Pansy from the "Spring Blooms" collection

Evy Hawkins is the brains and braun behind A Bit of Stitch.  Those of you who come to Zede’s Sewing Studio in Columbia, MO know that we love Evy and we love her designs!  We use them for demonstrations and classes all the time, and our customers have fallen in love just like us!

Below is an interview that I think will be interesting to anyone who has every stitched out Evy’s designs.  If you’ve never heard of Evy or “A Bit of Stitch”, check out her website and her designs- they are gorgeous!

How long have you been stitching?  What techniques first got you interested in stitching?My first memory of sewing was actually losing a hand-sewing needle on my mother’s bed! I don’t know how old I was, but I was old enough to know that it was a bad thing! It was a long time before my mother let me have needles again so I made due with aluminum foil, paper, tape and glue. As you can imagine, my dolls had very “temporary” outfits.

What is your educational background?  You have such a command of color and design, did you achieve it formally or through pursuing your hobbies? I was taught to sew by my Irish auntie, actually my great aunt. She spent part of every year with us and patiently taught me to make things for my dolls. We did all our sewing by hand at that time. We did have an old treadle and I have no idea why we didn’t use it as it did work. I think it was probably because my auntie thought that hand sewing was a master art and that I needed to learn that first. And she was right! We got a little Singer Dressmaker when I was in high school. By that time I had taken Home Economics and learned to use a sewing machine. 

How did you get interested in machine embroidery?  Well, I like to say that I was educated “by the seat of my pants” as far as sewing went. There’s nothing like making a mistake – you do it and then you say, “Ah-ha! Won’t do that again!” I did have the privilege of knowing lovely folks who shared their valuable skills and time with me while I was still a teenager. Besides my auntie I was privileged to have a home economics teacher who allowed me to spend my lunch hours in her room learning how to drape and draft patterns. I also had wonderful art teachers, one who had attended Parson’s School of Design and he gave me his old textbooks when I graduated. The last year in high school I managed to work my schedule so that it included three art periods and my teachers gave me free rein to do whatever took my fancy. It was awesome! I made my first dress for someone else while I was in high school and I wasn’t very long out of college (with a secretarial degree) that I found myself with more dressmaking work than I could handle. One thing led to another and eventually I ended up working as a designer for a tiny woman’s wear company. It was there that I was introduced to machine embroidery. That was before home machine embroidery. It was so incredible watching my artwork come to life in stitches! I learned what “manual punching” was and that’s how I digitize my designs still today. I guess I’d have to say that I started designing embroidery about 18 years ago, but it wasn’t until around 2004 that I introduced my A Bit of Stitch embroidery design line. 

The "Isabella" lace collection

What is your favorite machine to stitch on?  My favorite machines are Baby Locks. They are extremely user friendly and as a family run business, you can’t beat their customer service! Also, they make really cool machines like their new Sashiko and the Embellisher! I like Baby Lock’s Palette software too. My studio is filled with my “babies” and they all get along very nicely!

What is the most exciting project you worked on in 2011/2012? Baby Lock’s Sashiko machine has introduced me to a whole new world, so that is what I have been most fascinated with this past year. Right now I’ve discovered just how very fun it is to combine machine embroidery techniques with Sashiko techniques! As you probably can tell, I really love art to wear, but recently I have taken an interest in quilts. We’ll see what this year brings! Right now I am working on a dimensional Sashiko quilt, which incorporates machine embroidery techniques, and a Sashiko quilted and machine embroidered voile and tulle wedding dress. The dress is just for fun, just to see what it evolves into. That’s the biggest excitement in my studio right now!

Do you do anything else in your spare time besides sew? Is there life besides sewing? Ha! Well, actually one does have to eat and sleep but I have discovered that I can get by on a little of those. When actually forced not to work I like to read. Science fiction is my new favorite, which is strange for me, but I find I like the imagination in it and I especially like it when authors describe wardrobes of “out of this world quite literally” clothing! I have been known to watch movies with the sound off just so I could concentrate on the costumes, which drives my family crazy. There never will be enough time to do everything that is in my head, so I guess you could say that I never really have any spare time! That’s either really sad or a blessing!

