Blog

It has been really busy around here! My sewing came to a complete stop as I was moving, settling into a new space and working on getting my old place cleaned and rented out. It was a lot of work, but it is all behind me now and I couldn't be happier about it. I am putting finishing touches on my new sewing space and I can't wait to show it to you but in the meantime, I am going to share my old sewing space. I put a lot of thought and love into it and I felt like my sewing room in my old apartment was perfect for me. First off, I would like to say that I think I am really lucky to have the whole room for my hobby. A lot of sewists only get access to dinner table or a small corner. I cherish having so much space dedicated purely to my hobby, and I consider myself very lucky. True to my nature, I repurposed pretty much all my furniture in my sewing room. The table that holds my sewing machine and serger was picked up off Kijiji for close to nothing and repainted. The oval-back chairs were also picked up off someone for free, since the previous owner’s cat got to them and pretty much shredded the back to pieces. I’ve repainted the legs from black to white and re-upholstered them. The back of the chairs was tufted, but I ended up omitting it since I didn’t think it looked that good. They turned out amazingly comfortable! Here is my dog Skye testing out the chairs right after they were finished: A couple years ago I invested into wooden thread holder racks that you hang on a wall. I used to keep my thread in plastic containers but with the purchase of my serger my thread stash quadrupled and I could not keep it in a container anymore. I spray painted the thread racks so that they look a little nicer than just raw wood. I keep my collection of Burda Magazines (2009-current!) in magazine holders in my red bookcase. I’ve also picked up the bookcase for barely anything off someone and painted it red. My only complaint with it is that it is not wood and the paint doesn’t stick to it as well as it does to wood. Even with light sanding, 3 layers of primer and a couple layers of top coat. So I am thinking of eventually switching my bookcase to something else that’s wood. I also keep all my sewing books and reference material and other patterns in the bookcase. I am still trying to figure out a place for my rolled printed patterns though. As for the gray wingback chair, it is going to have it's own post ;) My main issue was my cutting table. I really wanted to create a softer, antique, very feminine feel in my sewing room. But it was impossible to find a table that was tall and big enough to be a cutting table in the style I was looking for. After hunting for a while and coming up with nothing, I decided I would try and build it. Yep. Build it. As in from wood and with carpentry tools. I drew out a picture and figured out what I need. After all, it’s almost like sewing – you see a technical drawing and you figure out the details from there, right?… I was smart enough to call my big brother in to help though. I don’t think I could have done it all by myself. So I picked up all the supplies I needed, I even found those beautiful legs already pre-cut in 36” height! I glued my tabletop together from two pieces of wood that were 76” long and 36" wide, and held them together with clasps for a bit until they stuck. Then one Saturday my brother came over and we got to working. I showed him my design and together we figured out what we need to do. A few hours later I had an amazing all wood cutting table, that was big enough and tall enough, and had removable legs for ease of moving!!! I painted it over a few days and then it was ready. I am absolutely in love with my cutting table. It’s tall, long, wide, just like I need it, and beautiful just like I wanted! I painted both tables in the exact same colors so that they kind of match. To protect the table tops from pins, scissors and other stuff I ordered glass to the size of the table top. I wasn’t sure about it at first, but I am definitely liking it now! It protects my tables and it’s so easy to work with and keep it clean! In front of my cutting table I have one of Ikea Ribba frame holders. I got the longest one. I use it to hold all the little tools, like pins, chalk, notepads, etc. Things that I find myself always reaching for. My scissors are hanging on the wall in front of my cutting table. Each one has its own hook. There are also hooks for seamstress tape and all my rulers. In the middle of the wall in front of my sewing table I always keep a clear magazine holder. That’s where I put all my instructions when I sew, be it printed patterns or Burda Magazines. This way they are right in front of me and I don’t have to go looking for them under all the fabric. Under my cutting table I keep a filing cabinet and a metal filing cart from Ikea. Filing cabinet is not used for its intended purpose… I just keep stationary (LOTS of scotch tape) and unassembled printed patters there. In my filing cart from Ikea I keep all my sewing notions and little things I use for sewing. I try to keep it tidy, but it always gets out of hand. I will not be showing my fabric stash in this post as I just forgot to take a picture of it before I packed it all up. I pretty much kept it all folded in my closet. I promise more detailed pictures with a post of my new sewing space! I plainly forgot to snap all the details prior to the move. Moving and packing is such a hassle… But that's okay, because then this post would be way too long! Anyways, I am hoping I will be back to blogging about my makes very soon! Especially since I already have a few new items I can’t wait to share! But in the meantime here is a tiny preview of what corner of it is going to look like: Love, Anya

