Author Archives: Noile

The Buttoned Cardi-Shawl

This is an unpublished post from a few years ago, so pre-Covid. No museum-going, or any other travel, is happening here these days! This is the perfect, throw-it-in-the-day-bag, off-to-the-too-cool-museum wrap. When it’s made of a lightweight knit, it’s just the … Continue reading

Posted in Accessories, Adventure/Travel | Leave a comment

Pocket for a Power Chair

A dear relative uses a power chair (which she amusingly calls an “electric chair”, an accurate, if perhaps misleading, description) and, naturally, likes to have a “pocket” to hold small things when she ventures forth in her chariot. A few … Continue reading

Posted in 2021, Accessories, Bags, Gifts | Leave a comment

Folkwear Wearable Blanket

It’s winter, it’s Covid, it’s time to huddle, and wearable blankets, otherwise known as “ponchos”, are everywhere, and mostly meh and so large as to be unmanageable. Like a lot of people now, I, too, want to hibernate until it’s … Continue reading

Posted in 2020, Coats/Capes/Wraps, Covid | 2 Comments

Jalie Flair 4026 Headband, etc.

Masks — so simple, so essential, so bothersome! In cold weather, it’s a pain juggling a hat, hair, maybe glasses, and maybe other behind-the-ear gadgets. Canadian pattern maker Jalie has come up with a sleek, clever solution to the behind-the-ears … Continue reading

Posted in 2020, Accessories, Covid, Masks | Leave a comment

Covid Tools and Maybe Some Food for Thought

Covid, and the need to consider risk where risk once seemed much less significant, has touched nearly every aspect of our lives here at Chez Noile. Two small changes affect the way I sew every time I sit down to … Continue reading

Posted in 2020, Covid, Tools | Leave a comment

Tactile/Fidget Lap Quilts

Tactile lap quilts can provide various types of stimulation for those who are in lower stimulation environments, or for others who are soothed, in care residences or not, by their weight and various textures. Or at least that’s the theory! … Continue reading

Posted in 2020, Covid, Gifts | Leave a comment

Teddy Toaster

My second  Sew House Seven Toaster I looks as if it had been made out of teddy bear fur — if Teddy were made of upholstery material. I wasn’t sure how that would work, but it’s actually turned out, well, … Continue reading

Posted in 2020, Covid, Tops | Leave a comment

Denim Work Apron

Sometimes you just need a quick, satisfying project. And sometimes you need something practical that somehow you’ve never managed to acquire. Sometimes the stars align and pouf! Everything falls in place. So it was one day when I needed a … Continue reading

Posted in Accessories, Gifts, Other | Leave a comment

Copy Caftan

In a mis-guided attempt to lean into the leisure-at-home that characterizes this Covid year, I decided to make a caftan. I dreamt of gliding gracefully through the day — or at least an evening — wrapped in a flowing cloud.  … Continue reading

Posted in 2020, Coats/Capes/Wraps, Covid | 2 Comments

Snaps for a Duvet Cover

So sheltering-at-home is getting old, but a surprising benefit, around here, at least, is that old projects, long-procrastinated, are finally getting knocked off. This week duvets got addressed. We got our duvets and covers quite a while ago because one … Continue reading

Posted in 2020, Covid, Home | Leave a comment