Category: Blog

How to laminate cotton fabric with Pellon 875 Lamifix

Trying something new! How to laminate fabric

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Hey y’all and welcome to Sewspire!

This week we are experimenting with a Pellon product called Lamifix Vinyl. It’s 100% polyester and designed to iron on and in turn offer water resistance to cotton fabric. I hope you enjoy the video and will check in next week for more creative inspiration from the Sewspire studio.

Until then, please know the creative genius in me celebrates the creative genius in you!

XO,

Andrea

P.S. Here’s the link to the Pellon Lamifix

And, to the Snowberry Floral in Black Fabric

Andrea Chapman of Sewspire

I have a feeling something is missing…

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I have to admit I have never counted and as such was pleasantly surprised to realize I have produced 58 free sewing tutorials since launching Sewspire in October of 2015! While that is plenty to be proud of, I still have this nagging feeling that something is missing from this platform and I think I have finally figured out what it is.

When I was dreaming up Sewspire, I imagined it would be a place where I could inspire others to follow their hearts and pursue their innate creative desires. Sewing is just one medium in which I personally choose to express my creativity; but, it is not actually the source of my creativity.

It is that “source” which I want to better convey to you. While I have always been considered a creative person, it has only been within the last few years that I have come to realize that my perceived creativity does not actually reside within me; but, rather passes through me.

So, while it feels as if I could go on forever producing sewing tutorials, I really want to take a leap of faith here and focus on the inspiration half of this platform aptly named Sewspire.

You’ll still hear from me on a weekly basis; but, rather than spending all our time sewing, we’ll be acknowledging and celebrating our collective creative genius.

If that sounds interesting, I hope you will hang around and see how it all comes together!

For those of you who also subscribe to my newsletter over at The Fourth Seam (which is my newly launched maker and Etsy business coaching platform) you also received an email this week in which I shared my 2018 resolution “to be in direct opposition to fear”.

In a nutshell, I have spent my whole life making decisions based upon how much risk I perceived their to be involved and for the most part always playing it “safe”.

As of late, I have been asking bigger questions and dreaming bigger dreams and I know if they are to come true I have to step outside of my comfort zone.

In February I will celebrate my 47th birthday. All things considered, that’s plenty of years playing it safe!  Now, as the beloved Elizabeth Gilbert says in her book Big Magic it is time to put fear in the backseat!

Want to come along for the ride?

Andrea

Sewspire Zip Top Diaper Bag Tutorial

Two new Premium PDF Sewing Tutorials now available!

Posted on by SewSpire
Sewspire Padded Camera Bag Tutorial

Sewspire Padded Camera Bag Tutorial

Sewspire Zip Top Diaper Bag Tutorial

Sewspire Zip Top Diaper Bag Tutorial

Hey y’all! As per your request, I have rebranded and rereleased my written tutorials for the Compact Padded Camera Bag and Zip Top Diaper Bag that were featured in a recent product overview video on YouTube. For a limited time, both tutorials are on sale, so if you are interested in adding them to your Sewspire PDF tutorial collection, now is the time to get those before the scheduled price increase on October 1, 2016. As time permits, I will be adding more tutorials to the Premium PDF Tutorial Collection, so please do stay tuned. As with all of my tutorials, I have geared the content towards the visual learner and have included lots of photographs and clear detailed written instructions to ensure your sewing success. If for any reason, you need more clarity, you may reach out at anytime and I will do my best to help. 

I thank you for your continued interest in my sewing designs and shall be looking forward to seeing your beautiful bags. Until then, the creative genius in me salutes the creative genius in you!

XO,

Andrea

Andrea Chapman of Sewspire

My Top 10 Favorite Handmade Gift Ideas

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Hey y’all and welcome to Sewspire!

In preparation for the holiday sewing season, that is just around the corner, I present to you my Top Ten Favorite Sewspire Sewing Tutorials. Out of all the tutorials I have published, since founding the blog in October 2015, these are my absolute favorites and the ones that I think will be warmly received this holiday season.

Enjoy and Happy Sewing!

Andrea

P.S. If you start sewing right now, and only make 1 handmade gift each day, you will have 108 Handmade Christmas gifts! Now that’s a lot of Christmas loot under the tree!

How to sew a notebook cover with zippered pocket by Sewspire

How to sew a notebook cover with zippered pocket by Sewspire

How to sew a cross body messenger tote bag

How to sew a cross body messenger tote bag

1.  Mini Saddle Bag 

2. Passport Wallet 

3. Drawstring Tote Bag 

4. Patchwork Ironing Board Cover 

5. Cord Keeper Set 

6. Notepad Cover

7. Messenger Tote Bag 

8. Notebook Cover with Zippered Pocket 

9.  MacBook Pro Sleeve 

10.  Travel Drawstring Bag 

Our first love box giveaway and a glittery crown to boot!

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Handmade Glitter Crowns for a Crafty Queen!

As a maker and a mother of four, I have a fine appreciation for the art of gifting and an affinity for handmade gifts. You know that feeling, when just for a moment, you secretly wish you could keep the gift for yourself? Well, that’s how you know you truly have found, or in this case, made the perfect gift! (And, that’s how Isabel and I feel about these glittery crowns, one of which we made especially for our Crafty Queen of the Day and Love Box Winner!)

Now without further ado, it makes me so happy to announce the very fabulous Crystal Harrison is the Crafty Queen of the Day and lucky winner of our very first Box of Love! In her response, to my query, Why do you like to receive handmade gifts? Crystal wrote, “I absolutely love receiving handmade gifts”, knowing someone took the time to create something beautiful for me, makes my heart smile! “I am a giver!” she affirmed. I love getting inspired and creating something special for someone. Whether it’s picking a theme of fabric that you know they will love or making something very useful, she said.

Congrats! Crystal and so well put! I am excited for you to receive your box full of handmade goodies and have poured my love into each piece.

Many thanks to everyone who contributed and followed along. This was a lot of fun for us and there will be many more boxes chockfull of handmade love to come, so please do stay tuned to the YouTube channel and the blog.

XO!

Andrea

P.S. Crystal, please send me an email with your shipping address and we will dispatch your Box of Love asap! You can reach me at sewinginspiration@gmail.com

Andrea Chapman of Sewspire

My first official blog post and a chance to win a box of love!

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Andrea Chapman of Sewspire

Hey y’all! I am still pinching myself over here sitting in this beautiful and peaceful studio. As promised, I am going to be adding lots of fabulous features to this forum. The first of which is a blog link whereby I can pop in (totally unannounced) and share my inspired thoughts and random ideas with you on all topics related to creativity. How fun is that? I know! I love to write and I am quite sentimental…so prepare yourself to go deep here.

Until then (because I want you to have time to gather your diving suit and all), let’s have a little fun, shall we? I’ve got a bundle of beautiful samples that I have sewn since founding this blog in October 2016 and I want to share them with you! Comment below as to “Why you love to receive handmade gifts” and I will formally enter you into a totally random drawing to win a surprise goody box chockfull of handmade love, fabric, notions and whatever else strikes my fancy! I’ll announce the winner next week here on the blog and make a special video about the box and its contents.

XO,

Andrea