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The Hem Band Tunic — Vogue 1846
Sculptural swingy tunic features a subtle bell shape defined by a band at the hem that adds a bit of weight and subtle movement.
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The Art
A whirlwind of museum shows, walking, wandering, a bit of shopping and eating. That’s what this trip to Paris has been about. Seeing what is new, what is gone, what is happening. A bit of napping sneaks in as well but the largest impact for me has been the art.
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A Couple of Cool Combinations — Butterick 6817
Combining prints is totally on trend and also terrific play. Play is so good for the soul and sewing play provides the perfect entertainment for those of us enamored with the craft.
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Fooling Around With Flannel Jacket — Butterick 6521
Here’s another version of B6521 — my current BFF shirt pattern — in flannel. I alliterate the feel of flannel with the flattering fit of this shirt. There is nothing like a flannel shirt when the seasons turn into cooler weather.
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Autumn Leaves Jacket — Vogue 1817
Hard to believe, but this is the 6th rendition of this pattern that I’ve made! The minute I tried on the finished garment I breathed a sigh of happiness. It feels like a second skin, feels great, soft and smooth, has the vibe of a sweater, is flattering, hangs close to the body and will work as an indoor garment or an outer layer. Makes a good layering piece too, can slide a thin vest under the jacket and could slip a coat over it. The print adds a quiet wash of color and will work with all my black basics, so I know this will become a cool weather at home, out and about and travel basic. Does not show spots or wrinkle either.
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Inside and Outside Curves — Simplified
Here is a simple technique for sewing concave and convex curves together. I'm working with lining; two opposite sides to sew together. It could be frustrating, but super simple if you know the tricks of the trade. Please leave me a comment and let me know if you tried it.
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Free Reign With Liberty — Butterick 6521
The feel of silk with the breath of cotton —much to love — that’s Liberty Tana Lawn for you. Plus a myriad of colors and patterns to choose from. I love my jeans (or black pants for a little dress-up) so blue is always a good choice for me, especially if there’s a little black thrown in. I chose 4 Liberty fabrics — Felicity, Emily, Carlisle and Portsmouth Liberty Cotton Woven and used one yard of each (2 units).
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How to Add a Separating Zipper to a Jacket Step
Prominent zippers sewn into garments are a trend we see in European clothes and all over, really. In this first of three videos, I share ideas for choosing just the right zipper, and the best way to prepare a jacket before adding a zipper. Much of your success in this process will depend on getting the zipper positioned correctly, right from the beginning. I find when I do a lot of fussing over these kinds of details, the result will be a garment with a certain 'finesse'. When machine stitching, you'll want to use your fold line as your guideline. You'll find it isn't much quicker to machine stitch this than it was to sew it by hand in the last video. It's one of those funny little tasks that I don't do a lot, so I wanted to figure out an easy way to make it work without too much hassle.
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How to Add a Sleeve & Lengthen a Dress or Top
Join me in my studio as I demonstrate how to add a sleeve to a sleeveless dress (or top), add length to an asymmetrical hem, and piecing tricks (if you need them.) I've had many requests asking how you would do this for my Cirque Dress, Vogue 9112. After auditioning many possible fabrics, I settled on a Japanese cotton double gauze.
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