I have been MIA for a while! Life has been pretty crazy busy lately and although it hasn't stopped me from sewing, it apparently has stopped me from updating my blog. I anticipate the craziness for the next little bit, and hopefully then I will be back to something that resembles a routine, more or less. I am in the process of moving and the next month will be filled with unpacking and cleaning my old place for my new tenants. Ahhh... moving.... I hate it but it is for the better! Even through this moving adventure I managed to sign myself up to be a pattern tester for Charlotte Kan. I was so worried that I would not have time to test the pattern, but I loved the Pocket-T so much that I had to do it. I ran it by my BF (or my live-in partner, that's how I refer to him now) and he thought I should absolutely test it if I love it that much. See, that's why I am moving in with this man, he understands my passion/obsession. Well, and for many other reasons too. Everything about this pattern was great. It came together easily. The A4 format used the paper efficiently and was very easy to put together. I traced the pattern, cut it and made my first shirt in one night! Over a course of 3 hours. Talk about an easy project! My first t-shirt was made out of cotton gauze that kind of resembles very light denim in colour, but a lot lighter in weight. I really wanted some kind of denim top for a while and this shirt was just begging for it. It came together very easily. The pocket design is something amazing. It is actually a double pocket! I can't imagine myself using it, but it definitely looks uber cool. I'd say the pocket is probably the hardest thing out of the whole shirt construction. Everything else came together pretty easily. The shirt has a curved hem at the front and a square hem at the back. Those were also a little bit challenging, but nothing you can't figure out. Especially since the instructions are very good. My second try involved a silky polyester blend. I also wanted a red t-shirt since the beginning of summer and seeing that I may have very limited access to my sewing machine for the rest of the summer (moving sucks) I just had to make it. The second try was a little bit harder but only due to my fabric choice. The silkiness of polyester can be challenging. Still, in the end I am very happy with how the t-shirt turned out. Same cool pocket and sweet hem. For some reason these pocket-t's just didn't want to photograph! Well, I think it is me just not being able to pose at all tonight and all my pictures turning out absolutely horrendous. An hour of posing and picture taking and I barely had 3 to show... Oh well! I will figure it out, eventually. I don't know how models do it. I am still trying to figure out how to wear these two, but I am absolutely in love with both of them. I see many more pocket-t's in my future. Colour blocking, lace insets, funky pattern... Oh the possibilities!! Love, Anya

A couple weeks ago my mom brought home a shirt dress. It was very pretty - a light blue linen, button placket closure, a collar and fake slashed pockets at the front. Mom looked a little guilty when she was showing it to me, it was almost as if she was looking for justification. The dress indeed was very pretty. But as it turned out it was outrageously expensive! $200! Well, as far as I remember $180 on sale. I don't know if it is me being able to sew or just being cheap, I thought it was too expensive. So I told her what I thought, but she really wanted it... It was exactly what she liked! What is a girl to do? Of course I told my mom she needs to return the dress and I will make her one instead (brownie points for being a good daughter :) ). I committed to making a dress very grudgingly I must say. I do have a lot of ideas and projects on the go and I do not like to be steered away from them. But... it's my mom, how often do I make things for her?? Rarely is the right answer. Of course I didn't pout for long and as soon as I stopped, I remembered that Blackbird fabrics carried an absolutely gorgeous linen selection! So off we went to the nearest computer to find the fabric for the next dress. My mom chose this beautiful blue linen with white pinstripe and we proceeded to place an order. The next step was the muslin. I always prefer to make a muslin, especially if I am sewing for someone else. I don't know their body and I can't make an educated guess on how a pattern would look on them. I ended up making 2 muslins. The first one didn't turn out. It was too tight and I chose a dress that had a button closure all the way down. Something was off. The sleeves didn't seem right, the darts were in the wrong spot and the back didn't look like it fit. So rather than making adjustments to the muslin I decided to start from scratch again. I used my tried and true Burda pattern that I modified to look like what my mom envisioned. I redrafted the sleeve to make it an actual sleeve. I made the front placket longer and added slash pockets at the front. I curved the placket at the front into a V-neck and shortened the collar. I modified the back darts into panels and added a back yoke. Whew... I think I listed everything! Oh! I added fake cuffs at the bottom of the sleeves. Now I think I've listed everything. This was my first time working with placket closure and I have to say if you go slowly, it is not as hard as I thought it would be. I even managed to align the stripes! The slash pockets turned out to be the hardest. Only because I didn't think through how they would look like when the placket on top of the pocket (mouthful?) is cut on bias. my lines on the plackets ended up pointing in different directions after my first attempt and I had to re-do them. Which was super scary since the pockets were already slashed and in