Today, in the category of pants I’ve planned to make for literal years and finally got around to, only to find out that they’re pretty much perfect for me and I should have made them years ago: Closet Core Sasha Trousers. The simple thing that kept me from making these…
Lander sailor pants
Inspiration struck recently. It started with wanting to experiment with a pair of Lander Pants in stretch denim. I picked up some 9 oz. organic raw stretch denim (2% spandex 98% cotton, though it feels lighter and more stretchy than that) from Fabricana in Richmond but they didn’t have a…
Cropped Grainline Archer
I was gifted this cut of light-weight embroidered cotton by the same lovely friend who gave me the flower print viscose that I used for my recent Orla Midi. There wasn’t a lot of it, only at 1.5m in a narrow width, but it was lovely and light so I…
French Navy – Orla midi dress
I had two summer dresses on my list this year. The first was my Fiona dress with gathered skirt. The second, I wasn’t certain of until I started to work on it. My uncertainty was about the fabric. In both the many vibrant colours and the large size of the…
Closet Core Fiona-ish
I first had this idea in the late winter or early spring⎯a fitted princess seamed bodice with straps, a gathered midi skirt and a button front. I debated briefly whether or not to look for a pattern before deciding to shop my existing collection. The Fiona dress from Closet Core…
Paola Workwear Jacket for him
This year, for his birthday, my husband wanted a custom garment. His specifications were a heavy, dark grey wool over shirt with wood buttons that he could wear both inside as a house jacket and outside if needed. I looked around at patterns and decided to start with the free…
Tilly and the Buttons – Arielle Skirt
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…
Another Oia, but different
Ever since I made my first Itch to Stitch Oia Dress in early 2021, I’ve wanted to make another without the centre front bodice panel. I didn’t know if it would work but I knew I had to try it. This is the dress I was finally cutting out (after…
My modified V9253
Yes, it’s the dress that everyone seems to make. I’ve scrolled the hashtag on Instagram for so long wondering if I should make it too. Then Sitka Fabrics gifted me some lovely washed linen in the colour teal and I decided the time was right to tackle this fan favourite……
Ginger Jeans 3 – More Experiments in Stretch
Believe it or not, these are Closet Case Ginger Jeans. They started out life as the high-waisted, skinny leg pattern and became these cropped, straight leg beauties that just need a black and white striped t-shirt to complete my fantasy of dressing like a mime. Seriously though, I will make…
Closet Case Kelly Anorak – Take 2
I first made the Kelly Anorak from Closet Case Patterns early last year. My first version was a size 8 (based on my measurements) made of cotton chino twill. I was really pleased with my work on it and I loved it at first. After wearing is a few times…
Blueprints for Sewing – A Frame Skirt
This make wasn’t originally on my list for this year but I lost my desire to sew for most of January (I thought it was because we’re in the middle of a furniture overhaul and our place is a mess with stuff everywhere) and I realized it was because I…
Avery Leggings – Side Panel Hack
The first makes on my Make Nine 2020 list are a workout set made up of leggings with side pockets for my cell phone and keys/credit card for when I go for a walk, a sports bra, and a fitted half-zip pullover. I started with the Avery Leggings from Helen’s…
Make Nine 2019 Recap
My plan for this year’s Make Nine was to really dig in – to pick nine makes that I wouldn’t just make, but would toile and make and make again until I felt like I’d mastered something new. I set out my plans at the end of 2018 and stayed…
Upgraded with a ruffle
Just a short post today because I’ve finally learned the power of adding a ruffle! My Deer and Doe Magnolia was one of my first makes of the year. I wore it a couple of times but I had cut it a tiny bit short and combined with the light…
Vintage Butterick 6275
Not being a curvy gal, I usually stay away from vintage patterns. Their waist/hip ratios are not designed for straight old me. But when I was looking for a very specific blouse shape this summer and could not find it in my indie pattern search, I turned to my mom’s…
Megan Nielsen Rowan Dress
Prior to my recent, quite successful efforts to turn the Megan Nielsen Rowan top/bodysuit into a swimsuit, I also decided to experiment with a knit, high-neck, body con dress. I’ve had a vision in my head of this dress – a navy and ecru striped double knit, fitted turtleneck dress…
Marigold Clyde Pants Hack 2
I tried it again! The same Clyde pants hack from my last post but this time much narrower and made out of Tencel Twill from Blackbird Fabrics. I made these while I was up in Nanaimo, helping my mom after her double knee replacement. She’s a champ though and I…
Marigold Clyde Pants Hack
In my ongoing Make Nine 2019 quest to use, and reuse, and reuse patterns some more, I decided to hack the Tilly and the Buttons Marigold pants that I used for my Marigold jumpsuit and my Anza/Marigold mashup. I used a brilliant tutorial by Catherine at Thread Snips to turn…
Marigold/Anza Jumpsuit
This make was ALL ABOUT the fabric. I bought two metres of this gorgeous Linen/Cotton Chambray from Blackbird Fabrics on a whim before I new what I wanted to make. I thought, and thought, and thought some more – then was walking downtown wearing my Marigold Jumpsuit when it came…
Langers – Lander/Ginger Mashup
After my first two pairs of Lander Pants and after seeing so many high-waisted, wide -leg, clean front pants in my Instagram feed, the idea popped into my head to mash the Lander Pants pattern and Ginger Jeans pattern together into one super pattern – Langers. My goal was to…
Tilly and the Buttons – Marigold Jumpsuit
I put the Tilly and the Buttons Marigold Jumpsuit pattern on my Make Nine 2019 list after seeing a few versions online with the front neckline squared off. I really liked the wide straps, elastic waist and tapered legs. Right off the bat, let me tell you that I WORKED…
Helen’s Closet Avery Leggings with added back waist pocket
I’ve been wanting to make my own leggings for a while. I tried the Seamwork Aries as part of my Make Nine 2018 but I was unimpressed with the fit. Looking at a bunch of photos and reading review online, I chose the Helen’s Closet Avery Leggings for my second…
Double Reversible Ogden Cami
When my Sudley Blouse collar did not survive the wash (my fault, not the pattern or fabric), I wanted to reuse the lovely fabric by making a stash-busting Ogden cami… but I didn’t have enough fabric for the lining. That constraint was the impetus behind this idea. If I was…
Blackbird Fabrics Linen Blends and Grainline Hadley Review
There was a definite theme to my last Blackbird Fabrics order. Aside from the viscose poplin I used for my Orla maxi dress hack, my other four purchases were linen blends and all fabrics were blue, white, ivory or blue and white. I also raced through this fabric order faster…
French Navy – Orla Dress #3
It got hot this summer. So hot that I was craving a long, light, loose-fitting maxi dress. I saw this gorgeous embroidered viscose poplin from Blackbird Fabrics and I immediately thought of making a maxi version of the Orla dress (previously made here and here). Modifying the Orla was easy. I…
Tessuti – Lois Dress #2
Immediately after I made my first Tessuti Lois Dress back in January , I made plans to try it again. I loved the fit of the top of this beautiful, simple dress but the hips ended up far to large on me. This isn’t surprising since I am very much…
Pauline Alice Quart Coat – Modified
This coat has been a vision in my head for well over a year. Green wool. Black faux leather sleeves. Double breasted. I bought the wool from Gala Fabrics last winter but I just couldn’t find the right pattern for it so it sat waiting in my stash. Then I…
Seamwork Georgia in Faux Leather
I love this dress! I had to get that out of the way right at the beginning because I do, I really really do, but it took a bit of trial and error to get there. Let me introduce you to the Georgia dress by Seamwork. I knew I might…
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…