I'm going to be taking a little break from sewing. I live in a very quirky little old house (at one time it was the post office of Riggsville, Maine) which desperately needs my attention. Water damage around a leaking skylight in the bathroom. A big crack around another skylight in the pantry. [...]
Blog posts
Time to dial it back
The Watanabe inspired "fishing vest" has been finished for awhile, but I've not had much interest in either photographing it or blogging about it. Basically, I'm just not all that thrilled with the result; something that rarely happens to me. As much fun as I had drafting my own simple pattern and adding all [...]
The "What the F was I thinking" Fishing Vest
So, let's start with the inspiration. Vest over jacket This is from Engineered Garments of Brooklyn, NY. Their editorial photo spreads are horrendous IMO, but the clothes are beautiful. I had a chance to see them at Napenthes, a store WAY too hip (and expensive!) for me in NYC's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood. Essentially, everything they [...]
Thinking Ahead — Summer Beach Shirt
We're all craving some warmer weather here in northern New England. 40 degrees would be heavenly! How twisted is that??? So to keep myself from going completely crazy I've been working on some summer clothes. My latest is this cotton shirt. The "short over long" look, done up in a very lightweight cotton border [...]
The Watanabe Inspired Jacket. Japanese style meets Nantucket Red
There's still plenty of snow on the ground here in Maine, but today I'm dreaming of summer on Nantucket; an island famous for whaling, cobblestone streets and its own color -- namely, Nantucket red. I'm sure some of you are scratching your heads. What's he talking about? This is one of those New Englandy prep [...]
Watanabe Jacket — Progress #3, Finishing details
Here are the final details of my Junya Watenabe knock-off project. The sleeves were very easy to set, since all the ease (1 1/2" of it) was removed. As always, I baste the hell out of everything. The uppermost row of basting is holding the lining and fashion fabric together. After pinning the sleeve in [...]
Watanabe Jacket — Progress #2
This post promises to be downright riveting! I would never have attempted this if it weren't for my cyber sewing buddy Enrique over at Enriquesews. He's made some amazing duffle coats with rivets at various stress points that just blow me away. Plus, his joy of sewing is positively infectious. His blog confirms for me [...]
Watanabe Jacket — Progress #1
This project has gotten off to a great start. The fabrics are easy to work with, and I have WAY more than I need. That makes it much easier to take risks / experiment, and there's been plenty of it. Basically, I'm just making this whole thing up as I go along. Since pocket details [...]
Getting Started — The Watanabe Jacket
I'll admit it, I look at some fashion websites. It's a good source of inspiration for me, even if 99% of what's shown is a perpetual theme and variation on one thing -- Black. I'm just NOT that person.And don't get me going on sleeveless jackets for men! I've been drawn to the work of [...]
Time to Spring Forward!
I'm ready to turn the clock ahead wearing my new Hello Kitty shirt. Ignore all that snow in the background! Spring is right around the corner, and it really felt like it today. Recap: Liberty of London tana lawn and coordinating gingham, in a hack of my TNT buttondown shirt pattern. The Liberty fabric was [...]
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