Lately - Gratitude, Life, and Sewing

It's been over a year and so much has happened!  Firstly, I want to say THANKS to all of you.  You have all been SO SUPPORTIVE of my posts, particularly the last one, and some of you joined even during my hiatus.  I know some of you still follow via Instagram, and though I post about food considerably more than sewing, you're still with me :)  I cannot adequately express my gratitude and I hope that this paragraph gives you at least an idea of what I'm feeling.

Over the past year plus, we've been keeping busy.  I've changed to a more demanding role within my company, we've done some fun travel to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and my bucket list destination, Australia, we moved to a new house (still in the Bay Area) so the kids could be in a better school system, and I'm still sewing here and there.  I initially went on a break because I couldn't keep up with a regular posting schedule and I was running out of creative steam.  Ultimately, I've decided that I'll post when I can (and this will be more frequent than an annual one!) and hope that you'll continue to join me on my sewing adventures.

For now, I'll leave you with snippets of some sewing projects over the past year.

Pleated Grid Print Skirt w/ comfy knit underskirt

Wrap Dress for Winter Wonderland party

Sleeveless Cowl Neck Top w/ Grid Print

Pleated Skirt w/ Whimsical Bike Print

Simple Striped Tee w/ Tulip Back

Much love to all of you and see you soon!

Scarves to Maxi Dress DIY Tutorial

I know I spend an insane amount of time making maxi dresses, but I can't seem to help myself.  This one is very simple - you're essentially sewing the sides of 3 scarves (or 3 fabric squares together) and adding straps.  See below for steps!

3-Scarf Maxi Dress DIY

Difficulty: Very Easy

Time: ~1 hour

Pattern:  None - use 3 squares

Materials:

• 3 square scarves OR cut 3 squares out of lightweight fabric - I'd recommend something silky
• For maxi length - I'd recommend 34.5" squares so that the diagonal running from shoulder to hem is 48" (keep in mind to adjust if you're taller!)
• Because I used grid fabric, I had to follow the pattern for my squares and wound up with 37.5" squares - hence the floor sweeping length
• Strap material - I used black bias tape, but you can use fabric, leather, etc.  Braided straps would be SO cute

Steps:
1.)  You're going to need a person or dress form for this, but position 1 scarf point at each shoulder and pin where these meet for the placement of your neckline

2.)  Place 1 point of your 3rd scarf at the center back right at the base of the neck

 3.) Pin under the arms where the front meets the back

4.) Play with strap placement and mark with chalk (I didn't actually go with the one shown below, but it was fun to experiment)

5.)  Sew down the center front from your pinned neckline all the way down the edge.

6.)  Sew down each side from the underarm pin all the way down the edge.

7.)  Pin your strap placements and carefully try on your dress.  Make sure straps fit comfortably and make length adjustments as needed.  Sew straps in place.

And you're finished!

Questions?  Please feel free to leave me a comment below or send me an email!  :)

Finished Scarf Maxi Dress

Striped Racerback Maxi Dress DIY

We're seeing warmer weather in the Bay Area and it's time to start sewing some maxi dresses again.  Comfortable and cool, this is my uniform for the summer and I especially love knit versions for both ease in sewing and in wearing.

Material:  Stretchy knit from Michael Levine, 2 yards

Difficulty: Easy, all serger construction (you can also use a twin needle on a regular machine)

Time: ~3 hours

Pattern: Patterned bodice based off of this previous Racerback Maxi Dress DIY minus the gathering at the bust, self-drafted skirt (just a rectangle)

Striped Racerback Maxi Dress DIY

And in case you ever wondered who was catching my attention...

:)

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Easy 30-Minute DIY: Slouchy Tee or Sweater

I LOVE that I'm seeing more slouchy, comfortable clothes popping up in stores.  They work perfectly for weekends with the kids, and now that I've gone from conservative corporate to a more casual workplace, slouchy works there too :)

This one is a very easy and quick DIY.  The best part?  You get a short-sleeved look without actually having to attach sleeves into an armscye (not my favorite task).

Difficulty: Very Easy

Time: ~1/2 hour

Pattern:  Make your own from an existing tee

Materials:

• Existing blouse to pattern your top - drop shoulder is easiest 
• BUT you can also use a regular tee and just extend your cut from the shoulder to the arm as one continuous line instead of cutting out separate sleeves.  From neckline to end of sleeve should be about 7-8".  Make sure you keep the torso pretty close to the end of the sleeve (see pic below under step 1) if you want the slouchy feel.
• ~3/4 yard fabric - sweater knit or any other stretchy knit

Steps:
1.)  Fold your shirt in half and align that fold with the fold in your fabric.  Use your shirt as a template to cut out the front piece and back piece (more details below).

