introducing…the villager blouse & tunic

november is probably one of my favorite months.  it holds so much for me to be thankful for.  it’s the month of my wedding anniversary, my husbands birthday and thanksgiving is one of my favorite days of the year.  so i’m introducing my newest pattern and if you read through to the end you’ll find a ‘thankful’ sale!!!

it’s been “in the works” and “almost ready” for quite some time now, but the villager blouse & tunic is ready to make it’s debut!

what began as a collaboration with elizabeth last fall before i took over sole ownership of snapdragon studios is finally complete.  after several neckline changes, sleeve changes, length changes…there just wasn’t anything left that needed to be changed!

raglan sleeves, 2 collar options, 2 lengths, full button back…it’s a super simple sew and can easily be completed in a short afternoon.  so far I’ve made it in voile, cotton, chambray, knit and rayon and i’ve loved each and every one.  and even though the pattern is fresh off the press, i’m already planning my sleeve hack so i can enjoy it this winter….maybe flannel??  i’ll keep you posted.

the full button back may look daunting to those of us who hate dislike making buttonholes…BUT…lucky us, the buttonholes are optional!  the top slips easily overhead without them, so we can simply stitch those buttons in place and it looks like we’ve spent hours.  i think this is the one and only sample i made that i actually stitched buttonholes in.

the sleeves offer a great little pleat detail along with a 1/4″ bias binding, giving it a vintage feel.

the split collar may be my favorite.  the split can go on either side and offers up a great spot for those vintage brooches.  i love collecting old pins, but rarely find the right place to use them.  problem solved…this collar was made for this starburst beauty.

my sister reluctantly exuberantly agreed to don both versions and allow amy to photograph her…and michele and christine both joined in, changing in a public foyer while college students passed by.  thanks guys!!  you all look stupendous!

the villager is available now in my etsy store in both print and pdf versions.  please note that print patterns will begin shipping on 12/1/16.

and here comes the good part!!!  the SALE!!  all patterns are on sale…25% off all purchases, including the villager until 12/10/16.  just use the coupon code THANKFUL.  my way of saying thank you for your amazing support this year.

i am truly thankful.

treat your tootsies with a free pattern

i truly meant to post this last night…but i have to admit that once my “seat” hit a seat i was done for!  i hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving and that those of you who participate in black friday are finding some amazing deals.  as for me, i cherish the friday after thanksgiving since my house is still relatively clean, there are tons of leftovers so i don’t have to cook, and the day is wide open….free to sew, knit, read, or do absolutely nothing at all!!

so, about this free pattern.  i was invited to help danica at sew liberated build, man and disassemble her booth at fall quilt market.  it was a fantastic experience!  we had also been asked by shannon fabrics to teach a schoolhouse session class.  as a part of that class, danica asked me to design some smallish pattern that used some of shannon fabrics great fabrics and this slipper pattern is the result.

this pair was my prototype.  unfortunately i didn’t take any pictures of the ones i made for the booth.  what i love about this pattern is that you can change it up easily….using a plain exterior?  add some embroidery.  add rice-rac or trim around the top edge, add some buttons, or even piece your exterior fabric for a quilted look.

shannon’s cuddle suede is perfect for the soles.  i used regular cotton on this pair, but used the suede for all the other samples and much prefer it.  it’s easy to work with and gives a natural bit of “grip”.  since it’s hard to adhere fusible interfacings to the suede i simply cut the interfacing, placed it on the wrong side of the suede and added a few rows of stitching to hold it in place.  the interior used their cuddle fabric (softness beyond belief!) and the exteriors were cotton and double gauze.

i originally used fleece and batting in the soles, but have since discovered 2 great alternatives.  soft and stable by Annie’s, and flex-foam by pellon. all my holiday gift slippers will use one of these to add just a bit more padding.

i hope you enjoy the pattern.  to download it, go to our tutorials page and click on the highlighted text. it’s graded for 5 sizes (the medium is size 7) so you can make a pair for yourself and everyone on your gift list!  i’d love to see pictures of all the completed slippers…hope you’ll share!

kim

 

 

 

in the nick of time

last spring elizabeth and i sat down to plan our schedule for the year.  which designs we would be completing, which new ones to focus on, and when we thought they would be completed and ready to release.  we foolishly optimistically thought we could finish four designs and have them all released by early summer.  does “indian summer” count??  as weeks and months flew by the release date hopped around on the calendar, but i was determined to have them done before quilt market (which means our distributor will be able to share them with buyers!!).  mission accomplished!!  and just in the nick of time!

