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So That's What Happens: Neckline Distortion
One of my wardrobe heroes for the past 17 or 18 summers has been a black and white print dress from Laura Ashley. Bought in a Laura Ashley store, back when there was such a thing. It is a linen and...
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How to Get Your Husband or Boyfriend to Mark Your Hem
No, not that! Naughty readers! I'll leave you to your own devices when it comes to envisioning...rewards.But less delicacy is needed for this tip: use a laser level! See, it's like carpentry, you can...
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Video Tutorial: Convert a Sewing Machine to Handcrank Operation
My new, pretty, pink Atlas sewing machine had a big problem: no functioning wiring. I believe I have a true DIY spirit, but when the terms "solder" and "flux" and "heat shrink tubing" are mentioned, my...
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Feeling Crafty; Sewing a Card
Do you ever use your sewing machine to make cards? I'm not talking about the Olympic-level paper crafting kind of thing that involves edge punches and heat guns and embossing powers and inks and...
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Simplicity 1880 Shirt Dress in Rayon Challis
When I worked in a fabric store, the other seamstresses all looked down their noses at Simplicity patterns and declared them inferior to Vogue, Burda, Butterick, McCall, New Look--in short, nearly...
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Simplicity 2247 Amazing Fit Dress
This dress struck me as simple to make, straightforward to fit and comfortable to wear. And it is all of those things, which is good.It's also pretty boring. I made it last year and wore it a good many...
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Simplicity 4546: A 3/4 Circle Skirt
With my new interest in swing dancing comes a curiosity about the properties of various cuts of skirts. Basically, I'm back to being six years old and wanting a twirly skirt. Except that, unlike when I...
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Feathery Fun: A Vintage-Inspired Hair Trifle
Attached to a comb, made up of stray objects from around the sewing room (plus one ostrich feather straight from China via eBay), I have no idea what to call this object, but I am looking forward to...
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Old Homeplace
My architect husband visited this old homeplace recently. He took these photos with his cell phone.The house is perfection.Living room with coffered ceiling, braided rugs, casement windows, comfortable...
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Circular Sock Machine
How is it that I didn't know about these vintage machines? Before I took up sewing I was an avid knitter. This was back in the early 1990s, before the knitting revival had taken hold. My love for...
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Burda 7831 OOP Blouse
The cute pattern photos seduced me. I thought this blouse might turn out a bit too sweet, and so it did. I'm sure I'll wear it to death despite that, as I have no other white short sleeved blouse and...
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Two More of Simplicity 1880!
My first post about Simplicity 1880 actually showed my third iteration of the dress. There are things I find better about the fit of the third dress, but I like the fabric of the first two versions...
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Jalie 2681, Knit Trumpet Skirt
Canadian pattern company Jalie does a good job with its patterns, but I probably would not have ordered this one if I could have found its equivalent in the widely distributed U.S. pattern lines. But...
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New Look 6100: I Made Shorts!
Until today I had a grand total of one pair of shorts in my drawer: a sad pair of black nylon swim shorts that had ARMY printed on one leg. Got 'em at the thrift store when I needed some for swimming...
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What's the Best Beginner Skirt?
Today I'm contemplating the best possible combination of attributes for a beginning sewer's first skirt. The skirt should be simple to fit, cut and sew while also incorporating a number of different...
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Indygo Junction Day to Night Dress
While searching for beginner skirt patterns among the independent companies , I ran across the Indygo Junction Day to Night dress. Ever since my mom made me two culotte rompers when I was in fourth...
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Useful Item: Hanging Jewelry Organizer
Though I didn't seek out a hanging jewelry organizer on Amazon, somehow I found myself contemplating this one:Why could I not just order this $13 item? I think it was because I knew I had scraps of...
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A Beginner Skirt: Indygo Junction Best Bias Skirt
A couple of weeks ago, I was ruminating about the best patterns for a beginner's first skirt. My criteria included: two main garment pieces, elastic waist, no darts and from an independent pattern...
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Kwik Sew 3597 Tote Bag
Making this tote bag was part of my quest to test beginner sewing patterns.Though simple, the Kwik Sew 3597 pattern is sophisticated in some ways I didn't expect. Instead of having rectangular pieces...
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Kwik Sew 3672: Knit Skirt
The skirt with the uneven hem attracted me to this pattern but, ha ha, that's not the one I've made (twice). View B is as simple as can be, but nice.Kwik Sew's description:FABRICS: Designed for two-way...
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