Closet Core Patterns

Our Ultimate Handmade Gift Guide!

Amy — Thu, 02 Dec 2021 13:00:00 +0000

Hi y’all! Today we are bringing you our ultimate handmade gift guide! If you are looking to avoid the crush of the mall or shipping delays shopping online, making your gifts is a great idea! We have rounded up all our free patterns and tutorials in one place so you can find some inspiration for everyone on your list. Some of these projects require special supplies but most of them could probably be whipped up with things you already have in your stash! Let’s get cooking!

ACCESSORIES

1 // Leather Belt Bag– This belt bag pattern is a great entry point to sewing with leather. Download this free pattern and follow the blog tutorial here to make a trendy accessory for anyone on your list!

2 // Dog Coat Pattern– This free downloadable dog coat pattern comes in multiple sizes and makes a great little scrap buster. Make a matching coat for your four legged friend if you have some leftovers!

3 // Eye Mask Pattern– This is also an easy scrap busting pattern from our Resource Library. One size fits all with this adjustable eye mask. Makes a great travel tool if you’re moving around this holiday season!

4 // Rope Purse/ Bag– All you need to make this impressive pattern is a length of cotton cord and the zig zag stitch of a basic sewing machine!

KITCHEN GOODIES

1 // Mitred Napkins or Tea Towels– Once you have the technique of making tidy mitred corners you can make all kinds of gifts. Tea towels, napkins, table clothes, place mats! Sky’s the limit!

2 // Reusable Beeswax Food Wraps– These are a no-sew scrap buster. All you need is cotton fabric and food safe beeswax. This is a fun craft to do with kids and makes plastic free food wraps for all your holiday leftovers.

3 // Reusable Snack Bags– I made a bunch of these over three years ago and they are still going strong. Kids snacks, purse tea or any number of other totables. Make a set for any busy person on the go.

4 // Reusable Produce Bags– Ban the plastic! Throw a set of these in your shopping totes and get those green beans home in style.

STUFF FOR THE HOME

1 // Pogagi Inspired Scrap Busting Curtain– The ultimate scrap buster, these pogagi inspired curtains are so meditative to put together and make a great sun shade, room divider or shower curtain!

2 // #ClosetCorePouf– Our most popular scrap buster for a reason: you can hide everything! Not only can you use up a bunch of scraps to make it, stuff it with even more or use it to store off season clothes or blankets.

3 // Quilt– An improv quilt like this one Heather made is a great way to use leftover fabric and while making a beautiful gift.

4 // Mounted Staghorn Fern– Air plants are back! Mount a staghorn fern to a board to make a stunning wall hanging.

FOR THE SEWIST

1 // Bias Tape– Only sewists know the joy of beautiful bias tape you didn’t have to make yourself. Roll it onto a pretty, old, thread spool and give the gift of time saving.

2 // Sewing Machine & Serger Covers– This free pattern is for standard sewing machines or sergers. Keep the dust off your best friends when you take a break and freshen up your sewing space.

3 // Organizing Pockets– These pockets are perfect for a small sewing space to keep all your tools wrangled. But you can also use these anywhere. In the pantry! In your closet! By the front door! Options are endless…

4 // DIY Cutting Tables– These plans for a DIY cutting table show you exactly how to customize your sewing space and multitask while maxing out on storage.

GARMENTS

1 // Carolyn Pajamas (Sizes 0-32)- Make matching PJ pants for everyone in your family this holiday season! Carolyn pants can be easily hacked for lots of body types and sizes by straightening out the side seams to remove some of the hip curve.

2 // Sienna Maker Jacket (Sizes 0-32)- This is a super customizable layer for any maker in your life. You can adapt the pockets to serve so many hobbies! Crafters, gardeners, horse riders, bee keepers, tinker, tailor, candlestick maker…

3 // FREE PATTERN: #ClosetCoreTshirt (Sizes 0-32)- This free download is available in our shop. You have to check-out but you will not be charged. It is a layered PDF pattern with a full instruction booklet and fabric layouts so even if you are new to sewing knits you should find making this a breeze.

4 // Cielo Top & Dress (Sizes 0-32)- This beginner friendly top and dress pattern has no tricky closures. With its boxy style and pullover design, you can make this for someone else without much fitting.

Happy Sewing!

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Sleep Masks for Everyone: A Free Eye Mask Pattern!

Amy — Thu, 25 Nov 2021 13:00:00 +0000

Hey all! This year we thought, what better way to celebrate the beginning of the holidays than with another free pattern?! We wanted to give you a little inspiration for gift giving this year and thought a scrap busting eye mask was just the thing for everyone on your list, as well as yourself! With travel slowly coming back into the picture (or merely travelling to your couch for a midday nap) we thought we would share our favourite design (Heather was inspired by a store bought version of this mask) for sleeping, or just zoning out. It is a nice wide design and can cover your ears as well if you want to tune out “the captain speaking” or your little nephew who just got a new noise maker. It is padded for ultimate comfort and you can use whatever fabric you most like to have on your face. In this case I’m making this one for my dad, who would probably like to project to the world that he is a blue flannel man, but secretly would love a little something silky on his eyelids (cupro feels like silk but at a fraction of the cost!) So let’s jump in cause this baby is quick and easy and CHRISTMAS IS COMING!

