Red plaid wool coat Part 3, completed

It seems to me this is the third time since I began blogging that I have done a very similar thing, which is to finish sewing a wool coat just when spring is arriving here in N. California. While our coat wearing season is fairly short compared to other places, back in the second week in February when I started this I thought I would get a few chances to wear it. On the day these photos were taken the temperature had been almost 80 ℉ here so that is not very likely. However I will be ready for the Christmas holidays in December!





The light was just going in the evening so I did lighten up some shadows, and in some of these pictures the colors look not quite right.



There are two blog posts previous to this one that talk about construction, the first one is about fit and shows the pattern drawing (it's a Burda Easy coat that I downloaded about a year ago). The next blog post is about doing bound buttonholes and a few interfacing details.

The fabric is from Mood Fabrics in NY. I ordered in December when I was in a holiday mood and to me the color is just the perfect shade of red. It's definitely a plaid and I treated it as such, with all that involves. Considering some of the changes I made for fit after I cut it out I'm really happy with the plaid matching result (check out that first blog post for the fitting info).



This was the only photo with the front unbuttoned, which is probably the way I will most often wear it. I really searched for some red buttons or something else interesting but now that I see it I really like the black buttons. Which were in my stash :)




Ok my dislike of what I call novelty linings might be know if you have read this blog for a while, I prefer lining to be a solid and matching or coordinating color. But I was stuck at home recuperating from the flu, well enough to sew, wanting to finish this coat, and this pink satin lining was sitting there in my box of lining fabric just saying "pick me, pick me". It's the exact weight and type of lining that I like for a coat so I just let go of my desire for a matching lining and went with it. Maybe it coordinates, instead of matching.





SO pink! Lining is hand sewn in all around. I used the same pattern pieces as the coat, added a small pleat in center back and then adjusted the front to account for the facing. There's a photo in my previous post showing how I "free-form" the lining.






You can see I have my hands in the pockets, after all what is the good of a coat with no pockets?
Yet this version didn't have pockets, the front flap things are just decorative.



But I took care of that little issue with some side seam pockets. By the way, I almost always put lining instead of fashion fabric on the back of pocket flaps (or even faux pocket flaps). I just think they are less bulky and press nicely that way, of course they are interfaced to maintain the structure.

See, hands in pockets. And what am I looking at? Probably a wasp building a nest under my patio cover, even the wasps think spring is already here.




To show that this is becoming a habit - by that I mean making a winter coat when winter has all but fled my part of the world here are the previous episodes.
Shawl Collar Coat from March 2015  and Spring Coat from May 2013. Hmm both of those are Burda and so is this coat. AND my best every Tricolor Coat, also Burda. Are we sensing a trend? Burda has some really great coat patterns and I would make even more but I have no possible chance to wear any more!

Time to run, my garden is sadly neglected since I was sick with the flu for the majority of February. I did get some dahlias planted but have a long list of tasks to get to. Plus I have two pairs of jeans about 80% completed which I sewed as examples for my recent jeans class. Now it's onward to spring sewing, both here in my sewing room and at Hello Stitch Studio. Here's the link for all the classes we have coming up in the next few months.





Stay well everybody!
Happy Spring Sewing,
Beth

Today's garden photo - this year's first tulip and it coordinates so well with my new coat.

Red plaid wool coat Part 2, bound buttonholes and other details

Onward with my red wool coat that I started in the previous post. I need to finish it the next day or so as this upcoming weekend we have the Bay Area Frocktails event and I might as well wear it then. Because winter is fleeing fast, it's barely coat weather anymore. Just days of sunshine, which might sound nice and it is, but as usual we need the rain.

A downside of having the flu was that I certainly couldn't go out and buy buttons, so I boldly just made them and figured I would find an appropriately sized button later. Which might turn out to be easier said than done...I did stop by Stone Mountain on Sunday but didn't see anything that looked good with this coat. I have a specific thing in mind which is often trouble when shopping. In any case
the buttonholes are done. I chose a dimension that I thought looked good with the proportions of the coat. They are 1 1/8" wide and the welts are 1/4" wide.



Shown above is my tester. I always do two of them, spaced the distance apart that I'm planning for the coat or jacket so I can see proportions, how they look when completed. I'm a bit of a Goldilocks when it comes to details like this, never use the markings on the pattern and just play around with spacing until it looks juuuuuust right.

