Good morning! One of the unexpected perks of starting this little online documentation of sewing and whatnot has been the relationship I've developed with Tuttle Publishing. Considered the largest publisher of "Asian-interest" books, they've recently been adding a slew of translated Japanese sewing books to their catalog. It's been such a thrill to receive books before they're let loose into the big world, especially when they're the type of books I've adored and sewn from for years. Like this ... Read more
Monday Outfit: “Robe Jacket”
Good morning, friends! I started to make K yet another animal print top as per her request this past weekend, but I just couldn't do it. Instead, I flipped through my favorite Japanese sewing book, and was intrigued by the "Robe Jacket". It reminded me of a mini version of the jacket I made a while back, and I had a hankering to sew with linen, so Robe Jacket it was. This is what the illustration looks like in the book (you can't see them, but there are additional ties inside): And here's ... Read more
Monday Outfit: Bow Dress
Good morning! I did something hitherto unheard of: I planned ahead. For almost all these Monday outfit posts, I usually start sewing on Saturday afternoon after thinking a few minutes about what wardrobe holes I can fill in K's closet (this is becoming pretty challenging, as you can imagine). Although she's growing like a rice plant amped up on Miracle-Gro, sewing for K takes a fraction of the time it takes to sew for myself, so I'm usually done by early evening. After breakfast on Sunday, we ... Read more
Monday Outfit: Coral Giraffe Print
Good morning! This week, I decided to sew up something that I knew K would absolutely love. It's knit, it's animal print, and it's bright. The trifecta of success. This tiered tunic is from this book, and because the largest size goes up to only 125cm and K is squarely a size 130cm now, I added 4cm to the length. I need to try to sew more from this book before K completely outgrows it -- so far I've sewn this and this and this from it and there are a few more that's on my sewing docket! ... Read more
Monday Outfit: Front Placket Dress Revisited
Good morning! I really must do something about my penchant for overestimating my productiveness. I was so excited to share a tutorial for this dress I made, and though I have all the photos snapped, alas, time got away from me so it will have to wait until Wednesday (I think I can get it done by then). It's the same dress I made last week, but this time the placket is more or less in the center. Very spring-like, no? Which is okay since it's supposed to get up to sixty degrees in Seattle ... Read more