The Capezio Top - Join the latest Sure-Fit Designs Sew Along

Sure-Fit Designs Blog

Yet another Sure-Fit Designs Sew Along is ready for your participation.  Join Glenda the Good Stitch in the Caprezio Top Sew Along.  Click Here to enroll.

You'll love this latest Sure-Fit Designs Sew Along - the Caprezio Top!  Combine the flattering benefits of the ever-popular Princess Line, with asymmetry, unique style lines, color blocking and an easy cowl-like drapy collar.  Choose a comfortable, lightweight knit (like a lightweight Ponte) in colors or complementary patterns that suit your personal pallet.

Wear if short over leggings or casual pants, or lengthen it for an attractive dress.  You'll have multiple options with our easy-to-design and sew Caprezio Top.

This newest sew along features:

• 16 Video Lessons
• Text to accompany the video lessons
• Downloadable PDF instruction files
• Enrollment fee: $15.95 
• ENROLL HERE

If you enroll in this sew along course now, you'll save 10%.  Just before check-out enter Discount Code cap10 for your savings (Offer ends Jan. 14, 2017).

I know you're going to enjoy this sew along.

Happy Designing & Sewing!
Glenda...the Good Stitch

Love my Yoga class, but...

 SureFitDesignsBlog
I love my Yoga classes, but is the workout room ever cold!  I usually wear multiple layers, but while fabric shopping in Portland OR on a recent visit, I went to the coolest, little fabric store called Bolt Fabrics and they just happened to be having an annual sale.  Was I ever in luck!  Let me show you what I sewed - the warmest, most comfortable and soft-to-wear top to go with the leggings I talked about a few months ago. They are sewn from a Nicole Miller Scooba Fabric.  If you're interested in reading about the leggings just click this link - leggings.

I know it's a pretty basic style, but oh my...it is truly one of the softest, most comfortable fabrics I've ever put against my skin.  It's a very low loop terry knit with an unusual fiber content - 47.5% Soy, 47.5% Organic Cotton and 5% Spandex.  Yes, it stretches in both horizontal and vertical directions, and yes my pattern was sized down about 1 measurement dot all the way around.

6 Simple Seams - that's all it takes. 2 shoulder seams, 2 side seams and 2 underarm seams - couldn't be more simple.  This top definitely qualifies as one of our SFD Made in a Day projects.

How to design the top?
I used my pre-drawn pattern for a Dress Kit T-Shirt.  You may remember there is an article on T-Shirt Tactics in the SFD Learning Center that tells you how to remove the dart from your Dress Kit Bodice to make a closer fitting T-Shirt.
Previously, I'd used these directions to draw this Color-Blocked T-Shirt.  Some of you will remember this design.

If you want the instructions for designing this color-blocked T-Shirt, they are only $1.99 and can be found on this page.
So for my new cream-colored top, I simply joined the front pieces together from the color-blocked T-Shirt pattern and cut the front all as one unit - meaning no diagonal cuts for the color blocking. Then re-drew the T-Shirt front so that I ended up with a new front pattern piece. The back was just the same - no special designs or cuts for color blocking.  And the sleeve was exactly the same length - I just didn't add the elastic shirring at the hem level.  And if it helps you in designing your desired length, my side seam length is 19" long from the underarm point to the finished hem level.  This entire pattern was just super simple.

I used self fabric for the neck edge trim since it definitely stretched enough to go easily around the neck curves.
And I finished the hems and neck edge seam with my cover stitch machine (which I absolutely love...did I ever tell you this before?)

If you haven't yet seen my free Cover Stitch machine videos, make sure to hop on over to the SFD Learning Center - to Cover Stitch Machine Videos.  There's a series of 3 to watch.

I might not be doing the yoga poses exactly right, but you'll get the idea.  This fabric stretches exactly where and when it needs to.

Have fun and happy sewing!

Fun & Easy Color Blocked T-Shirt

Color blocking is super simple and easy to design into your sewing patterns.  Of course, you all likely know that color blocking is definitely back in fashion.  But do you know where it all began?

It all dates back to a Dutch artist - Pieter Cornelis Mondrian (1872-1944) - nicknamed 'Piet'.  He was one of the principal members of the Neoplasticism art movement.  In 1919 he began producing grid-based paintings for which he became renowned for the rectangular shapes, solid black lines and random placement of primary colors.

In the 1960's, Yves St. Laurent popularized his 'Mondrian' dresses using Piet as his inspiration.

Color blocking has become popular again and of course, you can do this with your SFD patterns.  Creating areas to color block on your patterns is creative and easy to do.  Just start off with Sally Silhouette as your croquis and experiment with where you'd like to draw your style lines for color blocking.

If you don't yet have your copy of Sally Silhouette, you can download her from the Free Stuff page in the SFD Learning Center.  Click Here.

And now there is also a new downloadable Fashion Leaflet for color blocking your new SFD T-Shirt that I introduced to you last week.  There is a nominal cost for this leaflet, but if you read the SFD newsletter from January 12th, you will be able to download this leaflet completely free for a limited time if you use the link that is provided in that newsletter.  It's my 'get busy sewing gift' for you to jump start your 2015 sewing projects.  In addition to this...it could easily be 'Made in a Day'...just another quick, easy and rewarding project.

Have fun and don't forget to send photos when you get yours done!  I'll put together a T-Shirt collage and show off all your work.  Send to info@surefitdesigns.com.

Thanks so much,
Glenda...the Good Stitch!