With a coat like this with a waist seam you have to take that into consideration, and also the collar area. So I start just under the collar, and also decide where near the waist I want a button, and then work my way from there.

Once I've decided spacing, then it's time to mark the buttonholes. I do it very similarly to a welt pocket, additionally creating what I call a thread ladder so the placement is even from the edge all the way down. Note I've marked the edge seam allowance stitch line, which is 5/8" in from the edge, and then the second red line is the coat center front. The buttonholes should cross over the center front a bit, between 1/8" and 1/4". Depends on the size of button and the thickness of fabric.



Once it is marked in pencil or chalk on the inside I go over each line with a thread trace. Using a very contrast-y thread color. This is going to be used on the right side so that's why the contrast is important. Mostly I use silk thread for this as it pulls out so easily. No knots, just running stitch along the lines.

Shown below, this is what you see on the right side, the blue thread ladder which makes it possible to place all the buttonholes accurately and evenly.




Next step is placing the welt pieces across the button placement marking. I neglected to take a picture when I sewed the welts. I've found that it's easier to start with a length of fabric, about 1.5" wide, press in half with a good crease, then stitch 1/4" in from the folded edge, and then use the rotary cutter to trim the other side so the finished welt is precisely 1/2" wide.



The welt pieces are placed across the button markings, and then the ladder part of the thread trace is used to make the chalk marks which show where to start/stop stitching the welts.




Then I stitch them down, right on top of the existing stitching, reversing at the ends and then tying off the threads in knots. (which may not be necessary but that's how I started doing it so I continue :)
Also I've found that using the open toe foot on my modern sewing machine is really helpful, the regular foot has a bit of plastic in the center that while clear, doesn't really let you see where the needle is going. On my old Singers I do love the straight stitch foot, you can always see exactly where you are stitching.

Next it's time to boldly cut open the buttonholes. I say boldly but I really mean carefully and precisely!




They are cut just like a welt pocket, but in miniature. It's extremely important to make those little triangles big enough so that you can stitch them down at the sides of the buttonhole. I tend to mentally divide the length of the buttonhole into thirds and then have each triangle a third of the total length. With tightly woven fabrics you have to cut very accurately all the way to the stitching, with loosely woven fabrics such as this one it's better to cut where it looks correct, and then flip it over and see how it looks on the right side. Because the loosely woven fabric tends to unravel a bit so it's best not to overdo the cuts. At this point I give it a good press on the wrong side and would probably trim off the ends a bit although not necessary at this point.

They were all finished, pressed, basted shut and I was feeling pretty satisfied with myself when I realized that I hadn't sewn down the edges. Duh! I blame the remnants of being sick for my brain fog. But fortunately I did remember, see below. A wooden kitchen skewer makes a good tool for holding that little triangle bit in place as you stitch, with the zipper foot to get close to the edge.




Ready for more?  Now it's time to deal with the facing at the back of the buttonhole. I don't like the windowpane method, it seems like extra work plus how can you get it to match exactly to the buttonholes in the coat or jacket front? I see a lot of people using this method but I prefer to cut and hand stitch the facing.

Here's the coat with the collar sewn on, and the facing attached. But before I trimmed the seam edge along the front and on the collar.



So here is how I do the back. Once the front facing is pressed I might baste that edge with silk thread just to keep that crease (which I did here).  Then the most important step is to baste around each buttonhole so that the facing is locked against the buttonhole and can't shift. (yellow thread circles below). This is the right side of the coat. Button welts are basted shut also.



Then the fun (ha!) begins.
From the right side I poke a pin through each corner of the buttonhole. Then I snip a similar triangle cut on the facing, which will be turned under and hand stitched. Of course at this stage it's really important NOT to cut the button welts.



Once the facing is cut open I slip the four edges inside and hand stitch them down to the edges of the buttonhole. In this thick and loosely woven fabric the hand sewing doesn't show. I think hand sewing is something you get better at with practice, like anything else, over time you learn how loose or tight to pull the thread, a lot depends on the fabric you are working on. Also how to bury the stitches so they don't really show.



Here's another look.  I think in this one the three sides but not the top are sewn. By the way it makes me crazy how every photo has a different color.
Once it's finished the sewing is robust and then with a good press it is nice and smooth.



So that's the latest on my red coat. This might be more than anyone wanted to know about bound buttonholes but since I took all the photos I figures I might as well write it up.

