In the fall, I wrote roundups of what I’ve sewn over the years from Style Arc and Muna and Broad. Now it’s time for another of my favourite pattern companies, Helen’s Closet! I pattern tested for Helen’s Closet for several years, and have met Helen in person once. The team continues to send me free … More Helen’s Closet: A Roundup (Part 1)

What would I wear if I worked in an office or wanted to “dress for success” in my current job? A comment from Regan on Instagram got me thinking about this, so you know it’s bound to become a post! As a teacher I can wear a wide range of styles. There are people who … More Corporate GenderQueer: If I had to dress formally for work

The Helen’s Closet Jackson pullover was my favourite pattern of 2021, and I’ve got three unblogged versions to show you! Let’s start with the two classic sweatshirts in absolutely beautiful Nerida Hansen french terry. I got these prints on sale in December, and even with shipping to Canada and some customs fees, they were on … More Sweatshirts Galore

I watch a lot of makeup YouTube, and many channels make prediction videos each year. (If you are curious, check out this or this!) I’m absurdly out of touch with what’s going on in the sewing community, but I thought it would be fun to try anyway! I hope you’ll chime in with your predictions … More Sewing Trends and Predictions for 2022

There is nothing that connects these three projects except perhaps colour, so I’m going with it! I’ve been trying to add more green into my wardrobe this year because it is part of the “pastel forest” palette that I made up in August. First up is this boiled wool … cardigan? jacket? I made a … More Black, white, and green all over

Ahhh, what to say about the past year? The last two years of COVID have been hard for everyone, and so “good” is all relative. I loved teaching from home last school year, and it broke my heart to go back to in-person this fall. As I write this, I’m crossing all my fingers and … More Top 5 Reflections from 2021, and Goals for 2022

Another year, another round up – a series that I’ve been writing since before I used TikTok (duh), Instagram (yikes), or even WordPress. This is officially the tenth year of #SewingTop5! I shared 15 blog posts this year, down from the years when I did about 100. Luckily several of them had multiple garments, so … More Top 5 Hits and Misses of 2021

I’ve had a few comments on my posts about figuring out a colour palette lately from people who are struggling to find their colour palette, and it got me thinking: What if we ignore colour and just focus on contrast and depth? Basically, imagine you look at your outfit as a black and white picture. … More What if we ignore colour and focus on contrast and depth?

Behold, a perfect fabric and pattern match! This is the Style Arc Kitt Knit Dress (so fun to say) which I was inspired to buy after I wrote last week’s round up. It is a really simple inverted triangle silhouette – but since I’ve been teaching a few math classes lately, let me be more … More Style Arc Kitt Knit Dress and Fabric from a Friend!

I’ve sewn a LOT of Style Arc over the years. It’s a pattern line that some people are wary about trying, either because the instructions are sparse or because the patterns are sometimes sold in just a single size. (You do get the size up and the size down from what you order in a … More Style Arc: A Roundup!