Category: sewing

Janome Sewing · sewing · Tutorials

Mini Oven Mitt with Free Pattern!

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Looking for a quick handmade holiday gift? Look no further! This mini oven mitt is filled with handmade love and a great project that will only take a few hours to complete! Pair it with some homemade cookies, or the ingredients for your recipient to make their own!

Last year I fell in love with a mini oven mitt that I got, and I really wanted to make some more, in a fun pattern of course! So I set out to create my own!

Here’s the pattern:

miniovenmittpdf-trishstitchedDownload

Here’s the tutorial:

You will need: Exterior Fabric, lining fabric (I recommend both being 100% cotton or linen), batting, printed PDF pattern, along with general sewing supplies, serger optional.

Batting Note: I used Warm & Natural Cotton Batting to keep my oven mitts 100% cotton. These are for light heat use. There are many options for batting, including terry cloth, and old jeans! For more heat protection, you can use also use Insulated Batting!

I’m sewing using the Janome AirThread2000D Serger, and Janome Memory Craft 15000

Print out the PDF pattern pieces. Print at 100% and measure the included 1” square to check pattern sizing. Cut out fabric pieces. If using patterned or striped fabric, cut two identical exterior pieces for matching sides. (TIP: I like to print or transfer my pattern pieces on cardstock to make it easier to trace out on fabric!)

Cut batting with fabric pieces on top (I find this fits the pieces better than cutting from the pattern piece)

Baste each piece to batting at 3/8”.

Trim only batting on each piece, close but not through stitching. This will give the pot holder a better shape when turning right side out.

Pin exteriors main and lining, wrong sides together. Repeat for center pieces.

Quilt linings to main pieces on your machine. With the plaid design of my fabric, I followed the natural lines in the fabric. You can quilt in many styles; square, diagonal, etc. I started in the center of each piece, backstitched, and continued. After quilting each piece, if you notice your fabric has stretched, trim with pattern piece.  (Optional: serge all raw edges. This can be done later, but it is much easier to serge now.)

TIP: Draw out your quilted design with a fabric marking tool and take your time quilting! Fabric can shift – but I find better results going slow and steady!

Using markings on pattern pieces, mark center points and side points. I use quilting pins at each point which is easier to see while sewing.

With mitt center piece right side up, lay one exterior mitt right side down matching top and side markings. (It’s ok if your lining doesn’t match up perfectly to your pieces, they will be hidden in the seam allowance.)

Stitch from side pin to side pin, reinforcing at each end. (3/8” seam allowance, following exterior fabric if lining isn’t perfectly matched)

Next we are making a hanging loop! Cut fabric piece 4.75” x 1.75” for oven mitt side loop. Fold long sides, wrong sides together and stitch 3/8”. Trim seam allowance and turn piece right side out. Press seam so it lays in the center of the loop. Topstitch both sides, and fold short edges right sides together. Baste.

Mark 1.5” up from bottom of second mitt exterior. Pin loop and baste.

Moving back to the sewn center mitt, pin side with loop to mitt center, sewing pin to pin. Be sure to keep extra fabric from other side out of the way while sewing.

With center mitt folded wrong sides together, and the two exterior ends free, stitch exterior mitt right sides together from pins to end. Be sure your stitching line backs up directly to your other sewn line. If you didn’t serge edges before, you can also serge here. Serge or zig zag bottom edge.

Turn mitt right sides out. Following original basting, fold bottom edge up 3/8” to wrong side. Stitch at ¼” seam allowance.

Finish mitt by removing any visible basting stitches.

And if you are looking for an extra quick gift, check out these reusable produce bags I made with the rest of my tablecloth!

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handmade wardrobe · sewing

Quilted Kelly Anorak

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You may have seen this jacket on my instagram a few months ago, but I finally took some photos of it and wanted to share the details from this make!

Back in March I saw a tiktok of a woman wearing a blue quilted jacket with a bomber jacket neckline, and closed with both snaps and a zipper. One day, while in line at Target, I spotted a jacket that looked very similar to what I had been looking for, and sure enough it was the jacket! (Original jacket no longer on Target’s website, but I found a photo of it here) I really wanted to make an ever-so-popular quilted jacket, but I didn’t want to make a jacket from an actual quilt and this inspiration piece was exactly what I was looking for to get started on my own version.

I found the perfect secondhand fabric from A Thrifty Notion, a Sage Cotton Twill, and bought three yards. I had been looking at bomber jacket patterns but couldn’t find anything with the closure details I wanted. The only pattern I knew of (and made before) with the snaps and zipper close was the Kelly Anorak from Closet Core Patterns. Using this pattern would mean I wouldn’t have the same neckline as the inspiration piece, but I was ok with that change.

