Good Things Come From Bad Things - My Parents House

When things get rough, or when you are exercising faith for a breakthrough, it’s important to remind yourself of past situations where bad things worked out for a much better situation.

I’d like to share the story of my parents’ house with you. After almost a decade of saving, planning, building, they were just about to move in. But then a devastating disaster hit.

I put together this video to tell you the story.

I encourage you to make mementos of times things have worked out for your good in your life. Reminded yourself of them when you need a jolt of faith.

The Easiest Way to Sew In-Seam Pockets

Did you know it’s super easy to add in-seam pockets to almost any skirt or dress sewing pattern? It’s just takes a few extra steps.

Here is a simple step-by-step tutorial of how to do it!

1) Cut 4 pocket pieces. Serge all the way around each piece.

2) Serge the sides and bottom of the front and back skirt pieces.

*Serging not shown in following illustrations.

3) Mark 5” (13 cm) down from the top of the skirt pieces. Depending on what you are making, you may want to move the pockets up or down. 5” is a suggestion if the skirt is going to sit on or near your waistline.

4) With right sides together, line up the top of the pockets with the the mark made in step 3.

Sew the pockets with 1/2” (1.3 cm) seam allowance.

With a steamy iron, press the seam allowance toward the pocket.

5) Place the skirt pieces with right sides together. Pin or clip in place.

6) Sew along the entire length of both seams and around the pockets. When you come to the top and bottom of the pockets, make a sharp pivot into and out of the pocket. Be sure not to sew straight down and sew the pockets shut!

Sew with a 5/8” (1.6 cm) seam allowance.

That’s it! Turn the skirt inside out and it’s fully pocketed.

Proceed with the rest of the sewing instructions for whatever pattern you are making.

Chamomile Crop Dress

Introducing the Chamomile Dress — a flowy pattern addition to the Chamomile Crop.

It is flowy like a wildflower in the field and it has pockets to hold all the essentials of life — lip balm, keys, little rocks you fall in love with on walks along streams, money for buying little chocolates and paying parking meters, tampons, and other necessities. They are big pockets.

The skirt can be made long or short — you should probably make at least one in each length to cover all the options :)

Billowing gathers, confident lines. It’s a perfect summer dress.

Interviewed by Fabrics-Store.com

I had the big honor of being interviewed by Fabrics-Store.com to start of 2020 with a bang! They sent me a few yards of this beautiful, bright, heavyweight softened linen Marigold fabric along with some brilliant interview questions.

I tell the story about my unconventional upbringing, why not living around a lot of people is good for me, and why I’m so passionate about sewing.

Here’s an excerpt:

Somehow when we are disconnected from the process of creating clothes, we receive the message that the clothes we buy are the “right” version of how a body should be, and our bodies are the “wrong” version. It feels like it’s something we need to fix in order to be beautiful, to have worth even. When you start sewing, you recognize that clothes are mere shapes of fabric cut and sewn together. There is no “right” and “wrong” shape. It starts to dawn on you deep within. It wells up in an indomitable force of confidence, the realization that your body is perfect. Right and wrong simply doesn’t exist.

If you’d like to read the full interview, you can read it here!

Rosemary Wrap Sew Along

Oh the elegance of wrapping yourself up in fabric. The Rosemary Wrap pattern is meant to be among the simplest forms of clothing, the form of wrapping yourself up in fabric, but in a way that hugs your beautiful curves.

Let’s dive in.

Sew the waist ties with right sides together and sew along the short end. 3/8” (1 cm) seam allowance. Press the seam open, then set aside the waist tie for now.

Sew all four darts. Press the outside darts out and the inside darts in.

Serge or zigzag stitch all the way around the sides and bottom of the skirt. Fold it toward the right side 1/4” (6 mm) and press. The curved hem version of this skit has the hem visible on the outside as a design detail. If you are using fabric that you would rather not show the wrong side, you can press the hem toward the wrong side.

Fold the hem again 1/4” (6 mm) toward the right side and press. Edge stitch along the entire length of the hem.

For the square hem version, fold up the bottom edge 1/2” (1.3 cm) toward the wrong side and press. Fold up again 1/2” (1.3 cm) and press again.

Edge stitch along the folded edge. Repeat steps to hem both sides of the skirt.

Place the center of the waist tie in the center of the skit with right sides together. Sew along the entire length of the top of the skirt. 3/8” (1 cm) seam allowance.

Fold the tails of the waist ties with right sides together so the edges meet. Sew the entire length of the tails with 3/8 (1 cm) seam allowance. Leave the ends of the tails open.

Turn the tails right side out using a bodkin or safety pin. It will be easier to turn if you grade the seam allowance before turning. Press the tails.

Once the tails are right side out, press the waist tie up, and the seam allowance up toward the waist tie.

Fold the top edge of the waist tie down so it meets the seam allowance. Then fold it over again so the bottom folded edge just covers the seam.

From the front of the skirt, stitch right along the seam (stitch in the ditch) and make sure it’s just catching the folded edge of the waist tie on the back side.

Fold in the ends of the waist tie tails and sew shut.

The last step is, of course, to wrap yourself up in handmade love and tie a bow in the back. To be worn proudly and confidently in all your feminine glory.

If you don’t have the Rosemary Wrap pattern yet, you can get it here!