For the last few years I’ve been experimenting with “mens” clothes – and ended up with a boring wardrobe of basics! I’ve been thrifting and buying basics from places like Old Navy. It let me try out new silhouettes and styles cheaply, which is great… but there is only so much colour and pattern I can add in through graphic tees and plaid shirts. I’m ready to bring back the FUN that my wardrobe had when it was handmade! I have a few strategies in mind: Bedazzle denim Dye boring basics Alter for better proportions Bring back some of my femme me-mades Sew what I can’t find elsewhere 1. Bedazzle ..read more

As always, the blog design is a hint! My blog designs have always reflected the colours I’m wearing, and this refresh is no different. However, it is kinda accidental! I pulled colours from this image by artist BunnyDee that I adore. I subscribe to her on Patreon so I get monthly stickers and postcards in her designs. The colour story in this one particular image enchants me. I think it’s the combination of warm and cool tones, and the lively energy of the acid yellow with the calming turquoise and soft pinks. Lo and behold, it also turns out to be pretty post on for a lot of my current wardr ..read more

As I scrolled through TikTok last night, another take on colour palettes crossed my path – so of course I dropped everything and spent an hour figuring out my colours! This method comes from David Zyla, who is a stylist for TV and celebrities. His book, Color Your Style, surely explains it all, but the part that intrigued me is that he has you build a palette based on the colours of your own skin, eyes, lips and hair. Here’s the outline from his website: Right away, I’m wondering how this would work for someone who has deep skin. Yes, “palm-coloured” is a euphemism the Black creators use for ..read more

Would you talk about sewing in a job interview? I’ve done a couple of interviews recently, and I always bring up my role in Sewcialists. It is one of my examples of leadership, communication, and equity work. That got me thinking: Are there other transferable skills that we gain from sewing? As I was prepping for an interview, I revisited the 21st Century Global Competencies that my province suggests will “help ensure that all students develop the knowledge, skills and characteristics to become personally successful, economically productive and actively engaged citizens.” (I’m side-eying the ..read more

Have you noticed that share necklines seem popular this year? Or maybe that is just me, seeing what I want to see. Regardless, I made these two variations of the Workhorse Patterns Ione top over the last few months and I’m finally sharing them! I’m all about the green this year, and this large print is lots of fun. I got it from Blackbird for a bargain, but when it arrived I decided that the lurid pink was to bright even for me. A quick dip in some grey dye and this is the finished result. The Ione Top is special to me because it is designed by my dear friend and fellow Sewcialist, Becky. I ..read more

It snowed this week, so of course, I made a linen tank top! (My mood in these pictures is “Brrr!”) This is the Helen’s Closet Reynolds Top. The pattern released last summer, I think? I always like this style but didn’t end up sewing it before fall set in. I picked up this lightweight linen last summer too. I chose to sew a size 22 in the B cup range. That was NOT the right size to pick! The bust was too big, which reminded me that the Ashton also gave me the same fit problems. I need a petite adjustment above the bust with Helen’s Closet sleeveless patterns, and I should grade down in the ..read more

Remember when I said I was going to redo #OneWeekOnePattern, which I blogged about a decade ago? Well… I did something else instead! You see, I put a poll up on Instagram to see if I should do a week of Ashton tanks or Jackson pullovers. It was a complete tie, so I decided to come up with a third option: Wearing message tees/tops for a week! Logo tees are new to my wardrobe in the last year, and I wear them a lot. In my job as an Itinerant ESL teacher, I walk through the halls at a lot of schools but rarely get to teach whole classes. Dressing like a billboard means I can connect with kids th ..read more

November was my ten-year blogiversary! I didn’t get around to celebrating it at the time, so I thought it would be fun to take a trip down memory lane and see what was happening on my blog a decade ago this month. Well, the answer is, TIlly and the Buttons “One Week, One Pattern (OWOP)”! Anyone remember that? Me and my childhood bestie, the day she sewed her first (and last) dress! Day 1 of OWOP 2012. At this point, I’d been sewing garments for exactly 2 months, so that fact that I had enough versions of any pattern to wear for a week really tells you how hard and fast I fell for sewing. I’d l ..read more

It is March Break here in Ontario, which is typically the time of year when I complain that it is still snowy. Well, yes, it is, but here’s a fun two-piece setacular that I made myself to wear around the house during my week off! My dear friend C (Hello! You know who you are!) gave me a gift certificate for Spool and Spindle recently, and I used it to get 2m of this Canyon Rose French Terry. I’m such a sucker for stripes and french terry, and I thought it would go well with my pink hair! Thank you, C! The original plan was to make a sweatshirt, but I thought I’d change it up by making a Tyra ..read more

My mind is blown right now, and I need to share what I’m learning. Purple doesn’t exist? 2. Some regions of English speakers see violet and purple differently, and some don’t? 3. The reason I struggle to find the “right” purple for my colouring might be that I like violet but not purple? Friends, let’s figure this out! Starting with the basics: What is violet, and what is purple? This is violet. All my life I’ve been calling this cool purple, but scientifically and linguistically is turns out to be distinct. This is purple. Purple only exists in our brains. Science buffs probably already ..read more