ISN'T IT ALWAYS SO AMAZING THAT...

......just one simple inspiration can often lead to SUCH BIG THINGS!  Myra of  SIMPLE INSPIRATIONS says that she is "inspired by the simple things in life".  But if you peruse her blog that's been in publication since 2010, you'll find that there is nothing simple about the flawless DIY creations she produces in her sewing studio.  I can just imagine that there's a whole lot of inspiration to be be found living in sunny Florida, surrounded by calming marinas, lush foliage and gentle breezes (are you getting the picture here?).  The great content found at Simple Inspirations has left me wanting to copy her makes on more than one occasion.  So if you haven't read there yet, Myra gives us some great insight into her sewing process in this post...

Hi Myra, can you tell us a little about your sewing process? (How you determine what to sew next?).

MYRA:  I really don’t have an actual process laid out.  I sew by necessity, for fun and occasionally to follow trends.  Recently, I’ve been sewing out of necessity…with the colder temperatures this winter in Florida, I noticed I was lacking in long sleeved sweaters, so that was my focus.  LOL! Only two of the five sweaters I made were posted on my blog! (Bad Blogger-working on changing that!)

I love sewing challenges (not so much contests-I’m not a very competitive person) and have joined a few challenges which leads to the “fun” part of my sewing. I feel challenges truly motivate you to get in your sewing studio and produce! (Contests create the same feeling in some folks too)  I’m currently involved in a “Pajama Party” challenge that I’m really excited about, yea! 

How did you learn to sew? have you had formal training, or are you self taught?

 MYRA:  I would say I have a combination.  I started sewing by hand for my dolls when I was about 10 yrs old.  That moved into hand sewing some basic clothing pieces for myself like straight skirts and tops when I was 13 yrs old.  My mom saw I was serious about sewing and purchased my first sewing machine when I was 13 yrs old for Christmas.  (It was a Kenmore and unfortunately, I donated it recently to a young lady who’s now learning to sew). That machine, started my life long love of sewing and I never stopped!  I had sewing classes in both Junior High and High School, which was a part of “Home Economics”…I believe they no longer teach (very sad!). I have a small reference library of books and have taken (and still enrolled in) many sewing related courses.  My mom could not sew a stitch, but I (and my mom) believe I inherited this from my aunt who was a great seamstress!  Whenever she would come into town, she’d bring me fabric and UFO’s for me to complete and keep for myself!  I guess you could say when I was young my aunt sparked more inspiration for my continued sewing. (Thank you Aunt Betty!) 

Where do you find sewing inspiration?

MYRA:  Everywhere!  Seriously!…I could be watching TV, something will spark inspiration and I’ll grab my camera or smartphone and snap a photo so I don’t forget it!  Sitting in a restaurant eating dinner…I could be inspired by a print on a wall! No kidding!  When I open my eyes in the morning, I know that I’ll be inspired by something while I’m awake…magazines, blogs, beaches, malls, restaurants, etc.  Seriously, inspiration is all around us!

My last inspiration came from another fellow sewing blogger, Tasha from “TheTellTaleTasha” who created a beautiful sweater with faux leather trim!  I was so inspired, I made one for myself right away!

What are your favorite items to sew?

MYRA:  Currently, I don’t have a favorite thing to sew…I like sewing anything that’s a quick sew!  Leggings, two or three pattern piece tops, pencil skirts, tanks and tank dresses, etc.  I think you know what I mean.  Time seems to be so limited these days and having to spend days (and sometimes weeks) on one project can kill my sewing mojo (because I get bored!).  So I guess you could say my favorite items to sew are the quick ones!

However, there was one item I truly enjoyed sewing that was NOT a quick project but was a favorite.  It was my “Faux Leather” jacket…

What garment(s) to date would you call your masterpiece(s)?

 MYRA:  I have two that come to mind recently completed.  The first one because it was totally 100% self drafted by me!  It was a formal two piece dress I made for a cruise in January.  It started by a rough sketch in an app on my IPad.  I had purchased the fabric and had an idea that I wanted some type of sheath dress, but I wanted it to be a  2-piece.  So I just started sketching in my IPad and came up with this.…

The final result after draping fabric on Ms. Thing (my dress form) turned out better than even I thought it would!

