Firehose

Here is a closeup of the print of plum or apple blossoms, with a hand drawn pen-and-ink and watercolor look. It was from emmaonesock, printed on a light and floaty cotton voile.


I made a Liesl Classic shirt, with my usual modifications... no bust dart, extra ease.



The buttons are mother of pearl buttons that I dropped in some intense pink dye when I was dying fabric awhile ago. They might have a very slight pink... [read more]

Not even the pandemic can stop my wardrobe tracking. Ok, since I am staying at home for the past 3 weeks now, there was not a whole lot to track lately, but I already got the bulk of this period in before that, so here I am with the update for the second quarter of Year 2. If you are wondering what I am on about, check out how I decided to record every single thing I wore every single day for a year. I called it One Year Wardrobe Count project.

So, I've got numbers for you from January to March.

The post WARDROBE TRACKER | JAN -MAR 2020 UPDATE appeared first on SEWRENDIPITY.

The courses I've come across are all about $150. I assumed this was due to the materials, but when I found a more reasonably-priced workshop which had everyone buy their own supplies, I was glad to find the components are actually not that expensive. Some of what is needed is sold in larger pieces though, so one pair will be more expensive than the average cost if you make several pairs.

This workshop was for what is called northern-style moccasins. The method I learned is described here, but I note a few shortcuts that worked for me. I compare them to some purchased moccasins and note a few improvements in a [read more]

This shabby pair were factory-made, so there are some differences in construction I noted when dismantling them, and I picked up a few tweaks for my next handmade pair. The method of assembly and the use of machine sewing makes it less convenient to swap out elements, but it is still possible.




The Sole

On these purchased moccasins, there is an extra layer of leather sewn on the sole. It isn't really necessary for durability on indoor moccasins, but does contribute to a more sturdy feel. It is stitched in place using a figure eight pattern and around the edges. I find the stitching wears through,... [read more]

It’s been possible to export your posts, images, and other content to an export file, and then transfer this content into another WordPress site since the early days of WordPress.

This basic WordPress import moved content, but didn’t include other important stuff like themes, plugins, users, or settings. Your imported site would have the same pages, posts, and images (great!) but look and work very differently from the way you or your users expect (less great).

There’s a reason that was written in the past tense: WordPress.com customers can now copy over everything from a self-hosted WordPress site — including themes and plugins — and create a carbon copy on WordPress.com. You’ll be able to enjoy all the features of your existing site, plus the... [read more]

The Sewcialists held a sewing mini-challenge recently: Sew Your Birth Year! It was pretty lax, allowing you to take inspiration loosely from your birth year, or even someone else's if it was important to you, and interpreting it in any way you saw fit.

I was stuck with the 70s, and so did a little research into some inspiration, using blogs and catalogues to get some ideas of average wear in the early 70s. Here's what I settled on as inspiration.



Because it is a heavier cotton, I... [read more]

***This blog post was written weeks ago, before the covid-19 outbreak. I am publishing it now in hopes of providing even a small amount of distraction for those of us that need it.

I am a die hard fan of knits for tops, and it's a rarity that I'm wearing a woven shirt. But I make exceptions for my beloved Hey June Patterns, and for this fun Willamette Shirt!


Disclosure: I am a Hey June affiliate. I met Adrianna in person last fall at the Maker's Retreat and she is awesome. I LOVE her patterns. But I paid for the Willamette and will give you my honest opinion, as always!


I can't remember what inspired me to finally buy this pattern, but I think it was seeing it in person on Adrianna (I'm 99% sure it was this one). We were in the midst of indigo dyeing a lightweight woven fabric and I decided I wanted to use my yardage for a Willamette when I got home. Because that... [read more]

One of the lovely things about this strange period is how people are coming together in different ways to support each other and make life a little easier.

The team at Sew Organised Style podcast contacted us a couple of weeks ago to see if we might take part in their Daily Series. The series runs from Monday to Friday and consists of short (10 minute) episodes to help you stay motivated and connected to sewing.

