Stitchin' in My Kitchen

I’m rarely one to raise my hand for pattern testing – I don’t like to sew something if I don’t know that it’s “me”, I’d prefer not to waste time on something until the kinks have been ironed out, and there’s usually a really tight turnaround time that I can’t meet. Oh, and I like to be honest. Having said that, when I saw Thread Theory put out a call for menswear testers, I volunteered. I sew a lot for my husband and we have our TNT patterns, but I’m always looking for something new and interesting. The pattern is the Quadra jeans, designed to be similar to a Levis 502 low-rise style.   I used a sturdy non-stretch denim I had in my stash that was originally from Mood Fabrics.   According to the size chart, his 32” waist and 39” hip put him squarely in a size 32, which is what I cut and sewed for testing's sake. I also sewed it following the original instructions, also in the name of pattern testing. It came together pretty quickly as I’ve made many a pair of je...

I recently sewed up the Seamly Moto Sweatshirt, which I had bought back in the spring and have been waiting for a hint of fall to move it to the front of my sewing queue.  I sew a lot with color and prints, so I went with a basic black so I could throw it on with almost anything.  I spent some time trying to find the right fabric for this pattern, and even though it looks basic it features a really fantastic sweatshirting. It came from The Rain Shed (or from www.therainshed.com ) which is a small specialty fabric store in Albany OR that I discovered during our brief stay in Corvallis.  It has some really amazing outdoor fabrics that I haven't seen anywhere else. This isn't a sponsored post, I've paid for all of my fabrics, I just happen to think it has some great stuff and is a great resource for sewists! My Seamly moto is made up of their Performance Sweatshirt Fleece .  It's a 17 oz. poly/lycra with nice 4-way stretch and some nice body to it. ...

Another one of my #MakeNine2018 projects completed - my plaid moto jacket. Probably the most worn RTW garment I own is a faux leather moto jacket I got from ASOS last year, with the goal of eventually replacing it with a handmade version.  That plan was set aside when I came across this photo of a buffalo plaid-leather moto jacket, which moved to the top of the moto priority list. I had planned on using Kwik Sew 3764. Kwik Sew is, for me, the best of the Big 4 Pattern companies in terms of logical construction and good instructions.  I decided to make version B, which is more basic, and save all of my zips and hardware for when I made view A in straight faux leather. I cut a size S and did make a muslin - this is unlined, and I wanted a closer fit, so the S was perfect. Time to cut into my fabric: a gorgeous green wool buffalo check plaid I bought from Stitches Seattle when I was in town last October.  I remember they asked what I was going to make with it, and I ...

Last week I received a surprise early delivery of "Sew Your Own Activewear" by Melissa Fehr of Fehr Trade Patterns.  I had pre-ordered it, since I enjoyed sewing my own activewear and had purchased several Fehr Trade patterns over the past few years and always found them to be well-designed.  If you don't already know, the book contains pattern blocks for tops and bottoms sized from XXS to XL.  Each of the designs in the book can be constructed by tracing and modifying the provided blocks. Normally, I do not like tracing, and I don't buy patterns that require it - ever. But I made an exception! (The book also contains info on general construction, fabric selection, garment care, etc.  Lots of good information.) I made the Hoodie, which I'd had my eye on for a while.  I found some AMAZING merino/nylon/lycra fabric at a local specialty fabrics store, The Rain Shed. It is soft, and stretchy, and kind of spongey and I've never found anything quite like it ...

Good morning! Today I have the first of three coats/jackets I've been working on this week - the Janis Jacket from Louis Antoinette Paris. If you're new to my blog, you should know that I love to make coats and jackets. I saw some really beautiful versions of this on Instagram, and even though I wasn't sure about the puffed shoulders, I decided to buy the pattern and put it on my to-sew list. I used some gray wool coating I bought in-store at Mood a few years ago.  Not very exciting, but my coats have a lot of color/patterns/plaid/polka dots/fur, and I could use a few more basic pieces in my outerwear. It does have some subtle texture:  As I mentioned, this is unlined. I know for some people an unlined jacket is unfathomable, but I don't mind it in this case, and an experienced sewist could easily drop in a lining. I cut the size 40, no alterations. LAP has you first serge all of the raw edges, which makes the actual construction go quickly.  This only took a ...