Sewing Article in the Wall Street Journal-- great read

I thought this was a very interesting article in the Wall Street Journal last week and thought I'd share it with you.
Also, if you hadn't already heard, after getting out of the fabric business, Walmart is getting back into it. I know that will be good news to the many who were sorry to see them close those departments over the past few years.

Upcycling- A New Idea

I've never seen so many magnificent fabrics as I did this week at High Fashion Fabrics in Houston. Nor have I ever seen so many fabrics and trims priced all the way up to $250 a yard and beyond. Yes, that's two hundred and fifty dollars a yard. Much of the higher priced items were special laces and trims for bridal gowns. When you realize how costly a bridal gown is, it makes sense that these beautiful laces and bead work would be very expensive. Aren't these gorgeous? The last picture is French Alencon lace. Guess how much it costs?

$375 a yard! It's absolutely beautiful, something you would find on very high end bridal gowns.

Understanding the reason behind the price still doesn't mean I could bring myself to spend that much. But I got an idea. Why not go to resale shops and look for wedding dressing? I could then deconstruct them for the amazing detail pieces on them. (I am constantly looking at things, thinking of how I would deconstruct and reconstruct them.) Today I saw numerous wedding gowns in a resale shop for $50 and $75. A few, clearly from the 80s, were heavily covered in lots of lace and beadwork. All of them would be worth far more in pieces than they are as full dresses at a resale shop. So, it's something to think about if you do bridal sewing or simply if you just like these kinds of trims and laces for other projects.

What do you like to upcycle? What kinds of tips would you share with someone looking to do the same?

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Project Runway Starting in the Summer

In addition to the new season of "Project Runway" to look forward to this summer, there's also going to be "Project Runway Allstars" and the new "Project Accessory." Read more here.

You can also vote for who you want to see on the Allstars. Who would/did you vote for?

Goal: Get a free Kindle with Swagbucks

I'm going to get a Kindle but I'm not going to pay for it. I'm going to earn enough Swagbucks to convert Amazon gift cards to buy it. You can help me, if you want, by signing up for Swagbucks, too.



Here's how it works. Do you search for things on the internet? OK. Instead of typing that search into Google, just type it into Swagbucks search. You can either download the Swagbucks toolbar or you can just go to Swagbucks.com and enter your search there. Every few searches, Swagbucks will give you "swagbucks" which you cash in for gifts. I've been using mine on Amazon. 450 Swagbucks gets me a $5 Amazon gift card. (You can get tons of different things. I just like to use them for Amazon.) That's the simplified explanation. There are other ways to earn, too. One of those ways is to get other people to sign up, using the link that ties them to you. When they get bucks, you get them too. That's how I'm hoping to get my Kindle!

You have nothing to lose but we both can gain. So, will you consider using this link to sign up? I'll keep you posted on how close I am to getting my Kindle. Thanks to all who sign up.
Swagbucks needed to get Kindle: 17,010
Swagbucks I currenlty have: 667
Swagbucks needed: 16,343

What to do when your student becomes your competitor?

I teach sewing and painting and I also sell things that I make. I've never considered that any of my students might copy some of my designs and start selling them as well. Everyone has the right to sell what they make, so do I really have a leg to stand on? I suppose it wouldn't be quite so bothersome if a specific item wasn't made in the exact same fabric that I used with the exact same embellishment on it. That can't be right, can it? What about making my exact design and embellishment in a different fabric? What do you think?