Another result of my being stuck in the house is that I rummaged through my lining stash and came up with this pink satin which is a perfect weight for a coat. And a bold color choice but I think that now I like it.

As usual, I kind of free-form the lining, using the coat pattern pieces, and trim away at the front in order to match it up with the facings. Hand stitched in as the facing is tacked down already. Plus I'm a  hand stitched lining fan.



That's Part 2 of this coat, onward to finishing the hem tonight and then time to move on to other things. In fact I also stitched up a pair of Ash jeans yesterday as I teach a class this upcoming weekend at Hello Stitch and wanted to refresh my tired brain on the zipper fly construction. Which always comes out perfect with that Ash jeans pattern/instructions.

Happy Sewing,
Beth

Today's garden photo is a throwback to 2018 when this red rose was in bloom. I just looked at it today and it has all kinds of new growth so I'm hoping for some great blooms again this year.

Red plaid wool coat Part 1, preparation and fitting

Right around Christmas I ordered a couple of different wools from Mood Fabrics. I think I got an email that they had wools on sale, and I had been eyeing both of these fabrics for a few weeks, ever since I got swatches of both of them a few months previous. Any time I order from Mood I take advantage of the free swatches, even if I'm not really interested in the specific fabric it's nice to see them in person and compare to the online description, color etc. I think for some quantity of $ spent you get a free swatch, and then also for your orders you get points, so I had about $ 25 worth of points to use toward the cost of the order. In any case, it was a little holiday present to myself 😊.

So I will jump ahead a little bit and show you this coat in progress. Last week I was still stuck in the house recovering from the flu (quite a persistent bug!) but I'm finally feeling better after 2 weeks. But being stuck at home meant I could work on this a little bit each day, in between naps and Netflix.

I'm going to break up this project into several blog posts. It's been a while since I made a coat and I ended up taking a lot of photos during construction. So in this post I'll review some fit and construction things, then in the next post it will be all about the bound buttonholes. And after that I'll finish it and find an opportunity to take some pictures of me wearing it.



The color is just so beautiful, it's my ideal color of a red coat. And I will be ready next December to put this into heavy rotation for the holidays.

Sometime last year I kept looking at this pattern on the Burda website so I finally bought the PDF pattern and even printed it out. They had some very cute Burda Easy patterns on the old website, I also have a dress that I planned to make last summer but never got around to it. I don't know if this has a pattern number, but due to my strong dislike of zippers in wool coats I was only ever going to make the 1D version. Plus collarless, also not my favorite. I actually don't think this is all that simple, with that many darts and a center front separating zipper  - that is not in the easy category!




This color blocked dress lives on this dress form which I have adjusted and padded to mimic my measurements. It's really useful to use as a comparison for all kinds of patterns, particularly ones with a waist seam as I can see where the seam falls as compared to the dress. This is my go-to method for starting with pattern fitting. I prep the pattern pieces in my size (in Burda it's 38, in Vogue etc. it's 12)
and then I grade out as needed in the waist and hip. Then I pin in the darts, pin together any seams (such as princess seams), pin the front and back together at the shoulder and then put it over the form and see how it lines up. I also put it on myself and do the same checks. Granted that the dress on the form is a fitted dress but that's kind of good, as I can see how things line up, how much ease I want in what I'm sewing, how wide the shoulders are and also where the waist and bust line up on the paper versus the dress on the form.



You might not be able to see it but the waist seam on the pattern piece is above the one on the dress, and I thought it might need a bit of length, so I  made another comparison.

This is a coat I made a few years ago, which is probably a better comparison than a dress for a new coat. While the paper pattern was a bit awkward over the coat it showed me that the waist dart might need to be lowered a bit. I decided to split the front horizontally and give it about 1/2" more length, and rebel that I am, I didn't adjust the back. I decided that I could make the front and back side seams fit as needed with some easing and steam. Which worked but I'm getting a bit ahead.  I also added another 1/2" in length to the whole bodice at the bottom, both on the front and back pattern pieces but ended up removing that when I sewed it. Fundamentally I just created a 1" seam allowance on the bottom of the bodice pieces to use as adjustment area. On a lot of outerwear I use 1" seam allowances instead of altering the pattern as I like to see how things fit as I go along and a 1" seam allowance on several seams gives me enough room for adjustments I might need.



