackets – broken down by garment size and fabric width. 

The cards also include sketches that illustrate minimum, average and maximum garments, and “safety margin” tables to guide you in “rounding up” to be as safe as you want, without wastefully overbuying.

The following four sets are currently available in both American and metric versions:

Set 1: Women’s Clothes (6-22/Eur 32-48)

Set 2: Plus Sizes (18-32/Eur 44-58)

Set 3: Men’s Clothes (34-50/Eur 44-60)

Set 4: Babies and Toddlers (Newborn - 6)

Set 5: Children's Clothes (7-16)

Gwyn Hug is a small business built from the combined efforts of four sewing friends. 

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment by Friday, 12 December, answering the following question and stating your choice of the cards (Set 1, 2, 3 or 4).  

How do you decide how much fabric to buy, when you don’t have a pattern in hand?

Don't want to wait? You can order the cards directly from Gwynhug.com

Blogiversary Giveaway winners...

Thanks to everyone for entering the giveaways and posting great comments! Here are the winners for all three giveaways:

Giveaway 1: Project Runway Wrist Pincushion
Winner: Suzy of Suzy Sewing

Suzy wrote: "Happy Blogiversary!!! I love watching Project Runway but here in UK in regular channels the newest series never show. I have to wait months and months. I always try to avoid twitter post and blog posts on it as I don't want any spoilers."

Giveaway 2: Claire Shaeffer Custom Couture Pattern V8621
Winner: Marie Noele of La Machine à Coudre


She said: "Happy bloggerversary from http://lamachinacoudre.blogspot.com/ a sewing blog in French and English showcasing the clothes I am sewing for me and the most dear ones to me.
Thank you for the jacket pattern I would love to win it"

Giveaway 3: Burda Style Magazine, Issue November/2011
Winner: Erika of Erika Made It

And Erika said: "My Blog is http://erikamadeit.blogspot.com/
I just posted my latest project, Colette's Sorbetto"

Please send me your address at mvk(dot)fashion(at)gmail(dot)com! 

As for the next post, it will be an update on Gadgetmania Guest Blogging: I was overwhelmed by the response, readers! Thanks to everyone and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Blogiversary Giveaway 3: Burda 11/2011

I have to catch up with the Blogiversary Giveaway Week(...s) - there are two more scheduled for tomorrow morning and Monday. Today, I got for you the most recent issue of Burda Style Magazine (November 2011) and two other bonus publications featuring holiday crafts and shirt construction techniques.

I got two issues of November Burda, so one is for you! Check out the styles at Osinka.ru - it's a Russian Sewing forum, but you don't need to know the language to browse through thumbnails!

The giveaway is open to all followers, readers, friends, likers etc... Leave your comment under this post telling others about your blog, or ( if you did it in previous posts) about the most recent post on your blog. If you don't have a blog promote one of your favorite ones. At the end of the giveaway I will compile a post with blog addresses and descriptions. For this giveaway, the last day to comment is Wednesday, November 9. Sounds good?

For other ongoing geveaways, check out these two posts:

Giveaway 1: Project Runway Wrist Pincushion
Giveaway 2: Claire Shaeffer Custom Couture Pattern V8621

Oh, and stay tuned to the Revival of Gadgetmania: Reviews of Tool essential for couture sewing. I am planning changes to the format! Starting tonight ;-)

And the winner of the Threads fitting book is...

... Chie Duncan of vivatveritas! 


It's new here, but I thought these giveaways are also a great opportunity to briefly introduce winners - don't we all love interacting with others and being inspired from each other?! So, here you go:


Chie is a prolific seamstress and designer from Tokyo, Japan. 


"Fashion, sewing and blogging all began as little side hobbies when a friend lent me a basic sewing machine to make a few household odds and ends," says Chie on her website. "Over time these small side hobbies  have grown into what they are now, the Vivat Veritas clothing line and a beloved part of my everyday life."

Congratulations Chie! 

