TL; DR – I love this pattern and it’s versatility. Another day, another Marimekko shower curtain, this time one that I got from our local buy-nothing group. This was particularly challenging because it had some bleach stains at the bottom. The pattern, however, lends itself nicely to be able to cut the back in two…
Tag: Favorite
Aida Dress, Take 4
TL;DR – My god I love this pattern. Can you believe this was a shower curtain? I had to make the back out of two pieces instead of on the fold, and the fabric is a bit more stiff which made the sheering a bit more complicated, but even then, BEHOLD! I love this dress…
Harmon Tee, Take 3 and 4
TL; DR – The prefect scrap-buster pattern. I can’t believe I didn’t write about making my previous Harmon Tee, taking a scrap of this lovely floral fabric, and pairing it with this rich orange fabric, but not having enough, so made it “reversible”. And then, I found that I a few scraps of this gorgeous…
Kielo Wrap Dress, Take 10 (!!!)
TL; DR – I really, really, really, really, really love this pattern. More knit, more Kielo. The fabric was a bit tricky because it wasn’t slippy, so it was hard to move around. I mean, it wasn’t impossible, obviously, and I still managed to finish the dress in an afternoon. This print, though. I love…
Peacock Wrap Dress, Take 5 and 6
TL; DR – Works with knits, too! In my seemingly never-ending quest to work through my knit fabric stash (that I keep adding to because ADHD so that’s why it’s never-ending lol*sob), I decided that I wanted to try out using the Peacock wrap dress pattern with knits. The only issue was securing the facing,…
Léonie Dress, Take Three
TL; DR – POCKETS! More fun with DVF x Target. This was a duvet cover (the other side is leopard print that I literally have no idea what to do with), and I wanted a pattern that really focused on this lovely print. So I made a Léonie dress. LOOK AT IT! I LOVE IT…
Mary Quant Mini-Dress, Take 7
TL; DR – Is there anything this dress can’t do? I am still desperately trying to use a bunch of my knit prints, and really, there’s no reason why some of my favorite woven patterns couldn’t be used for these relatively not-stretchy knit prints I have been collecting. So, this groovy print just screamed Mary…
Zadie Jumpsuit, Take 7
TL; DR – Make even more Zadie, now with more prints! What do you get when you cross a Zadie jumpsuit and sheets from the Target x DVF collab? Y’all I am HYPED about this jumpsuit. I used pre-made white bias tape because I don’t have time/patience to make my own matching for this. Anyway,…
Rosalie Shirt Dress, Take 4, NOW WITH A TUTORIAL!
TL; DR – Here’s how to finish the front plackets. Target did a collab with DVF. I didn’t particularly like the dresses, but I did love the sheet-sets. So I got some, and I made another Rosalie. I really think that this is an amazing beginner pattern, but it really isn’t clear how to finish…
Kalle Shirt, Take 2
TL; DR – I finally figured this pattern out. I got this table cloth from the local buy-nothing group. I had been seeing algorithmically served-up ads on my FB of a clothing line that entirely looks like this table cloth, and when it popped up, I was so happy that it was gifted to me….
Rosalie Shirt Dress, Take 3
TL; DR – OMG designer fabric really IS different, in the best ways possible. I’m trying REALLY hard not to buy more fabric. Like REALLY REALLY hard. But I can’t resist looking at Joann’s when there’s a sale (which is, to be fair, all the damn time). And then I saw this designer fabric by…
Kalle Shirtdress, Take 4
TL; DR – You can make this with 2.1yrds of fabric. More Mood mystery box goodness. I decided that I would use contrasting fabric for the collar, front placket, etc, but it turns out, I didn’t need to! I managed to squeeze in all the pattern pieces in only a little more than two yards!…
Sirocco Jumpsuit, Take 2
TL; DR – I really need to make this one more. I’m trying to work through my rather large collection of knits, and as much as I love my original Sirocco jumpsuit, for whatever reason I haven’t made another one. I had clearly forgotten how freaking easy this pattern is to put together and sew…
Kielo Wrap Dress, Take 9
TL; DR – Barbiecore in full force I’m pretty sure I cut this when everyone was obsessed with the Barbie movie, and all things pink, but I’ve only gotten around to sew it now. It took less than two hours. Pretty sure I’ve got this one down as long as I remember to put the…
Zadie Jumpsuit, Take 6
TL; DR – I still struggle buying and choosing fabric. We’re about to go to Italy for a family vacation, so of course I have to make an entire new capsule wardrobe lol. I wanted a “winter” Zadie, and I had this…look, I am terrible at keeping track of my fabric. This fabric is thick…
Aida Dress, Take 3
TL; DR – Interfacing is still hard. I got this floral knit on sale from Girl Charlee (an amazing place for knit fabric) mid-summer, but when it showed up it was a little heavy for summer weight. So, I made a transitional Aida dress out of it. The one complaint about the first Aida knit…
Zadie Jumpsuit, Take 5
TL; DR – If I slow down just a little and take my time, I can get this pattern cut and sewn in an afternoon. I have had this fabric for ages; I don’t even remember where I got it. And, I’ve been wanting to do a Zadie jumpsuit with a print for a while….
