One of my Christmas presents was a dress form! I’ve been wanting one for a while and finally got around to getting one. However, I knew that no standard dress form would really be exactly like my body, even one like this that has bunches of dials to customize the sizing. So, I set out to franken-pattern her.Introducing… Matilda!A while back I purchased the Bodice Sloper class on Craftsy and now that Matilda is here I…

The whole time I was working on my plaid cape, Ben kept asking if it was for him. So, with the leftover fabric I had just enough to make him a pair of pants. Of course, as soon as they were finished he was asking about the matching shirt. (Not gonna happen!)Working on these pants reminded me how much I enjoy Ottobre Magazine patterns. Then, I got an email from Ottobre about their new magazines and no shipping so…

Well, I made it to round 3 of the PatternReview.com Sewing Bee! For this round we were all gifted the Rue Dress by Colette Patterns and had to make a garment that can be recognized as a Rue (although we could make changes to it).{See my full entry here, and the contest gallery here.}This one was tough for me since the original design wasn’t really speaking to me but once I embraced the challenge of the…

Hello, from your friendly neighborhood 1960’s Sherlock Holmes!It began with a challenge: “You will have one week (starting 9/14/2016) to cut, sew and photograph a garment made using fabric cut on the bias (45 degree angle).” And so I started with a research visit to my friend theGoogle.My goal with this garment was to show off the bias as dramatically as possible. In my research I found a photo of a vintage 60s cape on…

We’ve had such a great weather week, but then today it started snowing. Argh! So, all these photos were taken indoor and are a bit “flashy.” Oh, well.Cardigan, done! One step closer to a completed cruise wardrobe!I’ve had this pattern for a long while, before I really started thinking about sizing and fit. I purchased the (L, XL, XXL) pack and I’m sure I was thinking that I was a size 16 so that was…

What’s with all the “ish” you ask? Well, this fabric/pattern combo ended up not being quite what it was meant to be.I found some linen-like fabric in my stash of unknown origin. I’m pretty sure I bought it with the intention to make some casual Capri pants years ago. I have no idea what the fabric content is but it’s meant to look like linen, has a loose weave, and I think is some…

Well, this top took a bit of work but I got it to fit and that is a big win! And as far as finishing, I think this the closest to perfect I’ve ever come.First up was the muslin (test fitting). I used a thrifted sheet purchased just for this purpose…cheap fabric, yay! Then I had to figure out how to adjust the fit, because I knew I would need to. This top uses a woven fabric…

First top for the cruise collection is finished! I wanted a nautical style top to celebrate the cruise. So, of course, I had to go with a boat neck navy and white striped t-shirt.>>> M6571 Review <<<Pattern Description: Close-fitting, pullover tops have neckline variations, below elbow or long sleeves and narrow hems.Pattern Sizing: I chose size 16 but ended up making some fit adjustments so its closer to a 14 below…

We are going on a cruise! And I’m just crazy enough to want to sew most of my wardrobe for it. I’d like for it to be a rather small capsule wardrobe since I will only be taking one carry on.Based on my research the first thing I need to do is choose a color scheme. I used ColourLovers.com and came up with this one:I think these colors work well together and have enough of…

I’m using Butterick 6169 to make a faux-leather moto jacket!I started with a size 16 since it is the closest to my measurements. My muslin fitting is done and I’ve learned quite a bit.First off, the pattern is not kidding about the ease. Size 16 bust is 38″ but the pattern says the finished bust size will be 45″. Woah! It was huge! So much so that I ended up taking 4″ off the circumference…

One of the podcasts I listen to is Sew-Forth-Now. I really like to hear what Lori’s made because her style is so simillar to my own. In January she stared a Sew-A-Long (SAL) for a Basic Wardrobe. While I’m late to the party and am not setting a timeline for myself I’d like to supplement my sad wardrobe with some quality pieces.Lori created a list of items, and Jayme came up with…