July Making Journal: A Wiksten Haori, A Libby Shirt, a Peplum Top

July 12, 2020.Reading time 4 minutes.

Although we’ve all felt the strain of the unknown over the past months, for me, there have been some positive things about the quarantine. I’ve truly appreciated the gift of time. It’s been lovely to slow down and savor making things. As Oregon gradually reopens, I hope I can resist the urge to rush! Denim […]

Sewing a Patchwork Shirt from Remnants

October 25, 2019.Reading time 3 minutes.

If you’ve been sewing for as long as I have, you’ve likely accumulated a large stash of fabric remnants. I find it hard/impossible to part with the lovely leftover bits when I’ve finished a project, so my remnant stash is HUGE, and overwhelming. Recently, I decided to sort and catalog the pieces. That’s when I […]

The Saraste Shirt, my Me-Made-May Hero

May 15, 2019.Reading time 4 minutes.

When I completed the Saraste shirt, I wasn’t totally ‘in-love’ with it. In fact, I immediately pushed it to the far right side of my closet, the place where the ‘never to be worn’s’ go. It’s a sad corner and it makes me feel a bit guilty. It’s all the me-mades that were fun to […]

A wrap shirt from my first Japanese pattern book

April 19, 2019.Reading time 4 minutes.

A wrap shirt…Looks tricky, doesn’t it? Actually, it’s all in how the shirt is buttoned up! If you want to, you button it up the traditional way. But why would you want to, when you can do this? A simple modification makes the wrap possible. You add a loop to one side seam, a button to […]

A Fall Top with Linen and Stripes

October 27, 2017.Reading time 2 minutes.

We’re in full-on Halloween mode over here (skulls, ravens, you know….the usual). In a typical year, this would mean the season for linen tops would be long past. But in Oregon, our Fall has been extraordinarily warm, a fact that has kept me from moving my summer fabrics into storage. This top is another remnant […]

An Anthro Knock-Off

September 28, 2017.Reading time 4 minutes.

When I saw this top in the Anthropologie, I fell in love with the denim blue checks, the side tie at the hem. But when I tried it on, the neck was so big on me, it fell to my shoulders like a cold shoulder top. Not a good look! And the long sleeves covered […]

Shirt Dress Love: McCall’s 7351

May 28, 2017.Reading time 4 minutes.

If I had to choose only one garment to take with me to a desert island it would probably be a shirt dress, because they just make me happy. This one gets bonus points for being a rayon shirt dress, which is pure bliss to wear in any weather. What’s different about this dress for […]

A White Shirt and Jeans: Classics Recharged

April 29, 2017.Reading time 4 minutes.

I’m such a fan of wearing classics – jeans, button-down shirts, tee shirts to name a few, so it’s always fun when you see an updated classic that brings something new to the game. When I saw this white Vince Camuto shirt in the Nordstrom catalog, I just had to make a DIY version. It’s […]

Crazed by gingham!!

July 31, 2015.Reading time 4 minutes.

If you stare at gingham for too long, do you go crazy? That’s what I asked myself as I completed yet another gingham top. My cat seems crazed if he stares at a fly for too long. His eyes gloss over and he starts to twitch. I’m sure I had that same vacant look in […]