Wear your “Shabby Chic Shrug” to dress up a simple camisole or throw over a fun little dress. This shrug is fast to make using a Baby Lock serger for the seam finishes. Wow, no lining to slow you down! Now finish the shrug off with a variety of clever buttons!
Update your wardrobe with a “hip” new belt. One buckle can do it all, with a variety of great fabrics.
www.savegocco.com & www.saraprettyfun.com
Sara Martinez has always been an independent and creative woman … so it’s only natural that she would teach herself how to sew. In less than a year - with a little ingenuity and a whole lot of talent - she has already made a name for herself in the online crafting community and the art fair circuit with Pretty Fun, her own line of unique and affordable purses and other colorful accessories.
Why Pretty Fun? According to Sara, these adorable purses wristlets and messenger bags are as fun to sew as they are to wear.
“I love being able to imagine something and actually turn it into something tangible and show it off,” she explains.
Sara has always been artistic, a trait she picked up from her mother and grandmother - both avid sewers. As a child, she loved to make necklaces and other crafts but never took the time to learn sewing until recently, when she found herself in a department store with a pocket full of birthday money. She bought a sewing machine and started sewing right away.
“It was hard at first because I didn’t know a lot of the basic steps,” says Sara. She taught herself mostly using sewing patterns and “a LOT of trial and error. In the beginning, everything took a little bit of work.”
Sara originally began exploring sewing because she wanted to make skirts. “I wanted to make them my own way, so they wouldn’t be like the clothes that everyone else has.”
However, after attempting to make a purse, Sara discovered her passion. With all the different possibilities of fabrics and embellishments, she started devoting all of her free time to sewing. After mastering her purse designs, she began adding her own touch to purses and accessories with beads, buttons and more - she even taught herself hand embroidery!
Soon it only took her an hour to make a purse, and her closet began to fill up with all of her creations. “I had a big pile of them,” Sara says. She decided to share her purses with her friends and other fashionistas. Plus, ” I needed money for more fabric!” she laughs.
Pretty Fun began with the same D-I-Y mindset that Sara used to learn sewing. Rather than start with the traditional avenue of craft shows and art fairs, she decided to create her own virtual shop at saraprettyfun.com. She and her husband Dave used a simple Yahoo site builder to create it.
“It was a lot of fun, even though it took some time. I’m not super computer savvy, so if I can do it, anyone can,” says Sara. Plus, “you can control the way it looks and works, which is great.”
Pretty Fun’s popularity skyrocketed right away, and she began to meet other sewers in the online crafting community, especially fellow merchants at etsy.com, a handmade haven where Pretty Fun customers place their orders.
“It’s a great way to network and connect with people… and it’s a support system where you can bounce ideas back and forth,” she says. “People reach out through emails and cheer each other on.”
Sara says she has formed strong friendships with artists that she has met through Etsy. What’s more, all of her online networking has led to opportunities to sell her purses at art shows. “Those shows can be hard to find, so meeting people through Etsy has been a big help.”
In addition to networking, Sara’s online friendships have helped her discover new ways to make her purses unique, such as Japanese crafting. “I had actually discovered it by reading a blog from a crafter in England,” she says. “My favorite Japanese trend that I just recently discovered is called Gocco. It’s a way of screen printing onto fabric that produces a great handmade result.”
One thing Sara loves the most about her fellow crafting friends is that they inspire each other. When it comes to new ideas and techniques, there’s no end in sight. Currently, she’s been exploring embroidery possibilities on her new Baby Lock Ellure. “I’ve used so many of the built-in designs and I’m already like, ‘I want more!’”
And talk about inspiration - Pretty Fun is proof that your passion may be somewhere unexpected, and with a little imagination and determination, there’s no limit to how far you can go.
No matter how much Pretty Fun grows, however, Sara’s ultimate goal is to keep Pretty Fun just that - an enjoyable outlet for creativity and meeting people. “I have so much fun with it, and that really is the most important part.”
Pretty Great Advice From Pretty Fun
I write a lot about getting creative with fabric, but what about some of our favorite embellishments, enclosures and notions? As you can see above, sometimes you don’t need fabric to sew something beautiful.
Artist Lisa Kokin creates astonishing works of art using buttons and other small objects. The buttons are woven together with patterns that are just as beautiful close up:
Kokin also creates amazing sculptures, installations, sewn photos (trust me, it’s awesome) and sculptures and collages made from books. If you’re lucky enough to live in the San Francisco area, you can even attend one of her classes.
Really, I don’t know what else to say - it’s just so incredible! Check out the rest of her portfolio at her site. It’s making me see everything on my desk in a whole new light. I wonder what other cool effects could be created by sewing unconventional objects together. Any ideas?
Who on earth would want to make a Squid Hat? Well, I know a few folks:
That’s the famous St. Louis softball team, The Squids. They love showing their Squid Spirit, so when I saw this DIY Squid Hat on Instructables.com today, I couldn’t help but pass it along. Who knew squids could be so cuddly?
The Squids are lucky to have their own Stitchin’ Woman on the roster - our favorite quilter, Courtney Kennedy! (I hope she isn’t surrounded with kelly green fleece next week because of me.)
Like most fun DIY projects, I’m sure you guys can change the shapes to make a hat featuring your own favorite animal. (Although I’m sure there’s a website for this somewhere.)
(LOL, I found it.)
At a recent Halloween party, my friend Niki showed up in this amazing Snow White dress. The best part? She made it!!
Niki hasn’t sewn since 6th grade, but she really wanted to be Snow White this year and couldn’t find a costume at the local shops. So, she asked her Grandmother to help her create this amazing dress:
Look how pretty! Niki and her Grandma used a pattern, and she said that it took about 30 hours to sew the dress, over the course of 2 ½ weeks. That’s pretty amazing, considering some people spend a longer time making a costume out of cardboard that doesn’t look nearly as great.
By making this costume, Niki learned three of my favorite things about the magic of sewing:
1. If you can’t find it, you can always sew it.
2. It’s a great way to spend time with a family member or friend (and sewers LOVE to share the fun!).
3. NOTHING is more fun than being able to say, “I made it!”
I think next year she is going to add some little bluebirds to the cape, which I find hilarious and awesome.
Anyway, Niki was Queen of the Halloween Party - definitely the fairest of them all. We were all impressed and very proud of her (though I’m guessing her Grandma was the proudest.)
Last week, I went to a trade show, Quilt Market in Houston, TX and met with many editors and publishers of sewing related titles. One editor was Patricia Bolton, editor of Quilting Arts, a beautiful magazine targeting anyone enamored with fiber arts. She was excited about our booth, especially the new A-Line machines.
Meeting Jay McCarroll at Quilt Market 10/08
His line is irreverent and reminds me of how Saturday morning cartoons would look on acid. (I have not tried this and have no intention of doing this, mom.) His line is with Free Spirit so take a peek. I was glad to have met him. I was coincidentally wearing a dress I purchased at Chloe Dao’s (Project Runway Season 2 winner) Lot 8 boutique during last year’s Quilt Market. And just as a bonus, here I am with Chloe at a Passion for Fashion event in 2007. It all comes together….
Chloe Dao and me at Passion for Fashion 2007
With Dia de Los Muertos fastly approching make sure to get your sugar skulls now. How about these bad dogs? Soft plushy skulls for year round enjoyment. No melting or ants to worry about, just soft skull enjoyment.
