Blueberry Hill Crafting

Sewing

Drafting and sewing the Edenwild Tote pattern

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I spent the weekend recreating one of my favorite tote bags from Graf Lantz — a felted wool and leather tote bag that I use for my knitting projects (and just about everything else!)  I may have gotten carried away with all of possible color combinations . . .

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I sourced the 5mm felted wool from Filzfelt, and kept the cost reasonable by purchasing wool design felt remnants.  The leather pieces were also scraps, sourced from Springfield Leather.  I wrote out the pattern as I went, noting adjustments that needed to be made and sewing tips.  I found that I was able to cut both the felted wool and the leather with a rotary cutter (sometimes using an Xacto knife to cut out stubborn corners).

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I first tried using heavy-duty thread, but my sewing machine wasn’t having it, so I switched to Gutermann’s all-purpose thread and used a triple-thread zigzag stitch.  I was able to get the felted wool pieces sewn together, but once I moved on to sewing leather into felted wool, I had to use an industrial sewing machine.  Luckily, we have an amazing cooperative workhouse here in Portland called Klum House, where you can take some amazing classes, or learn to use (and then purchase time to use) an industrial sewing machine.  As is so often the case, the right tool made all the difference, and I was able to sew through the various materials and thicknesses with no problem whatsoever.

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The pattern is just for personal use, but if you sign up for the By Hand Serial newsletter, you can get it for free!

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Beach pants

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I love both the fabric and the pattern that I used for this project, and it gave me just the look I was going for!  The fabric is from Fiddlehead Artisan Supply – Robert Kaufman Railroad Denim in Indigo (2.5 yards).  The pattern is Blank Slate’s Oceanside Pants (size medium).

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The patterns were amazingly easy to sew, and required few modifications.  I really like the design of the pockets, and they’re very simple since they’re patch pockets.  The pants are elastic waistband, but with the clever addition of drawstrings sewn to the elastic, for a little more of a finished look.

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I did add about 1.5″ to the top of the waistband because I didn’t want the pants to ride so low on my hips, although once they were sewn up, I think they would have been fine even as called for in the pattern.  I ended up taking about 2″ out of each leg from the knee down to the ankle, just because they were so wide-legged — I mean, I know that’s the look, but I could have fit a second person in there with me!  And, I cuffed the pants and tacked down the cuffs.  Otherwise, I didn’t make any pattern mods.

 

 

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Silk Set for Alia

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One of my impulse fabric buys from Fiddlehead Artisan Supply during my trip to Maine this summer was a fat eighth roll of Dupioni silk, in gorgeous blues and greens collectively named “Water” (which is exactly what it makes me think of :)  Of course, I had no real plan for these silks, they were just too beautiful to leave in the store.  I ultimately decided that instead of making yet another pillow or tote bag, I would sew them lengthwise into a skirt for my youngest daughter.

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There are six silk pieces in all, each 9″ x 22″.  I didn’t waste or cut any of the fabric – just sewed them all together lengthwise, then a small hem and a small roll for an elastic waistband.

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Then, of course, she needed something to wear with the skirt . . . this tank is a modified child-size version of Athens, knit with two skeins (437 yds/ea) of Alpha B yarn’s Single Silk B (70% superwash merino / 30% silk) in color Hey Sailor.  I wanted a yarn with some silk, to produce a sheen that echoed the fabric of the skirt, and I thought the the deep navy color went best with all of the “water” colors of the skirt.  The tank is knit on US 4s.

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Tea Towel Summer Cottage Pillows

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I fell in love with these summery blue and white tea towels at Sugar Tools in Camden while visiting Maine this summer, but I couldn’t justify buying more tea towels – I’m already drowning in the kitchen tea towels I’ve bought from local artists, sewn myself, and received as gifts.  However, I thought these would make the perfect throw pillows (although who am I kidding, I’m drowning in handmade throw pillows, too!)

