I needed a simple pattern to get over my jean fitting frustrations. I've been interested in the patterns from The Assembly Line. I really love the silhouettes. They're just my style. I choose the High Cuff sweater for my "easy" project. My only word of caution is that the patterns are very expensive and the... Continue Reading →
Peppermint Magazine Spring Shorts
I'm not even sure how I should start this post. What seemed like a small idea in my head quickly snowballed into a large project. I dove into this project, thinking I could easily alter the pattern using my pant block, but after one test pair, I realized I needed to step back and start... Continue Reading →
Hey June Handmade Union St. Tee
We finally have warm weather, and that means I'm living in my short-sleeve t-shirts. Unfortunately, all of my favorite t-shirts have changed shape and size all of a sudden. Even though I'm super aggressive when I prewash my fabric, the shirts didn't take kindly to drying during one of my business trips this year. I... Continue Reading →
Papercut Patterns Palisade Shorts
I'm finally getting back to sewing and blogging after a crazy few months. It's now spring and I desperately need some warm weather pieces. I've never sewn a pattern from Papercut Patterns but I've seen a lot of other sewers make the Palisade shorts / pants and I wanted to give it a try. Sizing... Continue Reading →
True Bias Men’s Hudson Pant
I wish there were a way to get a 3D printed body form for the lower body. I'm convinced that pants are always going to require massive alterations to fit a person. After my blog post about the differences between my pattern and the True Bias Hudson pant pattern, I wanted to see how Ryan's... Continue Reading →
True Bias Women’s Hudson Pant
I've postponed this blog post for months now because I don't know precisely what I want to convey. Drafting a pattern from a duct tape body form isn't exactly easy-peasy, and I've spent months tweaking my self-drafted pattern. I've got no clear cut answer for how I went from a block form to a pattern... Continue Reading →
True Bias Lodo Dress in Ponte Knit
I had this goal in 2018 to sew "date night" outfits for my husband and me. However, I could never find the time. Therefore, I'm starting 2019 by getting back on track with my sewing goals. I've had this ponte knit fabric in my stash for 2+ years and never knew what pattern to use.... Continue Reading →
Ultimate T-Shirt Pattern Comparison
I promised to write this post a long time ago, but only now is it getting published. Sorry. In August, I worked on creating flat 2D patterns from 3D duct tape body forms that I would cut to make sloper pieces. I posted a lot on how to do that for pants etc. and I... Continue Reading →
Self-Drafted Trousers Using Thread Theory Jutland Pants
My jaw dropped to the floor when I started comparing the self-drafted trousers pattern for Ryan to actual sewing patterns that I had in my collection. The style and fit of my self-drafted trousers were closest to Thread Theory's Jutland Pants, with a few modifications to leg fit, pockets, etc. Over a year ago, I... Continue Reading →
Self-Drafted Trousers Using Alina Design’s Chi-Town Chinos
The first pair of trousers I made from my duct-tape sloper was a pair of stretch skinny jean shorts. I had previously made skinny jeans so I was able to compare my self-drafted version with an altered pattern. This time around, I am trying a new pattern, Alina Sewing + Design Co. Chi-Town chinos Expansion... Continue Reading →
Self-Drafted Skinny Jean Shorts
This blog post is going to be another technical post, but isn't that my shtick?! Over the past few months, I've been getting into the nitty-gritty of fitting pants. I tried to work through patterns and make numerous test pairs to get the fit right. I was methodical and very precise about documenting my alterations.... Continue Reading →
McCall’s M7668 Hooded Jacket
In the world of technical outdoor gear, there are few options for odd sized people. Ryan and I have always struggled to find gear that fits. We are tall, and most gear is intended for people much shorter than us. When I started sewing clothes, I always hoped I'd get to the point where I... Continue Reading →