This is a blog dedicated to documenting sewing self drafted and indie sewing patterns, consuming less, being better to people and the earth, creative exploration, and my life and times in Rochester, NY.
All in Sewing
Hey guys! I'm so excited to finally show off my pink Seamwork Audrey denim jacket! Many of you know that I'm an avid denim jacket wearer. During those awkward spring/fall months where it's too cold for no jacket but too warm for a thick jacket, denim jackets are a lifesaver.
I knew I wanted to get back into quilting but I didn’t have a good excuse to do it until I received this beautiful genuine ikat from Fibers to Fabric. They have lovely hand printed fabric and real ikat for good prices and very quick shipping. The ikat fabric I received was stunning- rich color with a wonderful weave. It was a little gauzy and I was short on yardage to make a top but I really saw the ikat as a print in a homeware piece in our new apartment. So I set off making a quilt.
If you're anything like me, you love a good patch. It's the perfect way to spice up the clothes and accessories you wear every day, and you don't have to worry about it falling off like an enamel pin. However, I've learned from my days with non-DIY folk that a lot of them don't know how to attach a patch to your garment the right way. I figured I'd make a comprehensive post on the best way to attach a patch to your jacket, backpack, or who knows, even your knickers.
Hello loyal readers, followers, and friends. I'm here to reveal the end of #coatgate and, well... i tried. It's not perfect. Definitely not perfect. But to date this is my most in depth project and I learned a lot along the way. The end result is wonky but wearable, and nobody who isn't a seamstress knows that it's a mess.
Last Year my good friend Stephanie of Fired Figments made me one of her classic dragon mugs in my favorite color (pink, duh) for Galentines Day and I did nothing. Let me tell you I looked like a DICK. So here's my suggestion to my seamstresses in the house for a quick sew that every gal can appreciate: no-waste reusable makeup pads. They may not be mosaic portraits made from the recipient's favorite soda, but they're do the trick.
Hey Guys! I'm so excited to share my red valentines set with you all. I made this set in January for a retro style photoshoot for a local magazine. The photos won't get published until March or April but I still wanted to show you what I made!
We've all seen everybody's Make 9 on instagram by now. I've even got one or two of mine out of the way already. But there are bigger things than a few specific patterns I want to pursue and learn in 2018. I've compiled a list of new creative things to explore in the new year, and I figured I'd share it with you to keep me accountable and help me along with your tips and tricks.
Hi guys! Hope you're all braving the snowpocolypse out there, or if you're in a warm spot I hope you're living it up. This weekend temps were below 0 here in upstate and it was hard to leave the house at all. But every Sunday Sam and I try to go to this specific coffee shop in the city to sit down, talk about what we thought about that week, and plan the upcoming month. It was so cold this weekend I couldn't help but snuggle up in my freshly made Geodesic sweater.
Hey guys! If you’re waiting for the results of #coatgate, I’m afraid you’ve got a little waiting to do. I finally got my hands on the lining and interfacing, so it should come soon, but I’m really taking my time with this one. Until then, before I had my grubby mitts on the coat lining, I popped out a sweet evergreen christmas dress out of the Rachel Comey for Vogue Patterns V1558.
Hello and welcome to COATGATE.
I’ve become a little coat obsessed over here. Self care is kind of weird; sometimes I feel like busting out as many simple patterns as possible to feel super productive, and sometimes I feel like tacking one big project and carefully planning each step so you have maximum reward. Right now i’m stuck in the later as I work towards making my winter coat.
It sometimes feels like i've been reading style blogs ever since the birth of the internet. This is not true, I mostly played the Sims in the birth of the internet, but I remember very specifically the heart filling feeling of discovering my first fashion and DIY blogs when I was 14 and 15, and realizing that "fashion" is more than what my mom told me looked nice on me. I even started my own unbelievably terrible style blog when I was 16, which i hope no one ever looks at besides me for laughs. Every time I tried to start a ready-to-wear style blog I personally found it difficult and uninspiring, unlike the small home I feel I've found here with sewing and weird junk I think too hard about. But just because I can't handle a "style blog" doesn't mean I still don't consume them like cheesy chips. Today I thought I'd share some of the ready-to-wear style blogs that inspire my personal sewing, and hope you'll share some of yours too!
