Monday, September 26, 2011

Sewing TV for Kids - Martha & Friends

Just came across this new production from AOL kids. It's cartoon webisodes of a new show called Martha & Friends that consists of a 10 year old Martha Stewart and her friends hanging out, cooking & crafting in their clubhouse.

I,  of course love the idea of any show promoting kids crafting and sewing. I just watched the episode where they all made some changes and embellishments to their favorite jeans. It was pretty basic stuff that most adults would know how to do to add some pizazz to your boring jeans, but I love the idea that it's cartoon, 10 year old Martha showing you how to do it. And I especially got a kick out of her discouraging her friend from drawing in pen ink on her jeans. She immediately got out the stain fighting kit to help her friend try to get the ink out. How responsible of 10 year old Martha. But come on, even her cartoon hair cut is "responsible".

Friday, September 23, 2011

Hoboken Art & Music Festival This Sunday

Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011

11am to 6pm
 Takes place on Washington St.
between Observer Highway to 7th St.

Over 300 Artists, Crafters, Photographers,
Sculptors, Local Businesses, Restaurants,
Food Vendors, local non-profits & more
Rain or shine • Admission is Free

With 3 Stages of live music
with performances by:

Skanatra, Swingadelic, Hello Radio, Buzz Universe,

The Romance Commandos, Specktrum, LiL Monstaz,

Frankie Morales & the Mambo of the Times Orchestra,
The Benson Ridge Project, Big Jeff & the Bouncy People,
Erin & the Up Past Bedtime Band & much more

Vendor applications are still available.
Volunteers are needed.

Contact
Geri Fallo, Division of Cultural Affairs
Send an Email

Phone: 201-420-2207
Fax: 201-420-2009



Performance Schedule TBA
Schedules are tentative and subject to change.

Observer Hwy (bet. Newark & Observer Hwy)
Noon - The Jersey Follettes
12:45 pm - Emily and the Turitones
2:00 pm -
Swingadelic
3:30 pm -
The Romance Commandos
4:45 pm -  Skanatra


Sixth Street Stage
12:30 pm -
Specktrum
1:00pm    - LiL Monstaz
1:45 pm   - The Benson Ridge Project
2:30 pm - Hello Radio
3:45 pm - Buzz Universe
5:00 pm - Frankie Morales and the Mambo of the Times Orchestra

Children’s Stage located in the Capital One Bank parking lot on 3rd Street
11:45 am - Garden Street Music
12:30 pm -
Hudson Dance & Music

1:10pm -  Big Jeff & the Bouncy People  
2:00 pm -
Big Jeff & the Bouncy People
3:00 pm -
Erin Lee & the Up Past Bedtime Band
4:00 pm -
Erin Lee & the Up Past Bedtime Band


Special features include

  • Fine artists are located between 2nd & 3rd St., so if you are an art collector, this is the place to be. Oil paintings, watercolors, acrylics, sculpture, mixed media, etc.
  • Children’s area on 3rd street with rides, games, creative activities, puppet show, face painting,
    clowns, balloons, live performances and much, much more:
  • Crafters display / sell handmade: pottery, metalwork, wood items, furniture, blown & fused glass, quilts, household items made from recycled materials, cementware, batik clothing, hand painted furniture, candles, jewelry, dried florals, soaps & lotions and much more
  • Food: Lots of great food throughout the fair. Hoboken restaurants will set up street cafes offering an eclectic variety of international foods such as: Thai, Indian, Greek, French, Mexican, Cajun and Italian

Transportation

Located just 3 blocks from all public transportation:
PATH, NJ Transit Trains & buses, NY Waterway Ferries & the Hudson Bergen Lightrail

Washington Street will be closed from 6am to 9pm
between Observer Highway and 7th Street
During this time, NJ TRANSIT Bus No. 22 (North Bergen-Union City-Hoboken),
No. 89 (North Bergen-Hoboken) and No. 126 (Hoboken-New York)
will operate on a detour.
Customers traveling toward North Bergen and New York
will board and alight along Bloomfield Street at customer’s request.
Customers traveling toward Hoboken Terminal
will board and alight along Willow Avenue at marked bus stop locations.