To get the pattern, download the pattern pieces from our members-only Sewing Resource Library in the section called “Free Patterns”. As with all our pattern freebies, you need to be signed up to our newsletter to get the password to access it. If you’ve already subscribed and forgot the password, check the footer of any past email from us – we always include the password there as a reminder. Otherwise, sign up using the box below.

To download this free PDF pattern or resource, you'll need members-only access to our Sewing Resource Library (loaded with lots of free patterns and fitting ebooks). To get access, subscribe to our newsletter below. Once you've confirmed your subscription, we'll send you a welcome email with a password and you can download your free goodie!

Sign me up!Access the Resource Library

Once you have your pattern cut out you can see what size of scraps you’ll need for this. In addition to your fabric you will need a bit of batting. We found our batting here. We used a fairly thin, bamboo and organic cotton blend. You can use whatever thickness you want, or add another layer of flannel and skip the batting altogether. You will also need a 3″ piece of velcro. We prefer the non-sticky kind as it has a tendency to gum up your sewing machine needle.

For this version I am trying out the idea of using two different fabrics. The outer fabric is this lovely organic flannel that just dropped at Core Fabrics, and on the inside I’m using a piece of sandwashed Cupro left over from another project. The coolness of the fabric is lovely on your face and anyone that ever recommended sleeping on a silk pillowcase would have a hard time telling the difference here. Just lovely!

Once you cut out your pattern pieces, it should look like this:

Place the batting on the wrong side of the front pattern piece. Line up the edges and pin to the back piece, right sides together.

Starting at one end of the mask, stitch through all layers, around the edge at 3/8″ seam allowance. Backstitch at the beginning and end. Leave both ends of the mask open, as you will be turning it inside out through these openings.

Trim the batting all the way to the stitch line, being careful not to snip stitches. Use duckbill scissors if you have them to make this step easier. Trim or grade the other seam allowances depending on the thickness of the fabrics used. In this case I only trimmed the flannel. The cupro can be a bit unravelly so I didn’t want to clip it too close to the stitch line and the fabric will sit smoothly inside.

Turn the mask right side out and press well. If using a delicate fabric like silk or cupro, make sure to use a press cloth.

Lay your mask back onto the pattern and mark with a removable pen where the topstitching for the batting will go as well as the notches on either end where you will fold the unfinished edges in. Topstitch a straight line between these markings on the four locations of your mask. Press either end in 3/8″ wrong sides together. Fold these edges in again, using the topstitched lines as a guide and press well. Topstitch down those edges at 1/8″.

Pin each side of the velcro on the places marked on the pattern. The hooked side of the tape goes on the left (as worn) outside of the mask and the loops go on the inside of the right side. This way when you close your mask, you won’t accidentally catch your hair with the little barbed wires. Topstitch the velcro down as close to the edge as you can. I use the hooks as a guide trying to not sew through them but still catching the tape.

Trim your threads, spray with a little lavender oil and get ready to have the best nap of your life!

These are a real easy project to batch sew if you want to make them as gifts, and if you are making pajamas for yourself or others (like our Carolyn’s sizes 0-32) don’t forget to scrap bust a matching mask!

Happy Sewing!

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Carolyn Pajamas Now Available in Sizes 0-32!

Heather Lou — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 14:34:27 +0000

Just in time to make pajamas for the entire family, our Carolyn Pajamas are now available in sizes 0-32! One of our most requested patterns, we’re delighted to add these to our extended size range. We first released these way back in 2015, and they continue to be one of our bestselling patterns. I think folks enjoy that they are comfy and cozy but still look polished and chic, not your typical baggy, oversized pajamas.

In our 14-32 range, we made a few tweaks to the fit and draft to best fit our D cup block. The biggest change is the addition of a bust dart which helps provide shaping for larger busts. Otherwise, the options and proportions remain the same.

Here’s how to access the updated pattern if you’ve already purchased the PDF:

Today we sent an email update from our file host, Send Owl, with an updated download link. If you have purchased a PDF of Carolyn in the past, please check your inbox for this message.
Still can’t find the email? You can get links to any pattern you’ve ever purchased by entering your email address here at any time.
If you purchased it more than two years ago, you may not be in our system anymore. Email us with proof of purchase and we’ll be happy to send you the updated file.

Please note we can only offer this pattern update if you’ve purchased a PDF copy; digital updates are not available for print patterns.

