This quick boxy pouch tutorial has been in high demand by our students ever since we started teaching this little project at the end of our Sewing 101 class. If there’s enough time after finishing their main projects (and after celebrating with wine or cookies, of course), students have the choice of whipping up a satisfying… Read More Quick n’ Dirty Boxy Pouch Tutorial
Two days before my birthday, I decided to make a whole new outfit to wear for the occasion. As you do. I seem to specialize in setting dumb self-imposed sewing deadlines for special events, but I don’t think I’m alone in that. ..Right? After I hastily sewed a new black dress and a lacy cardigan… Read More Pattern Review: Silvia Coatigan
Alright, we continue our adventures in pocketeering and bring you a tutorial that covers relatively uncharted territory in the internet wilderness: How do you add in-seam pockets to a skirt or dress when one of those seams includes an invisible zipper? In a dull moment I thought I could just install the pockets as usual (one to… Read More How to sew an invisible zipper in a side seam with pocket
Oh, simple gathered skirts. I like ’em all the ways. I like like ’em all the ways. I like ’em with a cardigan and tights in the winter and I like ’em bare-legged with a tank top in the summer. Sure, all gathered skirts may be created equal…but, a gathered skirt WITH a pocket? Marry me.… Read More How to add slash front pockets to your favorite skirt (or pants)
More often than not, a backpack is my only accessory. I live a little under a mile from Butcher’s, have two small dogs with bladders to match and an irregular schedule (me, not the dogs), so my life is a constant schlepping on bike and foot from home to work, work to home, home to work. I have… Read More Pack it on up! The Desmond Roll Top Backpack
I don’t know much about the commercial pattern printing biz, but at some point in a pattern’s life, some bigwig deems it unfit to be sewn anymore and it gets the “OOP” (out-of-print) status of shame. Does it have to do with how many sales (or lack thereof) it generates, or is it just the need to clear the… Read More Vogue 8631 OR How to Ignore Pattern Cover Art
Practice what you preach. Yes, this is a good idea. As someone whose livelihood revolves around teaching people how to sew, I’m a pro at the preachin’ part. Many a passionate sermon has been delivered from my Reader’s Digest Complete Guide to Sewing bible as I stand in a pulpit sewn from Liberty of London scraps… Read More Silvia Dress by Salme Patterns
I loved this post from Ada Spragg because I, too, find that things I sew generally fall into one of three (I’m adding to her list) categories: 1. Love to make 2. Love to look at 3. Love to wear. We all know there’s a fourth category (4. Cried making it, can’t look at it, nope nope nope never wearing it), but let’s take a walk on the sunny side of the street, shall we?… Read More Hannah Top + Maritime Shorts OR What I Have Been Wearing all Summer
Sometimes a pattern surprises you. When True Bias released the Southport Dress, I puffed myself up with that passing confidence of “I could probably draft something similar myself,” though I should know by now that “drafting something myself” is a rare occasion.
Later on, Mali & I were discussing adding more pattern options for our Sewing 201 class (intro to garment making), and in researching simple woven dresses offered in PDF, we decided the Southport Dress, sans button placket, fit the bill. And I kinda fell in love with my first sample. And then made it again, and again, and — yea — again.
This is one of those versions!… Read More True Bias Southport Dress
THE BUTCHER BLOCK 