Good morning, friends! I present you the down-to-the-wire, who-knows-what-the-heck-this-is costume. I cut out the main faux fur on Halloween eve, then petered out after an hour, and finally put it all together with additional fake fur trimming after school just in time for a 6:30pm trick-or-treat meet-up with friends. Despite my attempt to make a werewolf ensemble, when K tried on the in-progress costume, she exclaimed, "Oh, it looks like a bear! I love it!" I've decided to call it a ... Read more

Good morning, friends! Every year, I seem to end up making two Halloween costumes for K. This, I've realized, is because I never finish the main costume in time for the annual Halloween bash held at her school (which was this past weekend), so I resort to frantically sewing something quick and effortless. Enter Ninja K. I'm quite impressed with K's idea for origami ninja stars. I helped her make them, and we used the pinwheel instructions similar to this one since that's what we ... Read more

Good morning! Any time Heidi of Elegance & Elephants asks me if I'd like to try out her patterns, it's an automatic yes. Her designs are comfortable and stylish and the kind of garments that K actually wants to wear. "OH MY GOSH I LOVE IT," is what K said when I presented her the Ponderosa dress. I'm a fan of the chartreuse double-knit combined with the muted bold stripes, and K is a fangirl too. The only part I didn't follow exactly was the neckband attachment. I used my ... Read more

Happy Friday! There's a new player in the indie pattern circuit, and I was excited to be invited to try out Brooklyn Pattern's brand new offering: The Franklin Dress. Erin, the creator, has such a fascinating background (circus, ballet and opera costume designer!) and because I worked in theater for a while, I feel a kinship with her. The Franklin dress has a vintage-inspired feel with a pleated yoke and puffy sleeves, and it actually reminds me of the many Japanese patterns I've pumped ... Read more

Good morning! For over two years, I've been sewing K an outfit nearly every week. An important lesson from last year was that I failed to make her enough clothes that are appropriate for cooler weather. All my lovely linen creations and flimsy dresses sat unloved as temperatures dipped and poor K suffered through the rainy season (which, as you know in the Pacific Northwest, lasts forever) with nary a waterproof jacket. I decided to rectify the situation this year and got some water-resistant ... Read more