tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258971442026-06-25T12:27:16.919-07:00Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881780077451165233noreply@blogger.comBlogger294125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25897144.post-86739280081542563512020-07-01T01:00:00.000-07:002020-07-01T08:19:48.470-07:00

Hi there!  After another "Seamwork Ambassador" preview of this month's patterns and a stretch of hot days in Northern California, I was inspired to mix up the Micah pattern a bit to make a more playful version for hanging around the house and running around barefoot. For my version, I started off by raising the neckline.  I'm very short and if a pattern has an included modesty panel,

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881780077451165233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25897144.post-68058565031114255152020-05-02T11:50:00.003-07:002020-05-02T11:50:23.684-07:00

If you are coming over from Seamwork, welcome!  It's been 2 years (!) since I last posted here since I've largely moved to Instagram (@bea_and_lucille) and my other professional website (Bea & Lucille).  So, I won't be posting on here too frequently.... However, I was selected to be a Seamwork Ambassador and I'm super excited!  So excited I was, that when we were

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881780077451165233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25897144.post-47035770302457575832018-05-02T22:54:00.000-07:002018-05-02T22:54:06.861-07:00

I made these two cowl neck tops a few months ago, but felt compelled to create some cute skirts to wear with them as the weather warmed up.  Shazam!  Two new outfits for spring, which can be mixed and matched! The cowls are both a mash up of Sewaholic's Renfrew top (view C) and an elongated waistband from Seamwork's Astoria top.  I sewed the teal version first

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881780077451165233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25897144.post-52022379059103216572018-04-17T11:18:00.001-07:002018-04-17T11:18:18.844-07:00

I've finished teaching until the Fall (!!), but a few months ago, I was in need of some work-appropriate items.  Enter the Flint trouser by Megan Nielsen.  This style is a bit of a departure for my normal slim-legged pant wardrobe, but it's kind of refreshing (and certainly comfortable).   The pattern itself is simple, as far as pants go.  There isn't a zipper, so

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881780077451165233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25897144.post-43998309679398854742018-04-06T13:04:00.000-07:002018-04-06T13:04:02.097-07:00

Somehow, back in December, I got hooked on knitting.  Until then, knitting had been my "craft of last resort", reserved for when I wasn't near my sewing machine and just desperate to create something.  So in December, I started on a hat for my sister-in-law on a flight home from Alaska and from that moment on, I haven't been without an on-going knitting project.  Since then, I've

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881780077451165233noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25897144.post-44047359598108610352018-04-03T21:02:00.000-07:002018-04-03T21:02:29.857-07:00

It's been a while, yeah?  Between a busy teaching quarter, broken sewing machine, and a newfound obsession with knitting, I haven't been sewing as much as usual.  Which isn't to say I haven't been sewing (there will be several upcoming posts of my past garments), it's just slowed down a bit.  It's actually a little ironic, since I made a loose "resolution" to not purchase any

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881780077451165233noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25897144.post-43240569636943819632018-01-28T22:30:00.000-08:002018-01-28T22:30:04.500-08:00

Somehow, knitting got bumped up on my projects list this winter.  I'm not sure what got me started, but over the past month and a half, I've made a hat for two of my sisters-in-law (both unphotographed!), a baby hat for my husband's colleague, a hat for my brother (ungifted at this point, so no spoiler photos yet!), and two hats for myself.  I had to finish those projects before "

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881780077451165233noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25897144.post-91347947240217787362018-01-15T04:00:00.000-08:002018-01-15T04:00:09.077-08:00

This is another repeat, but it's been over a year and a half since I made the first version.  I'm always on the lookout for a different pattern--something that is interesting and unusual, but still wearable.  The first time I made the Bowline sweater from Papercut Patterns, I wasn't sure I had constructed it properly, so I wanted to give it another go.  To tell the truth, I'm

