Category: sewing

With a Little Help from My Friends

Do you remember how much I loved this band jacket Stella McCartney did for Gap Kids? Well, my super seamstress sister-in-law Miranda did. She made E his very own marching band jacket for Christmas! And she didn’t just make one, she also made a jacket for her son L (I know, I know–her sewing skills are insane).



Aren’t these cousins cute together? L is two months older than E to the day and they love playing together. L’s coming over for a few hours today and I’m sure the two of them will have a great time tearing apart my house. E loves L so much that whenever it’s time to say goodbye E cries and cries.

But at least now he can look stylish while he cries.

Two Cousins at Two

My sister-in-law Miranda asked me to take a few photos of her son L to commemorate him at two years old. L’s a real cutie and it was fun to take his photo. L is two months older than E (E’s birthday is next week) and it’s always fun to see the two of them together.


Unfortunately E’s been having bouts of separation anxiety lately and he really freaked out when Miranda held him out of the way while I was taking L’s picture. He thought I was trying to dump him off for babysitting.

Miranda, unlike me, is a great seamstress. While we were at her house she presented E with his birthday present: a stylish three-quarter length coat she had sewn herself.

Unfortunately even receiving such a great a gift did not do much to assuage E’s abandonment fears.

But eventually time did. After a while E figured out I wasn’t going to go anywhere and relaxed enough to play with L. The two of them looked very dashing together in their coats.

Sewing Machine

For a while I’ve been setting aside some money for a new sewing machine and keeping my eye out for a good deal on one. My old one, a basic Brother machine that my parents got me in college, has had more and more issues as time went on. I’ve had it in and out of the shop but still dreaded starting any big projects on it because I didn’t know when it would flip out on me next.

I saw that Costco had a good deal on a basic computerized model and after talking it over with N I went and got one over the weekend. (It was $10 cheaper at the store than online.) One of the reasons decided to buy this model at Costco (besides the $30 off coupon) was because of Costco’s lenient return policy. I know that if I have any issues with it and need to return it that they’ll take it back, even if it’s months later.

I haven’t gotten it out of the box yet but I’m really looking forward to using it. I don’t know what I’m going to make first, though. E already has a Halloween costume, so that’s out. I think it’d be good to start with a small project that would help me get to know the machine but is still very doable (I’m not an expert seamstress by any means).

What about you guys? Does anyone sew? Have any suggestions?

Cute Shirt Dress

This adorable girl’s shirt dress is made using a man’s dress shirt. Doesn’t it look perfect for summer? I would try my hand at making one if 1) I was a okay seamstress and 2) I had a daughter.

If either of those qualities describes you, check out the great tutorial here by Dana from Made. There’s also a Flickr group where you can check out the dresses that other people have made.