place... But I managed! Originally we thought of playing with the pinstripe in the fabric and cutting most of the details on bias, but in the end I decided against it. I thought it would make the dress look more costume-y and I was going for simple elegant. So in the end only the cuffs and the plackets on the pockets are cut on bias. Even though the dress has a placket closure, I decided to add an invisible zipper in the side seam. My idea is that it would ease putting the dress on and taking it off. Even if my mom ends up not using it, it's invisible, so there. My mom was very happy with how the dress turned out! It is exactly what she wanted, it fits her just like she wants to and the pockets are real, which apparently was a concern with a store bought dress. I hope she gets a lot of compliments on it, because I truly think it really suits my mom and her style. In the end, I have a more or less basic sloper pattern I can use to make my mom more dresses. Another good part about this dress is that my mom bought enough fabric for me to make a similar dress... but those are stories for a different posts! Love, Anya

I love wearing skirts in summer! It's easy, light and super breathable. I don't have to worry about tights or boots. It doesn't get better! This skirt was my second and final version as part of pattern testing for Frances from Muffin Head Patterns. Frances asked us to make a muslin version and a final version. Even though I made my first muslin a full on lined wearable muslin with pockets (can you even call it a muslin at this point??), I decided to still go ahead and try this skirt a second time. I didn't do any adjustments to my first pattern. I found that it fit well and I didn't have any issues with it. So I used the same pattern again. I only changed the waistband and omitted the pockets. Since my first skirt was made out of faux linen-like fabric, and I didn't want a cotton skirt, I decided that I wanted to see what this skirt would look like out of light and flow-y fabric. It's summer after all, nothing like a light skirt to keep it cool! I used a see through black with white polka dots chiffon from my stash. I don't even know why and when I bought it... I was thinking of making a top out of it, but I completely forgot that black next to my face completely washes me out. So the fabric was lying in my stash for years until this skit came along. Since it was really see through, I used left over scraps to line the skirt. The scraps were mystery soft poly blend ivory fabric, that is a little heavier than chiffon. This made the skirt slightly less black which I really like. Because of the sheerness of chiffon and the need to have it lined, I had to forego the pockets. I mean I could have used the main fabric and lining fabric as one and still done the pockets, but I feared that because of the different fabric weight if I connected them at all the seams, the skirt would have pulled at the seams and chiffon wouldn't have hanged and moved nicely. Because of that I left the skirt layers unconnected at any seams except for the zipper. I find this way it flows and moves very nicely. Attaching the waistband using my favorite method proved a bit challenging for the exact same reason. I had to separately gather both the chiffon skirt piece and the lining skirt piece. And that is too much work and gathering if you ask me. But my need for tidy waistband outweighed my laziness and I did the extra work. Sigh. I hemmed the skirt using Colette's technique for baby hem. Except mine wasn't that much of a baby, more of a toddler. I did want my hem just a tad wider, at about 5-7mm. As for the lining, that's where my laziness took over and I just finished my hem using the serger. I know... In the end, I absolutely love how this skirt tuned out! It is flowy, easy, feminine and just so summery, all of it without being too poufy. I decided I prefer fabric with some drape for Frankie skirt. I think it just looks so much better with tiny little pleats at the top and hangs so much nicer. I am done with Frankie skirts for summer, but I am sure I will be making at least one more for this coming Fall/Winter! So stay tuned. Love, Anya

I had an absolute pleasure of being a pattern tester for Frances of Muffin Head Patterns. Frances came up with a easy versatile skirt pattern that is rather easy to put together. I believe the pattern is now available on her Etsy shop so feel free to head on over and give it a try! This was my first time being a pattern tester and let me tell ya, I loved it! It is a great opportunity to try out new patterns, learn techniques, share knowledge and meet new people. Frankie skirt is a very simple A-line skirt. Although the pattern is marked for intermediate sewer, I think a beginner can still tackle it. The skirt has pockets, which can be omitted, zipper and a waistband with a button closure. The skirt has no darts, it is gathered to fit the waistband and it can also be lined. Although the pattern is marked for intermediate sewer, I think a beginner can still tackle it if they chose the version without pockets. The instructions are geared for someone with sewing knowledge though, so that is the only part that may be challenging for a beginner. I did not have any issues with printing the PDF pattern and putting it together. It came together seamlessly. I do tend to get impatient with putting together PDF patterns and I absolutely hate cutting them... such a drag! But ever since I noticed a handy industrial paper cutter in our printing room at work, things got a lot easier! I stayed late one night and got all my stash of printed patterns cropped... bye-bye scissors! Now I just need to figure out an easy way to glue them together... This is the first Frankie skirt I've made and I completely