I have a love hate relationship with gift wrap. I love the designs, the colors, the way they make the simplest gifts look so good. I don’t like that it can only be used onced and then tossed away. (Yes, same with Kleenex, but Kleenex serves a very useful purpose before it is tossed). Gift bags are slightly better […] Read more…
Gifts for People Who Sew; 2015
Do you know someone who enjoys sewing? Do you want to give them a gift? Do you want to give them a gift they will use? Do you need some ideas to point you in the right direction? I’ve been sewing (of my own choosing) for many, many years and maybe the things I want are […] Read more…
Pattern Review: Easy Wristlet Purse by Sue Kim
What I sewed: Wristlet Zipper Purse Pattern found in Bags the Modern Classics by Sue Kim and published by Stash Books Bag sewer and pattern maker Sue Kim of ithinksew.com has been making bags since 2007. She published Bags the Modern Classics in 2011. I recently picked it up used. I liked a few of the […] Read more…
How and When to Make a Stronger Sewing Pattern
Novelty is a powerful attraction to me. I like trying new things; new Ritter chocolate bar flavors, new music, new hair cuts and so forth. Of course life is a contradiction and there are some things I am fiercely loyal to; flannel sheets, Breyers Vanilla, Dr Hauschka soap for example. However most things in my […] Read more…
A New Year to Start Over
It happened; a new year has started for me. Another turn around the sun. And more than a new calendar year, my birthday has always made me wonder how the next year is going to be different from the last. I used to think it all depended on events like moving and people in my life, […] Read more…
Stop Buying. Start sewing.
We’ve all heard jokes about uncontrollable fabric shopping and overflowing fabric stashes. We’ve laughed at them with a knowing cringe for certainly all of us are guilty of buying fabric we didn’t have a need for just because we loved it. And almost as certainly all of us have done it more than once. The […] Read more…
How to Patch a Well Loved Stuffed Animal
Love can tear us apart and wear us thin and leak out our stuffing. This is what happened to my son’s girlfriend and Dotty, her knitted, stuffed cat from her childhood. However, love can fix us too and with the desire to make Dotty’s owner happy, my son suggested to her to let me fix Dotty’s six […] Read more…
Quick and Easy Patterns: The Truth Revealed
We’ve all been there – or maybe it is just me. Read more…
How to Make a Pattern From a Favorite Garment
Ever put on a garment and wish you had another one like it? Maybe in a different color or maybe just more in the same color. Maybe you want an exact replica or maybe you want a different sleeve length, or to alter the fit just slightly. This isn’t a problem if you sewed it to […] Read more…
How to Sew French Seams
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…