SHOP CAROLYN PAJAMAS

Naturally, we had to source super cozy flannels for this launch! Over at Core Fabrics you’ll find a curated selection of organic cotton plaid checks and some super cute and whimsical deadstock prints. We hope this gives you the chance to make a new pair of holiday pajamas for your or someone in our life! The lovely thing about Carolyn is that you can make a more luxurious and special pair with piping, or skip it for quick and easy shorts and PJ pants (a super easy gift to whip up!)

SHOP FLANNEL FABRICS

Finally…. we wanted to create a fun add-on for the Carolyn Pajama relaunch, so we are releasing yet another free pattern this year! We’re excited to share this unique eye mask pattern with you, ideal on its own or part of a matching Carolyn sleep set. It is available exclusively to newsletter subscribers as part of our members-only Sewing Resource Library. If you’re already signed up, we sent you a link to download the pattern in our latest email. Otherwise, check-in with the blog tomorrow for access and instructions to sew one yourself!

We’re thrilled about offering another one of our bestsellers in our 14-32 size range and hope you are too! Happy sewing!

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Our 2021 Holiday Gift Guide: What to Get the Sewist in Your Life

Amy — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 13:00:00 +0000

I actually can’t believe the time has come for another Holiday Gift Guide! The last year has flown by in a whirlwind of opening Core Fabrics, opening back up to society and all the accompanying chaos that comes along with all of that. That said, we are feeling so thankful for our new challenges and mostly, how much we have to offer you, in terms of products this year! With the addition of the fabric store, we have a veritable candy shop at our fingertips and needless to say, all of us are eyeing a lot of things in the shop for ourselves this Christmas (haven’t started shopping for anyone else yet mind you)! I thought I would share with you our staff wish list so you could get a window into some of the squeals that are flying around the studio these days…

AMY’S PICKS:

I’m looking to treat myself to some fancy new tools and some beautiful fabric to make a project over the holidays. This incredible Jacquard has been on my mind since the moment I saw it and I plan on making a loose jacket-y robe with huge pockets to wear around the house in the dead of winter. I plan on using the Sienna Maker jacket as a base for the pattern, eliminating the wrap and hardware.

VÉRONIK’S PICKS:

Véronik is planning on using this crisp, lightweight poplin to make a chic pair of Carolyn Pajamas for maximum holiday lounging. These water soluble marking pens and super sharp LDH shears will freshen up her at home making space for the long winter of sewing ahead.

AMA’S PICKS:

Ama is planning another “shacket” this season. She will be using the Kalle Shirtdress pattern with the sleeve expansion, in a gorgeous camel cashmere coating from the fabric shop. She’s also planning on sending a friend the Learn to Sew course using the Closet Core Gift Certificates (she’s on a mission to convert her knitting friends to sewing friends!)

CÉLINE’S PICKS

Céline’s planning on making herself a winter coat, hacked from our Jasika Blazer pattern. She’s eyeing this gorgeous Italian wool in this Aubergine colour and thinking of lining it with a lovely patterned rayon in lieu of something basic. The Jasika tailoring kit is just the thing to give it some structure and source all the interfacing and horsehair canvas she’ll need to complete this project in one easy click!

SEWING KITS

Or you could make it easy on yourself and choose one of our pre-bundled, limited edition holiday kits. The sewing kits range from our beginner friendly Cielo top with five colour options of double gauze to our intermediate Kalle Shirt dress pattern with six choices of oxford shirting. The Sienna Maker Jacket kit has six options of canvas and comes with the hardware. All kits include the print pattern, AND the PDF, matching thread and the interfacing you’ll need. They all come beautifully packaged in the signature Core Fabrics tissue, ready for gift giving.

TOOL KITS

We also have three limited edition tool kits. They vary from the beginner friendly Starter kit all the way to our chic, all black Moonlight kit which takes sewing tools to the NEXT LEVEL.

Shipping deadlines are tight this year so if you’re in North America and looking to get your goodies before Christmas, make sure to get your orders in before DEC.15th!

We’ll be back in a few weeks with our handmade gift guide if you plan on making your presents this year! In the meantime…happy shopping!

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The Closet Core Patterns & Core Fabrics Team: Meet the Class of 2021-2022!

Amy — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 13:00:00 +0000

Hey all! Since our little gang has grown a lot in the last few months with the addition of Core Fabrics to the roster (and some key changes to the home team), we thought maybe you’d like to meet all of us! While most of us work for either Core Fabrics or Closet Core Patterns, we’re all in the same studio, and eat our lunches together so it feels like one big, happy family. As you can probably tell from this blog post, we are VERY serious, have no fun and get so much work done. Especially Harry. We will be sad when we graduate because “Seniors rule the school”, but until that day comes, we are gonna tease Freshmen, be BFFs…F and occasionally write a term paper. Oh, and learn. That part’s true. Get ready for the Class of 2021-2022, this group’s a doozy!

Heather

(Founder / Class President)

He’s always asleep in class

Funniest thing that has happened to you since you started working here? I am topless or in my underwear a shocking amount of time since I’m always trying on pattern samples. They are doing construction across the street, and I inadvertently fully flashed a floor full of construction workers last week. You’re welcome boys!