I previously made View A (view it here), and have used the pattern pieces in several projects over the years. The Kelly Anorak has been one of my favorite patterns, and I really enjoy the sewing process because of the instructions and sew-a-longs that are online. For this version I went with View B, and made different pockets to get a similar look to the inspiration piece.

I measured at a size 4, but cut a size 6 to account for the extra material and batting. It fits perfectly but a little tight in the arms if I were to wear a thick sweater underneath. (Closet Core makes a lining expansion kit for the Kelly with a new sleeve pattern, for those interested).

Going into this make, I knew I didn’t want a jacket with a seperate lining. The idea was to make the quilting on the front and have the interior look like a solid backing. It took much longer, and I removed and re-stitched basting stitches a few times, but I love the finished look.

The quilting was a very long process, and I spend a few days just stitching the body pieces of the jacket. I cut 2x the body and front facing pieces, as well as the sleeve pieces (more detail on this down below!) I cut 1x batting pieces for the body pieces, sleeves and front facings. Since the full back had batting, I didn’t think it was necessary to add more batting to the back facing. (I also added batting to the collar)

I marked the stitching on each piece with an erasable fabric pencil, and basted the batting pieces to each pattern piece. (Also, if you are looking for a fabric pencil, I’ve had the Sewline Mechanical Pencil for years and love it so much! You can get white, black, blue and pink lead.) I wanted to try to match the quilting lines as much as I could, so once one piece was marked out, I matched it up with the next piece to continue the lines. It didn’t work out perfectly, but I did create some pretty side seams.

After the quilting was stitched, I trimmed the batting seam allowances on each piece. This kept the bulk out of my seam finishing’s which helped during construction. Once the pieces were quilted, I basted the “lining” to each piece to create my final fabric. This took a lot of ironing, and a lot of patience at the sewing machine, but once the fabric was complete, the construction of the jacket was straightforward.

I finished my seams as the pattern recommended, with flat felting, (tutorial from Closet Core here).

I didn’t have enough fabric for the sleeve “lining” and I didn’t want them to be too bulky so I took apart an old make for the extra material! I made this raincoat a few years ago but never wore it and moved it into my refashion pile. I had to do a little bit of “franken-stitching” to get the full sleeve piece, but the color and weight of the fabric was perfect for my sleeves!

I only made one size adjustment and that was in sleeve length. I didn’t think about it before cutting and quilting my sleeve, but before attaching the cuff, I realized the sleeve was just a bit too long. Since I already did the construction for my cuffs (out of order on the pattern instructions), and stitched the sleeve to the body, and finished the seam with bias binding, I wasn’t able to alter the length anywhere else but the hemline. Instead of a 5/8″ seam allowance, I sewed the cuff at 1 1/4″. It makes the sleeve extension shorter, but left the sleeve intact.

My hem was finished with binding and hand stitching. And the last step was adding the snaps, which I made Drew hammer because I was terrified of messing them up! Cutting holes in a completed garment is so scary!

I am so proud of this jacket! I’ve already worn it several times, and can’t wait to keep wearing it once the temperatures get back out of the freezing zone!

Quick Links:

Pattern: Closet Core Kelly Anorak: View B, Size 6

Fabric: A Thrifty Notion: Sage Cotton Twill, Secondhand

Hardware: Wawak: Zipper and Snaps

#RefashionFriday · Repair & Rewear · sewing

Orange Floral Top: Repair & Rewear

trishstitched5 Comments

In August, I took a trip to Fab Scrap for some new bag fabrics. Drew and I went to the warehouse, where fabric is sold by the pound and a new section they had was the Mendables, which are racks that have sample garments from designers. These items may have holes, tears, writing, etc, all making them un-sellable. Fab Scrap takes these in and sells them by the pound! What I love about these pieces is that they are truly clothes that need TLC. This is one of the pieces I found at Fab Scrap, a beautiful top with the front cut. It looked like a simple fix, and a garment in my size, so all I wanted to do was repair it!

Whenever I believe a project will be quick or simple, I find it much easier to procrastinate getting it done. This top was no exception, as it took months for me to work on this! But I’ve been waiting on a hardware order before I can finish the jacket I’m making, so I thought this would be a great ‘in-between’ project.

First step was cutting open the neckline facings. I also ripped the seam of the shoulder, and the waistline to be able to move the material better. I was then able to completely cut the slits out, and straighten the cut.

