Stitchin' in My Kitchen

I have probably half a dozen bomber-style jacket patterns in my collection, none of which I'm crazy about.  I've made the Rigel bomber, but don't like how low the neckline is.  I don't know where (Instagram probably) but I saw this Teddy HB bomber by Louis Antoinette, a pattern company I was unfamiliar with. I liked the unique design lines and decided to give it a shot. Based on the size chart I cut a size 40 and decided to dive in without a muslin.  The pattern is designed for wovens, but I had wanted to make a jacket with this Metallic Silver Laminated French Terry that I had bought from Mood: The laminated surface removes most of the stretch, so it was more like a woven or stretch woven than a knit. It's crazy looking - Tim hates it.  The lining was a purple polyester I bought a while ago at Fabric Outlet SF. The pattern instructions come in English and French. My version had Step 5 in French mixed in with the English instructions - so I flipped over the ...

A version of this post originally appeared on the Cali & Co blog   I was beyond excited when I saw that Ron had listed Carhartt canvas in some 20 (20!!) colors on the Cali Fabrics site.  If you aren’t familiar with the brand, Carhartt is known for high-quality, premium-yet-affordable workwear in sturdy fabrics like denim and duck (aka, canvas). You may have seen their recent feature in Threads magazine, with a tutorial for the Detroit cuff. I knew this would be fantastic quality canvas and Cali Fabrics has it at a great price and it’s 69” wide! So, the fabric: the description online is very accurate. It is a 12 oz. heavyweight but it has a softer hand than you would expect – it isn’t stiff.  I washed it in cold water and tumble dried on low – this fabric really responds to a hot steamy iron especially when it is just a bit damp.  I recommend serging or pinking the edges pre-wash because it will fray a bit. The color didn’t fade or bleed at all ...

Looking to make something transitional from winter (California winter) to spring, I decided to make the  Sew Over It Vintage Shirtdress .  I recently made a button down shirt that I hated on myself, so a shirtdress isn't exactly setting myself up for success, is it? But  here we go! I made the sleeved version, in a size 10. The fabric I chose is a black and chartreuse printed cotton from Mood fabrics: I'd describe it as a heavy-lightweight with a slightly stiff drape. It's heartier than typical shirting. It's a circuit board design, so a bit of novelty but in a chic colorway so it's not too juvenile (in my opinion). I bought 2 yards to make Tim a shirt, he didn't like it, so I bought an extra yard and decided I'd make a shirtdress, and that's how we got to this point. The pattern is very well-drafted and quite simple to make. There are no darts, just pleats, 2 front and 2 back, on bodice and skirt.  There are no really tricky techniques, jus...