Happiness Through Sewing
Also referred to as a “modern silhouette” (who made that up?) the boxy woven top is now ubiquitous on every sewing and sewing pattern site. As great as they are sometimes they need to be more fitted to balance an outfit. my top is Lisette for Butterick pattern #B6182 which I reviewed here. That center bust dart is […] Read more…
There is nothing wrong with Liesl + Co’s Cappucino Tunic pattern. It’s cute. It’s easy to sew. The instructions are clear. However, there is something wrong with my Cappuccino Tunic. It’s probably the wrong style (or size) for me but the stiff fabric is making it worse. (and the first thing I thought when […] Read more…
Let’s Make This Skirt (Part 1 of this post showed how to draft your maxi skirt pattern. You can find that post here) This skirt is a straightforward kind of sewing project. The pattern is made for woven fabric, such as linen, twill, denim, basically most any bottom weight fabric. However, because it does gather […] Read more…
Maxi Skirts are the new yoga pants. They’re easy to wear and they’re comfortable. But maxi skirts, well, this maxi skirt, at least is better than yoga pants because it has pockets. Pockets! If you can use a tape measure you can draft your own pattern in under an hour for this easy to sew […] Read more…
How many clothes do you have in your closet right now? If you’re typical you would say your closet is too small for all your clothes. Did you know we consume 60% more clothes annually than we did even 10 years ago? It’s the era of disposable clothing. Worn today, trashed tomorrow. When garments […] Read more…
Since I first saw an article about her in Sunset Magazine (in the mid 1990s) I have admired Lotta Jansdotter’s work. So no surprise that I really like her new book, Lotta Jansdotter Everyday Style; Key Pieces to Sew. Yes, it has patterns, and yes that’s the first thing I noticed and yes, those nine patterns, for […] Read more…
I have a basic shirt that I bought it in a department store. I really like the fabric it is made up in, a soft navy chambray. I don’t like that the chest pockets screamed “look at my breast” so I only wear it under sweaters. I put it on a couple of weeks ago and noticed […] Read more…
Gathers are small soft folds made by drawing fabric up on a line of hand or machine stitching. Gathers give a softness and fullness to garments and is a way to release a lot of fabric from a tighter area to a fuller area; for example a full skirt on a fitted waistband or yoke, a […] Read more…
You Sew Girl! patterns by Nicole Mallalieu are all about teaching you skills while you make something you can be proud of. Although the bulk of You Sew Girl! patterns are for handbags they do offer a few garment patterns and it’s their A-Line Skirt pattern I’m currently in love with. Style details: This A-line skirt […] Read more…
The recently sewn Rachel Comey Vogue pattern 1247, used French seams in the construction of the top. Upon reading this on the instruction sheet my first thought was actually three thoughts; What? Why? and How? What is a French seam? It’s a construction method used where the seam allowance is enclosed as the seam is […] Read more…