Found Treasure

A few weeks ago I sewed a sweater top for myself, in the midst of the epic winter of February/March 2015, where in the Northeast we had 10 weekends in a row with measurable snowfall. I brought home the last cut of Avalon cotton sweater knit from work at Sawyer Brook, and matched it with McCall's 6796.

Too much stretch?

Happy Valentines Day!

I finished a pair of jeans for myself last week, the second I've made from the old Sandra Betzina pattern.

The first pair, now over 2 years old, is so comfortably worn in I can't remember a time when they didn't fit so well - but I know I wasn't 100% satisfied with the fit when they were completed.

Purple Passion

Last Summer I had the opportunity to make a custom outfit for a mother of the groom. It's always nice when a client returns for a second custom dress - even after many years have passed.  She wanted to be very comfortable for this late-September wedding, first and foremost. She also readily acknowledged that she needed an outfit that would suit her body type and age, without being too matronly. And she wanted a little bit of glitz.

Skirts, a top and a cardigan - oh my!

Just a quick after-Thanksgiving post to share some photos of the outfits I made during my sewing retreat. I hope to get some shots in a few days of the garments on Dr. Erin - I think they'll look so much better on her than they do on Gwendolyn, but these will have to do for now.

Sewing Retreat Dreams

Wenona cotton jersey, from Sawyer Brook (of course!)

If you had 3 days just to sew exactly what you felt like making, what would you dream up?

How did they DO that???

This post isn't going to be about anything I've sewn. Not that I haven't been sewing (actually very little, since I just got back from vacation.) It's about something new I just discovered in the RTW fashion that's available. I'm looking for any knowledge anyone out there has to share, to help me figure out exactly what was done to this garment.

2nd life for the gown

In years past, a young bride held onto her wedding gown, carefully packing and preserving the white innocence for its next appearance - hoping her daughter someday would want to wear it for her own wedding. I've been doing bridal alterations and custom work for over 20 years, and only once did I have a bride come to me with her mother's gown.