I'm thrilled to announce my latest vintage-inspired knitting pattern is now live, the Midge Pullover! Get the knitting pattern on Ravelry and Payhip. Midge is a cute and casual vintage style pullover pattern. It got its original inspiration from one of my favorite 1950s sewing patterns, a cropped boxy top. Midge was designed to have a relaxed, comfortable fit with ¾ length sleeves and a slightly cropped look that ... Read more »
Sewing a vintage-inspired Halloween flannel jumpsuit
Happy Halloweentime! I just finished sewing an amazing Halloween-themed flannel jumpsuit, just in the nick of time! This is a pattern hacked jumpsuit of the first order, sewed up in flannel, so it's just as comfy as actually wearing pajamas! I hacked together three modern patterns for this vintage-inspired jumpsuit: two reproduction vintage ones, and one retro one. Dress bodice: Butterick B5748 (1960 ... Read more »
DIY rope belt & shaped belt loops tutorials
Summer may officially be coming to an end soon up here in the northern hemisphere, but it's still quite hot out! So a bit more time for some fun summery projects! And I recently did a couple of YouTube videos you might like on that topic! I teach you how to make a super simple DIY 2-color rope belt in today's video. Which I made to go with the pedal pushers I sewed in last week's video, where I also showed step-by-step ... Read more »
Bias tape armhole facings tutorial & a summer blouse
Do you love gingham? I loove gingham. Apparently, I love gingham so much, that between my two latest YouTube videos, where I show you my favorite tricks for achieving perfectly smooth bias tape facings around armholes, and then sew up the example blouse from the tutorial, I end up showing 4 different gingham summer tops I've made. I really had no idea until making of those videos that I sewed it that much! If you'd ... Read more »
Sewing a 1940s maxi dress for summer
I've really been on a roll sewing dresses! Like I'm sure many people, I go in cycles in terms of what I want to sew and what I want to wear. And lately, that's been dresses. Granted, I type this while wearing a skirt and a top, but I've definitely leaned more towards dresses this year. And I just finished up a fabulous vintage dress! It's featured in my latest YouTube video. I used a 1940s sundress pattern, Simplicity ... Read more »
A walking foot for sewing garments is a game changer!
Let's talk about one of my absolute favorite presser feet: the walking foot! One of the things that's been an interesting discovery for me since I started doing video content in January, is that not everyone knows how absolutely amazing this presser foot is, and that it can be your new best friend for sewing garments. Quilters know about it and use it, but why not more dressmakers?? Ever sewed a seam when the top ... Read more »
The benefits of keeping a sewing journal
It's no secret that I love to sew. A LOT. And sewing is a constant journey of learning. One of the most important things I've learned is that keeping a sewing journal is a total game-changer! It's basically just a big ol' notebook to keep track of projects. I record things like the pattern I used, include a little swatch of the fabric, and any other details I deem important at the time of writing about the project. ... Read more »
Sewing tutorial: all-in-one facing for a center back zipper dress
I love sleeveless dresses, but I don't love sewing separate armhole and neckline facings. They are annoying and even with understitching and tacking them at seam lines, they love to try to flip out, and often require more pressing after laundering than you might want to bother with. And then they still want to flop to the outside when you get dressed. Annoying. For awhile, that was the main reason I preferred lining ... Read more »
Sewing a vintage dress with ribbons on the bodice
As it's been getting warmer, I've been a busy bee lately with life stuff, and my sewing time has been less. You have to enjoy the warm weather when you can, and sometimes that means hanging out on my deck rather than holing up in the basement sewing! (Much as I love holing up in the basement sewing!) But I recently finished sewing a vintage dress, and it's the subject of my latest video on YouTube. It's another ... Read more »
When I sewed a vintage capsule wardrobe for Viva Las Vegas
This week is the Viva Las Vegas rockabilly weekender, and while we're not attending, I'm reminiscing about the last time we went! Back in 2019, we attended, and I was a vintage sewing machine: I sewed a vintage capsule wardrobe, sewing a total of 10 outfits for the weekend, including two menswear shirts for Mel. I KNOW. Of the items in this more-is-more vintage capsule wardrobe, only one thing that made it to my ... Read more »
How I sewed my vintage birthday dress for 2023
It's my birthday, and as I've done for the last decade, I sewed myself a birthday dress to mark the occasion! I haven't been that great about keeping up with them all on my blog, but several have made it here, including my very first one, the one I made for my 40th birthday in London, and the one I made for Viva Las Vegas. They're almost always made from vintage sewing patterns, and this year's birthday dress was no ... Read more »
Vintage-inspired Royale pullover knitting pattern release
My latest vintage-inspired pattern is live—meet the Royale pullover knitting pattern! You can buy Royale on Ravelry and Payhip, and tune in to YouTube to watch my quick video introduction. Royale is a striking, vintage style pullover with a distinctive large collar and three-quarter length sleeves. It’s seamless and worked top down, making it easy to customize the body or sleeve length. It knits up fast ... Read more »
Sewing a plaid flannel jumper dress with Butterick B5748
If you've spent any time around my blog or social media, you know I love plaid. And I love sewing plaid. And apparently, I love sewing with Robert Kaufman Mammoth plaid. Because I've made a vintage dress with it, and a vintage tie-front topper, and now, in my latest YouTube video, I sewed a vintage jumper dress with it! I used Butterick B5748, which I wouldn't exactly call a tried and true pattern yet, but it's ... Read more »
Sewing knits: vintage style turtleneck sweater
Late last year, I blogged about a 1950s jumper dress that I sewed and I still really love that dress. It's the perfect thing to layer over a turtleneck when it's chilly. And it's only early early spring, so it's definitely still chilly! All it needed was some quick sewing knits projects. Which... I didn't do. But frankly, continuing to wear that dress a lot (and planning a similar one soon) meant I no longer had an ... Read more »
My 3 favorite handmade vintage coats
If it's one thing I love to sew, it's vintage coats and jackets! Since sewing my very first jacket a decade ago, I've made several. I love the process of slowing down with tailoring techniques, and plotting a major project like a coat. And I Iove to wear them! My latest YouTube video is a little "sew and tell" of my favorite three coats that I've made. Spoiler alert: two of them haven't even all made it to this blog! ... Read more »
Why should you be tracing sewing patterns?
Are you tracing your sewing patterns when you sew? I have for years, and it's one of the keys to my sewing progress (and prowess)! If you search my blog for the words trace or tracing, dozens and dozens of results come up. I trace sewing patterns all the time! Both vintage and modern. But why should you be doing it? As I'm kicking things into gear on YouTube (I've been having way more fun than I expected!), I ... Read more »