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881780077451165233noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25897144.post-85987442212300167412018-01-07T20:34:00.001-08:002018-01-07T20:34:29.655-08:00

Back in Paris, I had the opportunity to visit a special Balenciaga exhibit at musée Bourdelle.  The theme was black: the garments were primarily black, usually displayed in black boxes, and some were even behind black curtains that you had to lift to view the dresses.  The pieces were stunning, naturally, but what was particularly intriguing to me was that many of them were made

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881780077451165233noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25897144.post-60173940079358350582018-01-05T08:00:00.000-08:002018-01-05T08:00:50.755-08:00

As always, it was literally impossible to make only one of these tops.  When a garment takes 1 hour, tops, to make and is this comfortable, I need many of them in my life.  This time around, I was filling a void in my casual wardrobe where I needed a long-sleeved, comfy top under which I could wear some kind of base layer.  (Even in Northern California, I am constantly cold!)&

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881780077451165233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25897144.post-44138356026982227362018-01-03T16:57:00.000-08:002018-01-03T16:57:01.796-08:00

Catch-up time!  In the past months in which I've been absent from these parts, I have been sewing (at least a little...) but no time to take photos!  Today, I spent a hour or so documenting most of what I've made since mid-October, starting with a second version of my Fall work uniform.  I got so much use out of these two skirts (grey and tan) and two sweaters (plum and black/

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881780077451165233noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25897144.post-88007651136993667452017-10-17T12:53:00.001-07:002017-10-17T12:53:49.564-07:00

So a couple of years ago, I loved the pencil skirt with fine-gauge sweater (with scarf and boots) for work.  This year, I can feel a new uniform developing: the pencil skirt with high-waisted "sweater" (with cute flats and statement necklace or brooch).  I had to make some fit adjustments to the original pattern, but this skirt is the same pattern I drafted in my patternmaking

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881780077451165233noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25897144.post-49523555163001768102017-10-13T16:38:00.000-07:002017-10-13T16:38:02.558-07:00

I've sewn a bunch of garments since returning from my Paris trip--three dresses, a few tops, a skirt, prototype pants for my class--but I just haven't had a chance to document most of them.  So, this bodysuit here isn't a rare finished project, it's just one of the few I've actually taken photos of!  Actually, I tried it on after finishing to make sure the final product looked good

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881780077451165233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25897144.post-48217855093604515302017-09-24T08:32:00.000-07:002017-09-24T08:32:59.864-07:00

The temps have dipped a teeny bit and school starts on Monday; for the moment the Bay Area feels like Fall!  This amazing sea green and black fabric, a medium-weight stretch rayon, felt like a gorgeous choice for a new cooler-weather dress. Since the style is always flattering and effortless, I chose a vintage Diane von Furstenburg wrap dress design (Vogue 1548). The pattern envelope

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881780077451165233noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25897144.post-3776766933995931882017-08-29T22:44:00.000-07:002017-08-29T22:44:04.067-07:00

Today marks exactly two months since I arrived in Paris and one month since I departed.  I guess it's about time I wrote about the dress! The primary objective of this couture techniques workshop was to sew a custom-fit dress in the style of Madame Grès.  Our dresses were based on one of her designs from the 60s, with some slight variation (the original had an exposed zipper in the

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881780077451165233noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25897144.post-90819285238482720672017-08-13T16:36:00.000-07:002017-08-13T16:36:28.825-07:00

About half our time during our month at the Paris American Academy was spent doing something other than sewing our couture dresses: the fashion shows, attending museum tours and special exhibits, and taking special topic workshops.  The workshops were a nice break from all-day hand sewing, and we were able to learn new skills and create beautiful items to take home. We spent two full days

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881780077451165233noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25897144.post-3482524568547049182017-08-03T21:25:00.000-07:002017-08-03T21:25:37.036-07:00

