This dress, sewn from Vogue 1250, started out as some kind of cycling garment — you know, bike-into-town with the idea of dressing “less cyclist” and more “townie”.
There’s a dime sewn into a tiny pocket
at the inner center front of the cowl —
a great trick that gives the cowl shape and form.
I guessed that I might not like it much, but thought that fabric was the questionable bit. That wasn’t quite right. Read more…
Weirdly, although I rarely swim, I love making swimming suits, and always have. A long, long time ago, in more innocent and probably kinder times — and times before everyone carried a camera in a phone — the people I knew, some of them family, some friends — swam without suits. No inappropriate comments, no lustful looks, no discomfort. It’s just what we did; it was part of the culture. (Perhaps we all should have been Scandinavians?)
Admittedly, we were at private pools and little-known beaches — and no one drank or otherwise indulged in behavioral excesses, all of which certainly helped to keep the atmosphere relaxed and happy. It was wonderful; there is nothing like moving through water with nothing between you and that marvelous liquid. Read more…
(This is an older, not previously published, review, but I keep thinking about Cennetta’s hats, on The Mahogony Stylist, so I’m following her inspiration!)
The illustration in Vogue’s catalogue, and on the pattern envelope, made this hat look more like a cartoon than something to wear. 
Fortunately, Vogue put a photograph of it on the cover of its late summer catalogue, and wow! it’s dramatic! I tried to talk myself into buying a different pattern (this thing lists at $22.50 — oh, please!), but this was definitely the right pattern. Eventually it went on sale.
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This was a quick little fun project: a tiny tote bag for . . . just about anything.
I whipped it up in a lightweight, canvas-like fabric that looks like a basketweave.
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Previously: I made three of these tops, including this one, in 2014 — that’s why this is a “legacy” post — and am still wearing them in 2021!
OK, this is the third one of these I’ve made and, yes, I live in them. I wear them all the time. Just like sloppy sweats (or PJs!), but oh, so respectable!
(So relaxed that it has passed out!)
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I admit to having a pretty serious bag problem. A bag for every purpose; that’s my motto. I make them; I buy them; I use different ones all the time, depending on the day’s (or, formerly, the trip’s) purpose.
But I almost always make changes to the bags I buy, to better suit them to my individual preferences and needs. Read more…
This project turned out to be more “blouse” than the woven “tee” I’m always searching for.
But I’m really happy with it! Perhaps predictably, I did change things up a fair bit from the pattern.
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I’ve previously panned (heh, heh) this pattern in this post, but have attempted another version. It’s I AM Pan, from the French company I AM.
The allure of a woven tee was apparently too much to resist. But I’ve changed a lot this go-round.
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I liked wearing these pants a lot when I first made them, but ended up pretty much hating the super-deep clown pockets. The pattern is Burda 6124.
For my second pair, I drafted in-seam pockets, and I’m a lot happier with them.
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My beloved robe is falling to pieces and resisting all attempts to necessitate it. This is what I made to convince myself to retire my beloved old friend:
“Very Benedictine” said Mr. Noile.
To make it, I hauled out Simplicity 2482, from 2009, and set to work.
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