Thank you, Evy!

You can find a wide selection of “A Bit of Stitch” embroidery designs at Zede’s Sewing Studio!

But, now comes the time for a little self-reflection.  Is it really a good idea to make all this stuff from t-shirts?

Of course, it’s great to recycle and reuse.  T-shirt fabric is suitable for a lot of projects, but sometimes it’s not the perfect material and the projects featured won’t last the test of time and use.

Here are a few things to keep in mind about T-shirt fabric.

1.)  It stretches!  That’s why you like to wear it!  What does this mean for your crafts?  It means that if you re-shape the neckline or the hem by just cutting it into a new shape- it won’t stay.  You must stabilize seams, hems and necklines on knits- or you’ll get a funky product.

2.) T-shirt fabric is thin!  Some T-shirts are thicker than others, I know, but thinner t-shirts are popular and have been for a few years.  So, if you’re going to make a skirt out of a t-shirt, take a look in the mirror first and make sure you’re not giving anyone a free show.  T-shirt fabric was originally intended for t-shirts, just keep that in mind while you’re cleverly redesigning them

3.) Can these fabric features be good- YES!  That’s why we love them, just don’t expect t-shirt fabric to act like anything other than what it is.

Do you want something to be be stretchy and soft?  Like a t-shirt scarf?  Go for it with a tutorial like this one from HelloGiggles.

Do you want to use up those t-shirts and be green about cleaning?  Check these washcloths out on My Bit of Earth.

And then there are t-shirt bags.  Normally, these don’t really turn me on- but they could be useful.  And the author at DeliaCreates does a great job of showing how to sew with t-shirt knit!

The point is this: Don’t get disappointed if your t-shirt craft doesn’t work out, you may have been doomed from the beginning.  Just keep in mind how the t-shirt fabric will act when you’re upcycling into your next project!

Have you made anything from a t-shirt?  How did it go?

Click here to view the embedded video.

Thanks for watching.  What would you like to see on IZSS?

Ain’t he cute?

What I really want to share is the fact that we have a few places where all the IZSS episodes are easy to access:

The “Inside Zede’s Sewing Studio” board on Pinterest

The “Inside Zede’s Sewing Studio” playlist on YouTube

The “Inside Zede’s Sewing Studio” category on SewHereBlog.com

If you save any of these locations, you’ll make sure not to miss out on any future episodes of Inside Zede’s Sewing Studio- plus you can catch up on any you’ve missed…hopefully pajama pants man will magically appear to rub your feet!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed fabric, time and effort to the program.

If you’d like more information on how to make a “Read.” bag, read this blog!

The next episode is to be filmed on Tuesday, April 24th. The edited episode will be up by Friday, April 27th for your viewing pleasure!

This upcoming episode is about bizarre sewing projects, plus tips and tricks for hemming jeans.

We’d love to see what you’ve sewn that is on the weird side. Something that’s bizarre. Like a beekeeping suit, a corset for your dog or a circus tent. Anything out of the ordinary!

Please send photos and a brief description to zedessewingstudio @ gmail.com

We’d love to feature you, and we’ll feature your blog too!

Here are the previous episodes of Inside Zede’s- if you’d like to take a look!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Thanks, everyone!  I can’t wait to see the submissions!

All you have to do is comment on this blog post to be entered for a chance to win!  We’ll announce the winners on May’s episode of Inside Zede’s Sewing Studio, so make sure to check back, subscribe to the blog, and watch Inside Zede’s Sewing  so that we can make sure to contact you in the event that you win.

So….what will you get if you win?

A Sulky Blendables Designer Thread Collection!

Our two winners will be sent one of these collections.  Aren’t they gorgeous?

So, comment below (say something nice about us or just tell us how much you want this awesome thread) and we’ll choose the winner using a random number generator.

Feel free to share this blog with your friends on Facebook and Pinterest!  Anyone can win!

P.S.- have you watched the latest episode of Inside Zede’s Sewing Studio?

