These 101 creative sewing projects can all be completed in less than a day--some in less than an hour! Playful and inventive, the projects include clothing for all ages, accessories, home decor items, and furnishings. Most feature embellishments and decorative effects -- simple touches that personalize a project with charm -- and use interesting textural fabrics, such as jersey knits, linen, and felt...even paper and vinyl! The authors walk readers through the sewing basics, demystify the lost art of simple pattern-making, provide visual guides to stitches, and give easy instructions for techniques such as applique, doodle-stitching, and layering of fabrics.
Improv Sewing
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From the Inside Flap
Free your creative sewing instincts with 101 projects that invite you to try everything you can imagine doing with fabric and thread --- from doodled stitches to stacked applique. There are no patterns here and hardly any rules. Simply choose your fabric (forgiving, stretchy knits work great), take a good set of measurements, and begin sewing.
Nicole Blum and Debra Immergut provide five basic clothing designs that become templates for dozens of stylish dresses, tunics, skirts, and tops, all waiting to be embellished as you like. From a ruffled sundress adorned with ribbons to a flattering t-shirt doodle-stitched with a pebble pattern, this is soft, casual clothing you'll love to wear yourself or personalize for friends and family.
In addition to dozens of wearable projects, you'll find stylish decorative items for every room in your home. From pillowcases and duvet covers to tea towels and placemats, many of these projects can be completed in an hour, and you'll be using them and enjoying their good looks for years to come.
Nicole Blum and Debra Immergut provide five basic clothing designs that become templates for dozens of stylish dresses, tunics, skirts, and tops, all waiting to be embellished as you like. From a ruffled sundress adorned with ribbons to a flattering t-shirt doodle-stitched with a pebble pattern, this is soft, casual clothing you'll love to wear yourself or personalize for friends and family.
In addition to dozens of wearable projects, you'll find stylish decorative items for every room in your home. From pillowcases and duvet covers to tea towels and placemats, many of these projects can be completed in an hour, and you'll be using them and enjoying their good looks for years to come.
About the Author
Nicole Blum is an artist, crafter, blogger, and sewing entrepreneur who sells her sewn jersey creations through her blog, One Golden Apple, and at craft fairs.
Debra Immergut is a senior editor at FamilyFun magazine. She is co-author of Improv Sewing and blogs with Nicole Blum at Improv Diary.
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4.6 out of 5 stars
23 reviews
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great easy-to-wear projects you can make to reflect your own style
Jun 27 2012
By Shala Kerrigan
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Improv Sewing by Nicole Blum and Debra Immergut is a collection of projects and patterns that you can make on the fly and sew using a standard sewing machine.
It's my favorite kind of sewing book. It doesn't depend on couture techniques or fussy cut detailed patterns. The patterns are made of simple lines and easy to create in the size you need. They leave some things unhemmed because knits don't come unraveled. Lots of embellishment techniques to create a look for yourself, your child or your home that's unique and artistic.
It starts with an introduction to fabric types and tips for sewing using a sewing machine with those fabrics, how to clip seams , use foldover elastic and ideas for thrift store shopping.
The instructions are very complete. If you're a novice sewer, you'll want to read through the chapters in order to understand how to put together the basic patterns before you get into the embellishments.
The clothes I wear the most are comfortable jersey knit skirts and dresses, and I like things that are easy to make and can be made with thrifted finds. Chapter 2 is Finding Your Fit- starting with how to take measurements, then using a well-fitting teeshirt your willing to cut up to use to make basic patterns. You will learn how to make a pattern for an a-line skirt that will fit perfectly with an elasticized waistband and how to make dress patterns with different necklines using the teeshirt pieces. The patterns use jersey knits for easy sewing.
Chapter 3 is Five Basic Designs. While there are several projects for children in this book, these patterns are for adults. They explain different sleeve types, and the patterns are easy wear casual pieces with lots of style. Tunics that can be dresses and skirts that could easily become wardrobe staples. Two of the skirts use woven fabrics. My favorite is the three panel wrap skirt.