New post on BurdaStyle and the winner of the Crescent Skirt Pattern

Readers, check out my next post on BurdaStyle blog! This week we toile, yay! Click the Burdastyle banner below to read the blog post



Now, the winner of Tasia's Crescent Skirt is...

...Creative Mama of Adithis Mama Sews. She said:

"I self draft my patterns, but would love to see how a commercial pattern is. Here, in India, we don't get commercial patterns for sale. I have downloaded a few of Burda's free patterns, but never have seen a commercial pattern with a cover, I would love to see how it works."

Congratulations, Creative Mama, and enjoy the pattern. I can only recommend Tasia's patterns, and check out her Sew-Along for the Crescent Skirt. Now, all you need to do is to send me a mail with your address at mvk(dot)fashion(at)gmail(dot)com.

Readers, I wanted to thank you for your suggestions for my Burdastyle posts. I will try to cover all of the topics you suggested, and as a small teaser, I am planning a post on boning and structure of a couture garment, will update you later on this one! Stay tuned!

Announcement and another Giveaway!

I had quite a lot of exciting things happening in the last few weeks: I started guest blogging on BurdaStyle.com, then I took a class with Susan Khalje, made my own Chanel-inspired jacket using the finest couture sewing techniques, then I reached 100 followers threshold and, finally, dear readers, this week I quit my job!

Ok, that's it... There is no follow-up announcement... I didn't win a lottery, or inherited money from a rich aunt; neither did I get a TV hosting or publishing deal... Readers, I decided it's time to make the next step! I learnt a lot during the last 2,5 years at my job and am ready for more. As importantly, from August on I will take some time off to help my daughter start her first year at school. Meanwhile, I will have more time to sew, to learn new couture techniques and to write, and I hope this will lead me where I want to be... but more about it later.

Now, to celebrate this new stage in my life I wanted to offer my followers this giveaway, as a thank you for being part of my life for the last few months. I really feel I got so many new friends all over the world - I talk about you during breakfast, lunch and dinner (ask Mr. Frabjous). I read your blogs and I can even anticipate what posts each of you is likely to comment on... Anyway, this is becoming very sentimental, so to cut the long story short, here is my giveaway:

This pattern was made by a talented indie designer Tasia of Sewaholic and is the second of her three patterns so far. I also have her Pendrell Blouse and pre-ordered her very-soon-to-be -released Lonsdale Dress, which I love, by the way. She hosted Sew-Alongs for the both released patterns with step-by-step images. In addition, there is a Flickr Group featuring creations by her readers - check it out for inspiration.

While I like this Crescent Skirt, I realised, after I bought it, that it just would not suit me - so I would be happy if you, readers, will have fun sewing and wearing this skirt.

So, for a chance to win this pattern you just need to be a follower of this blog and leave a comment under this post - that's it! 

I would also love to hear from you about your favourite indie pattern companies/designers, but this is not a condition for winning this pattern!

Last day to enter is July 5th - the winner will be announced on July 6th.

Good luck!

And the winners of the ...

are...

So, again, the winners are:

• Paunnet
• Suzy
• House of Pinheiro

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

Your most dreaded sewing steps...

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)

8. Ironing

• I dread the ironing! (Jody Lee Keeler Pierce)

9. Fitting and Muslins

• 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

Last Day to enter Seam Allowance Guide Giveaway

Dear readers! Today is the last day to enter the Giveaway for three Seam Allowance Guides!

If you haven't entered yet, leave a comment here, or under the original post!

Good luck, everyone!

How to get rid of yellow stains in vintage lace and linens!

The vintage lace is on its way to our giveaway winners in New York, UK and Canada; and I while I was packing it today I thought it would be a good idea to share with you some tips on removing that typical light yellow staining from the lace before you use it.

So, here are couple of things you can do to get rid of it:

• Lay the lace out in the sun and turn it over after a few hours. A day in the sun should be enough to get rid of most of the staining.
• Next, soak the lace in one gallon of hot water mixed with one scoop of OxiClean for a few hours (OxiClean is milder than a regular chlorine-based bleach), or until the stains are gone. Do not use OxiClean with anything metal (such as metal container), because due to resulting oxidation, the metal can rust and stain your lace even more. Also, test on a patch before using with colors.
• After a few hours, remove the lace and drain it out.
• Now, rinse the lace first in a distilled vinegar solution to neutralize OxiClean and then in cool water.
• Drain and let it dry on a drying rack or a towel outside in the sun.

