New season, new look and new website for Make Your Mark Studio

Get back to making in our new look studio We have been over the summer creating a new look website, refreshing the studio to provide more room for students and creating fun and exciting classes with you in mind. The Dressmaking Bee returns on Wednesdays beginning Sept 18th. Kick your week-ends off with our Friday night Stitch-Ins. We begin at 6pm with a technique workshop. From 7 to 9pm the studio is open for you to work on anything textile related while enjoying the company of other makers. Got a large project that you can't seem to get the time of space to tackle? Join us for a Sewcation Oct 5th and 6th. New this semester are a pattern drafting service and Have a Fit! sessions to help you make the most of your sewing time. And that is just the beginning! New classes are being developed through out the year. Registration buttons are up on the website or if you prefer you can drop by the studio. Studio hours are Tuesday to Friday, noon to 4pm, by appointment or chance. There could be a class or consultation in progress. Please email or call to be sure I'm available. I will be in Wednesday the 11th and Thursday the 19th from 6 to 8pm should you prefer to register in person. I look forward to welcoming you! Your chair is waiting! Alison   Facebook Twitter Website

What's On in July at Make Your Mark Studio

Less than a week until Art on the Street! If you haven't been out to this annual celebration of all that's awesome about downtown Guelph, then this is the year to change that. Bigger than ever, with some 90 booths, it looks to be a great show. Come find me in Booth 67, right on the doorstep of my good friends at All Strung Out on Saturday, July 13, from 10am to 5pm. On display will be my electronic cases (including new sizes for the Kobo Mini and Blackberry Q10 and Z10), three styles of knitting bags, and gorgeous scarf kits in Liberty of London fabric from Bee Modern Fabric and Yarn. My reusable shopping bags and crocheted snack totes will be at Flour Barrel from Monday, July 8, through Saturday, July 13, as part of Art in the Shops. There's still plenty of time to make yourself something fabulous to wear this summer at Make Your Mark Studio. We have the Flat-lined A-line Skirt class on Saturday, July 20, and the Scarf Edging Series Tuesdays July 16, 23 and 30. Samples for both will be on display at Art on the Street. Have a project of your own in mind? There are four weeks of the Dressmaking Bee remaining before we wrap for the summer. Space is still available in both the afternoon and evening groups. Classes will begin again after Labour Day. Sign-up for the newsletter to be the first to hear about what we're planning for fall.

Facebook Twitter Website

Make Your Mark Studio at Waterloo Mini Maker Faire - Saturday, June 15th

I am thrilled to be part of the inaugural Waterloo Mini Makers Faire hosted by the amazing folks at Kwartzlab.
 
"It’s a place where people show what they are making, and share what they are learning. Makers range from tech enthusiasts to crafters to homesteaders to scientists to garage tinkerers. They are of all ages and backgrounds. The aim of Maker Faire is to entertain, inform, connect and grow this community."


And it is right next door (at Kitchener City Hall) a week from Saturday (June 15th, 10am to 6pm). In the booth you will find samples for upcoming classes and my range of special purpose bags and totes. In honour of it being International Knit in Public Day, I'll be launching a new knitting bag design at the show. We are also adding a couple of dates for introductory level classes to the schedule.

Tell your friends! Bring your friends! It's going to be so much fun. Hope to see you there!

New Venture - Come help us celebrate!

Getting back to sewing

Like many of you, I had a busy time preparing for the holiday season and am slowly (very slowly...) recovering from it. A colourful mound of prints arrived over the weekend and have been duly washed, folded and added to my stash. Just today a parcel of Vogue patterns arrived (gotta love those Boxing Week sales!). Time to get busy, I think. The upcoming classes at Triangle Sewing Centre may be just the thing to jump-start your return to sewing.

On Monday 21st we have a Seam Finishes Workshop. This is "old world techniques for the modern sewist." No fancy machine required! If you can sew a straight line, the inside of your garment can look just as good as the outside AND the garment will wear better and last longer. What's not to love about that? Learn how to make french seams, mock french seams, flat-felled seams, Hong Kong finish and bound seams. You will go home with a lovely mat to sit under your machine, protect your table and act as that ever-important memory aid for future projects.

And yes, the machine pictured can do all those seam finishes! Her name is Daisy and Santa Sally kindly arrange for her to come live at my house. Kweeee!!!

The following week, Monday 28th, we have the Bag Techniques Workshop. I've designed a special bag for this workshop to pack as many of the tricks and tips as possible into just one bag. Suitable for toting toiletries to the gym or on vacation, you have a choice of making it in denim with a print lining or using the print on the outside and lining it with canvas. Like all my bags, both versions are machine washable.

As the calendar flips over to February, we have a new session of the Dressmaking Bee, beginning on the 4th. So it's time to pull out those projects you put aside for the holidays and make yourself something fabulous! Contact Triangle Sewing Centre to register.

Rainy weather getting you thinking about holiday projects?

Then there a couple classes coming up that might be just the thing to get you started!

smaller version

This coming Saturday, Nov 3rd from 10:00 until 1:00 (note the time change from the earlier published date!)  I'll be at Greenwood Quiltery guiding students through Amy Butler's Market Tote. Available in two sizes, this open top, square tote is great for lugging all sorts of things around. As with most of Amy's patterns, the proportions and design are awesome, the method of construction well.. less than awesome. So I'll share the changes I made to ensure you are delighted with the finished bag.

Interior

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have another session of the Dressmaking Bee starting on Monday, November 5th at Triangle Sewing Centre. 10 hours of instruction on a project of your choosing over 4 weeks.  Both afternoon 1:00 to 3:30 and evening 6:30 to 9:00 slots are available!

And due to a family emergency we have rescheduled the Zipper Workshop at Triangle for Saturday, Nov 10th 10:00 to 3:00pm. Polished and professional looking zippers can be a challenge for sewists so we have put together an expanded workshop covering five popular zipper insertion methods in five hours. Join us for the classic centered zipper, my favourite the invisible zipper, the very elegant offset zipper, the of the moment exposed zipper (showing up in surprising places in ready to wear but also the workhorse for bags and outerwear) and for those very special projects a hand picked zipper. And rather than a pile of samples we are turning your work into throw pillows. Great for freshening up your decor or for gift giving.

Call the stores to register!
Greenwood Quiltery 519-822-2790
Triangle Sewing Centre 519-822-9910

Bought a tent!

And survived my first outdoor show unscathed so there will be more of those over the summer.  Please check back here for updates.  In the meantime, some photos from the Handmade Market May 12th and 13th in sunny Beamsville.