Blum Nicole - Improv Sewing

improv sewing

101
fast, fun, and fearless projects

by nicole blum and debra immergut
photography by alexandra grablewski

The mission of Storey Publishing is to serve our customers by
publishing practical information that encourages
personal independence in harmony with the environment.

Edited by
Deborah Balmuth and
Beth Baumgartel
Art direction and book design by
Carolyn Eckert

Cover and interior photography by Alexandra Grablewski, except for front cover (title) by Mars Vilaubi, (left) by Nicole Blum

Photo styling by Nicole Blum
Illustrations by Ryan McMenamy
Templates by Missy Shepler,
Shepler Studios

Indexed by Catherine Goddard

Special thanks to Porches,
www.porches.com, for generously
allowing us to use the inn in our
photo shoots. Shot on location in the
Berkshires, Massachusetts.

2012 by Nicole Blum and
Debra Immergut

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages or reproduce illustrations in a review with appropriate credits; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwithout written permission from the publisher.

The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the author or Storey Publishing. The author and publisher disclaim any liability in connection with the use of this information.

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Storey Publishing
210 MASS MoCA Way
North Adams, MA 01247
www.storey.com

Printed in China by R.R. Donnelley
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file

For Jonny, Ava, and Harrythe most creative and

lovely people I know.n.b.

For my darling improv geniuses, John and Joe.d.i.

This all began because we wanted to create a different kind of sewing book.

We wanted to share our belief that creating should be about pursuing joy, not pursuing perfection.

Weve called the book Improv Sewing because we adore the happy accidents, the trial-by-error learning, and the oh-so-sweet flashes of inspiration that can happen when you free yourself to follow your instincts.

In the pages that follow, we map out each how-to step and even use official sewing terms now and again, but its really not about grainlines and seam allowances for us. Instead, its about enjoying the journey as your thread travels across the fabric. Do this, and in the end, youll have made something lovely and wonderful, because it will be made as only you, working at this moment in time, can make it.

With all that in mind, weve created over a hundred projects that allow for all kinds of improvisation. If you dont have a fabric or tool mentioned in the material list, just use what youve got. If you dont feel like hemming an edge, well, then keep it raw. Use our templates, or pencil your own. Follow our measurements to the eighth of an inch, or fudge it a little. These projects are meant to encourage all that. As you sew, know that mistakes are an important part of the process. Remember that even the project you feel like scrapping has value in what its taught you. No home ec teacher is going to be judging your stitches; no reality-TV show judge is going to critique your cut. The only person you need to please is yourself. Keep a playful mind-set, keep at it, and soon youll have a closet of cool custom-fit looks, a home filled with artful touches, and a life filled with friends and families whove been the happy recipients of your handmade gifts.

A few of our designs are a bit involved, but most of the projects are fast and fuss-free, because thats what fits our lives and our natures. If you similarly have more desire to create than you have time to do it, youll be right at home here.

Were well aware that our approach is unconventional, and thats likely because neither of us has a traditional background in sewing. Nicoles grandmother didnt sew, and her mom didnt sew. She steered clear of home economics in school and had a distorted image of sewing as a really difficult process with a lot of terminology, a lot of markings that made no sense to her, and a world of books that were too technical to be interesting. She came to it as an adult with a general DIY approach to her life. Debra has been intimidated by sewing machines all her life, and in fact spent years avoiding buying one, as they seemed to promise only guilt and frustration.

And yet here we are now, women with families and careers (and sewing machines), and we are making things like crazy and loving it, and increasing the amount of beauty in our lives by large amounts. Thats the feeling we wanted to share. We hope this book will be an informative and super-inspiring read, but mostly, we want it to inspire you to stop reading and start sewing.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

First, start with the basics. Sure, youll be tempted, but dont skip it contains tips on fabric selection and presents some key how-tos for constructing and finishing your projects.

Next, learn to sew five building blocks for your wardrobe. shows you how to use them to sew five basic garmentsa tunic, a dress, and three skirts. These are the starting point for many of the other garment projects in the book.

Then, add your own style with some easy and creative embellishment techniques. , or try something completely differentan appliqud scarf, a stenciled dog bed, or a set of geometric place mats.

Finally, dont forget to play around and have fun! let you really cut loose, encouraging you to stitch up projects using low-stakes materials and thrift-store finds. Get tons of ideas for turning lifes castoffs (cereal-box cardboard, torn t-shirts, tacky jackets) into lovely creations for everyone in your life, including yourself.