I stitched the newly straightened line back into the neckline, and topstitched each side shut.

Just under 1″ on each side was removed, meaning I had extra material on the top and in the waistband. Initially, I was going to gather the shoulder seam so I didn’t have to open up the sleeve, but after experimenting, it didn’t look how I wanted. I opened the top of the sleeve seam and pushed the extra fabric into the sleeve. I topstitched the shoulder seam, and re-stitched the sleeve after cutting off the excess.

Next I pinned the new neckline in place, bringing up the “V”, a bit higher than the original design. This had to be done several times, both on my body, and on my mannequin to be sure the best fit. It took some finessing to be sure the material would lay properly. Bringing the neckline too high up meant the material would pucker, however too low and I wouldn’t be comfortable wearing it. After pinning, there was a bit of excess fabric from the neckline pieces that needed to be trimmed, similar to the sleeves. (sorry – forgot photos of the extra fabric!)

The next step was to re-gather the waistband to include the excess fabric. This top was designed to have a flowy-er bodice, so making the waistband a little smaller still left me with room to get in and out of the top. I also wanted to remove some of the length, since the top was just a bit long on my frame. Instead of re-hemming, I decided to remove the entire waist and re-gather it. I cut 1/2″ off and re-gathered the material. The gathering was pretty annoying, and I had to re-do the waistline stitching several times to make the gathering even.

After the waistband was complete, I re-pinned the neckline one last time and topstitched in place. The final step was tightening the elastic on the wrist. I opened the wrist seam just enough to get to the elastic, and pulled it out a bit. I took about 1″ out of each wrist elastic. I stitched the seam back up and this top was finished!

I was debating with myself if this was a mend/repair or a refashion. Ultimately, I kept the garment and design in tack, and this project was more about repairing than changing the look.

After completing this, I did do a little google search to find out about the designer, and what the final top looks like. Turns out this designer is sold at Anthropologie! I couldn’t find this exact top, but I did find the print in another style! How cool! I also found this style top in different fabrics, so it’s possible this was leftover fabric to create a new style. While I don’t know the reason for the neckline being cut, I’m so thrilled it found its way to Fab Scrap, and eventually to me!

(And a photo of me shopping the racks at Fab Scrap!)

I really love how this piece turned out, and am happy I finally took the time to fix it.

I sometimes hate mending/repairing my own clothes. It can be a task that doesn’t always feel fulfilling until after it is done and I get to wear my clothes again. I think many sewers have mending piles that take time to get to, because so often, new fabric is so much more fun to sew! Many of my mending projects turn into refashioning projects because I see it as a new way to look at the garment. Either way, it is so incredibly important to give these pieces another chance – the more clothing we can save from landfill, the better!

I have a few other pieces that I’m excited to repair, and while these posts aren’t going to be exact tutorials for items in your repair pile, I do hope they inspire you to fix some of the projects you may have been putting off!

refashion · sewing · Tutorials

Simple Skirt Alteration: Front Button Up Skirt Refashion

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I can’t believe we are already halfway through June! I’ve been working on several projects, but some haven’t been going according to plan and I needed a simple project to cleanse my sewing palette.

I found this skirt on Poshmark two or three weeks ago. I was just buying a top but before checking out from the closet, I saw this skirt and fell in love! It’s by Emily & Fin and the listing said it was from Modcloth, but I also found it sold through Anthropologie. It has a really cute California inspired print with images of the Hollywood sign, the Golden Gate Bridge, Wine Country, and cacti and palm trees. Best of all- it has pockets! After getting the skirt and trying it on, I realized I wasn’t a huge fan of how it laid on my lower half. It felt a little blah. I really loved the print and colors and wanted to make this work for my wardrobe.

I was imagining putting a slit in the side or the front when I thought about adding an entire button front. This would allow me to add some detail and let me have a leg opening!

The original plan was to cut right down the center front of the skirt, but this skirt already had a seam, it was just in the back! Want to do a similar alteration? I’ve documented the steps below!

This alteration will work well with skirts that are gathered or has pleats, and works best with a back (or front) zipper. This skirt had pleats so I was able to remove two to give me more material. You can certainly add extra material to make a button front as well. Another tip for wanting to DIY this look, you may need extra material for your waistband. My skirt was originally meant to sit down towards the hips, but I fit it to my natural waist and was able to tighten it just a little bit.

Step one is to remove the back zipper, and seam rip the back seam.

