The holidays are almost here so I thought I’d round up some gift ideas for sewers. Maybe it’s you who’s looking for a gift for a friend who sews…or you’d like to tell others what to give you as a present? Here’s a small list of things I’ve liked recently and that I think would make a cute surprise :) You can also check my gift post from last year with other cool ideas.
Read More
Fall jacket inspiration
Now that autumn is here I’m planning to make a new jacket for myself. Jackets are actually my favorite thing to sew I think...there’s a certain complexity sewing wise which is interesting for me and they get a lot of wear so it’s definitely a win-win. I’m going to share some of my inspiration in this post for my upcoming make.
Read MoreSewing Gift Guide
Anyone thinking about the holidays already? I’m sure that all of us are wondering about how they will turn out this year, for sure it will be different...but let’s try to find ways to stay positive, it will get better! The season of giving gifts is around the corner and I’m sure there are many handmade gifts you’re going to make for others. But what about your own wish list? Many times your friends and family want to give you a gift related to sewing but it’s really complicated for them to know what you’d like to get. And that’s exactly why I’ve made a little gift guide including my favorite ideas! You could just pass on this post to the people who might need it ;).
As I know that there are people from all over the world who are reading this blog I’m not adding specific shop links (unless the product is available directly from a shop/brand!). You can just look up the product on Google and find a local/online store that fits your location. If possible, always try to spend your money in small businesses, they are the ones that need your support the most right now! As a small business owner myself I’m forever thankful for every customer who decides to shop my products :).
I actually have two other posts about gifts in the blog archives too, so you can see more ideas in this first post and this second post!
sewing tools for every maker
First up, some of the essentials I truly love! All of these ideas work well for any person who loves sewing regardless of their experience.
Fiskars scissors. This Finnish brand makes really nice quality scissors that you should definitely have in your sewing kit, they are so good! The universal size works for everything and there are many options design wise (I just saw these Moomin designs, and they are the cutest!). Scissor sharpener by Fiskars is a really cool tool too, I use it a lot!
Clover pins and chaco liner. The flower head pins by Clover are made for patchwork but you can of course use them for any sewing project. They are super sharp and look cute too! The chalk roller is my personal favorite marking tool. This fabric marker is refillable and works super well both on woven and knit fabrics.
Merchant & Mills notions. This brand has the prettiest sewing notions and a large variety you can choose from. The packaging is very nice too and they make a really pretty present
Olfa rotary cutters, quilt rulers and cutting mats. Olfa is my go to brand for all things related to rotary cutting. I love my ergonomic 45 mm blade rotary cutter and I use it for everything. The 15x60 cm quilting ruler is super useful not just for quilting but for measuring anything. I’ve used many different rulers but this one is by far the best one yet! And to cut with a rotary cutter you also need a cutting mat. Olfa mats are strong but they are not too thick and they heal super well so they will look new even after a lot of use. I use the one that measures 90x60 cm, this size works just fine but if you have more space you can of course get a bigger one!
Sewing lingerie
For lingerie lovers there’s this little list of things to give as a gift. Either you’ve never tried out sewing your own lingerie or if you’re already in the handmade lingerie making game, these ideas work really well!
Bramaking kits and patterns from Studio Costura Shop. I’m going to be a bit selfish now and list my shop first, haha, but I really think that a kit would be such a nice present. I’ve actually just made specific gift cards that you can get which means that the person who receives the gift card can choose their favorite kit from the shop and it will be shipped directly to their home. Choose between kits to make bras, bralettes and panties! Giving a sewing pattern as a gift is also a great idea and again you have an option to buy a gift card as a present.
Duck bill scissors are a nice tool for lingerie makers to have in their sewing kit. They work really well for trimming fabric underneath the elastic and they look super cute!
Gutermann Bulky Lock thread for the serger. This fluffy thread makes your serger seams really soft and you can use it for all of your projects and especially for lingerie. You need two cones for the anchors of the serger.
