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 →
Forward Shoulder Alteration for Willamette Shirt
I only had to make one adjustment to the Willamette shirt from Hey June Handmade, and that was a forward shoulder alteration, an extremely common alteration. I thought it would be helpful to provide a tutorial on how to do that since the Willamette shirt does not have a standard set-in sleeve. SHOULDER WIDTH I... 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 →
Duct Tape Torso Sloper
Ready to start talking about torso forms? I think I've made a good start on my pant form that I thought it was time to tackle the torso form. Who's ready? DUCT TAPE TORSO FORM Here are the supplies you'll need: 2 rolls of duct tape saran / cling wrap scissors permanent marker The method... 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 →
Quick Sloper using Duct Tape
Raise your hand if you: struggle with altering patterns, don't know how to get pants to fit right, have no idea what your crotch curve should look like, and so on! I have been sewing for less than five years, and pants are still a bit elusive to me. I can sew pants blindfolded with... Continue Reading →
True Bias Emerson Crop Pant in Linen
I struggle with summer outfits. Namely, I haven't been able to find a style that I can wear to work. I only need to be casually dressed for work, but wearing sneakers, shorts, and a t-shirt is a bit too casual. I don't mind dresses, but I need outfits that don't look bad with sneakers.... Continue Reading →
Butterick B6100 Shirt in Lightweight Woven Fabrics
Finding the perfect basic woven shirt pattern for summer wasn't as daunting as I thought it would be. Months ago, I purchased the Butterick Pattern, B6100, because it offered separate pattern pieces for A/B, C and D cup sizes. I can't believe I've waited until now to try this pattern! I know there are a... Continue Reading →