I found this picture on Pinterest and immediately thought “Oh, that’s a quilt that I can stand!”…in fact that may have been the caption I chose.

Anna’s instructions for the Improv Chevrons are excellent, in my opinion.  She doesn’t approach this project like a super traditional quilter- she does it her own way.  What’s even better, they are clear and easy to follow.  I couldn’t wait to find out more about this fun and creative designer.  So, I asked for an interview- and I got one!  Enjoy!

How long have you been stitching?  What got you interested in sewing?   I’ve been doing something stitchy forever, it seems!  I started with small projects and cross-stitching under the expert guidance of my grandmother when I was very young, and my mother also encouraged my crafty side. I started quilting about two years ago when one of my friends had his first child. I remembered that my favorite item growing up was a quilt that one of my mom’s friends made for her, and I thought I’d give it a try and got hooked.

Who do you make things for?   I make things for friends, family, and strangers! Oh, and myself.  Everyone deserves treats.

When did you start blogging?    I started in January!  I’m new!  I’ve been very active in Flickr’s sewing and quilting community for much longer, and figured it was time to record my work and ideas in a more formal way.

What is the most exciting thing that has happened to you since you started blogging?     I’m just so excited that people are visiting!

When did you start making your own patterns?  Where do you get your inspiration?     I think I’ve always made my own patterns, in a sense.  Quilting can be very individual, and I’ve always taken formal patterns as jumping-off points, using them to learn techniques more than to execute complete projects.

I’m usually inspired by day-to-day visuals: buildings on my commute, a stack of colorful cereal bowls, a pillow at Anthropologie.  Quilt-wise, I’m inspired by the countless quilters sharing their work on Flickr and Pinterest.  There’s so much talent out there and many people are willing to share their ideas and knowledge. As I’ve developed my own designs, I’ve recently started “giving back” to this community by sharing tutorials on my blog.

Who is another blogger you admire?    Oh, I can’t just pick one!  I love Anna Maria Horner for her design sense and insightful tone, Film in the Fridge for quilt inspiration and design, Oh, Fransson for beautiful ideas and crystal-clear tutorials, and Joy the Baker for her delightful voice (and recipes!).

What is one thing in your sewing kit that you can’t live without?   I’m really attached to my embroidery scissors. So attached that I get mini panic-attacks when I misplace them!

What’s one material you use that is hard to find?   Well, in New York City, high-quality quilting cotton is actually kind of hard to find! There’s no Joann’s or other big crafting stores, and very few (maybe 2?) quilting shops with a pretty limited selection. (I do most of materials shopping online…)

What’s the “weirdest” thing you’ve made?    Hm, this pillow back is pretty weird.  Who knew bugs could be so pretty?  Despite being a bit off-beat, I really love this print!

As many of our current customers know, we have sold a couple of brands of serger thread in the   past that were not Madeira.  Why did we make the switch?  It was easy, really- value and quality!

Bottom line, we will not put cheap serger thread in our sergers.  So, we’re always looking for quality thread that’s affordable.  The last two brands we were selling just about doubled in price in the last couple years, so when Tacony Corp (Baby Lock’s parent company) introduced the Aerolock thread at training a couple months ago, we were elated!

It’s smooth, lint free and colorful!  It’s also very inexpensive!  At Zede’s, we sell this thread for $5.99/spool.  That’s in comparison to the $8 or $9 thread that we were carrying before.  But make no mistake, we do not sacrifice quality for price.

Think about it, you bought a really nice (probably pretty expensive) serger…don’t put cheap thread in it!  Cheap thread is usually full of lint, which also means it’s full of glue.  Why would you want to run that crap through your nice machine?   Cheap thread can also create bad stitches- so beware the $1/spool cones that may tempt your pocketbook now- you’ll be regretting it when you have to bring in your machine for service before it’s due.

Anyway, what do you get for reading that rant?  Information on a sale, of course!

Watch this video to find out how you can stock up on this serger thread for less!

Click here to view the embedded video.

The sale is on April 12th-14th.  See you soon!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Let us know what you think of Inside Zede’s!  Are there any topics you’d like to see us cover?