Sarah's Threads

7-Min Workout

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sun, 19 May 2013 16:22:00 +0000

Have you tried the 7 minute workout? There's a dozen exercises that you do for 30 seconds each for a total of 7 minutes. It feels a bit like gym class, but doesn't include the rope climb - thank goodness.
Michael and I did it this week and actually had a lot of fun.

The 30-second countdown was a bit clunky but Michael just found this handy 30 second timer that shows all the exercises as it countdowns.

Urban Gardening

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Fri, 17 May 2013 05:56:00 +0000

We are mini urban farmers. We have a tiny shared pea patch plot that we recently started tending. We planned our little plot with a series of square foot areas using this book All New Square Foot Gardening, Second Edition: The Revolutionary Way to Grow More In Less Space.

I've been walking to it almost daily to make sure it's watered and to see the progress of all the little sprouts. The walk along the lake to the pea patch is super relaxing and a great way to start my day. And soon I'll be able to walk home with goodies for cooking. I know the photo is a bit blurry but we have big plans for this little plot - turnips, beans, beets, carrots, tomatoes, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cucumbers, lemon cucumbers and romanesco.

Happy Spring!

Tuesday Tallgirl: It's Spring Time!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:00:00 +0000

It's springtime, which means, you can break out your cute clothes... but don't forget your coat!
purse via independentboutique.com
shoes via Nordstrom
dress via Topshop
coat via this (odd) site

Shorts

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 04:52:00 +0000

I usually hate shorts and stick to skirts in the summer. I have a few but for the most part- blak! Until I saw these. How adorable. (I guess it doesn't hurt that this gal is Brazilian and being photographed by the Sartorialist.) But overall the fit is similar to a skirt, but somehow cuter. I wonder if I could find a pattern in time to make something like this for our trip. Hmmmmm.... could I get away with it.
Or would I end up looking like Shelley Long from Troop Beverly Hills.

Batiks

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 14:00:00 +0000

My love for travel often intersects with my love of fabric and textiles.
And for our trip to Indonesia I'm looking forward to the rich colors and designs because it is the homeland of batiks. A friend of mine took a Batik making class in Bali that has me thoroughly intrigued. I had no idea all that went into Batiks - waxing, stamping, dying and boiling!

Photos via pinterest.

Reading materials

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 04:02:00 +0000

We popped some tags this weekend and went to Goodwill. We went a little crazy when we got to the paperbacks. $1 a piece!

I got the most diverse mix of books to read on our trip to Japan and Bali -- The Bourne Identity, Fall On Your Knees and the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. It's a ton of books, but we'll leave them for someone else to devour on the beach.

Bali

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 04:36:00 +0000

Life has been a bit nutty - all good things, just non stop. I am officially counting down the days until Japan and Bali. (It's 70s days.)

New Pattern: Colette Patterns Laurel Shift

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 05:57:00 +0000

Just look at this cute new Colette Patterns shift dress!

They have a smart little versatility guide with ways to make it into a shift dress, top and more.

These photos and many more are on their website.

Japan + Bali

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 17:27:00 +0000

A few years ago my husband went to Japan for a business trip. Seeing his excitement and hearing about the amazing places he visited has catapulted Japan to the top of my travel list.

Well, our sweet friend Jennifer is in Bali (another place on our list) so we decided to go visit her and since we have to stop in Japan for a layover... well, we might as well stay there for a week and explore too.

So we have three days in Kyoto and just about three days in Tokyo.

I'm excited to ride a bike and explore the ancient city of Kyoto. We just booked three nights in this apartment.

Then we take the bullet train up to Tokyo. (I am giddy about taking this train.)

This is the first trip we've taken Internationally that we don't have dear Rick Steves to help us. Luckily I found Hello Sandwich's awesome Tokyo Guide. For $10 she sends you the cutest PDF full of recommendations of places to check out in Tokyo.

Next up... we plan our trip to Bali.

//Bali photo via flickr Japan photo via pinterest

Sew Club Seattle

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 16:46:00 +0000

I started up Sew Club in Seattle. This is a huge victory for me. I have missed having a time to just sit and sew with friends.
We had our first meeting at the Seattle Stitch and Sew Studio in West Seattle. I laughed when I saw the name of their studio because it's just like my site, Sarah's Threads Stitch & Sew. (A match made in heaven, right!?)

