Author: Patricia

Hello. I'm Patricia, mom to one and blossoming sewist. It all started in the summer of 2014 when my then 2 ½ year old needed a costume for his preschool's Costume Days. He wanted to be blue. I bought a cheap sewing machine, made him a blue cape, and as they say the rest is history.
clothes for me

Stitched Chambray Mila Shirt

by Patricia4 Comments on Stitched Chambray Mila Shirt

#2018MakeNine – First Project Complete!

I finished my first Make Nine project – a popover-style Mila shirt pattern by Itch to Stitch.

The Fabric Lovestory

Back when I was shopping for some chambray to make my husband a shirt (and umm no, I haven’t made his shirt yet) I ran across this stitched chambray by Robert Kaufman and fell in love…I knew it would make a lovely shirt for me! I looove the look of the white threads running through the fabric – such a nice variation on a plain stripe.

chambray Mila shirt_front_close

chambray Mila shirt_collar-2

Maybe even better, the reverse side of the fabric has these little dots of white thread showing through, giving it a polka dot sort of look. I used the reverse side for the placket (no stripe matching necessary!), but you can also see it showing through when the collar is open and the sleeves are rolled up. Continue reading “Stitched Chambray Mila Shirt” →

ruminations

2018 Make Nine

by Patricia5 Comments on 2018 Make Nine

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone has had a joyful holiday season. After the rush of Christmas (when I just may have made matching Christmas pajamas for myself, my husband, my son, and my nieces), it’s nice to have some chill time. I’m spending some time in the mountains, hiking and skiing and hanging out in the hot tub. I didn’t bring my sewing machine with me on this trip, but I have taken some time to reflect on my handmade wardrobe and think about my sewing plans for the new year. This year I thought I’d take part in the ‘gentle’ maker’s challenge put out by Lucky Lucille/@homerowfiberco to set a goal of 9 projects to make in the new year. This is mostly an Instagram-based challenge, but I thought I’d expand on that with a long-form blog post:) So without further ado, here are my Make Nine goals for 2018!

1. Lonetree Jacket

Lonetree jacket_combo

This is a pattern by Allie Olson of Indiesew (find it here). While I still love my Minoru jacket that I made a couple years ago, I’m ready for a new casual jacket – one with lots of pockets! Continue reading “2018 Make Nine” →

clothes for me

Grey Ginger, Mustard Blackwood

by PatriciaLeave a Comment on Grey Ginger, Mustard Blackwood

A color conundrum

What is a grey Ginger and mustard Blackwood?

My new handmade outfit, of course!

blackwood cardigan and ginger skirt

Let’s break it down…that’s the Colette Ginger skirt in grey and black, the Blackwood cardigan in mustard yellow from Helen’s Closet, and the Lane Raglan tee in teal blue from Hey June.

Lately, I’ve found myself lamenting that most of my recent creations, especially the cool-weather appropriate ones, have been solids in neutral colors (black, grey, navy blue). Don’t get me wrong, I love solids, and I love neutrals that can easily fit into the rest of my wardrobe, but it was starting to feel a little bit drab. I need to try to strike a balance between neutrals and colors/prints in my sewing, and this colorful outfit is a good start. Continue reading “Grey Ginger, Mustard Blackwood” →

clothes for me

Lane Raglan Cowl Neck Hack

by Patricia6 Comments on Lane Raglan Cowl Neck Hack

I hacked my favorite t-shirt pattern!

I fell in love with the Lane Raglan pattern a few months back, and after making a few different versions, I started toying with the idea of adding a cowl neck. Sort of a Renfrew-Lane mashup if you will. I came across some wonderfully soft rayon stretch french terry in charcoal grey – perfect for a winter version of the Lane Raglan!

grey cowl neck Lane Raglan

This top is so amazingly soft and cozy, I want to wear it all the time! Continue reading “Lane Raglan Cowl Neck Hack” →

clothes for me

Chambray Button Up

by Patricia2 Comments on Chambray Button Up

Let’s talk shirts, shall we?

I have never in my life had a button down (or button up?) shirt that fits me properly. They are usually either tight across the chest and in the shoulders or loose and baggy around my waist and hips. And the sleeves are almost always too short. I feel like making a collared button-up shirt is a sewing rite-of-passage, and I figured that it was time for me to give it a try.

chambray Granville shirt

This is the Sewaholic Granville shirt – a classic button up with princess seams, tower placket sleeves and a separate collar and stand. Technically this is not the first button up and collared shirt I’ve made. A while back I made an Itch-to-Stitch Mila Shirt (which has a half placket), but never got around to blogging it. Continue reading “Chambray Button Up” →

clothes for kids

Corduroy Comfy Pants

by PatriciaLeave a Comment on Corduroy Comfy Pants

Nothing quite says fall to me like corduroy…so what better way to start off the season than with a pair of comfy corduroy pants for The Boy?

corduroy Parsley pants_front

I turned once again to my tried n’ true kids pants pattern, the Parsley Pants from Made by Rae. I love this pattern because it fits well, is easy to make, and it’s so versatile. Although it’s advertised as a pattern for wovens, I have made many many pairs in knit fabrics – everything from interlock to jersey to sweatshirt fleece to polar fleece to french terry. But every once in a while I go back to wovens for this pattern – and I’m particularly fond of corduroy! I found this fabric at my local discount fabric shop – it’s a lighter weight corduroy that is really quite soft, so it’s just as comfortable as the knit pants I usually make for The Boy (who is extremely picky about such things I might add).

Continue reading “Corduroy Comfy Pants” →

clothes for me

My new favorite tee: Lane Raglan

by Patricia3 Comments on My new favorite tee: Lane Raglan

After a summer of making Renfrew tees, I was in the market for a new tee shirt pattern. Raglan tee? Yes, please.

Lane #1: Baseball tee

I made my first version as a classic baseball tee using organic cotton jersey.

baseball lane raglan full

The orange-ish colored fabric was leftover from one of my Renfrews – a nice stash-busting perk! I just barely squeezed the sleeves and neckband out of my remnant – in fact I had to cut the neckband as two pieces, so it has two seams (one at each shoulder). I sewed this entirely with my regular sewing machine using a ballpoint needle and a twin stretch needle for hemming.

I love the look of the classic baseball tee, especially when it’s Giants colors…

Continue reading “My new favorite tee: Lane Raglan” →