Align shirt fold to fabric fold

2.)  The back piece can be cut exactly as laid out above.

3.)  For the front piece, simply push the back collar inwards so you can get clear access to cut the neckline of the front (shown directly below).  Cut the front piece as you did the back after you've made the neckline adjustment.

Tuck the back neckline inwards

4.)  You should now have 2 pieces as shown below.   

Back piece on Left and Front on Right

5.)  With the front and back cut out, place the right sides together and pin at the shoulders.  Sew each shoulder and each side.  

6.)  Fold in your raw edges at the sleeves, collar, & hem and sew down.

(Apologies for a not so great pic)

And that's it!  Call it a slouchy tee or a summer sweater if you used a sweater knit like I did (perfect for breezy SF summers).

Questions?  Please feel free to ask in the comments below or send me an email :)

Gone (Fabric) Shopping

I've been slooooowwww with the sewing lately and am working on some holiday sewing projects that aren't yet ready for sharing.  Whilst I tweak those, I have a bit of a mishmash type of post on fabric shopping and food.

If you live in the Bay Area, Fabrix in SF got in some nice wools and sweatshirt type knits:

$15 / yd plaid wool - maybe another cape?  I saw this on Pinterest and am enamored

$2.89 / yd striped heavy knit - I'd like to try making something similar to Michelle's sweatshirt of Michelle Goes North (such a cool neckline!)

At Fabrics R Us in San Jose:

$3 / yd pretty checks - would love to recreate this look from Atlantic Pacific in spring

Online, Joann's has a 60% off regular priced fabric coupon (can also use in stores), 60% off Home Decor fabrics (great cottons for structured skirts), and 60% off fleece fabrics through Tuesday.

In other shopping news, Gap has an additional 40% off sale items in stores.  I picked up 2 more pairs of the Real Straight jeans for $15 each.  Since I had $10 in rewards, this netted out at $10 each:

Gap Real Straight, Mid-rise, online here, $15 in stores, got one destructed and one regular

(IG try-on pic here)

If you have a similar body shape (short and pear-shaped), you may like these!  I find the mid-rise helps mitigate tummy overhang and the skimmer length hits the top of my foot - great with flats or a thin cuff to show off the ankle with booties.  I used the "reserve in store" option online and it saved me from having to dig through the sale racks for my size.  I highly recommend this!

This weekend in eats, I got to meet up with Ping and Karen for ramen:

Iza Ramen w/ side of garlic oil

And followed that up with snacks and dessert at my all-time favorite haunt, Mango Medley:

Baked Scallops - amazing bold flavors

P.S. today's post title is a bit of a nod towards Gigi's Gone Shopping, one of my favorite reads :)

P.P.S. I'm trying out some food photography tips from Crazy Style Love - have you seen her IG feed? It's beautiful!

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!!

15-Minute Turtleneck Cape DIY Tutorial

This tutorial is perfect for beginner sew-ists.  It consists of 2 simple shapes sewn together with 2 seams.

15-Minute Turtleneck Cape DIY Tutorial

Difficulty: Very Easy

Time: ~15 minutes

Materials:

• 1.5 yards Fleece or heavy knit fabric
• Bonus: Fleece does not fray so you may opt to leave the edges raw / unsewn

 Steps:

1.) First, fold a 40 x 40" square in 1/2 twice so that the resulting square you see is 20 x 20"

2.  From the folded corner, use your measuring tape to measure out 20" all along the edge of the fabric and mark (I use regular chalk, but there are also marking tools in the notions section of your fabric store) as you go to form an arc.  This arc will result in the circle you'll use for your cape.

You can see my blue chalk lines in the above photo from the arc markings.

3.  Cut along your arc lines.

4.  For a typical turtleneck, measure out your radius at the folded tip as 2.5" in the same manner as you did for the cape edges and then cut.

5.  Your turtleneck piece is a 14 x 17" rectangle.  Make sure your 17" edge is the stretchy side of the fabric so that you may easily slip your cape on and off.

If you're using the same type of fleece I am, you'll find that the selvedge edge does not stretch.  Use the selvedge edge for the 14" length.

6.  Fold in half with the right sides together and sew down (use a twin needle or serger for stretch) the open edges.  

7.  Turn your cape pieces inside out and place the turtleneck portion inside your cape.  Line up the edges and sew (twin needle or serger for stretch again - a regular straight stitch would snap).

If you're using fleece, you can leave your edges unsewn since it won't fray.

(You can choose to sew the edges if you'd prefer though!  Just fold inwards and stitch.)

You're finished!

Alternately, feel free to vary the measurements to your preferences.  Here are some ideas:

• Cowl Neck - cut a larger neck opening and a correspondingly longer rectangle (on the stretchy side) for the cowl

• Full-sized Long Cape - Cut your circle as 30" (should essentially by your neck to wrist length + 2.5") instead of 20"

• Capelet - Make your circle 15" (should essentially be your neck to elbow length + 2.5") instead of 20"

Happy sewing!

