this was going to be one of those long, text heavy posts: the kind that I hate to write, and I’m not sure if anyone will read. so instead, here’s the essence: i’m shifting my focus from sewing for the bee to creating sewing patterns, kits, surface patterns and sewing classes. and i’m in the process of creating a new website, where you’ll eventually be able to purchase my wares! (it won’t be called hamster and the bee; that title occupies a little, soft, gentle spot in my otherwise cold heart that is reserved for me and the bee. i’ll be leaving this blog right here.)

i’ve been feeling like i’ve outgrown this site for a while now, and since we’re in the process of building a new house (YIPPEE!) and seeking temporarily shelter at a family members, I thought it was the perfect time to create a new website and new products.

i’d love for you to visit me at my new site! if you’re interested in receiving updates about products or classes, please sign up for the newsletter there. www.hollymcbride.com

for the next few months, i’ll continue to post new class schedules here, and update my newsletter subscribers accordingly. i will soon be encouraging subscribers to sign up for the newsletter at hollymcbride.com so that when the site is up and running (by may, fingers crossed!), you can begin receiving updates without a hitch.

to everyone who has read my blog, commented, subscribed to the newsletter or taken a class: thank you so, so much! your support has encouraged me to take this next leap; i couldn’t be more grateful!

for now, i do have this sweet little tuck dart to share.

this dart is totally adorbs, perfectly befitting it’s ballet pink color. this detail feels very little girl dress to me.

i tried two different seam treatments on the back. the one on the right would totally fray in the wash i think, and i’m not sure that pressing the tuck open makes all that much difference on the front.

this fabric is confetti border pearlized in blush by michael miller, purchased at clementine.

• i played around with the tucks on the back after reading this post from the cutting class. this fabric doesn’t have enough body to really be affected by the seam allowance, but it’s such a cool idea.
• another post from the cutting class, this one on waist darts. these are gorgeous on a skirt in a fabric that drapes well, like zinnia by colette.
• i followed instructions in my vogue sewing book, and included an image below.

i also thought it was about time that i share some other news: i’ll be teaching at fiber college in searsport, maine this september! for those of you not in the know, fiber college is a fiber-centric (obviously) retreat at a gorgeous campground on the coast of maine. you can read all about it (and sign up) on their site. i’ll be teaching getting to know your sewing machine on friday september 11th from 9-1. this class will include some additional material and goodies, as i get four whole hours! and i’m teaching a brand new offering, wordpress blogging for artists! this class is scheduled for sunday july 13th from 11:30-4:30. here’s a description:

have you been hoping to start your own blog, to share your creations and inspiration with the world? in wordpress blogging for artists, holly will walk you through each step of creating your blog, from choosing a blog name and a theme, to navigating wordpress behind the scenes. you’ll learn how to create a blog post, add images and videos, and connect to your other social media outlets. at the end of this course, you will have a new blog and your first blog post!

basic computer skills, a laptop or computer, an email address, and a digital camera or a camera phone are all that is required to get the most from this course. if you’ve considered blogging as another creative outlet, to network with other artists, or to supplement your marketing efforts for your creative business, then this class will be the first step on a successful blogging journey!

i’m super-psyched to be attending fiber college, instructor or not; this will be my first time, and i’m already getting nervous butterflies in my tummy. i’m really excited to offer this new wordpress class, and i have a ton of really useful information ready to share!

i hope i’ll see you there!

this green voile is so flowy and soft.

i’m absolutely in love with this coyote fabric! i think it would make an amazing shirt. for me.

this is the narita dress by hey june. it’s a great pattern: very easy to follow and sews up pretty quickly. i used french seams to piece the panels and the side seams. i was pretty pleased with myself.

so summery! it’s finally warm enough for sleeveless dresses and this one is crushing it. and the greens in these images have me over the moon; green is my favorite color, and since making this dress, the bee’s coming around on it as well. yippee!

(this entire shoot took place on a tiny moss spot.)

things and stuff:

• dress pattern is the narita dress by hey june
• coyote fabric is spirit animal, color snow, by alexia marcelle abegg for cotton + steel, purchased at fiddlehead artisan supply
• green voile is factor in emerald by heather bailey, purchased at clementine

i fell in love with this fabric combination, but was seriously worried that the bee would not like the blue because it is dark. but she loves it too!

i think mostly because it “goes down, then out.” it’s very good for twirling and dancing.

with pockets,

and a sweet pink lining.

for my part, i think i did a lovely job of matching up the gingham. on this shoulder at least. let’s just pretend the other one looks as nice, shall we?

i’ve been a bit obsessed with gingham, well, for ever really. but lately i’ve wanted to combine it with all sorts of things. i made this dress as sort of a trial run for four (FOUR!) flower girl dresses that i will be making for my sister-in-laws late august wedding. i really want to combine gingham and tulle, and this pattern is a contender. however i’m not in love with the fully-lined and invisible zipper parts. i’m thinking of only lining the bodice and trying an exposed zipper, if that’s an easier.

the deets:

• the caroline party dress by mouse house creations, in a size 4 for my ever-diminutive almost 5 year old.
• caroline gingham from robert kaufman in purple
• cotton + steel speckled lawn in navy by rashida coleman-hale
• pink voile, but i’m not sure who made it
• all fabrics purchased from fiddlehead artisan supply

so, gathered darts. this is my favorite dart by far. you can tell by the exclamation point in the title!

