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CraftSanity – A blog and podcast for those who love everything handmade

A blog and podcast for those who love everything handmade

  • Home
  • Weaving Looms
    • Etsy shop
    • Loom video tutorials
    • About the looms
  • T-Shirts
  • Magazine
    • Order Print Magazine on Etsy
    • Order PDF of Magazine on Etsy
    • Order Magazine
  • Podcast Archive
  • Jen’s Bio
  • Contact
  • Subscribe to Email Newsletter
BooksGiveawayInspirationSewing_featured

Sewing Through It: A new blue dress for me and a chance to win a copy of “Lotta Jansdotter Everyday Style” for you

by jennifer December 15, 2015
written by jennifer December 15, 2015

IMG_7639

I couldn’t sleep the other night, so I sewed until 4 a.m. and calmed my nerves with the whir of my sewing machine. Now I have a lovely blue dress hanging on a wooden hanger taped to my chalkboard wall.

LottaCvrMech_051215_r3.inddWhile this isn’t exactly the way I had planned to whip up a project from Lotta Jansdotter’s new “Everyday Style” book, it turned out to be the best thing for me to do while I awaited sad news about my Uncle Mark who battled cancer until his passing yesterday evening.

Sometimes making things is the best medicine for a heavy heart and Sunday night I was really glad to have the blue Sky Leaf print (37119-9) from Lotta’s “Mormor” fabric collection sent to me by the kind folks at Windham Fabrics. As a fan of loose-fitting dresses that allow plenty of room for me to do my thing without worrying about busting a seam, the Kiomi Dress on p.91 of Lotta’s book spoke to me. I had to make one.

As my daughters got ready for bed, I traced the mid-length dress pattern pieces (included in a pocket at the back of the book) onto freezer paper as I do with every pattern I sew. My cat, Justine, loves this part and planted herself right in the middle of the action as she often does. I shooed her off the pattern about a dozen times as I traced and cut out the pieces. I love that I can count on Justine’s cat shenanigans to make the boring prep work quite hilarious.

IMG_7538

IMG_7630The great thing about the Kiomi Dress is that it goes together quickly. I made matching bias tape trim for the neckline and armholes, but you can use pre-made bias tape from the sewing store if you prefer.

Initially, I decided to skip the optional belt, but once I had the dress together I realized that I probably should have made one. So I whipped up a thin belt out of the left-over fabric. I also decided to add pockets because all my favorite dresses have pockets and I really wanted to enjoy this one.

IMG_7612So, after sewing my way through a restless night, I have something blue (my favorite color) and tangible that matches the sky and my uncle’s favorite football team (the Detroit Lions). When I wear this dress I will remember Mark listening to football games on the radio at Thanksgiving dinners and the easy way he made me laugh when I was a kid. He had an adventurous spirit that was not lost on me. I’m planning to take this dress on a few of my own in his memory. (Hug your mom and save me a seat, dude. I plan to be up there in about a hundred years.)

ENTER TO WIN: I believe in the healing power of handmade adventures to my core, so I want to invite you all to leave a comment below about how making stuff has helped you and enter to win a copy of Lotta’s awesome book. A winner will randomly selected. The deadline to enter is 11:59 Dec. 22, 2015. Good luck!!

LISTEN TO MY CONVERSATION WITH LOTTA! And if you missed my recent post and podcast featuring Lotta, the Brooklyn-based Swedish designer who unknowingly helped me out big time this week, you can have a listen below. (Thank you, Lotta.)

And check out the rest of the blog tour for more examples of sewing projects inspired by Lotta’s book and more chances to win a copy for yourself.

Here’s the full blog tour line-up:
Dec 1 – Lotta
Dec 2 – STC Craft
Dec 3 – Windham
Dec 4 –  Noodlehead
Dec 5, 12 and 19 – Lotta’s studio will be open for signed books
Dec 7 – Modern Handcraft
Dec 8 – Sew Scatterbrained
Dec 9 – Crimson Tate
Dec 10 – Purl Soho appearance
Dec 11 – Groovy Baby & Mama
Dec 14 – City Stitching with Christine Haynes
Dec 15 – CraftSanity (That’s me!)
Dec 16 – Aesthetic Nest
Dec 17 – Sew Mama Sew
Dec 18 – Lish Dorset
Dec 19 – Fancy Tiger Crafts
Dec 21 – Generation Q
Dec 22 – Carolyn Friedlander
Dec 23 – Crafty Planner

IMG_7613

Don’t forget to comment below, look at the sky often and keep making stuff because it really helps.

book giveawaycraft therapyCraftSanityEveryday Style bookKiomi DressLotta JansdotterLotta Jansdotter book giveawaySky Leaf fabric
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jennifer

Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood is a journalist, story collector, podcaster, editor/publisher, columnist, printmaker, loom maker, fiber artist, adjunct journalism professor and mom in West Michigan. Send her your handmade story ideas, best vegetarian recipes, and tips for making cool stuff by writing jennifer@craftsanity.com. : )

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CraftSanity Podcast Episode 177: Valerie McKeehan discusses her handmade business and new book, ‘The Complete Book of Chalk Lettering: Create & Develop Your Own Style.’

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61 comments

モンブランスーパーコピー September 16, 2017 - 1:24 pm

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