Little Black Dress Class

Confession:

I have been a little behind on making my class samples.

I know it’s hard to believe, but I, Melisa Hart, did not finish my sample for The Little Black Dress class until this weekend.

Woops.

The important thing is that it was finished a good 3 days before the class!

I decided to use the Colette Peony pattern for the class because it is a simple dress that is versatile and easily adapted to challenge more advanced students but simple enough for near beginners.

Personally, I have a handful of Little Black Dresses already, so I decided to use gray linen for my dress.

The dress has a sweet little boat neckline which is flattering to many figures.

It also has these cute little sleeves with just a little bit of gathering. The pattern also comes with an option for a longer sleeve which I love!

But the best part about the dress is that it includes inseam pockets that are great for stashing your keys or lipstick when you wear it to the office Holiday Party.

Yep, I’m officially a fan of this dress!

 I can’t wait to make it up in one of my Moda Cross-weve fabrics. Perhaps a red one? Mmmm. That will be a delicious little number!

If you want to make your very own Peony Dress stop by Stitchology to sign up for the class or to pick up your very own pattern.

Class times are Thursdays December 1st, 8th and 15th from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM

Or

Friday’s December 2nd and 9th from 10AM to 3:30 PM.

We Can’t wait to see you there!

Happy Sewing!

~Melisa & Cordelia

Christmas Flower Skirt

I just got this great new skirt pattern in the store so I had to give it a try.

First I went shopping. It was tough to pick my fabrics, but I finally decided to go with a Christmas-ish theme.

Then, with just a little snip snip here and a stitch stitch there, I had 11 bias bound petals.

Throw in a few more snips and stitched and you end up with an adorable little girls skirt!

Adorable I say! Just look at those petals.

How can you NOT love this skirt?

You can’t.

I loved the skirt so much I wanted to put it on display but people get weird when you leave half-clad dress forms laying around the shop so I needed a top to go with it.

After a quick trip to target and a little finagling with ribbon I had this cute Christmas tree blouse.

Put them together and……..

...Wait...

...For...

...It...

 

Voila!

A cute and easy little holiday outfit!

How precious is that?

Sooo precious.

Go make one!

It’s fun.

And, if you need some help, I will be offering the petal skirt class in the New Year!

 Mark your calendars, you’re not gona wana miss this one!

Happy Sewing

~Melisa & Cordelia

How Crafty Girls get Organized

Lately I’ve been in great need of a bit of organization in my life. I’ve been offering so many classes at the new store that it proved tricky to keep track of what classes I was teaching when. So I made myself a calendar.

 A ginormous chalkboard calendar to hang over my check out counter.

To make the calendar I started with a piece of chalkboard cloth (you can find some at Stitchology if you are inclined to make a calendar of your own).

I spent some time with my super long ruler carefully marking straight lines. Then I came in with a little fabric glue and rick rack to make the spaces for the days.

Once the glue was all dried up I printed out the days of the week on paper and glued to the calendar.

 To finish up I printed out numbers and month titles and attached them to Velcro so I can move them around and switch them up each month.

And Voila, I have a super cool, super versatile, super big calendar to help keep me organized!  And the best part, each month all I have to do is wipe it clean with a damp cloth and start all over! 

Plus it's fun to decorate.

I herby crown myself Queen of the Crafts.

I mean that literally.

I plan on wearing this fabric crown I made daily.

You may call me Her Majesty if you wish, although it is not required.

Although it may help score you a discount on your Chalkboard Cloth

Happy Crafting

Melisa & Cordelia



Tie One On Day

Did you know the 4th Wednesday of every November (also known as Thanksgiving Eve) is Tie One On Day?

Tie One On Day, is a day to celebrate aprons, and the spirit of women of earlier generations who wore aprons as part of their daily wardrobe.

This day recognizes aprons as a symbol of family, home and mothering and recognizes that the women (and men) who wore aprons helped make America great.

But what makes Tie One On Day so fabulous is how it is celebrated.

On this day, one should wrap a loaf of bread in an apron, tuck a prayer or note of hope in the pocket and, while wearing your own apron, deliver the bundle to someone in spiritual or physical need.

According to EllynAnne, a founder of Tie One On Day, “no matter which way you turn out of your own front door, someone who is deserving of a hug is very close by.”

So, in preparation of Tie One On Day, I encourage all of you to make an apron, bake a loaf of bread (or any other tasty treat) and spread some joy.

 To help inspire you I am offering apron classes all month long!

Drop by to come make one of these fabulous aprons!

Happy Tie One On Day

~Melisa & Cordelia

Furniture Redesign

As a new store owner I found myself in desperate need of new furniture, but zero budget to purchase that furniture. Instead of furnishing the store with shiny new items, I dug through my parents’ storage shed and barn and assembled a collection of cast off or neglected furniture, most of which belonged to a grandparent at some time. Most of the furniture was in good shape, but a few of the pieces were in need of a little work. Take this stand for example.

It’s cute, but it was heavily scratched and missing peaces.

So, I took a little bit of Old English Scratch Remover and rubbed it into the wood. Like magic the piece looked instantly new and exciting!

Then I decided I wanted to brighten the piece up a little bit so it would be a better fit in the space. So I found some scraps of fabric, cause this is a fabric store after all, and filled in the doors. Instant pop!

Finally, I found some cute knobs and threw them on.

And Voila, I’ve got a beautiful new piece of furniture.

But then I had to figure out what the heck to do with it…….

It could work as a display for my Christmas fabric, but not really loving it…..

So I moved it around a bit and decided it would look great by my front door and it makes the perfect information station. Now I have a convenient place to stack my class schedules and info about upcoming events! Yay!

Happy redesigning!

Melisa & Cordelia

Open for Business!

Today, November 1st, 2011 is a very important date.

It is the first day that Stitchology is officially open for business!

About 5 years ago I decided I wanted to start my very own sewing lounge and fabric store, but there were several things standing in my way. For example I was still in school. And I had no cash. Or experience. Or direction. And I was so darn young. So I spent the next 5 years saving, and dreaming of what I wanted my store to be like.

Then, about 4 months ago I decided it was time to start the store! I had spent 3 years teaching in town, working on the Fiber Arts Council and serving as Vice President of the American Sewing Guild Board and running a very small fashion design business so I felt I was better prepared.

So I dove head first into this little project of mine, and after 4 jam packed, thrilling, and delightful months I had created Stitchology and it was ready to debut.

So here I am and I have had made 4 sales and I’ve already had one student sign up for several private lessons. That’s more than I expected for my first day!

Here are a few photos of the store. Enjoy!

 

Happy Shopping!

~Melisa & Cordelia