followed instructions. Other than making the skirt shorter, and grading to fit the pattern to my body there are no modifications to it. My measurements put me into size 3 at the waist and size 5 at the hips. Even though the skirt is gathered and normally your hip measurement would not matter much with a gathered skirt, this particular skirt is not very full. If I would have stayed at size 3 throughout I feel like my hips may have been too tight. I am happy I graded my size 3 waist to size 5 at the hip. Grading this skirt was very easy! The PDF patter is layered, so you can print out only the sizes you need, to save ink, paper and just overall make it easier and less confusing for yourself. I printed both size 3 and 5 on the same page, and then connected the two lines from size 3 waist to size 5 hip with my French curve. Keep in mind that if you are doing this, you will also need to alter your pocket piece slightly to match a new side seam line as it will be more curved. I used size 5 pocket piece that I traced onto medical paper, laid on top of my new graded skirt piece, and traced a new side seam line onto it that way. I will do some minor modifications in the future though. I do not like having a button on my waistband. I prefer to attach my waistband to the skirt prior to sewing the seam with the zipper, be is center back seam or side seam. Essentially you have one long skirt piece that is not a circle yet at that point. I then attach the zipper to the skirt and the waistband at the same time, so the zipper continues on from the skirt to the waist band. This eliminates the need for button closure on the waistband. You do have to have your waistband in two pieces though, but I find it is minor inconvenience. I also think it looks a little bit cleaner and more professional. Although getting the seam on the waistband to align on both sides of the zipper may be tricky, but it is a good skill to practice anyways. Colette has a great tutorial on how to attach the waistband this way on her website. I am also thinking of may be trying to widen the skirt just a little bit at the hem, while keeping the waist the same. I like gathered skirts, but I hate how if you gather a rectangle it creates bulk at the waist. I am thinking of trying to spread out this pattern to play with the fullness of the skirt. If you like gathered skirts, if you are a beginner or just like easy skirts I definitely recommend this pattern. It is easy, it fits and it provides for ample opportunities for modifications which successfully moves it into tried and true patterns category. I will be trying it again!

I love the idea of this dress so much that this is the second time I am making it! In pretty much identical fabrics and finishes. Yep, that’s real love for a garment if you ask me. I made the first version of this dress back in summer of 2009. I didn’t have a serger and I was just getting back into sewing. I didn’t make any modifications to the pattern because back in those days I still expected the pattern to fit me straight out of the envelope. It’s custom made garment right? Doesn’t it fit awesome just by definition? Yep, that’s what I thought. Nonetheless, the dress fit well enough, I wore it to pieces and got a ton of compliments! One of my friends even said that the dress was her favorite garment I made ever. The pattern is from BurdaStyle magazine – February 2009, model number 105. The link is to the Russian version of the magazine since it's the only BurdaStyle that shows magazines from all the way back in 2005. Burda is very popular in Russia, I guess! Unfortunately the pattern is not available for download on BurdaStyle website, the magazine is too old. I believe they started making magazine patterns available in PDF versions in 2010. But I would suppose any version of a more or less fitted shirt dress would do! It does have pretty princess seams and front seams on the skirt, but other than that it is a usual shirt dress with a straight skirt. To be completely honest, after making this pattern twice, once with full on alterations to fit me, I am still not completely sold on it. It’s nice, I like the lines, but it is still very much off. I lengthened the bodice, took in at the waist, added a bit at the hips and lengthened the skirt. Even after all of that the pattern still needs work to fit well. It looks great with a belt though! But without the belt… you can see that it is still quite lose at the waist and is gaping a bit at the back. That’s alright though, I can’t see myself wearing this dress without a belt. It would look too much like a housecoat! In the magazine the dress was made out of patterned cotton and I was hooked! I loved the idea of using a more or less girly fabric print for a structured shirt dress so much that I absolutely had to have one. Both times I went with black and white scheme flowery pattern and this time there are some beige and yellow colors in the mix. I love the print! I love how it contradicts and compliments the structure of the dress at the same time. Both times I used cotton with a little bit of stretch. Second time around I made sure I pre-washed It, because I had to learn the hard way about the whole “pre-wash your fabrics” thing. The construction was easy and didn’t cause any issues. The only things that were slightly more challenging were pickets in the seams on the skirt front, just because the seams need to be pressed to the front and top stitched, so there is a little bit of fiddling around with top stitching. Also all the darts of the bodice need to align to the seams of the skirt, but that wasn’t a big deal either. Especially since the fabric of the dress camouflages all the seams and minor discrepancies. Because majority of the seams is top-stitched prior to final assembly it