weekend links

Hello friends!

Remember when we were talking about scissors sharpening the other day? I just remembered a mail-order sharpening service for those of you who don’t live near anyone who does it. Here is a link to Westphal. Sewing shears are such an important tool in your sewing supplies, I highly recommend purchasing a good pair that will last you a long time and keeping them properly tuned up.

Also here’s a little sewing tip for those of you who are making a muslin and need to install a zipper to check the fit. Keep a regular 22″ zipper around, and you can re-use it. I usually baste the seam closed, press the seam allowances open and then baste the zipper right over the seam before opening the seam again . It’s really quick and allows you to accurately fit the muslin without a lot of fuss or a wasted zipper. And you can use this method instead of an invisible zipper, too.

Pinterest Picks

No idea where these two dresses came from, but aren’t they adorable? You could make both of them with our Building Block Dress book, too!

Two cute, quick weekend sewing project ideas. I love the idea of mending the edges of worn clothing by making it fancy and drawing attention to it!

Atelier Brunette produces a beautiful, tight collection of fabrics. I’ve got my eye on these two right now. (But I can’t think of an excuse to purchase them, alas!)

S found this recipe for pasta with peas and bacon the other day. When I made it she decided the peas-to-bacon ratio was all wrong (too many peas, not enough bacon), but we’ll make it again. Maybe next time I’ll make it with a Bechamel sauce so it’s more like mac and cheese, too. We might also try these little pumpkin pie cups when I don’t feel like doing the whole pumpkin pie crust-making thing, since we’re both big fans of pumpkin pie. (Have I shared my grandma’s recipe with you? It’s so good!)

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think a classic shirt looks good on pretty much everyone, no matter what their style. Witness these two versions. (I wear my Recital Shirts like this, really casually, in addition to dressing them up at times.)

Weekend Reading

• Your daily cute. (Also, so glad they included subtitles in the video!)
• A cat who walked the catwalk! And s/he did it really well, too.
• Nice to see research confirms that your clothing affects your performance. We already knew this, right?
• Interesting research about social media and our desire to share our lives with others.
• How many of these sweets from other countries have you tried?
• Antiques are worth less now because we’re all hanging out in our kitchens!
• My doctor recently told me this and I thought it was just because she’s Spanish, but it turns out she wasn’t kidding. It’s better to eat dinner in the middle of the day! (We do now, sort of. Lunch at 4:00, believe it or not. Things are just different in Spain.)
• On finding yourself by pursuing hobbies.

What are you pursuing this weekend with your sewing hobby? I’m in the thick of spring pattern development and writing, so I can’t show you what I’m making (yet). But I’m excited!

We’ll be back next week with lots of sewing and inspiration for you. The Advisors Circle has been busy. And so have many of you, from what I’ve been seeing on Instagram and Flickr lately. Have a great weekend.