I just love seeing the final results of what my sewing students make in class with me at Rosewood Cottage.

Here are just a few I have put together on this blog post to share with you today!

As you can see Margaret (below) is very pleased wearing her black trousers which were made from a Burda pattern. They feature a high waist and eight gold buttons on the front panel. Well done Margaret!

Shirley (below) came to class one day with a grey knit fabric and wanted to make a top but had no idea which pattern or style. So this gave us a fun challenge!

What we decided to do was to re-design a basic t-shirt and create an off centre panel. Shirley stitched a shell trim into the seam and added some black buttons. Then to balance out the design Shirley stitched the shell trim into the opposite shoulder seam. With the piece of trim left over Shirley decided the perfect place was to add it into the sleeve! Shirley finished the hemlines with a stretch twin needle.

Shirley loves this top that she created and it always attracts lots of admiring comments! Great job Shirley!

Julie (below) made this gorgeous top for herself which is made from a printed jersey knit for the body and lace netting for the sleeves and hemline.

Julie finished the edges using the rolled edge on the overlocker. She also finished the neckline with a frilled edge elastic which both stabilised the neckline and gave it a soft finish.

See below how Julie teamed her top with black trousers and shoes and accessorised with her jewellery!

Fiona (below) bought some coordinating fabrics to match her chaise lounge. She also included a blue silk organza wrap which she cut to make handmade roses.

Fiona made a set of cushions which perfectly matched her decor. Two of her cushions are shown below. Fiona just loves to be creative by re-cutting and re-cycling as she did with this silk wrap – Well Done Fiona!

Well done girls!

If you have been inspired to sew from one of the sewing projects above, perhaps you have made something similar or would like share a comment on these projects below we would love to hear from you!

Happy Sewing,

For more information contact:
Maree Pigdon Sewing Centre
T: +61 3 5264 1666
E: maree@mareepigdon.com
W: www.mareepigdon.com

This is one of my favourite sewing tips – the benefits of using a sewing machine mat!

* Reduce wear and tear on your table top
* Decrease noise and vibration (particularly when using under an overlocker)
* Create a smoother sewing experience

Watch my video below where I demonstrate how I use sewing machine mats for all of my sewing machines in the sewing school.

Please leave me a comment below, I would love to hear what you have to say about this sewing tip!

Happy Sewing,

For more information contact:
Maree Pigdon Sewing Centre
T: +61 3 5264 1666
E: maree@mareepigdon.com
W: www.mareepigdon.com

In today’s post I feature a video of my daughter Jacqueline who made a sweet little summer dress for our little Poppy.

Jacqueline used an Olive Ann design called the ‘To Tie For Dress, Top & Doll dress’.

Jacqueline made this dress from a stretch print fabric and re-designed the hemline to feature a ruffle band. In this video Jacqueline also demonstrates some pattern matching and Poppy wearing her new dress!

If you liked this video, perhaps you have made a similar dress or are now inspired to do so please leave a comment below, we would love to hear from you!

Happy Sewing,

For more information contact:
Maree Pigdon Sewing Centre
T: +61 3 5264 1666
E: maree@mareepigdon.com
W: www.mareepigdon.com

We would like to wish you all a very happy new year for 2012!

Jacqueline and I were very busy over the Christmas & New Year period creating lots of exciting new sewing projects, sewing patterns and online sewing tutorials which we will be releasing this year!

We stopped at one of our favourite places in Australia to film this special New Year message! Click on the video below to watch our personal message to you and find out where we were!

(Watch until the end to see our bloopers that the location caused!)

What are your sewing projects and goals for 2012? Write them below we would love to hear about them!

Happy Sewing,

For more information contact:
Maree Pigdon Sewing Centre
T: +61 3 5264 1666
E: maree@mareepigdon.com
W: www.mareepigdon.com

(if you haven’t subscribed yet simply enter your name and email now so you don’t miss out on my CHRISTMAS SALE STARTING TOMORROW!!)

Do you love buying fabric and notions for your fabric stash? As a sewer the answer is most likely a great big YES!

Today I am going to explain to you what type of fabric and yarns I bought and recommend to you to create a designer top!

Watch my video below which I have taken right out of my online sewing workshop – Designer Top No.3! It’s just one of the many sewing tutorial videos in the course. This technique can also be used on a variety of different garments and styles of your choice.

The full course includes all videos required, photographs, download instructions, fabric making and requirements to complete each designer step.

I hope you enjoy watching this video segment!

If you are struggling with slow download speeds and your video is stopping and starting, simply click play and then pause, wait approx 5mins for the full video to download and click play for a continuous video stream.

Please leave me a comment below, I would love to hear what you have to say about how you go about choosing your fabrics for your projects and any wonderful fabrics in your stash that you are keen on using soon!

If you missed the first free sewing video tutorial CLICK HERE VIDEO 1

If you missed the second free sewing video tutorial CLICK HERE VIDEO 2

Happy Sewing,

For more information contact:
Maree Pigdon Sewing Centre
T: +61 3 5264 1666
E: maree@mareepigdon.com
W: www.mareepigdon.com

P.S. Stay tuned for my next email TOMORROW which includes my CHRISTMAS SALE!!

