Brooklyn Sewcializing: Sewing Club & Colette Party!

Brooklyn Sewing Club May 26 meet-up (L to R): Lee with Cabarita, Clio with hippo dragon friend, me and my Hummingbirds, Valerie in a Lisette skirt, Cindy and her watermelon socks, Nettie and her Tiny Pocket Tank/Meringue mashup, Liz w/ a Simplicity mock-wrap dress

Even in the darkest depths of my no-sewing-possible illness and fatigue, I tried whenever I wasn't super ill to make it to the monthly Brooklyn Sewing Club. Even when I had nothing to show during our latest projects go-round, I think it helped keep me grounded and hopeful and inspired.

But this time was WAY more fun because I actually had several finished objects to show off!

We had a little potluck feast... mostly cookies, fruit and tortilla chips. You know. Dinner. (Everyone was so awesome and carefully avoided bringing nut or sesame-containing products that would be dangerous for my daughter, and many people even brought specially allergy-safe items so she could eat them too!):

(That's little Z in the foreground eating a strawberry).

We did our usual go-round, shared our latest sewing and knitting projects and plans for upcoming makes. We also discussed sewing and fitting challenges, and I think next time we might do a more fitting-oriented session (it can be SO hard to fit yourself, especially in the back... I cannot count the number of times I have stuck myself with pins as a result).

Then there was a dive for the fabric and pattern swap piles—we hadn't done either in a while:

I think I gave away two pieces of fabric and four or five patterns, and I took home two of each. How fabulous is this Simplicity 1653 mock-wrap dress with flutter sleeves? And that blue and purple print knit p is just right for it, too!

The Butterick B5749 is also really cute but I've seen reviewers complain it is complicated to make and there are errors in the instructions. (But isn't this version by Rachel at Prismatoria AWESOME?)

Cocktails with Colette!

Also, a few weeks earlier, some members of the club went to the Colette Patterns cocktail party at Brooklyn General. Sadly I had no actual Colette to wear, but it was fun to see most everyone out and about in their best Macarons and Gingers and Laurels.

Here's Sarai in a lovely eyelet dress (and two fabulous women whose names I didn't catch):

Brooklyn Sewing Club members, including yours truly:

Oh look, it's Bright as a Button and GingerMakes:

Anyway, a lovely time was had by all, and the drinks were nearly as fancy as the pretty dresses!

And I'm actually not sew sure if I like the word "sewcial" or not, but I think I just need to give up being sew picky and embrace all the "sew" puns already. Ahem.

P.S. Speaking of sewcializing, I believe there's some big NYC meetup happening Saturday at Prospect Park in Brooklyn... but I'm going to be in Massachusetts celebrating my 33rd birthday and attending my 10th Harvard Reunion (in a $4 vintage strapless black velvet peplum dress, if you must know).

A Brooklyn Sewing Meetup & Swap!

Really, is there anything MORE fun than sitting around relaxing on a Sunday evening with a bunch of talented seamstresses, eating delicious food, talking sewing (and even knitting) plans and projects and sipping bubbly drinks? How about swapping FREE fabric and FREE patterns?

Seriously, I had such a fabulous weekend. I took my daughter to see the cherry blossoms at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, a cartoonist friend who had just been announced as a finalist for the Pulitzer came to visit my husband and me ... AND I went to an awesome Brooklyn sewing meetup and pattern/fabric swap.

Now, I've been attending the monthly Brooklyn BurdaStyle Sewing Club meetups on and off since 2010 (see "Meet the Brooklyn BSC!"), and they are always a blast. BUT to add even more fun this time, we had several new attendees ... and they may be familiar faces to some of you!

From left to right:

• Dina holding the beautiful eyelet lace wrap dress she made for her bridal shower (sorry, I forget the pattern number, but she tried it on for us and it fits her perfectly... I do know she got her eyelet fabric at Mood).
• Lee (of Sew Weekly Contributor fame) wearing her gorgeous handwoven Indian cotton circle skirt.
• My daughter Z, having a blast in her Kit Cat Cute corduroy overalls, and admiring...
• Wanett, aka Nettie, aka Sown Brooklyn (also of Sew Weekly fame), wearing her "Quick & Dirty Cowl" (her free tutorial here), and holding up her fabulous "Luck of the Concrete Jungle" dress.
• Me, with bedraggled caught-in-rainstorm hair, wearing my Jalie scarf collar top and triumphant wide-legged (and highish waisted) trousers, and my recently darned handknit socks--and holding Z's Tomten jacket.
• Our wonderful hostess Valerie wearing her lovely new voile print blouse.
• Liz and her super-awesome plaid Simplicity 2176 sundress.

