How to Dip Dye Wool

Welcome back to part two of my coat making journey. Today, I am going to share how I  dip dyed the two-tone ombre hem. It is important to note that I did not dye the finished coat. I constructed the sleeves and the main body and dyed each of the two separately before finishing construction. I am not a dyeing expert by any means but I do feel pretty strongly about ...

Read More

Project Street Style Fabric

Today's dose of happy is brought to you by the most fantastic parade of fabrics from CaliFabrics!  Recently I sewed up the entire Project Street Style collection of 7 patterns, all using gorgeous fabrics from CaliFabrics.  If you haven't seen the incredible, inspirational content coming out of Project Run & Play, you really must head over and check out Project Street Style...you won't regret it! First up, here's a look at ...

Read More

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 ...

Read More

7 Tips For Coat Making

For a couple months now I have been working on a pretty time-consuming project that I have been dying to share (pun intended). I have a great big love for coat making and I believe this one makes number 10! After that many coats, I have picked up a few best practices that ensure I get consistent results with each coat and I want to share them with you. But first, ...

Read More

Crushing on Velvet

Every holiday I stand in my closet and look for something that is both dressy and comfortable and this year I’m going to have some lovelies to choose from!  We usually do quite a bit of entertaining at our place this time of year and with that, quite a bit of cooking so comfort is key. But as hostess, I want to look festive and feel pretty. You’re probably thinking "I ...

Read More

How To Break The Sewing Rules

Soooo...I did a thing. I broke the rules. I took a pattern that called for wovens and made it out of a knit instead. Cue the chiding and scoffing now. But you know what? My rulebreaking worked! Can you guess which pattern this is? It's the Zadie Jumpsuit from Paper Theory! It's official, I jumped on board the Zadie train and let me tell you that the view is nice on here. ...

Read More

Rayon Challis Circle Skirt

Apparently, this is what it looks like when dreams come true.  The other day my daughter told me she was shopping and saw a chiffon maxi circle skirt that she fell in love with.  I asked her why she didn’t buy it?  Because she sews also she had found a few deficits in the skirt that she just couldn’t live with.  1 - It wasn’t long enough (she’s 6’ tall ...

Read More

Comfy Maternity Dress & Matching Shorts

Ah, pregnancy. It's that magical time in a woman's life where everything is uncomfortable and nothing fits. But in truth there's a lot to be excited about and thankful for - including spandex! Califabric's double brushed knits are truly a gift from the fabric gods and not just for those who are expecting. They are incredibly stretchy, so buttery soft, plus there are tons colors and prints to choose from. I ...

Read More

Tips for working with Plisse

Earlier this year I tried my hand at sewing a new (new to me) kind of fabric called Plisse. I’m pretty sure you’ve seen it around as the texture is very similar to seersucker. Plisse is a woven type fabric and is characterized by its crinkled appearance that is a result of the application of a caustic solution that causes the fabric to shrink and pucker. It’s lightweight in texture ...

Read More

Sewing for my Husband with Aloha

I've mentioned before how much I love sewing the designer fabrics I find at Cali Fabrics, and how I like to see if I can sleuth out how the designer originally used it. The Tori Richard designer shirtings were easy – anyone who loves Aloha shirts the way my husband does is familiar with the brand, which has been making quality Hawaiian-style shirts in Honolulu since the 1950's. So, on my ...

Read More

Leveling Up Your Sleepwear Game

Friends, I have a game changer to share today! I have leveled up my summer sleepwear and I am here to share how you can do it too! Flannel pajama pants and random non-matching t-shirt have been my sleepwear staples for long as I can remember. Don't mistake me, I love my crazy print flannel pj pants in the fall and winter but it has never been my thing during ...

Read More

Business Lady with a Sharpie Twist

I recently received a copy of the new extended size range of the Liesl & Co Rush Hour dress for review on the Curvy Sewing Collective. It's a classic princess-seamed sheath dress or peplum top which is just perfect for a business look. That's one of my favourite silhouettes, but I prefer it in a knit! Luckily, I'd just received my order from Cali Fabrics (Oh happy day!), and I ...

Read More

If you wore the trend the first time around, can you wear it again?

Have you heard the rule going around that if you wore a trend the first time, you shouldn't wear it when it comes back in style? Well, I'm tossing out that fashion rule, just like "horizontal stripes make you look fat" and "no white after Labor Day". Let's wear whatever we want! I just couldn't resist this neon pink Liverpool knit from Cali Fabrics! I'm an 80's baby, so neon ...

Read More

The Perfect Shirt

You guys, I did it!  I sewed the perfect shirt!!!  It's pretty, comfortable, not too difficult to sew, and looks so professional! The fabric I used is some very awesome shirting from CaliFabrics.  It’s super soft shirting, lightweight but not transparent, so no undershirt required. The particular koi shirting fabric I used can be found here, and they have a whole bunch more shirtings in stock, from more by “Tori Richards” like ...

Read More

Fabulous Rainbow (or any) Armwarmers Tutorial

You need rainbow arms and I'm here to help you get them! Here's a step-by-step tutorial for making some awesome armwarmers with knit fabric. OK, you don't actually have to use rainbow fabric but it's really cool if you do and Cali has the fabric pictured in this tutorial available here: Rainbow Stripe Jersey Knit. You really just need any knit fabric with at least 25% stretch and some measurements. To create ...

Read More

Stripes for the whole family

The modal jersey stripe fabric excels above all other stripe fabric, or so you might think if you saw my family!  But it's true that this fabric is one of the best quality fabrics we've ever found, sewn with, and worn.  Let me show you how I used this fabric for the whole family! For myself, I sewed a t-shirt using the navy on off-white horizontal pencil stripe stretch modal jersey.  ...

Read More
Follow on Feedly