makes it hard to make alterations to the final garment, so in this case if you are unsure if you will need minor alterations I definitely recommend making a muslin first. I didn’t both times, but I am planning to wear the dress with the belt. Overall I am very happy with how it turned out! I don’t think it is a dress that you can throw on when you feel lazy. Because it is more fitted with the buttons down the front it does call for a bit of “attention” from the wearer to make sure the buttons stay closed and don’t open up too much at the bottom when you sit down. But other than that, it is definitely a dress that will draw attention and get you noticed, in a good way (I hope!). I really enjoyed a few seasons of my first dress and I can not wait to give this second version more wear. Who knows, I may be making one more after this and may be third time is a charm and that one will fit like a glove? Love, Anya

Who likes free patterns? I certainly do! Especially when they fit amazingly well! I recently discovered House of Pinheiro, run by gorgeous Rachelle. What a treat! I love following her makes and I find them really inspirational. She has drafted a beautiful Brasilia Dress that is available on her website for free. It is one size pattern though, so if your measurements do not match hers, it will need alterations. It also doesn't include seam allowances and neckline and armholes facing, but those are more or less easy to add. I was absolutely lucky to have all my measurements match hers almost down to a centimeter! We are even roughly the same height! It was almost like trying a free pattern that was drafted specifically for me. Amazing! I find that being a tall girl (5’10”) I always have to adjust the patterns for my height and with this one I didn’t have to. I decided to risk it and not to make a muslin first. Not because I was feeling adventurous but because I was being plain lazy. I figured I will use a patterned fabric and if I need to make alterations or make a mistake it will be more forgiving. Unfortunately the fabric choice also hides all the beautiful design details and very interesting Y shaped dart in the center front. The pattern has minimal ease and calls for a stretch fabric. I chose this summery blue and white print stretch cotton. The dress construction was surprisingly very easy! It looks intimidating at first, especially since I’ve never constructed anything with a Y dart and I was concerned I may mess it up. But it all worked out. Once the Y darts were sewn and pressed it was straight forward to see what the next steps should be. The side panels were also a bit intimidating, but they came together without any issues. The dress construction took under a couple hours and fit like a glove right off the bat. I didn’t have to do any alterations to it! Nothing at all!! I drafted my own facings to finish the neckline and armholes and I am pretty happy with how they turned out. I am definitely a fan of facing over bias binding on a dress, but that’s just my own opinion. May be it is also because it seems like it is less work, and as I stated above, I am lazy and I will always chose less work intensive method. I am extremely happy with how the dress turned out! It fits amazingly well, it is not too snug, yet looks very form fitting. I have issues with tight skirts because, as one of our summer students at work put it, I “walk with intent”. So when I am constricted by a tight skirt it is apparently a lot harder to walk like you mean it… This dress though looks like it is tight, but it is not and I can purposefully walk to the printer and back in the office. Makes me more productive, or something. I will absolutely make this dress again! I see it in myriad of versions – flowery cotton ones, pretty solid ones, heaver stretch suiting for winter. The side panels are just calling out to me to make them in contrasting fabric, or may be even layered with lace… Piping! See, variations are endless! I just have to pace myself so that I do not end up with 20 Brasilia Dresses in my wardrobe. Finally, can we address my lack of posing abilities? I swear these are the best pictures of the bunch I took. And if these are the best, believe me, the rest of them were pretty bad. It must have been too early in the morning or I wasn't just fully awake yet... But somehow especially in this one, I perfected a creepy stare and grin combo. It may seem like there was someone to the right of me distracting me, but no, I was alone starting and grinning creepily into space. I suppose I will get better at this. Love, Anya

I moved into my current place almost exactly two years ago and I was beyond happy to finally have my own place. No roommates, no man, no one to tell me what to do with my space! It was a tough year before that and it involved a LOT of moving. By a lot I mean really, a lot. I pretty much moved five times in one year. It was an interesting period of time for me. No wonder when I got my place, I really wanted to make it mine. My own, decorate it in the colors I liked, have pillows I want and flowers I want, the furniture I want... It took me over a year to finally take a plunge and do it. This lovely chair is one of the results of my redecorating journey. I really had an urge for a classy, old-school beautiful oval back chair with soft lines, fluffy cushions and of course the color scheme that was suited to my place. I had a vision that I would use the chair as an accent chair in my bedroom. I had no space for it, I couldn't imagine when I would sit in it either but I didn't care. I trusted it would all work out. My only issue was that I had a small budget and I could not afford what I saw at the stores. The price tag was just way too high! So after some thinking I decided that I know how to sew and work