It’s a long time coming- OK, maybe more like 8 months or so- but the Notch & Swatch Youtube Channel is finally live! Last Fall the Universe dropped the beautiful soul that is Brigitte Byrne on my Studio’s door step and we became instant friends. Sewing does that to people, ya know.

After we had spent a few times hanging out in the studio sewing together we both verbalized our hopes of being able to start a sewing focused YT channel in the future. B lead off by asking if she could use the studio to film, to which I enthusiastically replied, “what if we did it together?”

Well, as of the other day, the Notch & Swatch channel is up and running and our first video has been posted! It feels super strange to put yourself out there in this way, on Facebook and Instagram you’re able to edit and control yourself and your actions in a way you can’t hide in a vlog. Suddenly I’m aware of the funny hand gestures I make (I’m a NJ born and raised Italian American, what do you expect of me?) and how quickly I talk when I’m nervous!

But! and this is a big but (haha!) I am not going to apologize for my newbie-ness. B and I were discussing yesterday that we have nothing to be sorry for because we are beginners. Which is funny because I almost want to apologize to everyone I ask to watch it because it feels so amature and new. But, I teach for a living and constantly preach to my students to never, ever apologize for a mistake they made. Mistakes need to be made in order for us to learn! So today I learned the lesson that I need to also give myself grace to make mistakes and be a beginner. We all need to remember that!

A few weeks ago I was scrolling through the ‘gram and saw that a Hilarie Dayton of Little Stitch Studio in Norfolk VA had a sewing book published and I was totally overcome with excitement for her! I’ve always been a fan of creative books, my shelves have been lined with sewing and craft books since I was a teenager. I remember getting a (at the time) crazy popular t-shirt upcycling book and pouring over the projects in search of something to satisfy my fledgling sewing and garment making urges. While I probably barreled through those projects with the finesse of any beginner 15 year old sewist, what I gained from those books were new ideas and techniques that I would carry with me forever.

So, jump to my copy of Sew Bags: The Practical Guide to Making Purses, Totes, Clutches & More appearing in my mailbox (courtesy of Hilarie) this past month. Before I even opened the cover I noticed the approachable cover design, complete with fashion illustrations and drawings of the bags you could find inside. Upon reading the introduction I learned that Hilarie had set out to make this book like a design class, focused on teaching principles of design and applying them to basic, beginner friendly bag projects that had varying techniques and styles. Having gone to Parsons the New School for Design, I always appreciate when someone looks to break down the process of design as a concept as opposed to simply drawing and making bags.

Hilarie unpacks design terms like scale, proportion and harmony in the “Building Blocks” section, which are general tenets for any aspiring designer. I love how in her “How to Think Like a Designer” section she walks the reader through a color theory exercise, and then gives another little exercise on how flat patterns work with a mini-patterns of her bags. You get the feeling that it means a lot to her that you understand as much as you can about the process of designing and making things as you can. I feel as if this book is valuable for any budding sewists/designers for these sections alone! I learned while following her on Instagram that she has managed to teach many of her young students (as young as 8 and 9 years old!) how to draft patterns and manipulate darts- I love a fearless teacher who figures out how to teach kids more complex techniques in a way that they can understand and apply them. Especially ones that involve math! Sometimes I struggle to explain what seam allowance is to kids who’ve been sewing with me for months… I may start using some of the exercises she outlines in the book in my own classes!

In her “Getting Started” section, she preps even the most beginner sewist to tackle the projects included in the book. She covers all the essentials to getting started sewing from the tools, general sewing machine operation and bag hardware. She eloquently explains everything needed to sew her bags and complete these projects, which I could imagine a young child and a willing parent gathering all these supplies and feeling confident enough to make their first project on a sewing machine.

