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Railroad Stripe Harlene Dungarees
I feel like I have been crossing so many garments off my “dream wardrobe” list lately and these railroad stripe Harlene Dungarees where high on that list. I had been looking for a classic overalls pattern and I already knew from sewing my first pair that the Harlene Dungarees fit the bill. Details Pattern Merchant and Mills Harlene Dungarees Size traced and sewn The Harlene Dungarees have a lot of ease and I had already sized down two sizes from what the chart put me in for my first pair. Since those were sewn to be gardening overalls, it didn’t matter that they were a bit big, but I knew I…
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A Starry Sheer Sudley Dress
I had high hopes for the holidays last year (and how social we could be), so I dug into my stash and pulled out this beautiful silk I bought at Mill End the weekend of Portland Frocktails and made this Megan Neilsen Sudley Dress. Details Pattern Megan Neilsen Sudley Dress: View C This dress can be made all sorts of ways, but I decided to do the keyhole in the front, no collar, and no lining. Size traced and sewn Size 12 My current measurements are Bust=39″, Waist=35″, Hips=45″ (and I am 5’10”), but I went by my bust measurements only, as this dress has a lot of ease, especially…
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Black Ginger Jeans
My Mid-rise Ginger Jeans get worn an almost embarrassing amount. I mean, like almost every day. I, of course, have other clothes, but jeans are just what I like to wear and what I reach for day after day. That said, a gap in my wardrobe has been more pants, specifically a pair of black pants. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not above a Canadian Tuxedo (denim on top and bottom), but I’d been thinking it would be nice to have a better option to wear with my couple of Chambray shirts, like my Polka Dot Chambray Archer Button Up and my Sewaholic Granville Shirt. I just need more pants…
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Sew Over It Vintage Shirt Dress
One reason I wanted to start sewing my own clothes was that I had a vision of the perfect shirt dress. Store bought dresses never fit me right. I am tall and pear shaped, so if they fit in the waist they were too big in the bust and they were always way too short. When I was first learning how to sew, I knew a shirt dress would be complicated for a beginner, so I wanted to build my skills to get to that point. I’m not sure why it took me quite this long to make a shirt dress as I have had the skills for a while…
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Planting Garlic
In the Pacific Northwest, garlic can be planted throughout October and into early November, so if you are in this area you still have time! The way I learned how to plant garlic is that you should soak the cloves in a solution of water, seaweed extract or fish emulsion, and baking soda for a couple of hours before planting. This is not only to promote the growth of the garlic, but also to help prevent fungal diseases. It’s a few extra steps that aren’t that hard, so this is the way I have always done it and I always end up with healthy, nice sized heads of garlic. I…
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Harlene Gardening Dungarees
For a long time, I have wanted a pair of overalls to garden in—something I didn’t mind getting dirty in, was comfortable to wear, and didn’t involve me constantly hiking them up so that the neighbors wouldn’t see my butt crack when I bent over—basically a knock off pair of Carhartts. This past spring, I finally made them! I used the Merchant and Mills Harlene Dungarees pattern and a beautiful 10 oz. Organic Duck Canvas from Blackbird Fabrics. Details Pattern Merchant and Mills Harlene Dungarees There are many overall patterns out there and I even have at least one other one, but I wanted the most classic looking overalls I…
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Seamwork Audrey Jacket
Ready-to-wear jean jackets have never fit me right. Being on the pair shaped side, they are often too big in the bust and too small at the waist and then don’t button up very well. I had been wanting a well-fitted jean jacket for a long time and last fall, a friend of mine—who was just getting into sewing garments—was planning to sew the Seamwork Audrey (I know, ambitious project, right?). She asked me if I would like to do a little sew along with her via Zoom. I still had some of the free denim in my stash that I had scored when I worked at the photo studio…
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2020 Year in Review
It’s taken me a couple of weeks to figure out what I want to say about 2020. Previous year in review posts pale in comparison to this one and I’ve had some crazy years! The year started normal enough, but no one (except maybe Bill Gates) expected what would soon come. Unlike previous years, I don’t need to tell you what happened. We were all there and it’s still is happening. Fortunately, both Matt and I have stayed employed since the start of the pandemic. We had brief periods at the beginning where our hours were either reduced or non-existent, but as safety measures and plans for moving forward were…
