What's Coming Up...

Did you hear about the 2026 Colour of the Year, "cloud dancer"?  

It's white.  Okay, seems a little odd, doesn't it?  White can convey a message of purity or peace or death or sadness or the sense of austerity.  Pantone Colo[u]r Institute's executive director describes it as a discrete hue needed in a time of transformation adding that the cacophony that surrounds us has become overwhelming.  Oh, so this is meant to be an ironic colour.  

I can't say that it sparks any creative thoughts at the sewing table.  Although, I wouldn't mind if a white shirt came off the sewing machine in 2026.  I think there might be a cloud dancer in the fabric stash.  

What's coming up, or what I hope will be coming off the sewing machine in 2026.  

1.  A pair of fleece pull-on pants.  Nothing exciting but something I hope will keep me warm this winter.  I will pull out out-of-print (OOP) Butterick 6859 for this project.  

2.  Some more charity sewing.  The church is asking for donations of socks, tuques and mittens.  

3.  More joy.  I hope that this year will bring less back, knee and wrist pain and more joy at the sewing machine.  That would be sweet.  

4.  I would like to revisit OOP Vogue 2334.  

5.  A coatdress made with OOP McCall's 2465.  

Top of the list would be to stash bust both patterns and fabric.  Here's to having a wonderful sewing journey this new year.  

Stand strong, elbows up and keep sewing.  

Happy Valentine's Day!

Oh sewing, how I love thee.  Let me count the ways.  

I love thee to the sewing table and back

Reusable grocery bags, OOP McCall's 4851

Even when all I am sewing is a sack.  

Coat, OOP Burda 7304

I love thee freely, as my creativity soars

Sweatpants, OOP Kwik Sew 3663

I love thee purely, as it mends my grief

Covid-19 era scrub caps

I love thee with kindness, as it give me purpose

Boys' Super Mario shirt, OOP Butterick 2122

I love thee quietly in my solitude as I transform fabric into pure joy

Velvet and silk Christmas dress, McCall's 5795

I love thee with a love that is hard to articulate, the calling of the sewing machine is undeniable no matter how late.

DVF designer wrap dress, OOP Vogue 1610

Thank you my love.

Book Review: Happy Hats and Cool Caps (and Happy National Hat Day!)

Happy Hats and Cool Caps to Sew for the Whole Family

Authors:  Anne-Mette Hermansen and Tina Elnef

Published:  English Translation 1998 by Lark Books

Original Publication:  Huer Og Hatte Til Born Og Voksne, Borgens Forlag, 1994 (Denmark)

Translator:  Robin Orm Hansen

Editor:  Dawn Cusick

ISBN:  1-57990-026-7 (Paperback) / 1-5799-075-5 (Hardcopy)

This vintage book was found in a second hand book sale and I have to admit that I'm quite thrilled to have stumbled across it.  

Last year I sewed some tuques to donate to those in need of winter protection.  I used The Littlest Studio's free tuque pattern.  And it was mentioned by a member of the church community that the one-size-fits-all tuque pattern didn't really fit all sizes.  There was a request for an assortment of hat sizes.  I'm not going to use that pattern this year when sewing winter gear to be donated.  This year I will be utilizing the patterns found in Happy Hats and Cool Caps.  The book offers kids to adults hat sizes and information on taking your measurements.  

If you look beyond the dated photographs from the 1990s, there are some great options for winter gear within the eighty pages.  As mentioned, there are patterns for wee little people to adult sizes.  And the added bonus, there are patterns for mitts too.  All patterns for the hats and mitts shown in the book are included as pull-out sheets in the back.  

Once I find time to trace out some of the patterns, I will start with sewing mitts and head bands.  Stay tuned.   

Happy National Hat Day!  

Top Five Lists: The 2023 Edition

The Top Five Sewing Bloopers

Plaid skirt with wide two-tired elastic waistband, circa September 2023.  Pattern:  The Assembly Line's Elastic Waist Maxi Skirt.  Sewing blooper:  not noticing the twisted elastic on the lower tier (oops!) until I put it on and then continued to wear it again before fixing it.  