We sewed, we sipped wine and some of us made batman baby capes. It was great.

Sewing with Lola

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 05:28:00 +0000

My mom, sister and her adorable dog, Lola, spent an afternoon sewing this weekend.

Lola ended up stealing the show (obviously). She's 2.5 pounds of cute puppy and a great sewing companion. In between potty breaks and running around the house, she quietly supervised as we sewed. My mom's cat didn't love her, but cute isn't for everyone I guess.

Handmade napkins

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 06:35:00 +0000

Sometimes my brain just needs a simple 1 hour or less sewing project like this one. I made a set of 6 napkins using different fabrics all in the same color family. These strawberries are my favorite. They are happy, summery little berries.

To make them I sewed a narrow serger stitch along all the edges and then cut the tails off the long serger thread. I put a drop of fray check where I cut each tail to prevent it from fraying.

Muesli for breakfast

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:30:00 +0000

Inspired by a hearty little Muesli breakfast I had at Nelson the Seagull in Vancouver, I decided to try to make it at home.

It took about 20 minutes with prep and baking time using Martha Stewart's recipe. The oats cooked with the cinnamon and filled our kitchen with a wonderful aroma. I added some dried apricots and put the baked (and cooled) muesli over creamed honey and greek yogurt. Delish!

I'm on a real breakfast kick lately, so let me know if there are recipes that you like that I should try.

Seattle: The Ballard Locks

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 19:30:00 +0000

Being back in Seattle I'm really enjoying revisiting some of my favorite sites -- even the touristy ones like the Ballard Locks. The Locks were built in Seattle in 1906 to provide a connection for boat traffic between Lake Union and Puget Sound. It's a magical place for kids and adults. Boats come in, the giant water door closes and the water raises or lowers the boats depending on what side of the Lake or Sound boats are traveling. The entire process is open for all to see. Here's a video I took of a sailboat going through the Locks.

I didn't know until a recent visit that the Army Corp of Engineers actually empty the Locks every year for an inspection at which time they get all the dropped sunglasses, cameras and phones (sad!) out of the bottom of the Locks. The date hasn't been announced yet, but they drained the big Locks in November and supposedly the smaller Locks inspection is coming up in March.

Oh and if you'd like to learn more about Hiram Chittenden, the Brigadier General who built the Locks, check this out. He was an interesting guy.

Are you on Vine?

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 07:12:00 +0000

Are you on Vine? (Jennifer... I'm looking at you!!) I am slightly addicted.
For those that don't know, Vine is the new app by Twitter that allows you to take a few seconds of video and then share those sweet little videos with your friends.
I took several video snippets on our trip to Vancouver last weekend and (yes, I'll admit it) one of my cat who really enjoyed watching TV with us the other night.
I'm thinking this will come in handy for simple sewing tutorials. So more to come on that. In the meantime, if you are Vine, look me up and let's be friends.

Where do you buy fabric?

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 05:51:00 +0000

I was so spoiled in Portland. I had Cool Cottons two blocks away and was just a few miles from both Fabric Depot and Mill End.

Seattle is lovely but I can't find well made fashion fabrics at affordable prices. Eek!

I think I'm going to have to turn to more online options. Where do you buy fabric online?

Photo via flickr.

Vintage Textiles

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 04:22:00 +0000

Twill tape
via etsy

Vintage Champagne Glasses

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 05:53:00 +0000

I am not a champagne flute kind of gal, but I do love vintage barware. Just think of how many times these glasses have been clinked in celebration!

Top glasses//Bottom glasses

Drygoods Design + MakeDoMend

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 02:42:00 +0000

Clearly I've moved to Seattle at the right time. With several new fabric stores and sewing studios, all signs point to much more sewing in my life and I couldn't be happier. On Saturday we visited Dry Goods Design fabric store and the new Make Do and Mend studio space in Ballard. The fabric store is quaint but brimming with beautifully curated fabrics and patterns. I bought a few yards of organic cotton denim that I'm thinking of trying on one of my Megan Nielsen patterns. The Make Do Mend sewing studio is in a separate space down the hall from the fabric store and is the perfect size for 6-8 sewers. From the looks of it, they also have sewing machines for use/rent as well.

