This has happened to us all: you pick up something in the store in your size and, in a rush or just out of laziness, you dont try it on because it must fit you because you picked out your s...
I have decided to go with the orange linen for the Advance pattern. I am making view 2, with sleeves, as I suspect we will end up in London and it is more practical for a place with perpetually crap ...
This is my machine for while we are in Florida. I was lucky enough to find it for $40 on Cragislist. It is a Husqvarna Viking Huskystar E20. The previous owner said she sewed a single curtain hem, pu...
We are back in the States, and it feels great to be amongst civilization again, albeit a grey-haired one. We are finally unpacked in the condo and getting ourselves settled in for our stay. I am ...
I went to visit some haberdashery shops in Londons Soho neighborhood and ended up stumbling upon some truly delightful textile shops. Two were devoted only to silk, and what amazing silks they were. ...
So, I have been to London many times, but somehow never made it over to Brick Lane. For those not acquainted with Londons layout, there is the West End and the East End. Most people who vis...
But it wasnt! Good Bye, Bahrain! I wrote a little haiku, to commemorate our time together. We could have been friendsBut Bahrain, you had to blowSo I say Good Day! We thought we would be here for at ...
I dont know about you guys, but most of my everyday "wardrobe" (not the one I am supposed to be making, of course!) consists of contemporary fashion. I am always inspired by those of you who ...
Oh my goodness this project was a challenge. Is it obvious in the photos that I am not breathing? It is because I couldnt. This skirt is so tight that I have to wear a waist cincher just to...
Two years ago today we braved torrential rain storms to make it to our ceremony at the historic and lovely Preservation Hall in New Orleans. Happy Anniversary to us! We had gospel singers during the ...
"Vor dem Sturm-The Soul of New Orleans" Michael P. Smith. Photo taken from here. Do you guys have a city that will always pull you back to it, no matter what? I have a few, but New Orle...
Now I am going to show and tell you how to finish up your bound buttonholes, because, frankly, they look like a hot mess from the wrong side. In most instances, your pattern will likely have a constr...
I bought this Jean Patou pattern from The Blue Gardenia last summer. It was part of a few fancy dress patterns I bought at once from her, including the Jacques Heim I made the Teal Polka Do...
I finished up the remaining two bound buttonholes on the Purple 40s Skirt. I thought I had come up with a simplification, but it actually turned out to be a complication, so I ditched it, but happily...
I told her to shut her pie hole, and the sewing spirits intervened on her behalf. But I shall have the last word (according to my mom, this was one of my most annoying teenage character flaws, and sa...
I have a confession to make. That 1940s purple boiled wool skirt has been cut out for many weeks now. I stalled on getting started in the first place because I hemmed and hawed about orderi...
This is muslin number three. The bodice is not yet attached to the skirt. I played around with the darts, converting my originally waistline darts to french darts. Joan was giving me a quick assist w...
Pearl ROUNDABOUT Hi everyone! The radio silence was a book getting the best of me in Abu Dhabi. I am currently reading a spy novel called The Company by Robert Littell and it is utterly and completel...
From globalgiving.org I came across a news story about a US woman who was collecting sewing supplies to help a National Guard Unit in Afghanistan in their mission to provide sewing supplies...
Actually, you likely dont, at least not in the way Mark Zuckerberg envisioned. I broke down and signed Modern Twist up for a Facebook page. Let me get one thing straight, I have never nor will I ever...
We had a great discussion last week about the pricing of vintage patterns and your willingness to pay. I mentioned that I had spent about $100 on the pattern for The Glam Dress. Said pattern is ...
From here First of all, somebody give me a hanky so I can dab the drool off my chin. Second, would this dress be as dreamy if it just had standard one piece short sleeves and not these delicious flar...
Yas Hotel Steven and I are in Abu Dhabi for about 8 days. He has work (boo) and I am just here tagging along. We are staying on Yas Island, which is a "reclaimed" island (reclaimed from the s...
I really like the way the Twist Dress pattern is turning out, though I still cannot quite get the skirt "twist" to behave like I envision it. Luckily, this pattern sews up quickly as a muslin...
From The New York Times, Photo by Jehad Nga for the NYT. There have been a few articles in The New York Times recently about interesting topics in fashion. Today brought another, though on a much hea...
Do you ever have something in the sewing queue that you know, within 15 minutes of sewing the first stitch, will be an endless sources of frustration? And that for all your efforts, you might not ado...
I finally got my hands on Patrones No. 291. You may recall my post about the beautiful dresses in it and my urgent desire to acquire this issue. I set up an ebay saved search and dutif...
A topical article in todays New York Times profiling vintage fashion reproductions. This Old Thing? Actually Its New. I personally like to mix old and new styles, but I dont actually own anything vin...
So by now most Americans, at least, have seen this red dress that Michelle Obama wore to the China state dinner recently. It seems that this dress has caused quite a stir amongst American fashion des...
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