Two Trends: Pretty in Pink and Inspired by Nature

It was wonderful meeting so many of you at the American Sewing Guild National Conference. The best thing about doing shows is talking to customers about current trends. Here are a couple of trends or motifs to think about....

Pretty in PINK!
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Pink is always a favorite for folks who are sewing either for themselves or for daughters or granddaughters. Several of my customers make dresses for little dogs, and the smaller prints are particularly good for this. The prints below all happen to be cotton knits, and can be found here.

Inspired by Nature
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Some folks escape from troubled times by sewing or wearing happy pink princess prints. Others seek out the peace and serenity of nature. Fashion has responded to this desire by offering realistic prints inspired by nature. Feathers, animal prints, koi fish, and realistic florals are very popular. Most of the below are cotton knit prints as well.These colorways and patterns could not be more different, but they are two sides of the same coin.

Most people are surprised when I tell them that I sell apparel fabric: "Nobody sews clothes anymore, do they?" Off-the-rack clothing today is so inexpensive it is virtually disposable. Although home sewers can save relative to specialty stores, cost is not why most people sew. Sewers spend time and money on their craft because it makes them feel good! Home sewers enjoy the process and the self-esteem they get from achieving a certain look, color and fit that cannot be found in stores.

Whether you are a Pink Princess or a Natural Woman, I hope that you find something to inspire you today.

So you want to sew a maxi dress

My husband and I spent much of the weekend at Honkytonk Fest, a music festival near our home. For some reason this part of far Northeast Texas is an incubator of great musicians. One of the singers pointed out that the crowd looked like "Hillbilly Woodstock." Maybe he was thinking like I was: Maxi Dress! Lots of women of all ages were wearing them, not just because they are cute but because it was over 100 degrees out. So it really did look a lot like Woodstock.

Many of my customers are making maxi dresses - here are some recommendations gleaned from their experiences.

A customer in Hawaii used several print and solid rayon-lycra jerseys and adapted Simplicity 3882. Rayon-Lycra jersey is very breatheable and drapey - perfect for the hot and humid weather of her home state. However, check the fabric descriptions - you might want to stick to 6 oz. per square yards or less, or it will be too hot.

Another customer chose a lightweight 100% cotton knit print and Burda 515B. This fabric does not have much stretch, since it has no spandex, but for a loose-fitting garment it will be fine. In fact these low-stretch 100% cotton knit fabrics (read our descriptions) will probably be OK for wovens patterns too. Just be sure to pre-shrink, probably more than once. Some of these cotton knit prints are a little on the sheer side, but again, if the print is busy and the fit is loose it should not be revealing.

Here are some other suggestions: Simplicty 2622, Simplicity 3803. Expect to use about 3 yards of fabric.

You may want to line the bodice - I recommend Whisper II lining or 70D poly lining. The former has cooler feel but is more stretchy and slippery. The latter is your basic lining (most RTW garments use it) and has only mechanical stretch. Or just use a solid leftover cotton knit fabric in your stash.

I think a maxi dress and a good outdoor music festival can help make the summer heat a little easier to bear. If you have any maxi dress experiences please share them with me!

Black and White Prints

Black and white prints are always very popular during the summer, and I wanted to share some of these with you.

Also just a reminder: No shipping July 16-20 (inclusive) due to the ASG Conference. Orders placed by noon CST July 15 will ship before the closure.

I hope to see many of you in person at booth 313 in the exhibit hall at the Albuquerque Convention Center. Many digits were burned on the glue gun making displays and I just shipped about 200 lbs. of stuff out there!

These fabrics are all located in the Cotton Knit Print section.

We also have more solid black rayon-lycra jersey to complement all of these prints, as well as a nice, heavy solid white rayon-lycra jersey.