dianelyons

I would love to write that book and hope to have the chance someday! A Building Block Dress book for women would be amazing, I think.

I do write occasional tutorials or blog posts showing how I altered one of our patterns for myself. Here is one:

liesl + co. bistro dress shift, sleeveless

Many of the techniques from the Building Block Dress book would be useful for altering women’s patterns as well. The book might help you to…[Read more]

Hi Jes,

I know what you’re saying! All sizes need support. You have the opposite problem that we have at our house, but ironically the fix is similar. On pages 12-13 of the book there is a section on lengthening and shortening a pattern. Where I usually need to lengthen a smaller size, you’ll be shortening a larger size. Also, on pages 9-11 there…[Read more]

Hey there! Yes, I can see that the sleeves have drag lines that are coming more from the shoulder than the top of the sleeve. This is probably partly a function of the kimono sleeve, which doesn’t really allow for a true sleeve cap. Based on the photos, I’m thinking you might need a larger size because you have a wider shoulder. As a result, right…[Read more]

Apologies for the silence! I’m back from multiple trips (finally) and recovering from a cold, so I’ve been absent more than usual.

Anyway, excellent question! It’s been so long since we released this pattern, I haven’t given it much thought in a while. But I just went back and glanced at the pieces. We released them as full pattern pieces because…[Read more]

Hi there! From the pattern envelope:

Sweatpants: Light- to medium-weight knit fabrics like jersey, cotton fleece, and French terry.

I’ve never seen a French terry without stretch, but maybe it exists? Yes, the pattern is designed for knits with some stretch. It doesn’t need a ton of stretch, but they might be quite slim without it.

I hope…[Read more]

I didn’t really intend the pattern with long sleeves, but I suppose there’s no reason you couldn’t adopt the armholes and sleeves from the Metro Tee if you were so inclined…

Great tip, @mima!

Sizing this coat up may not be easy to do. You could always use the Grainline Cascade Duffle Coat pattern instead.

https://oliverands.com/shop/digital-cascade-duffle-coat-sewing-pattern.html

I agree. In general, I recommend that you not size down more than two sizes from the age or the proportions start to feel “off”. For example, S is 12 and I sometimes sew her a size 8 but I need to adjust the shoulders and sleeves. It would be safer to sew her a size 10 and leave a little extra ease for most styles. Knits are fine to be a little…[Read more]

Sure, why not? Whatever works best with your fabric will be just fine for this style!

Andrea, have no fear. The Garment District is near Penn Station, and there are lots of people in the neighborhood with suitcases.

Happy shopping!

The photo to highlight from the Flickr group is selected at random from the most recent photos posted. It updates every so often to choose a new photo if there are more recent ones available than the one that is being featured currently. And, yes, the photo does need to be public.

Oh why is this fabric so blue?
I was sure I bought some other hue
It’s hurting my eyes
They’re going cross-wise
And making me sneeze, “Ah-choo!”

New one:
When will the new patterns arrive?

As Liesl mentioned, there was indeed a minor grading issue on Piece 3. It was most pronounced (about 1/4″) on the smallest sizes.

We have updated the digital pattern to fix the issue and have issued an errata notice which is now available…[Read more]

I took a quick glance at this and it appears to be a grading issue. My apologies that we didn’t catch it earlier. As soon as I have time I’ll address it and we’ll issue an errata, ok?

Perhaps this will help you get started? https://www.creativebug.com/classseries/single/fabrics-101

My seam ripper fell to the floor
I just heard a knock at the door
I never get peace
For sew/stress release
And I definitely need it some more!

New one:

Oh why is this fabric so blue?

@lisachawk so sorry to hear about your difficulties with the pattern.

That definitely sounds like something is off. Are you working with a digital copy of this pattern? If so, be sure to check the scale measurements on the copy you printed to make sure that it has been printed true to scale. You also might want to check the finished measurements…[Read more]

The upper bust/full bust thing works great for some people and not at all for others, unfortunately. It’s a general guideline that helps a lot of people to get a good fit, but if you’re wearing a DDD bra then clearly you’re not an A/B. From what I can see in the photos it looks like you’re getting a good fit. This is a loose-fitting shirt, so it…[Read more]