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In addition to my review, I also wanted to make a point to follow one of Hilarie’s tutorials for a bag to see how clear her instructions where and if they would fly in a beginner setting. As a teacher, I appreciate when there isn’t any flowery language for beginners because often I find that it is straightforward instructions and execution to be the best for most people who are learning. It’s obvious that Hilarie is a fantastic instructor because she approaches the instructions with clear language and logical order. Earlier in the book she laid out most of the language we as sewists use, so once a reader gets to the project section they are well prepared (or else help is but a few pages earlier) to tackle each project. There are also variations and annotations added alongside construction notes to aid the reader in both personalizing their projects or understanding why certain steps are taken during construction. Hilarie leaves little space for confusion, I especially love a sidebar on page __ where she explains how pleats and tucks help create volume and how they can become functional and aesthetic details in our bag designs.

I have kids camps happening all Summer at my studio, Old Spool Sewing, so I knew her Abigail Boxed Bottom Tote would be a tutorial worth checking out. Because I’m at the beach here in Jersey, next week’s class is themed “Beach Bum Week” where I was hoping to introduce campers to the art of shibori dying with natural indigo, too, so I present a shibori dyed boxed bottom beach bag!

I used Hilarie’s measurements and patterns as a starting point but drafted my bag slightly larger to finish at 17’’ x 17’’’ with a 3’’ boxed bottom. This is helpful because I know I could give each student a half yard of fabric to dye and make their bag from. I omitted the color blocked portion so that the shibori could be on full display. The instructions were very clear and I even used a strap attaching technique that is new to me! The photos that accompany the instructions are also very clear and I appreciate that Hilarie prioritized clean, clear samples over anything too loud or over designed. She picked a bright pink fabric to make the pocket in for her sample which inspired me to dig into my stash for my beloved scraps of Rifle Paper canvas because I always love to mix and match my prints!

I feel as if my choice to hand dye my fabric before making my bag falls in line with Hilarie’s suggestions for getting creative and taking her designs to the next level. All of the bags included are great for beginners and I always suggest bags like these as beginner projects for my students of any age.

All in all, it’s apparent I enjoyed and absolutely recommend Sew Bags, by Hilarie Dayton. It’s a wonderful addition to the sewing library of newbie sewists, no matter their age. If you know a young person who enjoys reading and shows interest in fashion design, the bulk of this book introduces them to the design process and challenges them to think creatively. This review is unbiased and uncompensated, I was excited to give my time to help a fellow sewing instructor promote such a big milestone in her career.

So, I find that I get a lot of joy from all of the things in my space being coordinated and colorful in some way. I’ve always liked the thought of “beautiful things work better” and sought to apply it to my work space and home whenever I can. When I’m out thrifting I’m always searching for bright glass jars or colorful containers that can help me in the eternal battle of organizing. Must be why I have an exorbitant amount of vintage tins floating around…

Now, here’s a simple way to add a bit of personality and joy into your space by way of one of our most used tools during the sewing process: the ironing board! To outfit my studio when we were re-doing the space, naturally I had plans to hit up the magical lands of Ikea for tables and chairs (clean lines, affordable, well made, swoooon) and luckily while we were up there I snagged a few other important items for a functioning sewing studio. One of those things being a nice, sturdy and adjustable height ironing board.

Adjustable height is important, Jul? It is when you’re teaching super short 8-year-olds how to press their seams, my friend.

I bought the ironing board with full intentions to recover it’s slightly-too-thin padded top with a fabric that matches my space at Old Spool. Finally, like, 4 months later, I got around to this project will all in all took me about an hour to complete. Now every time I iron something I smile looking at the bright Cotton & Steel mod flowers that adorn my once Boring with a capital B ironing board.

Here’s how you go about doing this yourself!

What you need:

• An ironing board you wish to transform into a site so beautiful, mere mortals can’t look directly at it.
• 2 yards Cotton Fabric. Quilting cotton is wonderfully affordable, comes in an array of prints and colors. Make sure to purchase
• Cotton Batting. I used a cut from a twin sized package of Warm & Natural (*Cotton is important both as the covering fabric and the batting because it has a high melting point. I have heard of people using poly batting, but I like to be safe!)
• a cord, ribbon or elastic between 1/4”-3/8” wide and long enough to go around the edge of your ironing board. I use a ribbon in this tutorial because it’s what I had around!
• Chalk, Frixion Pen, Fabric Markers or something to mark fabric with.
• Ruler or Tape Measure
• Safety pin
• Scissors
• Sewing Machine, thread, pins.
• *Optional is a layer of Insulbrite in addition to your batting layer, for added heat absorption.

