My Sewing Space

Back in December, The Preacher and I were passing through Chicago and we had time for a quick stop at Vogue Fabrics . We used to live on the south side of Chicago and I made quite a few trips there during those years. Now we pass through Chicago to visit family, but we're usually on a schedule with kids along. This trip was leisurely and without kids! Perfect opportunity. When I got in the store I was a little torn about what approach to take - look for the best deals or look for fabrics that I wouldn't normally have access to. I ended up doing some of both. One of the unusual fabrics I picked was a black stretch faux leather. They had several nice choices. All of the faux leather at Fabricland feels pretty plastic-y (stiff and shiny) to me. But, this one is a very good imitation of real leather both in appearance and feel. Of course, that's very hard to capture in a photo. Inspired by this pair of jeans , I sliced and diced a legging pattern that I've used befo...

The amount of time or effort I put into a sewing project makes no difference in the amount of appreciation I get from my kids. They each have their own idea of what makes something special (a certain print, twirlability, sparkles, etc) but they all love comfy, cozy clothes. Who doesn't, really? I guess that doesn't make my kids unique. My son is my most tactile child and in his mind cozy and fuzzy are synonymous. He felt a pair of fuzzy pants in a store and badly wanted to take them home with him. They were a terrible fit, so I told him I'd make him some. I picked up this ribbed fleece fabric at Fabricland and used Ottobre 4/2013 #27 to make his new favorite thing to wear. The pattern is called "Ultimate Casual Basic Sweatpants." I thought that was pretty perfect. I stripped down the basic pattern even more by leaving off the pockets and bottom leg cuffs. My daughter needed some more warm clothing as well, so I made the pants again (just adding length) a...

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...

One morning last week my daughter got dressed for school and came out of her room in an aqua plaid tunic and this skirt . Oy. I suggested that maybe they didn't look all that great together and she should change one of the pieces. She looked hurt and said, "But, these are my favorites!" Her favorite top, her favorite skirt...how could they not look fabulous together? She felt beautiful and happy so she went to school dressed just how she wanted. I figured it would be wise of me to make some matching cool weather clothes so the skirt could be wearable through the winter. My daughter is finally outgrowing Kwik Sew 2918 that I have used for T-shirts for her for the last five years. I've been adding lots of length and some width and modifying the fit of the largest size for the last few seasons. It's time to move on.   Ottobre to the rescue. I started with a slim fitting T-shirt pattern (Ottobre 3/2011 #24), changing the short sleeves to long ones. The fabric...

So, is there anyone still out there reading this? So very little sewing time lately. Even less blogging time. Last September was the same way. I'm optimistic that things are going to calm down a little soon. My firstborn is the most in need of fall clothes, so last week I started sewing some for her. I foresee making a lot of leggings this year. She likes to wear dresses and skirts, but last year I was really frustrated with tights that got holes in the toes too soon and just didn't seem warm enough. Leggings take care of those problems and are easy to make. The Preacher's grandma gave me this printed poplin fabric. She had started a project that wasn't turning out and was ready to pass it on. The fabric for the leggings came from a thrift store. It was too good of a deal to pass up, but I wasn't sure about the very bright red/pink/coral/not-sure-what-it-is color. I thought it might be a good candidate for a dye job. That was more than a couple of years ago. I ...