Step two is to remove a pleat on each side, or remove gathering. This step definitely depends on the style of your skirt. If you have gathering, you may want to consider removing the waistband and redistributing all gathering, but this is totally optional!

Step three, open the stitching on your waistband. Re-stitch waistband ends with right sides together to create clean ends. The bottom of the waistband remains open to re-insert the skirt.

Step four, mark where the skirt lines up with the edge of the waistband and measure. This will be the fold point for the button front. My fold measured 1.5″. I marked this measurement on both sides of the skirt opening, and folded them in. Interface this folded section with lightweight fusible interfacing. I folded in the serged edge of each side, folded again to finish the button front and top stitch closed.

Step 5, baste mark the top of each button front where the original skirt stitching was. This line becomes where the waistband gets re-attached. Fit new skirt in-between wrong sides of waistband and stitch shut. I stitched all the way around my waistband but you can handstitched shut if you don’t want stitching to show.

Step 6, mark buttonholes and stitch. My buttonholes are 2.25″ apart. I only had 5 matching buttons on hand, so I only made 5 buttonholes but it works perfectly! It’s the perfect amount to get a great opening.

And that’s it! This was a pretty quick alteration – I feel weird calling it a refashion because the garment wasn’t really re-vamped.

This was a pretty quick project, although made a little longer when photographing and recording, but it’s a nice project to take on! I made a little behind the scenes video which you can find on my Pinterest!

You can also see my new haircut and glasses (1st photo)! I cut 10″ off two weeks ago and it feels great! I also finally updated my frames! I’ve had the same glasses frames for about 10 years and never felt the need to get new frames until this year when I got a new prescription. (I mostly wear contacts so glasses don’t often make an appearance.)

etsy · handbags · handmade wardrobe · refashion · sewing · Tutorials

Jeans to Pinafore Refashion

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Hello, hello! In the past few months my apparel sewing has slowed down quite a bit and my bag making as been taking over! I’ve been working hard to add new bags to my Etsy shop, and finally designed and created my dream bag! (I’ll share more at the end of this post!)

But as the title says, my main reason for blogging today is to share my latest refashion! This piece has been several months in the making. I started dreaming about this project back in December! I wanted to share a little of my thought process, because it really was an idea that bounced around a bit before landing! One of the most common questions I get asked is where my ideas come from, so here’s how this one formed!

I had a pair of corduroy pants in my refashion pile, that I was stuck on what to do with. I started looking online for corduroy dresses, or jackets to gather some inspiration. I came across this adorable pinafore from Show Me Your Mumu, and started going down the pinafore rabbit hole!

I do quite a bit of fabric Tetris in my mind when figuring out if I can realistically make a refashion work. I knew if the pants were long enough, and I was able to cut them off with enough fabric to spare, this project would work.

I sat with the idea for a bit (some other projects got in the way of starting) and before I knew it the weather was warming up. I wasn’t motivated to sew with corduroy anymore, but the idea was still taking over in my mind. I started searching on ThredUP to find a replacement garment to bring the idea to life. Thankfully the perfect pair popped up in my search and the project was back on!

I started searching for a pattern for the bodice. (This is something that can be self drafted!) I came across the Amber Pinafore Dress from Named Clothing. I’ve had great luck with Named Patterns in the past so I knew it would be reliable for me. I tested the bodice with cotton fabric before cutting so I could work out any fit issues beforehand.

Now onto the tutorial! Sorry for the photo quality, I realized I was taking more video than photos for this project so some of these are from screenshots.

First, with the jeans on, mark knee length. This was my starting point to cut because I didn’t want to make my skirt too short. (I cut off an additional 2” once I had a better idea of length.)

Seam rip open each cut pant leg, leaving one side seam intact. Undo hem as well.

Cut bodice out of each pant leg. (For a better fit, the top of my bodice lined with the jean hem, and the bottom of the bodice lined up with my original pant cut line.) I traced my bodice piece onto each leg, making sure to match where the Jean seam line was for a consistent look. (Tip: mark on your pattern piece where seams need to hit!) Try to keep the bodice towards the ends of the leg to be sure you get the most use out of your fabric.

Once your bodice is cut, you can see how much fabric you have left to work with.

Next step is to turn the remaining jeans into the skirt. Going back to the top portion of your jeans, seam rip the inner legs.

On the front of the jeans, seam rip the fly section a few inches up, until the jeans can lay flat, and you can see the triangle start to form on the bottom. Don’t seam rip too far up, and don’t hit the fly zipper. This part of the project you may have to play around with a bit to get the right fit. Pin the triangle in place before adding any fabric, and try the skirt on to test the opening width.