seriously. how sweet is this?!

the back. you’d have to line this i think. there’s a lot going on back there…

and you wouldn’t want it to unravel at that little point. there is a row of tiny stitches just at the edge of the point, per the instruction from my trusty vogue sewing book.

i really want to use this in something, but what? i’m keeping it in the back of my mind as i dream up things to sew…

i’ve seen so many stuffed cameras on pinterest lately (is anyone else seeing this trend, or is it just in my feed?), so i certainly can’t take credit for the idea. but i really wanted to make one!

i gave him a big lens nose!

and appliqued buttons and whatnot.

and a bright orange strap! this was the first time i used fusible fleece, and letmetellyou, i am in love with this stuff!

in a few of my colors of choice, pretty much forever and ever. the color reminds me of instax cameras. i particularly love the pink one!

the bee had fun shooting the seedier side of small town midcoast maine.

look at that sketchy character. let’s get a close-up.

artsy shots.

here’s a round-up of a few of my fave plush cameras i’ve seen out there on the world wide webs!

1. red polaroid plush camera and 2. strawberry mint plush camera by forage photo and design 3. yestergear plush camera by eric comstock for land of nod 4. camera natural by suussies

i considered jumping right into some challenging darts, but then i thought i’d start with a whole bunch of simple ones first. this is part of that “taking time and investigating each process” thing.

darts are just super amazing! they’re one of the most important tools used to take fabric from a two-dimensional flat and floppy thing to a three-dimensional shape. abby from while she naps describes it really well here, and she encourages you to mess about with them in a really freeform way.

so i started with a straight, convex, and concave dart, just to see the difference. i used a 6″ square as my starting point, just like with the seams, and at the narrowest point i reduced the width to 4.5″ via the dart. there was no rhyme or reason, and the result was a super exaggerated dart, which helps show what’s happening.

straight, convex and concave

straight, which, you know, just looks like a regular old dart.

convex, which looks kind of crazy. i’m not sure when it would be appropriate to use this shaping!

concave, which looks the most boob-like by far. i will forevermore use concave darts for my bodices!

here are some really awesome dart things i found:

• a list of the 8 most important darts from craftsy. i’ll be trying out a few of these in the coming weeks. (side note: it’s interesting to think about and sew darts that do not relate to an intended body size or measurements. they’re just theoretical darts i guess.)
• how to sew darts on the coletterie
• pattern making fundamentals: understanding darts and moving darts by cut and spread on the cutting class. have you seen the cutting class already? i am absolutely in love with it!

the bee and i had a brief but informative talk a few weeks ago about what she wants me to make for her. or, more accurately, what she’ll wear (because right now, she does not care if i make her clothes or if they’re store-bought.) here are the rules:

• it should be in one of her favorite colors. acceptable colors are bright pink (not light pink – how dare you!), purple, sometimes blue (sometimes? huh?), and…. that’s it.
• she wants dresses that go down, and then go way out, like this (spread your arms as wide as they go. no, further. that’s not far enough! ok, fine, like that.) i think she’s describing a fitted-ish bodice with a very full skirt.
• if said dress (of requisite shape, style and fullness) cannot be in the correct colors, then it must be soft. very soft. polar fleece or faux fur preferably, and it doesn’t matter what season it is. but have the correct length arms (?). and still be full.
• but also, it should be the right color.

i did discover that shirts that go down, then out, are acceptable as well. peplums she can get behind! so that’s what i made. and this shirt has been well received. success!

the leggings that go with, however, not so much. i promised a bow at the ankle, like another pair of (store-bought) leggings that she owns. this is not the same bow. this bow is unacceptable. i think it’s pretty cute!

the aforementioned “bow”. these leggings are quite large on her, and i suspect that she’ll come around on wearing them sometime before they fit well. i mean, the color is superb, right?!

she might not like the leggings (for now) but she really loves the top. which is pretty awesome. (this photo shoot does not do her enthusiasm justice; she was at the tail end of a stomach bug, and she knew there was no candy payment for this shoot!)

four is kind of amazing. such strong opinions based in such a limited reality, you know? but it’s also heart-explodingly incredible to see her as an independent, strong-willed human being. i want to foster her right to voice her opinions with conviction. i fear for that day when she begins to second-guess herself, and keeps quiet as a result, instead of speaking out and up. i hope that day never comes.

so i’m working very hard to find some middle ground between the things she wants to wear and the things i want to make. i want to be challenged creatively, and i want to spend my hours making something that i enjoy looking at, and something that will make her smile. that’s an achievable goal, right? we share a very big love of crazy color combinations, so i have a lot of hope that i can do this!

have any of you sewing mamas gone through this with your kids? any words of wisdom you can impart?

details:

• shirt pattern is the tumble tee by imagine gnats, no color-blocking, shortened and with an added peplum and arm/sleeve bands
• fabric flowered engrams delicate knit by art gallery fabrics
• trim is laguna jersey in emerald

• leggings are the oliver + s playtime leggings
• fabric is laguna jersey in flamingo
• “bow” at the ankle via this tutorial by crazy-talented madmim

and the best part? we’ll sew all the samples together into a sweet little book that you can keep as a reference forever and ever!

materials are provided, and i’ve selected some really lovely voiles, lawns, linens and quilting cottons. we’ll investigate the different weights of the fabrics and talk about which seam finish is appropriate to each.

if you’re interested in joining us, please send me an email. i hope to see you!