Stitchin' in My Kitchen

I've had this pattern in my stash for a while, and this fabric sitting around since April, and finally decided to sew it!! I cut a size 8, since I was using a 4-way stretch poly-lycra jersey.  The only change to the pattern was to interface the cuffs so they stood up a little more. I never understand putting pleats and darts in 4-way stretch jersey, but I sewed them in anyway. I took a few inches off the length because I'm petite and its a bold print and didn't want it to overwhelm me. I love the bodice.  I love wrap dresses but hate feeling like I'm going to fall out of the front of them. This has nice secure coverage in front!!   I tried to be careful with cutting to make sure I didn't have flowers in odd places, but ended up with two blue blooms on my butt. I love the colors in this! I don't know if its still available at Mood... This was easy to assemble, I didn't make any fitting adjustments other than the length.  Oh,...

Tim needed to look equally zazzy at his poster presentation at our geo-nerd conference, so he asked me to make him a blazer (shocking from a man who lives in jeans and tshirts). So I found this pattern and tried my hand at mens' jackets. I made a size M, and used some gorgeous wool-lycra Marc Jacobs herringbone from Mood (only $14/yard).  I made a muslin, and aside from shortening it about an inch overall and an inch on the sleeve, the fit was perfect. My only issue was that there was a LOT of ease in the sleeve!  That, sir, is a lady sleeve. I did some math and found some info on the web and adjusted the sleeve to fit the armhole with only about 1/2" ease, and the new sleeve on the muslin was so much better.   It was time-consuming, but the instructions were excellent, and I had no difficulties. The only thing I would do differently next time is fully line it - for some reason, it only has a half lining. Is this common in menswear? this is the ...

I wasn't sure about the Sewaholic Pendrell blouse, I thought it might be to 'girly' for my taste, with the ruffles. But it looked so great on everyone I decided to try it. I have three cousins who live in Pennsylvania, 17-21, and they're about my size, so I occasionally use them as pattern testers in the sense that I send them my wearable muslins! (I also get rid of leftover fabric by making them tank tops and tees with my large scraps). So I decided to try out version B as a wearable muslin for my cousin. I cut a size 6, which is what I wore in the Renfrew and Lonsdale and they fit perfectly (posts coming soon. I have to catch up with all the things I made this year!)  I use a cute cotton/lycra jersey from Mood fabrics (only $8/yard and I believe I bought it during a 20% off sale). My cousin can pull of neutrals/peachy colors that I cannot. The construction was simple and the instructions were excellent. Takes a little longer than your average t...

20,000 geologists descend on SF for an annual conference, and I was presenting a poster, so I needed to look cute since I'd be standing in front of a poster for 4+ hours. I decided to make Vogue 9668 in a red wool from Fabric Outlet SF. There are many versions of this online, many in red, and they always look better than the envelope.  Its out of print, so I had to buy the smallest version, and make a few tweaks - mainly, let it out around my ribs. Maybe I have an extra mcRib? But it fits my bust, waist, hips, but snug right below my bra! So I basically added a couple of inches to the CB and then pinned it before I sewed the zip in.  (Its not just this pattern - I'd just made a Cambie and had to do the same, and Sewaholic always fits me perfect! Hmm) I loved the lining and kind of wished it weren't hidden! And yes, I sew in my kitchen. But it turned out great! I didn't follow the instructions too much, I'd just made a Cambie and basically assembled it the s...

Actually, that's my cat Pierre modeling. But I made this for my aunt's tiny dog Benny. What. is. happening. She's trying to moonwalk out of it, very slowly. Ringo is embarrassed for her. The pattern is KwikSew 3431. It was super easy, and I think it turned out cute! The fabric is red fleece from Fabric.com, and white seam binding.  I made the size S, and Pierre is tiny, only about 9 lbs, and it was just the right size.

I made Tim a laptop case using the tutorial from Brandhyze on the Mood website and making minor adjustments to fit his exact computer.  It was easy! The lining is just fleece, both that and the beer fabric are from Fabric.com. Beer. We're geologists, what do you expect? Handmade by Ninjas.

Pimpin I recently completed my take on Simplicity 8709, a vintage faux-shearling coat from a pattern I found on Etsy . I used a fantastic faux fur from Fabric Outlet in SF.   A note about your fabric - I looked around for a while and ordered swatches before finding this in store. I almost bought some while at Joann's, but it was shedding all over me in the time I walked from the rack to the cutting table! What I bought will shed a bit, when you're sewing and handling it a lot, but it doesn't with just walking around in it. It was pricey ($40 a yard, 2.5 yards, but it was 30% off), but everywhere else its usually at least $20 a yard, and its not as nice. This was also heavier - it would really keep you warm, and a lot of other stuff I looked at was very thin. So shop around, get swatches and hold them, shake 'em and see if they shed.   In progress.   You have to cut this on a single layer, so they actually give you 2 of everything - a L/R sleeve...

This is HotPatterns HP 2005 Workaday Pants. It was an unmitigated disaster, and I'm very disappointed in the pattern.  They fit more like leggings. They barely fit me!  I read a comment on PatternReview.com about HotPatterns mens pants patterns that basically suggested they were designed/prototyped for a larger man, then not sized down correctly. This seems to make sense, as the waist on these is the only thing close to fitting properly. My dad says he's ready for the ballet! The pictures are blurry because I was laughing so hard - at least we had a laugh out of it, right? But very disappointing for a ~$17 pattern.  Also disappointing that HotPatterns decided not to publish my review of this pattern on their website. But I would not recommend it. In comparison, I recently made a muslin of KwikSew 3504 mens pants (pics coming), and it came out beautifully!! Excellent instructions, and the instructions for inserting a zipper fly were especially clear and well ...