Dear Readers, did you ever read the fascinating history of Coats and Clarks‘ 200 year timeline back in 2012? You must! I love it when centuries old established companies live in the 21st century – so of course, Coats and Clark has a sewing blog called Sewing Secrets with awesome content. No, this is not an… Read More Frills & Fancies: #CoatsandClark Leaflet, 1934. Vintage, Easy, Fun and Impractical
I am a fan of Claire McCardell, the post WWII designer who is said to have “invented” modern American Sportswear as we know it today. Her designs are classic & utterly wearable today. As well, they have a unique quality which makes them intriguing. Therefore I am beholden to Julie Eilber of jetsetsewing.com for adapting this tube-like wrap by Claire McCardell. You… Read More #McCardell inspired Wrap
Hi readers! This post features an item I made 2 years ago, and about which I wrote a couple of blog posts for the American Sewing Guild, where I was employed at the time. You can find the posts here and here. The original collar was featured in “Gifts You Can Make Yourself”, a book from the… Read More Vintage Lace Collar
Merry Christmas to all readers who celebrate! For your sewing enjoyment, I am directing you today to a post I wrote for the online magazine MasalaMommas. I hope you enjoy it. The inspiration for this project is Angelina Jolie’s bridal veil; for those of us not paying much attention to Ms. Jolie, her veil was… Read More Child Art Embroidered on Tulle Scarf
I’ve learned a lot of sewing lessons from Sandra Betzina through classes, videos and books. With her Today’s Fit line of Vogue patterns, the guide sheets capture the essence of Sandra. It’s as if she’s talking to me personally. Like, urging you to take your “honest” waist measurement; my favorite piece of advice was Sandra’s suggestion for those of… Read More Pants Sewn: Vogue 1411 – Keeper Pattern
Almost three decades ago, in 1986, I lost my maternal grandmother, Ayesha Rahman, at the age of 82. She was originally from Hyderabad, India. In September 2014, I lost a dearly loved aunt. Her name was Jady Rahman (Ayesha Rahman’s daughter-in-law), age 85 from La Jolla, California; she was the picture of health so her death… Read More Departed Family Members and What I Made for Them
Hi Readers, Today, I’m going to send you over to the Masala Mommas site to read my newest post. In September my post included instructions for making a “batwa” (butt-wa). It’s a drawstring pouch but a little different in the opening and closing. The secret lies in a teeny tiny stitch at the sides …. well, I’ll… Read More Make a Batwa: My Recent Contribution to Masala Mommas Online Magazine
And I like it! After all the delays, the pondering, the color-bleeding batik fabric and sundry life-stuff thrown at me, I have finished Vogue 8979. The batik was a long time occupant of my fabric stash and I was totally willing to use it as a wearable muslin. As it turned out, I am taking… Read More Vogue Pattern 8979 Finished!
Hi Readers, Just for my fellow sewing enthusiasts, I’m turning Sewing Month 2014 into a Sewing Tip Month on this blog. Read on to see my progress with Vogue 8979, and then the tips related to the project. After searching high and low for someone who had made this pattern, I found that Vogue Patterns and myself were the… Read More September Sewing Tips: Vogue 8979 Edition
Oh, hi there, you made it. Like the cute “still loading” spinner? It’s been kindly provided by my favorite blogging software company Automattic, owners of WordPress.com – to make a point, and start a protest. Yay, Automattic! Yup, it’s 2014, and the internet is going through growing pains. The newest battles (in addition to the… Read More The Great Net Neutrality Tussle
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