I have done a bit of natural dyeing in the past, and I have a beginner’s natural dye book, so I am always on the lookout for plants to dye with. This fall I noticed that my neighbor across the street has a Japanese maple. According to my book, The Handbook of Natural Plant Dyes,… Read More Experiments in Ecoprinting
Last year for Christmas, I made robes for my sister and her boyfriend, so this year I thought I’d make slippers to go with them. These slippers are knitted and then felted. I also made a pair for myself (had to test out the pattern!) and my mom. The first thing I did was to… Read More Felted Slippers for the Family
A friend of a friend of my mom used to raise alpacas, and I am lucky enough to have a bunch of her yarn. It is all the natural color, mostly shades of brown and black. I thought it would be fun to have matching sweater for my husband and I. I knew I wanted… Read More Alpaca Aran Sweaters
It’s been awhile since I had a knitting project on the blog. I am actually knitting all the time, but I knit a lot of boring socks (here’s an example) that I don’t bother talking about. (I do have some other projects finished that I just haven’t photographed yet.) I recently have been inspired by… Read More Fair Isle Socks
This was a birthday present for my mom. I used some of the sari to make her a top for Christmas, so I thought she might like another one for her birthday. I used a different pattern, one that I have used several times before as both a top and a dress (see also another… Read More Another Sari Top
Every year, I allow myself to make one new summer dress. Summer dresses are my favorite thing to sew, but there are only so many dresses one person can wear. The dress I made last year is blogged about here. This year’s dress has been a challenge from start to finish. I probably should have… Read More Floral Fitting Woes
This will be a quick post as I don’t have much to say. I believe this is the sixth shirt I have made for my husband. All of them are blogged about: here, here, and here. We celebrated our second wedding anniversary recently, and, just for fun, I have been following the “prescribed” wedding anniversary… Read More Wedding Anniversary Shirt
I have little soft spot in my heart for making pyjama pants as they were the very first thing I ever sewed! I think they are a great beginner project as they are only two pieces, and the fit is not at all critical. And if they aren’t perfect, it’s not like anyone will notice.… Read More Pyjama Pants
I got into quilting as a way to use up scraps. Sewing garments needs fairly large pieces of fabric, so I was often left with scraps that I couldn’t use but were big enough that I hated to throw them away. I took a beginning quilting class to learn the basics, and I found a… Read More Scrappy Baby Quilt
Making things for other people can be hit or miss, so nothing makes me happier than when I get it right and I actually get requests for more! That is the case with this shirt. Around Christmas last year, I made Wade a plaid flannel shirt. It was the long-sleeved version of a summer shirt… Read More A Pop of Pink for Spring