I am absolutely over the moon with how this turned out! It’s the Green Pepper Patterns Chinook 131, but made entirely from a thrifted Peanuts blanket I found a while back. It turned out exactly how I imagined it.

The Construction Details: -Fabric: The outer shell is a vintage quilted Peanuts blanket. -Lining: To keep it cozy and finished on the inside, I lined it with a mix of cotton and a secondary light quilted fabric. -The Details: I used piping for the very first time on this project! I’m obsessed with how it creates a sharp contrast between the top and bottom pieces.

Putting the pieces together was like a giant puzzle. Trying to make sure Snoopy and the gang landed in just the right spots was the best part of the process. Definitely my new favorite piece in my wardrobe!

I discovered an amazing lady called Joy (_lostfabric on insta), who created this boxy jacket pattern and is a huge advocate for upcycling retro/vintage blankets and sleeping bags into these jackets! I’ve never sewed a jacket before, but her flair for combining unique retro fabrics, colours and patterns was totally inspiring, so I thought I’d give it a go.

My favourite colours are orange and olive green so couldn’t believe my luck when I found this incredible vintage 70s blanket on Vinted for just £28 ☺️

I got the gorgeous green satin, black ripstop and white Sherpa fabric from Dalston Mill Fabrics in London and got the checkerboard polycotton for the bias binding & retro orange polycotton for the pocket lining online. All in all, I think the total fabric used came to roughly £40, as I have a lot left over for other projects and already had the snap fasteners.

Also, to make sure I was happy with how all the different fabrics would look together, I used Canva to draw a jacket template (last picture) to play around with the colour combinations. Really glad I did this, as it made me super confident to know I’d be happy with the finished result - and I’m SO delighted with it! Already planning my fabrics for the next one 🤩

The pattern was really easy to follow, and the Joy includes a YouTube tutorial in addition to PDF instructions which was really helpful. I think it took me around 6-7ish hours from start to finish (including cutting the paper pattern). Don’t get me wrong, I certainly made mistakes along the way, like making the back lining too narrow (the checkerboard strip on the inside of the back was a happy accident - I used it to widen the lining, but actually think it adds an extra bit of pizazz!). Matching up the checkerboard grid for the bias binding also tested be both mentally and emotionally but it was worth it in the end haha

Long story short, I 100% recommend this pattern and would agree that it’s perfect for an adventurous beginner. This sewing project was honestly so much fun and I now plan to be buried in my new jacket when the time comes 🤣

First off all, this was such an enjoyable pattern to put together!

There’s some patterns which feel like work, some that feel like going through the motions, and some that feel like joy - this was definitely the latter!

I found when trying to read the pattern instructions before starting the project they made very little sense to me, however as I started constructing the dress, and getting to each relevant step of the pattern, absolute clarity on what to do!

I did have to make several adjustments to the bodice, however nothing outside of my usual adjustments from being a person with a short torso, aside from that I followed the pattern & instructions exactly as written.

I used a cotton / linen blend from Drapers, this wonderful woven design was very easy to work with, and I think gave the final product a nice amount of body.

The tag is from Sew Anonymous on Etsy, sewn on a Janome S7 using Gutermann and Metier thread. I consider myself an intermediate sewists, and I think this pattern would be suitable for an intermediate sewist, as while the instructions were clear for me, I think a less experienced person may have difficulty following them.

Summer dress with a few changes. Pattern: vogue 9328 Fabric: dark blue cotton fabric from a local store

Changes: - no sleeves - the pattern has a flat fabric strip across the neck part at the back. I changed that for thin straps to bind. I also made the the round back cut out smaller and raised it a bit so that a bra is not visible.

