I love being part of pattern tours, I really do. I have a lot of fun sewing from my Japanese pattern books, but I feel like I get an extra dose of inspiration from sewing up the many fantastic indie patterns I've been lucky enough to try. Heidi of Elegance and Elephants is one of my favorite designers. I know that I'm in good hands when I follow her steps, and I'm always delighted by the clever little details she includes. And the end result is professional and beautiful. And she's so ... Read more

One of the benefits of obsessively making excessive amounts of clothes from Japanese patterns books is that the publisher of the English translations of said pattern books will contact you to see if you'd like to review their books. Since "Duh!!!" was not an appropriate answer, I responded with an enthusiastic yes. Now, I have the Japanese version of Happy Homemade vol. 2, but I was curious to see what the difference(s) would be with the English translation, Sew Chic Kids. As you can see, ... Read more

Hello friends, I've missed you! I hope you had a fabulous week filled with a wonderful Easter weekend and other spring goodness. I'll go more into my mini blog hiatus tomorrow, but for today, let's dive into this glamorous number, shall we? Not your average Easter dress, right? As a matter of fact, she was forbidden to gather eggs while wearing the dress due to its ridiculously long cape that was sure to result in injuries, but when K first came out of the house wearing it, the dress ... Read more

Good morning! We hit a milestone this weekend! K had her very first non-relatives sleep over, and it was a roaring success. My friend and wonderful neighbor took it upon herself to entertain five girls on Saturday night and generously offered to captain K's maiden voyage into the land of sleepovers. Since they live only two doors down, I fully expected a call or knock in the middle of the night, but nope. K made it! You could see the confidence brimming in her when she returned ... Read more

Good morning! I hope you had a delightful weekend - ours was busy but happy. What you see above is a small segment of K's wardrobe, "small" being the operative word here. There is a dresser stuffed with more knits and pants/shorts/skirts, and at least one large basket brimming with K's outfits, waiting to be laundered. It's becoming a situation. A quasi-problematic one. I'm all for slow fashion, but I have a feeling that I'm slapping that whole concept in the face and upside the head (have ... Read more