I can’t seem to finish sewing anything! I’ve got all kinds of gorgeous fabric, all kinds of great patterns, and all kinds of excitement…and yet, I can’t close the deal. I haven’t finished sewing anything since December. I’ve got sewing block! Exhibit A: This faux fur jacket has been cut, partially sewn, and hanging around our dining room like a vagrant muppet hoping for a … Continue reading Is There a Pill for This??
Fresh off the high of getting a boat load of likes from my Facebook friends on my recent plaid coat, I seem to have gotten myself onto a coat roll. This is from Burda Style Magazine’s “Easy” issue, Fall/Winter 2015. This is a pretty straightforward coat to sew, but it’s still a coat — with all the requisite wrestling with thick layers of coat fabric … Continue reading The Booby Trapped Coat
Two firsts on this one: sewing my first coat, and first time sewing with plaid. I love a hobby that always has some small new challenge to try. And when you meet the challenge, you get to wear a stylish new coat! Who doesn’t love that? I wasn’t sure this coat was meant to be, until this post from McCalls popped into my inbox a … Continue reading My New Plaid Coat!
A few days ago I went to a nearby fabric store to buy a zipper for a skirt I’m working on, and accidentally wound up with a leather tote bag later that evening! Which reminds me a bit of this comic by Drew Mokris: Whoops, I made a leather bag! (But not with chopsticks.) I am totally stoked about this bag for a bunch of … Continue reading Whoops, I Made a Leather Tote Bag!
Dear readers, I want you to understand the huge sacrifices I have made to bring you this blog post. I sewed this summer top in October. I couldn’t very well just take pictures of it while shivering outside in front of a flaming orange maple tree, now could I? My discerning readers deserve better than that! So after much deliberation, I made the tough decision … Continue reading You’re Kraken Me Up and Jamaican Me Crazy
Ok, who else has done this? I sewed through my finger for this shirt! And you might be just as surprised as I was to find out, given that this blog is generally littered with expletives, that I remained rather calm and collected when it happened. I sat quietly holding my finger thinking, “I’m only going to react if I just broke my twin needle, … Continue reading Guys, I *bled* for this one
Ain’t it always the way? You sew a simple thing using simple fabric and it turns out killer. Nevermind all those fabulous prints and edgy designs I’m always seduced by and never end up wearing. Imma wear the shit out of this top. This is Simplicity 1104, a Cynthia Rowley peplum tunic. (Even though I’ve sworn off buying Simplicity patterns online, I’m glad this one … Continue reading This is the best thing I’ve sewn for a while
Back for more Burda! With Birdies! But first, does this happen to you?— Bad kitties! Ok, back to the blouse. The bird fabric is a chiffon I bought at Designer Fabrics. (I know the birds-on-all-the-clothes trend has been around an awfully long time but I still catch my breath when I see bird-patterned fabric. Or real birds, for that matter; I’m a bit of a … Continue reading A Little Birdie Told Me to Sew this Top
I do not know quite how summer came and went so fast! Earlier, as summer appeared to stretch out endlessly before me, I had plans to tackle so much work ahead of time. Two brand new courses to teach this year? No problem — they will be done in their entirety by early August! Adding new technologies to existing courses? I’ll learn everything I need … Continue reading Boxy Tee: Free Pattern But Worth a Purse of Roman Coins
Hi friends! I have another quickie sewing project to bore you to tears with: pyjie pants! And I’m having an existential crisis here because I thought you spelled pyjamas PYJAMAS! But according to all those red underlines that started showing up as I typed this post, you don’t! Apparently it’s spelled PAJAMAS. Which now makes it hard for me to justify calling them pyjies, and … Continue reading Pyjamas, and a minor national/personal cultural identity crisis
Frivolous At Last 