Orange and beige dress.  Pattern:  Simplicity 9744, circa June 2023.  Sewing blooper:  The hem length was trimmed too short (oops!) and didn't feel comfortable to wear.  

Cotton pullover pleated top, circa May 2023.  Pattern:  Clochette by I AM Patterns.  Sewing blooper:  Cutting out the fabric before making a toile / muslin version first.  It is a beautiful pattern but on me the fit could be better if I just took the time to pay attention to the fit.  

Car coat, circa November 2023.  Pattern:  Out-of-print New Look 6074.  Sewing blooper:  I let this sit in an abandoned sewing project pile.  And thinking that I had all the pattern pieces cut I used the remainder of the fabric for hats and scarfs, only to realize that I did not cut out the front facing (oops!).  

Cotton knit pullover dress, circa August 2023.  Pattern:  Asymmetrical Dress by SD Patterns (an Etsy shop).  Sewing blooper:  Purchasing an on-sale PDF pattern while thinking that I could send it to a print shop.  It wasn't so, and I ended spending too much time printing and taping.    

The Top Five Sewing Room Tools 

Pinking shears.  There was some retro seam finishing done with pinking shears while the serger was in the repair shop.  

Safety pins.  There were twelve projects that needed elastic to be moved through casings.  And safety pins were more economical than investing in elastic threaders.  Twenty twenty-three was the year to make do and budget.  

A pair of table legs were a give-away item and came in handy for cutting out those large single layer pattern pieces from Butterick 6784.  

Spring hinge scissors.  I wouldn't have been able to do some sewing work while in a cast without this tool.  

Buttonhole cutter.  This little tool made the opening of the buttonhole on this coat possible.  

The Top Five Misses

These pants looked good hot off the sewing machine, but after several washes the fabric sort of lost its appeal.  Fabric can make or break a project.  I should have tested it first.  

Any tips for sewing waffle knit?  It was a sewing challenge that I did not master.  

Yeah sometimes those pieces of fabric that have been sitting folded up in the stash for decades have those fold lines that set in really good.  These pants were still worn for yard work.  

There is still some ponte knit lingering in the stash even though I vowed a few years ago to stick with natural fibre fabrics.  This didn't last long in my wardrobe.  It has zero warmth factor for a prairie winter.  

It just didn't work out.  

The Top Five Makes

Gifted pajama bottoms, out-of-print (OOP) Simplicity 2372.  Circa January 2023.  

Gifted pajama top, OOP and vintage Simplicity 6851.  Circa January 2023.  

Gifted boys' Super Mario shirt, OOP and vintage Butterick 2122.  Circa September 2023.  

Gifted boy's dinosaur shirt, McCall's 6972.  Circa July 2023.  

Gifted child's dress, OOP Vogue 9072.  Circa August 2023.  

Happy Sewing!  

Year in Review...

Twenty-twenty-two flew by and even though at times I felt like I wasn't sewing that much, I'm kinda shocked that a hundred sixteen projects came off the machine this year.  Mind you many of those were small projects like various bags and hats and scarves.  

• Fifty-one (44%) of these projects were donated or gifted.  
• Eight projects (6%) didn't work out as planned.  
• 117.1 metres of fabric were stash busted in 2022
• 17 reusable grocery bags were sewn in anticipation of the single use plastic bag ban that came into effect this year.  These bags was the most popular sewing project of 2022 and many were gifted after some people saw and liked them.  

Well, here's a closer look back at the time at the sewing machine this past year including December's projects.  

Have a Happy New Year!  And wishing you a productive and creative 2023 in the sewing workspace.  

