Overview Featuring dolman sleeves and a bias-tape neck facing, this simple jacket is very easy to sew. I made it in a cotton voile with beautiful drape, making it the perfect piece for light Texas layers. The tapering bias and flounce mean it should also be a serviceable cover-up to wear while nursing. I made… Continue reading Pattern Review: Simplicity 8172 (Kimono-Style Jacket)
Category: sewing
Pattern Review: Vintage Simplicity 5052 (1972 Toddlers’ Dress and Bloomers)
This sweet vintage dress provided the perfect gateway into sewing as my little one grows from a baby into a toddler.
Make Do and Mend: Jogging Stroller Strap Replacement
I’ve always loved hand-me-downs. As a child, I refused to wear clothes without “stories” – either the story of how my Mama made it, or the story of the person who owned and wore it before me. Having a baby has renewed my love for hand-me-downs. Recently, some friends of my husband gave us their… Continue reading Make Do and Mend: Jogging Stroller Strap Replacement
Texts & Textiles: George MacDonald
Weaving, sewing, care for the poor -- all springing from the love of Christ.
Practicing Resurrection
I finished it just before midnight; the final stitches were my Easter vigil. As I draped the cloth, I was forgiving my body for her failures, forgiving my God for His delay.
Texts & Textiles: Utility Quilts
I found this wonderful line in a book on Mary Lee Bendolph and the Gee's Bend quilts. Like the improvisational nature of utility quilts themselves, this quote captures the tension between wanting to create something beautiful and craftsmanlike, while bearing the burden of urgent family and work needs. Where do you feel this tension? What… Continue reading Texts & Textiles: Utility Quilts
Texts & Textiles: Henry David Thoreau
Even a little bit of sewing will make you more mindful of your clothing: its source, its fit, the value of the labor that produced it. I think that learning to sew at least one garment can be a life-changing way to change your relationship to the purpose of clothing.
Handmade Christmas: 18″ Doll Dress & Cardigan
Besides the absolute delight of sewing such wee frocks (because everything is cute in miniature, right?), creating these dresses was a valuable project for several reasons.
Pattern Review: Simplicity 8384
Overview Fashioned from an old curtain and bedsheet, this Simplicity 8384 shirtdress has become a staple in my wardrobe, despite some serious frustrations while sewing it. I combined the sleeveless bodice from view A with the skirt from view B. Virtues I liked this pattern immediately: it's fitted bodice, a-line skirt, and fun hemline options… Continue reading Pattern Review: Simplicity 8384
Handmade Help
I can only hope that they will see these little gifts as signs that they are neither alone nor forgotten.
