tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68646885654741924252026-04-07T08:00:22.323-04:00Mashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05364861545043732582noreply@blogger.comBlogger287125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864688565474192425.post-67244043351784073052022-07-05T16:20:00.000-04:002022-07-05T16:20:13.324-04:00

It's been a minute, and this isn't how I intended to get back to blogging. But I sewed something and I have some time to write about it, so here we are.In April, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was a shock, as most diagnoses probably are. And it's been a tornado of specialist appointments and allergic reactions and ER visits since then. I'm now halfway through chemo, but only a month into

Mashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05364861545043732582noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864688565474192425.post-84064598791700901522020-03-26T08:13:00.002-04:002020-03-26T08:13:57.021-04:00

When I sewed this dress months ago, I was planning to wear it for Easter. Now the entire country of Colombia is quarantined through April 12 (Western Easter). We're all at home and not allowed to leave except to grocery shop (one person only) or walk a dog (20 minutes, one person only) or seek medical attention. Orthodox Easter is April 19 this year and I'm not optimistic that we'll be out of

Mashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05364861545043732582noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864688565474192425.post-74906947164137038642020-03-08T16:54:00.001-04:002020-03-08T21:15:19.585-04:00

I picked up Simplicity 8641 during a JoAnn's pattern sale that occurred when I was home last summer. I had no plans to sew it before we left Bogota; actually, I had planned to cut out a new pair of jeans the day that I ended up taking it out of my pattern box. And then it was just one of those things that came together perfectly. I had a perfect fabric for it in my stash, and a little bit of

Mashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05364861545043732582noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864688565474192425.post-66684339692356663932020-03-03T11:36:00.001-05:002020-03-03T11:36:15.329-05:00

How is it already March? We're moving in less than three months and I have so much to do! Busy-ness notwithstanding, I managed to sew a few things this month. I'm also trying to make some plans for what I would like to sew before I lose my machines for three months, or I am afraid I won't get anything done. I haven't finalized a list, but here are some ideas: A new pair of Liana Jeans using

Mashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05364861545043732582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864688565474192425.post-2843715705074764002020-02-26T11:35:00.003-05:002020-02-26T11:36:41.450-05:00

So, at some point I will get back to posting full blog posts on this blog. Right now I am a little bit snowed under. And I guess we're also preparing for an international move in less than three months, so perhaps it will take a bit longer to recover. But for today, I'm over at the Oliver + S blog again, with a post about a velvet dress my daughter and I designed using the Building Block

Mashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05364861545043732582noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864688565474192425.post-90715022860479757072020-02-20T10:09:00.000-05:002020-02-20T10:09:13.390-05:00

I was drawn to the Liesl + Co. Gelato Blouse pattern as soon as it was released. The easy shape is casual, but put-together at the same time. Although the weather in Bogota is the same year-round, seeing people’s fall and winter clothes on Instagram put me in a cuddly frame of mind, and I got the idea to sew the blouse in flannel.   The flannel was long-stashed from Fabric Mart,

Mashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05364861545043732582noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864688565474192425.post-69588412922227598622020-02-11T08:56:00.000-05:002020-02-11T12:41:02.467-05:00

I'm sharing a tutorial for adding a turtleneck to any t-shirt pattern on the Oliver + S blog. If you're looking for the tutorial, click over there.  If you're interested in fitting details about this Liesl + Co. Metro Tee that I hacked into a turtleneck, keep reading. I'll link to the tutorial again at the bottom of the post. This particular turtleneck is made of rayon/lycra jersey I

Mashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05364861545043732582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864688565474192425.post-75208086271549927452020-02-02T17:00:00.000-05:002020-02-09T16:07:08.668-05:00

January was a busy month. I can't believe that Christmas was just a few weeks ago - it seems like months and months have passed since January 7 (Orthodox Christmas). Then we had a health scare that put my husband in the hospital for 48 hours for testing. Everything is under control now, but that was a super-stressful weekend, and is the reason that I bought fabric this month. It was total

Mashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05364861545043732582noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864688565474192425.post-82943139632878441682020-01-28T23:34:00.000-05:002020-01-28T23:34:09.477-05:00

