Christine Haynes's Blog, page 13

This Is Just a Short Post...

...to tell you the name of my upcoming pattern! Drumroll please.....
She's called Marianne! And that's all you're getting out of me so far. Oh, and that it's for knits! Oh, and it's a dress! Okay, that's it for now!

We will welcome Marianne in early September!

Craftsy Posts and Sale

I have two new posts up on the Craftsy site, and their end of summer sale ends today, so there are three great reasons to pop on over and check out what's new! My "Home away from home" travel related posts continue with a handmade luggage tag and passport cover. Two fun ways to customize your next trip. I hope you enjoy them!

Fitness Update: Post-Travel Edition

getting ready to run in Paris
It's been some time since I've updated you all on my fitness resolution for the year so I thought that it was due time! For those of you that have followed along, you might remember that my last update was just before my extended French holiday at the 120 day mark. I had planned to post an update while away, but clearly that didn't happen. Hey, I was on vacation!

So, today is August 5, making it exactly one day shy of a full 7 months since starting my resolution to get my health and weight on track. How's it going? Let's break it down.

macaron break at the Petit Palais = running afterwards
Pre-Paris
Before we left was quite possibly some of my busiest days ever. I was in the throws of two books, teaching, working 4-5 days a week as the manager of Sew L.A., plus trying to have a love life, cook for myself, and work out 2-5 days a week. It was hard, but it was routine. Anything routine can be done, even if it's hard, because if it's routine that means you've found a way to work it into your life. It's scheduled and on the iCal and it's going to happen.

Before we left town I did something that I now see to have been really helpful: I weighed myself and took my full body measurements. I did this because each year when we go away, despite walking miles and miles each and everyday, I still come home feeling like I've gained a few pounds, most likely due to things like bread, butter, wine, desserts, and other goodies I don't incorporate into my daily life when at home. But though I would feel softer and heavier, I never had proof since I wasn't keeping track of anything. This time was going to be different because I wanted real hard evidence of what these changes did to my body.

So, I packed up my running shoes, my new North Face running jacket, and one workout outfit into my carry on bag and off we went, fresh body measurements in hand...

running down Boulevard Richard Lenoir toward the Bastille
Paris
The original plan was to run as my main source of exercise with some at-home calisthenics thrown in for muscle maintenance. I brought along a soft cover book of at-home workouts with the hope to keep myself inspired.

Within the first couple of days I was off and running. My path varied from day to day, but I really enjoyed running along Boulevard Richard Lenoir, which is a wide green space with gardens and sitting areas and ping pong tables down the center which then leads up to the Canal Satin-Martin, bookended on either side with wide sidewalks (a rare treat in our Paris neighborhood). This path is only a block from our apartment and I would sometimes run south to the Bastille and sometimes I'd run north to the République.

running along the Canal Saint-Martin toward République
I ran about 5 times on our 5.5 week holiday, each time clocking in between a half mile to 2 miles. I'm not really a runner, so for those of you that really run, you can openly laugh at only running 2 miles, but for me, that is a record as an adult! It felt great and that coupled with miles of walking each day, I felt like I was moving along okay. I also made a point to take the stairs up to our 6th floor apartment most days, sometimes racing my man in the elevator to try to beat him up to the top. A race which I'm happy to say that some days I actually won!

I didn't end up doing any at-home workouts, so as I was indulging in bread and butter each day, I knew things were likely happening to my body as my calorie to output ratio was getting off for sure. But I didn't feel that bad either. I knew the proof was going to be in the numbers upon returning home.

And in my defense, I also ate really well on top of eating butter each day, cooking at home nearly everyday, making salads, tofu, keeping desserts to a minimum, and mostly just indulging in bread and butter and cheese. Things I only allow myself in small doses at home.

The day before we left my man and I sat in our apartment and discussed our eating, exercise, and potential weight gain of the trip. He guessed he had gained 5-7 pounds, and I guessed that I had gained 5 or less. Only time would tell...

Post-Paris 
The day after we got home, I got out the tape measure. I was so curious to see what the numbers said and how they reflected how I felt. I could tell that I had lost some muscle and was softer in general and the main culprit was that my posture was starting to worsen, returning to the pre-workout days of a hunchy sore back.