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I didn’t do any cutting at all – by folding each towel in half, I got perfectly sized 18″ x 13″ pillowcases.  I sewed the long side closed and sewed one short side closed with an exposed seam and selvedge.  On the other short side, I sewed six buttonholes and used these perfectly sized buttons from Purl Soho.  I have to admit – I love how these came out, they’re exactly what I pictured when I saw the linens sitting on the shelf in Sugar Tools :)

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Silky Summer PJs

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I love the fabric I used for these PJs – found when I stumbled into the world’s greatest fabric store tucked away in the small coastal Maine town of Belfast.  The store is Fiddlehead Artisan Supply, and along with so many other things, it has an amazing selection of apparel fabric.  The teal PJ bottoms are sewn from 2 yards of Radiance (color Slate) and the top is sewn from .75 yards of Radiance (color Sage).  The orange-hued floral PJs are sewn from 2.5 yards of Voile (color Rose) and 1 yard of Woodland Clearing (color Ivory).  The fabrics are voile, lawn, and a wonderful silk/cotton blend that washes up beautifully.  They do wrinkle a lot, but I think of it as “beautiful wrinkles” (kind of like linen :)

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The pattern, however, I really didn’t like at all.  It’s called Night Garden Pajama Set, and I sewed sizes small (teal PJs) and large (floral PJs).  I skipped a lot of the design “extras” (like pockets) and kept them very simple, but the basic shape of the jammies didn’t fit well – particularly the pants.  First, the pant legs are wide – I mean, fit-two-people-in-a-single-leg wide.  They’re so wide that they make it difficult to walk.  Then strangely enough, the waistband rides very low, making your tummy stick out and the fit tight in the crotch – two things you don’t want in pajamas!  I had to alter the waistband substantially just to get it to fit, even on my on-the-skinny-side youngest daughter.

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I didn’t use the adjustable straps part of the pattern – it seemed overly complicated for my purposes, and instead I just sized the straps on each of the intended recipients of the PJs.  They’ll be comfortable enough, I suppose, nice and lightweight for summer sleeping, but I have to say that I wouldn’t use this pattern again.

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Sewing with Community Supported Cloth

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A few months ago, I learned about this amazing project by a collective of farmers, mills, and wool/textile producers to create “a regionally grown and woven textile that was tied directly to reversing the effects of climate change by building soil health.”  The organization, headquartered in California, is titled Fibershed, with the tagline “local fiber, local dye, local labor.”  Their Community Supported Cloth program is intended to create a “regional and regenerative textile economic model that supports the ranchers and artisans and provides the people of our community supply-chain transparency.”

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Fibershed focuses on the entire production chain, from healthy soil and carbon offsets at the sheep ranches, to the environmental impacts of scouring and spinning, to the details of textile design and weaving.  I think of it as a CSA for environmentally responsible woven cloth, and I jumped at the chance to pre-order some yardage.

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I purchased four yards, which was more than enough for my first sewing project – I have plenty left over for either another pair of pants or a skirt.  I wanted a very simple pants pattern, so I chose Colette Clover pants.  I can’t believe how well they turned out!  The fit was perfect the first time around – I didn’t even have to go back and adjust the seams.  I was a little nervous about the waistband and invisible zipper, but it was really quite easy.  I sewed Version 1 in Size 12 (which seemed really big to me, since I usually wear a size 8 pants, but the measurements for size 12 matched mine, so I went with it – and was glad I did!  I figure you can always take in your seams and make your apparel a little smaller, but it’s hard to go the other direction and make it bigger :)

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I left off the pockets – frankly, I didn’t really see the point of tiny little front pockets, and I felt like they kind of messed up the clean line of the pants.  I’m SO HAPPY with how they fit!  The only downside is that I had hoped to wear them as spring/summer pants, but they are definitely woven wool, and as such, are a little heavier than I had anticipated.  No matter – they’ll be perfect for cool summer nights and autumn!

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Many people who are purchasing Community Supported Cloth are dyeing it – which I think would turn out beautifully, given the texture of the cloth.  However, for at least this first project, I really loved the natural color of the woven wool; I think it’s a perfect neutral that will go with just about anything.  I love how these came out so much that I was planning on a skirt, but I’m now considering dyeing the rest of the fabric and sewing up another pair of pants – maybe to complement the color of one of my upcoming fall sweater designs :)

 

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Kokka Cats bags

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I love how these bags turned out!!  I’m really addicted to using leather and canvas as materials for all kinds of bags – it just makes them feel so much sturdier and more useful.  I’ve been saving these fabrics for a long time, waiting for the perfect project . . .

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Pattern:  Wool + Wax Tote by Noodlehead

Fabric:  Unknown Kokka cats print in canvas for outer bag, and stash fabric (I think Essex Yarn Dyed?) for lining.

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Leather:  Tennessee Whiskey Oil Tan Pre-Cut (24″x24″) for the bag bottoms, and Genuine Leather Oil Tan Purse Straps in Tennessee Whiskey (26″) for the straps, both purchased from Springfield Leather.

