Carrie made this notched scoop neck top very early in the development of the Carpe Diem Dress & Tunic pattern. The notch opens the neckline up a bit, making it easier to pull a top or dress on over your head without a back closure. While the notch design didn’t…
Sewing cotton lawn fabric into blouses and tops makes for easy summer dressing. My article in the current issue of Classic Sewing Magazine features 3 Tabula Rasa Jackets stitched into effortless Spring to Summer tops. This post is about a 4th top designed and sewn at the same time. Find…
The Tabula Rasa Jacket is so versatile and in unlined rayon it is perfect as the weather transitions from winter to spring. So I recently added a new comfortable and colorful Tabula Rasa Jacket to my working girl wardrobe. The jacket was inspired by some scraps left behind after I…
In this year of fashionable quilted jackets, why not make one for yourself. If you are feeling nervous about the prospect, join my free stage class on quilted jackets next Wednesday at the virtual Sewing and Stitchery Expo or the Layering Class at the in person OSQE in Atlanta. This…
Sewing SewBatik Rayon into Fit for Art designs is a favorite pastime. When Diane, SewBatik’s co-owner agreed to let me make her a Carpe Diem, I worked hard to organize the long tunic she requested using the border print to its best advantage. Had to get it done to bring…
Sewing velvet seems just right for holiday attire. It is so pretty the way it softly reflects the light that I forget how challenging it is to stitch into a garment. So, for my holiday Carpe Diem Tunic top a fun art deco printed panne velvet was pulled out of…
With the weather turning colder here in Baltimore, my thoughts turned to a Carpe Diem Tunic for winter wear. I feel warmer with my neck surrounded, so I started imagining ways to add a collar to the Carpe Diem Dress & Tunic pattern. Here is how I did it… My…
Indulge me in some musings about the quilts I recently cut apart and stitched into a Tabula Rasa Jacket. This was my second such project in the last 6 months, but these two quilts set my mind to wondering about the materials and the maker whose hands crafted these bed…
Let’s head back to the basics today, inspired by our new pattern cover, and make a Tabula Rasa Jacket from some retro Home Dec fabric. I have been wanting to make a Tabula Rasa Jacket from a unique home decorator fabric so when this retro print from 1981 fell into…
Have you created a tru-grid pellon pattern to aid in your design and sewing process? We have sold a lot of gridded pellon fabric during the pandemic as we have shared our design and piecing ideas with many new sewing friends online. Because I talk about it so much, I…