What was the worst haircut you had in school? I desperately wanted to be Dolores O’Riordan from the Cranberries in 8th grade (it was the 90s, we all wanted to be Dolores). I went to my tiny, small town hairdresser and asked for a bleach blonde pixie cut but panicked half way through and asked her not to cut it too short but it was too late to fix it. With my flat skull and cowlicks, I looked like someone had smashed me in the back of the head with a shovel and then weed wacked what was left. It was a rough year growing that one out.

What three things could you not live without? My dog Harry, tea, and something to do with my hands, whether that’s sewing, cooking, cooking or petting Harry.

Tereska

(Core Fabrics Founder / Head of the Outdoors Club)

Zombie Apocalypse Survival Tactic: Head into the Canadian wilderness. I know how to build a shelter, grow food and make clothes. Hopefully that will be enough!

What is the meaning of life? 42

What do you collect and how long have you been collecting? When I was 19, I heard a piece on the radio about cork trees being at risk. Since then I have been collecting corks. I now have a lot of corks. Cork trees seem to be doing just fine though.

Emmanuelle

(Core Fabrics Marketing Coordinator / Visual Arts Major)

Favourite Quote:“Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not” (Alan Sillitoe by way of Alex Turner

What three things could you not live without? Coffee, my seam ripper & “Station To Station”.

The wisest thing anyone ever told me was…I can’t remember if it was my mum or the banker (or maybe both): “If you’re too afraid to check your bank account balance, you absolutely need to check it.”

Amy

(Closet Core Marketing Manager / Yearbook Club President)

What trend or fad are you most embarrassed about being a part of? Bleached hair in the 90s. Don’t do it yourself, kids!

Do you have a special place where you go to be alone? My sewing room is my special place where my kids aren’t allowed in, I can lock the door and lose some hours. Crucial.

Best kept secret: Peanut Butter and dill pickles on toast.

Véronik

(Closet Core Production Manager / Head of the Metalshop)

What is your weirdest quirk? Eating lemons raw.

Would you rather go to outer space or the bottom of the ocean? Outer space.

Do you have a special childhood toy that refuse to give up? A toy clown from my mother. She passed away when I was little and our house was looted, so I have few things left.

Céline

(Closet Core Designer + Patternmaker / Home Economics Major)

What is your greatest fear and have you ever tried to face it? Spiders! I moved to Australia for two years, so I faced those a whole lot. I even gained a few funny stories to show off my incomparable bravery. Still terrified though!

Favorite quote: “I only know how to approach a place by walking. For what does a street photographer do but walk and watch and wait and talk, and then watch and wait some more, trying to remain confident that the unexpected, the unknown, or the secret heart of the known awaits just around the corner”- Alex Webb

Finish this sentence: In 20 years… I’ll be writing a novel, while sipping my coffee, on my beautiful terrasse, in Ostuni, the white city in the Italian heel. Yes, of course I will, you’ll see!!

Monserratt

(Closet Core Production Assistant / Head of the Compassion Club)

What is your favourite smell? Citrus blossom

The wisest thing anyone told me was: “What I think of myself is more important than what other people think of me.” –Stephanie Dodier

What is the most important quality in a friendship? Forgiveness – Friendship can be sustained over the years only with someone who has repeatedly forgiven us for our trespasses as we must find it in ourselves to forgive them in turn. – David Whyte

Gretchen

(Closet Core Customer Support / Communications Major)

She was skipping school that day

3 words that best describe me are: Sassy, tenacious, and delightfullyeccentric – that’s one word right?

What is the meaning of life? Love.

Have you ever started a trend? Gluten-free peanut butter cookies topped with coarse grey salt.

Ama

(Community Manager / AV Club President)

What do you collect and how long have you been collecting? What don’t I collect haha. My newest thing is collecting nail polish. There are so many finishes and colours out there that I gotta have them all.

Favourite smell: Toasted Marshmallow

What’s usually the first thought in your head when you wake up in the morning? OMG is that a spider?! 10/10 it’s just my eyelashes.

Most likely to: Not pick up the phone from an unknown number.

Blare

(Core Fabrics Shipping / HAM radio club)

Favourite Quote: “Fix your hearts, or die.” –David Lynch

Would you rather go to outer space or bottom of the ocean? Outer Space. Less scary and also fewer things that want to eat you involved. Also, have you like, seen an anglerfish?

Weird nervous habits: Sweating, nail biting, compulsive doodling, leg wiggling, the whole nine yards. I’ve done them forever because I am a mess! (but I’m cute so it’s ok!)

