Hi everyone! I wanted to let you know that part of the reason why things have been quiet around here is that I've been working on getting a little creation of mine up for sale on Etsy, and the launch is happening NOW! Months ago, I spontaneously created a toy in the middle of the night, before a cross-country flight with my little one, who happened to be obsessed with learning how to button things. The Button Band was born. I was surprised by how much Sadie absolutely loved it, and so did … [Read more...]
Archer a Deux
Greetings from sunny Denver, CO! I photographed my second Grainline Studio Archer Shirt (see my first one here) before I left NYC, so I could show it to ya, but as we speak I'm typing from the living room of a cute little apartment in downtown Denver (where Sadie and I are visiting my hubby, who is here for work), and looking forward to the 81 degree day ahead. WOOHOO!!! Suck it New York winter. I'm done with yee. You better have sorted out this spring thing by the time I get home in a couple of … [Read more...]
An Archer and a Secret. And Donuts.
I've been wanting to make Grainline's Archer button up shirt pattern for quite a while now, because I LOVE wearing collared shirts, but by the time I got serious about it, it was summer, so that was out. If you've ever been to NYC in July you understand why. Fall finally came around, and my sewing mojo just got up and went. So this pattern still didn't get made. But now, I'm thrilled to announce... (drumroll please)... I'm officially the last sewing blogger on the planet to sew up this … [Read more...]
A Green Ponte Dress
For the last couple of years I've been wishing I had a few other versions of one of my favorite ready-to-wear dresses. It's a fabulous sleevless, pleated Ponte de Roma dress in very wide brown and black stripes. I usually wear it in fall and winter over black tights, just because the colors don't look very summery. Plus I hemmed it to be a little too short to wear with bare legs at the playground in the summer. When I wear dresses that are too short and I'm chasing Sadie around I end up looking … [Read more...]
Vogue 1421. Back on the Horse
Hi strangers! I'm back from the brink of a creative slump, and have a lovely dress to share with you! DKNY Vogue 1421. Wow. This pattern is a gem. It was an absolute delight to sew...partly because the lines of the dress are so interesting and cool, and partly because it was my first time sewing with wool. HOLY FREAKING COOKOO BIRDS. Why didn't anyone tell me???? It's awesome. It's almost like it WANTS to be sewn. And pressed. And shaped. And licked. Gross you guys. I'd never do that. I … [Read more...]
She’s cooler than me. Again.
I know I just posted about a pattern from True Bias (this post about the Sutton Blouse), but Kelli has been a machine lately, and has cranked out another one. She has decided to offer all of her women's patterns in "mini" sizing for the kiddos in our lives, the first being the Mini Hudson Pant pattern. I LIVE in my hudsons, and Sadie is still at an age where she loves matching me, so this was a perfect opportunity for me to use up some scraps from my own pants. Unfortunately I had already … [Read more...]
The Sutton Blouse
I have very little to say about the Sutton Blouse. Except that it's awesome, I love it, and I'm fairly sure that within 6 months, the majority of the tops in my closet will be various Suttons. The pattern is by the lovely Kelli of True Bias, and it's her second pattern release. (Her first was the Hudson Pant pattern, which I'm also nuts for.) I used a bright coral rayon challis, which has the most gorgeous liquid drape, but it's REALLY sheer. I ended up having to underline it, which made the … [Read more...]
The Sequin Challenge
Well. I know I haven't posted a thing about the making of this dress, and now I'm too exhausted to write much about it, but it's DONE. Thank goodness. I needed to make a fancy dress for a holiday gathering that a group of us weirdo sewing bloggers put together. Because everyone knows that the best way to make the holiday season more exciting is to stress about making a party dress. Hah. Anyway, to make a veeeeeerrrrry long and painful story short, I chose sequins. Not knowing that sewing … [Read more...]
My First Design, Crazy-Speak, & Backup Lollipops
Well, it's not perfect, but I sure love it. I've been mulling over learning to design my own clothes ever since this post, and I knew I wanted to start with an oversized, batwing, chunky cardigan that I could throw on this fall/winter, and feel warm and cozy but also a little stylish. Almost the look of a sweater coat, but not quite. I love some of the oversized outerwear pieces that the Olsen girls tend to wear, so creating something along those lines was my goal...which is tricky for a … [Read more...]
The Papercut Clover Dress
Hi everyone... I'm still coming down from a Halloween sugar high, but wanted to share a quick make with you all! My favorite way to dress this time of year is with layers. A causal, easy dress with a sweater, tights, and boots makes me happy happy happy. I decided to make the Clover dress (by Brooke Tyson for Papercut Patterns) because I had the perfect rayon challis in my stash, and I figured this dress would work year round- with bare legs and sandals in the summer, and layered up in the … [Read more...]
Trick or Treat!
A couple of months ago, I realized that I was pretty much expected to make Sadie's Halloween costume this year. Which was more than a little daunting. When I asked her what she wanted to be, she immediately yelled, "BLACK!!! CAT!!!!". (I later figured out that Dora was a black cat in a Halloween episode, and that's all Sadie knows about Halloween.) As boring as a that sounded to me, I was secretly stoked, because as far as costumes go...well that's as easy as it gets. A few weeks later she … [Read more...]
Sleeping in the Woods
I'm not sure if I'm subliminally trying to steer my little girl into a life of forestry and safaris or what, but this latest project sort of ended up having a "creatures in the wilderness" theme. She's definitely the outdoorsy type, so she could end up being the camper that I never was. (I was raised in Alaska, but spent every camping trip moaning about the mosquitos, and convinced a grizzly was hot on my trail. I never wanted to fall asleep, because I was sure that darn bear was just waiting … [Read more...]