Tag: jukisewingmachine

JUKI Posts, JUKI Spotlight

JUKI Spotlight: Rocking with ‘String and Story’!

by sewinwithjuki1 Comment on JUKI Spotlight: Rocking with ‘String and Story’!
Photo credit: Klara Cu

Like many, HollyAnne Knight, Founder & CEO of “String & Story,” began quilting as a hobby. From an early age, HollyAnne found herself often being creative. She had hobbies that ranged from oil and watercolor painting to ballet and ballroom dancing and even picked up knitting along the way. Around her art, she focused her passions on education, earning her degree in English Literature, Secondary Education, and Linguistics. If there was one word to describe HollyAnne, it would be a Rockstar, just like she calls her students and sewing friends.

Photo credit: Klara Cu

Surrounded by her family, HollyAnne has been married to her husband John for eight years, has two sons Jem and Ian, and a home filled with their loving pets a dog, two cats, and two fish tanks.  With a mutual passion for traveling, HollyAnne and her family are currently one state away from hitting all 50 states and capitals of the United States!

When HollyAnne was expecting her second child, she decided it was time to find a new hobby to focus on since her current hobby of oil painting wasn’t easy with a toddler and pets around. In comes her friend, who lent her their small sewing machine, and HollyAnne found herself picking up a hobby she hadn’t done since elementary. One of her first projects was a t-shirt quilt her mother had been mentioning wanting, and HollyAnne had taken on the challenge. After a few mistakes with a rotary blade, she had finally completed her rag-style quilt and learned some lessons along the way. As she continued to enjoy quilting, she stumbled across the world of modern quilting and fell in love with the idea of “free motion quilting.”

What started as a small Etsy shop that sold stationery and knitted goods, continued to grow with her as she caught a bit of an entrepreneurial bug. After creating her Mom’s T-shirt quilt, HollyAnne started getting requests from others for their own. Upgrading from her old sewing machine into the JUKI J-150 QVP, she became obsessed with its durability, dependability, throat space, and stitch quality. As she started working on her pieces and growing her business, she began learning to free motion quilt. With her passion for teaching, HollyAnne created online courses to teach and rebranded the name to “String & Story.”

Photo credit: Klara Cu

While the inspiration for the name was created by a trend happening at the time, the idea behind it flourished. With the goal being to show that we were all connected, and can continue to empower one another as we’ve done in the past.

“Spaces like quilting have historically been female-dominated, a rare area where women were considered experts, where information passed through social networks and collective power was used for everything from keeping families warm to expressing social commentary to organizing political activism. String & Story is about continuing that legacy into the modern era– for socializing, learning, empowering, and organizing.”

Currently, one of HollyAnne’s business ventures is her Free Motion Quilting Academy. A String & Story’s signature online course is a 12-week free motion quilting education program to guide students from being nervous beginner FMQ-ers to confident, intermediate FMQ Rockstars, as HollyAnne would say. To date, she’s been able to instruct and help 2000 students on every size, shape, and brand of machine imaginable. Only opening enrollment periodically, HollyAnne encourages people to attend sewing and quilting classes to grow more confident in their projects.

“I LOVE teaching FMQ and other quilting techniques, but my FAVORITE thing is watching my students try new things, master their mindset, and so often learn something they didn’t think was possible.”

Photo credit: Klara Cu

The future of Strings & Story is bright as HollyAnne states, it’s only getting started. With ideas of expanding her digital course and online shop, she hopes to start adding in-person event classes as the COVID-19 pandemic wanes. If you’re interested in staying up to date with HollyAnne, her classes, and more, find her on social media (Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest) @stringandstory today and via her newsletter at www.stringandstory.com/newsletter!

JUKI Posts, JUKI Projects

JUKI July Sewing Challenge!

by sewinwithjukiLeave a Comment on JUKI July Sewing Challenge!

If there’s one thing our community loves, it’s a sewing challenge! If this is the first time hearing about a sewing challenge, it’s essentially a task set up on social media with rules as to how to complete your new project. These challenges can be for a day, a week, or even a month but all come with one main goal: you getting up and sewing!

Sewing challenges are a great way to be a part of the community. With so many people working on a similar project simultaneously, it can help you feel like you’re not sewing alone. The opportunity to join and share your work is always exciting! Using these hashtags to challenge yourself and show off what you create is part of the fun. Sometimes we all need that little push, like a challenge, to get us sewing again.

THE CHALLENGE >>

This month we’re making our own #JUKIJulyChallenge, and we want every one of you JUKI Lovers to join! Your goal is simple, create something that screams the beach! It could be anything from quilting to fashion that represents what visiting the beach (or lake) means to you.

Think of this as a fun new challenge to get your creative side flowing. Take the time to sit down and create something new with low pressure and think about what summer means to you!

