SEWmuchKNITting

I've been sewing those chiffon kimonos for my daughters that are all the rage right now, and thought: "Why not make one for me?" Although I don't follow the trends too much when sewing for myself, I consider the kimono to function like a lightweight jacket. I chose to use  Simplicity 1318 , View B, because I liked the look of the banded fronts and sleeves. Deciding to sew a test garment first from my stash, I found this rayon challis purchased online from Fashion Fabrics Club 3 years ago. I remember adding this fabric to my order back then to reach the minimum to receive free shipping.....we ALL do that, right?! I also remember opening the box on the day it was delivered, with the "WHAT was I thinking?" feeling......I really thought that it was an ugly duckling.  Fast forward 3 years, and now this fabric didn't look so bad that I couldn't try it with this 'wearable muslin'. It is soft and flowing, and the print looks a lot l...

I was contacted by another blogger and friend-of-a-friend to see if I was up for an interesting project; The Pizza Dress! Rachel is a blogger in Virginia, pens the blog Pie Me To The Moon , and has spent the last year on a pizza "journey", eating and evaluating pies in the D.C., Maryland and Virginia area, blogging about the experience and the people that participated.  Fun! The last 52 weeks were wrapped up into one big pizza party which happened to coincide with Rachel's birthday (smart girl!), and she wanted a special dress for the celebration. Rachel had ordered a knit jersey fabric from  Spoonflower , printed like a pepperoni pizza, and had chosen   McCall's 6801   for the dress design. As I live in Michigan, and Rachel lives in Virgina, there would not be an opportunity for a fitting appointment, and the time constraints did not allow for mailing a fitting muslin back and forth. Luckily, her measurements fell right in line with the pattern m...

My nephew and his wife are both alumni from Notre Dame, and have been collecting ND T-shirts for several years. They've seen a few of the T-shirt quilts that I've made in the past, and wanted one for themselves. Their requests: 1) use all 26 T-shirts 2) add 4 tartan plaid blocks and 3) add shamrocks in the block corners. I was able to add the same cozy plaid as backing for their quilt. This was a fun project for a special couple, and I mustered up all my professionalism to look past all that GREEN(!), as I am a die-hard Univ. of Michigan alum whose blood runs Maize & Blue LOL!! Looks like they love their new custom quilt....perfect for snuggling! -Patty    

This is my second Blouse-back T from HotPatterns ....I really liked the first one , but it was a little too big. I found these two remnants while shopping at Haberman Fabric s in Royal Oak, MI with the plan to make the T in a size smaller. The solid is a stable knit, the floral a semi-sheer...both poly. I am very happy with the way it turned out! No alterations, a quick cut out and sew project with great results. Some not-so-great photos below...it is still SO COLD in Michigan!: