My Sewing Space

I wanted to make a silk top to go with my faux leather leggings , but I'm still a bit intimidated by silk (both the sewing it and the living in/laundering it). I'm hoping to get over that (through practice!) when I have better options for sourcing than I do now. So, for now I chose a high quality poly-blend fabric with a silky feel in a print and color that I liked. I started with my TNT shirt pattern ( Burda 04/2010 #114 - also seen here and here ) and modified it by adding length, chest pockets and flaps, and a center front placket. The pockets are the same as I used on my denim shirt . I followed instructions from the book, Shirtmaking for the center placket. I wish I had made it a little longer. The black fabric was harder to work with than the blue - lighter, slipperier and very resistant to pressing. At the beginning of this project, I knew that perfection was going to be the enemy. I didn't want to fight the project the whole way only to end up hating it i...

Awhile ago I was inspired by this photo via Pinterest. I liked the layers, the simple lines and the mix of neutral colors. I was pretty convinced that her dress was navy, but now I think it's actually dark grey. It took me awhile to get over the "no-no" of navy and black together , but lately I really like it. Same with brown and black. So, this is me combining as many neutral colors as possible: The tunic is the noteworthy item here. The pattern is Simplicity 2245 , a lisette pattern that I purchased awhile ago. I made View B, the tunic. Based on other reviews and the fact that my fabric had some stretch, I went down two sizes. I also added darts in the back for a more streamlined shape there. There were no changes otherwise - this is an easy project! The pockets are a great feature of this pattern. The instructions for completing them are great - they look more complicated than they are. The fabric is a stretch cotton blend with tone-on-t...

I’ve been interested in trying some silhouettes and styles that I don’t currently have in my wardrobe. I’m not a big risk-taker by nature and I really value my sewing time, so I generally stick to fabrics and patterns that I’m pretty certain I’ll like. It is starting to feel like everything I wear is pretty much the same, just in different colors. Much of the time I’m okay with that because I only keep clothes that I really like, but I’ve been wanting something different lately. For this tunic, I combined two patterns: Kwik Sew 2856 and New Look 6731 . I used the neckline and raglan sleeve seams from the Kwik Sew pattern. I used this pattern before for a sweater and remember really liking the neckline (the sweater didn’t stay in my closet for long – I loved how the fabric looked, but despite pre-shrinking, it kept getting shorter and wider). The length and style of sleeves came from the New Look pattern as did the bodice length. After checking the pattern tissue against my ...