Knitting for a good cause!

A good yarn: Knitters make sweaters for penguins after oil spill

A couple of neat tutorials that caught my eye

Vintage pattern sizing:
This is one of the topics I get the most e-mails and questions about, so I figured it was time for a post on the subject! Vintage patterns get a bad rap for being extremely difficult to fit, but they're really no worse than modern patterns, I think.

Hand Stitching Projects:
My "big project" for 2011: a plain dress that's becoming a beetle-themed embroidery sampler. A mixture of applique and surface techniques with a steep learning curve! I might even finish it before summer is out...

Men In Tights - A fashion debate or something more?

I recently saw this link posted on Twitter:

Men’s Fashion – Those Aren’t Pantyhose, They’re Mantyhose!

(Yes I know it's not a brand new article.) This has apparently sparked much debate in the article's comment section, to which you can find plenty of detractors. For a supporting view, one commenter wrote his own piece titled,
Mantyhose: What It's NOT--What It IS...

It's interesting how fashion trends get reused and recycled. What do you think? (If you're reading this outside of Blogger, click this link to comment!

Sewing for Charity

Interested in using your sewing skills for charity? Check out our List of charities where your sewing skills can make a difference!

Sewing for tsunami victims: 'She's got a servant's heart'
KVAL
"I love sewing," said 8-year-old Abby Hoggard. And that love of sewing has turned into a labor of love for victims of Japan's devastating earthquake and tsunami. "My dad was watching the news and I saw all the video clips and I wanted to help and ...

Apartment residents sewing diapers for babies in Haiti
Stow Sentry
Residents at Stow Kent Gardens in Stow cut and sew cloth diapers that will be taken to earthquake-ravaged Haiti. by Mike Lesko | Associate Editor Stow -- Mary Ann Jones used to sew clothing for her family, but she never figured she'd be sewing diapers ...


Quilters get sewing for tsunami victims
Westmorland Gazette
By Steven Bell » As community groups and businesses continue to hold collections and fundraising events, local quilters are sewing 'comfort quilts' to send to the thousands of people displaced by the earthquake and tsunami. The Mere Quilters, made up ...


More in Sewing News:

Review: Crafty Chica's Miss Scarlet's School of Patternless Sewing
BlogHer (blog)
I can't sew very well and I'm not particularly crafty, but those themes are a hook for me. Miss Scarlet's School of Patternless Sewing by Kathy Cano-Murillo, aka Crafty Chica, has both and when I was offered the chance to read it I jumped. ...

Hundreds of quilts donated to local charities
Wink News
The group took their love for sewing and turned it into a major charitable organization by donating thousands of quilts over the years. "I still have my health and family and so on. I just like to give to people who are not as fortunate," said Jackie ...

A sewing fix in Bloorcourt Village
Metro Canada - Toronto
She's the proprietor of a magical place called The Make Den, where the city's Scottys, aspiring artists and future fashionistas alike come to get their sewing fix. A 30-year old entrepreneur with a degree from Ryerson and a previous life as a ...

Quilt show brings patchwork of friends together
Herald & Review
“I quilt every day,” said Stine, who prefers hand-sewing and has done it for 30 years. “I always tell my family it gives me my sanity. I just kind of put my mind in neutral.” For 15 years, Stine has joined friends in a sewing group on Wednesday ...

Halloween themes: Costume, Sewing, and Embroidery Tutorials

How-To: Make Monster and Alien Feet - Craft
by Dave Simon
(This tutorial is absolutely brilliant! ~ CSNews) I took an old pair of foam shoes and carefully sprayed expanding foam around them so that I could carve them. They looked good as craggy monster feet, so instead I painted them as is, with gnarly toes and all...

Witchy-poo Shoes. - Sewing
by jemimabean
...just in time for some Halloween decorating, I bring you a witchy-poo shoes pattern and tutorial. Enjoy!
...

Wed The Wild Things Are... - Craft
Tutorial to embroider and frame a scene from the Where The Wild Things Are book...

For the Kiddos!

Craftzine.com blog : Toddler Leggings Pattern
By Natalie Zee Drieu
Lisa at Fitzpatterns wasn't able to find many downloadable sewing patterns for babies so she decided to make use of her daughter's nap time to sew up clothes for her little one. For just $1.50, snatch up this pattern... ...


toddler backpack pattern - Craft
Toddler backpack pattern - This backpack pattern was one that I created a few years ago for a craft swap partner's young daughter who was two years old at the time. The opening is just an overlap on the near the top of the front. Velcro could be added to help keep it closed but isn't necessary. Not having any zippers or snaps, it's very simple for a toddler to open and fill up...



Knitted/Quilted Baby Blanket – Free Pattern
By nikkiinstitches
Here is the pattern for the Knitted and Quilted Entrelac Baby Blanket!...


All Knitted Up: Sweet Little Baby Blankets
By Amy
Two more blankets made it off the knitting needles this past month. I am still working on a third blanket, but I am finally trying a new pattern on this third one. It is hard to find patterns that I really am in love with for baby ...


Fabric Beach Balls Free Sewing Pattern...
By Wendy at AllCrafts.net
Need a sweet baby gift? Make Fabric Beach Balls! They're a great use for small amounts of fabric and they'd be stunning if you used the leftover scraps....

Make your own Max from Where the Wild Things Are Costume
Examiner.com
Additionally, you can sew socks to the feet of your sweatpants or get your sewing machine out and add feet to the sweatsuit to resemble footed pj's You will ...


Adding or Altering Sewing Patterns - Example: Modifying McCalls 5252...
By Chloe Findlay-Harder
All I've done is copied the basic pattern that I'm using, and just added the extra elements on top. That way I can plan my sewing, instead of going “what's next!?”. So next time you're altering a pattern, ...


Wisconsin: Sew much for 'a drab life'
Dubuque Telegraph Herald
But she laughs about the state of the spare bedroom she uses as a sewing room. "This table never gets empty," she said, patting her sewing table. ...


'Men of Cloth' features colorful quilts
Muskogee Daily Phoenix
Sewing has traditionally been a skill learned by men for survival. Soldiers carried sewing kits and repaired their uniforms around the fire at night. ...