Just over 2 years ago I had the honour of being featured in Sew News magazine in their Meet the Maker series. I remember when I got the email about it I was overjoyed and felt like the real deal. I mean being featured in a magazine that I could actually go to the store and buy was bonkers. And if you are wondering yes I did go to the store and and take a picture of myself with the magazine.
I have a closet full of Leschi tops and dresses. For awhile there it is all I was sewing because every fabric just seemed to go perfectly with the pattern. Usually I either lengthen it into a dress or tunic or leave the sleeves off, but this time I wanted to try remixing it into a long sleeve dress. I had this picture in my head of a simple elastic through the wrist to give the sleeves a bit of volume and the end result is exactly like I pictured.
Montlake is a workhorse in my wardrobe, I am constantly finding new ways to remix it. It wasn’t until I saw a picture of my Magnolia dress a couple months ago that I remembered how much I love the swing in the hem. I figured I could use the same idea on my Montlake for a more spring appropriate dress for Seattle weather.
Normally when you lengthen a shirt you do that on the lengthen line in the pattern. But since this was a matter of making the tee into a dress I lengthened it from the bottom hem. This allows for the dress to still fit you through the bust, waist, and hips since you haven’t changed those measurement.
As a maker I can’t be tied down to just one form of making when there are endless ways to be creative. I have always considered myself a hobby pickerupper (yes I made that word up) in search of the newest hobby that can take over my house and fill my creative brain.
If you pair this need to always have my hands making something with my absolute love of teaching and sewing you get the perfect recipe for a Makers Retreat. So instead of searching out the retreat that might tick all of the boxes I was looking for I decided to just host my own. For anyone who has been following me for any period of time or listened to my interviews on my podcast, A Coffee with Makers, you know this statement is a totally normal thing for me to say.
Other than a good pattern, fabric is pretty much the most important part of any sewing project. The biggest question I get from my students before every sewing workshop is what kind of fabric they should get for the class, it can be so overwhelming when looking at all of your options. So I decided to take the work out of guessing and partner with Spoonflower for my next sewing workshop to give all the students fantastic fabric to make their first Montlake Tee.
Creating Eastlake was quite the process, there were multiple iterations of the pattern before I finally decided to just go for it and make a DEEP v-neck top. I am smitten with how it turned out and with each new version that I sew I get even more excited. With a closet full of these tops I can definitively say that this style top is going to look amazing on everyone!
The obvious striking detail of this pattern is the v-neck front which is finished with a facing, one of my favourite finishing techniques for knits. It gives it such a pulled together professional finish without being any more difficult. To secure the front facing I wanted a wide topstitch which mirrors the bottom hem.
I had meant to write this post a few days ago, but jet lag kicked my butt. I got home late on Thursday night from two weeks in Europe and at 36 I just don’t bounce back like I used to. But I slept for 10 hours straight last night so I fee like a new woman.
Black Friday through Cyber Monday is such a big deal in the US and I discovered this year, around the world as well. It is a time to get Christmas presents for those in your life as well as treat yourself to some of the things you have been eyeing. Many of the deals I am going to share are going to up your garment sewing or push you towards making your own patterns 😉
Over the last week I have had multiple conversations with people in my life about being bold in my business. When I started this business 4 years ago I didn’t wait around to have all the answers, I just jumped right in and hoped for the best. I literally had about 3 months of design and drafting experience when I released my first pattern, but that didn’t stop me. Now don’t get me wrong it is not all sunshine and roses, there have been frustrations and failures that equal if not exceed the the good but none of that would have happened if I wasn’t bold with my business.
Registration for what has become my favourite 4 days of the year starts at 9:00 am PST this morning, and for the first 50 people to register there is a discount, so if you have been thinking about it I highly recommend clicking over and snagging your tickets.
Craftcation was life changing for me and my business last year, something I wasn’t expecting at all! Now I just want all of you to come to California with me and craft and sew and visit and learn during the 4 days. This is so much more than just a conference for people with businesses or those thinking about starting a business, if you are a maker or interested in trying other creative mediums this is also for you.
This v-neck Leschi with ruffled sleeves might be my favourite make to date. And since I can’t just leave the blog post at that I will elaborate…
That colour, those ruffles, that v-neck!
This fabric was a dream to work with and I am excited to try the other 2 colours I got it in. I haven’t had a chance to run by Pacific fabrics to find out exactly what it is, but I will updated when I figure that out. It’s just so floaty and fabulous.