Voilà! Enjoy your lace!

And the winner of vintage lace is...

... there are three winners, actually! The fact is I am hoarding a large box of vintage lace I received from my Austrian grandmother-in-law some fifteen years ago. I will never use all of it, so I decided to pick three winners instead of one. Here is the list:

1. harmony and rosie of Harmony and Rosie will get the prize featured in my original post

She said: "I would definitely incorporate it into a garment, I'm currently collecting vintage sewing patterns so it would be fitting to use the lace with one."

2. Etcetorize of Etcetorize : 

"I'm hoping to make a short white peasant dress for summer with lots of lace accents~"

and 3. Bunny of  La Sewista:

"I use lace a lot, usually in children's garments and collect vintage lace as well."

Etcetorize and Bunny will get similar lace from my stash.

To claim your prize, please send me a message to mvk dot fashion at gmail dot com. I apologize for the format, but that's the only more or less effective way to keep away spammers. 

Congratulations to the winners and thanks to everyone who participated - I am really thrilled to have so motivating and inspiring followers!

There will be at least two more giveaways this month, so stay tuned!

One Day left to enter 100 followers vintage lace giveaway!

Two weeks are almost up and tomorrow we will draw the lucky winner of the 100 followers vintage lace giveaway! 

If you haven't entered yet, check out this original post and leave your comment for a chance to win these three pieces of vintage lace.

Good luck!

100 followers giveaway: vintage lace!

Yay, I have 100 followers! Thank you so much, dear readers. I enjoy your feedback as much as the process of writing and sewing!

Now, following the best traditions of sewing blogs I am hosting a giveaway - and the prize is ... a set of three bands of beautiful vintage lace. 

I thought it would be so timely for this season - lacework and embroidery is everywhere. Paired with white, it makes a perfect summer piece. You can make a top, a dress, a pair of shorts, or use it as a detail on a light summer jacket. Imagine it with denim, for example... 

Each of these pieces is almost 1.5 yard long and, with some luck, this beauty may belong to you.

You can enter the giveaway by leaving a comment under this post. The giveaway is open to existing or new followers anywhere in the world.  I would also love to hear what you would want to make with the lace, but this is not a pre-condition for joining the giveaway. So, good luck and enjoy some inspiration from the runways, below:

Image: Style.com (Dolce & Gabbana, Spring 2011)

Image: Style.com (Dolce & Gabbana, Spring 2011)

Image: Style.com (Dolce & Gabbana, Spring 2011)

... and here are some styling tips from the UK edition of  Harper's Bazaar (June 2011):

• accessorize with hippie-inspired pieces or a stack of bold silver bangles or layered necklaces
• pair white flared jeans with an embroidered waistcoat
• add some warmth to your look with natural-hued accessories

I forgot to add, post comments by Sunday, June 12th - the winner, which will be drawn randomly, will be announced on Monday, June 13th! 

Sewing Gadgetmania: Voting is open!

The time is up for the big Sewing Gadgetmania Giveaway – we have to determine the best tool submitted by readers.

The winner, just to remind you is getting this great book:

So back to the Sewing Gadgetmania entries:

 Bernina Lady’s Knife
 Point Presser & Clapper
 Tailor’s Ham and Seam Roll
 French Curve
 Needle Threader
 Rotary Cutter

Only reader-submitted entries qualify for the prize, so please everyone have a look at the right sidebar and vote in the poll for the most desirable/valuable sewing tool among those nominated. One of the three - Magda, Alessa or Maria – will be the winner based on your votes.

But this is not all, leave a comment here and you may win a vintage Vogue pattern from my stash.

