Contemporary Sewing Patterns for the Modern Maker
As a little holiday gift for everyone this year, we’re super excited to announce that our Veronika skirt is now available in extended sizes in our 0-20 and Curve 14-30 ranges! This pattern is such a wonderfully simple sew. It’s a great pattern for beginner sewers to test out and practice their skills, but also makes the sweetest skirts for even the most confident of makers.
The updated Veronika pattern is FREE to our newsletter subscribers so be sure to subscribe to get your free skirt pattern.
As I was prewashing my fabric for this years (2020) Christmas pajamas for my kids, I realised that I hadn’t actually shared about last year’s PJs! GASP! Blogging fail! I don’t know if I forgot in the Christmas blur, or what the reason was, but for posterity I want to take a moment to look back at last years Christmas Pajamas 2019 edition. Unfortunately I didn’t take any flat lays of them before my kids wore them unlike in 2018 when I was a very good blogger (sometimes I break the rules haha), so I hope you can handle a combo of iPhone photos from Christmas Eve and chaotic Christmas day we-just-woke-up photos. Also please ignore all giant sand patches on our lawn – we were doing some epic lawn repair last year haha.
The Nora dress has been in my dreams for something like 20 years, ever since my Granny told me stories of living through the second World War, shortages and rationing, and how that impacted her sewing. These were my favourite chats with her. I could have listened for hours about how she coped and made do in such trying times. Of all the stories she told me the one that rolled around in my brain constantly was about how when she could no longer buy them, she made herself bra’s from two handkerchiefs folded into triangles, with darts sewn in the middle of each, crossed over at the front and with a ribbon or rope threaded through the folds to tie at the back. The ingenuity of that solution impressed me so much that I wanted to try it myself.
Hey everyone, it’s Holly! Is everyone enjoying Floreat as pattern of the month? It is such a versatile pattern! And I recently came up with a version that I am SO in love with. Like, completely obsessed. And I’m going to share the how-to with you today!
Has anyone noticed the shirring trend in the sewing world lately? Have you tried the technique yourself? Do you know what shirring is? If you don’t know, shirring is when you use elastic thread in your bobbin to create gathers that stretch. It’s so fun and SO much easier than you might think! Seriously, you just add some elastic thread, and your machine and thread basically does the rest. So I thought – why not try it out on a Floreat dress? It’s a nice loose fit, perfect for adding some shirring. And if you like adding the included sash pattern piece to cinch in the loose silhouette, this is a fun alternative to create that definition!
My friends this Floreat dress was almost a disaster. Have you ever made something and no matter what you do it just isn’t going well? Don’t lie to me – we’ve all been there. Actually if that doesn’t happen to you once in a while then you’re either a magician, or I’m not sure you actually sew ;) Kidding. But really – having a disaster sew is a rites of passage for makers. It happens once in a while and there are a few options open to you when it does (because it will) happen. You can throw in the towel, trash it, give up and basically burn it. That’s almost what happened to me. Or you can push on through, find a solution and finish.that.make. I chose the the second option this time, but gosh it was painful! Let me tell you all about it.