clothes for me, ruminations

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall

by Patricia5 Comments on Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall

aspens-1

Seasons of Sewing

There’s just something about the changing of the seasons that gets me all excited about sewing and cooking and doing new things. It’s the excitement of a whole new crop of fruits and vegetables to enjoy (apples and pears! butternut squash!), and a whole new wardrobe of clothes to sew and wear (jackets! long sleeves! corduroy and flannel!), and a chance to visit and hike places that are just too deathly hot in the summer (Mt. Diablo! Pinnacles!). Even here in San Francisco, where many argue there are no real seasons (oh, but they are wrong!), I’m starting to feel the season turn and I am ready. I made an apple pie for Labor Day weekend. Now I’m planning my fall sewing in earnest. But before I move on to next season… Continue reading “Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall” →

clothes for me

A Hollyburn skirt…and another Renfrew tee!

by Patricia4 Comments on A Hollyburn skirt…and another Renfrew tee!

Have you heard the news?

Tasia, the creator of Sewaholic Patterns, recently (ok, semi-recently) passed the Sewaholic torch on to new owners. And I just happened to whip up a new Hollyburn skirt and Renfrew tee, so I thought I’d share them here as a way of showing my Sewaholic love and saying thank you to Tasia for her great patterns and tutorials.

Hollyburn in Indigo Chambray

I was inspired by a denim version of Megan Nielson’s Brumby skirt to make this chambray Hollyburn. I made the shortest version of the Hollyburn skirt using some indigo chambray in an attempt to make a summery denim(-like) skirt!

chambray Hollyburn skirt
pictured here with my latest Seamwork Akita

To play up the denim look I used golden brown top-stitching on all the seams, jeans buttons on the button tabs, and a jeans zip for the back. Continue reading “A Hollyburn skirt…and another Renfrew tee!” →

bags and such

My Big Blue IKEA Bag

by Patricia2 Comments on My Big Blue IKEA Bag

I made a big gigantic blue tote bag.

gigantic blue Ikea bag

beach bag packed
Gigantic tote loaded with three big beach towels and room to spare!

This was meant to be a new gym bag, but I think it’s a bit too oversized for that, so it is destined to become a beach/pool/shopping/laundry bag instead. I mean, I knew it was going to be big, but I didn’t really plan to make it this big – guess I should’ve checked the size, but instead I thought – “36 x 60 inches seems about right”.

Here’s the backstory…

Continue reading “My Big Blue IKEA Bag” →

clothes for me

Akita #2

by Patricia10 Comments on Akita #2

I made another Seamwork Akita blouse!

blue Akita

My first Akita top has been getting lots of wear, especially now that the weather has turned warm, so I knew it was time for another. This time I used a synthetic (polyester I think) that has a lot of drape. I liked the abstract print on this fabric and the color (have you noticed how many blue things I’ve made? lots!). This fabric has been in my stash for a while and I thought this would be a good way to make a dent … but apparently I bought a ton of this fabric because I only used about 1/4 of what I had! I have no idea what I had in mind when I bought it, but I’ll have to think of something else to use it for 🙂 It could make a nice lining for a skirt or jacket, or a kimono-style robe…

Continue reading “Akita #2” →

clothes for me

A (hacked) Renfrew Tee for Spring

by Patricia1 Comment on A (hacked) Renfrew Tee for Spring

Anyone remember me alluding to a springtime Renfrew tee when I sewed up my winter one? Well, here it is!

spring renfrew hack

I actually made this one a while back, shortly after sewing up the original, but am just getting around to posting about it now. After making a muslin with an old jersey sheet and getting the fit just right, I figured, hey, why make a regular old t-shirt when I could hack the pattern and make something different? I had this favorite drapey-neck tee (this one from Toad & Co) that I wanted to imitate. Continue reading “A (hacked) Renfrew Tee for Spring” →

ruminations

Taking Stock and Weeding my Stash

by Patricia5 Comments on Taking Stock and Weeding my Stash

Here’s a question for all you sewers (or sewists, or seamstresses, or tailors, or whatever you choose to call yourselves) out there –

How big does your (fabric) stash get before you deem it too big?

big pile-o-knits

For me, that time came a couple of months ago. My big plastic bins of fabric had overflowed, and I had extra fabric piled on top of the bins and stuffed in bags under my sewing table. My ‘sewing room’ is in our finished basement, shared space with The Husband’s ‘office’, our ‘laundry room’, and our ‘storage room’. Needless to say, space is limited and the chaos was driving me crazy. Continue reading “Taking Stock and Weeding my Stash” →

bags and such

Canvas Handbag

by Patricia3 Comments on Canvas Handbag

I made a new handbag!

canvas handbag_front

This was such a satisfying and quick project and I really like how it turned out. This was on my list of winter projects…it’s no longer winter, but then again, there’s nothing particularly wintry about this bag. I knew I wanted a neutral solid for this bag – something that would go with everything. But, I also love a bit of color, so I added a fun lining to keep it cheery.

canvas handbag_inside Continue reading “Canvas Handbag” →

clothes for me

Winter Sewing #1: A Green Renfrew

by Patricia5 Comments on Winter Sewing #1: A Green Renfrew

It’s March…and hey I’m posting my first ‘Winter Sewing‘ project!

I made a Sewaholic Renfrew top with a cowl neck, the first winter project on my list.

green Renfrew_1

I’ve been eyeing this pattern for a while. I have made myself a few tees in the past by tracing a favorite dolman-style ready-to-wear tee. But I decided that I should really have a ‘real’ pattern with a more traditional tee shape. Enter Renfrew! I was particularly drawn to the cowl neck version which I thought would be nice and cozy for winter – umm…nevermind that it’s no longer really winter:). Continue reading “Winter Sewing #1: A Green Renfrew” →

ruminations

Winter Sewing Plans – 2015/2016

by Patricia3 Comments on Winter Sewing Plans – 2015/2016

Back in September I posted a list of my Fall Sewing plans. I had a whopping 7 items on the list! I’ve managed to finish most of them, with varying degrees of success. I LOVE my Minoru jacket and my Akita top and wear them all the time! Ditto for my new Josephine. The Moji pants get a bit less wear. The Hollyburn skirt is another great wardrobe staple – I don’t wear skirts all the time, but I do wear them a lot more than dresses. And then there’s that Sorbetto. ahem.

I enjoyed having a plan for my sewing projects, so I decided I’d do another one for winter!

Winter Sewing fabrics Continue reading “Winter Sewing Plans – 2015/2016” →

clothes for me

Fall Sewing #6:Hollyburn Skirt

by Patricia3 Comments on Fall Sewing #6:Hollyburn Skirt

I am finally getting around to posting  the very last in my series of Fall Sewing posts – a Hollyburn skirt that I finished just before the official end of Fall and beginning of Winter. After my hopes of making a Colette Beignet skirt in blue corduroy fell through, I decided to make this Hollyburn instead.

Hollyburn skirt with maryjanes

Hollyburn skirt sideview

Hollyburn back view

Ok, I must admit that this pattern is way easier than the Beignet pattern …quick rundown: Beignet is fully lined, fitted, and has 12 buttons down the front; Hollyburn is unlined, fitted only at the waist, and no buttons (but one zipper). I made the view B length (medium length), with the button tabs. It’s a straightforward pattern with nice simple, clear instructions. And that’s why I managed to finish it so quickly.

But hey, I’m not too proud to enjoy an easy make! I really like this skirt. It has a great shape, and I like the amount of fullness. And I love this fabric! Continue reading “Fall Sewing #6:Hollyburn Skirt” →