In Chapter 4, Ruffles, Pleats and Trims, you'll use your basic pattern pieces with techniques like ruffles, ruching, shirring, binding and pleats to make dresses and shirts. My favorite project in this chapter is a toss up between the very feminine ruffled dressy dress and the ruffled wrap.
Chapter 5, Lines, uses lines of thread machine sewn for embellishing. This chapter has some clothing, but it also has a bunch of great home accessories that also make good gifts. My favorite projects are the nesting boxes made of canvas with great contrasting thread details and the meandering cardigan made from an old long sleeve teeshirt.
Chapter 6, Doodling, Sketching and Writing, doodle stitching with your sewing machine. Creating images and designs, this chapter has an introduction which explains the basic method. There are great home decor projects in this chapter, as well as a tubular constructed sun dress with a nice detail of leaf embroidery. My favorite projects are the fiddlehead dress with it's delicately spiraled fiddlehead fern shapes, and the potluck dish cover.
Chapter 7, Applique, has both regular applique and reverse applique projects. The scarf from the cover is in this chapter. My favorite projects are the colorful All-Weather Applique Mobile, and the easy to sew Hoodie Scarf which also makes a wonderful gift.
Chapter 8 , Stenciling, one of my favorite techniques, these are freezer paper stencils for nice sharp lines. A monogrammed shaving pouch that makes a nice gift for men and a soft knit wrap skirt stenciled with an umbrella are my favorites from this chapter.
Chapter 9 , Beyond Fabric, is non-fabrics. Sewn paper, plastic, cork, Tyvek and vinyl. I love the pencil pouch that could be made using a favorite sketch and the wind spinner made from card stock.
Chapter 10 is Upcyling! One of my favorite things in the world. Felted sweaters make long mitts, cotton fabric from old shirts and dresses to make very pretty potholders and other wonderful projects. My favorite is the wrap skirt made from 3 men's dress shirts.
Chapter 11 is Instant Gifts, Instant Gratification, super quick to sew items that make great gifts for friends on short notice. These use techniques from the previous chapters to make small, fun gifts. The loose leaf paper machine stitched to look like notebook paper can be hand embroidered with your personal note. I like the idea of stitching that with something like "Michael + Shala= True Love 4-ever" for a newly married couple. The jersey shawl is really easy to make and customize and that's my other favorite project from this chapter.
It finishes nicely with the templates for the decorations, a resources list and a complete index.
[I received a complimentary copy of the book to review on my craft blog- Don't Eat the Paste. My reviews are always my honest opinion]
It's my favorite kind of sewing book. It doesn't depend on couture techniques or fussy cut detailed patterns. The patterns are made of simple lines and easy to create in the size you need. They leave some things unhemmed because knits don't come unraveled. Lots of embellishment techniques to create a look for yourself, your child or your home that's unique and artistic.
It starts with an introduction to fabric types and tips for sewing using a sewing machine with those fabrics, how to clip seams , use foldover elastic and ideas for thrift store shopping.
The instructions are very complete. If you're a novice sewer, you'll want to read through the chapters in order to understand how to put together the basic patterns before you get into the embellishments.
The clothes I wear the most are comfortable jersey knit skirts and dresses, and I like things that are easy to make and can be made with thrifted finds. Chapter 2 is Finding Your Fit- starting with how to take measurements, then using a well-fitting teeshirt your willing to cut up to use to make basic patterns. You will learn how to make a pattern for an a-line skirt that will fit perfectly with an elasticized waistband and how to make dress patterns with different necklines using the teeshirt pieces. The patterns use jersey knits for easy sewing.
Chapter 3 is Five Basic Designs. While there are several projects for children in this book, these patterns are for adults. They explain different sleeve types, and the patterns are easy wear casual pieces with lots of style. Tunics that can be dresses and skirts that could easily become wardrobe staples. Two of the skirts use woven fabrics. My favorite is the three panel wrap skirt.