Sponsors
NY Waterway Ferries,

The Hoboken Reporter & The Midweek Reporter,
Capital One Bank, Walgreens, NY Waterway Ferries,
PATH, Port Authority of NY & NJ,
Anthony Davids, Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, Crumbs, Luca Brasi,
Steaz Iced Teas, GuS Grown Up Sodas, Boylans Soda & Illy Coffee

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

What is Applique

We have an Intro to Applique class this weekend and I was just thinking, perhaps people don't even know what applique is. So I googled it to see if I could find a nice little definition and here is what I borrowed from the about.com site.


Question: What is Applique?

Answer: Appliqué is a kind of patch that is applied to clothing. While patches are used to repair clothing, appliqué's are used to decorate. Many patches are often put together to make an object or scene. Different fabrics are selected for the individual patches to add texture, contrast and style.

 In the class, we are going to teach you easy techniques for learning how to cut out your own designs and add them to just about anything. You'll see just how easy it is to do. You just need to practice to make your designs look professional.

Friday, September 9, 2011

The 10 Best Sewing Blogs According to Yahoo

I just ran across this article. I have heard of some of them, and some not at all. I haven't had the chance to look at the ones that I am not familiar with, but I wanted to pass them along to you before I forget.

Check out the 10 they deem the best and let me know what you think. How many of these blogs will become part of your bookmark collection?