Rika

(Closet Core Studio Manager / Class Clown)

Funniest thing that has happened to you since you started working here? During the Christmas season last year, I was alone in the studio and there was a doorbell. I thought it was one of the parcel pick-ups so I opened the door. It was a sister from nearby church with a big bag. She talked me something in French, I nodded as if I speak French fully but I got no idea what she was saying to me, When she finished talking, there was sort of weird pause because I didn’t know what to say to her. But because I got a smart brain, I realized that this sister was here to collect money for Charity. I only had $1.50 in coins in my bag, so I handed them to her then she gave me a fantastic Jesus calendar for 2021! As a Japanese person with no religious background, I didn’t know what to do with the calendar so I put it aside with a pile of packing supplies, then brought it to Provigo’s donation box.

I’ll never forget the time… I lived in Thailand

Finish this sentence: “In 20 years, I am going to be…” living in Costa Rica! Rika en Costa Rica, oh yay!

Anna

(Core Fabrics Shipping + Admin / Computer Lab Monitor)

A bad habit I refuse to let go of: Not using an umbrella no matter how hard it’s raining. I always regret it, but I just irrationally dislike umbrellas.

If I was invisible for 24 hours: I would go splash around in as many public fountains as possible.

If I could go back in time and change one thing: I’d kidnap (mammoth-nap?) a herd of wooly mammoths so they’d still exist in modern times.

Courtney

(Core Fabrics Photographer / Head of the Prop Shop)

I could not live without? Music and art. (Or wine and cheese boards, that’s a close second)

What is your biggest achievement? My biggest achievement so far has been starting my own photography business!

If you could have tea with anyone in the world (from any time) who would it be? I would chose David Bowie. I collect records, hundreds and hundreds of them. All genres. Some specifically because they are fantastically weird or awful.

Best advice about life? My video teacher Lulu Keating at NSCAD said: “Pace yourself girl, it’s a marathon, not a race!”

Yukari

(Closet Core Kit Assembly / Bake Sale Committee)

Dream travel destination: London UK because there is a patisserie I want to visit (I love baking.)

Most likely to say: my sleepy boys’ names every single morning (minimum 30 times). I have total 4 boys in my house (3 boys and 1 husband).

Do you have any bad habits? I tell myself every day not to watch Japanese TV shows but I cannot help it (Rika says it’s not a bad habit at all!) Hurray for internet! Hurray for VPNs!!

Harry

(Head of HR / School Mascot)

Favourite Smell: Food (poop is a close second).

Most Likely to: Stare at you while you eat lunch.

Favourite Quote: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.” -Winston Churchill

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Free T-Shirt Pattern: Meet the Core T-Shirt, our First Free Garment Pattern!

Amy — Wed, 03 Nov 2021 14:20:45 +0000

Hello! We are so happy to introduce you to our first free, fully loaded, wardrobe-building garment pattern, the Core T-Shirt! We have been wanting to offer a free, easy garment pattern for a while now and wanted to create a simple design with classic details that you could use as-is, or as a block to hack the tee of your dreams. You know the one. Maybe you had it in college or lost it on a camping trip, but life has never really been the same since that t-shirt (I believe Seinfeld referred to his favourite tee as “Golden boy”, lol). We want you to have your golden boy, and the #ClosetCoreTshirt is gonna get you there.

The Core T-Shirt comes in sizes 0-32, with two lengths and two sleeve options. Y’all know we love a crop around here, so View A has a short sleeve and is cropped to be perfectly proportioned with high-waisted pants (your crop may be different from our crop, so we always suggest checking finished garment measurements to make sure it works for you!) View B has a longer 3/4 sleeve and hits at mid-hip, and either view can be made with the optional patch pocket. FYI, our 14-32 range features a bust dart for better fit. It has a slightly boxy fit with a classic crew neck, and is personally my platonic ideal t-shirt for every day – not too baggy, not too snug, juuuuuust right.

DOWNLOAD FREE PATTERN

Here’s View A, the cropped length:

Core Tee in white organic jersey
Core Tee in lilac organic jersey

And View B in mid-length:

Core Tee in tie-dye bamboo rayon
Core Tee in striped baby rib

To get your free Core Tshirt pattern, head over to our shop and add it to your cart. You’ll have to check out like usual, but you won’t be charged for the pattern. We decided to break with tradition and offer this pattern in our pattern shop instead of our Resource Library to make it easier to deliver files and make updates if we want to down the road. The pattern comes in Letter/A4 and Copyshop versions, with a full instruction booklet just like all our clothing patterns.

A super quick n’ easy sew, this pattern can be made in a wide variety of knit fabrics, from stable jerseys to slinky rayons. To accompany the launch, this week at Core Fabrics we launched a new collection of super special organic cotton knits, perfect for making a whole wardrobe of Core Tees. We are extra excited about these fabrics because they are entirely made within the USA with organic cotton from Texas, and the entire manufacturing cycle (from yarn to loom to dye) happens within a 150-mile radius in North Carolina. We have a mix of classic 100% cotton jerseys, stretchy baby ribs, and a gorgeous charcoal stripe in a mix of weights and colours. Best of all, they are so soft you could cry. Honestly, these are some of the most beautiful knits we’ve ever fondled, and we’re so happy to be supporting domestic textile manufacturing, especially when the quality is this high. You can also download this pattern for free at Core Fabrics if you’d like to sew with one of these beautiful babies.

