Patricia

food

Mayan Chocolate Cookies

December 19, 2015December 5, 2017by Patricia2 Comments

A quick detour from sewing, because it’s that time of year when we all must make and eat lots of cookies!

I make these cookies every year around Christmas time to give out as gifts and bring to parties. They are truly delicious. They are probably the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten. I may like them even more than chocolate chip cookies (gasp!). They are a bit spicy, a lot chocolately, with a sugar crunch on the outside and a soft slightly gooey center. And did I mention delicious?

I don’t think a year has gone by without someone asking me for the recipe, so I thought I’d put it up here for all to enjoy! Continue reading “Mayan Chocolate Cookies” →

clothes for me

Fall Sewing #5: Sad Sorbetto…and a not-meant-to-be-Beignet

December 7, 2015by Patricia3 Comments

This is not your usual finished project post, but rather a post about projects that just didn’t quite work…

Failure #1: My sad Sorbetto

I made this a while ago, but was so disappointed that I just hid it in a corner of my closet for a while, but now I’m ready to share.

Apologies in advance for the dark and grainy photos – it’s cold and dark outside and I just wanted to take these quick.

Not so bad? Let’s take a closer look at that neckline binding (back view). Continue reading “Fall Sewing #5: Sad Sorbetto…and a not-meant-to-be-Beignet” →

stuff for home

Holiday Napkins

November 23, 2015December 5, 2017by Patricia5 Comments

I finished these holiday napkins just in time for Thanksgiving!

I love bright and cheery cloth napkins, and wanted a new set to brighten up our table this year. I’ve been collecting cotton remnants in solid colors for a while, with dreams of either making a quilt or making napkins. I decided to give the napkins a try first, thinking it would be a quick and easy project that I could squeeze in between the other sewing projects I’m working on now (like my Beignet skirt). I made a set of ten, two in each color.

I generally like how they turned out – love the bright colors – but the binding is a bit sloppy on some of them. I think I need a bit more practice on binding and boy-is-it slow! This project took quite a bit of time mostly because of the contrast binding. I think I made 2 napkins each evening (around 2 hours), so it took me about 10 hours to make these. Next time, I’m going for simple! Continue reading “Holiday Napkins” →

clothes for me

Fall Sewing #4: A Floating Josephine

November 7, 2015December 5, 2017by Patricia3 Comments

I made yet another Josephine blouse…and I think this might be my favorite one yet. This is the release-tuck version that I’ve been dreaming about forever, and I’m so glad I finally made it.

I originally worried that the grey cotton lawn I chose would be too boring, but I think it was really the perfect choice. This top looks great in a solid color and will go with everything! The lawn floats really nicely with the release tucks too…and is super comfortable to boot. Continue reading “Fall Sewing #4: A Floating Josephine” →

clothes for me

Fall Sewing #3: Moji Pants

October 24, 2015December 5, 2017by Patricia5 Comments

Seamwork Moji pants complete!

I finished these last weekend and just got some pictures of my most recent Fall Sewing project. I made version 2 (the one with the cuffs).These were a pretty quick and easy sew. The pattern includes a drawstring waist and patch pockets, so it’s quite simple to put together. The most fun part was putting in the grommets! Continue reading “Fall Sewing #3: Moji Pants” →

clothes for me, ruminations

Coming Soon: Moji Pants

October 12, 2015December 2, 2017by PatriciaLeave a Comment

Took a break from sewing for some field work in Gothic, CO. I’m both exhilarated and exhausted from the trip!

View this post on Instagram

Field work in #gothicco what an incredible place!

A post shared by Patricia Fox (@foxthreads) on Oct 8, 2015 at 10:10pm PDT

But, I’ve got my fabric cut, and even started sewing up my Seamwork Moji pants before I left, so stay tuned!

View this post on Instagram

@seamworkmag #mojipants cut and ready to #sew #wip #fallsewing

A post shared by Patricia Fox (@foxthreads) on Sep 27, 2015 at 5:18pm PDT

clothes for me

Fall Sewing #2: Akita Blouse

October 6, 2015December 5, 2017by Patricia5 Comments

I recently finished the second project on my Fall Sewing list – the Seamwork Akita blouse!