our two newest patterns….the cider house jacket

the cider house jacket is unlined, BUT…we finished off the seams with a hong kong seam finish, which makes the inside of this jacket absolutely as beautiful as the outside!

that’s by far my favorite detail on this jacket!!  it isn’t necessary, but it’s easy, doesn’t take much time and what a difference it makes to the final garment!  my second favorite detail is the back shaping, which extends down into the peplum.  very soon i’ll be sharing the version i made last week and a nifty little detail that really shows off that back seamline.

and the heigh-ho laptop sleeve.

i’m not a fan of most commercial laptop sleeves…the neoprene leaves me cold.  and that’s how the heigh-ho came to be. it’s padded to protect, has a cool document pocket (doc pock??) on the back that will hold file folders, writing tablets, or magazines and on the front is an expandable pocket to hold flash drives, business cards, whatever you need to get the work done.  a place for your pen and it’s like you have a portable office!!

instructions are included for sizing the sleeve to fit different laptops…AND…we’ve included instructions for a matching wrap to wrangle those power cords.

you’ll see lots more of these two in the coming weeks as there are lots of pictures to share.  they are both now available in our etsy shop!!

kim

It’s Selfish Sewing Week!

… and my sewing machine is on the fritz.

I started sewing this fabulous lace maxi skirt last night, but my machine choked on the lining fabric and I put it in time out so that I wouldn’t throw it out the window. So instead of showing you a finished project for Selfish Sewing Week, I’m sharing some sewing dreams. 🙂

Fabulous lace maxi! (That my sewing machine apparently hates. Whomp whomp.)

A knit Summer Jazz top with sleeves for fall! I think this print was called something like “gemstones”, but it looks like little fruits and veggies to me, which is amusing.

And some snazzy eggplant suiting Thurlow trousers to jazz up my fall work outfits.

Now if only I didn’t need to spend my Selfish Sewing Week troubleshooting my machine. Le sigh.

Are you doing some selfish sewing? What are you making?

-Elizabeth

Happy National Sewing Month and SALE!

It’s National Sewing Month!  While every month is a sewing month around these parts, September has been celebrated as National Sewing Month since Ronald Reagan issued a proclamation in 1982 expressing the importance of home sewing.  We can get behind that!

We’ll be sharing all kinds of sewing projects we’re working on this month, but in the meantime we have a gift for you.  We’re offering 25% off all of the patterns in our Etsy shop with the code SEWINDIE25 through the end of the month.  This is our biggest sale ever and we’re super excited about it.

If you’ve been thinking about snagging our new Lemon Squeeze Cardigan or On the Run Bag or if you’ve had your eye on one of our other designs and just haven’t quite pulled the trigger, now is the time!

What will you be stitching up this month?

Happy sewing!

-Elizabeth and Kim

presenting….the on the run bag!

finally!!  things never go quite as quickly as i feel they should, but after weeks months of waiting, testing, editing and sample making, the bag is now available!!  right now it’s only available as a downloadable pdf, but the print version will be available in the next 2 weeks or so.

so, without further ado, let me introduce you.

a classic style bag that’s quite the workhorse.  simple lines that allow you to personalize your bag with topstitching or great d-rings, with or without the button closure. “on the run” features a recessed zipper and plenty of pockets.  the pockets line both sides of the interior and can be sized to your own needs.  got a big phone?  make a bigger pocket.

one of my favorite samples is the leather/suede one i made using fabrics purchased on our trip to nyc.  it feels so “rich”

little feet help keep the bottom clean while adding just a bit more class, and the bottom is solid to keep it from sagging under the weight of everything we stash in our bags!

and since there is interfacing involved, we’ve put together an interfacing guide to help take some of the fear out of choosing and using interfacing. just click on the link, or you can find it on our “tutorial” page.  to view the entire pattern, click on over to our “patterns” page.