SHOP ORGANIC COTTON KNITS

We hope you enjoy sewing this free tee! Now, go dream up your Golden Boy…

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Fashion Inspiration: Artists Who Sew Their Own Clothes

Amy — Tue, 02 Nov 2021 13:31:40 +0000

Hi! Camela here. I am an artist and sewist based in Charleston, SC. Today I’m sharing artists who in addition to creating fabulous artwork, endeavor to clothe their bodies in equally beautiful ways. Artists have always been at the forefront of fashion. They transform materials and ideas into objects of beauty, show us truths we are often not ready for. In addition to reflecting us as a people, artists can be very particular about how they are perceived and this flows into clothing, surroundings and more. Who among us doesn’t conjure up colorful images of Frida Kahlo alongside her surreal paintings? Artists can be very specific about dress and shape change in their actions and personal style, which can create waves beyond fabrics and hemlines. Artists envision the world they want to live in, and manifest change starting with their clothing.

Andrea Zittel

I first came across Andrea Zittel in an Art 21 documentary. Andrea Zittel’s “sculptures and installations transform everything necessary for life—such as eating, sleeping, bathing, and socializing—into artful experiments in living.” At the time I was in college and working at an alterations shop and really developing into my own style, and seeing the possibilities of sewing to create my own look. In the documentary, she describes the experience of having an office job that required separate office-acceptable garb to wear and appear “professional.” Instead of accepting this and adding soulless office wear to her small budget, she made her own garments that she wore daily to counter the notion that we should wear different clothing everyday, instead washing the seasonal garments every night to wear the next day. This in turn, freed her from the consumerism inherent with looking work-appropriate. While this is an extreme example of how artists can eschew societal norms, this rocked my world as an art student and burgeoning sewist. These garments are beautiful in addition to serving their purpose. From dresses crocheted with a single strand to garments created entirely out of rectangles to honor the full width of the fabric, these garments are both stylish and fill a specific need. So many norms are imposed upon us in dressing up, including gender roles, class and capitalism. Just encountering the notion that we can defy these norms really stuck with me. Defying trends and societal conventions with dress is a personal way to resist and question consumerism. She now lives in the Joshua Tree desert where she designs and creates every object in her home. I mean, so dreamy!

Georgia O’Keeffe

Another artist associated with the desert is the iconic Georgia O’Keeffe. Born towards the end of the 19th century, she was no doubt raised with Victorian values and customs which she renounced as an adult, in favor of Modernism. Her work spans painting, photography, and as this blog post will explore, her clothing. Sewists will be happy to note that in addition to being a talented and celebrated painter, she was also a talented seamstress. Her handiwork was so fine that friends of the artist remarked that her garments could be worn inside out because of their fine stitches and attention to detail. I have a great appreciation for this in a time of fast fashion, where sometimes even sewists feel pressure to create new garments so often with how quickly trends change, and with each passing season making one feel as though they need to reinvent themselves. By slowing down and taking care to sew by hand with delicate stitches, we can endow our wardrobes with intention and great care that emanate throughout other aspects of our lives.

Her partner of almost 20 years, photographer Alfred Stieglitz, captured her on film frequently throughout their time together, so we have a lot of images of her iconic style throughout her life.

Georgia O’Keeffe by Alfred Stieglitz

In 2017 there was an exhibition of her clothing alongside her artwork at the Brooklyn Museum, exploring her style and particular viewpoint. You can listen to an episode of the now-defunct Thread Cult Podcast that features a conversation with the curator of the exhibition, Wanda M. Corn. She wore looser styles than were customary at the time, and from young adulthood, preferred monochromatic garments over colorful prints. She demonstrated that women could be as talented and professional as their male counterparts. She showed that women could create well into their older years, and live a life on their own terms, while cutting a strong silhouette and infusing modernism into every aspect of one’s life.

I am not alone in finding so much inspiration from this exhibition. Artist and sewist Sandra Cardew created a Sienna Maker Jacket using a motif from this exhibition in a stunning linen that was once a duvet cover. She added a log cabin quilt square-reminiscent motif from one of O’Keeffe’s own jackets, inspired by the Arts and Crafts style. This maker jacket is so stunning, and just yet another example of the ripple of inspiration that emanates from the quintessential artist. I am inspired by the idea of infusing a garment with the spirit of an inspiring artist, which you can remember each time you put it on! I have got to make one of these!