with fabric... how hard can this whole re-upholstering thing be?? I started the hunt for the "perfect" chair I would bring back to life. I was impatient and I wanted a perfect chair, now. I scoured kijiji almost hourly and thrift stores almost daily. I finally found this gem at a furniture consignment gallery. I was ecstatic! It was pretty much exactly what I needed, so without thinking I bought it. Looking back at the whole process I definitely want to say that I paid way too much for the old chair. It was in a great shape, don't get me wrong. But my impatience didn't allow me to sit back, relax and wait for a good chair come into my life for super cheap or even free. That's the thing I learned, when it comes to used things, instant gratification is rare. If you have a vision, you must have patience and with that you will get the piece you want for cheap. Set a budget and don't go over it, it is possible to get good things for little. So yes, I paid too much but I was happy. Brought it home and.... waited over a couple months to start working on it! See! Could have waited for a cheaper chair. By that time, just as I thought, I figured out a perfect space for it in my bedroom. My redecoration project ended up involving a new (to me and repainted) dresser which looked better in a different spot from where my old one used to be. That cleared up a cozy corner by the window of my bedroom... Ahhh... I love when things come together like that. I also decided that I want a footstool to go with the chair. My original plan was to build one myself but then I saw this sad little thing on kijiji for virtually nothing ($10?) so I picked it up. Then one beautiful day I decided I've waited enough and I started my work on the chair and the footstool. I took them completely apart. I took off all the fabric and everything you can unscrew. It's pretty straight forward once you turn the chair upside down to see how to take it apart. It's like layers on an onion, you take one thing off and then you see what you need to take off next. (Advise - take lots of pictures or notes) After everything was disassembled I took to my electrical sander and sanded all the wooden parts down. The stain on the chair was in good condition but sadly it didn't match the footstool. Also the style of the footstool was slightly off and rather than having a footstool that kind of ... almost matched the chair I decided to repaint them both the same color. So I gave them a light sanding to take the top layer of paint off, then I primed them and I painted them. They had to have a few coats of paint, especially the footstool because it was dark to begin with, so it took a bit of time. Once I was happy with the paint I started on the fabric. I don't have any pictures or many memories of the process other than my stapler being really non-cooperative. I had a manual stapler and if you are thinking that upholstery is something you may do down the road, even for a bit of fun, I definitely recommend a good pneumatic stapler with an air compressor. It makes all the difference in the world! After a few hours of working with the fabric, stapler, extra padding and glue gun I was done. I couldn't believe what I had in front of me! My chair! Exactly what I wanted! I couldn't believe I did it myself... I ended up making the seat cushion and the footstool quite a bit puffier and I think they look great like that. The chair turned out super comfortable and matches and compliments my bedroom perfectly. In the end this chair was an absolutely perfect addition to my bedroom. I had a head injury a few days after I finished the chair and I ended up starting to meditate because I was told it helped with headaches. (It really did!)This chair and the footstool turned out to be a very comfortable meditation space for me. They are in a perfect spot in my bedroom, their own cozy corner next to a window and I absolutely love spending time sitting there, meditating, petting my dog or cat and just looking out of the window. I am so glad I went with my gut feeling to get the chair, even though I paid too much and thought there was no space or use for it! See, trust yourself, the process and in the end it all works out. One more picture of my dog enjoying the new chair: Love, Anya

Growing up I hated skirts. I couldn't think of anything worse to wear when swinging on monkey bars, climbing slides or running around. After witnessing a girl in my school accidentally having the back of her skirt tucked under her backpack and having her whole backside exposed, she must have not noticed it when she was putting the backpack on, also made me super paranoid about wearing skirts. You have to behave like a lady when you wear one and I think I had trouble with that. But over the years, and since my monkey bar days are behind me, I slowly grew fond of skirts and looking like a lady (or pretending to look like one). This is when I realized there was a definite lack of skirts in my closet and I decided to remedy that. I discovered Sewaholic a while back and I was addicted since. Tasia is very talented and the things she makes are very inspiring! I also love her tutorials and I absolutely adore all her patterns. She drafts specifically for pear shaped ladies and unfortunately I am not quite pear shaped. But I really wanted to give this Rae Skrit a try! It's easy, super cute and absolutely versatile. I ended up going with version A (B is slightly fuller and C is longer). It seemed to have the right fullness and length. The only thing I changed was elastic waistband. I decided to omit and substitute it with a regular waistband. I do not like adding too much unnecessary bulk to my waist and I also didn't have the right elastic size in my stash. I cut the pattern off where the elastic waistband