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…

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…

For the Love of Dresses

Not too long after I started sewing my own clothes, I started dreaming about having a collection of go-to patterns that I loved making and wearing. A big part of this dream was finding the perfect dress pattern, a dress that would make me want to wear dresses everyday. Somehow over the years that dream morphed into a need…

Happy Halloween from a Darling Little Duck!

Happy Halloween everyone! It's my daughter's second Halloween, and I just had to make her another costume. While she was the cutest little black kitten last year and I'd happily have her be a cat every year (because cats and sewing go hand in hand!), I decided to make her into a darling little duck this year. Why…

Sewing for the Season: Rosy Fall Cowl

I promised earlier this week that I was going to post something in "Cashmere Rose". Well, here it is! My new Renfrew cowl! From what I can tell, this pink is a little too light to truly be "Cashmere Rose", but that's okay with me. After all: "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Also, I'm sorry…

Showering Pincushion Treats with Elephants

Hello friends!  It's been awhile. Right after my last post, we packed up our little family of three and headed east to Glacier National Park to join my parents and my brother and his family in a little over a week of outdoor fun. I loved getting away and into the wild, but it's true what they say: any…