Interfacing Guide8.5×11

coming up next is probably one of my favorite patterns….stay tuned!!

kim

behind the scenes

photo shoots are crap shoots.  you never know what the weather gods will have in store for you, but you persevere.  our first ever shoot turned out to be frigid and wet…we persevered.  last week we shot one of our new designs and did it on the hottest, most humid day of the summer (so far)…we persevered.  or rather, the models and amy, our photographer extraordinaire, persevered.  i just sweat, i glowed, i perspired.

even while wearing wool, taylor looked cool as a cucumber.  i think it’s that cute braid in her hair…must have kept all the sweat from rolling down her face…i definitely could have used a cute braid!!

on the final shot with taylor we put her in the fountain, which was really just an excuse for me to wade into the fountain as evidenced by my wet footprints at the bottom of this pic.  then she and amy took a break in the shade to review the shots.

my job during the shoot was mostly that of “schlepper”…i tagged along carrying the samples, our bags, a tote with cold water and my own camera, pointing out spots in the shade that might work as a background.  i’m a pretty good schlepper.

we moved on to models julie and mary, and also inside for a few moments where we all took turns standing over the a/c vent!!  we got some great shots (which i will share on friday!!!).  could it be that we’re “getting” this whole photo shoot thing?  i believe it might just be true!

a huge thanks to all three of our lovely models for braving the heat and humidity to help make our designs come to life…and to taylor for being such a good sport and changing clothes in her hot car while parked on the street!!!  couldn’t do it without you guys!

and amy…fantastic pictures…as always!!  you’re talent is boundless and we can’t thank you enough!

kim

essential basket…reprise

i just got word yesterday that the free basket pattern we designed for dear stella is now available!!  woo-hoo!!  just in time for last minute easter giving and spring organizing!  what i love about this little basket is how sturdy it is.  peltex is used to create “nearly” solid walls that will stand up.  the test baskets i made while designing the final pattern have been put to use around my house, organizing everything from knitting, to sewing supplies to makeup.  here’s the link to the free pattern. check out some of their new fabric lines while you’re there.

I hope you’ll share pics of your baskets and how you are using them! here’s one of mine holding all those lotions and potions that clutter the bathroom.

kim

Swanky vintage patterns and giveaway day!

Have you seen the McCalls Pattern Behavior tumblr yet?  Go look.  It’s hilarious.

I enjoy vintage patterns.  I always learn something from them, whether it be a nicer hem finish, how to pad stitch a jacket (although I haven’t been brave enough to attempt that yet), or how to make gorgeous seam lines on a blouse for a special fit and finish.  I like the care that they suggest went into making garments – things could be beautiful and functional and a sewing project didn’t necessarily have to be finished in a couple of hours (although I appreciate the benefit of quick sewing projects, too!)

Since it’s almost spring and we haven’t done a giveaway in a while, I thought I would offer a handful of nifty vintage patterns that were part of a collection I was gifted recently.  I picked out some that I think would look great in modern fabrics, especially since it seems that the ’70s are back.

The power trousers are a little more ’80s, but I kept wanting to make up captions for that pattern cover in my head (“We wear our grey power trousers for work AND play.”  “Does this tie say ‘I will be the one to break the glass ceiling’?  That’s what I was going for.”)

The peasant dress would look fantastic in a drapey voile or even a lightweight knit and I can see the tunic dress in a chambray or light linen blend.

I am also including the unmentionables pattern in the mix above because I am somewhat taken with the idea of making my own delicates.

And, really, the cardigans are too much fun not to share.  I’m not sure why I don’t have matching argyle knit cardigan and trousers in my closet, but obviously everyone should.  And those knee socks… I die.

Anyway, the random number generator chose 3, so this bounty plus one of our patterns goes to Shari who said “I recently made a few Finlayson tops for my 15yo son. When complimented at school, he shared that his mom made it and his friends wanted to know if I could make them one too. When he needed a welding cap, his first question if I could make one. He’s now sporting a welding cap made of fun fabric that fits his personality! I love that he’s thinking make versus buy!”

Congratulations, Shari!  Send me an email at ohsnapdragonstudios@gmail.com with your mailing address and which of our patterns you fancy!

Who has selfish sewing lined up even though selfish sewing week is over?  I have a somewhat ambitious plan for an Easter dress, but if that fails I will be making a sweet Market Day Tunic shift dress to wear to church on Easter.  Other than that my sewing time has been spent working on some new patterns for Snapdragon Studios, so all of that is under wraps for a little longer!  What are you sewing these days?

LOVE15

love is in the air this week!!  and we’re feeling the love around here too….sorry, no diamonds or chocolates….but we think we have something that you’ll love just the same.  a DISCOUNT!!  scoot on over to our website, click on “our patterns” and using the coupon code LOVE15 enjoy 15% off our amazing patterns today through monday 2/16.  we couldn’t think of a better way to say “we love you”!!

make a summer jazz dress with sleeves for your romantic valentine’s day dinner, a red hot market day tunic for your cozy day together or a comfy weekend rambler skirt for your weekend getaway.  and with the money you save….buy yourself some chocolate.  you can thank us later:)

kim