Weave, Cut, and Sew Your Own
In Weave, Cut, and Sew Your Own, textile artist Karen Gelbard guides you through the creative process of transforming your handwoven cloth into beautifully constructed garments. Rather than forcing the fabric to fit a commercial pattern, you'll learn to let the fabric itself inspire the design.
Transform Your Handwoven Fabric into a Wearable Work of Art
Inside you'll discover:
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How to evaluate your woven fabric before designing
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Techniques for adapting commercial patterns to handwoven cloth
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Professional garment construction methods
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Tips for working with texture, color, and unique woven characteristics
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Creative solutions for fitting patterns to limited yardage
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Finishing techniques that elevate handmade garments
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Designed for weavers with basic sewing skills, this guide emphasizes creativity, craftsmanship, and thoughtful design while helping you build garments that are both beautiful and wearable.
Perfect for: Handweavers, fiber artists, textile enthusiasts, and anyone ready to take their weaving beyond the loom.
Trash Bag Workshop
Karen Gelbard's Trash Bag Workshop is a refreshingly creative approach to garment design that teaches shape, proportion, and construction using one of the simplest materials imaginable: trash bags. Inspired by the design philosophy found in Cut My Coat by Dorothy Burnham, this workshop encourages students to think beyond traditional sewing rules and explore garment construction through play and creativity.
Discover Design Without Fear
You'll learn how to:
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Develop garment shapes before cutting valuable fabric
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Understand how pattern pieces work together
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Experiment with proportion, fit, and silhouette
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Explore folds, pleats, gathers, layers, and other design elements
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Build confidence in your own creative decision-making
This unique design exercise helps remove the fear of making mistakes while strengthening your understanding of garment construction. The skills you gain can be applied directly to handwoven fabrics and future textile projects.
Perfect for: Weavers, fiber artists, fashion students, and anyone looking to develop a more intuitive and creative design process.