Happy Friday! The teachers' strike finally ended on Wednesday of this week, and it's funny how almost every parent I ran into on the first day of school commented how looooooong this summer vacation was. All told, the start of school was delayed for six days, but when you don't know what's happening each day, every passing moment can feel like an eternity, you know? Anyway. K thoroughly enjoyed the extra days of lounging about with friends, and despite my best efforts, I wasn't as ... Read more
Wednesday Outfit: Ottobre Marja Top
As you know, I'm devoted to my Japanese sewing books, but K is starting to outgrow the 130cm size which is usually the largest size offered. Luckily, I happened to be organizing all of my sewing books and patterns and discovered that I'd purchased quite a few Ottobre issues back when I'd first caught the DIY bug. Look, the sizing goes up to 170cm! I decided to try the simple Marja knit tunic in 134cm from the Spring 2009 issue. This was my first experience with Ottobre patterns, ... Read more
Monday Outfit: Rockstar Pants
Good morning! Everyone knows about K's love of animal prints. And most people know that I make all her clothes, so of course, she received two yards of animal print fabric for her birthday. "Pants!" she said without an iota of hesitation when I asked her what she'd like me to make with her special fabric. Pants it is. I used the "slim pants" pattern from this great book, but made a few mods in addition to lengthening the pant legs by 1cm. I changed the front pockets (the original ... Read more
Monday Outfit: Bedford in Black and Floral
Good morning! Normally I make a birthday dress for K, but sometimes the sewing stars refuse to align. I purchased the Brooklyn Pattern Co. Bedford Dress well before her party (I knew there was zero chance I'd get it done in time for her actual birthday), and even managed to get K to select a fabric from my stash. Given the way things have been working out for me these days, I would say that a week behind schedule isn't too bad. I believe the fabric is from Drygoods -- my memory, being ... Read more
Monday Outfit: Henry Dress in Gradients of Grey
Good morning! We're still recovering from the Fourth of July party, the heat and technical blips, but I have a new garment to share today, and that's always an energy booster for me. A few months ago, I had fun sewing up the Franklin dress + tunic (in fact, K wore the tunic when we went to see the fireworks on Saturday). The lovely Erin of Brooklyn Pattern Co. contacted me again recently to see if I'd be interested in giving the Henry dress a try. But of course! I had a hard time ... Read more