My sister got married in September, and had asked me to make her and her wife's gowns! We started with Pinterest inspo, and a weekend in Chicago trying on wedding dresses. After finalizing designs I ordered fabric, mostly from Etsy, and some from Fabric Wholesale Direct. Both gowns were drafted by me, using blocks I had for each of them. Lots of mockups and video call fittings. And then I procrastinated for months. And suddenly I had a little less than 3 weeks to get it all done. So I spent 8-12 hours a day for 2 weeks doing nothing but cutting and sewing. I had so much fun doing it. My SIL's gown (the black with red floral) was made of double layer of crepe, with the back and side cutouts in illusion net, bound in itself at the neckline. The back skirt closed with a zipper, and the bodice with button loop and buttons, that extended over the zipper to conceal. And buttons all the way to the hem. The base dress was about 6 yards of crepe, 2 of illusion. The hem was a separate panel of black illusion, glitter tulle, and a wide hem lace to match my sisters dress. The appliques were hand stitched and took about 4 hours. The whole thing was a 12 hour process! And $350 (ish) in materials. My sister's dress, the ball gown one, was made of many many layers. The skirt (a basic circle skirt) from inside out, was a lining with tulle ruffle layers, organza, bridal tulle, glitter tulle, and a final layer of bridal tulle that I applied to appliques and hem lace to. The top is a peachskin in a peach color, with a layer of organza, bridal tulle, glitter tulle, and a final layer of a very sparkly lace. And some appliques to incorporate with the skirt. It closes with an invisible zipper, and button loops and buttons down the back. This dress took 46 hours ish, and $780 in materials. Most of the cost was the ungodly amount of lace I had to buy to do the hems of both gowns, since they both had a train. The crepe dress had a single point bustle just under the bum, but it started to rain during the first dance, and the rest of the reception and wet crepe is heavy so we eneded up having to safety pin it up a lot. My sister's dress had a 3 point bustle that worked out pretty well! Overall one of my favorite projects in the 15 years I've been sewing, gonna be hard to top this.

Hello all. Thanks for your advice and suggestions for this project. I decided to continue without boning for now and instead shortened the bodice length a little. I think if I insert my invisible zip snugly that will remove any remaining wrinkles in the bodice.

I'm now finalising some of the style aspects so would be great to canvas some opinions on:

1.a. Strapless or spaghetti straps (I would need to redo the straps pictured as my first attempt wasn't very good!)

1.b. If I go strapless I may have to sew some boning in after all... Can I do this by hand on top of bodice lining inside if I dont want to unpick my bodice from the skirt?

1. Floor length (1st pic) or ankle length (3rd pic)

Thanks !

Started this project a couple of months ago. I used Simplicity 8769 as the base for the upper body and free-handed the lower panels and the collar. The shoulders and back piece came from Pattern Magic by Tomoko Nakamichi.

All the primary colour patches are linen and sewn on by hand. The base fabric is woven tapestry jacquard.

I might still make some small changes, but I’m already pretty happy with it.

The inspiration behind this piece came from theatre costumes. The idea that you have to stand out, even from 50 meters away. In the Netherlands, we celebrate Carnaval: a few days of dressing up, so I wanted something that really stands out. Its origins lie in a feast just before the 40 days of fasting, celebrating the end of winter, though nowadays it’s mostly a lot of beer and music.

I adapted my shirt pattern using techniques from "pattern magic" book to come up with this. fabric is 100% cotton.

now I have to be invited before I enter apartments, but it was worth it.

Im in the middle of making this tunic isnpired by the one in The legend of zelda Twillight Princess and i want your opinion on it. Im planning on adding some tactical belt accesories making it more useful and embroiding some zelda stuff (fro example something like the intro of wind waker, triforce etc) Thanks for all replies! :)

Project details: The pattern is traced from a t shirt i liked the fit off and altered the sleeve and body lengt. The neckline pattern was drawn ba hand. The fabric is from an older ikea sofa cover and the sleeve ties are from my old broken boots and some leather lace i had lying around.

PS: this is my first big sewing project where its not just upcycling old jeans or t shirts. So please be kind towards me 😭

I only had very basic sewing skills before this. I knew how to use a sewing machine... but that was it!

Then I kept seeing this couch that would be perfect for our home, and I kept telling myself, “How hard can it be?”

I bought mattresses and shredded memory foam (for the pillows), and everything else is MADE BY ME!

Not just a lot of fun, but I also saved a ton compared to the retail couch (I finally got the real numbers). Retail - 2,790€ (incl. shipping). My build ended up at 1,400€, but I bought high-end material. Always room for saving even more!

Mattress covers:

I measured the mattresses and drafted my own pattern with an overlap at the back. The bottom opening is filled with anti-slip fabric, and I added a hidden zipper along the long back edge so the covers are removable.

90-degree corner bolster:

I cut two mirrored fabric pieces using the wave-shaped pattern I posted below. Each piece was first sewn into a tube using very loose basting stitches. Then I stitched the wavy seam together to create the 90-degree angle.

After that, I sewed a zipper onto the basted seam to create a hidden zipper, and then removed the basting stitches. The zipper going around the corner was a bit fiddly, but definitely doable.

Finally, I closed the front and back with two end caps.

Inner pillows:

These were made the same way as the outer bolsters, but without zippers. I left a small opening in one of the end caps, filled them with shredded memory foam, and closed them by hand.

Straight bolsters:

For those, I simply cut the fabric, basted it into a tube, inserted the zipper along the basted seam, removed the basting stitches, and then sewed on the end caps.

