SewBaby News

I have two cats- a brother/sister pair that are 13 years old.  I've been ordering cat nip filled mice from The Creative Mind on Etsy for the last few years for their Christmas presents.  These are awesome by the way!  Very durable and way better catnip than the toys that you can buy at the big box stores. But, I saw this pattern from Simplicity last year, 8284 , that got me thinking that I could sew a little homemade something for them this year. 

For my next pair of woven fabrics in my First Frost Wardrobe capsule, I decided that I needed to wave my hat to the current crazy sleeve trend, by making a couple of bell sleeve tops.  I had two very lightweight fabrics with great drape- a patchwork synthetic blend, and a silk crepe de chine with a burn out velvet border.  Doesn't that sound good enough to eat?

I've gotten quite a good start on my First Frost Wardrobe Capsule.  I decided to start with the woven blouse fabrics, because sometimes I lose steam over the course of making a capsule, and the woven fabrics are always the last chosen, and thus often orphaned!  So, to start, I chose two sueded polyester blouse fabrics that I had recently picked up from Fabric Mart.  One in a dusty teal, and the other in a dusty rose.

I woke up one morning this week to a beautiful frost all over our back yard.  It was just breathtaking, and I wished later that I had taken some photos.  Later, I was looking at color palettes to inspire me for sewing, and I found this photo on colorpalettes.net that was speaking to me.   If you're looking for inspiration, this is a wonderful resource. They have hundreds of beautiful images broken out into individual color palettes.  I could spend all day looking through them.

Hello everyone! Fall is my favorite time of year, and every year, I can't wait to make a new coat. There are really only so many styles of winter coats available in the stores to choose from, so making your own gives you the opportunity to find that special style or color that really fits you. Last February, I made some mauve colored dresses , and I realized that I had no coats that looked nice over them. So, I was on the hunt for something in the purple/brown colorway, and as usual, FabricMart had the perfect fabric- a wool tweed that was a mix of plum and black with some orange flecks. If you think that you are seeing some purple in my hair, don't adjust your monitor- I have dyed my hair lavender! So, this fabric also complements my new hair color.

What do you get when you combine a cape and a poncho?  Why, a caponcho, of course!  I've been holding on to Vogue 8344, which was originally published in 2006, for just the right fabric.  I can't tell you how many times, I've pulled out this pattern, and then put it back!

I went to a yoga studio last week that ended the practice by having you lay down with a flax seed eye pillow scented with lavender.  It was so relaxing, I really had a hard time staying awake!  The yoga instructor said that the weight of the flax seed in the pillow stops your eyes from moving while your eyelids are closed, which helps to relax you.  Plus the fragrance of the lavender makes you breathe deeper, furthering the relaxation even more.  I thought, I really want one of these at home!  I went to Amazon to buy one, and the pretty ones were as high as $18 each.  So, I knew that I could whip one up quickly for a fraction of that price!

Sharing my love for sewing is something that I am passionate about. For the last 5 years, I’ve organized an afterschool sewing club for 5th graders at a local elementary school. This has been so much fun and so rewarding that I thought I would share with you some of the things that I did to get it started, and some of the things that I’ve learned along the way.

I hope that you've had a lovely summer!  I know that it's almost over according to the calendar, but I'm nowhere near done with summer!  It's been perfect weather here, and we're enjoying every last drop of it.  So, in the spirit of summer, I decided to make a couple more sleeveless dresses, even though I know that the clock is ticking on the time that I can wear them.

I love making pillow covers!  It's one of the first projects that I use with beginning sewing students because it is just so quick and rewarding.  And if you're like me and you constantly want to redecorate, changing pillow covers is a relatively low cost and easy way to bring a fresh look to a room.  Much more acceptable to hubby than new furniture or painting! This time I was working with a very large plaid silk taffeta from Fabric Mart.  Since it was a large plaid, my first project with it was to make some queen size pillow shams.  They are the plaid ones in the back of the photo.  I also made the two printed ones in the center from a home dec fabric that I had in the stash for a while.. 

I hope that you are having a great summer!  Here in the northern hemisphere, our summers can get really hot and humid, so everyday clothing that is lightweight and loose fitting is ideal.  I really needed some new tops and shorts that I could wear while doing housework, running errands, and just day to day stuff.  After picking out fabrics from Fabric Mart's awesome cotton selection, the first thing I did was to search for the perfect shorts pattern. 

Summer is flying by so fast!  I can't believe that it is mid July already.  I have accomplished a couple of major things sewing wise- I bought a coverstitch machine, and after letting it sit in a box for 3 months, I finally got up the nerve to open it up and figure it out.  I don't know why I waited so long!  It was really pretty easy, and I've been sewing up a storm since.  The second thing was that I replaced my leaky iron.  Another thing that I don't know why I lived with it for so long, but now that it has been replaced, I feel like I am sewing in luxury and am sewing in peak condition.  Kind of like an athlete with new shoes getting a burst of confidence! But, this particular project was the last one that I made before the coverstitch box was opened.  After my first foray into the cold shoulder look with a knit in my last post, I decided to dip my toes even further, this time with a pattern designed for a woven fabric, Butterick 6462 . ...

When the cold shoulder trend started, I laughed and thought, I will never, ever get on that bandwagon.  Hahaha!  Never, say never!  As I kept seeing more and more bloggers making cute versions, I finally decided to try it out for myself. And the verdict is.....I love it!  I used a animal print rayon knit, and Butterick 6425 . This has lots of views, and mine is a hybrid between the dress body of View B, and the sleeves of View C.  I also angled out the bottom of my dress a couple of inches to make it more like a swing dress.   Rayon knits have a horrendous tendency to show all of your lumps and bumps, and I thought this might help reduce that.

What could be better on a June day than having breakfast outside in your favorite pajamas and robe?  Enjoying the sounds of the birds and the wind in the trees.  Ahh... bliss.  When I think about how much time I spend in my pajamas and robe, I realize that I get more wear out of them, than any other items in my wardrobe!  I made these  summer pajamas  two years ago, and have worn them out, so it's time to make a new set!  I wanted something super light and airy, and all natural fibers, so I chose an  embroidered cotton voile  for the robe and shorts, and a  dusty pink linen knit  for the top. For the pattern, I used  McCalls 5769 , a now out of print pattern, but a good one if you can find it. Let's start with the robe. This is a really basic pattern with dropped shoulders, a tie, pockets and a band. Super simple, and even a beginner could make this. I used a narrow double fold bias tape in light blue all ar...

I love maxi-skirts!  They let you really show off a beautiful fabric.  Although there are lots of patterns available for maxi-skirts, you'll notice that many do not have pockets.  I don't know why that is, as pockets are so essential!  When I got my March issue of Burda Style magazine, I couldn't help but notice this skirt in the plus section: The line drawing showed that it was a simple design but with a few features that I find desirable: pockets, a combination drawstring and elastic waist, and long side slits.  I find that a combining a drawstring with elastic helps you to cinch the waist to just the right snugness.  And side slits help you to move freely and provide extra ventilation on warm days.  So, even though these are small details, they can really make the difference between whether you end up wearing an item or not! I made this pattern three times out of different fabrics from Fabric Mart for their Summer Skirt Ch...