December 18, 2017

Beth – Sew DIY

pattern, sewing

Sewing Stitches Illustrator Brushes

December 18, 2017

Beth – Sew DIY

pattern, sewing

Today I have a different kind of treat for you. It’s sewing related but specifically useful for sewing pattern designers. While I was working on designing my 2018 Sewing Calendar, I started playing around with Illustrator brushes and created a set of brushes to create some of the most common machine stitches. I love how they turned out on the calendar and thought it would be fun to share the brushes too. If you use Illustrator to create sewing related illustrations, these brushes are a quick way to show different types of stitches. Just draw a line, apply the brush and you have a fancy stitch line that would normally take much, much longer to draw.

There are a couple of ways to use the brushes. One way is to start by drawing a line. Next, with the line selected, open your Brushes palette and click on the style you’d like applied to the line. You can adjust the color in the Color palette and the weight of the line using the Stroke palette. Another way is to start by selecting a brush. Then, using the Brush tool, draw a line. The stitches will curve along the lines you create and the color and line weight can be adjusted. Learn more about brushes here.

Sewing Stitches Illustrator Brushes

US$3.00

If you use Illustrator to create sewing related illustrations, these brushes are a quick way to show different types of stitches. Just draw a line, apply the brush and you have a fancy stitch line that would normally take much, much longer to draw. Learn more here.

All proceeds from these brushes are donated to UNICEF.

Please note, these brushes are for personal and commercial use. Resale and/or distribution is prohibited. I hope you find these brushes useful and fun. Happy sewing and thank you in advance for supporting!

These brushes didn’t take a lot of time to create (not counting my years of experience using Illustrator) in comparison to a sewing pattern but they do have value and are available for sale on other websites. So, I’ve decided to do something a little different, and ask for donations to UNICEF (learn more about what they do here). Why UNICEF? They help kids in desperate need all over the world and a little bit of money can go a long way with them. Also, I know I have readers from all over the world and wanted to choose something that’s relevant to everyone.

UPDATE OCT 2021: The donation system stopped working due to back end issues that I can’t figure out. So, I’ve set the price for these brushes to $3 USD. All proceeds will still be donated to UNICEF.

September 9, 2016

Beth – Sew DIY

roundup, sewing, pattern

Five Fall Sewing Patterns for a Classic Wardrobe

September 9, 2016

Beth – Sew DIY

roundup, sewing, pattern

Sew yourself a classic fall wardrobe with these 5 Sewing Patterns | Sew DIY

With the change of seasons I inevitably think about what I’d like to be wearing in the coming months. Living in Los Angeles, it does tend to be almost the same weather all year long. Despite the constant warm temps, we do like to change our style of dress. Otherwise there’s really no way to know what month is. As always, I will be wearing a lot of my own patterns. I’m particularly looking forward to wearing the Nita Wrap Skirt with tights this Fall and making more knit Lou Box Tops (going down one size gives a great fit). I’ve also been thinking about making another pair of jeans. After all, I probably wear jeans more than any other garment.

But there are a few patterns that I have not tried yet that I’m really excited to sew this season. I already have all the patterns and fabric to go with them. Just stitching left to do. :) With the exception of the Nehalem Pants, these patterns could all be categorized under basics. I expect all of them to be wardrobe workhorses.

5 Fall Sewing Patterns for a Classic Wardrobe

1. Nehalem Pants by Sew House Seven
It was love at first sight with me and these pants. I'll be sewing them up soon. So stay tuned!

2. Lark Tee by Grainline Studio
I'm really looking forward to trying this one. My t-shirt drawer is overflowing but I there are a lot of shirts in there that I don't love. I'm hoping that this pattern will become a go-to for basic t-shirts.

3. Victoria Blazer by By Hand London
I was really excited when this pattern was added to their pdf collection. I have the pattern printed and assembled and some black linen washed and ready.

4. Ultimate Shift Dress by Sew Over It
This pattern is on my 2016 Make Nine list and I keep meaning to make it but get distracted. Isn't that always the case? I have the pattern printed and assembled. I just need to choose some fabric. I think the version with sleeves will be great for Fall.

5. Driftless Cardigan by Grainline Studio
Working in an air conditioned office, I always need to have a sweater on hand. Somehow I've ended wearing the same 2 or 3 sweaters all the time. A long cardigan like this is a neutral color will be perfect for throwing over any outfit.

Et voila! My fall sewing project list is all sorted. There are probably about 10 other things on the list too but with so many great things out there, how can I resist? What sewing projects are you going to be working on this fall?

End of Year Recap and Highlights—2025

Hello sew-friends! My end of 2025 posts are coming out in a “better late than never” style this year. Personally, I don’t think end of year recaps should start until after the year has ended. If we start tallying things at the beginning of December, then December never gets counted and we can’t leave out a whole month!

Looking back on 2025, I feel very good about my personal sewing practice. For Me Made May this year, I pledged to sew for 25 minutes everyday and it was a great way to jump-start my sewing practice. I’m actually still working on big quilt projects that I re-started then. :P Click here for my tips for rebooting your sewing practice.

If I compare my blogging and sewing output to years past, 2025 was slower. But that’s ok. Things ebb and flow in life and it’s not all about the numbers. I did not post very much on social media or YouTube but I did post a lot on my Substack. Read on for the Sew DIY highlights of 2025.

Roundup—Tips for Getting Started Sewing

Everything I made in 2022 and my final vlog for the year

Hello sew-friends! It’s hard to believe that we’re nearing the end of another year. It wasn’t an easy year for me, between struggles with migraines and the loss of my cat. But, there were a lot a great parts too. I was really busy with my freelance work. I got to work with a lot of great people and I had some really interesting projects. (Both of those are worth mentioning, because it’s not always the case.) And, I got to do a lot of traveling and to visit friends and family that I haven’t seen in a long time. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we need to cherish our time together, to cherish the hugs, the intimacy and breathing the same air as our loved ones.

