Goodbye, Plastic Baggies If you pack lunches, you know exactly how fast a box of disposable plastic bags disappears. We were going through them by the hundreds, and every one ended up in the bin after a single sandwich. The day I sewed our first batch of reusable snack bags … Continue reading
Culottes, one of the most trendy styles of the 50’s and 60’s, are back! Culottes are flared pants or shorts that can often look like a skirt or a dress when you’re wearing them. I have been trying to help you build a warm-weather wardrobe that is both easy and … Continue reading
It is the smallest thing in your sewing box, so small it is easy to lose down the side of the chair. Yet the thimble has been protecting busy fingers for well over a thousand years. The history of the thimble is far longer and far more charming than you … Continue reading
A Little Thing That Makes Dinner Feel Special I will let you in on one of my favorite small luxuries. There is nothing fancy about a cloth napkin, and yet the moment you set one beside a plate the whole table feels cared for. We swapped to cloth in our … Continue reading
Welcome back to my little running argument with myself: does spending more on a sewing tool actually make you sew better, faster, or just lighter in the wallet? This time we are talking about the humble sewing machine needle, the one tool I think more sewists get wrong than any … Continue reading
As most of our readers would know, I’m not a fan of gyms as I explained in my post on creating A New Workout Wardrobe: My New Year Resolution. But I actually would love to own a sports bra that gives me not only support but comfort. I think this … Continue reading
Crepe is a fabric with a distinctive crinkled, pebbled texture and a soft, fluid drape, made by tightly twisting the yarns before they are woven or knitted. It can be silk, wool, cotton, polyester, or rayon, and you have almost certainly worn it in blouses, dresses, gowns, and skirts. Below … Continue reading
Pattern weights hold your paper pattern pieces flat against the fabric so you can cut around them accurately without pins. They are quick to make from things you already own, and below are 11 easy DIY pattern weight ideas, plus a simple washer method you can put together in minutes. … Continue reading
A Bag for Every Trip to the Market I keep a little nest of cloth bags by the front door, and I reach for them every single week. A sturdy tote for the heavy tins, a roomy market bag for the farm stand, and a handful of lightweight mesh bags … Continue reading
Welcome back to our little series where we look at the tools in the sewing room and ask a simple question: does spending more on a better, fancier, more expensive tool actually make you sew faster, easier, or just have a bit more fun? Can you sew beautifully on a … Continue reading
Most of us sit down at our machine without a second thought, thread it up, and start stitching. Yet the humble sewing machine was once one of the most fought over inventions of its age, tangled up in riots, lawsuits, and a fortune or two. The history of the sewing … Continue reading
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