Texture Magic!

           Recently, at Martha's Sewing Market, I taught a class on how to use a new product called "Texture Magic". It is made by Superior Threads and is truly a remarkable new notion that makes fabric three dimensional! Yes, you read that right. So, what is it? Well, it is made of 100% polyester (chemically treated with some form of "magic"!); not an acetate fiber as I thought. It is machine washable and dry able. What does it do? When you sew it to a fabric and steam it, it will shrink 30% in all directions ~ permanently!  Once it "shrinks", it does not continue to do so. And, one last fact, it does not require the use of any other stabilizers. As you can see from the pillow above, the result if quite pretty.

                     So, lets look at some examples of how cool this stuff is and what kind of things you can do with it. Here are a few other examples: first a beautiful quilt above where the Texture Magic has been utilized on certain blocks. See, here is a close up:

                                   

 Here is a picture of a gorgeous table runner.

     

A close up view shows how it changes any fabric to be three dimensional! 

       

                      Using texture magic on a beautiful black moire satin results in a spectacular little evening bag. A wonderful customer of mine presented me with this little bag before the sewing expo to inspire others. I love it! 

Thank you, Diane!

   

                    And, another dear customer, Rachel,  made this awesome jacket out of an embroidered & sequined fine wale corduroy. She wanted to make the garment to really pop with personality. The pattern that she chose had these wonderful inserted panels that just begged for embellishment. So, . . . using a gorgeous silk with texture magic applied, achieved this result. Isn't it incredibly beautiful! 

By the way, she is 82 and sews every single day! She is a very happy lady!

                               So, what king of fabrics can you use? Just about anything! Above you have seen cottons (the pillow, the quilt & the table runner), acetate moire (the little evening bag) and silk (the jacket). I frequently use it for children's fashions. Like our little girl's dress kit, "Blush" (which is now sold out) and two NEW kits, "Dixie Chick" and "Miss Priss" (both are little girl's skirt kits with embellished tee's that are available on our website).

       

  

Okay, you say, so how do you use the stuff?

•             Cut out a piece of fabric & TM the same size. Bear in mind that it will “shrink up” 30% in all directions. (A chart is included with each package)
•             Spray an adhesive such as 505 to baste the fabric to the TM OR pin baste the two together.  

•             Stitch the two together: use a free form stitching, stitch in a grid pattern, plain straight lines (maybe squiggle lines) or use some of your decorative stitches.

  

•             Set your iron at its hottest setting & push to steam.
•             With the TM facing up, steam it all over. DO NOT TOUCH THE IRON TO THE TEXTURE MAGIC as it will stiffen (melt).

•             If you are making a texture section of fabric, then proceed with your project. If you are using this for an applique, now trace the applique pieces to the back (on the TM side).
•             Stitch along this traced line.
•             Cut just outside the traced & stitched line. This will prevent your “texure” from releasng along the shape’s perimeter.

•             Pin your applique pieces to your project (or use fabric glue). Stitch to secure: an open zig zag, a satin stitch . . . maybe some trim like rick rack!

•             If you are using wonder under to attach other compoments to your applique, then use a teflon pressing sheet so that you will not “crush” the area with TM.  

So, go forth and have fun with a little Texture Magic! 

Oh, and by the way, you can order it from Sew It Up.com in our Crafts department!

Next blog, more ideas of what you can do with Texture Magic!

"School's out for the summer!" ~ time to play!

        












 I believe that our little shop is finally back in order! Post Martha's Sewing Market is always like a disaster zone. You could hardly walk with all of the boxes stacked up awaiting the tedious inventory and subsequent unpacking . . . And the 120+ bolts of new fabrics strewn about! But, all of the Sew It Up sisters have worked diligently to get everything back in order and displayed beautifully! Wouldn't you agree? 

                Martha's Sewing Market was once again a fabulous show for Sew It Up! Our booth was "mobbed" on Thursday. All of my classes on Thursday and Friday were "standing room only" as well. It did slow down appreciably on Saturday as did all of us. It takes immeasurable stamina to get ready for a show of this genre and to manage our  four booths. We are always grateful for our wonderful "fabric volunteers" who help out every year. This was the first year that my daughter, Anna, was not here to run the register :( This was our twelfth year to exhibit for Martha. For those of you who have watched her grow up and were wondering where she was this year, well, who am I to brag! Just Mom! She is working on her dissertation for her Master's of Art History at the University of Bristol in Great Britain. She'll be coming home in August, but only briefly. She has been accepted into a Phd program in the fall at the University of Virginia. Ah, another chapter.

        













Getting back to the classes at Martha's Sewing Market, I taught three different classes; Creative Designing with Texture Magic, 20 Tips to Improve your Fashion Sewing and Secrets of Successful Design. I am currently working on a mini lesson on using Texture Magic. I will be posting it here on my blog very soon. The class that I taught for Martha this year that was the most fun was the pre-day Sit 'n Sew: Boutique Chic. I loved being able to share with so many talented seamstresses! After a lesson on how to  use  a variety of fabrics, prints and trims all in one garment, I then I taught shirring ~ how to fill your bobbin, set your tension correctly and shir! The last technique covered was  how to make super easy & fast ruffles. For many this was the first time that they had ever made a beautiful rolled hem. What a rush!

And, lastly, here is a picture of the final product being modeled by Lindsey. Her loving mother made her the dress especially for her Kindergarden graduation! Isn't she beautiful!

          So, now that the show is behind us, what is next?

                                      VACATION! 

I am leaving tomorrow for Houston to visit my Mom for four days. I'll be home for just a couple of days and then its a trip across the pond to see my sweet Anna! I can't wait to hug her!!! When I return, I'll take a few days to catch up at the shop and then its off to Colorado with my husband and son for three weeks! Yippee!!! But, not to fear, I will still be creating. In fact I never quit. I am already designing for the fall/winter kits. And, . . .  I am working on my own pattern line!