As a going away present, I made some luggage tags for a friend some weeks ago. They struck me as good holiday gifts that you can whip up in no time, so I'm putting it out there. My friend was very sweet and complimentary about them, and I think they're quite pretty myself. And did I mention easy to make? The ones I made are about 3.5in x 5.5 inches. I tried out a couple of different methods, and there's a wealth of customization opportunities with these. I liked using ribbon from my stash ... Read more
Switching Things Up: A Quilt
So. When I start posting things from the past, we all know what that means. Take this quilt, for example. I made it three years ago or thereabouts. Possibly the easiest quilt to make as it's two large rectangles sandwiching batting, then stitched with random diagonal lines. I read about this method online somewhere (here, I'm pretty certain). It was a birthday gift for a friend's son, and I was smitten with that Kokka car fabric. The backing is my usual grey linen-blend that is my default fabric ... Read more
Sewing for Me: District 12 Dress
I'm a little bit obsessed with the Hunger Games these days. I mentioned in passing that I went to see Catching Fire last weekend, and lamented not having the time to create a Katniss-inspired outfit for K. It so happens, as I worked on my own dress, I realized that it sports a rather District 12 vibe. The more I think about it, the more I'm certain I belong in that fictional dystopian world -- at least sartorially. Give me some drab, downtrodden colors and I'm in my element. I made a knit ... Read more
Monday Outfit: Redux
Good morning! It was a busy weekend that didn't leave a whole lot of sewing time, but I managed to stitch up this long-sleeved top and pants knowing that K needs more of these. It feels like she's going through a major growth spurt so I decided to start cutting out the 130cm size, which roughly corresponds to an American size 8. Alas, she's swimming in the clothes and it was one of those projects that refused to cooperate. I was also in the mood to use up some fabric that I've had on my ... Read more
Sewing for Me: Turkey Day Tunic
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone celebrating this very food-centric holiday! When I lived in Japan for a couple of years, a bunch of ex-pats and I would gather together to re-create Thanksgiving with the works: turkey, yams, pumpkin pie. We had to special order all the ingredients and we doused ourselves in nostalgia as we gorged on astronomically expensive Western food - good times. With my mom here this year, we're going Japanese style all the way and noshing on sushi. K isn't the biggest fan of ... Read more