(if you haven’t subscribed yet simply enter your name and email now so you don’t miss out on my special free sewing video tutorial – 3 part series & Christmas 2011 SALE COMING SOON!!)

Would you like to learn how to embellish a garment and change it from a plain classic pattern into a unique one of a kind designer piece?

In my video below I demonstrate the couching technique which is a great embellishment technique. I have taken right out of my online sewing workshop – Embellished Vest & Skirt! It’s just one of the many sewing tutorial videos in the course. This technique can also be used on a variety of different garments and styles of your choice.

The full course includes all videos required, photographs, download instructions and requirements to complete each designer step.

I hope you enjoy watching this video segment!

If you are struggling with slow download speeds and your video is stopping and starting, simply click play and then pause, wait approx 5mins for the full video to download and click play for a continuous video stream.

Have you tried this embellishment technique? Are you keen to try it out? Please leave me a comment below, I would love to hear what you have to say and so would many of my other subscribers!

Next video No.3 in this 3 part free video sewing tutorial series is: ‘How to choose fabric & yarns for your next sewing project or for my Designer Top No.3!

If you missed the first free sewing video tutorial CLICK HERE VIDEO 1

Happy Sewing,

For more information contact:
Maree Pigdon Sewing Centre
T: +61 3 5264 1666
E: maree@mareepigdon.com
W: www.mareepigdon.com

(if you haven’t subscribed yet simply enter your name and email now so you don’t miss out on my special free sewing video tutorial – 3 part series & Christmas 2011 SALE COMING SOON!!)

In my video below I demonstrate how to create pleats in a basic t-shirt top to make it a ‘designer top’. I have taken this video right out of my online sewing workshop – Designer Top No.2. It’s just one of the many sewing tutorial videos in the course.

The full course includes all videos required, photographs, download instructions and requirements to complete each designer step for this top.

I hope you enjoy watching this video segment!

Watch out at the 2min 30sec point where my special sewing assistant appears in the right hand corner of the video!

If you are struggling with slow download speeds and your video is stopping and starting, simply click play and then pause, wait approx 5mins for the full video to download and click play for a continuous video stream.

Please leave me a comment below, I would love to hear what you have to say and so would many of my other subscribers! I know this because so many of you told me in my sewing survey that you would like to hear from other sewers on my blog!

So please help them connect with you!

Next video No.2 in this 3 part free video sewing tutorial series coming to your inbox in the next few days is: ‘Embellishment Technique – Couching!‘

So stay tuned for part 2!

Happy Sewing,

For more information contact:
Maree Pigdon Sewing Centre
T: +61 3 5264 1666
E: maree@mareepigdon.com
W: www.mareepigdon.com

As a sewer you will know only too well how easy it is to gather a button collection!

I love buttons and find that the right button can sometimes make an outfit! I therefore also love buying and collecting buttons!

But what happens when you get so many or just want to be creative with a bunch of buttons that you have in your sewing box?

TIP: If you’re looking for the perfect gift to make for your sewing friend then you will want to watch this video!

I reveal how you can be creative with your button collection in the video below:

Please leave me a comment below, I would love to hear what you have to say about this sewing tip and any other great ideas you have for buttons!

Next video tip coming soon: ‘How to make a sewing weight!’

Happy Sewing,

For more information contact:
Maree Pigdon Sewing Centre
T: +61 3 5264 1666
E: maree@mareepigdon.com
W: www.mareepigdon.com

As an avid sewer if you have suffered from aching shoulders while working at your sewing machine I have the tip for you!

Many hours spent at the sewing machine can create aching shoulders particularly if you are working on a large sewing project or spending many hours at your sewing machine.

Click below to watch my sewing video on how to avoid having aching shoulders while sewing!

Please leave me a comment below, I would love to hear what you have to say about this sewing tip or your current sewing project!

Next video tip coming soon: ‘How to be creative with your button collection!’

Happy Sewing,

For more information contact:
Maree Pigdon Sewing Centre
T: +61 3 5264 1666
E: maree@mareepigdon.com
W: www.mareepigdon.com

As a sewer you will know there is always a lot of ironing and pressing to do while sewing. Pressing during sewing is an essential part of the sewing process to help make your garments professional.

Yet when it comes to pressing iron-on interfacing you can run into some challenges regarding your ironing board cover! It can become sticky and you can risk ironing on bits of fabric, dust and glue onto other pieces of your garment which is less than desirable!

So today’s sewing tip I share with you a fantastic tip to help keep your ironing board clean and extend the life of your ironing board cover.

Click below to watch my sewing video tip!

Please leave me a comment below, I would love to hear what you have to say about this sewing tip!

Next video tip coming soon: ‘How to avoid aching shoulders while sewing!’

Happy Sewing,

For more information contact:
Maree Pigdon Sewing Centre
T: +61 3 5264 1666
E: maree@mareepigdon.com
W: www.mareepigdon.com