VIDEO March 2020 vlog

Hello sew-friends! It’s vlog time again. I’m a little later than the last Thursday of the month but March seemed short on Thursdays. In this vlog, I do a quick recap of everything that happened with Sew DIY in March, I share what I’ve been sewing and a few other things that have been keeping me busy during “sewcial” distancing. Watch the video below or head over to YouTube to subscribe and watch.

March blog posts

Striped Neenah dress 

Video - Sewing knits w/o serger 

The Ali Sweatshirt was re-released

Video - How to sew kangaroo pocket 

A short sleeve Ali Sweatshirt hack with free pattern extension download

Video - Seven ways to style the Ali Sweatshirt 

Things I sewed in March

Free-wheeling Single Girl Quilt by Denyse Schmidt. I’ve been a big fan of her designs for years. I especially love this book and have spent hours pouring over it soaking in the beautiful designs.

A short sleeve Ali Sweatshirt hack (as mentioned above) 

Euler Bralette by Sophie Hines – I love the design of this bralette but I think the style doesn’t really work for my shape. Bras are tricky that way and I have a pretty consistent 50% fail rate with them. Btw, check out this post from Seamwork for help with the elastic application.

Seamwork Dexter pants Full blog post to come!

My next project is the Morningside Shirt by French Navy. I’m super excited to give it a try. I love the boxy style and the hidden placket will be a fun challenge.

What I’ve been cooking

While in social isolation, I’ve been making a lot of soup. One recipe that was surprisingly easy and delicious was a Potato Onion Soup. The recipe I used is the Potage Parmentier from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child (similar recipe here). I really couldn’t believe how flavorful it was for so few ingredients.

I another soup I really enjoyed making was this Finnish Salmon Soup. Most of the ingredients are pantry staples, especially if you have salmon in the freezer.

What I’ve been watching

I’ve really been getting into Acorn TV. I used the code FREE30 to get a free month (usually it’s just one week). They have lots of British mystery shows that I really enjoy. I highly recommend the Miss Fisher series for fashion.

I also recommend checking out what’s available through your local library. Mine has loads of digital books and videos and you don’t need to leave the house to get a library card or access the content. I recently found out that my library partners with the Kanopy app and it has a bunch of fashion documentaries that look really interesting.

Bluprint is currently offering their online classes for free until April 9. I’m personally interested in learning more about free motion quilting. They have a wide range of classes including all kinds of crafts and even gardening and cooking.

Announcements!

The I love my fabric virtual party is returning! (Learn more about it last year’s party here.) The premise is the same as last year. The intent of the virtual event is to spend some time with your fabric, celebrate it and enjoy it. Maybe that includes a big folding and organizing endeavor. Maybe you implement a digital catalog system. Or maybe you just hang out with your fabric and lovingly caress it. However you want to celebrate your fabric, you do just that. But above all, let’s have fun!

The dates for the virtual party are April 9-12. Use and follow #ilovemyfabricparty on Instagram to share your photos and see others photos. I plan on doing some live videos on YouTube or IG and sharing photos of my own organizing party. Plus, sharing some tips for fabric organizing.

Ways to support Sew DIY

If you’d like to support the free content on the Sew DIY YouTube and blog, you can “buy me a coffee” by donating here or visit the shop to buy pattern or printable. Every little bit really helps me be able to continue making this content and I truly appreciate every donation and purchase. Happy sewing!

What I'm Watching – Episode 4

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A few weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to try out the new Dell Venue 8 tablet. I've been wanting to try out a tablet and see how it can fit into my life for a long time now. As a DIY'er and blogger, I'm always walking the line between new technology and old school hand craft. Personally, I don't find a conflict between the two. I love the technology can connect me to like-minded people around the world. I can learn new things with a few clicks and generally have a constant stream of entertainment.

Of course, it's very important to unplug every now and then. But gosh darn it I love my on demand streaming. And I've loved being able to watch on my new tablet. I can carry it wherever I go around the house and set myself up for some good crafting and viewing. I also love that I can do photo-editing on my laptop while watching my latest obsession on the tablet. I have the hulu plus, amazon prime and netflix apps all on the tablet and ready to go with a few swipes. And one of the best things about this tablet is the super long battery life. I can go days and days without having to charge it back up.

So today, I'm going to share my latest streaming must-sees. By the way, Sundays have felt rather empty for me since the latest season of Downton Abbey ended. Not to mention Grantchester. I loved that show so much. Anywho. Besides my constant love for all things Masterpiece, I've been watching a mix of old and new TV shows. See below for the whole rundown.

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1. Empire
This show is drama all the way. If you've seen Nashville, it's just like that except with hip hop music. It took me a few episodes to get into it but now I'm totally hooked. There's lots of family drama, incredible fashion and fun music.

2. Broad City
First a disclaimer that this show is probably not everyone. That said, I totally love it. My best description is that it is a cross between Girls and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Just two young, crazy girls living in New York City doing totally real, totally disgusting things. They are hilarious.

3. West Wing
And now on to the old. I never watched The West Wing when it was actually airing on tv and it's been fun to go back and experience the show. It's quite long and I'm taking my time. It was made in the early 2000's and captures a lot of the events and politics of that time.

4. Twin Peaks
This is another that I never watched when it was first on. I know. Shocking. Isn't it? I've been enjoying this show, watching just an episode or two at a time. It's super weird and I totally love it.
This is another one I never watched when it was first on.

5. Mad Men
This one is a little bit old and a little bit new. Some new episodes were recently released on Netflix and I can't wait to watch them. I've also gone back and started watching Season 1. It's especially fun to watch this show after actually working in an ad agency this last year. It brings a whole different perspective to it.

So what are you watching these days? What show can you not live without? P.S. In case you missed it, I posted some tips for creating a flatlay composition like this one, last week.

#spon: I'm required to disclose a relationship between our site and Intel. This could include the Intel Corporation providing us w/content, product, access or other forms of payment.

What I'm Watching Ep. 3

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Some days, all I want to watch is something funny, something familiar. The thing that fits the bill every time is an 80s flick. You know those movies that you like more because you've seen them a million times more than for actual quality. Putting this list together I realized that I really like movies that are comedic and face paced with a little bit of action. By the way, I saw Guardians of the Galaxy this week and enjoyed it. There was a little too much action for my taste but had some great comedic lines and a super awesome (80s!) soundtrack. Here's a list, in no particular order, of my top five 80s flicks currently available streaming.

1. Ghostbusters One of my all time favorites. Partly for the movie and partly for the many hours I spent watching the cartoon. I love those guys! And slimer! And while you're at it, you should check out Crocodile Dundee. Again great comedy and action.

2. Three Men and a Baby Funny, sentimental and Tom Selleck in shorts. It's like Magnum PI except without the lame voiceover.

3. The Great Outdoors This is a great family comedy starring John Candy and Dan Aykroyd. Nuff said.

4. Adventures in Babysitting A kid-friendly action movie. Total classic.

5. Romancing the Stone and its sequel The Jewel of the Nile Hello! Double feature! These movies are funny, sexy and action packed. Very fun and lighthearted.

I really wanted to include one of my all time favorite movies, Goonies, on the list but it's no longer available streaming. Also worthy of honorable mention although not available streaming is Roxanne starring Steve Martin. What are your favorite movies from the 80s?

Check out the previous posts in this series:  Episode 1 //  Episode 2