January

Reusable grocery bags (OOP McCall's 4851), Men's shirt (McCall's 2447), Remote control caddy (no pattern used), 3-layer cotton face masks (Dhurata Davies), Waterfall Coat (Butterick 6244)

January's sewing projects were all about finding a distraction and trying to get promised projects done.  All projects, except for the reusable grocery bags, were gifted.  

February

Diane Von Furstenberg Designer Wrap Dress (OOP Vogue 1610), Robe (OOP Simplicity 6851), Pajama Bottoms (OOP Vogue 9217) and Men's Pants (OOP Kwik Sew 3663 and McCall's 6973)

During the month of February there was some gift sewing and a couple of projects for moi.  I was blessed to sew an authentic DVF wrap dress pattern, circa 1977.  I can cross that one off my sewing bucket list.  And on the third version of the robe, I finally got the button placement right.  It was a good month for sewing and mending.  

March

Unfinished jean jacket (OOP Butterick 6373), wool and cotton knit socks (The Wolf and The Tree, Going Rogue Socks), DVF wrap dress in black sweater knit  and cotton knit (OOP Vogue 1610), cotton knit top (OOP Simplicity 2372), table runner (no pattern used), reusable grocery bag (OOP McCall's 4851)

March was a mix of charity, gift, selfish sewing and one Lent sewing project for the church.  The highlight of the sewing this month would have to be socks, so many socks!  I made a batch of wool socks for moi and a batch to be gifted.  Oh and a version of the DVF wrap dress that I saved for Easter Sunday mass not anticipating a snow storm that would happen and would nix those plans.  

April 

Cotton print top (OOP Butterick 5891), reusable grocery bags (OOP McCall's 4851) and French terry cardigan / jacket (Butterick 6495)

I wonder if April blizzard warnings will also bring May flowers?  Maybe it was all the unpredictable weather that zapped my sewing mojo this month?  

May

Wool sweater (OOP Kwik Sew 4192), 2 cotton slips (OOP Kwik Sew 3645), Men's denim pull-on pants with front facing leg pockets (OOP Kwik Sew 3663), Pear print dress (Tessuti patterns Eva dress), shirt (McCall's 7940), dress (OOP Simplicity 2372)

Thankfully, there were no more blizzard warnings this month.  Instead, it was replaced with lots of rain!  That meant staying indoors and sewing, most of the projects sewn this month were gifted to others.  

June

Yellow and gray reusable grocery bags (OOP McCall's 4851), flannel pajama set (Butterick 6296 and Vogue 9217), bag (no pattern used)

Summer officially arrived and most of my free time is dedicated to yardwork and avoiding mosquito bites.  There was some gardening and planting of squashes, tomatoes, herbs and sunflowers that took me away from sewing.  And my simple life is reflected in my sewing projects, no fancy sewing found here.  

July

DVF Wrap dress (OOP and vintage Vogue 1610), Donna Karan shorts (OOP and vintage Vogue 2092), failed attempt at recreating RTW culottes (OOP McCall's 6748)

During the month of July, I was able to squeeze in a little bit of sewing in between yardwork and gardening.  The pants and the shorts were made with thoughts of cycling more than materialized.  Maybe next month?  

August

Scarf (no pattern used), cell phone cover (no pattern used), reuseable grocery bags (OOP McCall's 4851), black and white jacket (OOP Vogue 8430), floral gathered empire waist girl's dress (OOP New Look 6493), girl's reversible dress (OOP Vogue 1455), failed attempt at culottes (OOP Vogue 9091), failed attempt at recreating a RTW t-shirt (OOP Vogue 8582) 

Mid-August my sewing move into high gear with the start of Pattern Reviews stash-busting contest.  All of these fabrics have been in the stash for years, some even decades.  Four items were gifted, two for moi didn't work out to be wearable.  

September

Waterfall coat (Butterick 6244), failed attempt at culottes (Vogue 9246), flannel pajamas (OOP and vintage Simplicity 6851 and OOP Simplicity 2372)

September was not the most successful sewing month.  The pants were way too big, the waterfall coat was not warm enough, the gifted pajama set was stressful with indecisiveness and complaints along the way.  Yup, sometimes sewing for others can be stressful.  

