Better Know A Crafter: Stephen West

Stephen is an amazing knitting designer which we are so happy to have hosted at Fancy Tiger Crafts for a visit recently. He brought about a million of his knitted shawls to the shop for us to drool over and taught us amazing things about his design process. In his down time, Stephen spent some time in our sewing classrooms whipping up four tank tops and a patchwork shirt. He just might be the most prolific crafter we've ever met.

Stephen West AKA West Knits

Stephen enjoyed some Colorado brews during his visit

What kind of crafts do you do?
I  live in Amsterdam and travel a whole lot to teach knitting workshops. I design knitting patterns and publish knitting books. I like colors and shapes and making things to wear. I also like making videos and practicing jump rope moves. I knit and spin and I pretend to crochet and sew.

Tell us about your sewing process.
I wanted to make a shirt so I picked out some jersey and flannel with my face screen printed on it. I started sewing and when the shapes didn't match I filled in the spaces with animal fabric. 

Sweet Stephen face detail and kitten in a basket patchwork!

I didn't like the sewn neck I tried so I cut it out and added a knit neckline. I also added a crochet drawstring to the bottom.

The multi-talented Stephen combines knitting, sewing, patchwork and crochet in one garment!

How did you learn to sew?
I kidnapped my mom's sewing machine in high school and made pants and lots of bags. I taught myself to be a master seamster.

One of Stephen's new tanks

What is your favorite animal?
I like foxes. Red foxes.

Thanks Stephen! We miss you already!!

Field Study Craft Crunch!

As you probably know if you're a blog reader, we just had the amazing Anna Maria Horner visit us here at Fancy Tiger Crafts. Her brand new collection, Field Study arrived a couple of days early so of course Amber and I had to whip up some new outfits.

Anna sent a trunk show for her events full of samples sewn up in her new fabrics. I might have tried on the "Painted Portrait Blouse" she sent that was sewn up as a sleeveless pocketed dress. I knew immediately that I had to make one. This pattern is awesome and I had already made another version of it, a long-sleeved blouse. There are at least 12 different ways you could sew this pattern up so this time I made exactly what she sent with the trunk show. SO CUTE!

I choose one of my favorite prints from this collection, Coordinates in Midnight. Start to finish this dress took about 5 hours - it was serious craft crunch time getting it done in time for Anna's arrival. It turned out beautifully.

 
I love it. It looks great and feels comfortable to wear. The pockets are amazing - not only do they add an interesting visual element, but I can have my lipgloss and phone on me at all times. This dress is going to look great over leggings in cooler months with a cute cardigan thrown over it so I'm looking forward to wearing this one for a while.

Amber used the fantastic "fine feathered" print from Field Study to make this Wiksten Tank "Tee". After already making four Wiksten Tanks, she changed this one up a bit by adding short sleeves and bright blue piping to it. Perfect!

To add these cutie sleeves to her tank she used both the Wiksten Tank and Wiksten Tova patterns--creating a short version of the Tova sleeve pattern piece and substituting the armhole from the Tova, drawing it over the Tank armhole.

Emily, Amber and I all took Anna's Multi-Tasker Tote class over the weekend and we love our new totes! Perfect for an evening of knitting and picnicing in the park with friends and doggies! Next time you are in the shop ask us about our totes, please. We'd love to gush about them to you!

Wiksten Tank-a-thon 2012

Amber and I recently had a sewing Tank-a-thon! The tank pattern from Wiksten is a totally hot and easy pattern to sew! This tank is just two pieces plus some bias binding strips and a pocket. After you make a couple you'll be whipping these up in less than 2 hours a piece! Perfect for all these amazing fabrics and cute summer outfits. 90 degree days, here we come!

Here are the results of our Tank-a-thon 2012:

Tank 1 - Jaime: I made the first tank out of Liberty. That's right. First time making this and I just jumped right in. I've been in love with this dark floral print from the moment it arrived and knew I wanted a top out of it. Results: A+

Tank 2 - Amber: I've been dreaming of making a simple top out of this Japanese linen sheeting. I love this tank and want to wear it every day! As soon as this easy-peasy sewing project was finished I knew I needed to make tanks-a-plenty for summer...and so I cut three more of my favorite fabrics and got to stitching! Results: A+

Tank 3 - Amber: The very next day as soon as I got home I whipped up this light breezy tank from our organic voile in Smoke with a contrasting pocket in a teeny-tiny pinstripe organic voile. Perfect for steamy days and summer bike rides. Fantastic! Results: A

Tank 4 - Jaime: I made my second tank out of a soft vintage-y floral from Cabbages and Roses newest collection for Moda. I just got these striped jeans from Fancy Tiger Clothing and needed a colorful top to go with them. I'm always obsessed with these Cabbages and Roses print so this was my chance to finally use one. Results: A

Tank 5 - Amber: For my third tank, I figured I deserved a little treat--a treat in the form of a yard and a half of Liberty fabric! This Liberty print has been calling my name and I couldn't resist it anymore! Oh Liberty, you make me feel like a princess. Results: A+

Tank 6: Amber: Ok, I admit I'm going a little overboard with these tanks, but they are just so quick and gratifying to make! I mean, I've made 4 in a week now! So...you'll most likely see me wearing a Wiksten Tank every day this summer, but that's not too awkward right? 'Cause I love my new summer wardrobe! Tank #4 is made with an amazing Japanese rose print in the deepest teal. A little prairie/goth and a little oh-so-ladylike. Results: A

Tank 7: Surprise! Jess was already sucked into our tank-a-thon before she left for L.A. so it was easy to bring her in on our tank sewing frenzy when she visited us for a day. She made the tank dress out of a beautiful organic cotton yarn-dyed plaid. Total win! Results: A+

Overall Tank-a-thon 2012 score: A+!