As many of you know, I traveled to Paris for the month of July to participate in a Couture Techniques Workshop through the Paris American Academy.  Clearly, I didn't blog about it while I was there and now it feels almost impossible to sum up what a amazing experience it was!  So I'm going to take a few posts to hit some of the highlights of my trip: Paris Fashion Week, hat making,

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881780077451165233noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25897144.post-52894004179861862932017-06-20T20:39:00.000-07:002017-06-20T20:39:11.070-07:00

Again, I couldn't help but make two of the same pattern!  This time the pattern is the Bronx dress from SBCC, with some fit alterations (armhole redo, back width increase, sleeve redraft).  As I'm sure I've mentioned on this blog before, I just love the fit and flare shape.  What I especially love about this dress, though, is that I can sew it in way less than 2 hours, from

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881780077451165233noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25897144.post-45719167791052071852017-06-16T19:01:00.000-07:002017-06-16T19:01:01.813-07:00

Here it is; the culmination of my draping class at WVC!  When I say draping class, the assumption is that there are going to be, like, a drape of fabric somewhere on the garment, but really draping is just another way to draft a pattern.  Many of the styles we did as exercises were not "drapey" at all, since the method lends itself well for creating perfectly fitted garments. It

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881780077451165233noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25897144.post-35789596244326257002017-06-08T20:27:00.000-07:002017-06-08T20:27:27.685-07:00

I've been hoarding this piece of Liberty lawn for ages.  Since I didn't have a set plan when I purchased it, the ideas of what I could sew with it have run the gamut: pajama bottoms, dirndl skirt, button down shirt...  However, browsing through the J. Crew website the other day, I found a blouse in the exact fabric, with a really cute and summery design.  Done!  Here's the

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881780077451165233noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25897144.post-61316513824969025462017-06-06T07:23:00.000-07:002017-06-06T07:28:25.030-07:00

After three and a half years of very part-time classes at West Valley College, I finally graduated a week ago with my A.S. in Apparel Production!  Since I made a new dress for my very first day of class at WVC, it was only fitting that I drape, draft, and sew the dress in which I accept my degree. Not only did I just graduate, but tomorrow is my 40th birthday (!).  Both events

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881780077451165233noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25897144.post-48952133875166423922017-05-09T10:41:00.002-07:002017-05-09T10:41:56.871-07:00

Quilting really isn't my thing; I've made a handful of quilts over the years and while I have been really proud of the resulting blankets, it's not something I enjoy very much.  So, clearly, making a new dress or blouse has taken priority over a long-term quilting project! On the spare bed for a moment Truthfully, I had intended to make a quilt for my younger son when he moved into a "

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881780077451165233noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25897144.post-69083840897006545122017-04-27T11:54:00.001-07:002017-04-27T11:54:43.497-07:00

I was definitely not kidding when I said I tend to sew up a pattern twice!  Since I made this two dresses just days apart, I thought I would post them together :) The pattern is McCall's M6891.  It's a good, classic shirtdress style with a convertible collar and pockets.  I love the full skirt, waistline seam, and ungathered back (why do designers do that??). Since it's a

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881780077451165233noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25897144.post-28181928899827273012017-04-13T23:27:00.000-07:002017-04-13T23:27:25.512-07:00

I was contacted recently by the organizers of STYLE '17, asking if I would be interesting in attending the show April 29-30th.  Since I didn't know anything about the event, I checked out their website to see what types of artists and vendors might be there.  There are some really exciting and diverse crafts being represented (check out this jewelry maker's biology-inspired items!). &

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881780077451165233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25897144.post-35994037330984306882017-03-29T22:27:00.000-07:002017-03-29T22:27:30.937-07:00

I'm about halfway through my last semester at WVC and I am loving my draping class!  I've taken two flat pattern drafting courses, which were amazing too, but draping to create garment designs is just a whole different skill.   So much fun! Since I work on a dress form that has a similar bust size as me, I can use certain class drapes as designs for myself.  Here's the

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881780077451165233noreply@blogger.com10