Other supplies:  Woven fusible interfacing, 1/2″ nickel plated magnetic snap, and rivets

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Kitty Cats Quilt for 8th grade graduation

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When my oldest daughter graduated from 8th grade and left our little K-8 country school to attend high school downtown, I sewed her a quilt made from the t-shirts she’d acquired each year of school and at zoo camp.  I wanted to celebrate my middle daughter’s 8th grade graduation with her own quilt, but I didn’t  want to duplicate her older sister’s.  Instead, in a nod to my middle daughter’s obsession with cats, I used a sampling of all of the cat fabrics that she and I have collected over the years.

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You know when you buy a fabric because it’s just too awesome to pass up, but you have no idea what you’re going to do with it?  And over time, your collection of these fabrics grows and grows?  Well, that’s what Bella and I had going with cat fabrics.  This way, she can enjoy them all in one place!

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I grouped all of the black and white fabrics together on one side for a monochromatic effect, and all of the bright colors on the other side – I kind of like how the two sides contrast each other.  I wanted the quilt to feel especially cozy, so for the sashing, I used Michael Miller Organic Cotton Sherpa.

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In order to keep the focus on the fabric, I kept the piecing as simple as possible – just a single large square for each of the fabrics (I think they’re approx. 13″ square).  When it was completed, I didn’t like how the sherpa looked when I tried to machine quilt it, so instead, I hand tied embroidery threads at regular intervals throughout the quilt.

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I sewed the quilt as square lap quilt size, instead of a long, narrow bed covering because I liked how the size and shape of the overall quilt echoed the size and shape of the individual quilt blocks.  I love how a quilt can pull together such an eclectic group of fabrics and somehow unify them!

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Tea House dress

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This is a lovely pattern – exactly what I was looking for, something light, easy to throw on, a perfect three-season dress for those days that are sunny and warm, but not so much that I want to wear one of my sleeveless summer dresses.  The dolman sleeves are a nice stylistic touch, and they made this dress particularly easy to sew – no set-in sleeves!  I like both the style and utility of the pockets, and the wraparound tie gives me a waist and keeps the dress from looking too baggy or shapeless.

Pattern:  Sew House Seven Tea House Dress

Style:  Dress C – although I modified the length to fall between the “B” and the “C” lengths

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Size:  10 (although I had to take almost four inches total in on the side seams!)  Size 10 fit me perfectly in the shoulders and bust, but it needed a lot of adjustment in the side seams from below my bust all the way down to the hem.  Ultimately, I added darts in the back because otherwise the back side looked too gathered and bunchy when I tied the ties tightly enough to look good in the front.

Fabric:  Robert Kaufman Chambray Union Light – I’m not sure of the exact pattern/color, but this fabric weight was perfect for the drape that the pattern needed, and I absolutely love clothes in any shade of chambray!  I used 3 yards of 58-60″ wide fabric.

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Vintage Indigo Fitted Kimono

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This Christmas, I received a beautiful piece of vintage indigo fabric – a one-of-a-kind stitched-together compilation that was one of many fabric pieces that the women of an indigenous tribe in Africa created to raise money to support their families.  This large rectangle of fabric could be used as a shawl or a wrap, or even a table topper.  It had fringe on both short sides, and the fabric itself was unique and well-loved — frayed in places, stitched by hand in others, it felt like threads of many stories stitched together.

What to do with such a unique piece?  I own so many shawls and wraps – and rarely use the ones that I have – and I didn’t want it to just languish in my closet.  At first I wanted to make it into a wrap dress, but I didn’t have enough fabric.  Next I thought of a long shirt or a tunic, but the fabric was so delicate in places, I wasn’t sure how it would hold up to being sewn and repeatedly worn.

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Then, I saw a blog posting by Karen Templer of Fringe Association.  She was discussing a piece of hand-dyed indigo fabric that she was thinking about sewing into a kimono.  Inspiration!  This piece would make a beautiful casual shirt-jacket with drop sleeves and wide front bands.

