Don’t you love it when you find a great new website or blog? I am constantly amazed at the wealth of information and resources available on the internet and blown away by the generosity of those who spend hours putting together tutorials to share with the world.
And when you’ve found something awesome, what better to do than to share it with someone else?
Here are some of my favourites (some new, some old). If you have favourites that aren’t listed, please share them in the comments!
CAUTION: visiting the following blogs and websites might make you want to run to the nearest sewing machine and sew until you drop!
For inspiration and tutorials
Sew, Mama, Sew blog - the first sewing blog I ever subscribed to and still one of my absolute favourites. The forum is also a great place to ask questions and chat with other sewers.
Make it and Love it - I don’t know how Ashley manages to create so many amazing tutorials, but she does, on what seems to be an almost daily basis. Watch out – time spent reading this blog can make your “to sew” pile increase exponentially.
Sew Much Ado - another amazing amount of tutorials and a linky party every Wednesday by another talented seamstress (remember Ruby Lou?)
Grosgrain – I only recently discovered this one, but I know I will be back again and again. On the top of my list are some of the dresses listed under “a frock by Friday” (you’ll find it on the sidebar.) A free dress pattern followed by five days of sew-a-long how-tos - amazing, right?
For Patterns
Sew Fun! If you’ve been around awhile, you will already know how much I love these patterns. Some of them have recently been released in PDF format for easy access.
Pattern Rescue - a really fun site where you can buy, sell, and trade vintage patterns, as well as find missing pieces to older patterns you might own. On the recycle page you can pick up patterns for free, you just pay for the shipping.
Pattern Review - there is a lot on this site I haven’t explored, but the best thing it has to offer (as far as I’m concerned) is reviews of hundreds of patterns! I visit this site A LOT when I am thinking of purchasing a new pattern, and always find the reviews and photos helpful. (You will find the link to the reviews on the left side, under sewing reviews.)
For Free Patterns
I know that sounds too good to be true, but lots of fabric designers share free patterns on their sites.
Amy Butler - click on “free patterns” to see all that this amazing lady has to offer. Many of her quilts have been on my “to make” list for a long time.
Anna Maria Horner - I am a regular reader of Anna’s blog for a number of reasons (oh, the eye candy!), but she also has a number of beautiful patterns for her readers.
Moda Bake Shop - another place I could spend hours just looking. “Stuffed Stuff” is one of my favourites – oh so cute!
So now that you know where I spend my online time, where do you spend yours? Do you have any great sewing sites to share?
I spend at least some of my online time drooling over your site & envying your skill. (And wondering where I found your blog, but being glad I did.)
In a similar vein, I spend a lot of time over at http://www.manusmade.com/ – She’s become a friend. I also spend a lot of time envying her skill.
That’s it for sewing sites, since I don’t sew. Much to my dismay right now, as I would make the wedding dress that’s in my head if I did.
Thanks, Natasha! I will definitely check out your friend’s site. As for the wedding dress, a good friend of mine had the same dilemma when she was getting married, she had an idea for the perfect dress that didn’t exist anywhere. She took her ideas to a seamstress who made her vision a reality, and it didn’t cost her any more than a dress from the shop would have. It might be worth looking into!
Sorry I failed to actually reply. I missed the button somehow.
Thanks!
I did ask one seamstress, but it was out of my price range. Truth be told, it’s totally an amount people spend on wedding dresses ($1500), but just not what I was prepared to spend.
I’ll see if I can find someone else, as well. And she suggested that if I can find the base of the dress (a white halter dress that fits or basically fits), she could much more economically alter it up. So, we’ll see.
If none of that works, I have a lovely dress that I call my “wedding dress” in the closet – I wear it to basically everyone’s wedding, and I would be somewhat amused to wear it to my own. I just have to lose some weight for it to fit again!
Every day I visit One Pretty Thing and Craft Gossip for sewing and crafting ideas. I also like Wildflowers and Whimsy, Shwin&Shwin, Sewing in no man’s land, From and Igloo (although she is no longer blogging), Grosgrain and Made By Rae. I also like Pinterest for getting ideas for not only sewing, but also for cooking, baking, organizing and more!
Okay…. I think I just admitted to spending too much time on the computer! Too much fun stuff to check out! 
You’re right – so many great sites to check out! I can’t wait to look up some that you mentioned!