So, I took my numbers and you know what I found? I had gained only ONE POUND. Yep, one! But you know what's interesting? All my numbers had shifted. My waist was wider, my hips were about the same, my arms and thighs were consistent, though I could tell instantly that they were softer and had less muscle, and my bust was nearly the same.

this butter was worth every squat
Within the first three days of being home I had lost that pound plus two more, simply by not eating cheese, bread, and butter everyday, and now I'm faced with the hard fact that I need to rebuild my strength and muscle. I don't feel as strong as I did when we left, and my back has returned to being achey.

But I'm also faced with another curveball: a new routine. Upon returning home, I am officially no longer the manager at Sew L.A. and I'm completely dedicating my time to teaching, writing, and patternmaking. This is truly amazing and a moment I've worked toward for a decade, but I'm no longer in the same neighborhood as my gym everyday, as it is over by the shop where I worked but not by where I live, and my sense of routine is so different now that I'm working at home most days.

I haven't fully returned to my level of fitness and am honestly just getting back into it, though I've been home now for almost a month. I'm happy to say that I'm still sitting pretty at 15 pounds lost for the year (YES!), but now it's time for the second half of the year and while I'm excited about the changes in my work, I do feel like I'm starting all over again.

So, that's where we are. I am getting back into the swing of things and rebuilding some of the muscle I lost along my hiatus. But that's okay with me. Vacation is a time for many things, including rest and recuperation, of which I was in desperate need of, so there are no regrets from where I stand.

Coming Soon: A New Pattern! And Lessons I Learned Along the Way...

Yes, it's true! A new pattern is coming soon and I am super excited to share it with you! I'm sure you all have many questions about what it will be and the like, but the first question most people ask me about my patterns is this: "Why so long between patterns, yo?" (Okay, not everyone throws in the "yo".) And here's the answer...

Over the last 9 months since my Emery Dress pattern came out, I've done many things, but mainly I wrote two upcoming sewing books, as well as launched my most recent book in February! Yes, there are two more books coming in early 2015 and those eat up a LOT of time! So that's the big reason.

Also, I've been teaching, living my life, traveling quite a lot (France, Palm Springs, Colorado, Pittsburgh, Houston, Michigan, etc.) and all of that pretty much fills in the rest of the time. Well, that and sleeping. Ha!

But here's the big lesson I learned along the way: It's not a bad thing to get out of your own way. What I mean is that I had hoped that my Emery Dress would make a big splash when it came out, and thankfully, it did. What I figured would happen was that with each indie pattern release that came out after it, the sales would plummet and I'd need to spark things up in the early part of the year. And you know what? It didn't. I'm thrilled that the sales of that dress have kept my little ship afloat since the day it was released. Thanks Emery!

My man and I have had many conversations about this and he kept saying that same thing to me: Sometimes it's good to just get out of your own way and not step on your own toes by releasing too much too fast. Honestly, it's not for a lack of ideas, or a lack of desire that I don't have 1,000 patterns out by now. But is that all bad? I'm thinking no.

For me, when I see a new pattern and get excited about it, I buy it up, dream about the perfect fabric choice, and add it to my queue to get started on it, realistically, in the next month or two (or longer sometimes). So when the same designer releases another pattern before I've gotten to the last one, it confuses my creative brain. Do I move on? Do I hurry up and finish the last one so I can move onto the next one? Granted, part of the overlap is my own delay and if I was faster about sewing up my queue, I'd perhaps be ready by the time the next pattern came out, but I never seem to be! Is that just me? Or do the rest of you feel that way too?

One can only have so many garments and I'm not the type that is longing for an apartment-sized closet. I love Sarai's Wardrobe Architect series and it gets me thinking about quality vs quantity and my desire to release things I really really want to wear over and over again myself. I absolutely think that each designer and company needs to do what feels right for them, and this is in NO way a judgement on anyone but myself. Rather this was a revelation to me, that perhaps releasing one or two patterns a year is a-okay.

So, with all of that said, if you're still reading, you get a little insight to what the pattern will be! One word: knits! Yes, it will be for knit fabrics, so go get yourself the Colette Guide to Sewing Knits, and get practicing so you'll be ready in about a month when the pattern is back from the printers!

Thanks to everyone for supporting my patterns and I hope you love this next one as much as the rest!

Threads Giveaway & Craftsy Posts

Happy Tuesday everyone!

This is just a quick post to tell you about two things going on out there on the big world wide web.

