I think this is the best thing I’ve ever made. By ‘best’ I mean best fitted and best workmanship. It’s also now the dressiest coat in my closet and the last make on my 2019 Make Nine list so I’m feeling awfully happy about it. Like my last version of…
By Hand London Rumana Toile
I’ve had a vision in my mind of a very specific coat for over two years: Grey wool, knee length or a little longer, double breasted, fitted, with polka dot silk lining. I bought the lining two years ago from Gala Fabrics in Victoria and the grey wool from Blackbird…
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…
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…
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…
Swim Capsule Wardrobe
Heads up: long post coming. It includes details of 3 patterns resulting in 1 suit, 1 rash guard, 2 bikini tops and 3 bikini bottoms PLUS my sewing fail and resulting shoulder injury! (all sizing details and my measurements are included at the end of the post) I had great…
Bras Have Finally Been Made!
Bras have been on my to-make wish list since I figured out that I could really make anything (around the middle of last year). I put them on my 2019 Make Nine list because I really wanted to give them the time and patience that they needed. I started back…
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…
Closet Case – Kalle Dress
I told you I’d make another Kalle! After my first go at the pattern – the shirt version made in a size 8 – I immediately decided to take another run at it. This time, I sized down to a 6 and made the dress version with pop-over placket and…
Closet Case – Kalle Shirt
I’ve decided to replace one item on my Make Nine list – the skirt. After making five pairs of high-waisted jeans so far this year, I’m not really in any need of more bottoms. What I need it tops. I also wanted a pattern that I felt I could modify…
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…
True Bias Lander Pants – 2 versions
Next on my Make Nine 2019 list, after Ginger Jeans, were the True Bias Lander Pants. I decided right away to use the Ginger Jeans zip fly and curved waistband – rectangular waistbands do not work for the shape of my body. This was a pretty easy mod, I just…
Closet Case – Kelly Anorak
I got rolling on this year’s make nine and haven’t wanted to stop. After the success of my Ginger Jeans, I took a quick break to make a free-form sweatshirt project and then jumped right back in with the other Closet Case pattern on my list. The Closet Case Kelly…
I finally made jeans!!
Jeans have been on my list for a couple of years but it wasn’t until I put them on my Make Nine 2019 list that I got up the guts to try. I don’t know what it is about putting something on a list for me… if it’s on a…
Deer and Doe – Magnolia Dress
I put the Deer and Doe Magnolia dress on my Make Nine 2019 on a whim. I liked it as soon as I saw it but I knew I wouldn’t be brave enough for the plunging neckline version right away so I started with the safer neckline. When I say…
Make Nine 2019
Last year was my first year attempting to stick to a Make Nine. Obviously I make more than nine projects a year but by putting a few specific goals and garments that required more perceived effort on a list helped to keep me on track when new shiny patterns showed…
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…
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…
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…
Seamwork Mesa with DIY crossover shoulder detail
If you’ve been here before or you’ve seen my instagram, you know that the Seamwork Mesa dress is a staple for me, which makes it the perfect thing to hack. I recently became curious about trying a cross over shoulder. I’m not sure why. Likely I saw it somewhere and…
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…
Closet Case – Fiona Dress
I’ve finished my very first Closet Case Patterns garment! Yay! I don’t know why I waited so long and I didn’t start on the easiest one but here it is… my Fiona dress. This make started out great. The PDF pattern was the easiest and clearest I’ve ever worked with…
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…
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…
Orageuse – Londres Trench
It got cold this month and I realized last week that I didn’t have a coat that would work with my wedding dress if I ended up needing one. Everything is done for our wedding. We are fully prepared. So of course I decided the weekend before to make myself…