We were blown away by the wonderful wardrobe of Fit for Art makes that our friend Therese crafted for her anniversary celebration with family on an island cruise in December. We’ve had the pleasure of welcoming Therese to several of our recent retreats where she worked on developing her Eureka!…
Author: Rae Cumbie
Pin on the Seam Line
Seams are such an integral part of garment sewing, yet they are often taken for granted. My DIY clothes move up a notch when I pay close attention to each seam. Today we will begin to think differently about seams. That magical 5/8” garment sewing seam allowance is the first place to…
Everyday Swing Tops
The Swing Variation pattern for the Tabula Rasa Jacket is one of my favorite designs, so comfortable and perfect for using soft and drapey fabrics in my stash. I guess that so many of my swing tops have a dressy appearance because they are made with luscious fabric. Intentionally Plan your…
Slow Stitching
There is a movement in sewing, like in many other old established practices, to move back to the pre-industrial methods of creating. Embrace the process, one teacher might say. Another will say, experience the calm and creativity of a hand stitching practice. As a custom dressmaker, my career prior to…
The Blue Skies of France are Calling
We hope you are considering joining us in France this year for one of our two retreat weeks in the countryside. The cold and snowy weather in the mid atlantic the last couple of weeks makes these excursions seem so very sweet. Why don’t you plan to come along for…
Tools for Garment Sewing-Scissors
Today we are thinking about sewing scissors as I prepare for the first of 6 virtual Sew Great Clothes classes we are sponsoring with Fabric Mart. In December we told you about some lovely silver tools we purchased a few years back from the talented silversmith Jan at Thimbles for…
Lace Encased Appliqués
Time to get sewing friends! In this post, we will look at how I turned a precious scrap of fabric into appliqués on a cropped Funnel Neck Variation of the Tabula Rasa Jacket. The appliques were further elevated by a halo of guipure lace cut into small motifs and used…
On-Demand Virtual Class from Fit for Art
Is a more successful garment sewing experience at the top of your New Year’s resolution list? We hope so! To help you achieve your goals, Fit for Art is offering its first on-demand virtual class. This class is all about making and fitting our signature pattern, the Tabula Rasa Jacket.…
Treasured Sewing Tools – Perfect Gifts
Do you have favorite or treasured sewing tools? The two might seem to be the same, but I find I use my favorite tools all the time and my treasured tools seem too special to be used quite as often. One such tool is a lovely pair of hand sewing…
Holiday Gift – Scrap Lace Step-by-Step
Thanksgiving week offers those of us in the United States time to reflect on how fortunate we are. Carrie and I count ourselves so very blessed by the many members of our Fit for Art community who encourage us to bring the weekly blog, newsletters, retreats and other offerings your…