First, I just spotted that the lovely folks at Threads Magazine are doing a giveaway for my book, The Complete Photo Guide to Clothing Construction, as well as my Emery Dress, Derby Dress, and Rosemary Collar patterns! Yowza that's quite a bundle!

Head on over to the Threads site and enter to win!


Also, I've been back at my writing for the Craftsy blog, and my first two posts are up! I wrote a handful of travel-related sewing posts, with these first two for travel slippers and an travel eye mask. There are more posts coming up over there from me so stay tuned!

French Sewing Goodies Winner!

Thanks to all of you who entered my giveaway both on my blog and on my Instagram feed to win the fabric, buttons, and tote bag that I brought back with me from France! I loved reading all of your "favorite" French things and the range of answers was so great! Everything from the food (no surprise there), to French Onion Soup (not sure if that's actually French), to French seams (naturally), and French husbands (awwww!).

I was blown away by the number of entries and to keep things fair, I drew a name at random to find our winner! Just an FYI on why I don't use the Random.org app to find a winner, it never picks the first person or the last person, and always seems to find a number somewhere in the middle, which I find seriously unfair. So I actually print out all the comments, cut them up into little strips, then draw a name from a bowl, old-school low-fi style. It just seems to be the most fair!

So, without further ado, the winner is:

           JustSew JennaJuly 22, 2014 at 10:09 AM        My favourite thing about France is Paris - my husband and I had our first date in Paris almost 10 years ago and always smile when I think of it!
Congratulations Jenna!!! Email me your mailing address and these little goodies will be out and in the mail to you! I hope you love them!

Thanks as always to everyone that reads my blog and follows me various feeds around the web. I couldn't do this without all of you and I love each and every one of you for it!

August Class Schedule!

I'm super excited to announce my August classes, as they include some fun new garments from some of my favorite indie pattern companies, including Sewaholic and Deer & Doe! Read below to see my whole schedule and then join me for a class! Spaces are limited, so don't delay!

All classes listed below are taught at Sew L.A. at 3153 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90039. Contact the shop directly to sign up or visit the website at the link for each class to sign up on-line!

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Belcarra Top by Sewaholic
Everyone needs some good staples in their closet and the Belcarra Blouse from Sewaholic Patterns is exactly that! Ideal for dressing up or dressing down, this simple shape can be worn with everything from summer shorts to fancy skirts. In this 3-part class, we will learn to make view A, a simple shell that has raglan sleeves, bias-bound neckline, and no fussy details, making it a great choice for new sewers and beyond.
Limited to 8 students
3-part class starts August 2
11am-2pm
$125
(Photos above from Sewaholic, Sew Well, and Guthrie & Ghani)

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Aubépine Dress by Deer & Doe
Throwing on a dress is such a quick and easy way to look pulled together, but when it’s also cozy and comfortable to wear, it’s a bonus! The Aubépine Dress from Deer & Doe Patterns is exactly that. Full of lovely details, this dress features an empire waist with pleats and a drawstring casing, tucks across the bust and around the sleeves, bust darts, and it’s even fully lined! This is a serious skill builder that is bound to be your next toss-it-on-and-go dress!
Limited to 6 students
4-part class starts August 16
3-6pm
$165
(Photos above from Deer & Doe, Jolies Bobines, and Paunnet)

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Stand Up Zipper Bags by Noodlehead
These handy bags are amazingly useful to have around for on the spot organizing! They also make fantastic crafty gifts for friends & family. Bags are lined and have boxed corners, and they stand on their own so your stuff is easy to get to. The end of the exposed zipper is covered with the cutest little tab. Great for makeup, travel, school supplies, or anything you need to corral inside your purse. Once you make one you’ll be addicted [trust us], and you’ll be whipping up a whole set in no time.
Limited to 8 students
1-part class on August 1
6:30-9:30pm
$65
(Photos above from Noodlehead, Sew L.A., and Noodlehead)

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Easiest Skirt by Sew L.A.
You've seen me in this skirt many times, and though it's super duper easy (which makes it perfect for beginner sewers) it's also really cute and great for these hot summer days with a tank or t-shirt. The Easiest Skirt has a yoke with elastic in a casing at the waist, so it’s comfortable but not too bunchy under an un-tucked top. Learn about using a commercial pattern, pinning & cutting accurately, gathering, hems & casings – and get more practice sewing straight and zig-zag stitches.You can choose to make the shorter or longer length in class.
Limited to 8 students
2-part class starts August 15
6:30-9:30pm
$95
(Photos above by me & Sew L.A.)