So many people have reported feeling like they have lost their “sewjo” recently, despite having so much more time to sew! Hopefully this will help pique your interest or just keep you in touch with the sewing world!

Sewcialists will be featured every Tuesday — with me (Chloe) chatting to Maria Theoharous (Velosews) about what’s coming up at Sewcialists. Maria and I are both Australian-based, so this might be live on your... [read more]

Vivienne Colle's Make It Yourself Boutique / Vivienne Colle NY: Evans, c1967 255 p.

Open Library is an online resource that has many out of print and out of copyright books available to read. If you create a free account, you can also check out books that are older but not out of copyright, like this very 60s sewing book!

I have a new obsession.  Well, not exactly new.  I've always been overly fond of the common garden gnome. The new part of it is the fact that I have started knitting gnomes.  I'm calling them my Indoor Garden Gnomes and I've got a healthy little collection started.

It all began back in February when, after months, maybe years, of seeing my friend knitting gnomes, I decided to take the plunge and do the Imagined Landscapes Mystery Gnome Knitalong.  I told you about that one in a previous post; how it actually brought a real joy of knitting back into my life.  I was actually excited to pick up the needles and it came naturally instead of feeling forced.



So Gnome Is Where You Hang Your Hat was my first gnome.  I love him and his sweet little pullover.  But once I finished I found that I'd enjoyed knitting him so much that I was a little sad it was over.  ... [read more]

Sewing mojo has been looooowwwwwwwww but yesterday, following a friend’s advice, I joined the FB group named in the title of this post.  I spent some hours reading the many many posts, people are joining all the time [over 4000 as I type] and subgroups are forming to coordinated efforts to make NHS scrubs all around the UK.  I got myself hooked up to the one organising efforts in Birmingham, and as it happens, the hospital they are first responding to is the one where my lovely niece is working on the front line.  She tells me they already have 5 dedicated wards of COVID patients, with as many as 16 nurses per ward already sick and isolating.

I have some fabrics in stock which meet requirements [cotton or poly cotton, min weight 120gsm] and have ordered 40m+ more after some hunting.  Lots of places are offering discounts or reduced postage, BUT not all... [read more]

Lately I have developed a taste for minimalist art and it is influencing my sewing. Simple shapes, simple stencil motifs. I also try to repurpose when I can, and using sheets is my latest strategy. Either good parts of my worn out sheets, or sometimes ‘as is’ sheets from Ikea when I can find something suitable.

This outfit started life as a single size fitted sheet, 100% pure cotton. It was pink, not a colour I can do much with at the moment, but not to worry. I overdyed it in blue, expecting some sort of purple, but instead it came out as a nice denim blue. Perfect.

The pants are elasticised at the top and tapered towards the ankle. The original pattern was changed and adapted past all recognition, so I won’t bother to link to it. The top is once again the Tessuti Mandy tee, with the armscyes changed to accommodate a woven and the sleeves changed to cuffs.... [read more]

Seriously, why can I never finish a coloring page?  Is it because they are all so incredibly detailed that coloring a handful of leaves takes me all afternoon?  Is it that I’m afraid of “ruining” my beautiful books by attempting to color them when I’m not 100% on top of my coloring game?  Is it […]

It took a pandemic quarantine to finally finish my Ginger Jeans.

If you’ve been a reader for a while, you may remember years ago when when I first started these jeans.

Some time passed after the above post from 2017 (technically I bought the fabric in 2014!). I attached the waistband to my wearable muslin…and when I tried them on again, it was clear the black twill “jeans” no longer fit. The waistband gaped and with the pants sitting where they should, I could tell that I needed to take in the center back seam a bit. But I managed to psych myself out (and then changed jobs) and it took me another 3 years to make an effort to alter these pants.

Frankly, after 6 years of messing around with the wearable muslin and still not being able to wear these pants without major alterations (they are too loose in the thighs AND waist now) I just decided to push the... [read more]

I’m making flowers for everyone. Well, actually I’m making masks, but I’m using up fabric remnants from my sewing stash, and that means girly, … More sewing masks – flowers for everyone »

The post sewing masks – flowers for everyone appeared first on My French Twist.

