fabric, travel

Fabric Porn: Fabric Shopping in Rome (with some Shoes, Cats, Ancient Ruins, and Cheesecake thrown in for good measure)

While I was on vacation in Italy last month I got a little obsessed about finding fabric stores wherever I went. Yelp was being cheeky and sending me to anything from card & gift shops to a grungy little hole-in-the-wall where a couple who should’ve long since been retired were presiding over some dusty old packages of sheet sets and were NOT happy when I … Continue reading Fabric Porn: Fabric Shopping in Rome (with some Shoes, Cats, Ancient Ruins, and Cheesecake thrown in for good measure)

Unknown's avatarLori B.11 Comments
knitting

Oh, hai, sweater that I’m going to knit the shit out of

I thought it had finally happened: losing my knitting mojo. Knitterly mojo-lessness. I couldn’t get excited about starting a new knitting project. Which has been UNHEARD OF since I started knitting in 2009 — I don’t believe I have ever not had a project on the go. Is it possible I was suffering from worsted world-weariness? DPN disgruntlement? Entrelac ennui? Fair-isle Fuggettaboutit? I even bought … Continue reading Oh, hai, sweater that I’m going to knit the shit out of

Unknown's avatarLori B.7 Comments
Sea Change Top
sewing

Time for a Sea Change: Head for the Mountains

I have a giant girl-crush on Debbie of Lily Sage and Co. I’ve raved here about her stunning makes before, so I was excited to try one of her patterns: the Sea Change Top. The front panel is lightweight cotton knit with a panel print of mountain scenery from Mood. Ironically I passed over this fabric the first time I saw it last time I … Continue reading Time for a Sea Change: Head for the Mountains

Unknown's avatarLori B.8 Comments
Free patterns, sewing, travel

Ranta in Roma: iCandy T-shirt

World’s fastest sew: the iCandy T-shirt (a free pattern — link below). Fun design details: the shoulder seams sit forward on the front of the Tee, and the back is a couple of inches longer than the front. This t-shirt was lucky enough to have its debut in Rome! (And its model is lucky enough to currently be on vacation in Italy!) Ironically, the fabric … Continue reading Ranta in Roma: iCandy T-shirt

Unknown's avatarLori B.11 Comments
complaints

Sucked into a Simplicity Service Screw-up

I used to wonder why Fabricland, the largest fabric chain store in Canada, refuses to carry Simplicity patterns. Now I know. I just spent more time than anyone should have to spend fixing a problem with patterns I ordered from Simplicity, and so I need to rant. The short story is this: don’t order from Simplicity.com because it’s a clusterfuck and their customer service motto … Continue reading Sucked into a Simplicity Service Screw-up

Unknown's avatarLori B.20 Comments
sewing

K, What About This?

Still questioning the validity of satin ‘joggers’, although feeling pretty propped by all the encouraging comments on their debut post. Thanks for weighing in! Commenter Barbara J had a valid point when she wondered whether dressing them up with high heels was, y’know, a bit twee… ….so I thought I’d try styling them more casually, pairing them with a plain heather gray T-shirt and metallic … Continue reading K, What About This?

Unknown's avatarLori B.14 Comments
sewing

Look Who’s Wearing Hammer Pants

Alright, they’re not quite Hammer Pants per se, but these are definitely way outside of my usual trouser universe. The question is: should I wear them? I’m not sure what madness gripped my brain when I saw Burda’s “jogging pants in floral sequin fabric” and thought, “Good Idea!” — because, no. No. Nooooo. And then I saw this pretty satin fabric and thought “Jogging Pants!”, … Continue reading Look Who’s Wearing Hammer Pants

Unknown's avatarLori B.32 Comments