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Throw Pillows
Whip up a pair of quick and easy throw pillow covers and add some instant style to your home! Or, it’s a perfect gift for your friends and family! Make these 16” square pillows and learn fabric and pattern construction basics, sewing straight seams, zig-zag stitching, and pivoting corners. A great beginner class!
Limited to 8 students
2-part class starts August 27
6:30-9pm
$85
(Photos above by me)

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Machine Intro
The most basic class at Sew L.A.! This one’s for you if you just purchased a machine and you have no idea how to get it started, or if you’d like to become familiar with a machine before getting one of your own. Also good for general knowledge if it’s been awhile since you have used a machine! Following a brief discussion about sewing tools & supplies, you’ll learn how to prepare the machine for sewing: threading the top thread, winding a bobbin and installing it, and inserting a needle. Also, you’ll learn how to change stitches along with their length and width. Practice sewing some seams and finishing the edges, and voila! You have a cute tote bag to carry your sewing supplies in!
Limited to 8 students
1-part class on the following dates and times:
August 8, 6:30-9:30pm
August 9, 3-6pm
August 20, 6:30-9:30pm
August 30, 11am-2pm
(Photos above by me)

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French Sewing Goodies Giveaway!

Along the way while I was treating myself to some goodies, I decided to buy a few other treats to give to all of you! It's my way of saying thank you for following along during my vacation, and just for generally being so awesome. I never want to take my customers, followers, friends, and students for granted and I hope a little giveaway helps show my appreciation!


So, here's what I brought back to give to one of you: A gorgeous card of red vintage buttons that I picked up at the Porte de Vanves flea market, two cuts of adorable Atelier Brunette fabric, and an Atelier Brunette logo tote bag! All kinds of French goodies!


Enter to win by simply commenting on this post by telling me what your favorite French-related thing is, and it doesn't have to be anything elaborate, can even just be France itself!


Want to get a second entry in? Comment on my Instagram photo of the giveaway for a second chance to win! I can be found at @christinehaynes if you aren't already following me there.


The giveaway is open to anyone anywhere in the world and will close at midnight, Sunday July 27th, PST. Winner will be chosen at random and announced on Monday July 28th! Be sure to check back to see if you won! Best of luck to you all!

Le Bon Mix: Atelier Brunette + Me

One of the spots I knew I wanted to visit on my recent trip to Paris was Anna Ka Bazaar, the home to the fabric company Atelier Brunette. I have seen many bloggers use their fabrics and I knew that if the quality of the fabrics lived up to the beauty of the prints in real life, I was going to take some home with me. 

I'm happy to say that the quality was even better than anticipated, as the cotton is lighter than a quilt weight, but heavier than a lawn, with a nice softness and drape, making it the ideal weight for garment construction. It's no accident that the weight is what it is, as they fully intend the fabrics to be used for clothing and they sell wholesale to the garment industry as well as to DIY sewers. Of course you can quilt with it too, and I intend too do just that with the pile of precuts above that I bought, but when you touch it, garments are the first thing to come to mind for sure.

I visited their tiny shop twice on my visit, conveniently located a short walk from our Paris apartment in the 3rd arrondissement. It was one of my very first stops within the first week of arriving, and then I went back again a couple of days before leaving as I knew I had to have more, and I wanted to get some goodies there for a giveaway for all of you! (Look for that next week!) I always love seeing European ateliers as it's a nice lesson in space - you really don't need to have the biggest shop on the block to have everything you need. I felt the same way at Ray Stitch when I visited there too. Just the right amount of notions, fabric, patterns, and some little extras. 

I got to chatting with one of the owners on both visits and after some chit chat he had me give him my information to pass onto their head of social media. And lucky me, shortly after returning home they reached out to me to start a collaboration! I love it when things you already love want to team up with you! Makes the saying "yes" so much easier! We've decided to team up to show "Le Bon Mix", a pairing of their fabrics with my garment designs. 

They made up a lovely graphic to show all of you just how amazing my Emery Dress would look in their gorgeous Hirondelle bird fabric. You might have seen this fabric on the lovely Julie of Jolie Bobbins (whom I got to meet - more on that in another post) on this jacket. It's a super pretty print and would make any garment proud. 

