Sewing – Francois et Moi

DIY Modern Bench Cushion with Leather Straps

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Thu, 01 Mar 2018 16:08:34 +0000

Francois et Moi’s tagline, Handmade Modern Home, is not only about getting our hands dirty and DIY-ing one-of-a-kind pieces for our homes. It’s equally about celebrating expert artisans and feathering a conscious home rooted in soul and intention. Today we’re combining the best of both worlds–I’m teaming up with KUFRI Life Fabrics on a bench cushion project that has the most fab details… Let’s start with the fabric, shall we? KUFRI creates the most luxe hand-woven textiles that expertly balance rustic texture and refined sensibility. Woven by artisans in India, each yard is as individual as the maker who created it. The inspiration for the bench cushion was born from my infatuation with deconstructed design details. Like this one, this one, and this one, for example. I’ve introduced a little of this flavor to the DIY bench we made last year as a way of softening its strong clean lines. (Go HERE for the DIY Bench tutorial.) KUFRI’s Spring 2018 collection launched a few weeks ago, and the moment I saw pattern REX in the Grey colorway, I knew its small-scale soft pattern, and organic texture would be the perfect counterpart. The cushion has an envelope closure on […]

The post DIY Modern Bench Cushion with Leather Straps appeared first on Francois et Moi.

How Learning to Sew Helped Me Find My Creative Voice

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Wed, 02 Mar 2016 20:24:53 +0000

I’ve never been super into sewing. To be honest, I was always a little intimidated by it because my Mom, Sandi of Seams Sew Cool, is a REALLY good sewer (check her out!). She runs a crazy successful sewing school in Duluth, MN teaching kids to sew, and she’s the type of person who can just look at something and know how to sew it. She even made my wedding dress! She was always an encouraging teacher, and though I explored creativity in lots of different ways throughout my childhood, I could never quite catch the sewing bug. Things started to change though when I went off to design school and started living on my own. I was interning at a fabric showroom, and would take home all the discontinued fabrics that they would otherwise throw out. I ended up with stacks and stacks of 28″ x 28″ fabric pieces, and decided to turn them into pillows for my apartment because, well, they were free (which was a big factor back then). Plus I could design them to be the exact color, shape and size I wanted. My mom, excited her daughter was finally taking an interest in sewing, set […]

The post How Learning to Sew Helped Me Find My Creative Voice appeared first on Francois et Moi.

Easy Breezy Serape Shorts

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 13:41:26 +0000

We’re seeing a resurgence of Mexican serape patterns in interiors and fashion lately, and I’ve got to say I’m into it! I came across this lovely serape printed cotton and impulsively bought a yard, not actually knowing what I was going to do with it. Risky! Considering it ran the potential of ending up untouched in my fabric stash bin, but it’s good to live on the edge once in awhile, right? The fabric arrived and it was everything I hoped it would be: vibrantly colorful and a good print version of the real thing, so until I could figure out exactly what I wanted to do with it, I used the fabric to style various posts and instagrams. One fine day while preparing for our Big Sur trip I came across these serape shorts on Oh Joy’s Blog and #lightbulb! Why not sew up a more casual version for summer lounging? And that’s precisely what I did. Here’s how they came together: Materials: 1 yard of cotton printed serape fabric 1″ Non-roll elastic Your favorite pair lounge shorts that fit you like a dream. (We’ll use this as the pattern.) Sewing machine and iron Basic sewing materials (pins, scissors, coordinating thread) For the Shorts: 1. Fold […]

The post Easy Breezy Serape Shorts appeared first on Francois et Moi.

Velvet-lined Faux Fur Collar

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 13:45:37 +0000

I’ve been admiring the fur fashion movement from afar for over year. (Remember my Fur Lusting last year?) Since I’m still lusting now that winter is around the corner, I decided to join the party and add some fur to my life. Enter the oversized faux fur collar–I freaking love the way they can totally change the look of a coat, and instantly make it feel brand new again! The velvet lining not only adds a luxurious touch, but its textured surface also helps keep the collar in place around the neckline. The result? A cozy fur accessory to jump start your winter wardrobe! Materials: 1/2 yard of faux fur 1/2 yard of velvet Permanent marker Scissors Sewing Pins Needle and coordinating thread 1. Hand draw 1/2 “boomerang” shape as shown above on the back side of the faux fur. Use a straight straight vertical line to close off the “boomerang” shape (This will be the fold line.) Step 2. Cut along drawn lines except the straight vertical line. Step 3. Fold the cut out 1/2 “boomerang” on the vertical fold line, and outline the shape with a permanent marker. Step 4. Pull back the cut out portion to reveal the other half of the “boomerang,” and cut […]

The post Velvet-lined Faux Fur Collar appeared first on Francois et Moi.

