Sewing Vortex

I made my 4th Seville Skirt from Itch To Stitch during a sewing date with a friend this month. I started with a lovely, light, silky polyester fabric purchased recently with my birthday money. The graduated size of the dots is very striking and I thought it would make a great swishy skirt. Because I'm slowly losing weight, the lovely  linen version  I made in May is now so big in the waist that I have to cinch it in place with a belt, I decided to take this version in. Originally, my Seville Skirts were sewn size 8 in the hip, blended to a 12 in the waist. Given my recent experience with sewing a straight size 8 for the Itch To Stitch  Emily Culottes , I assumed that would be the way to go for my Seville as well. That's right. I made the biggest mistake a sewer can make: I didn't measure first. I didn't take into consideration that the Emily is fitted with a curved yolk at the waist while Seville is a straight narrow waistband. As a result, after taking al...

During the last Itch-To-Stitch sale, I grabbed myself a copy of Emily Culottes . I don't know what drew me to the pattern. I mean, I've always dismissed the trend as Not For Me. All I know is I was standing in Joann's, buying a length of lovely Nicole Miller floral twill and thinking, "This needs to be culottes." The pattern has several different options. I decided I wanted the pleated front for extra swishy skirtishness as well as the welt pockets.  Choosing welt pockets means you jump in immediately to some slow and precise stitching. I may or may not have accidentally fused my interfacing over a marking pin. Oops. No worries, I removed it without difficulty.  I am no stranger to welt pockets, having made several over the years, but for some reason I just could not envision how these would come out. I think the reason is two-fold: 1. I've always used a two piece pocket bag. This pattern has a 1 piece bag that folds back on itself once i...

My favorite Facebook Group, Sew Alongs & Sewing Contests is currently running a Sleepwear Sew Along . (There's still 7 weeks left if you want to jump in). For the main part of my submission, I chose to work with Megan Nielsen's new pattern: Reef Camisole & Shorts Set.   Although Megan Nielsen is a generous sponsor of the Sew Alongs & Sewing Contests Facebook group, often donating patterns for us to give away in our random drawings, I've never actually sewn anything from her before. Shameful! (In fact, a Megan Nielsen pattern is part of the Sleepwear Edition Sew Along prize package...) As soon as I saw this new pattern release, I was smitten. The temperatures around here have been 80+ and so I decided the Reef would be perfect for my collection of Summer Sleepwear For Hot Lazy Nights . What better way to sample one of my favorite Facebook Group's sponsors than by trying out her latest design? The pattern contains both a tank with a ...

I feel like 2016 is quickly becoming the summer of skirts. And what's great about that is I'm actually wearing them! Today I get to share my first pattern test for a new-to-me pattern company: the Shelley Skirt from  Muffin Head Patterns , which is available today. A couple weeks ago, a fellow  Facebook Sew Alongs & Sewing Contests  member mentioned she was testing a new pattern, and that I should sew along with her. Despite having sewing plans, several things unfinished on my table, and knowing I had family and work obligations pending, I impulsively jumped in with both feet. Let's be honest, I just can't resist being in on the ground floor of something new and unreleased. It's exciting! As you might expect, no sooner did I get started and sewing time evaporated. This project's deadline was a real struggle for me. Not because the pattern or the test was difficult. It sure wasn't. But, persevering to the end was worth all the effort of squeezing in se...