Win A Free Craftsy Class!

I am so excited to announce that Stitch & Hustle has teamed up with Craftsy to give away a free online class from their huge library of courses.

Craftsy has classes on everything to starting a new craft like quilting or crocheting or more advanced classes for those more experienced. There are even photography classes if you want to up your game presenting your products.

Each class is taught by an expert instructor and the best part (my favorite part) is there are NO class times! That’s right, you heard me: NO CLASS TIMES! Simply sign on at your convenience. No DVD’s or data to download and take up gig space on your device. If you have an internet connection you can sign on and attend your class from anywhere.

Your class will not expire as long as you have your Craftsy account. You can retake, or refresh yourself with your class at any time.

I mean come on! That’s a pretty sweet way to learn something new or keep progressing in the craft you already love.  Read more about Craftsy Classes here or check out all the classes they offer here.

Enter below.

Two Worlds Collide: The Cornwall Shawl

As a designer, I find myself inspired by so many different things: the seasons, the scenery, sights on trips, other artists and designers, something in a magazine or boutique… it is endless. Sometimes it is all overwhelming in the most amazingly perfect way but sometimes reigning in those ideas can be a challenging process. When it all comes together quickly like magic and boom, instant success it is the most unexpected delight. Other times though,  it takes a while to marinate on a concept or idea and nurture it to life.

It's all a funny, fabulous and daunting process and in fact, One of the best parts of my job. I love the experimentation and design process.

I'd wanted to experiment with leather and "tougher" fibers inspired by some of the stylings in Highlander and the Hunger Games series. But I had yet to find the right leather to work with so this became a concept I was kicking around and marinating on for some time

… until...

At least year's One Of A Kind Show in Chicago my booth was next to Urban Gypsy Designs. The artisan, Christina hand paints beautiful leather purses and satchels and accessories. She also sells these fabulous cuffs that have both an industrial and sophisticated feel. I fell in love immediately with them and knew I wanted to incorporate them into a design.

As I marinated over all the ways to incorporate her leather cuffs into my work and mix it with the softness of my crochet wear I found myself not just accenting existing pieces but designing whole new ones. Then I found myself returning to my original notes and ideas from several months ago on the mixed texture pieces I wanted to do. YES!! It's all coming together! This is the process!

So I have been hard at work creating several new styles that will be ready for Fall 2015 and I am so excited about the variety of texture. Here is a sneak peek at that new collection: This is the Cornwall Shawl.

The shawl body is made using an exceptionally soft wool blend fiber. I am using a stitching technique that gives the illusion of being striped when it is actually not. It is an added dimension by design.

I have placed one of Christina's Infinity Cuffs as an accent to the piece giving it a flare of juxtaposition and style. The cuff is strategically placed to give the shawl so many different looks.

I am so thrilled with the Cornwall Shawl and  the complete collection will launch for Fall 2015 and I cannot wait to bring you these creations incorporating new textures and leather accents.

If you would like to make your own, I have made my original design available in my Etsy shop. You can buy the pattern here

Introducing The Molly Four Way Crochet Shawl

Molly Crochet Shawl
Molly Crochet Shawl

As a designer I am always challenging myself to try new things. And as a former frequent traveler I know the need of packing light and having garments that serve multiple functions. That was what inspired me to design my new Four Way Shawl. Wear it as a shawl, a scarf, a wrap or even a sarong. I pack this one item from Chicago to Miami for it's multi function awesomeness.

This one item will truly get you through every season and is fun to create. What is special is the triangle shape and the ability to make this larger or smaller with ease. I chose a soft acrylic fiber but then moved up to a bulky weight fiber for the winter collection.

The Molly shawl is available in a variety of colors here.

The pattern is available here to make your own.

Meet Isaac!

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I’m so thrilled to announce the launch of Isaac, my very first collection of 2015.

I’m always striving to combine fashion with comfort, and when I saw the Carlyle collection of fibers by Isaac Mizrahi & Premier Yarns, I knew I had to create a collection around it.

A few days later, I had a few prototypes and they turned out better than I ever could have imagined. It just so happened that my friend, Emmy winning actress and best selling author Kristen Johnston was in Chicago filming a movie at the time, and I couldn’t wait to tell her about it. I brought an Isaac hat to give her as a Christmas gift.

I had NO idea she happened to be good friends with Isaac!

Kristen says:

I’ve been a huge fan of Michele’s extraordinarily chic and insanely comfortable knitwear for a few years now. (I’m obsessed with her ponchos.) One evening at dinner, she gave me a stunning hat as a gift. As I was oohing & aahing over it, I almost didn’t hear what she was saying. When she said “Isaac Mizrahi has a new line of yarn and it’s the most incredible stuff I’ve ever seen! I’m thinking of doing an entire line, just using his yarn,” she finally had my full attention.

(Okay. I’ll admit it. I shamelessly name-dropped.)

“Michele, Isaac has been a good friend of mine for years! I’ll email him about you…he’ll love it!”

(Is it name-dropping if it’s true?)

At any rate, I emailed Isaac, and included a picture from that night.

He LOVED it! He truly loves creative people, and he was thrilled Michele has made his yarn look so stunning.

I asked if he’d be interested in emailing with her, and he immediately agreed…

As a proud owner of an Isaac hat & scarf, I get constant compliments on them.

Fingerless gloves, you’re next.

