jalie

Last weekend I did some shopping with DD, the main objective was to find something for me and I was lucky this time. I even found a pair of rtw black pants that fit! Really special that, as normally when rtw pants fit in the hips, the waist is way too wide. Only the length was too long. Easy to alter,...

It’s the Jalie 2804 Empire Crossover Top again, in a soft mystery remnant from stash. This time I added the modesty panel, and still did the ruched front overlay with long sleeves. The fabric was a lot softer than the … Continue reading →...

I've been incredibly inspired by the lovely cardigans Yoshimi and Carolyn have made recently, and I decided to retry cardigan making, despite my last dreadful failure. So, Friday night, once the skirt was done, I took a t-shirt pattern (an old Butterick, I need to look it up) and went to work. I didn't cut the center front on the fold,...

I've decided that I'm going to give myself this week to keep sewing for summer and then I'm going to hang it up and move on to fall. There is no way that I'm going to get to all 14 of the things I want to - oh, wait! Make that 12, since I finished these two items yesterday.... The skirt...

I had grand dreams today of working on a dress. But, I tried to hang last night with the 20 somethings in my office and am suffering for it today. Quick post before I head out to Baltimore Fashion Week. I really love this Jalie 2796. Here is my second version (with knickers).  Infinitely more [...]...

I had grand dreams today of working on a dress. But, I tried to hang last night with the 20 somethings in my office and am suffering for it today. Quick post before I head out to Baltimore Fashion Week. I really love this Jalie 2796. Here is my second version (with knickers).  Infinitely more [...]...

Meredith wore her Jalie 2919 to school, the fabric is a remnant from Needle Nook. I had to cut the collar with the stripes running this way and the width is 1" shorter but it worked with just a bit of fabric leftover. Doesn't she look cute? close-up of pleats: The original review is here ....

This morning I finished off another one of my batch-cut tees. This is the Jalie Sweetheart (again) in a scrumptious Three Dots crushed wool/lycra jersey that I bought from Textile Studios about 5 years ago. I loved it so much that I bought some in every color! Since so many of you asked, yes, I [...]...

School starts tomorrow and my girls will be Sophomores, hard to believe! I have been sewing several things plus painting Meredith's bedroom. I really thought I was finished making purses and totes but all of a sudden people are wanting to buy these big size totes. I think girls are wanting them for their books and laptops. Here is one I...

The day started out most irritatingly: I had my project planned, the fabric was pressed and laid out and then I took my TNT pattern out of it’s envelope and the upper bodice was missing. I know! I can’t believe it either. I have torn apart both sewing rooms and have not found it. I [...]...

I had 30 minutes to sew yesterday - and I thought I'd knock off my pink t-shirt from my list of UFOs. All I needed to do was hem the t-shirt, hem the sleeves, and attach the sleeves. Gah! My sleeve hem stretched out horribly, the thread kept breaking every 3 seconds, and now, the t-shirt looks like a hot mess....

I snuck in a quick hour of sewing one evening last week – the top was already cut out, and I assembled it on the overlocker.  The pattern is Jalie 2804 Empire Crossover Top.  For Australians interested in Jalie patterns, … Continue reading →...

I have wanted to make this pattern since it first came up but never could find the right fabric. After my trip to Needle Nook, I had the right fabric and purchased the pattern from Anne, too. With the heat index at 110 degrees, I am staying inside and making a winter sweater. Makes perfect sense, right? So here is the...

These poor pants have been sitting for 3 days waiting for thread! Can you believe that I didn't have navy thread around here?? Well, I finally got some, hemmed and stitched the casing, and these babies are ready to go! This is New Look 6816 (again), which I have also made in brown jersey here. This is my wearable muslin for...

Plain knit tops - never the most exciting sewing projects but without them I tend to end up with a wardrobe of printed skirts and tops and no actual outfits to wear. So I put some brown jersey to use and made 2 simple knit tops to rescue this orphaned skirt ( Burda June 2008-121 ). I could sort of get...

