Blue Cowl Top

Although I am interested in fabric and construction, no one could reasonably accuse me of being interested in trends or in fashion, per se. Particularly in warm weather, for everyday wear, all I care about is being able to toss something on without having to think about it at all.

Photo of a sleeveless top with a cowl collar.
The light knit fabric is printed with small white
flowers and green leaves on a blue background.

This top fits the brief — you might say that it even functions as a kind of tee-shirt! But it´s a bit lighter to wear, and perhaps a bit more polished.

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Posted in 2024, Tops | 2 Comments

Donny Shirt

I´ve wanted to make some kind of a woven tee shirt for a while now, but couldn´t find a pattern I thought was just right. Then I ran across the Friday Pattern Company´s Donny shirt. I liked the casual, but slightly tailored, look of the collar, and the neckline.

Photo of a white cotton shirt with a traditional lapel collar but
with a center seam instead of a button front. The shirt has
short sleeves and two patch pockets.

This turned out to be a good choice. I have some quibbles with a couple of things, but this is one of the best-drafted patterns I´ve seen. It´s so well-drafted that the woven sleeve caps set in without any difficulty — a trick the Big Four has notoriously had difficulty mastering for decades.

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Posted in 2024, Tops | 2 Comments

Kappogi-Influenced Apron/Smock

I made this apron fifty years ago, for a relative who was beginning to study Ikebana.

Photo of a Japanese-style apron with a square neck
and rectangular sleeves, mid-thigh length, in
a cotton watercolor-effect print in shade of gray.
The sleeves are darker, from the border of the fabric.

It´s held up remarkably well — no abuse, cold water washing, and good quality cotton for the win! This is real sustainability . . . and, since it´s all cotton, if it ever ceases to function as an apron, it should recycle very effectively. No plastic involved.

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Posted in 2024, Misc | 2 Comments

Anzu Pocket Bag Variation

Waffle Patterns are marvelous, especially for those of us who love pockets and clever engineering. I´m never likely to wear a short skirt, but I loved the hanging pocket on Waffle´s Anzu skirt, so I bought the pattern just for the pocket.

Image of a brown canvas pocket with angled corners,
and a diagonal front pocket with an embroidered band
sewn across the diagonal. There is a zipper barely visible
along the top, and two canvas belt loops behind the zipper.

Then, of course, I changed it up quite a bit.

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Posted in 2024, Accessories | Leave a comment

Burda 6544 Trousers/Pants/Culottes

This pattern doesn´t seem to get any love, and I´m not sure why it doesn´t. The paper bag version isn´t particularly interesting — it´s a pair of paper-bag-topped trousers, and there are lots of those around, all of them meh (in my humble opinion). But the pleated front version has (at least to my eyes) a lot to offer.

Photo of culottes made in a patterned linen in
colorsof pink, red, orange with a touch of black
on an off-white background.

For one thing, they´re a breeze to sew. For another, the fit is entirely forgiving, so there´s also no fussing on that end. And they´re so comfortable to wear! But . . .  Burda´s instructions call for snaps in front, which are used to form the pleats.

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Posted in 2024, Burda, Pants | 2 Comments

Phone Lanyard

My mobile phone is basically a GPS; I don´t use it as a phone. When I need it, I like to have it on a string so I don´t misplace it. But my small, slim (and cheap!) phone doesn´t have any place to attach a wrist strap or lanyard.

Photo of a phone showing front with a green screen
and the back of the phone rendered in a purple-ish black.

And neither does the case I put on it.

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Posted in 2024, Accessories | 2 Comments

Foldover Bag

This bag was a real disappointment when I first made it, and I put it aside while I decided what to do about the failure. Would I try to fix it? Cannibalize it for parts? Use it anyway and hate it every minute?

Photo of a bag made of black Cordura (top) and a gray and
black abstract print vinyl (bottom). The bag has three red
appliqued maple leaves stitched on the Cordura, and long
vinyl shoulder straps. The bottom third of the bag is sagging.

First I had to figure out what I didn´t like about it. It wasn´t the appliqued leaves (though I considered removing them) — it was the waaaay too floppy nature of the lower part of the bag. My bad — this was the first time I´d worked with a heavy vinyl, and I failed to interface it.

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Posted in 2024, Bags | Leave a comment

A Second Haralson

This Haralson is rough-and-ready compared to my first one, of an almost-elegant tapestry. It´s made from a fairly heavy weight canvas — which probably isn´t really a good choice for such a small bag. Turning it right-side-out was interesting, and those ´pleats´ at the bottom aren´t pleats as much as they are rigid corners.

Photo of a brown canvas belt bag with dark brass
hardware and a brown webbing strap. The bag´s
flap is decorated with a green/yellow/red and white
embroidered patch depicting a large moth.

But I wanted a much more casual bag, too, so this is what I went for, and it all worked out well in the end. Not to mention that I had the canvas in stash, which counts for so much!

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Posted in 2024, Accessories, Bags | Leave a comment

Haralson Belt Bag

After two disappointing bag projects (not yet blogged), I looked for something more likely to succeed, and found Noodlehead´s Haralson pattern. Noodlehead projects are a favorite of a good friend, so I thought the belt bag would be a good bet — and a useful bag for the summer.

Photo of a small tapestry bag in shades of tan,
gold, brown, dark brown and blues, with brown
webbing and dark brass hardware, and a wide
dark brown webbing strap.

I have a couple of quibbles about the pattern, but over all I´m quite happy with the result.

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Posted in 2024, Accessories | 2 Comments

Felt Slippers

I made felt slippers! Several pair in gray, and these in red:

Image of a pair of red felt slippers with
green felt swirls, and a pair of red felt slippers
with three ginkgo leaves on each.
Between is a practice ginkgo leaf appliqué.

We have wooden floors, and don´t wear shoes in the house. Most slippers generally seem like too much to wear, yet the feet need something to keep them clean and comfortable. And warm, in the cooler months. Wool felt seemed like a good answer.

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Posted in 2023, Accessories | Leave a comment