I bought the Birgitte Basic Tee pattern from Maria Denmark something like five years ago, but this is the first time I have sewn it. It's a basic scoop-neck t-shirt with a v-neck option and options for long and short sleeves and elbow-length bell sleeves. I am in need of knit tops, and I recently had a stress-induced shopping spree at the remnants shop in town (stay tuned for a post about that)

Mashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05364861545043732582noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864688565474192425.post-53125748256720893082020-01-20T07:38:00.002-05:002020-01-20T07:38:37.105-05:00

I've been putting off this post because I've had a bit of a hard time making goals. For me, one of the most fun parts of sewing is indulging my whims. I've made some of my most beloved items by going off piste. So, in general, I don't like to make too many goals. Also, we'll be moving back to the U.S. sometime in mid-2020, so once again, I'll be without my machines for a few months. I

Mashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05364861545043732582noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864688565474192425.post-15143445438318811192020-01-15T19:33:00.000-05:002020-01-15T19:33:12.345-05:00

If you have been reading this blog at all lately, you'll know that I've recently become enamored of a new fitting technique: the high round back adjustment. I've written a photo tutorial for the adjustment, and you can find it over on the Oliver + S blog today. Learning about this adjustment was a lightning moment for me. I'd been using forward shoulder adjustments only for years, and was

Mashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05364861545043732582noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864688565474192425.post-34095123639410514322020-01-13T07:08:00.001-05:002020-01-13T07:08:41.165-05:00

I made some good progress on rebuilding my handmade wardrobe in 2019. The biggest hole I had to fill was in my long-sleeved knit top drawer. Recently I sewed another striped Liesl + Co. Metro T-Shirt to fill space in that drawer. I used the same pattern that I drafted for the narrow shoulder adjustment experiment I performed on my first Metro. I did a 5/8" high round back adjustment, a 1/2"

Mashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05364861545043732582noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864688565474192425.post-80098317241453543112020-01-05T17:53:00.000-05:002020-01-05T17:53:05.004-05:00

We spent the first week in December recovering from illness that hit the house over Thanksgiving (I swear this happens to us every single year!). I felt really awful for a long time and still haven't totally recovered. I'm always so tired in Bogota, and I suspect it's the altitude (8700 feet). Anyway, fatigue notwithstanding, I did manage to sew a few things. I also did a fair chunk of fabric

Mashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05364861545043732582noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864688565474192425.post-88808249674175123632020-01-01T17:00:00.000-05:002020-01-01T17:00:10.072-05:00

Can it really be time for my 2019 year-in-review post? I guess so. This year was characterized mostly by scrambling to fill in wardrobe holes after losing about 25 pounds in the first quarter of 2019. To that end, I altered 20 garments to fit and donated at least that many. Then I sewed 41 new wardrobe items for myself and 43 for my husband and children. If you're interested in

Mashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05364861545043732582noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864688565474192425.post-81106062277297710122019-12-29T16:55:00.000-05:002019-12-29T16:55:05.005-05:00

I did not have many misses this year. I had to dip into the sewing-for-kids section to round out my top 5! So I guess that's a good thing. Without further ado, let me present my biggest fails of the year. From left to right: 1. Simplicity 1369 skirt. I used a long-hoarded cotton faille but in the end, this pattern just wasn't for me. I never wore the skirt, but have kept it with

Mashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05364861545043732582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864688565474192425.post-40720734272819324622019-12-22T19:53:00.000-05:002019-12-22T19:53:43.295-05:00

When choosing my top five this year, I focused on ease of dressing, number of wears, and satisfaction with the garment's fit. The following makes are ones that I have reached for over and over again, and that have no fit issues that bother me when I wear them. Making this list has reinforced my identity as someone who enjoys to sew wardrobe staples that I will wear many times. 1. My

Mashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05364861545043732582noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864688565474192425.post-78625750373371469032019-12-15T17:00:00.000-05:002019-12-15T20:01:07.746-05:00