Thankfully my front triangle didn’t need much fabric, so only a small portion of my fabric went into this section.

Continue this process for the skirt back as well. Seam rip the center back seam a few inches, and lay back flat. You may have to seam rip more on the back than the front. My opening was wider in the back, and I didn’t have enough material from one pant leg to properly fit. I stitched my remaining fabric together for a bigger insert. You can see I placed my new seam in the center of my insert, which takes extra time to pin and stitch properly, but creates a more finished look. I also folded the pant leg triangle sides in more to create a flatter piece.

The back was a bit harder for me to fit. I recommend pinning in place, then trying the skirt on to be sure it lays nicely.

After the inserts are finished, the rest of the material is for the straps! Now, on my pants, since I cut off an extra 2” from my original pants, I was able to use most of that for my straps. (You may not have that material to work with, but you can always make the back straps out of a coordinating fabric if you don’t have enough!) I had to add some length from my remaining fabric to extend the straps, as you can see with my seam lines.

My entire bodice is lined with cotton muslin. For reference, my straps were cut 2” wide and stitched with a 3/8” seam allowance.

Try your skirt on and pin bodice in place. I started by pinning the front, making sure to get my bodice pieces close to each other. Once front is pinned, pin back straps, making sure straps are comfortably tight. These will be pinned on an angle. Remove pinafore and double check the back straps to make sure their distance is even. If your jeans have belt loops, the back loop is a great center point to measure from. I hand stitched my bodice down, but you can certainly sew by machine.

To finish the skirt, I evened out my hem, serged the edge and hand stitched up 3/8”. I didn’t want to make my skirt any shorter, but this part is all personal preference!

What made this project work: mid-rise jeans. With the type of bodice I added, the waist of my jeans needed to come up, so starting with mid rise jeans meant they didn’t have to come up that much higher. This is something to consider if you want to make this style pinafore yourself, mid rise or high rise jeans would work best. If you have a pair of low rise jeans, you may have to re-fit the waist altogether and may not have enough material for the entire bodice (or you may have to build a different bodice. Search for “overall dresses” for another idea!)

Another tip, if you want more material to work with, use boot cut or flare jeans! My original jeans were technically a “crop pant” but because of my height, they were normal length skinny jean on me.

Want to go a step further? Add a little extra length to the bodice front and strap ends, and make the entire top removable with buttons! I did this for my skirt to overall pinafore refashion a few years back. It’s a great way to get more wear out of the garment! (Post here!)

And a quick note: here are the new bags I’ve been working on! These little crossbody bags have been in the works for years and I’m so incredibly excited with how they turned out! The exteriors are made from reclaimed and secondhand fabrics! Shop Crossbody’s on my Etsy!

handmade wardrobe · sewing

Botanical Myosotis Sheet Dress

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For the past year, I’ve been obsessing over the “botanical” print t-shirts (like this one from Wholesome Culture) and started a search for one of my own. Last year they weren’t available secondhand since the style was still pretty new, so I turned my search to botanical print fabric, in hopes to recreate my own t-shirt. I came across this amazing bed sheet on Mercari, and when it arrived, the print was larger than I was expecting, so I thought it would look much better in dress form, to be able to show off more of the print.

I was going to wait until Spring to start this dress, but I kept seeing the fabric sitting in my sewing studio, and just couldn’t wait any longer! It is completely seasonally inappropriate but I had the motivation to make it so I went for it!

I decided to go with the Myosotis Dress pattern from Deer and Doe Patterns. It’s a silhouette that I think suits me well, and I really love the tiered skirt. I made Myosotis last summer out of fabric I bought in Paris two years ago, and love that dress! (I never got around to blogging it but I posted a photo over on Instagram.)

I made version A, without the sleeve ruffle. I tested the sleeve ruffle on my first Myosotis and wasn’t really in love with the look, so I kept it off of this version as well. I had a lot of fun with print placement on this dress, and since the florals were pretty big, I wanted to be sure they were showcased, and the different colors were sprawled all over the dress, not just stacked (i.e; yellow on bodice directly on top of yellow in skirt). I put some of my favorite florals on the bodice so the gathering wouldn’t disrupt the design. I loved the floral names on the sheet (one of the reasons I love the botanical shirts!) however I wasn’t able to keep all of them with all the florals, because of the seamlines, but they are sprinkled throughout so the detail I love is still incorporated in the dress.

