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In keeping with our “We’ve got your back” theme this month, we’d like to take you back – literally. Would you like to go backstage to see our Design Team? We like to say this is where the magic happens. The Design Studio is where our team makes all the samples you see in the […]
We are pleased to announce the re-opening of our Grand New Store on Ottawa Street North in Hamilton, Ontario. Your memory is serving you well if you remember that we have been on Ottawa Street for seven years. Our new store is just two doors up the street from our old store, but it is miles […]
Open House at the Enchanted Castle! Considering I was an absolute “wreck” the week before, our Open House at the Enchanted Castle Saturday June 25th turned out to be the most fun I’ve had in a looong time! Why do I call it the Enchanted Castle? What else would you call the place where the Magic […]
Bra-makers featured in Vogue For many years, sewing has been hidden in the closet of the upscale fashion magazines. It’s like anyone who sewed their own clothes was to be pitied, as the poor cousins of the ready-to-wear family. For more than twenty years, I have heard the inevitable “what do you mean, you sew your […]
Bust Out the Bras! Bra-making Contest Announcing our first ever – Bust Out the Bras! Bra-making Contest. The Bust Out the Bras! Bra-making Contest is open to all bra-makers, regardless of experience! It is a DIGITAL contest so no bras will have to be shipped to us. Just photos of a bra you have made in […]
Wanna see something truly magical? Not very much in the fabric world is news to me – when you’ve been around fabric and sewing for …well, let’s just say a really long time, you see fabrics come and go. So every now and then I really do wanna see something truly magical! The 50s and […]
New Band Elastics We made a commitment over a year ago to have all the same style of band elastic available in our 14 stock colours. We chose these new band elastics because we knew their firmness would be good for all body types and for all sizes. That goal has now been realised with […]
For bra-makers the world over, one day is associated with a gift of lingerie, and that is Valentine’s Day. But hold on…if your bra drawer looks like this, do you really have room for more? If they all fit well, and you wear them, yes, there is always room! But what about the bras that don’t […]
Christmas in the Village We have a weird little corner in our store – it’s under the stairs leading to the apartments upstairs. That corner is usually the catch-all corner for remnants, left-overs and sale items. Not an attractive corner by any means. Some time ago, one of our students offered us a deal to take […]
Great news! We were written up by Paola Lorrigio of the Canadian Press and featured in the Hamilton Spectator, City News and others today! So we are in the news! You can see three of our students here – Julia in the back left, Adrienne up front and Jessie with me on the right! It’s […]
How is a Bra like a Slipcover? In other words, what do a bra and a slipcover have in common? 1. They are both expected to fit over a curved and shapely surface. The skill needed to cover a curved surface in fabric is needed to make both bras and slipcovers. This skill sets the […]
The new crystal collection has just arrived! Stunning pieces of Austrian cut crystal in really good designs, suitable for beachwear, clubwear, formal and cocktail dresses and bodybuilding competition wear. Does that last one surprise you? It shouldn’t. Bodybuilding is big business and those ladies need to show some sparkle too! Here’s the newest crystal line-up. […]
It’s official! The article in the Costco Connection magazine about the Fairy Bra Mother is out. You can read all about it here or in the magazine which is sent to all Costco members. On page 64 (way at the back..lol) But still…Costco Connections!
Love Steampunk? Love corsets whose grommets match the busk and other metal trims? Then you are reading the right blog post! We just received our custom order of antique bronze grommets, size #00, which is a 3/16″ or 5 mm size. I have not seen this colour available in a real grommet with two sides. […]
Just arrived at the store – the four colours of power nets we have been waiting for! These are all the Regular Power net FP-1, 60″ (150 cm) wide, with a blend of nylon and spandex. It is the firmest power net we have for bra backs. It seems like we have been waiting months and […]
After the last post on dyeing, I thought I would share a list of the items that we have dyed successfully. Generally speaking, nylons and nylon/spandex blends dye very well, but so do some metals and plastics. Test to be sure. I have had some metal sliders and rings that would not dye, and others […]
The last few posts have been about tulles, those lovely embroidered meshy tulles that are so at home on an upper cup! But not everyone wants tulle all the time. Sometimes you just want a stretch lace. For panties to match your new bra, as just one example. Here are some stretch laces that are […]
Twice per year, in spring and fall, our street in the fabric district hosts Sew Hungry, a gathering of more than 30 food trucks from all over southern Ontario. (Personally, I think it should be called Sew Into Food, but I digress…) This week, we had students in for Design & Draft, and this was the […]
Today was kind of a bittersweet day. I was SO excited for the arrival of my newest baby…a Kansai coverstitch machine for the shop. I am getting a brand new one. BRAND SPANKIN’ NEW! I want it for teaching students to use the industrial machines in their work and not fear them. It IS a […]
Ever wonder how manufacturers get all the colours in the materials they are buying, to match exactly? They use a Pantone colour chart! If you don’t know what a Pantone colour chart is, stick around while I show you the Beauty of Pantone! Pantone made a chart of over 1900 colours for fashion and home […]
Let it snow! When I was younger, my mother would get all excited about the day after a snowfall. If it snowed hard, the kids would be home from school, under mom’s feet. It wasn’t that day that mom looked forward to. No, sir. It was the day after the snow fell (and we were back […]
