I should have my head examined! I've gone and entered my first sewing contest at Pattern Review. I've looked at these contests before, but they always strike me as impossible. One Pattern -- Many Looks. Oh, man, I'd be lucky to complete ONE look! Or something like, A Complete Coordinated Wardrobe. Seriously? Anyway, I've decided [...]
Blog posts
The Finlayson Sweater
Now that I've conquered my fear of knits, I decided to try Thread Theory's Finlayson Sweater. They have an entire sew-along tutorial on their website, so I won't bore you with a lot of construction details. I like that this pattern can be made up two ways, with either a shawl collar or a hood. [...]
Finally! The completed "Missoni" jacket
Wow, this has taken forever! Not the making...waiting for a chance to get outside and snap some pictures of the finished product. Finally, it stopped raining, I wasn't working and the sun came out. I grabbed my tripod and took advantage of our unseasonably warm, almost spring-like weather. So here it is.... This may not be [...]
Taking a page from the Laura Mae playbook
I'll admit it. I'm a big time lurker on Laura Mae's blog, Lilacs and Lace. I'm never, in a million years, going to be making a beaded gala ball gown, but I love watching her process. Surely, in a prior life, this woman was one of "Les petites mains" in a Paris couture house. My [...]
Constructing my Faux Missoni
The "Chase Crush" Missoni-esque knit that I've chosen for this project is pretty light weight and VERY stretchy. It just doesn't feel substantial enough for a jacket. I had also ordered a dark purple bamboo knit from Vogue Fabrics, thinking that I would use it for Thread Theory's new Finlayson Sweater, but it also feels [...]
The "Phoney Missoni" Muslin
I figure that this sweater / blazer will cost somewhere in the $100 range to make. Considerably less than the real deal, but still enough of an investment to deserve the full muslin treatment. A $2 jersey knit sheet from Goodwill turned out to be the perfect muslin material. It looks a little crazy but [...]
Laying the Groundwork for my Next Project
This project has me really excited. It's all about having the clothes that I'd love to wear, but could never afford. It's also a new challenge because it involves knits, something I've never tried. First, my inspiration.... The Missoni sweater / blazer. I LOVE this look. There's something about Missoni that I find very [...]
Falling for Foulard
I haven't posted anything for well over a month, but it doesn't mean there hasn't been any sewing going on in my world. These two projects, a foulard shirt and a pair of velvet Jeds have been finished for well over two weeks now. The weather just hasn't cooperated for an outdoor photo shoot. Finally, [...]
The Last Hurrah of Summer Sewing
I don't know what it's like where you live, but summer has come to a screeching halt here in Maine. I'm sitting in front of a little electric heater as I write this. It seems almost silly to be blogging about clothes that most likely won't get worn again until next summer. Bear with me, [...]
The man who said he’d NEVER wear cargo pants!
Honestly, I never saw myself as the cargo pant type. But let's face it, there aren't a lot of choices out there for us guys. I really needed up spruce up my wardrobe for last weekend's wedding, part of which involved a "casual attire" rehearsal dinner. I really wanted something different. And since linen practically [...]
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