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.

A Present to Myself

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I have pulled Katherine Tilton’s Vogue 8710 out of my stash several times and contemplated making it, but it always lost out to a repeat of something I’d already done. Then last week I ordered a bamboo rayon/spandex stripe from Hart’s Fabric and decided I wanted to try the horizontal vs. vertical stripe scheme. Once I prewashed the fabric and felt how soft it was, I couldn’t wait to cut into it, hoping to finish the top to wear to a Saturday multi-birthday party at some friends’ cottage on the shores of Lake Erie. I love this top and want … Continue reading →

End-of-school-year teacher gifts

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For most of the past seven years, I have taken advantage of my sewing and knitting talents to create handcrafted gifts for the grandkids’ teachers at Christmas and at the end of the year. I’ve even heard that some of the teachers tell my daughter-in-law they look forward to those gift occasions. (Whew! Sometimes I worry that they’d rather have a gift card.) A month ago a Tucson friend of mine posted on Facebook a small zippered bag she had made. She shared the link to the tutorial on Amanda Niederhauser’s “Jedi Craft Girl” blog. I thought the bags were … Continue reading →

Fabric With Memories

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I posted last week about the fabric I bought in Germany last November and my lack of sufficient yardage. I pulled five swatches from Mood Fabrics and subsequently ordered “Chocolate Rayon Jersey” for the sleeves and pocket trim of Butterick 5925, View A. I finished it yesterday morning, just in time to leave for a road trip to Western NC to celebrate my mother’s 101st birthday. I slipped it on for the Spousal Equivalent to see. He—who is usually rather quiet about my wardrobe—immediately said, “But you already have one of those.” Hmmm. What I have is a similar print … Continue reading →

Digging into my memory

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My home came with a lot of leftovers from the previous owner. That was fortunate for me, as I had been living with my son and daughter-in-law for a year before I bought this house. I had gotten rid of many possessions before leaving Tucson, after doing the ship-and-store or give-away analysis. The wicker chairs on my porch are one example of the sort of items I “inherited”—items one doesn’t need in a nursing home (where my home’s previous owner went after leaving here). The cushions on the chairs were old and not very supportive, but still usable. A year … Continue reading →

The best kind of compliment

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Thursday afternoon, around four o’clock, I was working killing time in the TV room when an incoming text pinged. Here’s what I read: “So, I have now seen both [your sons] with these handy fabric/mesh bags that they carry all of their gadget cords in. Do you happen to have an extra?” What a compliment! A) To notice something I made; B) To realize I made it; and C) To comprehend that you’re in such high standing on my friend list that I’d make one for you in a heartbeat. I didn’t have any extras around, but I dropped what … Continue reading →

Getting Just What You Want

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Six Months. This fabric has been waiting for six months, since I captured it from the fabric department at the Karstadt department store in Frankfurt, Germany, last November. It was similar in print and hand to the “Poster City” rayon/lycra print I got from Emma One Sock last year. The new fabric has waited patiently through the brutal winter we just endured. And now its time has come. I’ve been pondering pattern choice for this fabric periodically over the six months. I thought I wanted a simple top because of the busy-ness of the pattern. However, after making a Butterick … Continue reading →