I noticed they have some classes coming up with the Wiksten Tova tank dress that could be the perfect time to try out this space.

Over all though you can tell that the owners just get it. Both the store and the studio have cool but not cutesy design touches. When you buy your fabric, it's tied up in baker's twine and a colorful pixi stix is placed on top. Nice touch. Makes you excited about your purchase and even more excited to come back and buy a few more things.

Tuesday Tallgirl: Orange and Blue

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 15:00:00 +0000

Tuesday Tallgirl is back with my favorite colors -- orange and blue. They make a great combo, don't you think!?

I recently purchased these pants from J.Crew and love them. They are on sale for $30 now. Go quick! The striped shirt is similar to the Splendid shirt I recently bought at Anthropologie but it looks like they are sold out. The Oxfords are on my list and I noticed they have sizes up to 12... perfect for tall girls that have generously-sized tootsies.

Here's where to get this outfit:

Striped shirt via Matches
Pants via J.Crew
Oxfords via Nordstrom
Gloves via Mango

Peculiar Pincushion

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 07:05:00 +0000

This photo made me laugh out loud... so of course I had to check out the tutorial. Come on... a llama pin cushion! (I need to make one!)

I just stumbled on this blog, but Small Good Things has tons of cute tutorials.

Kelly Skirt by Megan Nielsen

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 06:11:00 +0000

The Kelly Skirt by Aussie designer Megan Nielsen has been on my sewing list forever.

I got the pattern for Christmas and just did the final stitches. The 8 buttons delayed the completion slightly but I persevered past the daunting task while biting my lip only slightly. I used a faux suede and was a bit skeptical at first, but the fabric was a dream to work with. The drape is perfect and the wrong side of the fabric is semi slick so it looks like it's lined, which added a nice little touch.

Here's a few tips:

- If you are a tall gal be sure to add a few inches. I'm 6'1 so I added 4 inches to the pattern and love the length (it's right about knee length).

- Make sure that you try the skirt on after you have sewn the pleats and the facing pinned (but before you add the waistband) so you can test how it fits. If it's too snug or too loose just adjust the pleats. Make sure you then make those same adjustments to the waistband too.

- I used lining fabric to make the pockets and was glad I did. It made it look a bit more professional and who doesn't like black and white polka dots. I mean come on!

I'm currently looking for a nice chambray fabric for the next version of this skirt. I'm thinking this one will be perfect.

Urban Craft Uprising

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 01:13:00 +0000

For years I've been hearing about Urban Craft Uprising and I've never been able to make it ... until this year. I ventured over with a friend on opening day and got some great finds, hilarious 'overheards' and founds some terribly ironic kid's onsies - "C is for Cephlapod" was my favorite.

Two vendors stood out through the crafty crowd:

Nell & Mary - a Portland-based shop that designs, prints, and sews all of their fabrics into beautiful home goods.

I loved all of their textiles and it took me a bit to decide, but I finally found two pillows that fit perfectly on our new brown leather couch.

Material+Movement - a jeweler who uses heirloom china to make beautiful earrings and necklaces. A few years ago everyone was doing mosaics, rings, you name it out of china and ceramic pieces, but this line really stands out because of the form and composition of each necklace/earring.

You can visit her at her etsy shop, but I think her in store photography does not do her art justice. If you are in Seattle, Material + Movement will be going to another show next weekend in Ballard.

New Sewing Studio in Seattle

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 06:03:00 +0000

Word on the street is a new sewing studio is opening the first week of December called Make Do Mend at Drygoods Design Fabric in Ballard Seattle. Eeek! I can hardly wait.

photo via we love citrus

Introducing Sarah's Threads Stitch & Sew

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 19:02:00 +0000

I'm excited to share a new section of my site called Sarah's Threads Stitch & Sew, a curated list of my favorite sewing must haves, patterns and books.

When I was learning how to sew one of the things I struggled with was finding the right tools. Cutting those little tiny slits around a curve was a huge pain with big clunky scissors for example - oy! So hopefully this list will be helpful for beginners, but I've also included a few things that intermediate or advanced sewers may find helpful too. And, if I find other sewing essentials, I'll be sure to add them here. I hope you enjoy!