Based on my conversations with the owner, there are no US retailers as of yet, but they are growing fast so I wouldn't be surprised if they expand soon to the US market. It's all logistics, dealing with shipping costs and the like at this point, but you can order directly from their site, so there's really no need to wait for it to hit a US store. In fact, I love ordering directly from the maker or designer, as it feels like there's a closer connection to the source that makes me feel really good. 

In addition to their in-house Atelier Brunette line, Anna Ka Bazaar also stocks designs from other fabric makers, as well as some indie pattern companies. I picked up the gorgeous République du Chiffon Robe Brigitte pattern on my second trip to the shop along with some designer medium weight rayon that has the most AMAZING drape. Even my man was like, "oh... that's nice!" Above it is pictured with the larger cut of Bye Bye Birdie I picked up from the Atelier Brunette line to make a garment.

Want to get some for yourself? Next week I'll have a giveaway of some of the precuts I bought at their shop, but for garment yardage, seriously, check out their site and pick some up. Remember that if you're getting their in-house Atelier Brunette fabric, the weight is consistent, but if you pick something else that they stock, know that there are a variety of weights and fabric contents to choose from, so make sure to pick up what best suits your project. 
Thanks to Atelier Brunette for the start of a lovely relationship!

* I received the Le Bon Mix graphic in exchange for cross-promotion. All fabrics and notions were purchased by me and all opinions are my own. All photos taken by me. *

Love at First Stitch - a Review!

When my recent trip to London was being planned, I knew that the one souvenir I wanted to come home with was Tilly's new book, Love at First Stitch! Not available in the US until October, (though you can get it from her directly) I knew this was a great opportunity to grab it early as well as get it signed by the lady herself. Not only did I get it signed (and signed a copy of my new book for her) but she kindly brought me her cute buttons and one of her adorable tote bags, which is a nice heavy weight canvas and served as my book and magazine carry on for my return flight home.


If you haven't seen Love at First Stitch in person yet, it's simply stunning and keeps with Tilly's existing branding so so well. I always feel so scattered in my style (don't we all feel that way?) but when I look at everything she does, it's so classically Tilly every single time. This book is no exception and is full of all those things that she's so great at. Let's dig into the book a bit...


Instead of having a section on techniques followed by the projects and patterns, Tilly organized the skill building throughout the book, project by project. This reminded me somewhat of Sarai's fantastic book The Colette Sewing Handbook , where the projects are organized from easier to more difficult, teaching you new techniques along the way to build confidence and ensure success.
Each project opens with all the details you want to know, including sizing, illustration, fabric layout, and all the techniques that you'll need to have mastered to complete the garment. 

The projects themselves are adorable and even the easy things in the front of the book will appeal to a more experienced seamstress. I mean really, I still like to make pajama pants and who doesn't love a cute head kerchief or neck scarf? I know I do! 

The steps are all shown in photographs that are clear and easy to understand. And of course, Tilly has perfect manicures in each and every shot, and the occasional pretty kitty cat too! Also included in the book are the full-sized patterns for almost every project in the book and if they are anything like her other patterns, I'm sure they will go together beautifully.

I love the opening photos of each project and Tilly does an amazing job of choosing the right fabrics and styling for each garment. It feels polished and clean without being overdone. And unlike some pattern and book photos, you can still understand the seams and details of the garments in the photos thanks to her fabric selections and clear photos. 

I also love the opening pages of the book that shows all the projects as a collection. It illustrates so clearly that this book can be used to create an entire closet full of items. And thanks to Tilly's variation suggestions throughout the book, each garment can look different based on the fabric, pocket, button, and other minor changes that will customize each project to your own style. 

Even shots of tools and chalk are made fun with Tilly's layouts. Honestly, it was a pleasure to read through the book and look at all the eye candy. Did I need another book? No, but that's not the point. To me sewing books are to keep you inspired, engaged, and excited for the next project, and this book is a complete success on all of those levels. 

I'm super excited to make some new goodies from the book and hope you are too! It's easy to sound biased since Tilly is a friend, but honestly, I wouldn't take the time to photograph, write, and post this if I didn't 100% believe that this book is worth your attention. It's beautiful, inspiring, and a really fun approach to learning. Find it and pick it up! And huge congrats to Tilly on this accomplishment! It's a job well done indeed!

Also, if you're in the Los Angeles area and love Tilly's style, just a reminder that I'm teaching her awesome Coco Top/Dress pattern starting tomorrow night. Sign up if you'd like to learn to use a regular machine to sew knits! It can be done!