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Oh, happy day, my high-waisted, wide-leg "Seabee" trousers are finally finished! It all started when I decided to join  The Cupcake Goddess ' Trouser Sew-Along back in January, which finished in February I believe (it's been awhile). I didn't do the official sew-along BurdaStyle pattern. Instead I went with a pattern I already had in my stash, the 1940s Empire Waist Trousers from the Decades of Style Pattern Company  in Berkeley, CA. She updates vintage patterns from the 1910s to the 1950s, so this pattern is a style that would've been sewn up by home seamstresses of the early 1940s! These trousers are so incredibly comfy - I LOVE them!  Please excuse the overcast day. It's the best we can get around here lately. (And, I'm freezing!) I first bought this pattern at the Decades of Style Trunk Show at Sew L.A. in 2009, along with 4 other patterns. This is the first one I've made, which is a real surprise to me! I bought this particular...

Happy New Year, everyone! I've got big news -- I'm moving back to New York City in a little under a week, whoa nelly! New York and me go back generations in my family, and I'm super excited to be heading back that way. My sewing time is sadly going to be minimal, but I'm hoping to get some time in at the Sewing Studio in the Garment District while I transition. We'll see! My grandpa hemming window shades in Manhattan, late 1940s (I now own that Singer industrial machine, complete with lamp!) ...GIVEAWAY..! To celebrate the move (and my upcoming 1-year blogiversary that just snuck up on me), I'm hosting my first-ever giveaway! I'll be giving away these 4 patterns: 1. Knit party or summer dress from McCall's (6462) released for this spring. Runs multi-size from 4 thru 12. I have a copy of this pattern myself and can't wait to sew it up! 2. Loose-fitting blouse from McCall's (4106) in sizes 6-8-10, date 1989. My grandmother gave this to me and she ...

Sarai at Colette Patterns is hosting a Spring Palette Challenge where you sew a mini wardrobe with specific colors in mind.  It's a 10-week challenge and the first step is to create an inspiration board, which was a lot of fun!  I chose to go with fabrics already in my stash -- hey, that just means more room for future fabric purchases! My "Playground of the Pacific" Spring Palette (dress patterns at lower center courtesy Wade Laboissonniere, Blueprints of Fashion: Home Sewing Patterns of the 1940s) The palette I chose -- gold, blues, reds, and what I'm calling "sand" -- are vibrant colors (well, except for sand, but I like having a neutral in there to balance the others) that contrast my current dreary winter surroundings.  Virginia has beautiful colors for most of the year, but in the winter everything seems so dull and grey, and not exactly inspiring.  I need a punch of color, or 2 or 3 or 4!  Really, just throw 'em all at me, I can take it. I had ...