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.

My Mojo is Back!

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I’ve been having sewing machine problems for about a year now. The most frustrating thing in a sewist’s life is walking into your sewing room with a hankering to sew. You sit down, put the pedal to the metal, and nothing good happens. Argh! I took my main machine in to the dealer and she just said, “User error.” I call bullsh*t on her. I’ve been sewing since I was 13 years old. I know what I’m doing, and this machine had a problem. (It’s known in the jargon as “birds’ nests.” My Spousal Equivalent even knows the term now, … Continue reading →

A Jumper for Camp

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I hate that it’s been so long since I posted here about any sewing projects. I don’t hate that I didn’t post. I hate that I haven’t had time so sew any garments. I tried to buy a jumper for camp, but couldn’t find any anywhere online or in bricks&mortar stores. And then I saw the Grainline Uniform Tunic pattern and had a great aha moment. Add to that the fact that JoAnn’s actually had the perfect fabric for this jumper. The cotton/spandex blend navy pinwale corduroy had just the right amount of stretch to make a jumper that I … Continue reading →

New Old Equipment

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My last blog post—the last item I made—was on March 12. That’s about two and a half months! I got sick of looking at that same old post, so, amid the kitchen reno and the water leak in the basement sewing room that had rusty water running across the floor to the drain, and the tearing apart and putting back together of the guest room with its now-refinished hardwood floor, I finally found a couple of half-hour sewing segments. I’ve been having bobbin birdsnest problems with my Bernina 330 (accompanied by a trip to the dealer/technician and a diagnosis of … Continue reading →

Bellevue Pouches

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I decided to participate in a March bag swap among members of Sara Lawson’s Facebook group, “Sew Sweetness Sewing Patterns.” The organizer of the swap gave us a list of Sara’s bags and pouches that we could make for the swap. I chose the Bellevue Pouch, which is part of the Minikins Season 1 series of patterns. The Bellevue comes in three sizes: small, medium, and large. First I made the medium-size pouch out of the Australian aboriginal fabric that I had used several times for the Metro pouch. My DNA cousin, Barbara C., who shares a love of sewing … Continue reading →

A Quick Little Gift

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Have you been buying some bits of the wonderful new cork fabric that’s all the rage nowadays? And maybe you’re not quite sure what to do with it? I’ve got the answer! If you watch Facebook or Instagram or this blog to see what I’m making, you’re aware I’ve been making a lot of Sew Sweetness bags lately. One of the really brilliant things Sara Lawson does for most of the bag patterns she makes is to create a video covering the construction of the bags. Recently she has begun importing cork fabric and offering it in her online store. … Continue reading →

How to Turn Two Into Three

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We love to travel, and I’m always looking for the perfect little cross-body bag that will enable me to keep my passport, phone, pack of Kleenex, debit card, and cash close at hand while going through security, killing time before the flight is announced, and enduring the boarding process. And I want it to be small enough so that, after boarding, I can wrap the strap around it and tuck it into my handbag or carry-on bag. I’m a big fan of Sara Lawson’s Sew Sweetness bag patterns. Her January, 2019, challenge to all her followers was to make a … Continue reading →

Metro Double-Zip Pouches

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Click any photo to enlarge As I mentioned on this afternoon’s bag post, I’m making a few Metro Double-Zip Pouches from the Sew Sweetness Minikins 2 collection. Bag #1 The bag, as designed, calls for SF-101 interfacing on the exterior and lining fabrics and the wristlet handle. I wanted it a little thicker, as we travel a lot and I like the idea of having a quick place to stash my phone and/or my passport. Interfacing: I made the medium size bag—the main pouch pattern piece is 9″ wide and 6″ tall; the pocket piece is 9″ wide and 5″ … Continue reading →

Winter Break Bags

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YSU’s winter break was four weeks, which gave me plenty of time to both practice and sew. Yea! The first picture shows how the individual components look before a bag is actually constructed. The side panels are interfaced. The lining side panel has the zippered pocket installed with a mega*cool black and white striped zipper. (And note that the company I bought the zipper from a couple of years ago no longer stocks them. Did you hear that little sob?) I’ve been working my way through Sew Sweetness’s Minikins and Minikins 2 sets. And by “working my way through,” I … Continue reading →