I also added 1" seam allowances on the side seams for more fit insurance. I think looking at the pattern pieces over the blue coat deceived my eye and I thought it would be too small. That turned out to be quite wrong.

Time to baste! As I have made a number of coats over the past few years I find that I can hand baste them together so much quicker and with more control than sewing on the machine. So I basted the skirt pieces to the upper pieces and also basted the side seams so I could try it on for size. Note the interfacing is not yet applied to the bottom front, but it will be the same as the upper, it's the Pro-Weft Supreme Lightweight from Fashion Sewing Supply.



With this preliminary try on I could see that I overdid it with adding to the side seams, so I seamed it in about 2" in the side seams. Once I decide on the side seams I mark with chalk, and while still basted together I cut away the excess. In this instance I left the side seams at 3/4".  Now I could take it apart and still know that when I sew the sides together the seam allowance is a steady 3/4" all over.



I sewed the sleeves and hand basted them on as well for a better idea of fit in the shoulders and around the bust. I pinned in some shoulder pads and tried it on, it seemed way too wide in the shoulders for the style. I also compared the width across the back to the blue coat and it was at least 1.5 inches wider. So I moved in the entire armhole by 1/2", also taking off that 1/2" at the top of the side seam. That maintains the armhole as the same - just shifting the entire thing toward the center.



In the above photo there is just one pocket flap, since that seam is hand basted I just put it on one side to see abut the placement. The skirt has some small gathers which are covered by the pocket flap. Which is a fake pocket! I did put pockets in the side seams, because a coat needs pockets.  The blue spots on the bottom of the skirt portion are pieces of painter's tape, which I sometimes use to distinguish right and wrong side. With this fabric I couldn't really tell a difference, but I always want to use all the same side so as I'm cutting out I either mark with wax chalk or put a piece of the blue tape.

Also no topstitching as shown in the pattern diagram. Everyone has their preference and I don't like the look of topstitching on wool, plus on this fabric it wouldn't even show. But to me it looks too casual. Another thing to notice - this is a plaid! (go back to the first photo) A lot of work for a plaid that isn't really multiple colors but the line pattern was all I could see as I prepared to cut it out and I knew it had to line up or it would make me crazy. I'm quite happy so far with how that detail has turned out.

So here is where I will leave it. Pockets sewn on, side seams finished, sleeves and sleeve heads attached, bound buttonholes still need some more detail work, collar needs trimming and grading, and then onto the lining.

Next post will be more than you may want to know about bound buttonholes!




My plan is to buy some buttons tomorrow - oh yes - I made the buttonholes not having any buttons but I was stuck at home so I just went for it and I'm sure I will find something nice. Next weekend is our Bay Area Sewists Frocktails event so if I get the buttons I will have a new coat to wear - even though coat weather is rapidly departing the bay area. You know I love summer but I wish it would rain (a lot) before our winter ends.

Happy Sewing,
Beth

Reaching back a few months to this lovely little flower on one of my succulents. Which are getting more and more space in the garden.

Ready for spring: an out of season shirt plus pattern storage idea

Here's something I sewed up on a rainy day in December, and the whole time I thought "well this will go in the closet until spring arrives". However I had the chance to take some outdoor pictures last week on a beautiful sunny day.



Although I should have known better than to stand under an olive tree - these trees are common around here and while they give a nice mediterranean touch to the landscape there are a lot of fallen olives to step on and make a mess on the bottom of your shoes. Everything is so green right now and we Californians have to enjoy it while it lasts. I have so much sympathy for everyone in Australia, the fires are devastating as we here well know. But the scope of their situation is mind boggling and I hope it settles down soon.

Back to the mundane details of my new shirt. This is from Burda Magazine, January 2019 #109 which I made last year in March. That version was also a print so the design lines don't show there either. That was in a wool challis which I paired with an ultra suede skirt - a successful sewing of two pieces that I wear often. Keep reading to see the interesting pattern pieces that make up this shirt.

The fabric is from Mood, I ordered it last summer and it's a silk and cotton voile. 60" wide, I ordered 1.5 yards which is enough for me to make a shirt. I posted this recently on Instagram asking if it looked too "geriatric palm beach style" but it got a lot of positive feedback. Not sure why I saw it like that, maybe working up close with the leafy print it seems a bit much. However now that it's finished I do love it. The colors are among my favorites.