The bodice is fully lined, but I didn’t line the skirt. This dress pattern doesn’t call for lining, so all seams are visible inside. I didn’t want to play around with adding a separate lining so before sewing, I lined each bodice piece. It is actually lined with old muslins, and whatever larger pieces I could find in my stash, so the back is lined with white and the front bodice is lined with natural muslin. A little patchworked but I wanted to use what I had! I also chose not to line the sleeves, so it looks a little strange from the inside.

I was thinking about lining the skirt but I would line it with cotton and I feel every time I line a dress with cotton, it gets static-y or clumpy and doesn’t fall properly. I have the option of removing the skirt and stitching each tier with lining before sewing them together, but I’m just not sure it is necessary. If anyone has any suggestions – I’m open to hear them!

A few more details on this dress include a couple of gold buttons from my vintage button stash and POCKETS!

A few notes on the pattern: I cut a size 38, and made no changes to the bodice or sleeves. This is a looser fitting dress, so while I could have sized down, the dress would have been harder to get over my head. This is one of the reasons I added the waist ties, so I could cinch in my waist a bit. I did cut down the skirt length to fit my shorter legs better. I made the tier skirt option and made the top tier 12″, cutting off about 1 5/8″. I left the length on the bottom tier. My total skirt length came to just over 19″ (with a 1/2″ hem). For reference, my inseam to the floor is 27″. Since this version is meant to be above the knee I didn’t have to alter too much, but if you are taller and looking to make this dress, that’s something you may want to note.

The botanical prints have become pretty popular and a google search produced multiple fabric options, as well as sheets. There are some stunning prints available on Spoonflower that you can get in cotton, although it can be expensive (and the mushroom fabric on Spoonflower is adorable!).

If you are on the lookout for some secondhand floral print sheets, I highly recommend checking sites like Etsy, Poshmark and Mercari. I have had luck at a few thrift stores for sheets (my favorite spot closed down due to COVID) but the more that people have been searching for secondhand sheets, the more there are being sold – it has become a huge selling niche in the secondhand market, much like quilts! Some keywords are “botanical” and “vintage floral”, these terms may help with results. Pricing can get insanely high, especially with name brand bedding, but with a little time spent searching, you can find a great deal – and with Poshmark and Mercari, you are able to offer a lower price.

The very last detail to share on this dress is the addition of one of my new labels! I was gifted these from Dutch Label Shop, and intend to use them for my handmade bags but this label is also the perfect finishing touch on this dress!

These labels are simply stunning. I’ve purchased from Dutch Label Shop before and am always happy with the quality, but this label goes above and beyond anything I was expecting. It is so cool to see my little logo on a label – and I am so, so happy to sew with them! (If you are looking to get labels for your handmade wardrobe or products, check out Dutch Label Shop and use trishstitched15% at checkout for 15% off!)

Have a wonderful Sunday!

inspiration · Janome Sewing · refashion · sewing · Tutorials

I’m Teaching at the Sewing and Stitchery Expo!

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Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful (and safe) holiday season! I have a bit of a different post to share today but something I am really excited about!

I will be teaching at the Sewing and Stitchery Expo!

The expo is February 24th -28th 2021 and I am teaching two classes:

My Upcycled Wedding Jacket with Embroidery

One Needle Class: 1124 Upcycling with Embroidery
FRIDAY, 4:00 - 4:45 PM (PST)
SUNDAY, 12:00 - 12:45 PM (PST)
Give old clothes a new look with machine embroidery! This class is centered around inspiration and
learning techniques for adding machine embroidery to apparel.

Double sided zip pouch made with fabric swatches!

3133 Upcycle Swatch Book Fabrics into a Zipper Pouch
THURSDAY, 5:00 - 7:30 PM (PST)
SATURDAY, 11:00 AM - 1:30 PM (PST)
Swatch books are filled with beautiful fabrics that can be turned into something useful! Turn two coordinating fabric swatches into a small zipper pouch. You’ll learn how to make a lined, flat bottom bag with a zipper close.
$5 project kit.

This year’s expo is virtual, so you can access the expo from your desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone! Purchased classes will also be recorded and available for a limited time after the live class.

Both classes I will be teaching are focused around sustainability and using your sewing skills to encourage upcycling!

My first class, Upcycling with Embroidery, is a lecture style class where I will be sharing projects, ideas and tips to add machine embroidery to old clothes. This class is open to all skill levels, and I welcome anyone to attend even if you don’t currently own an embroidery machine! One Needle Classes are $6, and 45 minutes long.

