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Pattern Review: The Effie Dress
*This pattern PDF was sent to me by Michelle Sews Patterns at no cost for the purpose of review. I am happy to share my own thoughts and experience with you. * Pattern Description (from the designer): Effie is a contemporary shirt dress pattern with a straight-cut profile, hidden button placket, and below-knee length. Perfect for warmer weather, but still smart enough for the office. My first thoughts: I was really drawn (haha) to the line graphic of this pattern, it actually doesn’t look like like any of the shirt dresses I have sewn or seen around.It combines relaxed simplicity with elegant simplicity, and that is a rare balance to…
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Fall Fabrics: Stretch Cotton Corduroy
*This fabric was gifted to me in exchange for review. All opinions and photographs in this post are my own. Please see the Sitka website for the best color rendering as it will vary in my photos.* I had never sewn with corduroy before, and some vague childhood memories of uncomfortable corduroy garments were probably to blame. I took a chance on this fabric because the color looked so incredibly deep and because I thought some stretch may change my mind about comfort. Sewing this was pretty much akin to sewing stretch velvet, but significantly more stable. I washed and machine- dried it, but the website recommends hang-drying (I will…
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Pattern Review: The Effie Dress
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Pattern Review: 229 Sailor Pants
*This blog post is sponsored by Folkwear patterns- but as usual, all opinions and experiences are my own. * It seems that every generation has been influenced by the flared-pant silhouette, and I am no exception. I was drawn in by the story behind this pattern ( Folkwear patterns include a little history and are an enriching experience, all round!) so despite cutting back on my sewing this season, I jumped at the opportunity to try the Sailor Pants pattern. Some things to note: The pattern pieces are big. There are no side seams, and they are long. I had my copy printed in A0 format at the copy shop.…
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Hands of Tym Bag Kit Review: Cross Body Satchel #001
*This kit was gifted to me for review, no affiliate links* I’ve been wanting to invest in a few accessories lately, like shoes and bags, but I have been a bit overwhelmed at the idea of making them myself. Let me tell you: this kit from Hands of Tym pretty holds your hand the entire way, and only requires you to have a small screwdriver on hand. Every single thing you need is included in this kit, down to the hand-sewing needles. The needles, thread, and hardware, all feel substantial and good quality. (This is something I worry about with kits). The vegan-tanned leather pieces are meticulously pre-punched. There are…
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Thrifting Tips for Sewing on a Budget
If you follow me on Instagram, you know that #thriftedfabric is in about 70% of my posts. I get a lot of questions about finding fabric and other sewing supplies secondhand, so I thought I would compile all my personal tips here! For most of my sewing practice, the budget was really small. Without thrifting and gifting, I wouldn’t have been able to sew. If you are in that place, I hope this post encourages you. If you have a sewing budget, and just want to try thrifting for more sustainable sewing or just for a challenge, this is for you, too. 🙂 The first thing to note is that…
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Sewing a Collection, Part 4: The Collection!
I have focused on sharing the journey, but today I am sharing the results! I will list the patterns used, fabrics, and share a few days of outfits. I just used my phone camera and collage app to make these, so its not going to win any photography awards 😀 Its just for my own organization and documentation purposes. (#usewhatyouhave and start now). I didn’t set a number for myself because in the past that has sabotaged my task-oriented brain. I just made a list of what I want to wear and sewed it up over a couple months. It came out to be 5 tops, 3 bottoms, and 1…
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Pattern Review: The Effie Dress
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Sewing A Collection,Part 3:
Once I had chosen a color palette (side note: I think it may be more descriptive to call it a “color story”) , I went into my closet and pulled a few things that a) I really like b) are in the palette and c) fit the season the collection is intended for. Many more garments than these will fit with the collection pieces, but I am simplifying this project to avoid overwhelm. (I get overwhelmed by options.) I made a rough chart that included the pulled garments and that list of wardrobe “gaps” (see Part 1). I lightly shaded in the squares of pieces I have in grey. The…
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Pattern Review: The Effie Dress
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Sewing A Collection, Part 2:
Color. The first thing I realized when I dove into the world of capsule wardrobes was that unless I started wearing beige, not many of the popular examples would work. I do love color, brights and neutrals, equally, in their place. I understand the theory that having a 100% neutral wardrobe would optimize the combinations and allow a smaller wardrobe to go further. I just couldn’t make it stick personally. How long would I last in a fabric store, confined to beige… That said, having a basic palette is pretty much the only way to effectively start a collection. It doesn’t have to be basic as in black and white,…
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Pattern Review: The Effie Dress
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Sewing A Collection (How I finally started making outfits) Part 1:
*This is going to be a series on my process of sewing a collection, and ending my wardrobe angst. The opinions and issues in this series may only ever apply to me, but since I have spent so much time researching capsules and collections, I will add my experience to it to be taken however it may! * Lets start with a few things about me. I used to thrift shop like crazy, I now sew like crazy, and both have resulted in an abundant and spontaneous wardrobe. I teeter between loving organization, loathing excess, and don’t-limit-me-I-love-fashion. However, if my wardrobe (or sewing/shopping habits) was working for me, I wouldn’t…
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Pattern Review: The Effie Dress
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A Darn Good Pillow Cover (+Tutorial)
I couldn’t resist using the bright teal recycled sari silk from Darn Good Yarns for a pop of color in my neutral-yet-vintage living room. I love mixing pieces inspired by every bygone era, and this textured slipcover adds even more interest. You can find the pack of recycled sari silk here, and see my post about other fabric in my pack here. I have a quick tutorial for making this pillow cover, and you can adapt it easily for any size of pillow (even full size or body pillows!). I used sari silk for the front piece, cotton scraps for the back piece, and some leftover fringe from a past…
