On Thursday, March 1, I’ll be in Puyallup, Washington, for Sewing and Stitching Expo. Simplicity has declared the day “Lisette Day,” and I’ll be at the Simplicity booth greeting visitors and showing off the new spring Lisette patterns.
For show details and tickets, visit the Sewing and Stitchery Expo website.
I’d love to see you there!
Last summer, when Jo-Ann asked us to put together a small project for them, we thought it would be fun to make a little bow belt that could be used to dress up all sorts of outfits.
The free downloadable pattern, which we’re making available now on our website, comes in two different sizes: one for women and another for girls. You can make it for yourself, for your daughter, or even as a matching mother-daughter set.
But of course the bow alone can be used for lots of other things besides a belt. We got a little silly in the studio the other day demonstrating some of the many ways you can wear it.
So have fun with it! I’m sure you’ll find some ways to use it that we didn’t think of.
You can download your free copy of the pattern from our website. Enjoy!
A few of you have already noticed the new Little Lisette prints on our fabric page and have started asking for details. Since the fabrics are beginning to arrive in Jo-Ann stores this week, I’d better get busy making introductions!
I was inspired by art supplies and by color, as you’ll see, for this collection, so I named it “Color Box.”
This group of twill stars reminds me of chalk pastels with their soft textures and subtle shades of color. I love our twill quality because it’s substantial but still has a wonderful drape to it. These fabrics would be great for pants and jumpers and little jackets.
The dragonfly prints remind me of watercolors with the layered color effects and the shadows of the dragonflies. They’re printed on a crisp, fresh poplin.
This floral has a bit of a watercolor effect as well. I like the soft edges and the vibrant colors together. I had so much fun drawing this print! It’s also printed on that nice poplin that makes terrific spring dresses.
These little checks are inspired by graph paper. They work really nicely with the other prints in the collection and add a little visual texture and a smaller scale to the group.
Our printed lawn has lots of fans, so I’m guessing you’ll want to grab this one as fast as you can. I combined it here with a colored-pencil inspired floral on that really soft sateen that seems to be another favorite for many of you. The third print was inspired by by the first, with its small “x” pattern. I like how these three prints look together, so I thought I’d show them to you that way. No other reason.
And my favorite? This pencil-drawn boat, bobbing along on wave stripes.
And what’s the only thing better than making art? Eating ice cream, of course! The popsicle print comes in this delicious vanilla color and a pretty mint, both printed on poplin.
The prints and colors coordinate nicely with the spring Lisette prints which are in stores now, so you may find yourself mixing and matching the two collections. I, for one, am planning to make a few items from the Little Lisette collection for myself.
And yes, there are new Lisette and Little Lisette patterns coming, too. I’ll be back later this month to introduce them to you and to show you these, and some of the spring Lisette prints, in action.
The watercolor floral is one of my favorite print trends for spring. The look is feminine and sweet, and the colors are both vibrant and soft at the same time. These prints make gorgeous dresses and blouses, as you can see from these tear sheets on my inspiration board.
Here is the Lisette version of the watercolor print, which is available in a warm and a cool version for spring:
Both of these prints would be cute for the Passport Dress or the Market Blouse, don’t you think? Maybe even for an Easter dress?
New York and winter are such an odd combination. Older apartment buildings like ours are notorious for being overheated to the point where we keep the windows partially open on all but the coldest of days. Meanwhile, our studio can be brutally cold, with the wind buffeting us and the heater working as hard as it can to keep up. And we don’t hop in the car when we need to go someplace (we mostly walk or take the subway) so we brave the cold every time we go outside.
The only solution is to wear lots of layers.
The Continental dress works great as a layering piece. I start with a turtleneck or long-sleeved T and tights or skinny pants (my Portfolio pants are perfect for this), then add the Continental dress, followed by an unstructured jacket or cardigan. Add a big necklace and it’s a comfortable, stylish look. You could belt it, but if you’ve made it from a drapey fabric you may not need to; after all, the Continental dress has a bit of shaping that is more flattering than you might initially expect.
This is my Continental dress from last summer. It’s transitioned nicely right through fall and into winter. And I’m not freezing or roasting, which is a big accomplishment in this city.
Orange you glad it’s almost spring? Yeah, okay, that’s pretty bad, but I couldn’t resist because orange is the color for spring 2012 according to fashion trend forecasters and trendsetters from Pantone to designer runways. I’m thrilled because orange is one of my favorite colors to wear, so I am definitely ready to go citrus this spring.
Orange is a bold color, so even a touch of tangerine in a print or featured in your accessories can make a fun statement. Check out some of the inspirations from the spring 2012 designer collections that we have been loving:
The new Lisette fabric collection has you covered this spring with cottons, sateens, and lawns featuring delicious oranges mixed with soft pinks and yellows. Here’s a taste:
Can’t you just see this beautiful watercolor floral sateen as a Mad Men-inspired dress with a fitted bodice and a big skirt to show off the print? Add a wide orange belt and it would make the perfect dress to wear to an outdoor spring wedding.
I want to use this geometric dot print sateen to make a fun blouse for work or a 60’s-inspired shift dress. It would go with so many things in my closet!
This exotic floral sateen print would make a great tunic top to wear with shorts or jeans.
Inspired by Indian block prints, this lightweight cotton lawn (you saw it last Friday in my new Market dress) would make a great peasant blouse or flowing maxi-dress. This is my favorite print of the bunch!
Tell us how you will be incorporating orange into your spring wardrobe and what your ideas are for sewing projects with the new spring fabrics. We can’t wait to see what you create!
