A long time friend just announced her new home and I want to make something handmade to help warm it. I’m thinking of some place mats (or a single table center piece?) using one of the Pieced Tree “Tiny One’s” that I love so much.

For fabrics (from left to right):
- Philip Jacobs “Coral” in purple and olive. I can’t get enough of this fabric, which first made its appearance in a holiday gift this past winter.
- Gold silk dupioni
- Anna Maria Horner’s “Fortune” in sea, from the Good Folks collection
- … and for the backing, “PURE” by Sweetwater for Moda… welcoming thoughts for a new home.

What’s in your sewing basket right now?
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Dear Sewfie,
I’m an avid quilter and I’d love to make something for my boyfriend but my friend warned me about the “Boyfriend Curse”…. if you sew something for a guy he’ll break up with you. Is that true?
Ah, yes, “The Boyfriend Curse”. Actually, this storied curse applies to knitting. The curse purports that if you knit a sweater for a guy, he’ll break up with you. As it turns out, there is even a book about it called “Never Knit Your Man a Sweater (Unless You’ve Got the Ring)” by Judith Durant, see here:
It suggests a variety of knitting projects for men where the level of complexity is proportional to the level of commitment, i.e. a set of coasters of the guy you just started seeing, a scarf once you’ve been dating a bit… you get the idea. The sweater doesn’t come until you’ve got some bling in your top drawer.
But, back to your question, can you sew for a guy without him breaking up with you? This has not been studied as extensively as the Sweater Curse, which has some real science behind it… a poll conducted by the online magazine Knitterās Review indicated that 15% of active knitters say they have experienced the Sweater Curse firsthand and a whopping 41% consider it a serious enough threat that they’re not going to mess with it.
Sewfie’s suggestion is to not take any chances. If you really must sew for your man, start out with something simple, like a shoe bag. And see how it goes. Work your way up to a pillow and maybe eventually some fun boxer shorts or pajama pants if you are feeling really playful. Don’t even go near something like a quilt until you’ve been married for at least 10 years.
Warm Stitches,