Nothing drives me crazier than a pile of almost-but-not-quite usable scraps. Too big to feel comfortable throwing away but too small to get anything out of it. As I have started buying higher quality fabrics (read: more expensive) I want to get the most out of it as possible. Over the years, I began playing with new ways of cutting out my pattern pieces to save on yardage and have almost always been able to get away with buying less than the recommended amount. As you may have seen in my last two posts, in my most impressive feat, I managed to squeak two garments from only 1.5 m of fabric! N ..read more

Hurray! It’s the first make of 2022! In fact, its’ my first (garment) make in nearly a year now. A lot of that had to do with moving to a new space. If any of you have moved recently, you know how much of a disruption it can be to your sewjo. It’s not just getting it unpacked, but also organized and inviting, making it easy to feel inspired to get going on a project. It’s been a while putting this room together and there’s still so much to do, but I’ve gotten to a point where I am feeling creatively excited and have the space to make some fun things happen. On to the sweater! The pattern is t ..read more

Happy October everyone! Hope the autumn season and approaching Halloween festivities are making you feel nice and cozy.  If you know me, you know that I LOVE Halloween. Something about the warm autumn vibes mixed with the cool creepiness of an oncoming winter, plus the creativity and the CANDY that comes with it all just gets me. Don’t come at me with scary things though. I get nightmares. I’m all about the cute here. One area of cute I love to drool over is the array of adorable halloweenie fabric prints that come out each year. I am not a quilter, so I have little use for these season ..read more

About 8 years ago I was working at a clothing store that specialized in modern retro and rockabilly styles. Think 50s circle skirts with fluffy crinolines, brightly coloured 60s wiggle dresses, and polka dot everything. I’d always had a soft spot for mid-century fashion, particularly the glamour of Audrey Hepburn and the sophistication of the editorial photography of John French, but had never previously adopted the clothing into my daily life. As I worked there, surrounded by beautiful dresses and co-workers who lived the look, I started to dip my toes into the style myself. I became obsesse ..read more

For the longest time I was a one-and-done seamstress. It was rare for me to make the same pattern twice, and if I did, it was in a wildly different fabric or for a specific situation. I sought out novelty and let the TNT (tried ‘n’ true) train chug right on by. It felt wasteful to have multiples of the same thing in my closet when variety was the spice of life. Why wear one thing, when you could wear ALL THE THINGS? As time wore on, my skills improved and I settled into my style persona. I started making patterns that were quick and satisfying, but elevated my wardrobe in a major way. And rep ..read more

When we rang in 2020, I dubbed it: The Year I Finish all the $#*t I’ve Started. I wrote a list of all the crafting projects that have been initiated to some degree, and told myself I wouldn’t purchase anything new until these were done. Whether it was a project I only acquired the materials for, one I began working on (and abandoned), or something I technically completed but needed to ‘finish’ for it to be wearable/displayable/useful, they all went on the list. I knew it would take some time to get through this backlog of UFOs, but in the end I would end up with a clean craft slate. I hoped t ..read more

As I mentioned in my previous post, I was lucky enough to visit sunny Palm Springs earlier this spring. In packing and preparing for the trip, I made a discovery. I had so many options I wanted to bring! I LOVE my summer wardrobe. It was also here I realized the items that I loved the most were garments I had made. I looked to my left at the winter wardrobe I was leaving behind, and to my right all my summery options I was packing and realized; my me-made wardrobe…is a summer wardrobe. My cold-weather closet has few hand-made garments in it, and even fewer that I would say I loved. This is un ..read more

I’ve always thought myself of someone who just knew what they liked and generally trusted my first impression. However, I have learned this to be completely untrue. I remember the first time I started seeing women wear their hair in high top knot buns and really disliking the look. Fast forward to today and well…there’s a 80% chance my hair is in a high bun. The same thing happened with this pattern, the now well-known Rachel Comey Vogue Pattern 1501. When it first came out I thought it was trying a bit too hard to be cool. I told myself I liked patterns that were simple and straight-forward ..read more

As we emerge from the coldest February of my life (seriously) I am excited to share a simple, cozy, chunky knit project that helped me survive the plunging temps. It is basically a wool blanket that is chic enough to wear out in public. Is there a wardrobe staple more Canadian than that? The yarn is Loopy Mango Merino No. 5 in Iceberg. I found it over a year ago at Stash Lounge during a road trip. Some people go sightseeing, I buy yarn. It happens. I loved the soft airy squish and the perfect cool grey tone. I didn’t have a pattern idea yet in mind so I bought 4 balls in hopes I would be able ..read more

For the past month, the sewing world has gotten colorful, sparkly, and oh-so-fancy. Inspired by Heather Lou from Closet Case Patterns and Kelli from True Bias, sewists everywhere are embracing sewing “frosting”. The fun, less-practical pieces that truly exemplifies the magic of making your own clothing, in contrast to (the very essential) “cake” basics of our wardrobes. As someone whose been sewing seriously for nearly a decade, it’s no surprise that my style has evolved over that time. In the last year or so I’ve been stuck in a weird place, where I have started feeling better and more conf ..read more