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A little Mother’s Day weekend sewing! It’s giving sweatsuit but it’s actually a slouchy woven linen/rayon mix. These might be perfect for a day in but better as separates. I made the shirt this morning and I love it! I will definitely make a few of these! This is the Blandine top #blandinepattern which is a free pattern from #IAmPatterns. I wanted a boxy top and this works perfectly! Printing problems persist but so do I. And by that I mean I printed the pattern even though the registration square was not accurate. I cut out the largest size for the width and sleeve length, but did the shoulders and neckline based on my measurements. I cut off about 2.5” from the length. I did not use the band for the sleeves. I did French seams and bias binding for the neckline. Will try a narrower binding next time. Pants are #PomonaPants from #AnnaAllenPatterns in the wide length view. I went back and forth between this one and the Lane pattern but decided to try this one. I added front patch pockets and left off the back one. As most folks have said, there’s a ton of ease in the rise and I’ll have to figure out how to fix that. I have super short legs, so I needed to remove about 4” from the legs. I think the 2” waistband is probably too wide for me. So I’ll try 1.5” on my next go. Big thanks to bee mates and swap partners who have provided me with the perfect labels to use in my clothes making adventure! #memademay2026

I made some pants this weekend! These are the All Day Culottes from Matchy Matchy Sewing Club. And here’s where I gave it my Type B treatment. I have a printer problem with some patterns and despite my best efforts I could only print with the registration square at about 1.125.” Because of the loose fit I didn’t think it would be a big deal. I used the fabric I had (a rayon challis from Rashida Coleman-Hale), so I did French seams and I thought that would take care of some of the overage. I only had 1” elastic, so that’s what I used. I wanted to make a contrasting band at the bottom, so I had to forgo the pockets. 🙁 These are light and flowy and the band gives the pants a little more structure than they would otherwise have. It’s a lot of volume, which is part design, part printer error. I could probably take them in but I probably won’t. As we say in quilting, done is better than perfect. They’re super comfy. And they go great with flats and my new-to-me, thrifted gold Nike Dunk Sky Hi sneakers! #memademay #memademay2026 #matchymatchysewingclub #alldayculottes @matchymatchysewingclub

I don’t make clothes. But I adore being a spectator for #memademay each year. As a quilter, I do know how to sew rectangles together. So I thought I’d give it a go. This is the Envelope Dress by Cris Wood Sews. Fabric is some carefully hoarded cotton voile from Anna Maria Textiles from back in the day (Nature Study No. 2). It’s very light and flowy, though maybe not as drapey as this pattern calls for. It was also in a 56” width, so I could try a high-low hemline. I suppose it goes without saying, but styling (and posing!) really changes up the look of this one. Lessons learned - there’s a bit more volume up top that I’ll need to play around with, consider larger arm openings, really proud of pattern-matching the circles running down the center seam. I’m going to try my hand at elastic waist pants next (All Day Culottes by Matchy Matchy Sewing Club ) and I have a jumper cut out (Marisol by Mood).If I get that done for #memademay2026 I will be happy! (I’ve got a couple more stretch projects in the wings (more Anna Maria and OG Cotton+Steel rayon from the fabric hoard.) #envelopedress #criswoodsewsenvelopedress #annamariatextiles

Finally posting because each month I accidentally post the calendar to Stories first instead of the grid. My Instagram privileges should probably be revoked.

Finished my Barrett top today! Been working on and off since January on this one. Such an awesome versatile pattern. Already thinking about a two tone version… I was very inspired by the many black/white/pink quilts out there and decided to make one for myself. Lots of little treasures and a few fussy cuts make this one really special. I toyed with doing that final border in a pink/white print so the center is sort of floating but I was torn about it. I took an informal poll (of three people) and I stuck with black. Had the added benefit of no seam ripping 😜 I’ve pre-ordered Dottie’s Friends in black (last slide) for the backing from @frenchfryquiltco and I think that will make it perfect! Pattern: Barrett by @thencamejune Fabrics: all #rubystarsociety and #ogcottonplussteel #barrettquiltpattern #barretrquilt #thencamejunepatterns rubystarsocietyfabrics

Not a lot accomplished in March and already behind in April. Seems about right! 😜

I pieced this Star Lake City quilt at the end of January. But there were three blocks in the upper right hand corner that were oriented the wrong way. So it stayed on my design wall while I quilted through some feelings about the 🧊 occupation. And I decided to correct it today! I love the colors in the cover quilt for this pattern. And instead of just purchasing the fabrics identified, like a dummy, I embarked on a months-long journey buying various greys and greens. So now I have probably 15-20 yards of grey and green in various shades. Ultimately, I settled on these three: Kona Pepper - a favorite which is not grey but a deep blue black - Kona Moss, and the really beautiful Kona Bonsai. The Moss definitely reads brown, but relative to the other colors, it has that earthy green from the OG quilt. I love the graphic quality of this three colored pattern and can see it being very versatile with lots of other palettes and maybe even with some subtle textures or fine dots. Now what to put on the back… maybe one of those extra greys! Dash, as usual, on quality control/photo editing duty. Pattern: Star Lake City @urbandwellstudio #starlakecityquilt #starlakecityquiltpattern #konacottonsolids #konacotton #konacottonfabric

Blocks for the @ruthlesslyhandmade Trevor Project community quilts are due in the mail tomorrow. So naturally I spent the weekend putting them together. (Why am I like this?!) These are for three different quilts. I signed up for one courthouse steps block but here’s why there are two. I picked the chartreuse block and thought to myself - I have a lot of fabrics that are chartreuse. I did not, however, look at the reference number (#80ff34) for the color before this weekend. I thought chartreuse was more in the citron range when actually there is a little more blue mixed in there than I thought. It was too late to get exact matches so I used what I had and made a second block so Sarah and helpers can play around with what they receive. I took a look at other folks’ blocks that will be near this one in the quilt and I am hoping one of these works even though I didn’t follow the brief exactly as requested. I will be more careful for next time. Really happy to be a part of these community quilts and I am looking forward to seeing the completed quilts this spring when they will be up for auction. Standing with - in front of, beside, and behind - lqbtqia+ young folks always.

In the past 12 months, I have been a part of three quilting bees, and three mini quilt swaps. That was probably too many. But I have enjoyed myself greatly and really appreciate the sense of community that those activities create. I finally sent off my last bee blocks this week. Including this yellow grid for @lisa_loves2sew . I was so intent on getting it to the Lisa, that I didn’t actually take a picture of it all together. But this is about what it ended up being and I think it represents every yellow that I own. I can’t wait to see this rainbow quilt come together. Honored to be a part of it. I am also including pictures of my finished mug rug because it’s ot on the ‘gram grid even though my partner got a long time ago. Not signed up for any bees or swaps right now, but never say never!

Thank you, Tam @tamlb914 ! You knocked it out of the park! Love the colors AND a stripey binding - get out of town! Tam made me not only this lovely mug rug but also an awesome patchwork drawing string pouch filled with all sorts of goodies! Thanks for a terrific Galentine’s swap @sewtopia and #sewtopiaswap.

Attention!! @auction_for_democracy opens Feb. 21-28. Donations will go to mutual aid organizations that support folks in hiding and needing assistance in the areas hit hardest by 🧊 activity. Here are my two items for auction: Items 47 and 54. If you have questions let me know. Please bid generously! If you can’t bid right now, please visit the auction and give posts some likes, some shares, let’s amplify this, and make it successful! We’re stronger together! #ogcottonandsteel #rubystarsociety #iceout #iceoutofmn