Lovely summer lids!

I've been a busy bee making some reversible hats for kids but in the process have been getting tons of requests for adult sun hats. Here's what I've come up with and there's plenty more to come!

Folk Fest threads at Sew Dandee!

Today has been filled with new and lovely handmade goodness here at Sew Dandee! Nova Shawls by local designer, Voila by Andreanne that are sure to be your go-to piece as you can wear it as a shawl, skirt, top, scarf or whatever shape you can dream up! And since it's made from organic cotton and bamboo, it feels kitten soft on your skin to keep you cool on the hot days to come.

And we have another local designer in the mix! Heidi of Heidi and Seek Boutique! She uses 100% recycled fabrics to make the sweetest tanks and dresses. Her maxi sheet dress is sure to be your #1 piece for the summer! Come check them out!

FREE WORKSHOP PASSES!

I just got word that the amazing organization, UNPAC, is sponsoring some FREE workshop passes to be raffled off during our Workshop Launch Party on Friday June 21st! Just another reason you should come by and join in on the crafty fun! Check out their website to see all the great work for women they're doing here in Winnipeg.

Crafty Drop-In Nights at Sew Dandee!

Starting on June 26th, I'll be hosting a crafty drop-in night here at Sew Dandee from 6pm to 8pm once a month. It's the perfect way to spend an evening working on a project, getting some inspiration from our crafty library and getting any help or advise you might need on a project you're stuck on. It's on a donation basis so pay what you can or not at all. Everyone is welcome!

Get Your Yarn On!

Don't forget to come down to Sew Dandee to register for the Crocheted Yarn Bomb Workshop happening here at the shop next week Wednesday, June 12th from 6pm to 9pm!

Make Your Own Monster Workshop is back!

I've added yet another workshop to the June schedule and it's one that I KNOW is a hit with all ages! Register today here at Sew Dandee for the Make Your Own Monster Workshop on Monday June 24th. If that date doesn't work for you and you can gather 3 or 4 friends to join you, I'd be happy to schedule a private workshop for you. Just call me at the shop for more info! Here's the basic details:
Make your own goofy, creepy, scary, adorable monster out of fabric scraps, vintage buttons and whatever else we've got on hand! All you need to bring is an old pillow or a bag of stuffing and your creative spirit.
The workshop runs from 6pm until about 9pm and takes place right here at Sew Dandee at 105 Osborne St.
Anyone under the age of 16 needs to be accompanied by an adult. The cost is $25 plus gst per monster made. No sewing experience necessary. I only have room for four people per workshop so be sure to register here at Sew Dandee before June 22nd.If you'd like to have a private monster making workshop with up to four people, give me a call here at the shop and we'll make it happen! 204-453-5110
As always, check out our Facebook page for any updates and event details!

Mark your calendars!

Here is the June Calendar of Events and Workshops at Sew Dandee!

Another workshop has been added to the June calendar at Sew Dandee! Check out the info below or check out our Facebook Event Page! Sign up at the shop today and get your yarn on!

Workshop & Drop-in Studio Launch Party!!

So, it's happening!! I'm so excited to get this off the ground and it would be great if you could join me in the launch party for our new workshop space and drop-in studio here at the shop! Workshops are starting up in June and I've already got the first one scheduled: Hem Those Pants! It's happening on June 18th from 6 to 9pm for $40. Come down to the shop to get more information and to register or call first to make sure the class hasn't already filled up. I'll be running this same workshop again twice in July so you'll get your chance to take part if the June date doesn't work for you.

And this is only the beginning of a plethora of super fun crafty workshops to come! I'll be sure to post a monthly calendar here and on our Facebook page for you to stay up to date on what's coming up. I also plan on having Crafty Drop-in Nights once a month too that will be a great place to just come hang out with your project, get some help and ideas and inspiration. LOTS more details to come so stay in touch and I hope to see you at the launch party!

Mother's Day is THIS SUNDAY!!

Looking for that perfect card for Mom? We've got you covered! And we've got all kinds of great gifts for her, too!

Spring has sprung some new adventures at Sew Dandee!