Kristen”

WOW!I am blown away and so grateful when people have that kind of reaction to my work. Especially this collection because I truly believe in it and it is from the heart.

I am madly in love with the Carlyle collection of fibers by Isaac Mizrahi & Premier Yarns. The colors, the texture: this fiber speaks to me.  The texture is both subtle & soft but still strong and bold. This fiber truly reminded me of NYC landscapes and buildings and the colors being named after landmark NYC hotels only makes me love it more.

I knew I needed to design a collection of winter accessories for the uptown gal but at downtown prices that would encompass all that this fiber represents to me. It takes me back to that city life that is ingrained in my blood.

I designed for me, for the city, for you.

The Color 'Regis' is like the city at dusk. With gold metallic woven throughout the fiber it is exactly like someone took a picture of the City SkyLine at dusk and waved a magic wand of gold dust over it. It is regal and fabulous.

The colors 'Astor' and 'Algonquin' remind me of the gritty downtown side of NYC. Not for the faint at heart. These colors both powerful in their own right. The Metallic enhancements remind me of how the city comes alive when the sun sets and the night lights take the town to a whole new level. That inspired me to design chichi accessories that suit that nightlife style.

'Plaza' is white sparkle all the way and reminds me of how Central Park would glisten after a fresh snowfall.

Being so inspired by this fiber collection, I used it to design select pieces that function as you would want winter fashion accessories to function but do not sacrifice style for the sake of warmth. Being a native New Yorker,I had that city style in mind.

Isaac by Michele Costa is full of texture, sophistication and stays true to what I myself would wear walking on the NYC streets or anywhere.

Each piece is designed to be worn as a stand-alone or you can mix and match as you please.

So wrap yourself in luxury and spend some time falling in love with Isaac just like I did!

 

The Chelsea Cowl n' Shrug: A Labor of Love

The Chelsea Shrug n' Cowl
The Chelsea Shrug n' Cowl

One of my favorite things to work on is custom orders.  It gives me an opportunity to work closely with a customer to create something special that I know will mean so much to them. Sure, sometimes it's a long and somewhat tedious process. But with good communication it can also be a fun process. And it is always worth the work in the end when I know my customer is happy.

Every once in a while, something really special happens where I am inspired to create a whole new product for my own shop born from that custom order process. That is the magic that inspires me. That is the good stuff as they say.

This new Chelsea Shrug n' Cowl is a product of that process. It is a lightweight shrug with a cowl / snood attached. It can be worn with the cowl flipped back like a hoodie giving the front a straight shrug look, or the cowl can come overhead like a hood. The cowl can drape around the front or overhead. This is one of the most versatile pieces I have ever seen.

The design process was a labor of love on this one.

First was fiber selection. I needed a fiber that would hold shape and structure but not be bulky. It's a shrug not a sweater! The fiber selection took some time because I was marrying two garments that have their own needs in construction. I settled on a great sport weight acrylic yarn that would work well with tighter stitching on the shrug but also work for the loose needs of the cowl.

The shrug was basic to be sure, but I needed a shrug that would carry the weight of the cowl without losing it's shape. The shrug needed to have a collar, but the collar shouldn't "fight" the cowl. The shrug should be able to stand alone, meaning without the cowl. There were a lot of requirements for the body of the shrug.

Once I had the shrug sorted, I moved on to the cowl - which had it's own set of issues.

The cowl itself is a basic lightweight cowl but I altered my design to attach it to the shrug. After some trial and error, I settled on attaching it almost as an add-on as opposed to part of the shrug itself. This allowed me to manipulate the placement of the cowl so that it could also be tossed back as a hood.

I also had to alter the design of my Spring Cowl for this piece so that the wight would not pull at the shrug collar. After lots of trial, failure, trial, mild success, trial and more failure, I finally had that design a-ha moment and changed the stitching but kept the pattern frame.

And voila! I was done.

But now, would my customer like it even half as much as I do is the big question (and the one that gives me knots in my stomach). I set up my photo shoot and then sent my customer the results. And boom! I hit a design home run.

This is why I love my job and am so grateful for these magical encounters. The entire process; concept to completion was just over 8 weeks. The process was long, laborious and fabulous all at once because I am left with a very happy customer and a brand new original design.

The Open Cowl - Box Stitch

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One of my most popular patterns is the CJ Fashion Cowl, also known as the Box Stitch open cowl. It is a quick one skein pattern that works up super fast.

I designed this pattern by accident - as I find is often the case with my most popular patterns. I simply missed a stitch in the pattern I was trying to make. And I kept missing that same stitch and before I knew it I was creating something totally new and different from what I had intended. A few tweaks later and bam: I had a new design!

One of my customers sent me this fabulous photo of her creation from this pattern. I love how she added a a flower accent. And that is the beauty of crochet! Even when following a pattern, you can always make it your own.

Buy the pattern here

 

The Chalet Neck Cozy

The Chalet Neck Cozy
The Chalet Neck Cozy

I love neck cozies but I don't find them in many stores. So, of course, I found that as an opportunity to design & create my own!

Some days I don't want the bulk of a full scarf but I need the warmth. Enter the Chalet Neck Cozy.  They are also ideal for on the slopes. They keep me snuggle up warm but without all the bulk.

This was made with a faux ribbing stitch using chunky Lion Brand Hometown USA 100% Acrylic yarn and is available on my site here.

The pattern will soon be available in my pattern shop on Etsy.