I made a set of cloth linen napkins in 2012. We used them every day and washed them every week. The linen became softer, the color mellowed evenly and so I never thought I would have to make cloth napkins again. Until Atlas joined our family. Atlas is our new Rottweiler pup. He’s a wonderful […] Read more…
How to Mark Your Fabric for Sewing
A pattern piece has a lot of information on it as discussed in a previous post/video “How to Read a Pattern”. You need that information when you are sewing all the pieces together, but you want to transfer that information, from pattern to fabric, at the beginning while the fabric is still on the cutting […] Read more…
How to Cut a Sewing Pattern and Fabric
A sewing friend recently joked that sewing was actually only 50% sewing and 50% cutting, pressing, and fussing. She’s pretty accurate. But let’s not let that stop us from sewing. We’ll just accept it as part of the process. This post and video are all about the process of laying out your pattern pieces and […] Read more…
How to Read a Sewing Pattern
When trying to teach myself how to knit I found decoding the pattern was, and still is, the highest hurdle. If you want to sew but the sewing pattern is confusing, daunting, or just leaves you in doubt about even trying tp sew, let me clear things up for you, please. This is your How […] Read more…
How to Hem Dress Pants
Hemming men’s trousers was my first side hustle. It’s a pretty common task and one you can do with professional results even if you don’t have much sewing experience. You just need to follow a couple of easy tips. Note: you will need someone to do the initial pinning if you’re hemming your own trousers. […] Read more…
Should You Buy a Mini Sewing Machine?
This post has affiliate links to products that I use and always recommend. You can buy them from anywhere but if you buy through the link (and Amazon) I receive a tiny percent back from that mega-retailer to help support this blog. Just letting you know 😉 I confess Mini Sewing Machines brought out the […] Read more…
Great Resources for Sewing: My Top Book Recommendations
I have a lot of books about sewing, and quite a few about style, and even more books about fashion. I might have trouble letting go of books but luckily I found most of them used Want to watch this post? The video includes images from inside the books so if a book listed here […] Read more…
Easy to Sew Separates for Special Occasion
Because I rarely attend dress-up functions I don’t want to spend weeks sewing something I’ll only wear a little (unless, I really want to make that particular item, or it’s a very special occasion). So my “fancy” clothes need to be fun and easy and, yes, still comfortable so that I am comfortable when wearing […] Read more…
How to Make a Dog Bed with Piping
Let me just be upfront: making a dog bed, especially a large dog bed, is not a cost-saving project. Instead, it’s a project for getting exactly what you want, whether that’s a particular size, in a particular fabric, or something that coordinates with the room. This dog bed cover is easily removed for washing thanks […] Read more…
How to Sew a Halloween Treat Bag
With just half a yard of Halloween-themed fabric and an hour or less of your time, your little goblin or princess will have a treat bag they can use for years to come and unlike the classic plastic pumpkin, it lays flat when Trick-or-Treating is over or can be used all year round for toys, […] Read more…