Another Detour - Alternate Wedding Suit Top This was the top I was originally going to make to wear with the wedding suit. Once I saw it cut out, I felt it was a bit more "business or casual" rather than "wedding", so I cut out, made and wore the lace version instead. Since I had it cut out, I figured...

We're Back and Some More School Wardrobe We're back from Salt Lake City, and we had a nice time - my brother's wedding was very special and he and his bride were glowing and very happy. Before I left, I was able to get three more garments cut out for my daughter's school wardrobe, which means I'll only need to make...

Considering the number of unbearably hot days this month (worse in the workroom than anywhere else, even with AC) and the fact that I had a houseguest who distracted me from the act of sewing, if not from talking about it, a total of 5 pieces for July isn't too bad! This month marked my first attempt at the Jalie 2908...

So my new love affair has been started by the Gap 1969 Curvy Girl jeans. Mind you, I can ONLY wear the CURVY girl version. There is a contour waistband and great booty coverage. They are slim through the thighs, low-ish on the waist, and boot cut. I have this wash and a dark, dark, dark wash. I'm still on the...

I don’t like shorts. I have horrible chub rub (from full inner thighs) and find that shorts look disgusting on me. Skirts are my preferred summer bottom option.  I’ve started taking my  bike to work twice a week. While I would love to wear cute clothes and ride chic, it’s not feasible right now. I [...]...

I don’t like shorts. I have horrible chub rub (from full inner thighs) and find that shorts look disgusting on me. Skirts are my preferred summer bottom option.  I’ve started taking my  bike to work twice a week. While I would love to wear cute clothes and ride chic, it’s not feasible right now. I [...]...

From the studio this time, we have McCalls 5941 Jacket made in some lovely Martin and Savage Fabric called Black Widow. Pants for this outfit come from Simplicity 2860 - fabric from The Fabric Store, Surry Hills - a lovely fine wool blend. I used some Lace Hem Tape for the jacket hem - the Selfish Seamstress put me onto this...

Here's another Jalie 2921. This is the scarf collar top I made it before. Paulette gave me this great fabric. Love that woman. Love, love, love her. This is my first garment at the new house. Tomorrow I will show you that shirt on the bod and I will show you my new jeans that you all are dying to see....

On a recent trip to the Salvation Army Thrift Store, I picked up a white linen skirt with a black print and some beading near the bottom. I thought it was cute and a good fit, but I didn't have a top to wear with it. To remedy that, I pulled out some black mystery knit fabric from the stash and...

Weekly Wardrobe Just Some Hemming Left Thank you all for the compliments on the Wedding Suit so far! I really appreciate you reading and following the progress! Even with the Wedding Suit, I've managed to almost squeeze in another piece for my daughter's school wardrobe. What has helped is that I'm using a pattern that I've already made once, New Look...

I had time to sew over the weekend, yay! Last night, at 5.00pm, I pulled Simplicity 2883 (now OOP) out. I needed a few easy knit dresses - dresses have a way of looking pulled together, without worrying about coordinating anything, and the knit dress I made a couple of months ago has got a ton of use so far. This...

Weekly Wardrobe - Simplicity 3775 and Jalie 2564 Two Pieces! I made two pieces this week, only because I had purchased the brown fold over trim last week, and since I'd be using brown in the coverstitch machine to finish the dress, I figured I would go ahead and make the camisole and finish it, too. It saved me switching threads...

I bought this fabric at Mood when I went to NYC last November. It seemed so cheerful. I made another version of Jalie 2793 (my 3rd one this summer!) For the modesty panel, I was completely out of fabric, so I stitched scraps together to make a checkerboard print. I was thinking of Allison's Burda 123 dress (from June 2010) when...

How many Aussies remember KnitWit Fabric Shops? They were all the craze in the 80's I think when stretch sewing became the flavour of the month .... well, now they are an online store with a retail store only in Perth and I recently purchased some lovely fabrics from them. I made two tops for my sister's birthday (it was a...

I promised Heather that she would get a new pair of jeans from Old Navy once her cast was removed. She liked the fit of the Old Navy jeans she recently outgrew and could not wait to get a new pair. It has been two weeks that she has been freed from the cast on June 23. Finding a pair of...