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

Welcome to the fifth installment of the Sew DIY Eva sewalong. Today’s video is a more minimalist take on the sewalong video. Instead of voiceover, there is a music audio track with captions for the steps. This is a great video, if you just want to see the process without a lot of extras. Or, if you just like to watch fabric transform into a garment, this is a great video for you too! If you're not familiar with this pattern, it is a zero-waste friendly crop top, peplum top and sun dress. The pattern features a square neckline, bust darts at the side seams, shoulder straps and is fitted at the ..read more

Welcome to the fourth installment of the Sew DIY Eva sewalong. In today's post, we will sew the Eva we'll be sewing the skirt and peplum. We will make the gathers, sew the peplum or skirt to the bodice, sew the hem, and the pockets. There are time stamps in the description, if you want to skip ahead to a particular section. If you're not familiar with this pattern, it is a zero-waste friendly crop top, peplum top and sun dress. The pattern features a square neckline, bust darts at the side seams, shoulder straps and is fitted at the back with narrow elastic and loops and ties. The peplum and ..read more

Welcome to the third installment of the Sew DIY Eva sewalong. In today's post, we will sew the Eva bodice, from start to finish. This pattern has three views, a crop top, a peplum top and sundress. If you are making the peplum top or sundress, you will need to come back for the next installment when we sew the peplum, skirt and patch pockets. If you are making the crop top, you can follow along with this video, then hem the bottom, add the lacing and you will be finished.. Let's get started. CHECK OUT THE EVA PATTERN IN THE SHOP Watch the video above (or on YouTube) for a step-by-step rundow ..read more