About Me

My name is Leslie, and I am a professional geologist and amateur seamstress. I recently moved to Maryland (DC metro) area and I grew up in New Jersey. I learned to sew as a kid from my mom, who is an amazing quilter, and started sewing again in 2012 when a Project Runway marathon prompted me to ask for a sewing machine for Christmas! And Santa delivered, a Brother cs6000i with more stitches than I know what to do with. I've been re-teaching myself since, with lots of help from the online sewing community.  I've learned a lot from other blogs, and find it really helpful to see another person's experience with a pattern, so I thought I'd share some of my own! With the occasional photos of rocks, or maybe cats. I'm not super into blogging and not a professional photographer -- I only have so many hours in the day, and I'd rather be sewing - but I'm trying!



The name of my blog was inspired by our old apartment.  Rents in the Bay Area are pricey, and I shared a 1-bedroom apartment with my husband Tim and our two cats, Ringo and Pierre. My "sewing studio" was the kitchen table, hence the title of the blog. And by kitchen table I mean the small patio furniture we used as a kitchen table! I converted the butcher block to a sewing supply table, and once I burned a banana because my iron was a little too close to our countertop fruit bowl. But I made it work!  The kitchen also served as our graduate student office, home-brewed beer bottling station, and the cat dining hall.

Ringo at the serger.

We then had a short stay in Oregon, where the beer and rents are cheaper, and I had my own sewing room! It was amazing.

Now we're back to an apartment, where I sew in our window-less den/home office/sewing room.  I still have the Brother machine but I did purchase a Bernina 350 last year which is what I sew most garments on. I think the blog title is a good reminder of what you can accomplish in a less-than-ideal space, and I'm keeping it!


I mostly sew for myself and for Tim, but I do some sewing for family members when they ask, and sometimes when they don't.  Unfortunately I didn't inherit my Mom's flair for quilting, so most of my sewing is apparel.  In the past couple of years, I've overcome my fit-related fear of sewing jeans and pants and made my own unconventional wedding dress.  I like to sew a mix of challenging projects that require learning new skills and instant gratification TNTs.  My dream was to move from California to a place with real winters so I can sew a wool coat for each day of the week!! I love sewing coats, pants, and activewear. I have a weakness for faux fur and sequins (my mom recently said my taste was "very Jersey") and like to mix practical garments with fun ones.





When I'm not sewing, I enjoy hiking, camping, rock collecting, spending time with my cats (Ringo passed away in 2019, and we adopted a kitten in summer 2020, so its Butters, Professor Chaos and old lady Miss Pierre), dabbling in screen printing, watching football, having silly string fights with my nephews, adding to my tattoo collection, and exploring new places to eat/drink/laugh.


Thanks for visiting!






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A Carhartt-inspired jacket : (modified) McCalls 7638

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We recently received a catalog in the mail that contained a selection of Carhartt jackets, among other items.  Tim liked the look of this one: a sort of classic, basic mens' work jacket: So of course he asked if I could make him one!  He has a couple of handmade coats (a faux shearling from a few years ago and a Goldstream peacoat I made in early 2018) but wanted something a little more casual for everyday - but also warm enough for Syracuse winters. I found my fabrics first: Carhartt Expedition canvas from The Rain Shed with a faux shearling lining (from my stash, originally from Mood Fabrics.) For extra warmth, I tried something new: interlining the shearling with Thinsulate! I ordered a swatch set from the Rain Shed and chose CS100. The website information claims that "the Polyolefin microfibers trap body head and keep you warm even in damp conditions because its fibers absorb less than 1% of their weight in water." OK then! I couldn't really find a ...
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