My Sewing Space

It feels like I just took my eyes off the toddler for a minute and BAM! He's seven years old! And quite into Lego. Pattern: Ottobre 1/2010 #24 - also seen here in a smaller size.

I'm not really a pattern hoarder. I'm more likely to be tempted by the potential held in a new piece of fabric than a new pattern. Also, I don't have access to the $0.99 sales here and that is a natural deterrent. But, sometimes I see a new and different pattern that I really want and I make the purchase without a definite plan for it on the horizon. So it was with the Nina Cardigan from Style Arc . Given the currency conversion and the shipping costs, it generally isn't prudent for me to be making impulse purchases from small independent Australian businesses. This pattern was expensive. But, I do like to support the small independent businesses and I also wanted to try out their patterns since they get good reviews. Was it worth it? I think so. I used a lightweight burnout jersey in a grey-blue color that I really like. The pattern suggests leaving the front  edge/neckline and hem raw or "babylocking" them. My fabric curled like crazy along any raw ...

A plain black skirt. So basic, yet I didn't have one. I needed to change that. After making these pants (which are refinished and wonderful to wear, BTW) I had just enough fabric left to eek out a simple skirt. Given the fabric constraints, I didn't have a lot of options for styles or details, but I wanted to create a little interest somehow. I started with McCall's 3830 , a pattern that I've used many times before and have tweaked to fit me. For this version, I sliced and manipulated the pattern to add a yoke at the top and a seam down the skirt's center front. The back darts are incorporated into the yoke piece. The additional seams are accented with topstitching on each side. I used the triple straight stitch so that it would be more noticeable on the black fabric. The addition of the seams and stitching is nice, but the really interesting part of the skirt is the lining (also leftover from these pants ). The facing pieces are sewn on top of th...

My youngest child (my baby!) celebrated her fifth birthday in January. I must confess that this sent me into a minor tailspin. I don't want to go back to life with babies, but I'm not sure I'm entirely ready to be done with the "little kid" stage, either. Anyway, my emotional state aside, I wanted to make her some new clothes for her birthday. The big day was a Monday, but we celebrated on Sunday. I made my decision to sew new clothes on Friday afternoon. Since she would be home all day Saturday I only had Friday evening to make it happen. I chose simple things and didn't have any trouble getting the three-piece "suit" all done. Pardon the wrinkles - this has been worn and washed a few times already. I always like the birthday number shirts that Joy makes for her kids and decided to copy her. The "5" is fused on and then edgestitched in place. I stitched over the same line three times to make it a little bolder. The leggings ...

My son has been in need of some more long-sleeved shirts for a few weeks. His patience was rewarded a couple of weeks ago with two new shirts, both from Ottobre patterns. The first was this collared polo shirt, #20 from the 4/2012 issue. The striped fabric is a nice pique knit. It has a good weight but a good amount of stretch, too. I'm happy with how the stripes match across the body and sleeves. The instructions for the placket were beyond puzzling to me. I should have just ignored the pattern pieces and instructions and used the same method I do for sleeve plackets. In the end, it looks okay from the outside, but the inside leaves much to be desired. The collar and stand is cut in one piece - not my usual preference, but I thought I'd give it a chance here and I'm happy with it. I stitched along the fold line and pressed along it well to help keep it in place. The second is a long-sleeved T-shirt with some sleeve details, Ottobre 1/2010 #24. The fabric is ...