
It is great fun to find new fabrics and shapes to update a dated garment. So, when Katy, who I regularly design and sew for, brought me the dress she wore to her daughter’s wedding and asked for a redesign, I was all in. She had a wedding to attend…
It is great fun to find new fabrics and shapes to update a dated garment. So, when Katy, who I regularly design and sew for, brought me the dress she wore to her daughter’s wedding and asked for a redesign, I was all in. She had a wedding to attend…
Another post, another zipper! We are finishing out this series of zipper posts in advance of the Zipper Sampler class I am teaching at the Schaumburg Original Sewing and Quilt Expo (OSQE), and the Zipper Sampler stage presentation I will be leading at the Fredericksburg OSQE. Exposed zippers continue to…
The new Fit for Art pattern for Tabula Rasa Knits, Clever Crossing Variations (CCV), provides two ways to make a knit top with a crossover yoke front in addition to the surplice front. While the surplice front is limited to a tee hem line, you can easily use either crossover…
As I return to the studio after almost 6 weeks away, I am itching to sew for fall. It is such a refreshing time to be planning and sewing with the cool nip in the air each morning. A lovely floral linen, purchased at the ASG Conference, was really calling…
Clever Crossing Variations, a pattern for Tabula Rasa Knits, includes a graceful short tulip sleeve that carries the “crossing” theme into another aspect of the knit top. Construction of the tulip sleeve is a bit different from the regular Tabula Rasa Knit Tee & Tunic sleeve, so we thought we’d give…
One of my new favorite samples to wear is this Tabula Rasa Jacket based on the Rain or Shine Variations. I made it from an Indonesian cotton batik sarong that I had had in my stash for a few years. (No personal history; just found it in a box of…
A knit hem option we include in the Clever Crossing Variations (CC) is the curved front hem. It can be used on any double layer front, like the CC Surplice design, to add shaping at the hemline. What can catch you off guard about this hemline is that it needs to…
Is sewing for summer different from sewing in the cooler seasons? If you live in a seasonal climate like I do, the answer is yes. Hot and humid weather calls for clothing that is effortless, light, airy and washable. No opportunities to get lost in layers of facings, interfacings, linings…
My sewing studio is my refuge and lately I want to hide there. Last Wednesday I went to the studio in the morning and turned on the radio to keep me company. The news was bleak and after catching up with the breaking news that included shootings, fires, and wars,…
Sewing hems in knits always involves a machine finish. I am not sure I have ever put a successful hand-hem into a contemporary knit garment. Machine hemming is part of the process of taming your knits to look effortless and insuring they will live a long life. So, let’s take a…