The second item I would consider a masterpiece is a Moto Jacket I recently made.  It was inspired by trends I’ve been seeing on TV, movies, magazines and in stores.  I was seeing it so much I felt I had to have one too.  The pattern I found that had a great “foundation” to assist with me with creation really didn’t have the exact look I was going for.  So I “morphed” the pattern, made it my own and now it’s one of my most favored pieces I own!

Do you ever find yourself in a sewing slump? if so, how do you pull yourself out of it?

MYRA:  Yes.  Unfortunately, more often than I would like and really need to work on that…it’s truly an “issue” for me!  When life gets busy and pulls me away from my sewing machines, it’s very hard for me to get motivated again unless an inspiration kicks me I the keister!  Reading other fellow blog posts is another great way to pull myself out of a slump…seeing what and how much others are working on will usually do it for me.  If none of this works, then I spend money on some gorgeous fabric I really don’t need to be purchasing…that typically does the trick 100% of the time!

What are your favorite fabric sources?

MYRA:  My first favorite is Pennie Fabric in Sarasota Florida!  This is a new resource for me which I learned of a few years ago.  It’s like having one of the New York fashion district fabric shops in my backyard! I can actually “grope” “touch” the beautiful fabrics and don’t have to wait on shipping!

Michael Levine is my other favorite fabric source.  This one is online and of all the online fabric stores I’ve purchased from, they have the fastest shipping (can you tell I’m also a little impatient??)  and you can always get a discount on your purchase via someone’s blog.

-Do you ever shop for fabric online?

Yes.  The majority of good fabric stores are online unless you are lucky enough to live in an area that has stores with great fabrics!

Would you share a couple of your favorite sewing tips?

Myra:  Press, press, press!  You’d be surprised just how much of a difference this one tip can transform your garment from looking “homemade” to a professional “handmade”, RTW looking garment!

My other favorite sewing tip I learned from the Threads website many years ago…is neckline bindings for knits.  This can also be applied for the arm sync as well.  I never had a good result using pattern pieces for neckline bindings in the “Big 4” patterns, so I had stop using them.  They would always gap or I would have “wavy” seams.  Using the process from Threads always worked perfect for me every time!  Here’s a link to the video for those interested in a quick knit neckline binding option…

http://www.threadsmagazine.com/item/3839/video-a-neckline-binding-for-knits

If you could only have five (5) patterns, which five would that be and why?

 MYRA:  I would start with simple patterns with great options for morphing!  I really love being able to make my own styles and since I’ve never had any “professional” fashion design education, morphing patterns has been beneficial in assisting me with designing.  With that said, here are my picks…

Basic Dress (McCall's 6886): This pattern has so many options and can be used for basic tee shirt options too!

Basic Shirt:  Sewaholic’s Granville shirt pattern is a perfect basic fitted shirt pattern which can be made in many options as well.  Who doesn’t need a basic white shirt???

Basic Legging:  A great fitting pair of leggings is a staple wardrobe piece for me!  I live in them when I’m home and when running errands.  They’re comfortable and you just pull them on and go!  What can be easier than that!

Basic Jeans:  I love a great fitting pair of jeans, especially in the winter months.  I’m still working on finding my favorite pattern…However, I’ve made a couple of the Jalie Jean and really like the fit so far.  I have a few other patterns in my line up to try because there are so many good ones out there now!

Basic Jacket:  This is a wardrobe staple every woman should have, a great jacket for casual, business  or dress!  I have two I really love that are easy and have many fabric and style options!

You just added a new coverstitch machine (yeahhhh) to your sewing room!  Can you tell us a little about the machines that you use?

  Myra:  Yea!!!! Is so right Ms. Faye! I love my new machine!  My new Brother Coverstitch machine has been one of my two dream machines for many years!  It's also the first machine I've purchased in approximately 10 years!  I was (and I am) so due for a sewing machine update because all my machines (other than the new Coverstitch) are old.  I said 2016 would be the year I update, so I’m still researching some of the new versions of sewing machines to see which would be a great fit in my little sewing world!  More to come on that later.  For now, I have five machines (three I actively use).

Singer Serger (A “workhorse” in constant use):

Euro ( A “workhorse” in constant use and needs replacement):

Brother Coverstitch NEW (will be in constant use!):

Simplicity & Singer (not used in years):

MYRA:  Thanks so very much Ms. Faye for your interest into my little bit of this huge sewing community!!

Known to many as  ONESEWSWEET, you'll be able to find Myra on the following social media platforms:  Facebook, Instagram,  Pinterest, and Periscope.  You just might want to add her to your list...