Let’s Get Going:

1. Iron your new covering fabric so it’s free of wrinkles. If you’re using cotton batting, feel free to iron it as as well to get the creases from being packaged out.
2. Lay your fabric face down on a large work surface. Despite having a perfectly lovely large cutting table, I decided to work on the floor, try not to be like me if you can help it.
3. Flip your ironing board over on top of the fabric, being mindful of fabric waste. I placed mine towards a corner with about 3 1/2” of a border.

4. Grab whatever you’re using to mark your fabric and your measuring device and measure out 3” around the entire ironing board, following it’s curves. The reasoning behind 3” is that we will be making a 1/2” casing for the cord, elastic or ribbon and that will give it 3” to fold around the edges and under the board. *If you are not using 1/4”-3/8” cording, you need to increase the added amount the the fold under to accommodate your cording.

5. Remove the ironing board and cut along the drawn line.

6. This step is optional, but I serged the edges of my new cover because we’re only turning it once. If you don’t have a serger you may also: bind the edges, pink them, or leave them raw. They won’t be handled often so they shouldn’t fray. This step is up to you!

7. Bring your new cover over to your old ironing board and press under a 1/2” channel for your cord/ribbon/elastic. Use plenty of steam and it should stick in place, but feel free to pin the fold as well.

8. Step on over to your sewing machine! Let’s get stitching! Beginning on one long straight end, sew the 1/2” casing down close to the inside edge. Leave a hole where you began, though, so we can get our cording through! You may come across some pleats where the ironing board curves, that’s ok! I grabbed a seam ripper to help me ease these guys under the presser foot. You won’t be able to see them, so embrace the imperfections!

9. Once you’ve stitch all the way around (and left a hole) grab your safety pin and cording. Thread the cording through the casing, leaving a tail at the beginning and end.

10. Grab that batting you’ve left aside until now and spread it out on your work surface. Again, flip the ironing board over and trace the shape plus 2” onto your batting. Cut on that line. This is so that the batting wraps around the edges of our ironing board, but not too much. If using Insulbrite, do the same.

11. At this point you may remove the original cover and batting layer. I, however, am lazy and did not. Also, I teach kiddos here and they tend to get intrefacing glue on the iron, which then ends up on the cover, so I wanted to know there was a back up in case a cover needed to be removed and washed/replaced.

12.Lay your batting on the cover and make sure it is nice and flat and centered on the board. I have a iron rest attachment on this iron that refuses to come off, so I have to work around it. I trimmed the batting to end right where the board ends so that I have enough room to pull my cover between the iron rest and the board.

13. Begin fitting your new cover over the batting, smoothing things out as you go. If using cording or ribbon, adjust the gathers around the board so that it fits snug. Tie a knot in your cording and cut the strings short so they don’t hang down and look at untidy. If you’re using elastic: A) pull until it is snug B) pin the elastic together C) take the cover back off, over to your machine D) Stitch elastic together E) Close hole F) return it to its new home on your ironing board.

Marvel at how cute your ironing board now looks and how little time that just took you to accomplish!

If you run into any issues or have any questions or comment, tell me below!

So, apparently I’m interesting enough to be interviewed for a Youtube channel about sewing! Dawn and Myra of That Sewing Blab had me on their show back in the beginning of December to chat about my background as a childrenswear designer, my formal fashion education at Parsons, a little bit about Stitched (and overcoming your “kryptonite” as Myra so aptly called my anxiety!) and how Old Spool came to be. I had a great time chatting with these ladies and even though we had never met- I had only briefly chatted with Dawn before the live interview- I knew they were my type of people: sewists who love to talk about sewing! 

Shout out to our amazing mutual friend Kyle, who I now deem the “fairy godmother” of sewing as she loves to connect people in our community! 

Here’s the interview in full here, I come on about 4 minutes in. Of course, I’m wearing a me-made top: the Dove Blouse by Megan Neilsen. Enjoy! 