I started with the Crossroads pattern Contemporary Kimono as the base for my idea.  I first stitched a sample jacket (size medium) in muslin, since once I cut my indigo fabric, there was no going back.  This turned out to be a wise precaution, as I made multiple modifications, including:
* I reduced the sleeve width and altered the sleeve length
* I changed the approach of the cuffs (rolled and tacked, instead of sewn on separately)
* I changed the approach of the neck band by reducing the width and finding a different method of attaching it

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The biggest change I made was to first make the fabric double-sided.  I wanted to line the fabric, because I knew it was too fragile, and too soft, on its own.  I could have sewn a jacket lining, but I didn’t want it to feel separate – I wanted the actual fabric to be double-sided.  Using 2 yards of Robert Kaufman’s Double Gauze Chambray in color Marine, I stitched the two fabrics wrong sides together and, in effect, created one single double-sided piece of fabric.  I then cut all of the pieces I needed, basted the two fabrics together, and then sewed the pieces as I would have with any other fabric.

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I even managed to preserve the fringe and place it at the bottom of the jacket pieces, and even at the bottom of the front band pieces!  I used up almost every inch of the fabric, which made me feel good – no waste, nothing leftover.  I tried interior side pockets, but because of the positioning of the jacket’s side seams, the pockets seemed to be set too far back, and it was awkward to use them, so I sewed them shut and trimmed them away.  I thought about trying after-thought patch pockets – I think I had just enough fabric left – but I didn’t want to clutter the front of the jacket, or detract from the fabric in any way.

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I don’t have a good moniker for this creation – it’s of the style of a kimono, but fitted enough that I don’t think it actually fits within that category of jackets.  Regardless of the name, however, I absolutely love how it turned out.  It’s well-fitted, comfortable, and shows off the vintage fabric exactly as I had envisioned.  It is truly a one of a kind piece, both in terms of fabric and pattern, and its creation has allowed me to add my own story to the running tale of the fabric.

 

 

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Sewing up a batch of fabric bins

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This is what happens when I impulse-buy fabric . . . I have to find some use for it :)  I’ve been working on creating some new fabric patterns, so I took the weekend to play around with different sizes and shapes of fabric bins.

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I experimented with different weights of living fabric – quilting cotton for the sheep bin, heavier duck canvas for the kitty cat bins.

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All of the bins are stabilized with a heavy craft-weight interfacing, but I added Annie’s Soft and Stable to the sheep bin – it did make it quite a bit thicker, but it was like interfacing it with quilt batting, instead of a stiffener.  The result was added thickness, but not much more of a stabilized shape.  Plus, I found it really difficult to work with – probably because it isn’t fusible, and it is extremely thick.  I preferred using the canvas lining to add stability to the shape of the bins.

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The sheep bin is the perfect size and shape for a sweater’s worth of yarn skeins in my queue, and the kitty cat bins found a home on my cat-loving daughter’s desk, to hold all of her small treasures.

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Announcing the Launch of By Hand: Making Communities!

By Hand

By Hand is a series of lookbooks that focus on different fiber and fabric “making communities” around the country.  

Each serial will feature photo journals and interviews with both up-and-coming and well-known yarn designers and dyers, local yarn stores, knitwear designers, fabric artists, and other makers who share the same philosophy and aesthetic of hand crafting functional forms to share and connect with others in the community.  Projects, patterns, classes, and opportunities to purchase the artists’ work will also be included, as well as an opportunity to share what is beautiful and unique about each locale.

THE FIRST ISSUE OF BY HAND IS BASED IN PORTLAND, OREGON AND FEATURES:

Issue #1 also features three exclusive knitting patterns:
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A beautiful tote bag pattern that gives you an opportunity to “create” your own fabric:

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And a tasty recipe for red roasted tomato sauce, perfect for fall!

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Visit our website to order Issue #1, purchase an annual subscription for the first three issues, or sign up to receive our newsletter!

 

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Moneta knit dress

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This is a fabulous sewing project – it is quick and very easy, and because of the nature of the knit fabric, the fit is almost guaranteed!  I got the idea from one of Fancy Tiger Crafts‘ Instagram posts, and I really like the fabric their sewing sample featured – Pickering yarn-dyed jersey (55% hemp / 45% organic cotton).  It’s a little heavier than most knits, and I think that helps it hang better.  I chose color Storm and had no problem cutting size medium (8-10) out of 3 yards.

Moneta is a Colette pattern, and I think it’s accurately rated as beginner.  You will need to have a jersey knit machine sewing needle, and understand the stitches on your machine well enough to choose the right stitch for knits.  I didn’t have a twin needle, so I finished off my hems with a zig-zag stitch – it really didn’t matter because the marled nature of the fabric means that your stitches don’t show at all, which is an added bonus if you’re worried that they may not look very neat and straight :)

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I had never used clear elastic for gathering a knit fabric before (this is for attaching the bodice to the skirt), so I reviewed Colette’s tutorial, which I found helpful.  It’s really a very cool trick, and worth remembering for future projects.

