Hello sew-friends! This week I have a fun and simple hack to my Eva Pattern. Often pattern hacks can be more complicated than sewing the original pattern. But today's hack is actually easier and faster! In this version of the Eva Crop Top, I replaced the lacing at the center back with shirring. Not only is this hack quick to sew, it's really comfy too ..read more

Hello sew-friends! Today, I'm sharing my top eight tips for sewing shirring with elastic thread. Shirring creates a stretchy gathered fabric that fits closely to the body. It's often used in the torso, bust, back, waist, neckline and wrist areas of a pattern. There are lots of possibilities! You can actually buy fabric that is already shirred along one selvage but when you learn how to sew your own, you'll have a lot more design opportunities. Shirring has a big design impact and is a great way to create a fitted garment that's also really comfy. To create shirring, elastic thread is loaded i ..read more

Hello sew-friends! Just a quick post today to share a knit top that I sewed a couple of months ago. I love the style of this top and it was really fun and quick to sew. The last few years, I've been wearing more loose fitting, very casual clothes and it's been fun to wear something more form fitting. I used the Seamwork Goldie, which features negative ease, a deep sweetheart neckline and puffed sleeves. FABRIC The fabric is a stretchy rib knit that I picked up from the remnant bin at Joann's. The weird thing about the fabric is that the ribs go horizontal to the selvage, instead of the stand ..read more

I have an exciting new project to announce this week. But first I'll start with a little background. I started Sew DIY 10 years ago and while I still love designing patterns, I've been feeling disenchanted and uninspired. I've been spending a lot of time thinking about what kind of project I would be excited to work on and share about. And when the idea finally came to me it was half "ah-ha!" and half "oh, of course it's you, old friend". The thing that gets me really excited is math. Well, math plus sewing and pattern drafting. I feel like I've done every sewing construction tutorial I can d ..read more

Today, I have a super cute, casual and easy hack of my Lou Box Dress 2 pattern. As a bonus, it's also a great stash busting project. I made this long-sleeved boxy top out of a fabric remnant that was just under 1 yard long! I'll share cutting layouts, pattern adjustments and tips for how I hacked the layout to make it work. This DIY boxy top is a great cozy, oversized top and I've been loving wearing it. Use a lighter weight knit fabric for a boxy top or a medium-weight loop-back fabric for a true sweatshirt style. ON FABRIC Let's start with the fabric. I bought a remnant of this light purpl ..read more

Hello sew-friends! It's that time of year (again! already!) when everyone is setting goals and resolutions to make this year the BEST year ever. And while in some ways I think that's great, part of me also feels like it's a lot of pressure. And that it's a way of saying that our past experiences and our past-selves were not good enough. So, instead of giving life advice on how to make goals that makeover your life. This little post is just a light hearted look at ways that we can approach our sewing practice. Above all, I believe that sewing should make you happy. I want you to find joy durin ..read more

Hello sew-friends! I feel like I blinked and suddenly it’s December! Where did 2023 go? Well, I may not be quite ready to take on 2024—yet—but I do have a new calendar ready to go. Today, I'm very pleased to share that my annual printable calendar is back for 2024. I’ve been making a version of this free printable calendar for about 10 years now and it’s always a fun design challenge to come up with something new. As always, I like to leave plenty of space for planning and note taking and also make a design that is easy to print at home. (If you’re interested in the nitty-gritty details on t ..read more

Way back in 2014, I designed a set of free printable gift tags to be used on your handmade gifts. (Check them out here.) It’s been a whopping 9 years since then, so I thought it was time to release something new. And free! Enter the 2023 Modern Holiday Gift Tags. These tags are inspired by the winter season, featuring modern line drawings of trees and snowflakes. I love the simplicity of the designs and they were really fun to create. I know everyone has a different style for the holidays so in addition to a traditional green and red color, I also included cream, charcoal, dusty blue and a li ..read more

One of my favorite gifts to give and receive is a book. Giving a book is like giving a bundle of potential all wrapped up in a pretty bow—especially when you give a craft book. Inside the pages of a book you can learn how to do new things, learn a new approach, and even gain understanding of someone else's perspective. Since it's the time of year when we start shopping for gifts, I thought it would be fun to put together my top picks. While researching the list I found a lot of new sewing books that have been released in the last few years. A lot of these were even released in the last few mo ..read more

Hello sew-friends! Have you noticed that lately, everyone says "spooky season" rather than Halloween? I think it's a justification for stretching out the Halloween decorations for a month or more before the big day. Or maybe, it's just a way to make the Fall season a little more fun and moody? Anyway, I'm here for it. Especially now that I'm living in Seattle again and the air is cold, the ground is wet and leaves actually change color. I've even decorated my front porch with a maroon and a yellow mum and it’s so nice to have that pop of color. Today, to celebrate the season, I have a fun lit ..read more