would start, added seam allowance and cut a separate waistband based on my waist measurement. I also cut the center back piece as two separate pieces since I wanted to put zipper closure in the center back seam. I didn't follow the instructions, so I can't speak to their clarity but they seemed pretty straight forward when I looked at them. I sewed up all my seams first, except for the back seam and zipper. Then I gathered the upper edge of the skirt and attached it to my waistband. After I attached my zipper and sewed center back seam. Voila! I love how this skirt turned out! It has just enough fullness and flare without adding too much bulk at the waist. I find that although I love my regular gathered rectangle skirts, they do tend to add bulk at the waistband and make my tummy look a little bigger. This skirt does not do it. I definitely feel like a lady when I am wearing it! In the future I think I will add inseam pockets to this skirt. I love my pockets and if I can add them to anything I will! I already have plans on making another one, as well as one or both other versions. Love, Anya

Last week I discovered IndieSew (where was I hiding before this?) and as I was browsing Hepworth Dress caught my sight. This pattern is made by Sinbad and Sailor and has elements of everything I love in a dress – it is feminine yet elegant, playful yet great for the office… I was sold. I’ve never tried any of Sinbad and Sailor’s patterns, as a matter of fact many indie designers are new to me, so I decided this dress will be a perfect item to start with. The pattern assembly went without any issues, all pages came together nicely. I am a stickler for tracing all my patterns, even if they can be re-printed over and over again. So I traced UK 10 size and made some alterations to the paper pattern. I am tall, so bodice on any pattern is usually too short for me and the garment waist does not sit at my natural waist. I lengthened bodice front and back and widened the waist, as by judging from the finished garment measurement chart provided in the pattern it seemed like the waist may be too tight on me. I also lengthened the skirt by 5cm. I want this dress to be office appropriate and in the end it is always easier to make it shorter than to make it longer, right? I decided against making a muslin, because I felt lazy and the pattern seemed like it would fit me. I was also craving a fast and easy project. I went straight for fashion fabric! I used this beautiful stretch cotton blend in coral color that I had in my fabric stash. The dress construction went without any issues. I did not follow the instructions, as when I looked at them the neck facing was not done in my preferred way. I like to attach my facing before I do the side and back seams. I find the neckline and armholes have a cleaner finish this way. But it is a slightly riskier way since the first time you get to try the garment on is when it is almost finished and it is hard to make alterations at that point. So I would definitely recommend using this way only if you know the pattern or have done the muslin. I, apparently, like to live on the edge and I just went for it. Because I didn’t follow the instructions I can’t speak to their quality, only to the quality of the pattern. In the end the dress turned out lovely! I only had to lower my armcycle to create more room for my apparently massive armpit, but that wasn’t too much trouble at all. I will make some minor adjustments to the paper pattern before I use it again to accommodate for specifics of my body. I will take it in at the waist, as it turned out just slightly too big. It seems like I should have went with the original pattern measurement. I will still lengthen the bodice, as the waist line sits at my high waist right now. It is not bad, but I may like it a little lower. I will also make armcycle slightly bigger, lower the neckline just a touch and lengthen the skirt. I did find that the 5cm that I added to the skirt length were barely enough. I ended up using wide bias tape to hem the dress. I will definitely use the pattern again. It is drafted really well and it fits great! I am already planning on making a gray Hepworth dress. I think it will be a great basic dress that will fit many occasions. Love, Anya

I wouldn't say that my love for re-upholstery began from this chair, but the chair did spark something in me. I originally picked it up with an idea of it being my future sewing room chair. I wanted a funky, bright, yet delicate and vintage looking chair. Since I was on a saving spree, I decided to give this sad looking chair I picked up from someone else's porch for free a go. Why not? What's the worst that can happen? This chair was indeed in a very bad shape. It was missing screws and it was already part painted by someone else. It was not a great paint job either... So I gave the chair a good sanding and primed it with the primer. Mind you I should probably make it clear it was one of my first furniture painting project too. Truly, this chair was my first revamp in all possible ways! After a few coats of paint the chair was starting to look better. I decided to add foam to it's seat to make it cushion-y (is that a word? It is now!). Then I added some funky fabric from my fabric stash. Why did I even have upholstery fabric stashed when I didn't do any upholstery at the time is beyond me... Anyways, at that time the chair was really coming together! I ended up not using this chair as my sewing room chair and gave it to a friend of mine to use it as a chair for her vanity table. I am very happy with how it turned out! It is definitely one of the easier upholstery projects there is and it did serve as a great introduction into other more challenging projects for me. Once again, Mr. Chair!