Garment 100-ish: Aida Dress, Take 2
TL; DR – This pattern works well with stable knits, I’ve lost count of how many garments I’ve made, Mood Fabrics in NYC is EVERYTHING. A few weeks ago, I got to go to New York City for work. And I was within reasonable walking distance to Mood Fabrics. So of COURSE I had to…
Zadie Jumpsuit, Take 4
TL; DR – I LOVE THIS PATTERN I reprinted the Zadie jumpsuit in a size that is more reflective of my current body. I am so thankful that I can still wear my old ones with a tank top underneath, but I wanted to see how one that fit…would fit. This is a chambray sheet…
Rosalie Shirt Dress, Take 2
TL; DR – I LOVE THIS DRESS. I don’t know how long I’ve had this adorable cherry blossom print. It’s from a Danish fabric company which is probably why I jumped on it (Skalllerup is Danish). I thought it would be adorable as a Rosalie Shirt Dress, and I wasn’t mistaken. I did the pockets…
Léonie Dress, Take 2
TL; DR – I love this pattern. It’s another make from a Marimekko shower curtain! I made this one shorter than the first Léonie dress I made, and instead of making the back out of just one piece, I made it out of two pieces to take into consideration the dimensions of the shower curtain….
Mary Quant Mini-Dress, Take 6, for #sewfrugal23
TL; DR – This works fantastic with a stable knit, maybe reprinting it in a larger size isn’t so bad after all Last year I made 10 dresses in the month of March for #sewfrugal22. This year, I barely made one. Two, I guess, if you count adding fabric strips to last year’s Mary Quant…
Letting Go
I just recycled a whole bunch of patterns that I had printed and assembled that are no longer the right size. I also cleaned out my closet of all the garments I have made that don’t fit anymore either. I’m planing on listing them in our local buy-nothing group and hope someone enjoys them as…
Atlas Wrap Dress, Take 2
TL; DR – That went better the second time but still managed to be weird? Have you seen some of the dresses on H&M lately? Don’t you find they look a little (A LOT) like an Atlas Wrap Dress? For example: I was like, I finally don’t have to HUNT for a pattern to match…
Yet ANOTHER Kielo Wrap Dress
TL; DR I don’t really have much left to say about this pattern. Maybe next time I try the jumpsuit version. It’s almost March, and I’m only just now finally making my first garment of 2023. I had so many plans to try new patterns, use some amazing fabric I’ve accumulated, do more dopamine dressing……
Kielo Wrap Dress, Take 7
TL; DR – How is it I can still make a mistake on the seventh time through? I had this black sweatshirt fabric, it’s getting cold, and I still need dresses that feel like warm hugs. So I made another Kielo dress. And somehow messed up the sleeves? The directions for the dress say to…
Kalle Shirtdress, Take 3
TL; DR – I did this in one afternoon! I love the Kalle shirtdress pattern. And I love making dresses out of Marimekko shower curtains and sheets. I got this new shower curtain on clearance for Black Friday sales, but was wondering what I could do with the GIANT CIRCLES. I hadn’t made a Kalle…
Kielo Wrap Dress, Take 6
TL; DR – OMG THIS DRESS IS THE BEST. Look, this is my 6th (!!!!) Kielo wrap dress. I don’t even remember all of the Kielo’s I’ve made at this point. I’ve made winter ones, and summer ones, and transition ones, but I haven’t made a sweater one. And now I have. I got this…
Mary Quant Mini-Dress, Take 5
TL; DR – You’d think after four times making the same dress, I’d know what I was doing, but you would be wrong. Anyway, I improvised and it turned out just fine. Also, I finally understand the physics of the burrito method. My kids’ summer swim team’s colors are orange and blue. I bought bright…
Peacock Wrap Dress, Take 4
TL; DR – It’s after Memorial Day, let’s wear white. Uniqlo had their cooling sheets on super-sale a while back, and so I bought a white one, intending to make a dress out of it for summer. So I did. It’s white. It’s slippery. Also, holy crap my hair has gotten long. And, hey, look…