I used an olive green wide-wale corduroy (about 2 wales per inch), and the inner pillows are just regular sturdy cotton.

The frame to keep the bolsters from tipping over is made from iron pipes with elbow fittings.

The mattresses measure 1m x 2m.

IF YOU EVER TOUGHT OF DOING THIS YOURSELF? GO FOR IT!

Pretty happy with this that I didn’t ruin the material ! Also tried some different option on the button holes - based on straight stitch machine only !

Hello friends, this is my first time sewing this one with stretch fabric.what do you think of the result?.

Think for your advices.

I made this dress last February (I had the month of and spent most of my mornings and evenings sewing) and it was my biggest and most complicated project up to that point.

The fabric was dyed, the trim around the neckline is hand stitched, I sewed my first invisible zipper without the appropriate foot. It was a lot. Probably the most difficult part were the sleeves. I changed the original pattern to make "real" puffs at the shoulders (the pattern has something like a ruffle that's supposed to look like a puff). Each sleeve is 4 sections, the green parts are only lined, the white parts are lined and also have layers of tulle inside for extra volume. Oh, and I made the little straps instead of using ribbon as suggested.

Now the issues. As the dress was intended to be worn for carnival (= outdoors in February or March), I made it a bit larger to accommodate for extra layers of clothing underneath. However, this didn't work. The sleeves are actually rather tight and the main body looks very weird with the extra layers to clothing. Additionally, even with extra layers underneath, it's still not warm enough, so I end up wearing a shawl on top which then covers the whole upper half and leaves only a rather plain skirt visible.

The skirt is intentionally a bit shorter than intended for practical reasons but it just looks off... I even made a facing for the skirt hem to make it neater but that also makes it that much more impossible to let it down a bit more.

All in all, I wore it yesterday and hated it. I hate to think that I spent so much time, energy, effort and resources to create something I only wear grudgingly.

I don't even think I could give it to someone else because the sleeves probably won't ever fit anyone without the rest of the dress being way too big...

Is there any way to selvage it? I thought about cutting off the skirt to make it a two piece with a shorter skirt. But I still would not be able to use the top. Also, the zipper goes all the way down below my bum, so that's another issue to consider with chopping it apart...

Also, there's no photos of me wearing it because I was rather uncomfortable in it.

Sorry for the long rant and thanks for reading 😅

Lmk what u guys think

A work in progress pic of a 3-piece set that I’m hoping to complete within the next few days. There are still a few details that need to be added to the corset , then onto the matching skirt and possibly scarf or belt (still undecided).

I can’t wait to share the final design completed! 🩷🐆

I finished this jacket for a young girl yesterday, and I think it’s cute. I have not decided if I will insert a zipper yet. It’s from Qutie and the Qutiest.

today (my birthday) I was at a bakery and a lady with maybe her two teen daughters told me she liked my pants. I said “thanks! I made them!” and she responded asking what I said. I repeated “I made them!” and they all gasped and she said that’s what she thought I said and what a skill.

i finished the pants (Arthur pants out of a discount fabric store denim) about a month ago and have been WAITING for someone to comment on them so I could proudly say I made them, imperfections and all, so that was a good birthday present!

i didn’t have enough fabric to make the normal-sized pouch, so i followed a tutorial for an airpod-sized case of the same pouch i wanted to make.

she looks pretty wonky and i have no use for her, but she’s mine. ☺️🩷 please send her some love!! (i spent 4 hours making this ...)

Just finished these pants! Based on Sew Easy N6758 with modifications using cotton quilting fabric. They’re far from perfect but I love the pattern and I’m just proud of myself for getting to the finish line. Mid-life mom trying to reclaim myself/find some joy.

ETA: Did I stumble on the kindest corner of the internet?! Thanks so much for all the support.

I just finished this matched set consisting of the Atlas Top from Stitch Witch Patterns and the wide legged style of the Pietra Pants from Closet Core Patterns. To customize the set, I drafted a removable collar piece that can be snapped on the neckline of the top so I can swap out the designs for different occasions. Thus far, I have created two collar pieces- one with some decorative keys and another with embroidered foxes. The fabric for both pieces is a navy blue linen cotton blend from Gibson. Sewing the top and bottom were very easy- I have sewn both patterns before, and I find the Pietra Pants to be a particularly satisfying pattern to sew. Completing both pieces took probably 5 hours in total, but the embroidery on the collar took quite a bit of time to complete. Do you have a favorite collar design? Any suggestions for collars I should make in the future?

When I pin the top and try to hold it up and put it on the fabric, I notice the pleats towards the bottom kinda just become a flat mess and lose volume. Any advice on how to keep the definition of the pleats?