Tuesdays with Claire: Thread Tracing

My Vogue V8333 jacket has been a work-in-progress (WIP) for so long that my posts on the subject have had a long string of names based on who's guidance I was using at the time - from Tuesdays with Gertie to Tuesdays with Claire to Tuesdays with Alison. Since I now feel like I'm pulling from…

Battling a Pregnancy-Induced Sewing Slump with a Gold Linen Skirt

I blame the pregnancy. Both last pregnancy and this pregnancy I've felt a noticeable slump in my creativity. Last time I was able to channel what little creative and DIY energy I could find into just two things: my science and my sewing. Everything else just kind of got left behind. At the time I…

The State of the Kitchen, through 2014

Having rashly and naively decided to name this blog Sew Well back when I first discovered my love of sewing and realized I wanted to write all about it, I didn't really leave myself much room to talk about anything else other than sewing in this space. However, since our kitchen remodel has been such a…

Lessons Learned Working with a Border Print

Hi friends! First things first, that little bit of belly you see above is indeed a baby bump. The little one is due in August, which means I'm about half way through this pregnancy. My husband and I are in a race to see which will come first - the new baby or the finished kitchen.…

Tuesdays with Alison: Learning about Tailoring

If you've been reading this blog long enough, you might remember my Tuesdays with Claire series. I started it way back in 2012 when I jettisoned Gertie's no-longer-available Sew Retro: The Starlet Suit Jacket Craftsy course and switched instead to making Vogue V8333. I got as far as fitting my muslin and cutting out my fashion fabric before…

Nina Cardigan Done Right

While winter is definitely not over here in Seattle, we are finally getting our first hints that it's on its way out. Our crocuses have come up, and our daffodils are not far behind. The days are in the 50s (Fahrenheit, obviously!) with a bit more sun than in December and January. To celebrate, I wanted to make a…

Gridlock Redux

Ages ago when I had oodles of time, I used to participate in just about everything I could find in the online sewing world. Even contests held by Australian fabric companies requiring fabric from their store! I justified having fabric shipped half way around the world by planning out my project well in advance of both…

An A-Line Skirt in an Oscar de la Renta Woven

I know for a fact that my first finished garment of 2016 is going to become a very well-loved skirt, but making it was a lesson in how I should always get used to a new-to-me fabric by practicing techniques on scraps before venturing into the real deal. A lesson that, of course, I didn't…

Reflecting on 2015

Happy New Year everyone! We celebrated by visiting Chihuly Garden and Glass in Seattle on New Year's Eve, and I thought this photo I took of their glass flowers was a perfect fireworks display to usher in the new year here on the blog. As 2016 begins I would be remiss if I didn't reflect back on…

When Mathilda Met Georgia, Farrah, and Meryl: A New Favorite Dress

Ladies and Gentlemen, let me introduce you to the Mathilda-Georgia-Farrah-Meryl dress.  Too many names for you? I agree. But, that seems to be the way of it these days - names for patterns, names for fabric, names for sewing machines. Next up we'll have names for our presser feet! Won't that be confusing?! The Mathilda…