A Successfull Sit and Sew Retreat

Linda Lee of The Sewing Workshop and Louise Cutting of Cutting Line Designs breezed into Asheville the end of October for a Sit and Sew Retreat with 27 women from different parts of the country. And oh, what a swell time we had….patterns and fabrics were flying all over the hotel ballroom, sewing machines were humming away and everyone was clammering for consultation time with Linda and Louise. We even made time for a field trip to Bellagio’s to “examine” their fabulous art to wear and evenings were spent socializing, eating and shopping! Everyone agreed that this was another successful Retreat and best of all…..Linda and Louise will be returning in 2009. The dates are November 1-3…why not give yourself a gift (or put it first on your wish list!)….sign up today for the 2009 Sit and Sew Retreat at http://www.waechters.com/

Linda and Louise shared their collaborative Shapes patterns via a trunk show of samples constructed in different weights and types of fabrics—soft, crisp, casual and elegant. Check out our Gallery for samples that we have made up using some of the Shapes patterns….for instance-

Plus One Tunic is asymmetrical. The collar is open on one side and there is a flange on one side of the garment. We made our version from an open weave cotton blend that drapes easily. You could use regular linen, rayon batik or any soft fabric. We love this tunic as it has a lot of style in a simple garment.

Two’s Company Tunic is shown here in a double layer of woven striped linen. We cut the under layer on the opposite grain to the upper layer so that the stripes run on opposite axis. The sides tie on this tunic to hold it closed. Slip this tunic over your head and add a nice necklace and you have a finished look with little thought.

Three Fold Vest has two long rectangles cleverly crisscrossed in front and back. A V-shaped insert detail holds the back together. This easy but high-style vest looks great made in light to med-weight fabrics in knits or wovens and looks great with a t-shirt.

Shapes High Five jacket is a great wardrobe builder. Make it in a neutral and wear it with tons of different things. It looks great over a skirt or pants. High Five is beautiful in fancy silks for evening or linen.

Six Sense Skirt has architectural lines and an easy fit. We made ours from a firm cotton. This skirt would be equally good in silk dupioni or linen. Six Sense goes together quickly. We all love this skirt and some of our favorite customers are raving about it.

Thinking ahead to the Holidays…one of my favorite fabrics is Burmese silk. This cloth is woven in the villages of Burma. You may find slight irregularities in the weave. We like to think of these not as flaws, but rather a testament to its authenticity. Since this is handwoven, the color batches may vary slightly and there will be shrinkage with the first washing. Some pieces may also contain cotton or rayon. Before using, we recommend pre-washing in cold water without detergents to set the dyes.

Speaking of details….a new Gallery “Details That Inspire” will soon be appearing on our website (http://www.waechters.com/). Featured will be close-up photos of embellishments – bindings, pipings, ruching, rouleau, closures, etc---that are intended to spark your imagination for creating a garment that speaks of your personality and style. Check it out. I would love to have your feedback.

Coming soon! Any day now we will be receiving bolts of fabulous cotton fabric designed by Jane Sassaman, well-known in the quilting world for her Art Deco fabric and quilt designs. Her new fabric designs really blew me away! We just love her art deco design decorator fabrics for bags and pillows and the fashion fabric for jackets, skirts and tunics and you will too!

Happy Sewing for the Holidays,
Joyce