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.

Me Made May ’13

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For wearable crafters, last month was Me Made May. I wanted to participate, but knew I was spending half of May away from home–eleven days in France and five days in North Carolina. So I participated in a quieter fashion than most. If you’re a regular reader, you know I was obsessively sewing prior to my tour of France. If you scroll backwards through the posts written since the end of January, you’ll see the results of all that activity. While in France, I believe there was only one day I didn’t wear something I had made. And on all … Continue reading →

This Project in Use

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A few days before leaving for France, I finished a long, flounced halter dress for my granddaughter, Ridley, who would turn 10 at the end of the month. Ridley’s mother’s family has a lot of height genes, so this child was wearing size 9 shoes and girls’ size 14 clothes when she was 9. I believe I”ll be making clothes for her for years to come. As I said in the blog post about the dress construction, I had cut the dress too large, but was able to alter it in such a way that I will be able to … Continue reading →

Geometric Goodies

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I was bored early one morning before leaving for France, and started exploring Mood Fabrics’ website while lying in bed, waiting for the Jazzman to wake up. Bad move. I found several things I had to have. This one is called “Bright Multi Geometric Jersey Prints” and is a whole bunch of colors that look good on me. I knew I would use it for one of Marcy Tilton’s or Katherine Tilton’s tops they’ve designed for Vogue Patterns. So I wanted a complementary fabric to bind the neckline. Lookee here! The photo doesn’t do it justice. Look at how look … Continue reading →

Vacation Happy – Days 5 & 6

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Today I’m grateful for: Having packed a boxy wool cowlneck sweater that I could put two other layers underneath. (However, I’m kicking myself for pulling the cashmere twinset out of the suitcase at the last minute. “It’s spring”, I thought. Yeah, so what? It’s danged cold!) Two pairs of Naot shoes. These ultra comfortable shoes are worth every penny the retailers charge. Getting to see new-to-me cities and attractions. Blown away yesterday by the Chateau de Chantilly. I’m enchanted with the little town of Senlis, near the chateau. We had lunch in an enchanting little underground restaurant, “Les Barbares,” in … Continue reading →

Vacation Happy – Days 3 & 4

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Today I’m grateful for: Listening to my instincts and inserting batting in the straps of the bag I made to schlep my necessities on the trip. Weather that has belied the weather forecast. A merveilleux tour director with an amazing sense of humor. Goodbye to Dijon. Hello to Reims, after tasting Chardonnays in the City of Chablis. Today’s photo came from an attractive window display in Dijon.

Vacation Happy – Days 1 & 2

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Today I’m grateful for, among other things: Beautiful weather in Lyon Having gotten a no-muss-no-fuss haircut for vacation dry and style in 3 minutes! Great traveling companions. Friends at home watching our house so we don’t have to worry. Today’s togs: K. Tilton top, M. Tilton pants, both from M. Tilton fabrics and Vogue patterns. Au revoir to Lyon. Bonjour to Dijon.

A Travel Tote

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On the evening before wheels-up to France, I finished the tote bag to keep me sane on this trip! My friend and fellow fiberphile, Mary Lou Alexander, recently destashed and transferred some goodies she no longer needed to my stash. I wanted a new bag for this trip and started digging into her upholstery fabric remnants. Voila! (as they say in France). Marcy Tilton has designed a number of great handbag patterns for Vogue, but Vogue 8590 fit my needs. My small travel purse doesn’t carry enough things to get me through a long plane trip, so I always like … Continue reading →

But Not for Me

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In preparation for our upcoming vacation in France, my recent sewing frenzy has been totally focused on moi. But, ever the devoted Grandma, I saw a cute new McCall’s pattern and decided DGD needed a new dress for her upcoming end-of-year festivities. Ridley will be 10 in a few weeks, but she got her height genes from her mother’s side of the family. She’s probably about 5’4″ and wears a girls’ 14 (although there are items in her closet in Misses Small). I did not ask her mother to measure her before cutting out the pattern–oops. I looked at RTW … Continue reading →