The Georgia O’Keeffe Original
Sandra’s interpretation
The Sienna Maker Jacket

Camela Guevara

In my own work I am currently making what I am calling Art Coveralls, turning my own paintings into custom fabric that I cut and sew into jumpsuits. These works merge my two art practices that I considered very separate at one time. Sewing my own clothes has been important to me for a while for being able to opt out of fast fashion and honor the many hands that clothe us. Showing Georgia O’Keeffe’s clothing alongside her paintings really demonstrates to me that while many museums consider these separate, they illustrate her commitment to her aesthetic practice in all aspects of her life. While clothing and sewing is not typically considered fine art, I think attitudes towards this are shifting, with an embrace of not differentiating fine craft and fine art.

Camela in her “Art Coveralls”

Bisa Butler

An artist who is majorly shifting the conversation about fibers and fine art is Bisa Butler. She creates gorgeous quilts featuring portraiture of Black people in painterly layered colors, but famously not employing any paint whatsoever. I was lucky enough to see her powerful, vibrant work in person at the Art21 Hotel in Cincinnati this summer in an incredible exhibition titled “Dress Up Speak Up” .

Bisa Butler’s piece Three Kings

Amy shared this excellent interview with Butler that gives great insight into her work and life. In the interview I learned that she switched to creating art quilts from painting so that her children wouldn’t be around noxious fumes from paints or solvents. So the vibrant quilts resulted from a transition to fibers from paint in order to provide care to her children and family. Care work is another recurring theme in my work, as a lot of the tasks we need to show up in the world occur in the home as unpaid, or underpaid labor. This work is crucial to humans, yet is largely invisible. Coupling that work with being an artist can create difficult conditions for creative work. Butler has shown that it is possible and inspires countless other quilters and artists with her work. Additionally, fiber art and fine craft has continually been considered different from fine art in galleries and museums for many years. Her work was recently on display in the Art Institute of Chicago, proving that not only does fiber art and Black people depicted in the works belong in museums alongside traditional fine art, but the public wants to see it as well. Her work is powerful for many reasons and demonstrates that artists that sew are changing the game and opening the door wider for more artists to follow.

Artists foment change in their communities and beyond and continually stretch us to new futures full of possibility. They can do this one stitch at a time, not just in their work, but creating lives around their creative endeavors and daring to live differently. Artists envision the world they want to live in and then set off to create it in ways that ripple outward and spark different ways of thinking and being to our world. We as sewists share this power to imbue our garments with care and purpose. These stitches are intentions we can wear on our bodies daily to remind us to create lives that set our hearts on fire.

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A Kalle Shirtdress Converts into a Bike Dress!

Amy — Wed, 27 Oct 2021 14:19:56 +0000

Hi all. Amy here. So a while back I saw this cute dress in an ad in my IG feed for this Frank & Oak dress. My first reaction was, “Oh! That looks like a Kalle Shirtdress!” Then I realized they had added a button to the inside back of the dress that buttons through the placket and turns the dress into a sort of romper for biking! As I’m an avid biker, quite often commuting to work in a Kalle Shirtdress, this was particularly relevant to interests! Thanks algorithm! I bookmarked this idea for later and went about my day.

Frank & Oak Commuter Dress

Then, when we learned that some crispy fresh oxford shirtings were going to drop at Core Fabrics I immediately thought of this hack! I love wearing oversized men’s shirts from the thrift store in real traditional button-up fabrics like those of Polo or Lacoste. Being a baby of the 80’s, there is always a part of me that is ready to go full on preppy at a moments notice and this fabric is the perfect opportunity to combine this aesthetic with my appreciation for modern silhouettes.

I started by sizing up my Kalle a couple sizes. I wanted to have lots of extra room in the back to account for movement when the romper hack was activated! I also wanted to change the hem line, to recreate more of a side slit than the regular shapely high-low Kalle hem.

In order to do this I squared off my front and back pattern pieces maintaining some of the high low difference in the pieces. I then used this Pauline bonus tutorial to make the mitred slits on both sides.

In order to accommodate the extra button I also added a little square of fabric in the inside of the back piece. Pin the “romper” where you want it and then mark center back to know where to attach the piece. Cut a 1.5″ square of sef fabric. If your fabric is thin or loosely woven you could also interface this little piece. Clip the corners of the square and fold in all sides, 1/4″ wrong side to wrong side and press flat. Center this square over the mark on your back piece and sew down 1/8th of an inch from the edge all the way around.

Attach your button with a long strong thread shank in order to make room for the extra layers of fabric when this button is done up. Sew two buttonholes that line up as your last button on both plackets.

I also added an easy fold over belt to cinch the romper view in a bit. It helps to keep everything from being to billowy and literally turning into a sail.

We are getting a little late into fall for me to wear this bare legged but I am excited to bust this out in the height of summer when we’re biking from the pool and back more or less all the time to keep from melting. I also love not flashing on-coming traffic when I’m trying to get from A to B without having to incorporate bike shorts into every look. So sweaty.

So that’s it! Hope you have fun dreaming up some fun hacks to your shirt dresses. And remember, always wear a helmet!

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Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Ikat Fabric!