DIY Script Shift Dress

I originally bought the Ikea Britten Nummer fabric a while ago, but it wasn't until this pin that I finally made up my mind on what to sew with it.

DIY Script Shift Dress

Difficulty: Easy

Time: 2-3 hours (I kept having to readjust the armscye after I Frankensteined a sleeve onto this bodice from a commercial pattern)

Pattern:  Dress from this tutorial and sleeves from a commercial pattern  (any will do, but just keep in mind the above for adjustments)

Materials:

• 2 yds of fabric (mine is Ikea's Britten Nummer - link above)

P.S.  Funny story about that giant shin bruise.  My 3-year old bounced onto our bed as she usually does, except that her knees hit my shin.  Her reaction?  "You should have moved, Mom."  I couldn't help but laugh.

15-Minute Reversible Infinity Scarf DIY Tutorial

It was starting to get chilly here and it put me in cozy clothing mode (of course, today will hit the 90s, but oh well).  I couldn't resist making this reversible for the versatility and visual interest.  :)

Reversible Infinity Scarf DIY

Difficulty: Very Easy

Time: ~15 minutes

Materials:

• 2 yds of 2 coordinating fabrics (would recommend soft, drapey fabrics like knits / silkies / chiffons)

 Steps:

1.  Cut each fabric into identically sized rectangles - you can customize the measurements to your preferences.  I'm using 14 x 80" for each rectangle.

2.  Put the right sides together and sew down each long side.  Flip right side out.

3.  Put right sides of the short ends together and sew.  Leave about a 2" gap and blind-stitch shut (great tutorial here).

Finished scarf!  

Sewing 101: Tools for Your Sewing Kit

Continuing with beginner sewing, I thought I'd share some useful tools to incorporate into your sewing kit.

They fall into 4 categories:

1.) Cutting - Local fabric stores frequently promote this category for 40-50% off, so wait for a sale!

• Scissors - sharp blades are a must to cut cleanly through your fabric (especially temperamental ones like chiffons).  I've been using Fiskars Razor-Edge Shears.  
• Rotary Blade - as with scissors, a good quality blade is required to cut your fabric well.  I tried a cheapie once and it would fray the fabric before cutting through.
• Rotary Mat - necessary for your rotary blade and helpful for measuring as well
• Straight Edge - any hard ruler will work to be used in conjunction with your rotary blade and mat

2.) Measuring

• Soft measuring tape (not pictured) - great for taking your body measurements (measuring tips here) and for fabric
• Regular (hard) ruler - handy for pattern drafting (I use it to draw in waist lines etc.)

3.) Fixing

• Small screwdriver & brush - (should come with your sewing machine) The screwdriver will be needed for changing out your sewing needles and the brush will clean the lint from the inside of the machine.
• Seam ripper - this is probably the hardest working tool you'll have.  I've probably spent more time ripping things apart than sewing them together!
• Tweezers - useful for digging lint out of your machine or knotted threads when the machine jams

4.) Sewing (most feet also come with your sewing machine)

• Zipper Foot - for zipper insertion, but I also use it for blind hems (tutorial here) (silver foot at the bottom of the photo)
• Standard Foot (not pictured) - for all-purpose / general sewing 
• Buttonhole Foot - this nifty one holds your button on one end and provides the machine the exact length needed for your buttonhole (long white foot at the bottom of the photo)
• Thread (not pictured) - get the basics (black, white, cream, and navy) and then fill in as needed.  Beware of reds and greens!  I always wind up getting the wrong shade so try bringing a swatch when possible. 
• Bobbins (not pictured) - I'd recommend getting 10+ (I have about 20) so you're not always trying to switch out thread colors

Sewing Kit Items

Other "getting started" posts:

1.)  Materials & Tools

• Your Sewing Machine
• Sewing Tips for Your Body Type
• Guide to Patterns
• Fabric Selection Guide

2.)  Sewing Tasks

• Invisible Zipper Insertion
• Blind Hems How-to
• Lining a Top
• Finishing Edges w/ Bias Tape

Hope this was helpful!

Sewing 101: Your Sewing Machine

A few of you expressed interest (thank you for the feedback!) in more beginner sewing posts.  To get started, let's go over some basics of a sewing machine.  Please note that these are all my personal opinions based off of my experiences as a sewing hobbyist.  I am by no means an expert of any sort.

