Another Sweatshirt Mash-Up

Posted on January 29, 2021 by Noile

This one’s a frankenpattern involving a Jalie collar and the tunic body from Vogue 8854, which I’ve previously also mashed-up with the Talvikki top.

Just pretend it’s dancing! The angle’s all wrong,
but the tunic’s just fine, really!

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The Buttoned Cardi-Shawl

Posted on January 22, 2021 by Noile

This is an unpublished post from a few years ago, so pre-Covid.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 thing for warding off a slight chill, but easy as pie to wear in a bunch of different ways: As a “cardigan”, a Grecian-style stole; as sleeves over a shell; as a snood or hood; as touch of color around the neck; as a conventional long scarf, and even as a wrap skirt. It’s also compact enough to toss in a bag or purse so that it’s available when needed.

Cardigan look:

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Pocket for a Power Chair

Posted on January 18, 2021 by Noile

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 years ago I made one for her, but over time it’s gotten a bit battered, so a new one was in order.

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Folkwear Wearable Blanket

Posted on January 14, 2021 by Noile

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 all over — define “all” however you like — so obviously I needed a day wear blanket.

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

Jalie Flair 4026 Headband, etc.

Posted on January 1, 2021 by Noile

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 problem.

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

Covid Tools and Maybe Some Food for Thought

Posted on December 29, 2020 by Noile

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 my machine.

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Tactile/Fidget Lap Quilts

Posted on December 22, 2020 by Noile

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!

I made six for donation to a care home — they were a welcome donation, and not a bad antidote to all the depressing Nordic Noir I sometimes watched while making them!  They aren’t my finest work — I don’t have any experience in working with quilted goods — but I’m hoping “sturdy” matters more than “finesse”.

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Teddy Toaster

Posted on December 13, 2020 by Noile

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, Teddy-rific!

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Denim Work Apron

Posted on December 8, 2020 by Noile

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 denim apron. (And so it may be for you, if you need to make a fun quick-ish gift!)

To be fair, is there anything easier to draft than an apron? The shape is classic, easy to replicate, and you get to make it exactly the right size for you — or an intended recipient.

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Copy Caftan

Posted on November 29, 2020 by Noile

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.  Serene.  Relaxed.  In, as it were, another world.  A not-2020 world.

This did not entirely go to plan.

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