In Chapter 4, Ruffles, Pleats and Trims, you'll use your basic pattern pieces with techniques like ruffles, ruching, shirring, binding and pleats to make dresses and shirts. My favorite project in this chapter is a toss up between the very feminine ruffled dressy dress and the ruffled wrap.
Chapter 5, Lines, uses lines of thread machine sewn for embellishing. This chapter has some clothing, but it also has a bunch of great home accessories that also make good gifts. My favorite projects are the nesting boxes made of canvas with great contrasting thread details and the meandering cardigan made from an old long sleeve teeshirt.
Chapter 6, Doodling, Sketching and Writing, doodle stitching with your sewing machine. Creating images and designs, this chapter has an introduction which explains the basic method. There are great home decor projects in this chapter, as well as a tubular constructed sun dress with a nice detail of leaf embroidery. My favorite projects are the fiddlehead dress with it's delicately spiraled fiddlehead fern shapes, and the potluck dish cover.
Chapter 7, Applique, has both regular applique and reverse applique projects. The scarf from the cover is in this chapter. My favorite projects are the colorful All-Weather Applique Mobile, and the easy to sew Hoodie Scarf which also makes a wonderful gift.
Chapter 8 , Stenciling, one of my favorite techniques, these are freezer paper stencils for nice sharp lines. A monogrammed shaving pouch that makes a nice gift for men and a soft knit wrap skirt stenciled with an umbrella are my favorites from this chapter.
Chapter 9 , Beyond Fabric, is non-fabrics. Sewn paper, plastic, cork, Tyvek and vinyl. I love the pencil pouch that could be made using a favorite sketch and the wind spinner made from card stock.
Chapter 10 is Upcyling! One of my favorite things in the world. Felted sweaters make long mitts, cotton fabric from old shirts and dresses to make very pretty potholders and other wonderful projects. My favorite is the wrap skirt made from 3 men's dress shirts.
Chapter 11 is Instant Gifts, Instant Gratification, super quick to sew items that make great gifts for friends on short notice. These use techniques from the previous chapters to make small, fun gifts. The loose leaf paper machine stitched to look like notebook paper can be hand embroidered with your personal note. I like the idea of stitching that with something like "Michael + Shala= True Love 4-ever" for a newly married couple. The jersey shawl is really easy to make and customize and that's my other favorite project from this chapter.
It finishes nicely with the templates for the decorations, a resources list and a complete index.
[I received a complimentary copy of the book to review on my craft blog- Don't Eat the Paste. My reviews are always my honest opinion]
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
best sewing book ever!
Aug 22 2012
By debra
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
i had my doubts when i first got this book, as i've seen so many sewing books that are, well, blah...but was i impressed! it totally takes the fear out of sewing your own way. i kinda like doing something original and not having a whole lot of structured (read difficult) instructions and rules when i'm creating, and this book is just the ticket. i've never really made a clothing pattern of my own before, and within a couple of days, i had read through, drew up a pattern, and created the 4-panel dress, and it fits great, looks great, and it was really easy and fun-no kidding! i've converted a top into a cardigan, and i'm just getting ready to make a couple of skirts, and i've only had the book for about a week and a half! it is truly inspirational! if you love to sew, or you want to learn to make really cute, on trend clothing and other items, in a relaxed, creative, and non-stress-inducing kind of way, this is the book for you! you will not be disappointed by this book, trust me!
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Inspirational
May 14 2012
By Jan Whitaker
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
I bought the book a few days ago and have paged through it several times already. A friend who was visiting saw it and bought it the next day. It's beautifully put together and shows a lot of thought and talent behind it. I can't imagine anyone who reads it not being inspired to take on a project or two. Personally, I'm a make-it type person and I've always wanted to figure out how I could refashion old t-shirts. Now I've got several ideas in mind and can't wait to get started.
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4.6 out of 5 stars
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