Some other nice things to have…
Labels by Kylie and the Machine have the coolest designs and the quality is really good, they are super soft! It’s the perfect detail for your handmade projects! See the list of shops that sell the labels here (we also have them in the academy if you’re in Madrid!).
Sewing pins by Crafty Pinup are so cute, let everyone know that you’re a proud maker :)
Wool batting is definitely something luxurious for people who like warmth! It can be used both for quilts and for jackets. (You can get it in Seoane Textil if you’re in Spain).
Prym snap fasteners give a cool touch to your handmade projects. You can get these in many different styles for a variety of projects.
Books
Books are always a good idea! Here are some of my favorites:
Vogue Sewing: a very detailed sewing reference book that suits well into any sewing library.
Patternmaking for Fashion Design: an in-depth reference book about drafting patterns, perfect for someone who wants to take a step forward (you can read my review of this book in this post).
Simple Geometric Quilting: a beautiful modern quilting book that is full of beautiful projects, perfect for someone who wants to learn the basics of quilting.
Punch Needle and Visible Mending: both of these books by talented Bookhou look really nice and her designs as always are super beautiful!
Modern Rug Hooking: Rose Pearlman is another artist whose designs are very beautiful and this book looks just amazing.
Classes
An opportunity to learn new skills is probably the best gift possible and there are many options to choose from. If you have a local sewing shop close by you could buy a course as a gift (if you’re here in Madrid we have gift cards available at the academy for all the sewing classes and lingerie courses). And even if you don’t have a local place to go to classes you can always choose an online class and learn wherever and whenever you want. Skillshare for example has a variety of courses in a large variety of topics.
I hope you’ve found this list inspiring...not only for these holidays but also for any occasion when you need a gift for someone who sews or for yourself :)
My favorite makes with Studio Costura Patterns from Braugust2020 // Mis proyectos favoritos con patrones de Studio Costura de Braugust2020
Hello September! I’m back at writing my regular posts here at the blog. August has been nice to be honest. It has been full of time to do things that bring me joy...I’ve seen old friends, I have been knitting, there has been time to eat well and find motivation for exercise. I’ve been working with the shop, preparing all your orders, sourcing new materials and choosing color combinations for new bramaking kits. I’ve also started to work on a new pattern, I’m excited to tell you more when it’s in a more advanced stage. I’ve been sewing some personal projects for myself too. And I’ve been taking a couple of interesting Coursera courses in the evenings. I’ve been able to be alone a lot. It’s something that makes me happy, something I really need and something I’ve been missing since the beginning of spring.
In general I’ve been immersed in a really organized, low stress, maybe I could even say meditative, daily practice. My time here in Estonia is always very very different compared to how I spend my days in Madrid and this time is no exception. There’s no big city noise, no time spent commuting to work, no running around doing errands. The days feel longer, everything feels kind of calmer. I mostly love it...but I also miss the city so much after a couple of weeks, what can I say?? This year we’re staying here a couple of weeks more for some personal circumstances (everything is OK!) while I’ll also be keeping my eye on how the pandemic situation is evolutioning over in Madrid. It has been such a relief to not have to wear a mask for more than a month now as the numbers have been more or less under control here (they are rising but it’s not remotely comparable with Spain). But the “real life” with school and presencial work is waiting for us back at home, let’s just hope that everything will be clearer once we get there.
September also marks the birthday of my shop! It’s been four years now since I opened it on Etsy and I can say it’s finally working really nicely and I’m proud of all we've achieved. I hope this project will bring me joy and lots of work during many more years to come! During the past month and this one too I’m actually myself preparing all the orders (usually my mom is preparing them here) and it’s taking me back to the early days of the shop when I was doing all of it in my first small studio in Madrid. Thank you everyone who has placed an order for supplies or has bought a pattern from the shop, your support means so much!