As for the future of the Sewing Gadgetmania series, I enjoyed researching and learning about the tools so much that I decided to continue the weekly posts. Maybe one day we have here a sewing tool encyclopedia :-)

Feel free to nominate your tools – I will make sure that there will be enough nice surprises along the way!

Sewing gadgetmania: No.6 Rotary Cutter by Alessa of Farbenfreude

Some hate it, others can’t live without it, but the fact is, once you got a grip on it, the rotary cutter offers you the best cutting results. A rotary cutter is the tool Alessa of Farbenfreude really wants to own, so here is her nomination:

Rotary cutter is an innovative cutting tool with a cutting wheel mounted on a handle.  It can cut through multiple layers of thick and thin fabrics in a perfectly straight line without any shifting. It can be used in the right or the left hand and cause less arm and hand strain than scissors. Rotary cutters are available in most sewing notions stores.

I love using rotary cutter for cutting bias strips, or any other bias cutting.

Here are few tips for using the rotary cutter:

Blade Size

Rotary cutter blades size varies from 18mm to 60mm. Larger diameter is better for cutting multiple layers or long straight lines as they roll easier and are sturdier. The smaller blades are more convenient for cutting around curves and any sections of fabrics where you want to have more control of the line.

Blades

The Tungsten steel blades are especially sharp and are a standard for most leading rotary cutter manufacturers. Always have some reserve blades, as they dull after a while. Use new(er) blades for delicate fabrics. Use separate blades for cutting paper and polyester as these materials dull the blade faster. If you have to use a rotary cutter for cutting paper, use older blades. I keep a separate blade for silks only and make a little mark on the blade with my Sharpie marker, so I don't confuse blades. 

Handle

There is a wide variety of handles available in stores. If possible try to hold it and press it against a surface to see which one is the

Cutting Mats

Self-healing cutting board, or mat, is a necessity if you use a rotary cutter. If possible, go for a size that can accommodate a larger pattern piece, so you won’t need to shift fabric for cutting. Also, 45º guides on the mat for bias cutting are very helpful.

One tip for rotary cutter users is to avoid pinnable cutting mats for cutting thinner or delicate fabrics as the cut fabric edge gets embedded into the mat surface and you will have to pull slightly to release the fabric – a pain for silks and thin knits. Also, because the surface is pinnable it can also be cut into, shortening the life of your blades. Go for hard-to-penetrate PVC polypropylene styrenate mat instead, such as Big Mat by Sewing Emporium 

The downside of using the rotary cutter is the price of cutting mats. Be prepared to pay from $60 to $120 for a decent size mat with guides. But if you don’t mind absence of guides, Judith Neukam, technical editor of Threads Magazine has a great advice: “ … go to your local office-cupply store and buy a low-cost mat designed to protect floors from office-chair wheels.” 

Ruler

An acrylic (transparent) ruler is very convenient for cutting longer lines. Check quilting stores for ruler – they have a wide variety of ruler in different shapes. I have one longer and one shorter acrylic ruler for cutting, marking and patternmaking. 

Safety

Rotary cutters are extremely (!) sharp! Keep them away from children and always make sure the blade is retracted every time you put the rotary cutter down! A special safety latch will prevent cutting accidents. In addition, some rotary cutters  are pressure sensitive (such as Dritz Kai Rotary Cutter) so the blade engages automatically when pressure is applied to the cutter.

Finally, if you are fascinated by rotary cutter and want to learn even more about this tool, check this great article on Threads Magazine website: Rotary Cutters and Mats 

Blitz Giveaway: Can you guess what it is?

There are two reasons for this Blitz Giveaway:

Reason #1: I am de-stashing my vintage patterns

Reason #2: Mr. Frabjous told me that my icon for the Sewing Gadgetmania is too abstract to be recognized AS....

?

If you can guess what sewing gadget this icon stands for, you may win this pretty pattern (size 12):

Just leave a comment with the correct answer by Tuesday March 1, 2011, and I will add your name to the drawing. (I will prove you wrong, Mr. Frabjous :-))

For more chances to win, read my initial post on Sewing Gadgetmania here.