Since I’ve opened a business in my hometown area back in October, I’ve been really lucky to meet wonderful people who have become customers and friends. My goal, all along, has been to create a space where people feel welcome and comfortable to come and learn a craft that I love so much, and more than a few times my new customers have spoken up to tell me how inviting the space is and how happy they are to have something like this in their area.

I say that not to toot-toot my own horn, but because it shows how much we as people love to connect with one another in a creative context. How much we value the time we’re given to create and make connections with other people who may hold the same interests as us. I think it really gives us a sense of belonging that we’re always searching for as humans. I’m so grateful that my hopes for the space are, so far, what others have been taking away from it.

But! I have also met some people thanks to the beauty of social media who live farther away from me that I’ve realized! I’m lucky to have sewing friends in places like the UK, Singapore, Australia and all over the states. I know how it feels to maybe find a business or brand that sparks your interest that exists in a physical place far away from you, for years without having words to describe it I dreamt of a space like what I have today to pop up in my world.

I remember the first time I found an Indie sewing company on Instagram: Sew Over It. I think it was probably 2014 and Lisa Comfort’s good cheer about modern sewing with a touch of vintage flair was like a bolt of lightening in my heart when there weren’t any clouds. I suddenly was introduced to a world of sewing I didn’t know about, and a community I felt a part of. I remember realizing , “this is it” when I saw that Sew Over It held workshops in their brightly colored shop in London and quality products to assist the home sewist… one day I could see myself doing just the same, somewhere!

Fast forward to 2019 and I now know studios like this exist all over the world and boy, does that really excite me. People are being introduced to sewing all over the world in friendly shops and studios by people who are so darn passionate it makes me want to cry. It fills my cup knowing these studios are thriving (Stitch Sew Shop in Alexandria, VA is actually moving and expanding this year! How AMAZING in the world today that a fabric store can grow!) and that more people are teaching others to sew even if they don’t have a permenant studio (my friend Viviana in Puerto Rico teaches workshops in a coffee shop under the name Costura Elemantal!)

So, my point here is that if you want to learn to sew and maybe don’t live nearby me in good ol’ Brielle, NJ, there are plenty of places you can start to explore the world of sewing. I want to introduce you to two shop’s I’ve been lucky to meet the owners of here in NJ in case you’re a bit too far from exit 98 to get your kid to an after school class or to spend a Saturday morning away from your family, or dog, or partner, or plants.

If you’re reading this and from a bit farther away than even the Garden State, don’t worry! Get in touch with me and ask me where you can learn to sew near you… I’m a tad obsessive and follow countless shops and studios around the world and would be happy to point you in the right direction. I’m a big believer in Community over Competition  and truly believe there is enough space for all of us to share the thing we are most passionate about.

Just Make it Sew in Bordentown, NJ

Just Make it Sew is a sewing studio and fabric shop out in Bordentown, NJ run by the extra lovely JoAnn. I was visiting Bordentown back in September when my sister was vending her handmade goods at their annual Cranberry Fest and made a point to pop into their store while I was there to introduce myself, mostly because I so admired the business they have built after learning about it in mid 2018. JoAnn has an impressive background- she worked in the fashion industry for years in many different roles after she earned degrees from both LIM and FIDM. She hosts classes for kids and adults and when I met her I could tell she genuinely loves her craft and sharing it with others. She’s been in business for over 10 years, how amazing is that?

I actually had a mother/daughter duo come in recently for a beginner lesson, and I always love to ask where people are from when they first come to the studio. This pair happened to be from Robbinsville, which is out in west Jersey, maybe 15 quick minutes from Just Make it Sew. I was happy to recommend they don’t take thJoe 45 minute drive on 195 west to see me and that they visit JoAnn for more classes, especially because the daughter was definitely inspired to learn more!

