I blame the pregnancy. Both last pregnancy and this pregnancy I’ve felt a noticeable slump in my creativity. Last time I was able to channel what little creative and DIY energy I could find into just two things: my science and my sewing. Everything else just kind of got left behind. At the time I… Continue reading Battling a Pregnancy-Induced Sewing Slump with a Gold Linen Skirt
Having rashly and naively decided to name this blog Sew Well back when I first discovered my love of sewing and realized I wanted to write all about it, I didn’t really leave myself much room to talk about anything else other than sewing in this space. However, since our kitchen remodel has been such a… Continue reading The State of the Kitchen, through 2014
Hi friends! First things first, that little bit of belly you see above is indeed a baby bump. The little one is due in August, which means I’m about half way through this pregnancy. My husband and I are in a race to see which will come first – the new baby or the finished kitchen.… Continue reading Lessons Learned Working with a Border Print
If you’ve been reading this blog long enough, you might remember my Tuesdays with Claire series. I started it way back in 2012 when I jettisoned Gertie’s no-longer-available Sew Retro: The Starlet Suit Jacket Craftsy course and switched instead to making Vogue V8333. I got as far as fitting my muslin and cutting out my fashion fabric before… Continue reading Tuesdays with Alison: Learning about Tailoring
While winter is definitely not over here in Seattle, we are finally getting our first hints that it’s on its way out. Our crocuses have come up, and our daffodils are not far behind. The days are in the 50s (Fahrenheit, obviously!) with a bit more sun than in December and January. To celebrate, I wanted to make a… Continue reading Nina Cardigan Done Right
Ages ago when I had oodles of time, I used to participate in just about everything I could find in the online sewing world. Even contests held by Australian fabric companies requiring fabric from their store! I justified having fabric shipped half way around the world by planning out my project well in advance of both… Continue reading Gridlock Redux
I know for a fact that my first finished garment of 2016 is going to become a very well-loved skirt, but making it was a lesson in how I should always get used to a new-to-me fabric by practicing techniques on scraps before venturing into the real deal. A lesson that, of course, I didn’t… Continue reading An A-Line Skirt in an Oscar de la Renta Woven
Happy New Year everyone! We celebrated by visiting Chihuly Garden and Glass in Seattle on New Year’s Eve, and I thought this photo I took of their glass flowers was a perfect fireworks display to usher in the new year here on the blog. As 2016 begins I would be remiss if I didn’t reflect back on… Continue reading Reflecting on 2015
Ladies and Gentlemen, let me introduce you to the Mathilda-Georgia-Farrah-Meryl dress. Too many names for you? I agree. But, that seems to be the way of it these days – names for patterns, names for fabric, names for sewing machines. Next up we’ll have names for our presser feet! Won’t that be confusing?! The Mathilda… Continue reading When Mathilda Met Georgia, Farrah, and Meryl: A New Favorite Dress
Not too long after I started sewing my own clothes, I started dreaming about having a collection of go-to patterns that I loved making and wearing. A big part of this dream was finding the perfect dress pattern, a dress that would make me want to wear dresses everyday. Somehow over the years that dream morphed into a need… Continue reading For the Love of Dresses