As someone who always has to do a full bust adjustment (FBA), I've long wondered whether it would be possible to replace this adjustment with the simpler narrow shoulder adjustment. If choosing a size based on your full bust results in a too-big shoulder, wouldn't doing a narrow shoulder adjustment on that size fix the problem? I decided to try it out. Can you do a narrow shoulder

Mashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05364861545043732582noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864688565474192425.post-60084148085690950832019-12-11T17:00:00.000-05:002019-12-11T17:00:09.389-05:00

Do you know what a coverstitch machine does? Have you been thinking about purchasing one? It seems they're not that common in the online sewing community, and I didn't find many reviews when I was researching mine. The machine I bought, the Brother 2340CV, remains the least expensive coverstitch on the market. Read on to learn what a coverstitch machine does and to read my review. This post

Mashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05364861545043732582noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864688565474192425.post-50373457735637162232019-12-08T17:00:00.000-05:002019-12-08T17:00:04.913-05:00

I am somewhat ashamed to admit that the Amazon rainforest was not on my list of places to visit in Colombia. Although I love hot weather, I like that hot weather in proximity to a sea or an ocean. But last year, after we studied South American geography, Z announced that she just had to see the pink river dolphins in the Amazon. In October we finally made the trip. Colombia has a tiny slice of

Mashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05364861545043732582noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864688565474192425.post-24871835497365341442019-12-03T20:11:00.000-05:002019-12-04T06:53:54.799-05:00

This is a new thing for this blog. I've read other bloggers' reviews of Big 4 pattern company collections for years, but I've never felt drawn to post one of my own until today, when I saw the new Simplicity collection. The new collection contains 20 patterns, most of which feature new branding. It looks like Simplicity might be taking some cues from indie patterns in both branding and style

Mashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05364861545043732582noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864688565474192425.post-9619648961563708892019-12-01T16:30:00.000-05:002019-12-02T10:30:47.171-05:00

I did a lot of traveling in November (see my travel wardrobe capsule posts here), which didn't leave much time for sewing. But I also managed to refrain from buying fabric, so that was good at least. Projects Completed: One of my flights was a red-eye, so the morning of the trip, I quickly made a velvet sleep mask from the Tilly and the Buttons free pattern. I can't really claim any fabric

Mashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05364861545043732582noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864688565474192425.post-62455531712680668912019-11-24T18:16:00.004-05:002019-12-01T17:06:42.735-05:00

Earlier this month we flew to Virginia for 10 days to attend my brother's wedding. The trip coincided with a cold front that plunged temperatures into the high 30s and low 40s. I needed to pack for casual hanging out with family and friends, two weekends at church, a rehearsal luncheon and a wedding.  From left to right, here's what I packed: Top row: a store-bought dark gray

Mashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05364861545043732582noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864688565474192425.post-35096024344875986922019-11-20T17:00:00.000-05:002019-12-13T07:50:29.948-05:00

I'm so glad to have finally sewed this fabric, which I bought more than three years ago. I've always loved it but just didn't have a pattern for it. Then this summer I bought New Look 6582 and a match was made. This post contains affiliate links, all of which are clearly marked. If you click on my link and buy something, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. So far

Mashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05364861545043732582noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864688565474192425.post-63147700783295718742019-11-17T17:34:00.000-05:002019-11-17T17:34:02.739-05:00

I got so much encouragement after my last capsule wardrobe post, that I decided to do another one. I took a trip earlier this month to visit my elderly great-aunt, who lives in Toronto. My trip was timed just a week too late, as the temperature dropped to the 40s a few days before I arrived. Here's what I took along: From left to right: my Blank Slate Peppermint PJ pants and a black cotton

Mashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05364861545043732582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6864688565474192425.post-55597099225260909252019-11-10T17:00:00.000-05:002019-12-13T07:55:03.836-05:00

I should start by noting that this all started quite on a whim. A true flight of fancy. And as they are prone to do, this particular fancy has already flown. But I thought someone might be interested in reading about my experience dipping my toe into the world of pattern drafting, so here we are. This post contains affiliate links, all of which are clearly marked where they appear. If you

Mashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05364861545043732582noreply@blogger.com2