Notion Review - Bienfang Canary Sketching and Tracing Paper

Image: Dick Blick Art Materials

What it is: This is a lightweight tracing paper in a soft canary yellow. I bought this when Charette was having their going-out-of-business sale (sniff!). I wanted white tracing paper, which I had bought there on many occasions, but they were already sold out. It turned out to be a happy circumstance. I opened this up today for the first time when I was tracing off the damned Burda pattern.

What did you think of it? Love. It! Seriously. This is much better than the other tracing papers I used. It's about halfway between the weight of standard pattern tissue and the white tracing paper that I always bought. I can see the Burda lines much easier. So on a more sane pattern, this will be a joy. I can't wait to use it on a Jalie or HotPatterns.

Worth it? Yes, definitely.

Where did you get it? As I say, I got my rolls (I buy my tracing paper in 100 yard rolls in different widths) from the late, lamented Charette. But you can get it at most art supply stores.

I'll post a picture of my traced pattern over the damned pattern sheet tomorrow, so you can see why I like it.

Happy sewing!

The. Best. Seam Guide. Evah!

Pam Erny from SewExciting Fashion Sewing Supply sent me a surprise gift the other day. This fabulous little seam gauge! Now, full disclosure. It was a gift; I didn't pay for it. But it was a surprise, and she didn't ask me to review it. I'm doing that on my own after using it on my Cosmopolitan Dress. And you know what? I love it!

Features
The front of the gauge has measurements of 1/32 inch on one side and 1/64 inch on the other. On the back is a table of metric equivalents. And best of all? There's a pocket clip!! Can I just tell you? My Darling Father would have owned 3 of these. He was an engineer par excellence. Sniff. This would have been right up his alley. It would have resided in his pocket pack. But hey, I are an Engineer's daughter and a Math Major, so I totally appreciate it!

From a utility standpoint, I love the fact that the pocket clip has a wide bar so I can use it easily to measure hems. I also really love the precision of the measurements. I have my Dad's old slide rules, including one that is like a long triangle with all sorts of measurements on it. This is actually more precise. And when you are doing anything requiring precise measurements, like couture sewing, this is invaluable. Here are a couple of closeups:



Pricing
This is available from Sew Exciting for a whopping $2.98. It's made of steel, and it's solid so it won't bend out of shape like all my other seam guides do when I run over them with my rolling chair. I know. I already rolled over it a couple of times. Life is rough in my sewing room.

Would I Recommend It?
Hell yah! This was a lovely gift, but I'm going to buy a couple of more to keep in the studio. I definitely recommend it. It's precise; it's strong, and it has a wonderful, slightly retro feel to it!

Happy measuring!

Another Shameless Plug

I've been so busy lately that I have barely had time to sew, never mind post! There are tons of things in the works right now, and you'll see the fruits of all my labor starting soon. First up will be the newest Cosmo dress, as soon as I make the buttons (covered, I gave in), then in about a month, the ol' "Super Triple Secret Project" will see the light of day. And in the meantime, I'm working on a couple of articles and such, so stay tuned!

In the meantime, I want to put in yet another shameless plug for a great supplier. Sew Exciting. Pam owns the company, and I use her interfacings for every project. She gets THE BEST stuff! I love her elastics, too. The service is great, and if you call to talk to Pam, she's just a delight.

So, if you need high-quality interfacings and notions, get thee to Sew Exciting. NAYY, but I use her things, and I can personally give a big thumbs up.

Happy sewing!