General cost:
$100ish, mine cost $130 shipped from Amazon (Singer Heavy Duty 4423 Sewing Machine [affiliate link])

What to look for:
I tend to look for good reviews and then look for features that suit me well.  In my case, I wanted a basic machine that would be durable and able to handle thicker fabrics.  The Singer Heavy Duty mentioned above met those needs for a great price point.  I was particularly drawn to the fact that it had a metal frame.  My previous machine was a cheapie plastic one from Walmart and it was horrible.  For about $30 more, I felt like I got more than my money's worth with the quality of the machine.  Another benefit?  Drop in bobbin and simple button-hole process.

Sewing Machine Basics:

Nowadays, most sewing machines come labeled with numbers and illustrations on how to thread.  This is probably one of the first steps you'll take.

After threading, you'll want to set your stitch length (top knob) and stitch type (bottom knob).  For most clothing sewing, you'll use a stitch length of 2.5.  The smaller the number, the shorter your stitch.  Small stitches have the benefit of lending strength to your sewing, but it takes longer to sew, it uses up more thread, and they are a pain to rip out.  Longer stitches (like a setting of 4) are great for trial sewing like try-ons or for use in gathering, but the stitching is too loose / weak to keep things together long-term.

For the stitch type, the straight stitch will be your go-to.  Other stitches commonly used are zig zag for knits, the shark-tooth one (yeah, I use super technical terms) for blind hems, and the button-hole one (looks like a rectangle to the left of the straight stitch) for...well...button holes.  :)

Do you see the Reverse button at the bottom left?  Press down on this to stitch in reverse.  I use this to reinforce stitching at the beginning or end of a seam.

Right above that is a tension knob.  I can't say I've had to use this often, but here's a wiki in case you need it.

To the right of the tension knob is the needle position knob.  I primarily use this for zippers or adjusting my seam allowance.  For narrow hems, I'll use the rightmost setting.  I generally keep the needle position in the middle for the majority of my sewing.

Once you know your way around the basics of a machine, start sewing simple projects like pillows or scarves.

I hope this post was helpful!  Please let me know if you have any questions!

Colorblocked Maxi Dress DIY

So I'm still stuck on maxi dresses because they are so comfortable and work is business-casual (with a slight emphasis on the casual since jeans and button-downs are very common).  I've been wearing them on an almost constant rotation with blazers, sweaters, and cardigans whilst feeling like I'm lounging around in pajamas.  Nothing beats cranking on Excel in pajamas - I'm only kind of kidding.  :)

Anyhoo, I've been churning them out like a madwoman and this week was no exception.  To break it up a little, I colorblocked and made the hem asymmetrical.

Difficulty: Easy

Time: ~1.5 - 2 hours

Materials: ~2 yards knit fabric A + 3/4 yd knit fabric B for the hem colorblocking

Pattern: Modified neck and hem from the Draped Maxi Dress Tutorial.  The hem looks asymmetrical when wearing, but you can see in the above that it actually is a straight hem.  I cut more flow starting under the bust so that it would drape longer on each side for a little visual interest.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

DIY Mini Fabric Bolts & Sewing Room Tour

Prior to having the mini fabric bolts, I'd store my fabrics in giant plastic bins and have to rummage through all of them to find something specific.  I love that I can now just see all of my fabrics at a glance.  I first saw the idea for mini fabric bolts at Iheartnaptime and thought it was genius to use comic book boards as the basis for the bolts.  Because I initially kept poking myself with pins, I modified her idea by simply folding and wrapping my fabrics around the boards instead.

Materials:

• Comic Book Boards - I used 8.5 x 11"
• Fabric

Steps:

Note - For thinner fabrics like chiffons, I'd recommend placing them in magazine holders to maximize shelf space and keep them standing better (see above pic, bottom right).

1.  Fold fabric into a size that is roughly 3X wider than your board (does NOT have to be perfect)

2.  Fold one side of the fabric over the long edge of the board.

3.  Fold fabric over both of the shorter ends of the board

4.  Roll board and fabric towards the loose fabric end

5.  Tuck

You're finished!  Now display your fabrics proudly!

On to the Sewing Room tour - so when I say "Sewing Room", it's really more of a sewing corner in a living room that also serves as an office.  Space is tight, but it's still nice to have dedicated space.  When I first started sewing (2 houses ago), I would haul my sewing machine and materials into the breakfast nook, sew, and then put everything away again.

My little sewing table holds my serger and sewing machine.  The OttLite in the middle is great for detail work.

Kitchen jars organize little sewing items like tape measures, zippers, etc.

My little sewing corner

Fabric Shelf (Ikea Expedit)

Most fabrics are organized on mini bolts and shelved (typically by material and then color) like books for easy visibility.  Solids are kept in the bins and organized by material - i.e. knits, twills, shirtings, laces.  Also in bins are bulky wools, remnants, and supplies.

Example of one of the fabric bins

If you have any good organizational tips (especially for small spaces), please do share!