MOAR WRAP DRESSESSSSSSSS
TL; DR – Sometimes you just need to sew something relatively simple in gorgeous prints so that you can use sewing as therapy and finally control something ANYTHING in your life. Excuse the language, but shit’s been shitty around here lately. I hadn’t been sewing, I hadn’t been writing, I was barely making it through…
Zadie Jumpsuit, Take 3
TL; DR – SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA BE EXTRA EXTRA I’ve had this shinny linen fabric that I impulsively bought (twice) from Mood for a long time now. I’ve been wanting to make something extra-special with it, and finally settled on this super-extra Zadie jumpsuit as a Mother’s Day gift to myself. I remember how challenging…
Pattern Review: Peacock Wrap Dress from The Sewing Revival
TL; DR – Simple pattern, beautiful silhouette, will make again. After the visual nightmare that was trying to make the wrap dress from Takuto and ultimately giving up, I was on the prowl for a wrap dress that had the bodice and skirt attached. I also have wanted a summery yellow dress because it’s EVERYWHERE….
Kielo Wrap Dress, Take 5
TL; DR – Woven is different from knit! Tracing patterns from magazines is HARD! I bought a second-hand Marimekko comforter cover and pillow cases off of eBay. I love the giant flowers and was struggling to find a pattern that worked to not spoil the motif. I initially wanted to try the Freedom wrap dress…
Kielo Wrap Dress, Take 4
TL; DR – A versatile pattern ROCKS! This is my fourth Kielo Wrap Dress from Named Patterns. I had always been enamored with one sample dresses, done in a floral print. When I saw this lovely pastel violet jersey knit from Mood (ON SALE!), I knew that a) I was going to buy it and…
Mary Quant Mini-Dress, Take 4 for #sewfrugal22
TL; DR – MOAR MARIMEKKO SHOWER CURTAIN. I figured out sleeves. I bought a Marimekko shower curtain on super-sale from Belk (which will only resonate with people living in the South). OK, I bought multiple Marimekko shower curtains and bedding on super-sale from Belk, but for this post, it’s the black circle pattern one I…
Mary Quant Mini-Dress, Take 3, for #sewfrugal22
TL;DR – I hacked another pattern and I might never go back to the old way of sewing this dress. I’ve made the (free) Mary Quant mini-dress twice, with mixed results. It seems to do better with structured wovens, rather than more drapey ones. I also still can’t properly sew a zipper. And I was…
V8379 Take 4
There’s a reason why I called this project, “The 70s Called, They Want Their Dress Back” in my sewing Airtable. I fell in love with this fabric as soon as I saw it, and knew it had to be a DVF-style wrap dress. For the first time ever, I cut and sewed a complete garment…
Kielo Wrap Dress, Take 3
TL; DR – Hey, following directions works. Sometimes you just want to make a simple dress that feels like a warm hug. I’m still struggling with buying fabric online. I thought I was getting a nice stretch corduroy to make myself a pair of pants. Instead I got a SUPER STRETCHY “corduroy” that was more…
V8379, Take 3
TL; DR – HEY, not all knits are the same! A walking foot is a miracle! I figured out how to use a hemming foot! Feeling fancy! I had this shinny red knit ponte that I was struggling to figure out what to do with. And then, it hit me. A HOLIDAY WRAP DRESS! I…
Kalle Shirt, Take 1
TL; DR – You can make a pattern any number of times, and you still learn something. I’ve already reviewed this pattern, so I’m going to indulge in a little bit of storytelling, the kind that drive people nuts on cooking blogs and that drive me nuts on sewing tutorial videos. We were visiting friends…
Pattern Review: Harmon Tee from Sew So Different