Hey guys!
Just wanted to pop in and show you guys this year's tacky halloween dress. And I couldn't stand to leave Sam out of the fun, so I made Sam a matching shirt.
Hey guys!
Sorry today's post is going up a little late this week. I got back into my knits sewing groove by making a super easy Named Paola Turtleneck.
I've been fantasizing about a good pair of black cord dungarees (pinafore? skirtoralls? what's the right term here?) for what feels like ages. They feel specifically fall to me, as I imagine them with tights and sweaters and boots. So I waited until fall to make them, and I almost regret waiting so long, I love them so much. They're comfortable, wearable, and stinkin cute to boot.
As you may remember, I sewed up a floral Alder earlier in the year and totally loved the pattern. This also was the pattern that pushed me over the edge to start performing full bust adjustments on all of my patterns. I'd love to do a comparison post with a before and after full bust adjustment, so let me know if that would be something you'd be interested in. The floral alder had some discomfort and tightness in the bust, so I sized down the front bodice 2 sizes and performed a 1 inch adjustment.
I finally am moved out of the Hungerford and into the new studio space in our house. I've made a few things in the space, but I think the true moment of new beginnings came when Sam installed my AC all of 2 hours ago. Speaking of which: what the heck? it's 90 degrees here in rochester today. I'm so sweaty I may just straight up melt into my own carpet.
As an act of self care, I finally cut into my BELOVED Rifle Paper Co Rayon Challis (also I just figured out that it's pronounced shall-EE and not shallis like chalice? what the heck) which I had been hoarding for 6 months. I bought it for a different blouse pattern but i'm very happy with the Colette Aster, which I've admired from afar for a while but wrote off as something that would be unflattering on my body type.
I started sewing because I wanted to make party dresses. This is a sad fact, reflecting on it now. I definitely have a different lifestyle and necessity for my sewing these days. I started as a kid in a candy store, shoveling sugary treats into my mouth, screaming with my mouth full out of pure joy. Now i'm realizing that you can't live off of candy, and it's not reasonable to only make party dresses. Especially if i'm prone to jeans and a cute tee most days at work. So here's my list of wearable garments I hope to (need to!) make in the near future.
I planned a picnic for Sam and I at Sonnenberg Gardens in Canandaigua on sunday and I decided it was the perfect time to sport my newest make: B6318. I've been admittedly avoiding those "big 4" patterns as an attempt to support indie makers and movers and shakers, but when I saw this dress start to pop up on instagram I knew it was a must-make.
It was love at first sight with Seamwork Mag's Reggie Dress. The model they used in the product photos is a beautiful curvy woman, which instantly sold me on the pattern even though it seems very out of my wheelhouse.
Happy to show my Closet Case Kalle Cropped Blouse! I worked really fucking hard to keep this shirt from getting wrinkled, but alas, here I am. You may have noticed on my insta stories that I ironed it the day before, HUNG IT UP IN MY CAR LIKE A GOSH DARN LAWYER OR BUSINESS MAN, and wore a bib over it while eating all of my food on sunday. Turns out you can't photoshop wrinkles out. Or I'm just too lazy to do so.
Guys!!! They’re here!!!
I feel like my mom when I type with multiple punctuation marks, but sometimes I need to express my pure unadulterated excitement. I feel like I should preface this post by saying: I know these are by no means perfect, but they’re definitely the best jeans I’ve ever owned, and I never thought they were something I was capable of making. About a year ago when everyone was hoping on the Ginger train I was like,
Everybody needs a solid pair of summer shorts. Even fat girls, despite some contrary beliefs. I'm a big fan of wearing two pairs of crappy jeans all winter, wearing them out in the thighs, and then cutting them off into comfy frayed shorts just in time for summer. This is effective but not exactly stylish. So I decided to commit to sewing a pair of real shorts!
Okay: Let's talk about Leonora. I subscribed to Seamwork Mag 5 months ago and honestly I've been really into it. I've heard some other sewing ladies express issues with their sizing but as a plus size lady, I find them to be flattering once fitted. I did find that they run very large in comparison to body measurements.
