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The sewing pattern for May’s installment of Project #SewMyStyle is the Cali Faye Collection Pocket skirt. For me, it’s been the most difficult pattern so far (keep reading for details on why!). […]
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Sewists have good reason to sweat over buying an iron. A good iron for sewing is as important as a good sewing machine for professional results. If you’re on the market for an iron for sewing, keep reading to discover which features matter most to sewists and my top five iron picks that won’t break the bank! […]
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I am sergerless. At Van Handel Headquarters, I’m sewing knits with a sewing machine. And, for the most part, sewing knits without a serger works just swell for me. I’ve sewn scuba knit, sweatshirt fleece, ponte, heavy sweater knit, cotton spandex, and more on my Babylock Elizabeth machine and been happy with the results. And then I sewed my Bridgetown backless dress. And I scowled a lot. That experience inspired an epic sewing experiment. […]
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The Seamwork Manila leggings were the tipping point. The leggings wrapped uncomfortably around my calves. The print on the fabric, stripes and flowers, distorted comically. Worst of all, the seams threatened to tear. It was the pattern; it wasn’t anything I did as a sewist. The subpar outcome was on Seamwork, not me. I cropped the leggings and canceled my Seamwork magazine subscription. […]
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This week’s post is all about the April pattern for Project #SewMyStyle: the Bridgetown backless dress and tunic from Sew House Seven. Guys, this dress took me forever to sew. It was just one thing after another. This dress isn’t composed of a ton of pattern pieces, nor is it a beast to fit. On the surface, it seems like a straight-forward sew. […]
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Colorful, classic, washable, lean, and playful. These words describe my core style, and they’re my touchstone for sewing a capsule wardrobe — the final piece of the Wardrobe Architect process. Keep reading to discover tips for identifying favorite outfits, my plans for sewing a capsule wardrobe, and what I liked (and disliked) about Wardrobe Architect. […]
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I’m a little behind on my March participation in Project #SewMyStyle. But, as they say, better late than never! For this installment of the yearlong sewing challenge, we were tasked with sewing leggings. My relationship with leggings is complicated (and sewing these leggings actually further complicated things). Strap yourself in for an epic post about leggings, pajamas, BurdaStyle, crotch flowers, Instagram, mullets, and more. I’m playing things fast and loose. Giddy-up! […]
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I’ve made a number of cool sewing purchases lately, and I thought my fellow sewing friends might be interested to see what’s come into my possession. So I’ve vlogged about it! In this approximately 23-minute video, you will discover: which indie-pattern designer I think would make a great hostage negotiator […]
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In Part 1 of my Wardrobe Architect series, I explored my style story — personal history, values, lifestyle, and core style. Part 2 is fashion-y part of planning a wardrobe — exploring specific silhouettes, colors, and beauty. This is the window shopping, where I gawk at pretty things and imagine how they’d work in my life. Price is no object as I kick around reasoned hypotheticals. This is thought-exercise time for me as a wardrobe curator. […]
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Scuba knit fabric is having a moment. It’s showing up at my local Jo-Ann, and Threads magazine ran a big scuba knit article in late 2016. I used scuba knit to sew the Victory Patterns Jackie dress. I’d never worked with scuba, and it took some research to figure out best pressing practices. That’s when I decided to write all MY tips for working with scuba fabric. So, dear sewing friends, keep reading to learn scuba knit basics, how to press scuba knit, and more tips for working with scuba fabric. […]