TL; DR – Dedicated cutting tables are awesome, press your damn fabric before sewing, and stitch-in-the-ditch is hard, yo. I needed something simple to ease me back into sewing, before I plunged into two test patterns that would require grading, etc. I had wanted to make the Harmon Tee from Sew So Different since they…
Elodie Wrap Dress, Take 3
TL; DR – LOL MASSIVE FAIL BUT TIM GUNN WOULD BE PROUD BECAUSE IT WAS A REAL MAKE IT WORK MOMENT. You’d think that by now, the third time, it would be a charm. LOL NOPE. So, I ended up sewing the skirt together wrong, attaching the panels middle-middle-side-side instead of side-middle-middle-side. And I only…
Elodie Wrap Dress, Take 2
TL; DR – I got nothing on this one, the pattern is still great and I learned my lesson to slow down, read (and re-read) the directions. Just look at how adorable this dress is. The facing isn’t quite right on the inside, but I’m not sure what I did differently from the other Elodie…
Zadie Jumpsuit, Take 2
TL; DR – Twill is lovely but SUCH A PAIN NEVER AGAIN, for the love of all things holy read the damn directions, buy a huge role of bias tape you will be grateful. Before I understood the difference between 45″ and 60″ fabric, I bought entirely too much purple twill in order to make…
Mary Quant Mini-Dress, Take 2, or How I Made a Dress Almost For Free
TL; DR – Even quilting cotton can make a great dress, don’t get cocky and read the damn directions. There are lots of places to get fabric. Your local fabric store. Internet fabric shops. Facebook destash groups (OH GOD BE SO CAREFUL). Goodwill (they are usually curtains, but yards of fabric for cheap are yards…
V8379 Take Two
TL; DR – Use clips instead of pins for slippery jersey fabric, sometimes it’s ok to do the steps out of order, oh and stitch length matters! This is my second wrap dress using the classic Vogue Pattern 8379. This time around, I chose not to add a collar and did short sleeves instead of…
Kalle Shirtdress, Take 2
TL; DR – DO NOT GET COMPLACENT, transfer the pattern marking onto the fabric FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. This is my second Kalle shirtdress. I did my first one early in my sewing journey, and it took some time, given all the various skills I had to learn (collar, placket, bias tape hem). This…
Pattern Review: Sleeveless Kielo Wrap Dress by Named Patterns
TL; DR – Sometimes knits are a pain to sew, sewing machines are temperamental, sometimes you sew when you can control anything else in your life, and it still won’t be something you can control. This is going to one of those posts that people (including me) complain about, where I am going to tell…
Free Pattern Review: Mary Quant Mini-Dress from Alice & Co.
TL; DR – Practice does make you better, read the instructions before cutting your fabric so you don’t waste fabric, cut fabric when the mood strikes you as it makes it easier to sew later (sometimes much later). This Mary Quant mini-dress comes courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum in the U.K. and Alice…
Pattern Review: Kielo Wrap Dress by Named Patterns
TL; DR – This pattern is a cult classic for a reason: it is awesome. The weather turned cold in late January 2021. I still wore dresses to “work”, learning early in the pandemic that I needed to still put on work clothes (and then take them off at the end of the day) to…
Pattern Review: V8379 by Vogue Patterns
TL; DR – Sometimes commercial patterns are really, really good. I wanted a classic DVF 70’s style wrap dress. Wrap dresses have been a bit of a fit issue for me, with a large chest and a short torso. This Vogue Pattern is a CLASSIC – everyone knows about it, and when you say “wrap…
Pattern Review: Kalle Shirtdress by Closet Core Patterns
TL;DR – FOR THE LOVE OF GOD JUST SHOW ME HOW TO DO THE DAMN THING I AM WATCHING THIS VIDEO TO LEARN. I love a good shirtdress. I found an amazing burgundy pinstripe shirting fabric. And I then I found the Kalle Shirtdress and Shirt pattern from Closet Core Patterns. With it came a…