My second class is a project class, meaning you will need a sewing machine (preferably with a zipper foot) and iron/ironing board to do the project. Three Needle classes are $30 and there is a kit that will need to be purchased for this class, which is $5 and includes fabric and zipper for your project. This is a great class for beginner sewists who are looking to make a project with a zipper! I will be sending kits with fabric swatches, so you can see exactly what I use to make the bags that are in my etsy shop! Three needle classes are 2.5 hours long.

Registration opens tomorrow, January 12th! And please note, registration for classes with project kits will close February 2, 2021 to allow time for shipping, which includes my swatch book class.

If the expo is something you’ve been thinking about attending, or are already set to register, I hope you consider one or both of my classes! I would love to see you there!

Click here for the full 2021 Sewing and Stitchery Expo Catalog

Janome Sewing · sewing · Tutorials

DIY Embroidered Flare Jeans

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Jeans are my favorite wardrobe staple. I wear jeans almost every day, and just about all them are skinny jeans. But it has been a great year to try different styles, like all the wide leg cropped pieces I’ve been making (here and here), and I have a whole box of secondhand jeans from ThredUp to create with!

ThredUp sent me a denim rescue box for another project, but since the box is 50 lbs of denim, I have a lot of jeans to work with! Rescue boxes are filled with unaccepted items for resale and unsold jeans from the site. In my box, there are a lot of jeans in great condition that are not my size and I plan on donating them. Since it is a rescue box, quite a few of the pairs are stretched out, or stained; completely unwearable in their current condition. I went through the box and there were a few pairs in my size, two that look and feel great! One is a pair of black skinny jeans, which I’ve been wanting for a while, and the other was this pair of Levis, which fit great except for the length! I was going to do a simple hem, but I thought this would be a fun moment to try something new.

Flare jeans came to mind and I started going down a little rabbit hole on pinterest. DIY flare jeans have been a popular tutorial for years with some of the most popular projects including adding a patterned fabric flare, or lace insert. While they look great, that isn’t the style I wanted for these jeans. I wanted a pair that looked a little more intentional, and I started seeing flare jeans made with denim inserts and embroidery, and really loved the idea. There are some beautiful pairs on Free People and Modcloth (sold out)!

I started looking at different embroidery designs and went through a few options. I wanted to do something like the inspiration pieces, with a full embroidered insert but couldn’t find the right florals, and decided to do something a little simpler.

I found a piece of denim remnant in my stash (from my very first pair of jeans!) that was a really close shade to my jeans. I also loved that this denim remnant had the raw edge, and while it doesn’t perfectly match the raw edge of my jeans, it still meshes well with the jeans.

Want to DIY your own pair? Here’s a quick step by step:

Mark the exterior jean side seam right under the knee. Seam rip the exterior seam up to this point, and reinforce the seam at the top so it doesn’t continue to unravel. I wanted my jeans to hit the floor when wearing heeled boots so I also let the hem down on my jeans (this is optional).

Cut a piece of fabric large enough for your embroidery hoop and trace the triangle for your insert before stitching. If you don’t want to add embroidery, you can cut inserts straight from your fabric. My insert measured 10.5″ x 18.5″ (the length of my insert + a little extra seam allowance)

Add your embroidery! Cut the insert out, and trim away interfacing. Pin inserts wrong sides together to jean openings. I pinned onto the original jean seam. At the insert tops, stitch up to the reinforced seam. If you are leaving your edges raw, you are done!

I want to get the edges a little rougher, so I’m excited to let them fray over time.

I really loved the fit of the jeans, and now love the added length so I can look a little taller than 4’10”! (Jeans photographed with one of my recent refashions!)

Embroidery design is Gilded Floral 23 from Embroidery Online!

sewing · sewing activewear

Arlo Track Jacket- Athleisure Set with Craft and Thrift Shop

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I am so excited to once again be working with Amy from Craft and Thrift Shop! Amy is so passionate about sustainable fabrics and it shows in the pieces she offers on etsy. Amy carries vintage, secondhand and deadstock fabrics and has a wide selection of prints and solids, and fabrics ranging from knits to cottons and silks! Thank you so much to Craft and Thrift Shop for sponsoring this post! All fabric in this post is from Craft and Thrift Shop on Etsy, and scroll down for a coupon code!

This year I started out really strong with my physical activity, and ran the Disney Dopey Challenge (48.6 miles in one weekend) with my Dad. It was a lot of training and once the race weekend was over I gave myself a break. Then COVID and stay at home orders started and motivation to work out really left my mind. Throughout the year I’ve been trying to get back on track, and within the last few months I’ve been figuring out a schedule that works well for me and I’ve been putting in a lot of effort to become consistent!