Everything I made in 2021 and my final vlog for 2021

Wow, another pandemic year is closing and the things that we thought/hoped would be over in a few weeks are still here. I'm still very grateful for my sewing and crafting practice and this small pattern business. For me, sewing and crafting is a therapeutic practice and I'm very grateful to have it in my life.

During the first year of the pandemic, my freelance work dried up and I was able to dive into pattern design. I made lots of YouTube videos and released three new patterns and my improv quilting course. For 2021, I had planned to cut back on YouTube a little bit and really focus on patterns and classes. But, things just don't always go as planned.

Everything I made in 2020 and my final vlog for 2020

Oh my gosh! 2020 is coming to an end. Phew! We are by no means out of the woods yet but I’m hopeful for 2021. Today, I’m sharing a roundup of some of the things that I made in 2020 and a few ponderings on what I’m planning for next year. I feel really proud of all that I accomplished in 2020 and I feel really grateful for this sewing practice and sewing community. Thank you to everyone who has supported me this year and all the years prior! I started Sew DIY in 2014 which means the seventh !!!! anniversary is coming up soon. So incredible! Anyway, read on to see what happened in 2020 at Sew DIY and watch my final vlog of the year. My kitty Fox makes some great cameos so it’s definitely worth a watch.

Roundup of the Best Sewing Tips and Tutorials from 2020

It’s the end of another year and, as always, that means looking back and reviewing what we’ve done. This year has been one unlike no other. I live in Los Angeles and have been under varying degrees of lockdown since March. I’m so grateful that I have this craft, this practice, this hobby and business that I can do at home. It’s kept me busy and engaged, reduced my stress and I can’t imagine what I’d be doing without it. Perhaps I’d become an intense crocheter?

This year, I continued making about one video a week for my YouTube channel. I really enjoy making the videos and sharing about sewing but boy do they take a lot of time. In the new year, I may cut back to every other week to make room for other projects, like new patterns and classes.

15 Scrap-busting gifts to sew for the holidays

Hello and happy holidays! Last week, I wrapped up (lol! ;) my video tutorial series of scrap-busting gifts to sew for the holidays and I thought it would be nice to have all the tutorials (plus a few more) rounded up in one place. I often like to give handmade things for the holidays and this year I've been focused on using fabric that's already in my stash. It's economical and sustainable to use fabrics and even fabric scraps that I already have. Plus, it's so satisfying to see my stash slowly shrinking. Read on to check out a few of my sewing tutorials for handmade gifts.

Tutorials for sewing with knit fabric

After releasing the Work-from-home pattern bundle a couple of weeks ago, I received a few questions from people unsure about sewing with knit fabric. I completely understand the feeling and I used to be really nervous myself to sew with knit fabric. But, with some practice, knits can be really fun and easy to sew. Over the years, I’ve created a bunch of blog posts and videos with tips for sewing knit fabric. I’ve compiled them here along with links to my favorite books about sewing with knit fabric. Read on to learn more.

101 Ideas for using fabric scraps

Scraps can often be one of the biggest struggles for sewists. We spend so much time selecting and caring for our fabric, that it can feel sad and wasteful to just throw the scraps away. I’m very passionate about sustainability and creating less waste so today, I’m sharing 101 ways to use your scrap fabric. There’s a whole slew of ideas, organized into categories, so that you can skip to the section that sounds most fun to you.

These projects run the gamut from quick and fun to more involved and labor intensive. Where applicable, I’ve linked to existing tutorials on my blog. Otherwise, you should be able to find a tutorial via a quick internet search. Or, let your creativity run wild and create your own pattern.

2019 List of Sewing Pattern Companies for Tall Women by Sew DIY

Sewing Tall Pattern Company Roundup 2019

March 22, 2016

Beth – Sew DIY

pattern, sewing, Nita Wrap Skirt

Pattern Launch! Nita Wrap Skirt

March 22, 2016

Beth – Sew DIY

pattern, sewing, Nita Wrap Skirt

New Pattern Launch! Nita Wrap Skirt | Sew DIY

Today I’m very excited to announce the launch of the Nita Wrap Skirt pattern. It is a fitted wrap skirt that sits at the natural waist with a sassy angled front, three length options and three waistband closure options. The pattern features waist darts, a built in front facing and optional lining. Make the mini length in denim or corduroy for a fun, casual look. Or, pair a neutral twill fabric with the midi-length for a sophisticated look that will take you from the office to happy hour in style.

This pattern is more challenging than my other two patterns, the Lou Box Top and Baseball Skirt, in that it may require more fitting. But it’s not too hard for an adventurous beginner to tackle. In fact, over 75% of my testers rated it as a “very easy” pattern. I’m easily able to sew this skirt in just a few hours. More than once, I have sewn one during the day and worn it out that same night. Can we hear three cheers for instant gratification?

This is a pdf pattern that includes illustrated instructions, a print-at-home pdf pattern, a copy shop pdf pattern and an A0 size pdf pattern. There are also instructions for adding a lining to your skirt. The pattern is available in sizes 00-22 (check out the size chart on the pattern page for details).

For a limited time, you can get 20% off the pattern using the promo code NITAWRAPLAUNCH20. The code will expire March 28, at midnight Pacific time.

P.S. I want to give a big thank you to everyone that tested the pattern for me. I truly appreciate it. If you’re on Instagram you may have seen a photo or two. Just check out the #nitawrapskirt hashtag for an insane amount of skirt eye-candy. If you make one yourself and share on social media, make sure to use the hashtag and tag me. I'd love to see what you make!