Material Designs Sewing
236 Woodbriar Circle SW Calgary, AB, Canada

As 2020 comes to a close, I would like to share some of the quick, simple projects students and I have done to use up supplies we have at home, rather than heading out to the fabric stores. 1) Pillowcase pet beds We used old pillowcases, filled them with fabric scraps and old sheets and then sewed them shut with two lines of zigzag stitching. This made a strong, washable bed for pets. So far we have made and donated 17! 2) Grocery bag holders We cut a rectangle (14 x 20) o...ut of non-stretch fabric. We sewed a 7 piece of elastic along the short edges, used old ribbon to create a loop for hanging and sewed the long edge of the fabric closed. This creates a fabric tube with elastic at the top and bottom - perfect for storing grocery bags! 3) Scrap placemats I was given a bag of 2 wide cotton scraps. I decided to make a few placemats with them. I mixed the scraps with other cotton fabric I had and used leftover quilt batting for the middle. See more

Sewing Lessons 2020/21 While I would love to be able to teach sewing as usual this fall, my sewing studio is not set up for social distancing. I am quite happy to teach students with Facebook video calls and am open to suggestions. I won’t be accepting new students in 2020 but I really hope to be able to see both new and returning people in person in 2021. In the meantime, please let me know if you could use any masks.

Holographic fabric - so sparkly!

I wanted to update everyone about the sewing studio. Everything has been sanitized and the pins have been frozen to kill any germs. We are all healthy but recognize that self-isolation is ideal. Feel free to contact me and we can arrange video sewing lessons if you would like. I look forward to seeing everyone in the studio sometime soon.

This month we have students working on quilts, quillows and pillows. It is a Home Decor extravaganza!

We have had a great year filled with fun sewing projects - costumes, pjs, drapes, aprons, pillowcases and so many other things. I look forward to seeing what everyone creates in 2020!

I wonder how long it is going to take me to make this skirt. It will hopefully be an optical illusion - black and grey pleats that flash white when I walk. I have no pattern so we will see how thIs goes. It will take about 160 of plaid taffeta to make it. Fingers crossed!