The only part I struggled with was the hem along the neckline – because it’s a knit fabric, you don’t need a facing, which is nice.  However, after I sewed the shallow hem, I found that the neckline gapped some right in front.  I experimented with several ways to address the problem – maybe the neckline is cut too wide? – but in the end, I just folded the front of the neckline in again and sewed a little deeper hem, gradually fading it out to the sides near my collarbone.  It’s still not as tight as I would like it to be, and the wide neckline means that sometimes my bra straps show, but I think overall it looks neat enough.

I would highly recommend both this fabric and this sewing pattern – it makes the perfect spring/fall transition dress, easy to sew and very comfortable and easy to wear – and I love that it has pockets!

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Quilted white canvas tote

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This was a quick and easy project – a tote bag perfect for my weekly trips this week to the farmer’s market.  I used a yard of white canvas and leather straps from Modern Domestic, taupe linen from my fabric stash for the lining, and I based the design on Purl Bee’s Railroad Tote.  I added stiff interfacing between the canvas and linen to give the bag more structure.  As a subtle design feature, I quilted horizontal lines, spaced approximately one inch apart, on each piece of the canvas/interfacing.

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Out of the ashes . . .

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I have a years-old pair of organic cotton summer pajamas from Garnet Hill that I have literally loved to death.  Inspired by their simple design (and the fact that they’re not available anymore), I decided to cut them apart to create a pattern for new PJs.  The process was incredibly simple:

  1.  Cut apart PJs and trace on pattern tracing paper.  Since I wanted the new pair to be a little smaller, I didn’t worry about adding in any seam allowance (although I did add in an allowance for hemming the top and the pants legs, and for the elastic waistband).

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  1. Find similar fabric – I needed something that was very lightweight – this lawn/voile fabric from Modern Domestic did the trick nicely.

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  1. Cut out pattern and sew.  The two pant pieces were identical (there really isn’t a front or back), but the top and back are slightly different, so I cut them out separately.  I made my own bias tape from the fabric to trim out the neck and armholes of the top, and to create the spaghetti straps.  I used 1″ elastic for the waistband.  I even kept the small touch of the vents on the sides of the top.

I love it!  I’ll likely get similar fabric and make a few more pairs of PJs over the course of the summer.

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Felt flower springtime Easter eggs

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I bought this beautiful kit from Purl Bee and hand-sewed all of the eggs and the decorative flowers.  I was a little intimidated at first, but it wasn’t as hard as it looked, and as long as I didn’t insist on perfection, I loved the way that I was able to combine colors, shapes and designs and make each egg unique.  I think that they’ll make beautiful decorations for Easter next year!

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Warsa linen for the home

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I couldn’t resist buying some of this beautiful new Warsa linen at Purl Soho – the soft, muted colors beautifully offset the handwoven blanket I splurged and bought while visiting Swans Island Company this summer in Maine.

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The pillows are 20″ square, in colors Fig, Celadon, Smoke and Coyote.  In order to use some of the more vibrant colors, I sewed up a Forty-Minute Tote in colors Tangerine and Cayenne, and added handmade leather handles from Bolt Fabrics here in Portland.

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Lark Tees

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This is a really great sewing project – just make sure you’re using a jersey needle and a knit/stretch/small zigzag stitch on your sewing machine.  There’s only three pattern pieces – front, back, and sleeves – and then the binding for the neck and sleeves.  The neck binding may appear really small at first, but it’s important to stretch it VERY tightly around the neckline – this is what keeps the neckline from hanging poorly or gapping open when it’s done.

Pattern:  Lark Tee by Grainline – I sewed the scoop neckline / long sleeve option

Fabric:  Alabama Chanin organic cotton jersey – 2 yards each of colors Sky Blue and Brunette

Size:  14

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Mods:  I cut 1/4″ off the sleeves before the 3/4″ hem, and I cut the bottom of the shirt at 18 1/4″ from underarm seam before the 3/4″ hem (which meant I cut off at least 2-3″ – it would have been WAY too long).

What I like about this pattern is how it’s got such a flattering silhouette – with just a little bit of shaping in the body, combined with the knit fabric, you get a really attractive fit.  I’ve got knit fabric in three more colors, just waiting to become Lark tees . . .

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