Once again, my apologies for my lack of posts here on the blog. I tend to be more active on the Sew Dandee Facebook page so if you're one of the many Facebookers out there, be sure to start following our page if you don't already. It's the best place to find all the upcoming events, parties, sales and what's new on the racks info plus I post about all things crafty going on in the city too to keep you in the know. Well, Sew Dandee is now six years old and I believe it's time for some evolution here at the store! Over the next month I'll be making some changes here at the shop making room for a workshop studio space. I'm VERY excited about this project and would love any and all feedback, suggestions, requests from all of you. I plan to offer various workshops on projects that involve sewing, crochet, knitting, card making and whatever else you guys might want to try your hand at. Once I've got the workshop space all set up and ready to go, I also plan to offer the space up for drop-ins and craft nights, too for those of you who don't have your own sewing machines or crafting supplies. The best way to have your voice heard is to visit our Facebook page or pop me an email at sewdandee at gmail dot com with your ideas. Or better yet, come see me at the shop and tell me your thoughts in person! As of today, we're now open late on both Thursday AND Friday until 9pm so I hope to see you soon!

Days 19, 20 & 21 of Me Made March

Day 19: One of my favourite pieces in my closet, a custom made dress by Melanie Wesley that I added a cowl collar to, thrifted vintage black slip, silk screened cumber tie belt made by me and Voila leggings. Day 20: Made by me denim zip dress and sweater leggings. Red leg warmers were a wonderful find at a local thrift shop. Day 21: Reworked sweater and legwarmers by me and thrifted pants that I altered.

Me Made March continues!

Days 16 & 17: Needless to say, I didn't leave the house (more like the kitchen) all weekend so this was my outfit for both Saturday and Sunday. Adorable apron from Boojiboo on Etsy, hoodie that I replaced the cuffs on and hand me down leggings from my Ma along with some hand knit thrifted legwarmers and my felted slippers from a great shop on Etsy. And if you ever want to know what I'm making all day in the kitchen, check out my Pinterest boards and you'll get a good idea. Day 18: This is one of my favourite tops that I made using just the front image area of a Dark Cycle shirt and attached it to a thrifted sweater. I carry these awesome t-shirts here at the shop and this one came with a blob of ink on the sleeve so the makers said to do what I want with it and they sent a replacement. Along with the sweater, I'm wearing a tube skirt I made using the bottom half of an old ratty shirt of mine along with some thrift store stretch knit fabric for the waistband. To finish off the outfit I've got my Voila leggings and my tried and true legwarmers that helped keep the mountains of snow out of my boots on my walk this morning.

Me Made March Days 14 & 15

Day 14: Today I'm wearing a nice blend of some of my favourite local makers. The long sleeve shirt is made by me, silk screened bike shirt is by Lady t, tube skirt is by Andrea Pelletier and the leggings are by Voila. Day 15: Made by me reworked tunic and pencil skirt made from scratch using new and thrifted fabric. Leggings by Voila and I've added some legwarmers that I made out of a scarf. They were required wearing today seeing as it's minus frickin' twenty nine with the wind chill.

Days 12 & 13 of Me Made March

Day 12: Tuesday I wore a recycled fabric shirt by Montreal line, Encore and thrifted pants that I altered to make them more narrow in the legs. I found this awesome shirt in a fantastic shop in Montreal called Rien a Cache. This shop was chock full of local designer's work including a ton of reworked creations which, needless to say, made me VERY happy. And overwhelmed. I spent a lot of money there. I felt damn good about it! Day 13: Today I've got a thrifted long sleeve shirt under a dress I made using a thrifted skirt that I silk screened with my handlebar mustache bike design and added a beautiful thrifted top to the skirt to make it a dress. Leggings by Voila and legwarmers were hand knit and thrifted.

Day 11: Me made dress using the top half of one of my other reworked pieces along with a peter pan collar & my favourite dress form fabric for the skirt portion of the dress. Voila leggings & cut off tights socks. Don't forget you can follow me on the Facebook event page for Me Made March too! You can post what you're wearing that is handmade too! I'd love to see what you've been making or finding out there that's handmade, reworked or thrifted.

Me Made March Weekend Wear

Day 9 & Day 10: This weekend I was a little under the weather so I kept it comfy. Saturday I wore a thrifted long sleeve under a thrifted sweater along with my me made skirt & sweater leggings. Sunday was another day resting with a bit of kitchen time in a thrifted long sleeve & yard sale find stretchy pants. And the fantastic vintage Portugal apron was a Valentine's Day gift from my sweet Ma who found this gem in one of the great Penticton thrift stores where she lives.

Day 8: Made by me shrug made using a couple different thrifed tops, handmade shirt made with thrift store fabric and silk screened with one of my bike designs, reworked sweater and t-shirt tube skirt, cut off legging socks and jersey cowl. And as usual, Voila leggings to bring it all together!

I'm SO very excited about this event at Sew Dandee! I hope you can all make it! Check out our Facebook event page for all the juicy details. The name really says it all. You won't want to miss it. Plus there will be treats so...... need I say more??

