I posted my book review of David Kibbe’s Power of Style after I finished reading the book a few months ago. I wanted to get my review up reasonable quickly after I’d finished reading the book, but in my review I did note that although I had some criticisms of the book, and felt that … More Kibbe’s Power of Style: Exercises and Follow-up Thoughts
This is going to be a long post, so it’s time to grab tea and cookies and settle in for some rabbit hole deep dives and way too much thinking about my theoretical wardrobe and the sewing plans I don’t have time to execute. This post has spent two years in drafts as I’ve gathered … More Further Contemplation on Style Systems: Kitchener Essences
Although I’ve still been sewing a lot of undergarments, with a lot of recent life changes I’ve been thinking a lot more about necessary wardrobe updates again. I was thinking about it a lot before the pandemic happened; that was the last time I got a new job. As the pandemic progressed, my needs shifted, … More Book Review: Wear It Well
My recovery from the effects of COVID have been slow, and other summer events have been wiping out whatever small amounts of energy I’ve had remaining the past few months. But I do love a good Pattern Review Contest, and the Mini Wardrobe challenges always get me thinking. Since I was sort of floating in … More In Which I Foolishly Post Sewing Plans to the Internet
So, my Micro-Mini Wardrobe plans got totally derailed during the month of September. Not because I wasn’t doing a lot of sewing (I was, actually), but because I spent the whole month fitting toiles (or mock ups or muslins, if you prefer). After feeling like I’d spent a lot of time accomplishing nothing and that … More The “I Need a Win” Knit Top
As many of my long-time readers may recall, I did a deep-dive into the Kibbe style system a while ago on the blog. At the time, I really enjoyed looking at the nuances of the system, and exploring the ideas through the lens of modern-day sewing patterns. However, many comments on those posts and general … More Book Review: The Triumph of Individual Style
This is the final of three tops I managed to make as part of my white shirt summer sewing projects. When compared to Top 1 and Top 2, Burda 6632 is probably the most classic top that I made this summer. Much of my original efforts had centered around a (failed paused) attempt at making … More White Shirt Summer: Top 3 Review
Continuing on in reviewing my summer projects, this post is about the second top I made as part of my white shirt summer sewing plans. As a complete contrast to the first top, Patrones 406 #33 is a draped knit top with very little structure. I think this also looks good under the blazer, but … More White Shirt Summer: Top 2 Review
For the month of September, Pattern Review is running a mini wardrobe sewing contest. Typically these contests run a bit longer and require more pieces, but for this year’s contest it only requires 2 bottoms and 3 tops, all which must mix-and-match. Since I need to get together a back-to-work “hybrid” wardrobe (3 days on … More Micro-Mini Wardrobe Sewing Plans?
Moving on with my Sew, Wear Are They Now series I thought I would next take a look back at all of the sweaters and cardigans I have sewn over the past decade. This isn’t as extensive of a category as some of the others, but I felt it should be distinct from coats and jackets because … More Sew, Wear Are They Now: Sweaters and Cardigans
Doctor T Designs 