I was worried Wanett and Lee might think I was a stalker when I commented on their blogs out of the blue asking them to come to the meetup... but they both braved a horrendous downpour to share their fabulous sewing projects and plans--and some tasty baked goods!

At our meetup we:

• Went around the table taking turns sharing our latest sewing and knitting projects and plans... sharing triumphs and fails alike and trading advice.
• Talked super-nerdy sewing talk about serging and hem finishes and bodice alterations and waistband interfacing.
• Watched Z run around in circles squealing in joy (she had so much fun she didn't even eat the dinner I brought her).
• Ate yummy food.
• Sipped sweet tea and prosecco.
• Swapped patterns and fabric.

I was really glad of the swap, as I had some really nice fabrics sitting in the stash that deserved a better home--a good-quality gray wool pinstripe suiting that is too neutral in color for me, a purple stretch crepe that was just one too many purple fabrics for me, some lovely rayons and cottons (including one that didn't work for my Mad Men dress dickey but was so awesome it deserved some love). I also gave away quite a few of my 1960s a-line and drop-waist dress patterns, since that's just not my silhouette.

As tempting as the array of free fabric and patterns (including some Vogue designer patterns and some vintage patterns) were, I forced myself to take only one piece of fabric and two patterns--all for Z, not me:

All in all an awesome night--thanks ladies! And now I'm super-motivated to get going on my next spring sewing project!

Anyway, if you're interested, drop me a line. Our club is very welcoming--we even have a member who comes in from Manhattan. And you DON'T have to only sew BurdaStyle patterns, of course--many of us do, but all sewing at all levels is welcome!

So, the question of the day: how often do YOU get to hang out with other sewing-obsessed people in real life (if at all)?

P.S. Here's my daughter admiring some cherry blossom petals at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens:

Oh, and speaking of my daughter... when I went to go wake her up this morning, I found her standing in her crib smiling, wearing a red polka dot sunhat and purple polka dot shorts (OVER her pajamas) and saying "Polka dot! Polka dot!" I'm so sorry I didn't get a picture!

Meet the Brooklyn BSC!

Showing off some of our latest projects: Ana and her jumper, Valerie and her BurdaStyle shorts, Kathrin, me in my polka dot maternity modified Jalie 2005 T and self-drafted gingham maternity skirt holding another polka dot top; Dina and her glittery Burda magazine jacket, Cheryl and her lovely dress (pattern copied from vintage RTW...)

...And I don't mean the Babysitter's Club (though I totally had 40 of those books when I was 9).

It was a warm spring Sunday in Brooklyn yesterday and I took a long and lovely (if rather breathless--Cartoonist Baby is really squishing my lungs these days) stroll down to Carroll Gardens for my second monthly meeting of the Brooklyn BurdaStyle Sewing Club.

This club is just way too fun and fabulous! They (we, actually!) get together once a month, usually at an apartment in Brooklyn, share tasty snacks, and obsessively talk fabric, patterns, magazines, machines--you know the drill. There's a little show and tell where we go around in a circle, display our latest projects, talk about what we're working on next and share/solicit advice. Everyone has her (so far just women at the two meetups I attended) own distinct taste, but there seems to be a general love (unsurprisingly) for BurdaStyle web and magazine patterns.

And we bring fabric and envelope patterns to swap--I restrained myself this time and just destashed without making any new acquisitions, though last time I picked up a beautiful B&W silk charmeuse print for the great price of FREE.

Kathrin and Dina checking out the fabric/pattern swap pile... Dina is wearing the Burda 3/2010 magazine jumpsuit made from fabric from Spandex House.

I had been feeling a little lonely in my sewing pursuits--most of my local friends are more of the knitting persuasion!--and this has been a perfect antidote. Though the next meeting might be my last for a little while, depending on when Cartoonist Baby makes her debut...

The group officially has 25 members and counting, though at the two meetups I attended there were just 7 or 8 of us.

From L to R: club founders Ana and Valerie, Kathrin, me (Mikhaela) in my polka dot maternity modified Jalie 2005 T and self-drafted gingham maternity skirt; Dina in her Burda magazine jumpsuit (March 2010, I think), Cheryl.

Robin in a fabulous self-drafted jacket

Anyway, if you live in Brooklyn (or don't mind the subway ride) and love to sew, please drop Valerie a line, we'd love to have you!

Update: I should have mentioned--there are BurdaStyle sewing clubs all over the country (and world)! Here's a list, maybe there's one near you (or you can start one!)