If you sew a lot of garments, you possibly have one or two fitting tweaks that you're used to doing regularly. It can take some time to get there to know what you need to do, and it may involve some false starts, too. For me, the biggest thing that transformed my sewing—specifically the fit of my dress bodices and blouses—was when I realized I nearly always needed to shorten bodices, especially for vintage patterns. Up ... Read more »
Sewing
Tiki trousers
I'm excited to share a really fun pair of trousers with you today! I've secretly been working with Spoonflower to share my thoughts on their latest fabric addition, Dogwood Denim™. I'm sure you've heard of them but if not: Spoonflower does print-on-demand, eco-friendly digital printing on fabric. They have thousands of designs to choose from, and a bunch of types of fabric for different applications. When I ... Read more »
Pendleton-inspired plaid coat
One of the reasons I try to never put down a sewing project is I know I'm liable to have changed my mind about something. Such was kind of the case with this coat right here. Which... I made back in the fall. I know, perpetually catching up in-between new projects! But I digress. Initially, I wanted to make it in early fall. I looove vintage Pendleton 49er style jackets, and they are in heavy rotation in early ... Read more »
A swing jacket that went to London
Maaaaany months ago, I made one of my most favorite things. And I'm just now finally sharing it! Technically, you got a glimpse of this before. When we went to the U.K. in April, I was wearing it in a few of the photos. It was the only jacket I took and it was perfect! (The dress went to the U.K. too and hopefully I'll blog about it soon as well.) Here's one of my favorite photos wearing the jacket on our vacation, in ... Read more »
Meet me in Washington, D.C. over the holidays!
I couldn't resist a title riffing on one of my favorite old movies, Meet Me in St. Louis. But it's true! If you're in the Washington, D.C. area over the holidays, let's meet! I'm very tickled to announce I'll be at Three Little Birds Sewing Co. in Hyattsville, Maryland (suburban D.C.) for a retro holiday Meet & Greet on Friday, December 22nd, from 7-9pm. Cocktails, festive music, and sewing chatter. Come ask me ... Read more »
Brown plaid dress
Early in September, I was having a hard time finding direction for my sewing. I blame the change of seasons. I couldn't figure out what I wanted to make, or I'd want to make things I didn't actually feel like taking the time to make, or I just wasn't sure what I wanted to be wearing... things like that. I may not follow modern trends in fashion, but that doesn't mean I don't go through phases of things I prefer, want to ... Read more »