2021 Promotions, Save with JUKI

Sew Like An Olympian with JUKI!

by sewinwithjukiLeave a Comment on Sew Like An Olympian with JUKI!

This month at JUKI we’re introducing the Power Couples! With these two machines working together expect to make finished products that look professionally done! Find our HZL-G220 and MO-654DE, as well as our HZL-80HP-A and MO-644D combo at a dealer near you. Sew and save like an Olympian on this Gold Medal offer we have.!

For more information contact your local JUKI dealer here.

Tips, Triple T: Tips, Tricks, and Training

Body Talk

by sewinwithjuki3 Comments on Body Talk

Today we’re going to talk about your body types JUKI Lovers! Do you ever feel like clothes look great on hangers but don’t flatter your own body? Our number one trick is remembering that it’s essential to style your body first and then worry about the clothing style. Make clothing that fits you perfectly, and give yourself that confidence you want!

People come in all different shapes and sizes, creating their fitting challenges. But don’t worry, with the clothing you sew and the body types your sewing for in mind, you can truly make a difference in any fashion statement.

Below we dived into some different body types and the best way to style and sew for them. Take a look and see what new ideas this might bring you!

Finding your Body Type

It’s always best to start with figuring out which body type matches you most. Use our cheat sheet below and see which one best resembles you! It’s 100% better to get a piece that fits you well after sewing for hours over your new project.

Sewing and Accessorizing for Your Body Type

The Teardrop Body
The teardrop body, also known as the A-types, becomes wider from the hip down. If you’re someone who wants to accentuate the top of your body, use bright color fabrics and prints; for the lower body, focus on muted tones. This will help your upper body stand out! You can also add decorative stitching around the bust and shoulders for an extra pop. If you find yourself wanting to accentuate your legs, look into designing pants with long straight wales or skirts that have open slits. Try to avoid vertical lines and bands, yokes, and hemlines at the full hip.

The Hourglass Body
Hourglass figures are known for their narrow waist and similar sizing in the bust and hips area. It’s best to maintain a balance in your outfits by avoiding the addition of volume to shoulders and hips. Try selecting patterns that follow natural curves and allow you to emphasize your waist. Try to avoid styles that conceal or widen the waist. Simple things like tucking in your shirt or wearing wide-legged boot cut jeans are great ways to complement the body.

The Figure Eight (8) Body
These body figures often have rounded shoulders, sturdy hips, a slender waist, and a short upper body. Usually having a larger bust and curves, we recommend accentuating your features by creating beautiful belts that outline your waist. Creating projects like pencil skirts for yourself or using fabrics with a fluid drape are perfect ways to sew for yourself! A practice we recommend is using contrasting colors at your waistline to accentuate or choosing styles and patterns that sit at your natural waistline. Balance your style by adding interest with volume found in ruffles using gathering techniques. Try to avoid boxy, loose styles that conceal the waist.

The Oval Body
There are many ways to accentuate the oval body shape, like narrowing your waist with styles that use vertical or diagonal details at the body’s center. Break up the waist and hip using vertical line designs. Try to avoid pieces that are bright or light since these shine at the waist. Draw attention to your shoulders and hips by adding dimension with volume using gathers or ruffles. Avoid using designs that widen the shoulders and go towards pieces that balance out your look. Accentuate your legs by creating your own slit skirts or straight dress patterns to create a more extended look.

The Keystone Body
Usually obtaining a more athletic build, keystone body shapes are built with shoulders that are broader than the hips. Depending on which you prefer to accentuate the waist or shoulders, you can follow different design paths. Using design patterns for skirts with bright colors or patterns is a great way to bring attention to your lower body. If you want to accentuate your upper body, try to stay at hip length to focus on your waist. Embrace your looks with halter tops and diagonal shoulder seam lines, but avoid shoulders with sleeve-cap detail or padding.

The Column Body
The column body tends to have shoulders and hips more or less the same width and less of a defined waist, but for those that want a defined waist, it’s easier than you think! Use tricks to make your upper body look longer with tops that stop at your waist. Using tight jeans instead of looser ones will help accentuate the waist better as well. Look into patterns that offer knee-length dresses to make yourself seem taller. A great tip is equaling out your shoulder and hips to narrow the waistline. Using diagonal lines at the shoulder and hem, direct people to see toward your center front. Avoid using contrasting colors at the waist to create a more balanced look.

When you create with the idea in mind to match your clothing style with your figure or body style, you will create projects that have you enjoy clothing construction for yourself more. Remember to keep a balance between your frame and fashion. Focus on playing up the parts of your body you enjoy and create pieces that drive focus away from those features you don’t want to emphasize. We hope you enjoyed these suggestions! Have fun with fashion.