SewLSC

  Scarves and belts are great accessories that can elevate an outfit. Both are also easily made from leftover fabric from your sewing projects. Designing the Scarf A scarf can be any size or shape you want. Typically scarves are made as small or large squares or as long rectangles..... but the size is really limited to your imagination and how your want to use it. I recently made a scarf to go with an off the shoulder dress I made from Vogue 1674. The purpose of the scarf was to convert an evening to day look, to add modesty to the dress when needed and to provide warmth if the room was cold. I decided I wanted a large rectangular scarf instead of a large square.  I made my scarf a rectangle so I could tie it and wear it in a multitude of ways.   Cutting the Fabric for the Scarf To make the scarf, I cut a piece of 26x44 inch silk and then used my serger to make a rolled hem. I had between 1/2 and 2/3 yard of fabric leftover from a blouse I had made years ago, so the si...

Pattern Review just introduced a feature called My Top 10 List as a feature of the pattern stash. Last year alone I sewed over 200 different patterns. I can pick only 10? Challenge accepted. I began by listing patterns be type. Then I evaluated how often I sewed the pattern and even more important, how often I wore the garments.  My most sewn, most worn patterns are all dresses. Not a surprise. Dresses are my most worn garment. For business. For casual. For travel. I love how I can put on a dress and be done. I also love how I can vary my look by changing shoes, scarves, jewelry and toppers. In a world where there is too much to do, I like easy decisions when getting dressed. Pardon the bad pun. Since I had a difficult time confining my list to just dresses, let alone 10 patterns period, I present my favorite patterns by type: Tops: I have 41 tops reviewed on Pattern Review. Of those, these are the patterns I've sewn and worn again and again: Simplici...

Patternreview is sponsoring a contest requiring participants to use "What Was I Thinking?" fabric.   Hmmmmm. I just discovered I have an abundance of “what was I thinking fabrics.” There’s a pattern. Not enough fabric. The fabric was expensive but stunning. No particular project in mind but it was a have-to-have fabric. I did not buy enough. What was I thinking? Too much fabric. I bought a bit of extra fabric for an important project. Now I have leftovers that are not quite enough to make something. What was I thinking? Disappointing fabric. Ordered online for a planned project. The fabric arrived and was not as expected. Many reasons for this category. Could be color was off. Or fabric hand was wrong for the project. Or stretch was not as described. Or just looked/felt less lovely than it did online. Ugh. Disappointing purchase. What was I thinking? Seduced by type of fabric or designer . Example. Sale on silk. I love silk. This is reall...