Sometimes I forget how much I love bag sewing. It is just so satisfying. No fitting! I get to use a jeans needle! I pull out my heavy fabric number 8 foot! And once I’m done sewing it, I get to use it every day. I love all of my homemade garments, but a bag is a bit like a coffee mug, something both functional and beautiful, that you reach for each morning. And I feel doubly in love with l’Oeuf Bag. Its pleasing oval shape, its double pull zipper, and its many pockets. It is a great bag. So let’s talk about everything you need to make your own.  Outer Fabric for l’Oeuf Bag We recomme ..read more

The Sylvan jacket has a relaxed and accommodating fit that proves versatile for a wide variety of bodies. The waist is marked on the pattern to support your fit adjustments if needed, and optional button tabs at the wrists and waist allow for a customizable fit.  Of course, a series of sizes is a starting point and you might need to make some fit adjustments to customize your Sylvan jacket to fit your unique shape, and that’s okay! Because it’s a more relaxed fit, the changes that I’ll walk through in this post aren’t as extensive as they could be in a more fitted garment, so that can ..read more

Are you ready to sew up your very own Sylvan? Have you decided on pockets? Have you chosen too many pockets? No such thing! But whichever pockets and length you choose, the fabric makes all the difference and affects the vibe and style of your finished Sylvan.      We recommend medium to heavy-weight woven fabrics, around 7-12oz. Some fun possibilities are canvas, corduroy, wool, denim, and flannel. You can also underline your Sylvan. We’ll discuss what that means more in just a bit. Our friends at EWE Fine Fibers have a collection of fabric and notions for t ..read more

As you can tell by reading the fabric recommendations, using a bulky fabric like a jacquard for a style like the Sylvan Jacket is a bit of a stretch. Fabric choice is at the front of our minds during the whole design process, and a fabric with loft just needs special handling. So our standard fabric recommendation is “a medium- to heavy-weight woven fabric that has no stretch. The drape or hand of the fabric will impact the look of the final garment – softer fabrics will fall more gently, and more stable fabrics like canvas will emphasize the utility look. Some wonderful choices are canva ..read more

Since the Sylvan Jacket has a wealth of pocket options, you might have questions about how to position the pockets. There’s a resource included in your pattern downloads, called the Sylvan Pocket Planning Sheet. It shows the line drawing of the Sylvan jacket, and all of the pockets. (The pockets are to scale of the jacket in a size 12. Some of the pockets grade down for the smallest sizes and up for the largest sizes.) You can cut them out and arrange them to try out different ideas. Another option for pocket planning is your muslin! Making the jacket muslin itself is pretty quick and simp ..read more

We live in a soft-pants world now, and I am not complaining. Our Chanterelle Pants are already very comfortable, and pretty soft, with ease through the hips and a wide elastic waistband. But it is always possible to up the cozy vibes. My French terry Chanterelle Shorts were such a success that I wanted to try something similar with the View B pants, to have an extra cozy pair of joggers for the fall into winter. For this pair, I used Birch Organic Sweatshirt Fleece from our local shop, Freeman’s Creative. I made a matching Page Hoodie, by Chalk & Notch for a monochrome sweatsuit look ..read more

We have planned, hacked, styled, and even dreamed up a doll version of our most popular pattern of the year: the versatile, unique, and comfortable Chanterelle Pants & Shorts. Here’s everything you need to know about Chanterelle all in one place: hacks, styling ideas, fabric and fit suggestions, and even our free Barbie download! Chanterelle Hacks Adding belt loops: A great hack to begin with, Judith shows you how to give your Chanterelle Pants or Shorts a new style by adding belt loops to any view! Inset pockets from View A on View B: Yes, you can mix and match pockets! In this hack ..read more

Note from Sew Liberated: A big THANK YOU to Cindy Luby for sharing her miniaturization instructions and pattern pieces so we can all follow along! We might have gotten just a tiny bit pulled into Barbie mania … but in our own way, of course, by sewing! So many people told us that the first things they learned to sew were doll clothes. Dressing our dolls nurtured a love of fashion for many of us. And the Barbie movie really brought that pleasant nostalgia to the surface. We thought Barbie might want to join in on the Chanterelle Pants love, so I made her a pair of wide-leg and barrel-leg p ..read more

Note from Sew Liberated: A big THANK YOU to Cindy Luby for sharing her miniaturization instructions and pattern pieces so we can all follow along! The Estuary Skirt is a Sew Liberated classic. It is a great choice to miniaturize for Barbie because a button front makes it easy to pull over her plastic hips. And once I found these tiny buttons I knew it was meant to be. The tiny pockets give it that signature Estuary look, but just like in the human pattern, you are welcome to skip them if you prefer. If you’d like to give doll clothes a try (which we think is a wonderful way to inspire crea ..read more

Wahoo, you’re ready to make some Chanterelle Pants or shorts! This is going to be fun. These three views are a great advanced beginner project to help build your sewing skills, and a super versatile and fun wardrobe staple!  Fitting the Chanterelle Pants Prep time first. If you’ve ever had any fitting advice from me before, you know what I’m going to say… so all together now: making a muslin is recommended to check the fit before you cut into your precious Good Fabric. A muslin (aka a toile, or sample) is also a great opportunity to work through any construction methods that may be new t ..read more