I’ve got a few minutes of downtime from teaching the youngster how to make rain sticks and plasticine dogs (!) to write down a few notes about my rigid denim Dawn jeans by Megan Nielsen. I’ve been meaning to make a “proper” high-waisted garment for ages as I have quite a few cropped items and -ahem- garments that might have turned out shorter than planned or shrank in the wash – and wanted some bottoms I could wear with them. I will be honest and say that I wasn’t completely sold on the high-waist thing. Partly because I have a long torso, so wasn’t sure if I could make them work for me, but also I just wasn’t completely sure it would suit me somehow. Or possibly even be comfortable with the high waist in rigid denim in my advancing years?

Of course, now that I’ve made some, I’m kicking myself, because they’re great! I didn’t really make many... [read more]

So you’ve suddenly got kids home with you for weeks, and more likely, months. What is a parent to do? Some school districts are providing you with plenty of resources, but many are not. As an elementary school teacher and sewist, I thought I’d share some tips for you if you have kids ages 4-13 at home!

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Let me share a bit about myself: I’ve been teaching since 2008, and working in schools and developing teaching resources before that. I’ve been a classroom teacher in Canada and Japan, and taught Kindergarten to Grade 8 along the way. Right now my specialty is supporting English as a Second Language learners; I work with 80 kids a week at three schools, and support their teachers in developing best practices. Teaching is the one topic I love more than sewing! It’s also a stressful and exhausting career, and I hope that my suggestions can... [read more]

Ever since I made a “paaskran” last Easter (learn more about it in this post), I’ve been intrigued with all nature-inspired Easter decorations. So … More egg carton easter displays »

The post egg carton easter displays appeared first on My French Twist.

I hope everyone is taking care of themselves in these troubling times. My prayers go out to you. All is well

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From our support sessions with customers each month, we know that growing your brand or business is a top website goal. And in this unprecedented time in which more people around the world are staying at home, it’s important to promote your products and services online to reach a wider audience and connect with more people.

Our team has been hard at work improving the block editor experience. We’ve launched six new blocks that integrate WordPress.com and Jetpack-enabled sites with popular services — Eventbrite, Calendly, Pinterest, Mapbox, Google Calendar, and OpenTable — enabling you to embed rich content and provide booking and scheduling options right on your blog or website.

Whether you’re an online boutique, a pilates studio, an independent consultant, or a local restaurant, these blocks offer you more ways to promote your brand or business. Take... [read more]

Well hello! And welcome to my version of 1982, my birth year. We’ve had this Sewcialists mini challenge planned for months, but it ended up coming at a time when lots of us could use a frivolous distraction.

This time the challenge is to “Sew Your Birth Year”. Since I’m organising it, I obviously had a head start! I picked up this floral knit on my last IRL fabric shopping trip, just before all the stores were closed. It’s a scratchy loose knit which is has clearly been sitting in stock since a previous decade, sometime after those thick 1970’s poly knits but not as recent as ITY or anything I’ve sewn with before. I’ve been eyeing the print for years at my local Len’s Mills warehouse store, and it finally was perfect for something!

Can you guess the pattern? It’s a Cashmerette Concord, and I made a nearly identical dress hack in... [read more]

https://www.simplicity.com/simplicity-storefront-catalog/clearance/simplicity-pattern-8610-misses-kimono-jumpsuit-and-dress/My summer plan for 2020 is bittersweet. Like anyone, anywhere, the Corona virus has an impact on my life. It’s not a major infringement, but plans that have previously been made are cancelled and that is sad for me. As I am a person I can keep many thoughts in my head at once so I do understand why these things are cancelled and cannot be done and be sad for me, I can also look at the big picture, the scale of the global pandemic; the lives lost, the economic setbacks, the consequences of isolation, and realise that my sacrifice is quite small. I stay home to flatten the curve, in solidarity with those who need to fight in the frontline.

Thing is, I had so many fun plans for this year; I was going to go see Green Day and Trevor Noah. For the... [read more]