Author Archives: Jan

About Jan

Musician and geek and Juris Doctor; lover of fine art and fine craft; mother and grandmother and significant other and friend. Passionate about sewing.

Knitting Across New England (and Beyond)

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I always like to have something to do with my hands while we’re driving long distances. We planned a September vacation to Maine and Massachusetts, so I picked up a knitting kit from my favorite LYS, Three Sheep Gallery and Workshop on Market Street in Youngstown. The pattern was Margaret Craig’s Heidi & Lana Rainfall shawl/scarf. I started the pattern a few days before we left, and finished it a few days after Thanksgiving. The “and Beyond” to the title of this post is how long it took me to finish this scarf. The lace border is roughly 300 stitches … Continue reading →

Two More Sidewinders

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I wasn’t completely sold on the Sidewinder pattern that I made up for the Sew Sweetness Secret Santa exchange, but I had already cut the pattern out in another fabric, so went ahead and made it up, then made it up again. The third make was in a music-themed fabric, as I am a working musician. I thought I’d give it to one of the music professors I work with at Youngstown State University. But when it was all finished, on the morning I was taking my new half-sister (whom I discovered two-and-a-half years ago via Ancestry.com) to the Cleveland … Continue reading →

Santa Sews!

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A lovely young woman named Sara Lawson creates sewing patterns for bags under the name Sew Sweetness. She has a Facebook group that 31,000 sewists have joined. We talk about her patterns, we ask each other’s advice, and we dispense encouragement. Liberally! This year a member named Michelle Graham organized the first Global Sew Sweetness Secret Santa event, which almost 400 sewists joined. To join, interested participant-wannabes had to send an email to Michelle with their name and mailing address and agree to have their bag finished and in the mail/on the FedEx or UPS truck no later than December … Continue reading →

A New Bag. For Me?

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I’ve made a number of Swoon bags. (Explore my Swoon posts.) And I’ve purchased four Blue Calla bag patterns, that haven’t made it to the top of my to-do list yet. In early August, I learned that Alicia Miller, who is the designer behind Swoon Patterns, and Celine Allaert, who designs the Blue Calla bag patterns, had put their heads together and formed the Carried Away Pattern Collective. They’ve had a brilliant idea. These bags are available by subscription only. The designers, Alicia and Celine, take turns designing a bag each month for six months—three bags each in six months. … Continue reading →

The Cottage Shirt

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The Sewing Workshop has been having sew-alongs (SAL) all summer long. (If you’re interested in participating, there’s a Facebook group.) I first was going to participate in the Zayn top sew-along. I made a muslin out of a knit (in a pattern designed for wovens—hmmm), but then the more I looked at the actual design of the pattern, the less I loved it, and just never moved forward. Then when the Cottage Shirt SAL happened, I knew I wanted to make that top. I shopped around to all my favorite online fabric stores, ending up at Smuggler’s Daughter, where I … Continue reading →

Forgotten Work

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Back in March, when I was getting ready for a trip with my sister to California that never happened, and simultaneously trying to get everything ready for three weeks in Singapore and Bali, I made a new tunic. I love this rayon knit that I picked up from Crinklelove [.com] when they carried more knit fabrics. Now they seem to be more about quilts, and I only can find one instance of this fabric anymore. (If you’re interested in grabbing a piece of this fabric in the inverse colorway, here’s the Etsy link.) I used Marcy Tilton’s Vogue 9272. I … Continue reading →

Linen, You’re Cool!

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After so much travel, I’ve finally gotten my sewing mojo back. Before my travel to hot and steamy destinations, I picked up two pieces of linen at Jo-Ann. I normally do not utilize Jo-Ann’s convenient location for fabric, but I didn’t think I could go wrong with 100% linen. And, you know, coupons. I wanted a couple of pair of lightweight, cool pants for my summer travels. Digging through my pattern stash, I chose the StyleArc Peta Pants. (StyleArc is an Australian company that turns out some wonderful designs of simple, classic clothes.) I first made a Peta muslin in … Continue reading →

Bali Batik Going Back Home

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I’m leaving for Bali in eight days. Two years ago this week, I was scheduled to leave for Bali on Thursday. The Jazzman and I had just returned from Easter dinner in Columbus with his brothers and their families. I was carrying our bags out of the car when I caught my toe on the sidewalk. I realized I was going down and was determined not to break my wrist again, so consciously threw my body into a turn to protect my wrists. In doing so, I fell on my back on the lawn in such a way that the … Continue reading →