Heather Lou — Wed, 20 Oct 2021 16:07:32 +0000

This week, we are releasing one of our most exciting fabric collections at Core Fabrics. Our Ikat Collection is entirely handmade and hand-loomed by artisan weavers in India, so I’d like to dig into exactly what ikat is, and why we’re so thrilled to be carrying it in our shop.

When we started Core Fabrics, one of our biggest ambitions was to try and connect the handcraft of the sewing community with the handcraft of textile artisans around the world whenever we could. As fabric production is increasingly automated and industrialized, we risk losing the rich history, skills, and craftsmanship of traditional and indigenous textile design. If you sew, you understand the time, care, and attention it takes to transform a few yards of fabric into a beautiful garment. We wanted to bring that same awareness to the work done by artisanal textile producers in an effort to connect one craft practice to another. In that spirit, one of our goals is to carefully source beautiful textiles made in traditional ways. When we are sourcing work by artisans, we’ll do our best to share the history and stories behind the fabric so you better understand just what it took to create it.

WHAT IS IKAT?

The word “ikat” is of Malay-Indonesian origin, although in English it has come to broadly mean fabrics made from resist-dyed threads. Unlike resist dye techniques like tie-dye, shibori and batik, with ikat, it is the thread itself that is dyed rather than the woven fabric. They are beautiful, eye-catching textiles filled with character and dimension. You may recognize the distinct patterns and motifs of ikat prints, but the way it is produced is as fascinating as it is beautiful.

HOW IKAT IS MADE

To create ikat, warp and/or weft threads are tied and dyed in a specific sequence before being woven (the warp is the lengthwise thread or the one you traditionally use to find a grainline, while the weft is the crosswise or selvedge-to-selvedge grain). This is a painstaking, metiticulous process. Preparing thread for ikat dyeing involves carefully bundling the thread and stretching it out in frames, marking the pattern on the thread, tightly wrapping the areas to resist dye, and then lining up all the threads on the loom before weaving.

Once tied, the exposed sections are dyed while the covered sections are not. This process may involve multiple rounds of dyeing and re-tying to create the desired effect and colour palette, ranging from simple single colour motifs, to elaborate multi-coloured ones.

Handloomed ikats are woven on traditional looms without the use of electricity. Once the yarn has been dyed, it is then lined up on the loom and skillfully woven by the weaver. Each thread needs to be carefully adjusted in order to maintain the balance of the pattern, which can include geometric shapes, squares, stars and crosses.

With single ikats, only the warp OR weft thread are dyed. If it is “warp dyed”, the warp is dyed and the weft is a solid colour. The weft thread will then help fill in the pattern already applied to the warp thread. If it’s “weft dyed”, dye is applied to the weft thread; the warp thread is solid and the pattern only emerges as it’s being woven.

Below, you can see examples of warp dyed ikats, all currently avalable in our shop.

Even more complex, a double ikat means both the warp AND weft have been dyed. They are then woven so that the dyed portions intersect, creating striking patterns. Double ikats are very difficult and time-consuming to produce and are generally woven on simple looms in a plain 1×1 weave. The warp threads must be constantly adjusted to keep the pattern intact.

Depending on the skill and complexity of the ikat, the contours of the pattern may look slightly blurred. I personally love this effect; you can feel the touch of the creator in the textile. Below are two examples of double ikats we have in stock.

IKAT PRODUCTION IN INDIA

Ikat is thought to be one of the oldest resist-dyeing techniques and can be found all over the world, from South East and Central Asia to West Africa and South America. They have a rich history in India, with different regions specializing in unique patterns. Along with khadi cotton and silk, ikats produced on the handloom are an important part of the Indian textile industry.

In the early 20th century as British fabric imports flooded India, Gandhi saw the handloom industry as an indispensable part of the Indian economy, a tool for self-reliance during the fight for Indian independence from British rule, and a way to create work in rural villages. Celebrating and elevating handloom production was a large part of Gandhi’s mandate, and to this day, the handloom industry continues to be a critical sector of the Indian economy. In many rural areas, it is the second biggest industry after agriculture (a very interesting article here if you’d like to learn more). Unfortunately, it continues to be under threat from industrialized methods, as it takes a weaver much longer to create cloth using a traditional handloom than on a machine. For this reason, in addition to the beauty and character of these textiles, we think it’s imperative to support handloom producers. Each independent weaver supports up to ten additional people, and they are critical to the economic well-being of many rural communities.

Naturally, we are doing our best to find partners who operate in line with our commitments and mission. Our supplier supports its artisan workforce and promotes employee wellness through educational, health, and safety initiatives. They are also backed by GOTS certification and SEDEX audit, verifying their sustainable practice, ethical sourcing, and social responsibility. Finally, all of the ikats we are carrying are made using azo-free dyes, and are produced without the use of electricity.

We are really proud to offer these gorgeous, one-of-a-kind textiles. Our hope is that you feel a connection to the people who put so much love, skill and attention into producing them and that whatever you make feels all the more meaningful as a result!

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