Plus it goes so well with my blue wool blazer that I posted about previously. Please ignore my pocket flap which is annoyingly out of place in that picture. Also it's interesting how the iPhone reacts to the light, photos taken seconds apart can have such a different tone.

I thought it would be interesting to show you the pattern pieces for this shirt. It's a raglan sleeve where the yoke is incorporated into the top of the sleeve, with a dart at the shoulder. The front has a facing instead of a button band (facing not pictured, also the collar and stand as they are just like any other shirt.)



But I think this is a clever design and results in a nicely fitting shirt. Plus it is super quick to sew. I don't think this is the last time I will use this pattern.







Yep those colors definitely make me smile. I think turquoise is my basic black, if that makes any sense 😄.

Since I've been sewing so many Burda magazine patterns I have plenty of tracings like those shown above.  I find you have to be systematic with labeling - nothing worse than looking for a pattern piece for what seems like hours. Sometimes I've search for days and finally the missing item turns up when I stop looking for it, although that applies to any pattern, not just Burda.

For my envelope patterns such as Vogue, McCalls etc, I put the pattern pieces and instructions in file folders, and label the folder with the pattern brand, number and then a note for whatever garment I first used the pattern for. Example: "Simplicity 2339 blue silk charmeuse". It's far easier to remember the specific garment than the pattern. By the way - when I open an envelope pattern I look through the instruction sheets and get rid of unnecessary ones (typically in other languages) and just use those sheets for scrap paper note writing. Anything to make the file folder less bulky.  I'm lucky to have a big file drawer cabinet where I store the file folders in hanging files but it's getting stuffed and so probably time to cull a few of the ones I'm never going to make again.

This label system also applies well to Burda since they have issue and pattern numbers. However with Burda all I have to file is the traced sheets and it seemed like it would take up too much space to make a file folder for each pattern I traced. So one day I thought about putting them in binders, and this is what I came up with.

The clear page covers hold two patterns, and I keep all the pattern pieces together with a paper clip, then put a post-it on the bundle with the magazine year/month and the pattern number PLUS my description of whatever I made first with that pattern. It's quite easy to flip through and find a pattern.



I have about 10 patterns in the binder now and will put the rest of my traced patterns in there. I think having a few of these binders on the shelf is a lot easier than an individual folder for each pattern. In fact I could see having a different binder for each category once I get a sizable quantity of patterns traced.

So that's the scintillating scoop on my pattern storage, ha ha. Onward to the next project. I had some lovely burgundy corduroy and had the idea to make some trouser style pants with slant pockets and a front pleat. Which may or may not be a good idea, pleated pants can be friend or foe, a lot depends on shape and style.

Anyway, here's a peek at the pants.


I'm not 100% happy with them despite the fact that they fit very nicely above the knee. Which is usually the trouble zone but they are a winner there - however the legs are more tapered than I would like. I think if they were straight legs or wide they would look better with the pleated top. So I am playing around with the seam allowance on the legs and seeing if I can adjust a bit. I have a lot of the corduroy remaining so I think I'll make that skirt pictured to the right. And if I could order those long legs and the boots that would be nice also :).





Enough hanging around - I think happy hour was calling my name right then.

Tomorrow I have a full day of classes at Hello Stitch, it's our Intro to Sewing class and in the first session I explain how to decode all that info on the pattern envelope and discuss fabric choice, pattern markings and all the other stuff that is so helpful to know when you begin making your own clothes. I really enjoy it plus I bring a bunch of things I've made to compare with the pattern envelope. I think when you start sewing that's one of the trickiest things to master, matching or visualizing the fabric with the pattern. It's fun for me and the most common comment is "I would never have imagined that garment based on the picture on the pattern!" Which once you get going is the fun part of sewing and making clothes that are your own choices.




Next up, maybe those corduroy pants and a new to me shirt pattern (Vogue 9029) with a good result but some interesting observations.

Happy Sewing,
Beth

Today's garden photo, reaching among my flower photos for something blue and came across this one. It's Vinca minor which is a nice ground cover and I should get outside and take some cuttings to make more. Or stay inside and sew :)

Think PINK: Burda Jacket 10/2018 # 108 in pink wool boucle

This spring I have repeated something that I've done a few times in recent memory, that being I've sewn up a wool coat or jacket that will not get any wear until next fall. I just finished this Burda jacket from their October 2018 issue, it's # 108.



