OK. This exercise is completed, and it's been a journey for sure. At one point I was screaming louder than the collective scream heard from coast to coast a few weeks ago. My strategy was to take a break, go to yoga class, breath and then calmly return to the whole mess. Yes, it got [...]
Category: Fashion Sewing Supply
The Troubling Ethics of Clothes That I Never Wear
Maybe you caught this little post from Sewing on The Edge which linked to an article about a minimalist / capsule wardrobe? While my wardrobe is hardly minimalist, I do try to make clothes that I want to wear. Still, there are clothes that I've sewn that, for one reason or another, I NEVER wear. [...]
Pantone, Progress and Problems
Clearly the Pantone prognosticators were watching me last March at the MPB Winter Frolic! Were they hiding behind the rolls of faux fur at NY Elegant? Did they watch me pick out this fur, knowing that I'm always way ahead of the fashion curve? I picked this..... Low and behold.....what do they pick for [...]
Rethinking my hardware choices, and launching into it.
I cut out some of the ultrasuede backpack pieces and did some test stitching on the scraps, only to find out that my trusty Singer 301 decided not make a single stitch. Arghhhh! It refused to pick up the bobbin thread, so it was essentially just sewing into thin air. I fiddled with the tension, [...]
New Summer Shirts
What's better than a new shirt for summer??? Two new shirts! I made just a couple little adjustments to my vintage pattern. I always need a sloped shoulder adjustment (top pic), and I also added a slight curve to the upper back (lower pic). I also cut the undercollar and the collar interfacing on the [...]
Athleisure Progress
As I mentioned in the previous post, I'll be using the fleecy backed knit for my first foray into athleisure. It looks like it would be the most forgiving. (The loopy backed fabric has me completely freaked out!) I'll also be using the Jedediah pattern from Thread Theory. It's a moderately slim pant, and I've [...]
Getting Started — The Halston Shirt Jacket
So here it is, resurrected from 1976, McCall's 5009. I guess it's technically a "leisure suit", but I'm calling it a shirt jacket since I'll only be making the top half. My inspiration is Peter's shacket of last year. You can see it here. I think he made all the guys in the sewing blogosphere [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
More "Kitty" construction
Warning: Shirtmaking geek alert! Purrrring along here in "Hello Kitty" world. With the fronts completed I turn my attention to the back and yoke. I've decided to eliminate the center box pleat at the back, so things are pretty simple here. My plan all along has been to use the gingham as a contrasting inner yoke. [...]
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