Late last summer, I had a sudden desire for a white bull denim jumpsuit with a fitted bodice and wide leg pants. It came out of nowhere (that I was aware of) but I didn’t have room in my schedule to make it. I wanted it so intensely that I…
Photo Tutorial: Sewing Easy Thong Underwear
Making my own undies isn’t something I love doing, but it’s better then having to go out and buy them and is a great way to use up scrap fabrics – so I do it and try to enjoy the process. Last time I posted these lace and jersey thong…
2021 Underwear Refresh
Let me start by saying, I dislike making underwear. It’s fiddly and slippery and I just don’t enjoy it. So I don’t. Then two years go by and my few bras as threadbare and too small and my underwear is falling apart from too much wear… and I have no…
My first draped project
One of the skills I want to develop this year is draping. I purchased a new dress form last year for this purpose. It’s not a perfect fit but I’ve padded it out close enough that I think I’ll be able to use it. This first project – a plaid,…
Experiments with my bodice block
I took a two-day bodice block workshop with Alexandra Morgan of In-House Patterns in January of this year but I didn’t pick it up again until this summer. I started with a couple of tops out of scrap fabric to test the fit. After each version I made modifications to…
DIY Jean Jacket
It’s been two years since I decided I wanted to remake my favourite RTW jean jacket. Last year I painstakingly traced each piece and added seam allowances. I also bought and died (twice) the fabric for it then I ran out of steam. Since then it has sat in my…
DIY puff sleeve sweater
This project came from somewhere in my brain, probably from seeing so many puff and bishop sleeve garments in my feed this year. I wanted a cropped but not too tight black turtleneck with long tight cuffs and puff sleeves. With this vision in my head, I started with the…
Short sleeved men’s shirt
Button up shirts are one of my least favourite things to make. There are just so many parts… and so many buttons. They aren’t difficult, they’re just time consuming. With that said, I keep volunteering to make them for my husband and others so I must not hate them as…
DIY Pencil Skirt #2
After wearing my blue scuba knit pencil skirt to work and realizing how comfortable it was, I decided I had to make more. For my next go at it, I decided to make a few changes to my basic skirt pattern. This time I added two darts to the back…
DIY Scuba Pencil Skirt
This summer I really enjoyed wearing elastic-waisted, knit pencil skirts. They look professional but, unlike their woven siblings, are also incredibly comfortable to wear when sitting all day at a desk. Knit fabric tends to cling to tights though so I thought I had to leave this favourite style behind…
DIY Striped Midi Knit Dress
I have a knit dress that I bought years ago that is a staple of my summer wardrobe. It was a maxi dress when I got it but I shortened it to midi length a couple of years ago. It was always bugged me though because it is off grain…
DIY Bow Culottes
When my colleague came into the office a few weeks ago in a pair of navy and white striped culottes with a bow on the side and an elastic waistband in the back, I knew I had a new DIY sewing project to add to my list. For reference, here…
Perfect Pants Pattern – Round 2
I am still on the search for my perfect pants pattern (more on that here). With my latest round I came close, only to learn for sure that my body type does not let me make straight leg, slim fit pants. I can sort of fudge it by making the…
Swimsuit Experiment #3
After my last swimsuit experiment, I wanted to try something a little different. I wanted a high-neck (for sun protection), thin shoulder straps (halters give me headaches), and enough bum coverage that I’m not constantly feeling over-exposed. This is what I came up with. I thought about this design quite…
DIY Maxi Skirt Reprise
The thing about making your own clothes is that it is incredibly easy to remake the stuff you love again and again. A couple of weeks ago, I decided on whim to remake my side-slit maxi skirt on a Saturday morning and was finished in time to go for brunch.…
Pattern Transformation: Work Dress
I’ve been working at various desk-based jobs for over a decade and, in that time, I’ve come up with a list of demands for comfortable office wear. I’ve tried to meet these demands with store-bought clothing but there is always something missing. For me, the perfect work dress needs to be…
Easy DIY: Side-slit maxi skirt
When summer approaches, I always want to start wearing skirts before it is actually warm enough. I made this skirt last year as a way to bridge the seasonal gap and it is a great beginner DIY that you can easily customize to suit you. For this project your will need a…