[Make Your Own] Patterned Leggings

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Fri, 03 Oct 2014 16:47:20 +0000

I love me a good pair of leggings. A mostly cotton blend with spandex for elasticity and retention, and of course ones that fit me just right. When I’m not at work, I live in my leggings. Yep, they’re crazy comfortable and perfect with over-sized flowy tops and sweaters and flats. What’s not to love? So when my favorite pair began wearing through as they inevitably do, I decided to use them as a “pattern” and create a few more pairs that fit just like them, but this time using graphic fabric that I’ve been holding onto waiting for precisely this project to come along. I feel like there’s a misconception out there about how difficult it is to sew on stretch fabrics. Truthfully, it’s not as hard as everyone makes it sound, and you, yes you, can sew stretch fabrics! If I can do it, you can do it. By simply adjusting your sewing machine settings (as noted below) you’ll set yourself up for success. A big thank you to my mom, Sandi Knutie, of Seams Sew Cool for coaching me from afar on the secrets of the craft. Materials List: an old pair of leggings that both fit you well and are ready for the donation or trash bin (you’ll be cutting […]

The post [Make Your Own] Patterned Leggings appeared first on Francois et Moi.

Weekend DIY: Lattice Tote

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Mon, 22 Sep 2014 12:16:11 +0000

I’m so excited to share a faux leather tote I’ve been working on! When I came across this crazy cool DIY leather plant hanger on Design Sponge, it got my wheels turning as I loved the shapes that were created simply by making slits in the leather. Since we’re not huge indoor plant people (other than the baby fiddle leaf fig tree that we affectionately call “Figgy”), I used the technique as inspiration, and created a tote instead. Of course the slits had to be smaller, more frequent and linear in order to be functional as a tote, and I love the unique texture they create! I made this baby in about 3 hours, which also included alot of experimentation. I bet it could actually be done in under two. A fun accessory for the autumnal days ahead! Materials List: metal ruler pen exact-o knife two 14″ x 14″ (or larger if you prefer) piece of vegan leather or genuine leather sewing pins coordinating thread Special Equipment: self-healing cutting mat sewing machine Step 1. Measure, draw, and cut with an exact-o knife, 1″ strip on two sides of each leather square. These will be the straps of the bag. Step 2. Draw a line 1/2″ in […]

The post Weekend DIY: Lattice Tote appeared first on Francois et Moi.

Aromatic Lavender Sachets

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Tue, 03 Dec 2013 13:56:20 +0000

For my wedding showers a few years ago, my mom had the genius idea of making lavender eye pillows as favors for guests to take home with them. There were a few leftover after the shower, so I took an extra one home and tucked it in my “unmentionables” drawer as a sachet and loved the subtle lavender scent it brought to our bedroom, so I decided to take a cue from my mom and sew up some sachets (which are about 1/2 the size of eye pillows), as stocking stuffers this year. Theses little bundles come together pretty quickly (I made three in an evening), and will make a nice, handmade addition to stocking trimmings this Christmas morning. Materials List: 1/8 of a Yard of Cotton Ticking White or Ivory Thread Hand Sewing Needle Sewing Pins 8.7 yards of Contrasting Embroidery 6-Strand Floss. I used DMC in Medium Plum. DMC Chenille Needle, Size 20 .5 oz (14 g) Dried Lavender (Available at Whole Foods) Scissors Ruler Pencil 1 Sheet of Paper 6″ x 6″ or Larger for Make-shift Funnel Scotch Tape Special Equipment: Sewing Machine (Optional, but recommended) Iron (Optional, but recommended) Creating the Fabric Pouches Step 1. Cut out six […]

The post Aromatic Lavender Sachets appeared first on Francois et Moi.