Nicole

I would really recommend that you get the book. Here is why- not only do you learn about techniques, but I feel like you learn why you do what you do. For me, the learning the why is the key. It helps me understand what I am doing and apply it more broadly than just copying another pattern.

My child is a narrow string bean with a long rise…[Read more]

@liesl I never would have thought of that, Liesl! Thanks so much for explaining, I’ll be trying the next size up soon!

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]

Hmmm, I just made this pattern yesterday so it’s fresh in my mind…
The placket is the very last thing you do, so I can see two ways you could line it without changing the order of steps.
One would be to effectively underline each front and back panel and have the lining enclosed in the hem. ie treat the lining and main fabric as one when it…[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…

It would be an interesting exercise to see if the Bento sleeves don’t fit right on there… But then I don’t have the pattern to hand. Yet. 🙂

It may be possible? It’s kind of a Dolman style, the band at the bottom is what creates the sleeve look.

Great tip, @mima!

It looks like it is an inset sleeve, which means you have a few options.

1) take the short sleeve and lengthen and narrow as it you would like; or

2) find a sleeve you like and take the pattern’s sleeve cap and draft that onto that sleeve pattern.

Although, looking at the pictures (I don’t have the pattern) it looks like it might be a boxier…[Read more]

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

recently, I measured my daughter for a garden party. She’s almost 8 but narrow. So she measured a 3T in width, but obviously not in length. I made a 5 with 8 length. It is a bit big through the shoulders and chest, but plenty long. So I agree. Only go down two sizes at most, and lengthen. Also, after having bought and read the Building…[Read more]

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!

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