Part of my motivation is coming from making wardrobe pieces for this area of my life. I LOVE making activewear, and while I have been thrifting a lot of my active wardrobe, I want to get back into making workout clothes!

My goal with this outfit was to make some post workout gear; some fun pieces of athleisure! I came across the Arlo Track Jacket from Friday Pattern Company and fell in love! I’ve been wanting an easy throw on and go jacket, perfect for cooling down outside after a workout, or even before the workout when the body is just warming up, and this jacket looked perfect!

I chose to make it with this beautiful mauve scuba fabric from Craft and Thrift Shop. This fabric was awesome to sew with and the perfect weight for a track jacket. Amy is a fellow sewist and knows the important details to add to the fabric description, and seeing that this material had 20% stretch let me know my dream of this fabric as an Arlo Track Jacket was possible. Click here to see all the Scuba in Amy’s shop!

This jacket was a great pattern to make! It is a unisex pattern with three lengths and option for color blocking. It came together easy and the instructions were wonderful (no second guessing any steps!). I made a size Small in the short length and overall, it has the perfect fit. What really drew me to this pattern was the seam lines. I love the detailing, and love all the topstitching. This is a great pattern for color blocking, or using up scraps. I also love the generous side pockets!

I had a good amount of fabric left over and figured out it was juuuuust enough to make a pair of cropped Hudson Pants! This makes my fourth pair of Hudson Joggers, and my first cropped pair. I love them to pieces and love that I have an awesome set now!

To pull the whole look together, I made a Rumi Tank from Christine Hayes out of this beautiful ribbed jersey from Craft and Thrift!

Here are some of my favorites from Craft and Thrift!

Burgundy Daisy Cotton Rayon

Yellow Plaid Cotton

Cotton Tucan Print

Forest Green Scuba

Shop Craft and Thrift with a 20% discount code! Use TRISH20 at checkout!

handmade wardrobe · refashion · sewing

Floral Tablecloth Lander Pants

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I’ve had so many projects this year that haven’t worked out. There are a whole bunch of reasons why; using the wrong pattern or the wrong fabrics, rushing projects or starting and losing motivation to finish, the reasons seem endless.

I wanted a project that had a good chance of working out. I wanted something fun and inspiring and not too difficult to make. I also wanted to use this tablecloth I just picked up on Poshmark! In my quest for using sustainable fabric and secondhand sources, I’ve been looking on sites like Poshmark and Mercari for tablecloths and sheets. I saw this piece on Posh but didn’t make a plan for it until it arrived. A tablecloth can have a pretty broad range of feel, and even if it says 100% cotton, there’s a chance of it being thicker, thinner, etc. This tablecloth was a great, medium weight, almost canvas like but a little lighter.

I decided to make a pair of pants and landed on the Lander Pants! I’ve made Lander Shorts before and they come together pretty easily, and I really like the fit so I knew these were just about fool-proof.

I am a skinny jean lover. I used to wear boot cut jeans growing up, but once the skinny jean trend started, I never stopped wearing them! But I like getting out of my comfort zone a little bit – like I did with this jumpsuit – and thought making a pair of lander pants would be fun!

My last pair of Lander Shorts were made in a size 2, so I made the pants in the size 2 as well. The size 2 fits really well in my hips, but has the slightest gap in the back waist. This happens with all of my pants and jeans, and honestly I just haven’t taken the time to figure out how to solve that problem. It isn’t a big deal, and I almost always wear a belt with whatever bottoms I’m wearing, but I wanted to mention it anyway.

I also really love the button fly on these pants. I used to dislike installing jean buttons on anything – jeans, jackets, etc. I was using the Dritz jean buttons because they were convenient to purchase but they were really difficult for me to install. Every time I hammered, the tops would bend, or the screw would bend making my buttons lopsided. Since I started buying a lot more supplies online this year, like my needles, I also started branching out for other supply options. I came across jean buttons from Wawak Sewing and couldn’t believe how great they came out! Just wanted to share that option for anyone else facing a similar issue!

I followed the instructions for the hem, but wound up cutting off 3″ from the bottom before folding up the final hem. For my petite friends – I’m 4’10” and cut the pattern for the ankle fit. I love these pants with flats, and I also really like them with ankle boots and heels, although I won’t wear these with them as often! These pants are bright and bold but they pair well with so many of the basics in my wardrobe – they fit right into my closet!