Sewing is exciting. Some people sew the most basic stitches and simple projects, but they provide great joy and a sense of accomplishment. Some people sew out of necessity because it is either cost effective or because it provides the freedom to create something you have been unable to find in the store. Suppose you want a linen tablecloth to match your kitchen curtains and the stores just don't have anything that fits the bill? Then sewing one can be extremely simple and you will get exactly what you want. Sewing is sometimes just an expression of love, like making an outfit or blanket for a new born baby. You might sew a costume for your child's school play, or resize an old suit and bring it fresh life. You might love to sew so much that you have to sell all the extra things you sew, so you can fund your hobby. Whether you are a beginning sewer or an experienced seamstress or just like to dabble in sewing crafts and ideas, these sewing blogs are some of the best on the net. They each offer something unique and worthwhile.
The Sewing Divas
This blog is a collective of 6 ladies who sew and tackle numerous sewing projects from classic dresses to sewing clothing labels to construction a Coco Chanel like jacket. Experiments with applique and reversable suede and men's shirts, The Sewing Divas take challenges and are detail oriented and articulate. Professionally presented sewing site worth bookmarking.
http://www.thesewingdivas.blogspot.com/
Behind The Seams
Gigi, a 40 something blogger loves sewing, reading about sewing, writing about sewing and talking about sewing and buying fabric. She just can't get enough and sewing intoxicates her. She gives you a glimpse into a sewing machine shop and her sewing room and talks about embroidery machines and sergers anything on television related to sewing. The blog is upbeat and thoughtful and like most sewing blogs, you get to see current and past sewing projects.
http://gigisews.blogspot.com/
Just Sew It
Here you can learn about thread storage for dry climates, sewing for weddings, sewing seasonal projects, learn about fabrics and sewing basics and tips and discover patterns and sewing ideas. Lots of big clear pictures and details intersperses with some rants about sewing dealerships, if you sew, you will enjoy this site.
http://www.iocchelli.com/edmonton-seamstress/
Julia's Sewing Blog
Julia Ringma lives in Canada and has been blogging about sewing since 2005. She conquers advanced sewing like Corduroy Skirts and Jackets, where you will learn about how to pin sleeves and how to measure and cut fabric. She makes lots of patterned tote bags and jumpers and jeans as well. The pictures show closeups of step by step sewing and details her techniques. She uses, for the most part commercial patterns.
http://juliasewing.blogspot.com/
Eleanors Closet
From quilting to dress making to medieval costume sewing, this blogger details her sewing projects including mistakes she has made and how she corrected them. From linen to buttons to marking a bodice to attach a skirt for hemming, you will view the sewing projects step by step.
http://eleanorscloset.blogspot.com/
A Dress A Day
This blogger loves dresses. New dresses, vintage dresses and views dresses as something that speaks and tells a story. A Dress A Day uncovers the secret lives of dresses and vintage patterns and all talk dress and dressy. If you love to sew dresses, then this is the site for you. There are several links on dress sewing books.
http://www.dressaday.com/dressaday.html
Six And A Half Stitches
The author of the Six And A Half Stitches works with a lot of piece work and patchwork in creating small projects such as darling little baby bibs with artistic flair, and larger more involved projects. The blogger takes you through the steps from sorting fabric and deciding on the sewing project to directions on how to rescale an existing pattern to the size you need. She has a bohemian eye and her sewing creations have an artistic flair.
http://sixandahalfstitches.typepad.com/six_and_a_half_stitches/
Arts & Quilts
Arts & Quilts blog is written by a person named Rete who lives in Austin Texas. Her goal is to sell her arts and crafts so she can continue to pursue them full time. Rete quilts and crochets. She has designed her own purses and enters quilt shows. Her blog analyzes the procrastination of projects and how to go about goal setting. One day you may read about the latest craft sale at Hobby Lobby and the next day she is trying out a craft she is unfamiliar with because someone else inspired her. She offers holiday gift ideas for crafters and often links to other step by step projects she has come across on the web. She consistently posts to her blog and when she misses a day or 2 she will post pictures of what else was going on in her life with another house project. Like most craft blogs, there is a sense of peeking into one's life and becoming part of their thought process. Rete recommend quilt books and links to other knitting and sewing artists who blog.
http://artquilts.blogspot.com/
The Wandering Quilter
If you sew with a Bernina Sewing machine, then this is the haven for you. The Wandering Quilter has Mastery Workbook downloads, private messages among registered users, and a place for your personal photo gallery of quilting projects. The Wandering Quilter talks all things Bernina and all models and features of Bernina. From gadgets and tools and accessories to instructions and the latest Bernina software, The Wandering Quilter is a must book mark site for Bernina owners.
http://cjtinkle.com/modules/wordpress/
Hearts And Needles
Sew a hand puppet or a fabric floral necklace or create your own ribbon with stitches on fabric. make fabric head bands or quilts or ruffles or curtains. If you like to sew, visit Hearts and Needles to see what Sarah is stitching up under the sun.
http://www.heartsandneedles.com/
Those were the Top Ten Sewing Blogs but visit this too:
The Stitcher's Guild
Although this is not a blog, it is a forum recommended by many sewing bloggers because of the wealth of information on sewing from fabrics to tools and notions to sewing for profit and creating a fashionable wardrobe and much more.
http://artisanssquare.com/sg/index.php  

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Afterschool Sewing Starts up Again Next Week

We are back with our popular afterschool sewing classes for kids starting next week. And this school year we have more classes than ever!

Take a look at the schedule below to see what works with your children's busy schedule:

Monday
3:30-4:30pm - Kids Crafting and Hand Sewing Ages 4-5
4:30-5:30pm - After School Sewing Program Ages 8-10

Tuesday
3:30-4:30pm - Kids Crafting and Hand Sewing Ages 6-7
4:30-5:30pm - After School Sewing Program Ages 11-14

Wednesday
3:30-4:15pm - Hudson School Beginner Fashion Accessories Class (Open to Hudson School Students Only)
4:30-5:30pm - After School Sewing Program Ages 8-10

Thursday
2:30-3:30pm - Hoboken Charter School High School Fashion Accessories Class (Open to Charter School High School Students only)
3:30-4:15pm - Hudson School Intermediate Fashion Accessories Class (Open to Hudson School Students Only)
4:30-5:30pm - After School Sewing Program Ages 11-14