Making the clothes you love last
Since I’m into mending lace these days, I’ve been thinking about one of my very first mending projects where I used lace appliqués to fix a sweater that had holes at the collar. Here’s a little show and tell of the piece, which 10 years later is still has a special place in my wardrobe.
I’m very excited to introduce you to the latest addition to my Etsy shop: The Adult Biker Knee Patch Pattern. It’s inspiration comes from the technical protective knee padding found in motorcycle gear. Over the past few years, the biker patch look has made it’s way into the mainstream as a stylish detail on jeans and casual pants. The Biker Knee Patch is the perfect addition to not only repair an old pair of jeans, but to give it a designer customized look.
Continue reading “Introducing The Adult Biker Knee Patch Pattern”
A few months ago I wrote a post about how I repaired a vintage quilt for a client by using 3 generations of her family’s clothes. Since then, I have been commissioned with a few quilts from people wanting to restore family heirlooms. Here’s the most recent restoration completed before Christmas.
Continue reading “From Tattered To Shabby Chic: The Restoration Of A Vintage Quilt”
As a designer and maker, it won’t come as a huge surprise to you that I have let my kids play with a needle and thread from a young age. Starting at 3 years old, they had a hoop, needle & thread in hand. My job mainly consisted of reminding them to not wrap the thread around the hoop, but up and down through the fabric. I could easily write a book about teaching kids to sew and mend at every age, but today, I want to share with you my favorite tips on how to teach older kids to fix their own clothes with a simple stitching technique and some visible mending.
The holiday season is just a month away and if you’re like me, you’re just starting to think about what to gift your kids this year. Because packaging is often the main negative offset to the toys and objects we offer our kids, I decided to share with you a few zero waste gift ideas and wrapping options.
You’ve heard the term I’m sure, but have you ever wondered where the practice of retail therapy comes from? And if we’re taking the term “therapy” in it’s literal sense, is this habit of going shopping for fun actually good for you, or is it one of those cheeky sayings just used to justify our love of shopping?
I think it’s a fact that stretch jeans are here to stay for a while. Although they are very comfortable to wear, a common problem I have found is that the waist is often too loose. Here’s a tutorial to show you the quickest way I have found to take in the waist of jeans.
A few months ago, a client asked me to repair an old quilt that had been made by her paternal grandmother. As you can imagine, over the years it has lost a bit of its shine and became quite tattered. She asked if there was any way that I could repair the torn pieces and cover up the stains that had proven impossible to take out. Her intention, to gift it to her daughter for her birthday as a keepsake.
Continue reading “Repairing An Old Quilt With 3 Generations Of Clothes”
I’m so excited to introduce you to my latest patch pattern design. It’s inspiration comes from the technical protective knee padding found in motorcycle gear. Over the past few years, the biker patch look has made it’s way into the mainstream as a stylish detail on jeans and casual pants. The Biker Knee Patch is the perfect addition to not only repair an old pair of jeans, but to give it additional style. In this tutorial I will show you how easy it is to repurpose old jeans or pants cutoffs into the Biker Knee Patch.
Continue reading “How To Repurpose Jeans Cutoffs Into Patches”
Let me introduce you to my favorite bag. It’s Italian made, leather tanned with vegetable dyes and large enough to carry all my mom gear. My husband bought it for me at Winners many years ago after I had told him that I dreamed of owning a real brown leather bag. The man has an eye for clothes and accessories and when he brought it home, I fell in love with the bag at first sight. The fact that he is the one who bought it for me may have been an additional reason for the infatuation. I figured it would be the perfect investment piece that I could use for the next 10 to 20 years. Little did I know that this dream would be put to the test within a few years of use.