I've been wanting to make this jacket since that issue arrived in my mailbox. Despite the fact that it has a belt. Coats or jackets with belts and I just don't get along. I often walk around with a jacket open, not buttoned up so what happens to the belt, it just hangs there. But despite those misgivings I loved the collar/lapel arrangement on this pattern. Perhaps also the photo in the magazine was shown in cherry red, so appealing to me.
I went on a hunt for some suitable fabric. And also to find a color that didn't already exist in my wardrobe. I wanted a solid color and so around Valentine's day there was a extra 10% on the Mood Fabrics website on all things pink. So this wool boucle jumped into my cart. My regret is that I didn't buy about 1/2 yard more, as I have about 5/8 yard remaining and if I had one yard remaining I could have made a cute 60's style sheath dress to wear with my jacket. Now that would be committing to this color, right? But I will work on finding something to pair with that remnant and come up with a use for it.



I have so many projects going on right now that I didn't do any photos during construction - but if you want jacket sewing details look at any of my previous posts, I've made 3 blazers in the last couple of months!

I did take this one during some late night sewing, and had to ask @geopri123 about the pocket construction as it wasn't quite apparent to me, and of course the Burda instructions are a bit cryptic. Actually the Burda instructions are generally OK, but where the fall down is that they give names to the pattern pieces or various components that don't quite make sense. Perhaps it's the translation. In any case she gave me some info and they came out fine.








I think the belt is a bit bulky, but I didn't get around to making an actual belt with a buckle. I found a nice buckle in my stash so when autumn arrives I will make that and be ready to wear this when the chilly weather returns.

Here are the images from Burda. I just can't with those big snaps, I think they ruin the look of the lapel.



But that means the belt is definitely needed to keep it closed.
Sewing note - I added 2" in length to this jacket. My tendency is to have jacket stop well below my hipbone, perhaps because I have a long rise (despite being a short person) a lot of jacket pattern seem too short to me. So I add length which I can always remove if not needed.




I didn't use the pocket welt pieces for the pockets, just cut my own but after I did the first one I realized that they would have been a lot easier to sew if I had made them a bit wider, like 3/8" instead of my usual 1/4" wide. That boucle is a bit thicker than other wools.







See above, that tie belt is just too bulky and regretfully I tied it a bit sloppily when I took the outdoor pictures. On the plus side, the color of the jacket is pretty much exact in the outdoor photos so you can see how bright it is. I think it is more of a coral pink than a true pink. I started a top to go with this jacket in a white/pink print fabric and ended up not liking my super bold sleeves - so it will be revised into a sleeveless top. Which I will probably wear more anyway! I still have the a navy blue/pink rayon woven I bought at Stone Mountain for a top to go with this and I won't mess that up.

So that's the latest on my bold pink jacket. As I mentioned at the top of the post, I've sewn up a wool item just as our spring weather warms up twice before.
First with this blue wool coat from the Burda Style Book, and second with this Burda Shawl collar coat . Hmmm, perhaps a theme here, I find the Burda outerwear so nice that I covet these patterns and make them up whenever the mood strikes me. Note to self - sew fall things in the fall. The problem with sewing fall things here in N.Calif. is that it is quite hot in Sept. and often into October so I never want to be sewing warm fabrics then. Perhaps my clever plan to sew them in spring and then put away to be ready for fall is genius! ha ha.





In other news, lots of new classes coming on the calendar at Hello Stitch Studio.  Culottes, a jumpsuit, dresses, a cami top, jeans and more. We are focusing on specific patterns for the classes and choosing ones that come in a full range of sizes. Hope to see you in a class soon.

Jacket Weekend Workshop - definitely in the plans. Either in mid Sept. (9/13-15) or mid Oct. (10/18-20)  Email me if you are interested and want more details. We will decide on the date soon. I'm now leaning towards the September date plus that is a gorgeous time to visit the Bay Area! P.S. planning on using the new Closet Case Jasika blazer pattern although if you already have a jacket pattern picked out I'm fine with that.

Up next, I made a couple of Tamarack jackets so I will blog about those. Yes, me doing some quilting. Spoiler - I find it a bit tedious, but they look good. And then onto spring, and starting my cropped wide leg Ash jeans,

Happy Spring Sewing,
Beth

Of course it had to be a pink tulip for today's garden photo to go with my pink jacket. These striped tulips have been such a pleasant surprise after I forgot that I planted them. That's the thing about gardening, some delightful surprises can appear.