Blog
Welcome to the DravonWorks sewing blog! Here you’ll find lots of sewing information. I’m one of the “technical” people, who likes to know the why’s of things. In my mind, once a Why is understood then the information can be applied in a myriad of different ways! You won’t find a whole lot of “make this item” tutorials, but you will find answers to questions like “why should I thread my machine like that versus like this?” or “do I REALLY have to do it this way?” Most of these posts are coming from questions asked by students in my classes, but if YOU have a question you’d like answered then please feel free to comment.
I know that understanding the technical stuff behind what is going on doesn’t work for everyone, but that’s why there are so many great sewing blogs out there! Find the teacher that speaks to you, and I’d love to be one of them. If you do like what you read here, be sure to share, subscribe and visit back often! Tell your friends about this sewing blog! Ask questions, share your projects or stories. Sewing is most fun when it’s a community of people sharing what inspires them. I really want to hear from you!
Bobbin Threading Hack
I worked as an instructor at a nearby sewing store teaching people how to use their machines. Before I get into teaching you the bobbin threading hack, let me tell you a very embarrassing story. Story Time! In 2003 I purchased my first computerized, high-end machine. Where I purchased it did offer a class, but it was bare bones and I was so excited to get home with my new prize that I immediately forgot everything she told me. Over the course of the first YEAR of using this machine, the stitches were highly inconsistent. At least, it seemed...
read moreFitting Artwork To Sized Pieces
In the Corvo Embroidered post, I mentioned 2 posts at least which were coming at you. This is one of them! Finally. Here I will detail how I went about making sure the finished embroidered piece was exactly sized and placed so that the pattern could then be assembled. Fortunately, this particular challenge was made significantly easier because I had a blank canvas to work on. Essentially, I had an entire cow hide that I could embroider on and then draw the cut lines to ensure everything was positioned perfectly. The next challenge, which...
read moreCorvo Embroidered
Been a while since I’ve posted anything here, but that does not mean I’ve been lolly gagging about. Far from it. I’m working very hard to build up the embroidery side of my business, and while the majority of that is aimed at business clients, there are still plenty of truly fun and creative things I get asked to do. This one has far and away been the most fun!! I’ll be cross posting this particular post not only here but also on my DW Embroidery blog since it will be total brag. The rest of the posts in this Corvo...
read moreCreative Confidence
It’s been a while since I’ve done a post. I’ll be honest here, like many creatives, I look at what I create and am not happy with what I see. My Inner Critic comes calling even during the planning process, and it just gets louder until all the praise in the world can’t drown out the Inner Critic. I spent a year and a half teaching classes almost daily and the number one thing I heard over and over again was “I’m afraid of (insert rest of sentence here).” It saddened me greatly that so many wonderfully...
read moreEasy Matching of Embroidered Pieces
There are a variety of different Block-Of-The-Month quilts available which are composed of individually embroidered squares. The example I’m using for this tutorial is the one from HoopSisters for their 2014 offering called Jacobean Journey. I’ve talked a bit about this here, but it’s mainly a color test. The first few months of blocks form the inner core and it’s pictured here while the second set is pictured here. I’ve now finished embroidering all the core blocks and I’m about to start...
read moreEmbroidery Machine Overheating
I know I’m not the only creative person out there who likes to push the limits. Having worked in a sewing machine retail store, I was initially quite shocked to learn that many of my customers owned several embroidery machines – often the same model. When I first started, I thought this was a little odd. Now? Not so much. Why might someone want multiple embroidery machines? (1) While one is embroidering something, I can still sew. Yes, I *could* get away with having my second machine as a small non-embroidery machine, but …...
read morePipeline Update: “Nottingham Saddle Cover” pattern in development
Been a while! Life has been quite busy, including moving in some new directions which means much less type for blogging. While I’ve been blogging since 2004, I was still a bit taken off guard by just how much time it demanded. Apparently when I was doing all those post mortems (project reviews) along with pictures, I didn’t have much else to do and so it didn’t quite register just how time consuming it was. Ugh. Trying to grow two businesses at the same time is darn hard, plus all the other stuff I’ve got going on. My...
read moreSample Board Teaching – Best Stitch For Sewing In Elastic
It’s been a while since I’ve done a Sample Board Teaching post. After reading a fellow sewing blogger, I was inspired to pick on this particular sample. What stitch is used to sew elastic directly onto a material? Why? While I can use a straight stitch (because I’m sewing over already stretched elastic, the straight stitch won’t break during use), I don’t recommend it because there is no width to a straight stitch. I’d have to sew multiple rows in order to adequately tack down the elastic so it...
read moreGift Art Quilt Post-Project Review
It’s finally time to complete the Project Review for the gift art quilt that I created last year. You can see some of the Pipeline Progress reports on it here and here which talk about the design and early stages of the layout challenges as well as early embroidery techniques. The quilt featured a number of experiments in it, both in terms of quilting techniques as well as embroidery applications. I’m thrilled with the outcome of pretty much all of them! Layers of Mountains. While I had a good selection of greens for the various...
read moreEasy Emulated Pleats
For those who like making Renaissance clothing, specifically 16th century clothing, there is a distinctive “look” on shirts that characterizes much of the earlier half of century. That look is the pleated shirt or smock. The pattern for this shirt is available here if you’re interested. During the years I was making lots of these shirts, I developed what I eventually dubbed my 5-Step Method for Easy Emulated Pleats. It’s quick, easy, simple and effective. I now use it quite extensively for all of my historical stuff,...
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