There Was This One Time at Vavstuga: Home Again

What an adventure!! 8-Weeks away from home, immersed in a whole new world. Yes, I had never even been to Massachusetts let alone having slept in a cabin but found myself loading up the old Prius and driving 800 miles all with the promise of leveling up on my weaving skills. I received a scholarship,…

A Maker’s Journal: Knitting a Handspun Cotton Tee

Once I get inspired to work with a particular material or technique I have to keep going at it until something else grabs my attention. This past summer I was given the opportunity to share my point of view on spinning and knitting cotton. Oh my! In three weeks I ended up designing and knitting…

I Just Kept On..another DragonFly shawl

The crochet enthusiasm hasn't worn off just yet. I finished my second (first dragonfly) dragonfly shawl about 2 weeks ago. I thought I would actually follow directions and make the pretty border according to the pattern but found that I did not have enough yarn. I improvised with double crochet clusters for the edging on this version.…

Wardrobe Essentials: Simple Modern Sewing 3C again and F Tunic

I think I've got a winner! I have been wearing the heck out of the blue linen dress I made from Simple Modern Sewing Book 3C pattern. It transitions nicely into fall weather with it's cropped sleeves. Most importantly this shift style dress is super comfortable. I decided to use a printed woven fabric and added a notch to the…

Wardrobe Essentials: Japanese Styles for Everyday

It's pretty safe to say that I am on a roll with sewing everyday casual clothes for my wardrobe. I found a blouse on Pintrest from a Japanese sewing book one day and ended up falling in love with the simplicity of the styles. I have found 3 books that I really like so far. Stylish Dress Book:…

Wardrobe Essentials: Make it Easy Simplicity 1620 and Sew Chic

Not too long ago re-making my wardrobe seemed pretty far-fetched. At my rate it would take forever. I got to thinking about what I wear on a daily basis. I realized that most of the patterns in my stash were more tailored than what I would typically choose for an easy, fuss free day. Now this…

Simplicity 1417:A dress fit for a wedding…in Vegas

My sister and brother-in-law recently decided to renew their wedding vows in Las Vegas to celebrate their 10 year anniversary. I thought, well how cool! We would always joke about how they got married at a courthouse in plain clothes. They didn't want to break tradition getting all fancied up. Afterall it worked for my…

My Little JadiBop is Growing Up: McCall’s 6736

My niece Jadin turns 10 years old this month. My goodness. I can't believe my little JadiBop is growing up so fast. We were looking at patterns together a few weeks ago and she talked me into making her a maxi dress with ruffles from McCalls 6736. Seriously, I didn't require and begging. This pattern is too cute! I…

Make Me a Birthday Suit: McCall’s 6083 and Simplicity 1506

When I agreed to sew a jumpsuit for a friend's birthday I was excited and a little reluctant at the same time. Afterall, I'd never made anything for anyone outside of family.We chose to make McCall's 6083 View E in a black and turquoise pinstripe suiting.I made a few pattern alterations, made up a muslin, and made…

Butterick 5030 Golden Wrap dress

I just love a wrap top. For years I've wanted a wrap dress but for some reason or another I haven't owned one until now. The pattern I used is Butterick 5030. It has lots of sleeve and collar variations. I had a golden floral challis fabric in my stash from long ago that was destined…