Do you ever just drop everything you're working on to sew a quickie project? I almost never do. But I did recently, and can understand why people do it sometimes! In the middle of my latest jeans project I suddenly had the urge to try out a pattern I've been thinking about non-stop since finishing my Carbeth pullover. The cropped shirt in Butterick 7557, from around 1956. Meant to be more of a sweater, or a ... Read more »
sewing with knits
Slash-neck winner
Before fall hit here, Jennifer Lauren (of Jennifer Lauren Handmade) contacted me about her latest pattern release, the Gable top, a cute 1950s-inspired tee with a slash neck. Little did she know, but it was the exact same type of top I was hoping to try and backwards architect from my favorite Vivien of Holloway slash neck tops, as I hadn't found a similar sewing pattern out there yet. She wondered if I'd be interested in ... Read more »
Sewing with Doctor Who
Today's outfit is just full of fun separates! I love trying out new patterns, and sewing things that are more in the 'on occasion' variety. For example right now I'm finishing up a collared vintage dress, and it's coming out great, I had an extremely crucial fitting "aha" moment in the muslin, but I don't wear dresses with collars that often, even though this has a great one, and the back of the neck collar was ... Read more »
Setting myself up for success
Recently, I bought something and then returned it: a coverstitch machine. I don't feel like writing up a long blog post about why I returned it... so instead I'm writing a long blog post about something tangentially related to it, ha ha. The short story is that I felt mine was probably a lemon. It was a Janome 900CPX and lots of people love theirs... and many people (experienced sewers) think they have duds, or they ... Read more »
Lady Agnes
Friends, sometimes you make something, and you've seen others make it too, and it's an easy enough project, and you're fairly confident it'll look pretty cute once you're done. This was not one of those times. Oh no, because I didn't make the above. I mean yeah, I eventually did. But what I actually made first was this. I think the faces sum it up. That white thing was my initial attempt at the Tilly ... Read more »
Turtleneck fit for a beatnik
Truth: I blame a lot of my fashion dreaming this early start to the year on Vera Ellen's wardrobe in White Christmas, from 1954. When watching it over the holidays (a yearly tradition), there were a few things that just spoke to me. I mean everyone's wardrobe in that movie is amazing, but Vera Ellen's wrap tops and her turtlenecks (and a turtleneck dress, even)... those fashion basics really grabbed me this time! She ... Read more »