Day 7 of Me Made March

Day 7: Thrifted long sleeve shirt under a tunic reworked from a sweater dress and button up top along with my Voila leggings and cut off tights socks. Oh and my woolies that my Dad gave me. On a side note, Blogger has changed how you post pictures and I can't figure out how to make them larger and change their placement on the page so forgive the haphazard layout lately.

Me Made March Day 6

Day 6: Made by me dress made with old socks for the sleeves, a ratty t-shirt and the bottom half of a tunic. My striped socks were kid's tights that my Mom lovingly bought for me thinking they were adult size so needless to say, they didn't fit as tights but are my favourite socks. And of course, Voila organic bamboo fleece leggings.

Day 5 of Me Made March

Day 5: Yesterday I made my first pair of sweater leggings and I'm in LOVE! My top was a tank that I added sleeves to using the legs of a pair of p.j.s I got from a clothing swap.

Day 4 of Me Made March

Day 4: Made by me reworked tunic, tube skirt and big zip wool coat. Voila leggings, Ellen Paulley cowl and hand knit thrifted legwarmers.

Me Made March weekend wear

Day 2: Made by me: long sleeve top and reworked sweaters turned into a dress and Voila leggings. Day 3: Sundays are my kitchen duty days so you'll see my collection of handmade and vintage aprons. Today I pulled out my locally made dish towel (by Donna of Pure Paper Extract) I turned into a full apron along with my Voila leggings again :) and a pieced together long sleeve and my hoodie with new cuffs.

Me Made March Madness!

I've decided to try out Me Made March once again and this time I'm pushing myself the extra mile trying to wear at least 90% handmade/reworked! The whole idea of Me Made March is to wear something (or everything) handmade every day for the month of March. There's a lot of room for making your own rules like including second hand clothing, wearing one piece a day that is handmade, wearing handmade jewellery, you get the idea! And you don't need to necessarily be the one who did the making. The whole idea is to connect with the clothing and accessories you choose to wear and making a conscious decision to support local designers and artists of all kinds. A couple friends of mine are making the project even easier for you by offering workshops every Saturday all month long at the lovely Tara Davis Studio Boutique! Check out their Facebook event page for all the details. And you MUST come to the kick off party tonight, too! I'll be posting pictures and details of my outfits every day on the Facebook event page for the month of March and I encourage you to share your pictures too, if you're taking part. Whether you're wearing 100% handmade or a pair of earrings your friend made, it all counts! Show me your creations or the creations of other handmakers! Or if you just have ideas for handmade projects, share those too! Let's get inspired, people! Here's my Day 1 outfit: Made by me: Tunic made with recycled turtle neck shirt with added kitty Peter Pan collar and ruffle bottom, thigh high socks are cut off tights, thrifted zip up silk screened with my Less Drive More Ride bike image and I also did some macrame on the zipper pull, thrifted jacket with added wool felted recycled sweater sleeves and hood and what you can't see is my handmade undies and tank bra. My leggings are the infamous organic bamboo fleece leggings by Voilà par/by Andréanne available at Sew Dandee. More from Day 1: Also made by me several years ago, a backpack that I spruced up with some new pins (made by me) and an awesome patch by marathon1981. My knitted cowl that really kept me warm on my walk this morning is made by Ellen Paulley. My doubled up knit mitts are also locally made by a lovely lady I met at one of the Crescentwood Community Centre Winter craft sales a couple years ago. And as if that wasn't enough locally made goodness to get me thru my day, I also used some face lotion, deodorant and body butter by Just the Goods and my own homemade olive oil coconut oil salt scrub in the shower this morning! Oh and my earrings are made by a woman in Quebec and my wallet is also locally made by Grace Sheldon. Too bad I can't find handmade glasses and winter hiking boots!

Locally made rain jackets in the colors of the rainbow!

Check out these fantastic new rain jackets that local designer, Shelley Ediger whipped up for the shop!

Nothing like adding a big splash of color to your wardrobe while splashing in the puddles in one of these rain jackets!

Breakfast Television love!

It was well worth the early rise today! What a great time we had with the crew at BT! They're such a happy, easy going bunch especially considering they'd all be up since oh.... about 4am I'm guessing. Here's the link to the fashion show segment if you haven't already checked it out on our Facebook page. And here's a link to the gift segment, both with the lovely Miss Jenna Khan. And here are some shots of me and my lovely crew showing off some of Sew Dandee's finest creations!

F.Y.I. The jeans I'm wearing in this shot were made by Lisa Dyck as well and we'll be carrying a full range of sizes and styles of them in the shop soon! Stay tuned for details.