(sew)everyday notions

Hemlock, Mandy, Sorbetto, Plantain, Polly. There are some fab free sewing patterns available from some amazing indie pattern designers, aren't there? This is another one, the Tate Top by Workroom Social . I put this little beauty together pretty quickly for a recent wedding where I wanted something cute (check), nursing friendly (check) and dressy/casual enough for a country farm wedding (I wore it with black skinny jeans- so check check!!). Thanks Jennifer for a great pattern!  Some notes... The download is only for the pattern (no instructions) but the construction is pretty easy to figure out. I made a size 14, after checking the finished measurements and allowing for the ease I wanted.  I made the back of the top less "racer back" by eyeballing the armholes when cutting, to allow me to wear a nursing tank underneath without the straps peaking out. Fabric is a neon printed poly from Spotlight.  This is my first time using self bias! (True story!!) Not a...

When a close friend has a baby, I like to make up a baby quilt for the new arrival. In the planning I like to make sure I give them a design that fits in with the parents aesthetic. This quilt for Baby A turned out just how I envisioned it- cool, modern and not too "babyish". I used this pin (and it's subsequent blog post) as my inspiration. I debated which colour and sort of thread I would use (yellow, black or grey? Upholstery weight?) but in the end just used normal (Gutermann) thead in black. There's so many quilting lines it that I think this was the best outcome. testing the thread & pattern First I quilted the long lines that run vertical, then measured the first few horizontal chevrons from the centre of the quilt, and just eyeballed the distance as I sewed - changing the distance up to make for a more "organic" style (that is, it didn't matter if I got a bit lazy wonky).  Aren't chevrons pretty? ...