I love this top! It is so simple, yet stylish at the same time. It’s a simple rectangular shaped top (though it does have bust darts), but the sleeves are like little wings that add some fun and visual interest to the top!

The pattern is all one piece – meaning there are no seams at the shoulders. It’s just folded over the shoulders, with a hole for your head:)

Continue reading “Fall Sewing #2: Akita Blouse” →

clothes for me

Fall Sewing #1: Minoru Jacket

September 26, 2015December 5, 2017by Patricia5 Comments

Woohoo!! I made a Minoru jacket, just in time for the beginning of Fall. Umm…actually, I made it just in time for a massive heat wave that hit San Francisco. Temperatures were in the 90’s in SF for nearly 6 days! When it gets that hot here (which is rare), the whole city goes a little bit crazy – there’s a wild giddiness in the air, especially at night. Nobody has air conditioning, so we all moan and complain, and crowd the beaches like we’re in LA or something:) Luckily, the fog poured back in for a few days, leaving us all shivering and happy. And I got to wear my new jacket!

This is the first project on my list for Fall Sewing. It feels like I’ve been working on this forever (2 months), and dreaming about it for even longer. I love the casual and sporty, yet feminine, look of the Minoru and have seen so many cool and inspiring versions of this online. Like this one. And this one (I love red jackets!). I was a bit nervous that this project would be over my head, but I just went for it. My mom’s advice was to “go slow, don’t give yourself a deadline, and you’ll be fine.” Advice taken.

Continue reading “Fall Sewing #1: Minoru Jacket” →

clothes for me, ruminations

Fall Sewing Plans – 2015

September 20, 2015September 30, 2015by Patricia7 Comments

I’ve been inspired by the Colette Wardrobe Architect series and Sewaholic’s Summer and Fall sewing plans to do a bit of planning for Fall. I always have ideas of what I want to sew floating about in my head, but it was nice to sit down and plan out a whole ‘season’ of sewing. And to put it on my wall to keep me focused. Plus, I recently went on a fabric shopping spree, so I knew I had to buckle down and make some concrete plans!!

So here is my list for Fall Sewing: Continue reading “Fall Sewing Plans – 2015” →

ruminations

10 Surprising Things I’ve Learned About Sewing

September 13, 2015September 13, 2015by Patricia2 Comments

It’s been just over a year since I started to really sew. I thought I’d share some surprising things I’ve learned so far.

80% of sewing isn’t sewing. It’s pressing, pinning, cutting, tracing, pressing, sewing, pressing,…which brings me to…
Learn to love your iron. You will be spending lots of time with it.
Same goes for your stitch ripper. Seriously. In fact, you probably need at least two or three of these, for when you break one during an angsty stitch ripping episode, or (on a more positive note) when your sweet husband offers to help you rip stitches out of a long, long, messy seam.
You can use a rotary cutter for just about everything! Wow, this one was a joy to learn because when I cut with shears, my pieces are always so messy. Just keep a bunch of spare blades on hand.
Another (sewing) life-changing one: 95% of the time, you don’t need to pin your pattern to the fabric before cutting. What?? You see, there are these cool things called pattern weights. And if you don’t have those, use your phone, the tape dispenser, and your son’s ‘volcano’ sculpture.
Swedish tracing paper is the bomb. It’s sturdier than tissue paper and less stiff than regular printer paper. It’s easy to store your traced patterns. You can write on it. Heck, you can even sew it if you want.
Planning is half the fun. You get to look a pretty pictures online, browse though fabric stores, dream up the perfect color combinations, and decide on which variations and features you want.
Even I can be artistic and creative. I think it’s just human nature. I’ve never thought of myself as a particularly artistic person, at least in terms of visual, creative arts. I am a geochemist. I’m good at math. But sewing has really brought out my artistic side, and I’m enjoying it.
Constructing a garment is like putting together a puzzle; some garments are simple puzzles, and some complex. It makes me look at everything I wear and buy in a whole new light.
Sewing is not so hard. No, I’m not an expert seamstress. Yes, there are plenty of things I don’t know how to do. There are things I have to do poorly three times before I do them well, but it just takes practice and a bit of guidance. Lucky for all of us who are learning to sew, there are many resources at our fingertips – tutorials, videos, online classes, and the like. And a great online sewing community to turn to for inspiration and advice!