I’m so excited today to be included in the Sewing for Boys Book blog tour.  If you haven’t caught wind of it until now, the owners of Patterns by Figgy’s, Shelly and Karen, co-authored a book!  And I know you’ll be excited to hear that it’s all about sewing for boys (of course I’ve already picked out quite a few projects that will be fun to make for my girls, too).

They did a fantastic job of compiling an awesome collection of 24 projects geared towards sewing for boys, you know, the most neglected gender in the sewing realm.  I’m so happy because it falls at no better time than my cute little nephew, Grant’s first birthday!  I can’t imagine being able to resist sewing things for him.  It’s fun to dig through the ‘ol fabric stash and find some goodies and think of how he might look in them, start walking in them, throw food at his parents in them, you get the picture….

So here’s my version of the Easy Linen Shirt.  And guess what, it IS easy!  Probably the most fun and rewarding project I’ve made in a long time.  It required minimal effort and time to complete, has impeccable instructions, and is so cute!

I loved that they have all sorts of information on finishing seams, great techniques that you’ll use over and over again.

I can’t wait to sew up a couple pairs of Treasure Pocket Pants like Ashley, or maybe I’ll give myself a challenge with The Henry Shirt like Meg did.  Definitely go check out the screaming deal on their book over at amazon!

Ready to win a copy of Sewing for Boys for yourself???

• Just leave a nice comment!  One entry per person.  Please leave your email address in your comment. You can leave it in a format like this if you wish: anna [at] gmail [dot] com, it’s up to you though, if you have your email listed in your blogger profile, that works too!
• One winner will be chosen.
• Open to international entries.
• Giveaway ends Sunday, September 11th at 10pm (central time).

You can follow the rest of the blog tour with these fantastic bloggers in the upcoming weeks (and go check out the ones in the past too):
September 5 Made by Rae
September 6 Sew, Mama, Sew
September 7 The Southern Institute & Film in the Fridge
September 8 Elsie Marley
September 9 Noodlehead & Oh, Fransson!
September 10 I Heart Linen
September 11 Anna Maria Horner
September 12 Craft Buds, Pink Chalk Fabric , Prudent Baby , Sew Much Ado
September 13 Very Purple Person, Quilt Story & Sew Sara
September 14 The Long Thread
September 15 Susan Beal
September 16 True Up
September 17 All Buttoned Up & Bolt Fabric Boutique
September 18 MADE & Wiley Craft

[fabrics used: inner collar – katie jump rope by denyse schmidt, shirt – echo by lotta jansdotter for windham, vines (available early november)

Don’t you just love sharing your favorite things with friends? I love how blogs help connect everyone with similar interests.  Well, the other day my friend Amy from During Quiet Time emailed me and mentioned how she saw my vintage inspired skirt tutorial and had just completed her latest screen print design of, you guessed it, a vintage collection!

She graciously has offered up your choice of a tea towel or a fabric piece in your favorite colorway:

She even printed them on both white and natural linen backgrounds, so they’re sure to go with any project you’ve got up your sleeve!

But of course I had to pick her brain a little and find out more about her process, so I asked her a few questions and here’s what Amy had to say:

How did you get started with screen printing?
I have always enjoyed printmaking. I learned how to carve linoleum blocks as early as junior high and was hooked. After college, I worked in a gallery in Rockport, MA where I interned for a collagraph printmaker and was able to visit her studio and print with her. I have designed and carved linoleum blocks for years now and made linocut prints for cards, and most recently for fabric. Linocuts are great for a beginner because you don’t need much by way of special supplies. I found that it was much harder to get a good print on fabric than on paper though. My frustration drove me to try silk screening last fall. I am self taught by trial and error!


Can you follow up with any advice or tips for anyone interested in trying screen printing themselves?
I would say to read all the instructions over and over until they are clear to you and then follow them precisely. That way you have the basics down. After that is truly practice makes perfect. There is a lot of waste getting there. When my grandmother taught me to make pie crust, she said “you need to get the feel of the dough.” It was something she couldn’t teach me. I had to make enough dry crusts to realize what dry dough felt like and enough dense crusts to know what waterlogged dough felt like. Then I got it. It’s similar with screen printing. You need to get the feel of the ink and the squeegee. You need to know when the ink is too thick or thin and how hard to push the squeegee in each case.

Where do you draw your inspiration from with the prints you choose to make?
I am a very visual person. I am always taking note of color and design in nature and elsewhere. I majored in art and art history in college, in fact. I draw inspiration from everything! When I print screen prints for fabric, I am looking for striking designs with a modern feel but whimsical or vintage charm. I also try to keep in mind the use of the fabric. I like to space things to allow for fussy cutting rows and such.

Where do you see yourself headed in the future, any plans to strike up a fabric design deal?
I am still trying to figure out where I am headed with this. I was very happy at my museum position prior to staying home with the kids. I feel good about staying home with my kids and this is where I want to be right now but I need to create. Sewing and printmaking can be done in our home so it works for me right now. I do think that a fabric design deal sounds fantastic but I haven’t pursued anything yet!

I know you were a former collections curator, can you tell us a bit about that? or how it reflects in your current endeavours?
I loved my career as a collections curator. My job was basically to identify, research, number, document and properly store objects of art in the museum collection. I helped solicit new donations, create exhibits, and work with students who were studying the art for their classes. I was surrounded by art. The side of me that is very perfectionist and detail oriented loved devising numbering systems and storage methods that kept in mind the object care. I learned about environmental effects on object and what chemical and storage methods were safe. There were always challenges, puzzles to be solved. It was very fulfilling for me. I would say that it is similar to printing making in that while I love both, they also require the ability to push through extreme tedium! Screen prints need to be heat set with an iron on both sides for 5 minutes a side. It is painfully boring! Cataloging scores of objects can be the same way. But a perfectly stacked pile of prints made by me is satisfying; just as walking into a tidy storage room with everything properly stored and cataloged was in my former career.

And since it looks like Amy’s on a roll, you should definitely follow her blog to keep up on all her latest original screen printed designs.  Or better yet, if you don’t feel like waiting to win the giveaway, jump on over to her etsy shop and snag up a little goodie for yourself or a friend.

Ready to win?

• One entry per person.  Please leave your email address in your comment. You can leave it in a format like this if you wish: anna [at] gmail [dot] com
• There will be one winner chosen, winnings include your choice of screen printed fabric OR a screen printed tea towel.
• Open to international entries.
• Giveaway ends Wednesday, July 13th at 10pm (central time).