My impromptu Arielle skirt a few weeks ago gave me an idea for the leftovers of my Italian wool. After my Jasika Blazer and my first Oia Dress, I only had a very small amount of the gorgeous grey wool twill that I brought back from Italy in 2019. Remember…
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…
Sew Over It – Pussy Bow Blouse #2
My first Pussy Bow Blouse is one of my favourite things in my closet. I knew I wanted to make another but I am on restricted fabric purchases (self-imposed) right now while I work through my stash so I thought I was going to have to wait a while. Then…
Helen’s Closet – Blackwood Cardigan
The Blackwood Cardigan by Helen of Helen’s Closet has been all over my Instagram feed this year and Helen is a fellow Canadian so I knew I had to give it a go. I had trouble finding a fabric that I wanted to use for it though, that is until…
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…
Seamwork – Astoria Sweatshirt
I just made my first Seamwork pattern – the Astoria cropped sweatshirt (even though it is still far too warm out to wear it). I’ve had this pattern for a while but wasn’t sure what material to use. I ended up going with a creamy white Ponte di Roma that…
Ultimate Shift Dress – Crop Top Hack 2
After I made my first Sew Over It Ultimate Shift Dress crop top hack, I knew I’d be making more… and I have. I picked up this breezy blue and white rayon from Fabricland for 70% off last month and it is perfect for the summer that just won’t quit…
Sew Over It – Silk Pussy Bow Blouse
I finally made my Sew Over It Pussy Bow Blouse (also available from Indiesew)! It took me a while to start on this project for a couple of reasons. First, the fabric I used is a gorgeous, soft silk that I purchased in a remnant sale from Gala Fabrics. I had…
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…
Ultimate Shift Dress – Crop Top Hack
I sense a theme in my recent makes… I’ve made so many Ultimate Shift Dresses lately that you would think I was sponsored by Sew Over It (I’m not, but wouldn’t that be great?). Anyway, I had a teeny bit of fabric left over from my last Ultimate Shift Dress…
Sew Over It – Ultimate Shift Dress #2
I couldn’t help it. I had to make another Ultimate Shift Dress. My first one turned out sew awesome (pun intended), I just had to give it another go. This time I chose a border print rayon that I picked up for 70% off at Fabricland and decided to go…
Sew Over It – Sleeveless Ultimate Shift Dress
I told you how much I loved my first Sew Over It pattern last week. I couldn’t wait to try my next one so I jumped straight into the Ultimate Shift Dress. (Sorry these photos are so dark. I’m working on the lighting situation in my condo so they should…
Sew Over It – Tartan Tulip Skirt
I’ve followed Sew Over It on YouTube for a while and during Indie Sewing Month this year, I finally picked up my first Sew Over It pattern. The Sew Over It Tulip Skirt is a lovely little skirt that can be made both knee length and mini length but even…
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…
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.…
Swimsuit Experiments
Recently I’ve become obsessed with the idea of making my own swimsuits. Store-bought suits are expensive and I have trouble with fit because I am so short waisted. My shape is not at all flattered by the current high-waisted retro craze and in non-retro looking suits, the material devoted to bum…
Exploring Cropped Wide-leg Pants
I’ve been attracted to cropped wide-leg pants for quite a while but the ones I’ve tried on in stores just haven’t looked (or felt) good on me. Not being very tall (I’m 161 cms, that’s just over 5’3″ and relatively petite aside from my ex-gymnast thighs) probably has a lot to…
Houndstooth
Sewing is awesome. It is awesome because when you think of something you want, you don’t have to search for it in stores, you just have to make it. This houndstooth coat was exactly that, something I wanted and I made. This is my third coat project and is the…
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…
Perfect Pants Pattern – Round 1
The primary reason that I started to make my own clothes was because I hated shopping for work pants. I am a 5’3″ ex-gymnast. I have thighs and a butt and calves but I am relatively flat across my front waist. My effort to find work pants that fit my…
My First Winter Coat
When I say I made my first ever winter-weight coat, I should acknowledge that I live in the most temperate climate in Canada and it rarely, if ever dips below zero degrees Celsius here. Now that I’ve gotten that disclaimer out of the way… I made my first winter coat!…
DIY: Double slit maxi dress
After I made my side-slit maxi skirt, I had a dream one night that I had a maxi dress made out of the same fabric. The dress in my dream had a loose top with a fitted waist and a straight skirt with a slit on each side. Here is…
First remake
The first piece of clothing that I tried to make without a pattern probably wasn’t the easiest choice. But that’s usually how I roll. I chose this top because I thought I could find fabric that would work and I loved the version I had but wanted to make a…
Custom Pattern Party Dress
In my quest to make an entire wardrobe for myself, I’m focusing on making pieces without patterns but I am not discounting using them for some of the harder-to-make pieces. This party dress is one example. I used a custom pattern from Bootstrap Fashion and have since repurposed the bodice pattern…
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…