I sewed from a Japanese pattern book! It feels a bit sacrilegious to be sewing for myself during Kids Clothes Week, but there it is. I'm dead set on getting better at sewing for myself (sizing is still confounding me! Alterations boggle the mind!) and this rigorous weekly schedule is providing much needed practice. The pattern I tried was a very easy one: a short-sleeved shift dress meant to be sewn in wool. I'm not actually certain if this thrifted fabric is indeed wool, but I like the very ... Read more

A couple of weeks ago, I was sipping my coffee and going through my daily routine, when I nearly fell out of my chair. There, in my inbox, was an email from Liesl of the incomparable Oliver + S, wondering if I would be interested in trying out some of her new patterns for women. I didn't even finish reading and responded "Yes!!!!" I chose the Weekend Getaway pattern to try out first because I absolutely loved all the details: the placket, the back pleat, the 3/4 cuffed sleeves. And ... Read more

I mentioned that I have a stack of Burda magazines last week, and to date, I haven't tried a single pattern from them, though I'm constantly entertained by the extreme level of styling hits and misses. You'd think that someone so used to Japanese patterns would find Burda to be no sweat, but the way they cram those pattern pieces onto one sheet of paper is no joke. I got a sense of what other people must feel like when attempting Japanese patterns without any familiarity with the language. I ... Read more

Oh my goodness, I am so blown away by all the comments from yesterday's post! Thank you so so so much. I usually try to respond back to all comments the same day, but I got so overwhelmed and quite a bit teary-eyed last night that I had to go straight to bed. I'm now working on responding and I think it's safe to say that I'm not alone in dealing with the pressures of perfection - Someday, I'll have to tell you about one of my jobs that involved airbrushing celebrity photos (thighs were halved! ... Read more

I'm crazy about plaid, especially in the fall. When this sweet Built by Wendy pattern came out a few years ago, it was all over the sewing blogosphere. I attempted my own version at the time, but as a newbie at sewing, the dress looked like a train wreck. It was humongous, and I couldn't figure out how to construct the neck facing so I ended up trying a contrast binding that is completely frayed and awfully stretched out now. The hem is uneven, the gathers...well, you get the idea. If ... Read more