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
Minimalist Sewing for K
After receiving even more new-to-K clothes from our neighbor last week, we went through K's entire closet and all of her dresser drawers to take stock of her clothing situation. It is, in a word, crazytown. I know there's a whole lot of capsule wardrobe talk going around the interwebs, and I so admire the concept, but as we sorted through hundreds of items that I've made for K, it was time to admit that we've crossed over into the opposite of capsule: hoarder territory. "We have to get rid ... Read more
Happy Friday + Randomness
Happy Friday! There's been a lot of painting going on lately, and I'm also raring to dive into sewing -- five more days until K is back in school, and I will have gloriously large swaths of time to devote to personal projects. Can't wait!! I've been wading through my massive stash, trying not to get overcome by the vast number of choices. For now, I'm savoring the last moments of summer and am hosting a lot of playdates. ************** M and I celebrated our 10-year anniversary ... Read more
Tutorial: Happy Homemade Vol 5 Pants Hack
Earlier this week, I showed you the animal print pants I modified slightly, and I'm recording the changes I made here so I won't forget. I used pattern c for the pants, but didn't like the front patch pockets. Switching up the pockets for the "slim pants" was super easy because I simply frankensteined the skirt pockets from pattern w of the same book. Seamless! I also slimmed down the legs by my usual hyper accurate method of eyeballing, and added an extra 1cm to the length, but for this post, ... 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