A Simple Curved Hem

The weather is finally cooling here in Atlanta and I’m reminded that I don’t actually have a lot of cool weather running gear. Obviously, as someone who sews, this was something I knew I could, and should, rectify immediately. So, I pulled out my go-to sweatshirt pattern, Hey June’s Tallinn Sweater and set to work designing what I think may be a new favorite sweatshirt. You may notice that I’ve already ...

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J.Crew-Inspired Fulton Sweater Blazer

Hello friends!  I have something a bit different to share with you today! As sewists, I’m sure we’re all inspired by rtw (ready-to-wear) from time to time and happily modify amazing patterns to suit our vision. While I don’t do this too often, I’m certainly no exception. And admittedly, as much as I love drooling over the high-end runway designs, when it comes to actually making something, shops such as J.Crew ...

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Revisiting Old Favorites

The evolution of the sewing blogging community has been an interesting thing to witness. I myself have been blogging about sewing (off and on) since 2011(!). In those early days, the phrase TnT, which stands for tried-and-true, was used quite a bit. Many of us made it a habit to use the same patterns over and again in a variety of colors or fabrics. Why fix what isn’t broken, right? ...

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You Can Hack It, Costume Edition

Well, I know the title gave it away, but I have a rather different type of outfit for you today. You see apparently, when you move to Atlanta with someone who loved comics and superheros as a kid, attending an event called DragonCon is inevitable haha. And when you attend this event in the clothing I commonly wear, as we did last year, you stand out. So this year, we decided costumes were ...

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Leveling Up, A Happy Accident

How many of you pick a pattern, not paying close attention to the details, only to discover you’d be forced to learn a new sewing trick? What, just me? Haha When I picked this pattern, I did so based on the casual silhouette and the detail of the interesting back pleat. If you follow my blog as well, you may recall I used this pattern for my purple lyocell shirtdress. This ...

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12 Things I Learned While Sewing My First Denim Projects

    Hello again, friends! Today, I have a post for you on a topic that strikes fear in the hearts of many sewists. (Cue scary music haha) The funny thing is, there's nothing scary about denim at all. It's a fabric many of us practically live in and it isn't difficult to sew! It is just cotton, after all. The fiber most of us start with, and often turn back to ...

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Wool Boucle in a New Silhouette

Or, as my fiance likes to call it, the "magic eye" coatigan haha You know one of the things I love most about sewing? I've all but completely stopped paying attention to fashion "guidelines" and trends! I've canceled my fashion magazine subscriptions and now, I get most of my inspiration from fabric, pattern releases, other sewists, and the odd fashion blogger. I make and wear only what I really want, regardless ...

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Adding a Dusting of Pink to a Neutral Wardrobe

Hello again, friends! Has anyone else been reevaluating their wardrobe lately? Particularly now we've started a new year? I definitely have and I'm rather pleased with this latest addition. For the last year or two, I've focused a lot of my sewing efforts on basic pieces in neutral colors. It's great because I always reach for a handmade item first when dressing. But, that focus has been a stark contrast to ...

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A Sweater for Not-Quite Sweater Weather

So, for my last post, I made a trapeze garment for summer. Apparently, I thought I needed one for Fall too haha. I knew when I picked this fabric, I didn't want to default to a boyfriend cardigan (especially since I made a grey one of those earlier this year). What I did want was something cozy, layerable, up-to-date, and a design that would work with the drape I knew the fabric ...

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A Dress for the “Me” in my Head

So, I have to tell you, this dress, this gloriously bright and breezy dress, is the simple result of a rabbit hole and incredible timing. I don't remember exactly how I ended up down said rabbit hole (Shocking, right? Who ever does remember?), but I did and I came across this gorgeous, bright pink crepe sleeveless dress from Phillip Lim. And as was the usual case, the model looked so chic ...

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A Blue and White Summer Caftan

Look, friends!  Color!  Haha Contrary to what one might think scrolling through my past posts for Cali Fabrics, I love color and am a particular sucker for blue and white prints.  For me, it’s a combination that’s easily wearable year-round, can be dressed up or down, and evokes memories of east-coast summers.  So, I’m sure it’s not hard to imagine how quickly this print jumped in my cart!  Isn’t it amazing?!  ...

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Discovering a New Fabric Love

Hello, friends!  I told you I’d be back with another knit item!  And I’m rather in love with this one too :)  Now, if I had to guess, I would assume that many of you are familiar with the wonders of French terry.  Am I right?  It has been popping up so often in the sewing community over the last year or two, but being the wovens-loving girl that I ...

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Embracing the Cozy

Well, hello there again!  I’ve missed you!  You may have noticed (or not, ha!) I’ve been absent for a while. Long story short, I injured my right leg and it is taking far too long to recover, which has kept me out of my sewing room.  So frustrating!  It’s also meant far too much time stuck on the couch.  Well, if you’ve followed along with what I tend to make, ...

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A Year-Round Staple: The OCBD

Hello again friends!  I'm so excited to share this new shirt with you!  It feels like it's been ages since I've sewn with cotton, but for all the silk tops I've made recently, a classic oxford cloth button-down is still one of the items that feels the most 'me'.  Maybe because they've been a staple in my closet for so long.  They feel a bit like old friends.  I wear them ...

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A classic pencil skirt in black and ivory bouclé

I seem to be following a theme with my recent makes.  Staple pattern, silk fabric, black and ivory design... check, check, and check.  The upside to this theme is that it means I’m working on a coordinating handmade wardrobe. Yay! Oh yeah, and one more tick box – it's another long-wanted item that I'm thrilled to finally add to my closet! :) As soon as I saw this fabric on the ...

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Sleeveless Grainline Archer Hybrid in Silk Habotai

You guys, I finally checked off one of my sewing bucket list projects.  I've been wanting a sleeveless silk popover for years! Years! I am so, so glad I finally took the plunge! I LOVE this shirt.  The style is exactly what I wanted and the fabric feels absolutely dreamy to wear.  Seriously, multiple times while wearing it, I blurted out pure admiration for it.  It was over 90F and yet, ...

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Hi, I’m Jennifer!

Hi! I'm Jennifer, or Jenny if you'd like, and I blog at Jenny Homemaker. I currently reside in Atlanta with my fiancé/sounding-board/photographer, Brandon, and fur baby/supervisor/photobomber, CoCo. I started sewing in 2009 after a long-distance move, when it became clear I needed a new hobby. I was fearless, choosing a fully-lined, polyester satin, bubble-hem party dress as my first garment. As you might expect, it was a bit of a disaster and ...

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