Urban Sewciety in Westfield NJ

Urban Sewciety is run by ‘the Megans’ up in picturesque Westfield, NJ. It’s a beautiful shop and sewing studio that I was able to learn about thanks to…Instagram! In late 2017 I learned about the location based sewing hashtags that the Love to Sew Podcast began to pioneer in order to help sewists build a bigger community with the help of Instagram. It was the the missing link between the Instagram sewing community and being able to have real life friends who sewed! My heart did a little flip the first time I saw that a sewing studio existed in New Jersey like the kind I had created in my head after learning about Sew Over It a few years before. I immediately emailed them asking if they taught more advanced garment making courses, popped in there that I love to teach, and the next week I met the dynamic duo in person and they brought me on to help with after school classes and teach their garment making courses.

I’m so grateful for the experience I had teaching at Urban Sewciety and the friend’s I’ve made through classes and the community in North Jersey. Even though it was a trek up the Garden State Parkway (exit 98 to 136- but nothing like my commute back in the day to Secaucus!) I loved going to work there and all I learned while I taught there. If you haven’t noticed, my forte is not quilting, and my friend Mandy who teaches my quilting classes here at Old Spool was originally a student in one of my first garment classes at US. I’ve had a wonderful amount of students-turned-friends thanks to Urban Sewciety, and thanks to that space I gained the confidence to bring sewing to my community down here at the Jersey Shore.

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Again, if you’ve found me thanks to the internet or social media, I’m so happy you’re here. But, if you’re a tad too far from me to come hang out at the studio and talk about fabric.. no fear. There are welcoming, beautiful spaces where you’ll learn from talented sewists anywhere in the world!

I’m a pretty lucky gal. 

Thanks to the power of social media, I’ve been able to make so many new friends over the past few years that love sewing and making as much as I do. Whether it’s a seamstress in London or a crocheter in Australia, I have been able to widen my circle of creative friends with the simple tap of a ‘follow’ button on Instagram. 

And in so many instances, I’ve been able to chat with these people about different topics that affect us as makers- how to find inspiration, how to better our sustainable sewing practices, and what to make next! 

One Instagram friend I’ve been lucky to find in the sea of social media is the lovely Jo of The Unfinished Seamstress. Jo is a sweet maker mama living in London who always seams to hit the right spot of extremely wearable but unique makes that I always love to see pop up in my Instagram feed. She’s a Seamwork Patterns Ambassador, instigator of the “Sewing the Scene” challenge that takes place on Instagram each year, lover of gardening in her allotment (she introduced me to the wonderful being that is Monty Don!) and a proud member of the ‘always improving’ mindset of sewists. I love reading her blog posts and seeing her makes, and I especially love when her cute kiddos make an appearance in her photoshoots! Jo is also extremely sustainably minded and as a vegan she always tries to sew with natural fibers and find good uses for her scraps: one time she managed to get a jacket for herself AND her daughter out of the same small cut of fabric! 

I wanted to share some of Jo’s makes to help inspire others who may want to learn how to sew their own clothes, because Jo’s wardrobe is extremely practical while also being very ‘her’ : I love her pink coats, effortless sundresses and countless linen garments that look like you can simply live a good life in them. She’s a believer in sewing for self care (we all are trying to stay sane in an increasingly insane world) and getting a little bit of sewing done while her two small children nap. 

Make sure you follow her on instagram @theunfinishedseamstress 

Jo’

The Perfect Sundress! A Mimi G Jessica dress

Her simple entry to the sewing contest she hosts yearly called “Sewing the Scene” which is an homage to Audrey in Funny Face. The sweater is the Sew House 7 Toaster Sweater. 

A pink linen Sew Over It Kimono Jacket aka “The Monty Jacket” which she wears regularly to her allotment! 

A Folkwear Sewing Patterns Beach Pyjama that she pattern-hacked into a dress. 

The aforementioned pink coat: Simplicity 8509. It’s just too damn cute! 

And finally, a snap of her and her cute as a button daughter! Jo made both the pieces she’s wearing, and although I don’t think she made her daughters dress here- she regularly sews for her kids too. What an amazing mom! 

I hope you enjoyed Jo’s makes as much as I do! And if I’ve inspired you to learn to sew- pop into one of my many Beginner Workshops to get yourself started sewing and make sure to check out all the workshops I have coming up!