Welcome to my blog! My name is Anya and I am absolutely crazy about anything fabric related. I was toying with an idea of starting a blog for a while now, but something seemed to be in the way (isn't it always??) This weekend I decided that's it, I need space to track all my projects and write about them so I do not overwhelm my friends and family with seemingly endless supply of DIY stories and ideas. I figured in my first post I'll tell a little more about the story behind my passion. I became interested in sewing at the tender age of 6 or so. I remember being completely fascinated by how my mom turned her old sock into a pair of “knitted” tights for my favorite doll, even complete with a ribbed waistband! From then on all I could think of is creating clothes for my dolls. Well, my vision of a complete wardrobe full of outfits did not turn into reality, but a girl could dream. At the age of 8 I made my first skirt for myself. I did not have access to a sewing machine so I did it all by hand. May be that is why I hate hand sewing so much these days… I don’t remember much about that skirt. I think it was striped red and white, made out of some fabric I found at home. I think it was stretchy too. It had a cased elastic waistband. I do not remember if the stripes were matched, or if it was hemmed. I think I told everyone I ran into that I made my skirt, in case they didn't notice, but I am sure they did... I was so proud that I made my own skirt! I grew up around women who sew. My grandmother made her own clothes. I remember sitting next to her as she was making her summer dresses and how excited I was when she gave me a serious task of tying threads on dart ends before she clipped them off. My mother actually has a seamstress certification and she made quite a few clothes for me and my brother as we were growing up. Needless to say she was a wealth of knowledge when I myself began trying to read patterns and came crying to her when something was wrong with my projects. She was able to understand me, calm me down and point me in the right direction. Bless her heart for hanging through tough sewing times. Like when I decided to use a black permanent pen to trace a pattern for a blouse on the white fabric she just reluctantly bought for me, fully aware that I chose a pattern too difficult for me to attempt. Or when I promised to make her a coat, my very first coat, and I got so overwhelmed that I never finished it... It is because of this understanding of sewing challenges, encouragement and patience when it came to my bombed projects, I think I am where I am today. So there, thank you, mom! I can not say I was sewing all my life. When I was in university I gave it up. I was too busy studying and trying to fit in. One day though, I saw a girl, whose style I admired, wearing a beautiful houndstooth mini skirt. It looked so good! And I wanted one so bad! I was also so broke and there was no way I could afford to shop in the stores she shopped. Saddened I was left to admire the skirt and the girl and her amazing sense of style. Then when I got home it occurred to me that I can make it! It’s a simple mini skirt. Geez, I made a skirt when I was 8, I could surely make one now! And so my affair with sewing began again. I did make a similar skirt and I did wear it proudly. This time the skirt was properly hemmed, lined and even had a zipper! These days I make a lot of the things I wear. Partially because they fit better, I can make exactly what I want and the items are of better quality than what I would buy at the stores without spending a fortune. I also am completely crazy about the sewing process and how a simple fabric can transform into amazing finished garment that is available for wear! I also recently became interested in re-upholstery. My not so little reno project at home unexcpectidly turned up this brand new interest for me and so far I was able to successfully, I think, translate my sewing skills into upholstering skills. So… where does this all lead? I don’t know! I see this blog as a personal journey, a space where I can share my passion, my knowledge and my creative process, as well as a way to document all the crazy things I do, successfully, not so successfully and even when I fail miserably. Come, stay awhile, grab a glass of wine, or a cup of tea, and if you feel like it, drop me a line! Love, Anya