Is it possible to  'Sew' a Christmas card? 

Could I turn my compulsion to sew into something  apart from a dress?

And could that sewing compulsion be mass produced to make a decent batch of cards?

And it was very simple. A strip of velvet in the deepest burgundy, which sadly I've failed to photograph adequately. Then a piece of white cotton, an extra layer of sparkly organza, a nd a simple green triangle to finish them off. The biggest slog (and it wasn't too arduous,) was hand-sewing the star shaped sequins. Then I literally stitched the velvet sparkly 'wintery landscapes' on to the cards with my sewing machine. This was immensely satisfying, and so, so easy! For fuller details see the tutorial below.

My little 'photo shoot' turned out to be more complicated than stitching the cards!

I had an idea to create a snow scene - and used icing sugar. Which proved to be slightly crazy. Picture the scene - the cards, houses, white table cloth are precariously balanced on my stairs, because the stair window gets the morning sunlight. In one hand I am shaking icing sugar through a sieve, in the other I am trying to click the camera to 'capture the moment.' I'm kneeling on the stairs, my fingers are getting sticky and sugary, my beloved camera is at risk from icing sugar. And I'm thinking; "If anyone knocks on the door now, they're going to think I'm nuts."

And I failed to capture the 'sugar blizzard' on camera.
But I am fairly happy that I created a little sewing love to share with a lot of people!

Victoria

Tutorial

1. Stitch a strip of velvet to white cotton. (Or any fabric of your choice! Think winter!)

Top stitch sparkly organza along the seam. I deliberately kept the raw frayed edge. Looks a bit frosty! (Apologies for photo quality - all my sewing is done at night, in lighting that isn't great! And please don't mention the stem of a wine glass that has sneaked into this picture).

2. Cut the strip to a long rectangle.

3. Cut the rectangle into small oblongs. Use the size of your card as a guide. Cut Christmas tree triangles and pin.

4. Stitch the triangle trees in place with the machine. No need to be neat! These are tiny, it's a fiddle, Christmas cards aren't designed to last forever. Handstitch a couple of sequins.

5. Stitch each rectangle landscape directly to the front of your card, using your sewing machine. Sorry forgot to take a picture of this step. But honestly, it is as easy as it sounds.

6. Et Voila! Lots of cards, write a message of love, send it to a dear  friend, preferably someone who will say "Wow! Sewing!"

I wanted to keep the A-line silhouette of the inspiration dress. My original plan was to keep the long sleeves as well. Unfortunately, I only had one yard of fabric to work with, so long sleeves were not an option. The pattern, slightly modified,  came from the 6/2013 issue of Ottbore magazine. I love Ottobre! The fit is always spot on, the designs are interesting and kid friendly. This particular issue might be my all time favorite, so many awesome patterns.


Ania loves it! She wore it to school it a few times paired with striped tights in rainbow colors and patterned leather boots. Add bigger then life personality and a mop of curly hair to that and it's quintessential Ania.


Here is what I have chosen for Victoria.  I love everything about this dress (well, besides the price). I like the mix of slightly preppy and slightly whimsical.  It's practical and fun. I also have a soft spot for border prints, show me a good border print fabric and I am in love (here is a similar dress I made for Ania last year) . :) Can't wait to see your interpretation Victoria! Good luck. :) Thank you so much for inviting me! 

 

Olga - I love it! The fabric is one I've been swooning over for months, and you had it in your stash! And you've sewn it for Take One Dress. I am so grateful. Love that you've kept the style so simple and clean lines.
And my sewing brain is heading in all kinds of directions now, with that 'inspiration' dress....Where to start? A city skyline? A shirt collar? Border print.....hmmm possibilities.
I'll be unveiling my creation, Take One Dress# 12 in Mid December, just in time for Christmas. 
I would love it if anyone out there wants to sewalong? Where would this dress take you?
As a Christmas special, if you sew a creation inspired by Olga's choice, I'll publish it here as a 'guest post'. Get in touch, via email or a comment and let me know!
 It's been an incredible year of creativity....Do pop back for the final installment!

Follow As-it-Seams here, to make sure you don't miss the last post.

And check out the Take One Dress gallery.... There have been some stunning creations throughout 2014 from Do Guincho, Sewpony, Nat and the Gang, While She Was Sleeping, Groovy Baby and Mama , Elegance and Elephants, C'est la Vie, Nearest the Pin,  and Glitter and Wit

 

I'm Laura from Behind the Hedgerow and last month Tasha (Glitter and Wit) set me my challenge for the Take One Dress series...and this time it's personal! 
The dress she chose as my inspiration was none other than one she'd sewn herself! 

So this post, and the dress I made, can be seen as an interpretation of Tasha's own personal style - how lucky for me to be given a challenge which includes so much life and joy! More specifically, here is the dress given as my inspiration.

 


The style is 100% Tasha - contrasting fabrics, unexpected combinations, quirky details - and I was immediately rolling numerous ideas around my head!

Upon further reading, I discovered that the pattern Tasha used here is indeed a Straightgrain pattern - the Peplum Bubble Dress. 
So for this project I decided to keep with the Straightgrain theme and sew the Tinny Dress (which has been on my 'to-sew' list for far too long!).


The Tinny Dress pattern, like all of Straightgrain's patterns, is full of versatility and room for personalisation so I had lots of play with in terms of finished style. I let Tasha be my inspiration here!