 

October 

Flannel pajama set (Butterick  6296, Simplicity 2372 and Vogue 9217), plaid pull-on and elastic back pants (OOP Butterick 6717), plaid scarf (no pattern used), finally, a successful pair of culottes (Vogue 9246), bag (OOP McCall's 4851), pull-on and elastic back pants (OOP Butterick 6717)

October was a mixed bag of sorts.  There were sewing bloopers and success stories.  Half of the sewing projects were gifted.  

November

Wool scarves (no pattern used), hats / tuques (The Littlest Studio, free PDF tuque pattern), wool cardigan (OOP Kwik Sew 4192), cotton knit top (OOP Simplicity 2372), polyester knit sweater (OOP Simplicity 8529), half-slip (OOP Butterick 5790), cotton knit skirt (OOP Butterick 5790) and wool pants (OOP Butterick 6717)

Most of November's sewing projects were about filling needs.  All the hats, except for one, were sewn for the church which put out a call for hats and scarves for newcomer families.  The other hat was gifted as was the short-sleeve t-shirt.  The cardigan is a replacement for the one I made in the spring but recently gave away to someone in need.  

December

Second attempt at recreating a RTW T-shirt (OOP Vogue 9057 / reissued as Vogue 1733), knit front knotted top, (OOP Vogue 2925), a little girl's velveteen and silk Christmas dress (OOP McCall's 5795 / available as a digital download) and a black knit maxi-skirt (OOP Butterick 5790) 

I would have probably sewn more if sewing time was not interrupted by a Colorado low that brought several days of snow that needed to be cleared right before Christmas!  

Happy Sewing! 

Sewing With the Spirit of Christmas

Pope Francis in his Christmas Eve message urged "people to 'abandon the warmth of worldliness' and 'rediscover the meaning of Christmas' in the face of 'consumerism', advocating for a Church that serves the poor."  

In 2022, I did not do a lot of sewing to serve others as I had during the pandemic lockdown years.  Sure there was some charity and gift sewing done this year.  It just didn't seem like it was as intentional and focused as before.  

In the beginning of the year, I made more face masks that were gifted.  As harassments increased towards those who continued to wear face masks the number of face mask requests fell.  As did mask mandates put in place by provincial and federal governments.  

It wasn't until later in the year that I picked up another charity project, called upon by my church community.  It was a call for knitters to make hats, mitts and scarves.  God did not bless me with the talent and skill to knit these items but I was able to sew some hats that were gifted.  

Coming up in 2023, I would like to be more mindful in my sewing projects for others and keep sewing with the spirit of Christmas throughout the year.  

Source:  BackpacksUSA

I'm thinking that maybe I will start with sewing some women's underwear.  I have a trusted panties pattern, Simplicity 8229, and all the sizes are still in the pattern.  First, I should check the stash for the supplies.  

Happy Sewing!  And Merry Christmas!

Pretty Warm in Pink: The Littlest Studio Tuques

This is a continuation of the charity sewing project that I am working on for the church.  I had a pink turtleneck dress that was a bit snug and even though it was in otherwise fine condition it made me sad that it wasn't get used over the winter.  I feel good that I was able to harvest the fabric to sew three new tuques.  

The other side of the tuques are sewn with a jogger's fleece that I found at Northwest / Marshall Fabrics many moons ago when I was looking for a wind blocking fabric for a winter coat.  

Project Details

Seams:  Serged and the sewing machine's knit stitch

Fabric:  One upcycled dress + 0.6 metres 

Pattern:  Free downloadable tuque pattern from The Littlest Studio

Additional Tools and Supplies:  Cutting table, clapper (used as a weight), scissors, pins, Janome serger, Janome sewing machine, walking foot, threads, thread clippers, hand sewing needle, pin cushion and coffee.  

Happy Sewing!