So, after this long introduction here goes a post about my favorite lingerie and swimwear makes with Studio Costura Patterns from the past month of Braugust. It was so great seeing all your projects and it was hard to choose just one part of them...I’m so grateful to everyone who posts their makes with my patterns so others can see them. I’m blown away by your pretty photos every time I see a notification at Instagram...thank you for inspiring me! So here are some of my latest favorites (Braugust + some from the summer too) but you can of course search through the pattern hashtags to see all the makes from earlier, there are so many beautiful ones there too.
Hola septiembre! Estoy de vuelta escribiendo los posts en el blog. Agosto ha sido bueno la verdad. Ha sido lleno de cosas que me hacen feliz...he visto a amigos de toda la vida, he estado tejiendo, ha habido tiempo para comer bien y para tener motivación para hacer ejercicio. He estado trabajando con la tienda, preparando todos vuestros pedidos, organizando los materiales nuevos y preparando combinaciones de colores para kits. También he empezado a trabajar con un nuevo patrón, ya os contaré cuando esté un poco más avanzado el proceso. He cosido algunas cosas para mí. Y por las tardes he estado haciendo unos cursos de Coursera. He tenido mucho tiempo para estar sola. Es algo que necesito, que me hace feliz y que ha faltado en mi vida desde la primavera.
En general he estado sumergida en una rutina diaria bastante organizada, de bajo estrés, quizás incluso podría decir “meditativa”. Mi tiempo aquí en Estonia siempre es muy diferente a mi vida normal en Madrid y esta vez no es una excepción. No hay ruido de la ciudad grande, no hace falta gastar tiempo en desplazarse para ir a trabajar, no hace falta correr y hacer recados. Los días parecen más largos, todo está más calmado. Me encanta la mayor parte del tiempo...pero también echo de menos mucho a la ciudad después de unas semanas, qué puedo decir?? Este año nos quedamos unas semanas más por motivos personales (todo está bien!) mientras también estaré pendiente de cómo evoluciona la situación de pandemia en Madrid. Ha sido tan bueno no tener que llevar mascarilla durante más de un mes ya que los números aquí estában bajo control (aunque ahora están subiendo un poco, aún así no es comparable ni de lejos con España). Pero “la vida real” con colegio y trabajo presencial nos espera en casa, solo puedo tener esperanza de que las cosas estén más claras una vez que lleguemos allí.
Septiembre también es el mes de aniversario de mi tienda! Ya son cuatro años desde que abrí mi tienda en Etsy y ahora puedo decir que por fin está funcionando bien, estoy muy orgullosa por todo lo que hemos conseguido. Espero que este proyecto me de felicidad y trabajado durante muchos más años! Durante el mes pasado y este estoy de hecho yo otra vez preparando todos los pedidos (normalmente lo hace mi madre aquí) y eso me recuerda los días de inicio de la tienda cuando lo hice todo desde mi primer pequeño estudio en Madrid. Muchas gracias a todo el mundo que ha comprado materiales o patrones de la tienda, vuestro apoyo significa mucho!
Así que después de esta larga introducción, aquí va el post sobre mis proyectos favoritos que la gente ha hecho con los patrones de Studio Costura durante el mes de agosto en Braugust. Ha sido muy guay ver todo lo que habéis hecho y es difícil destacar solo una parte de las fotos...estoy muy agradecida a todo el mundo que ha subido fotos con mis patrones para que las podamos ver. Me dejáis flipada con vuestras fotos cada vez que Instagram me notifica de algo nuevo...gracias por inspirarme! Así que aquí van algunos de mis favoritos del mes pasado (de Braugust + algunos del verano también) pero obviamente hay mucho más si miráis los hashtags de los patrones.
Hanna bralette
@always.sew.hungry
Mara bralette
eva panties
vera panties, stella panties
mia panties
hanna bikini
Hope you liked these makes as much as I did. All the patterns are available at the shop :)
Espero que os hayan gustado estos proyectos igual que a mí. Todos los patrones están disponibles en la tienda :)
