In theory, this should be an easy project. A couple of seams, seam-sealed, elastic tunnel on the edges… project done. Too minor snags – no pattern and I don’t have access to the kayak I’m making it for. Plus as they weren’t for me, extra pressure to get it right. Continue reading “DIY kayak spray skirt and half deck”
This is the same pattern as in my previous post, but this time with twist. The fabric is one of those tech hiking fabrics, supposedly with moisture management and UV protection, that I see so often in RTW hiking shirts. It’s been in my stash for ages and I’ve always had plans to use it make a hiking shirt with all the bells and whistles. Continue reading “Pattern Hack: Hiking shirt with armpit and back vents”
Am I the only one who doesn’t like sewing buttons on?
I made this shirt almost 6 weeks ago and have only just got around to putting the last couple of buttons on. It’s such a tedious job at the best of times when it’s only the front placket that needs doing, but this shirt has an extra eight ( pocket, sleeve tab and 2 on each cuff). But I got there in the end, mainly as I wanted to wear it on the weekend. Continue reading “Striped hiking shirt”
A while ago, I made a knock-off of The North Face Raven shorts. The colour has faded but they are still in high rotation in my summer wardrobe. When I made them, I had plans of making a second version and adjusting the gusset design a little. That was back in 2012. It’s now 2018 and I’m finally getting around to that project. Continue reading “Self-drafted Convertible Hiking Pants”
The weather here is warming up and nudging above the 300C mark. It’s a bit late to be making a cool-weather jacket but when I saw this pattern released by Lekala (4695), I just couldn’t resist. Ordered and printed the evening it was available, and completed two days latter. Not bad going, but took two weeks to take the photos. Oh well….
My next knock-off is the Kuhl Destroyer Pant. I think I was crazy to try to make these pants, but life is boring without a bit of a challenge? Drafting the pattern turned out to be the ‘easy’ bit. The biggest headache was working out how to sew the sides as they have a normal side seam from the waistband to below the hip, then it changes to a side panel starting with a zippered pocket with flap. Which seam to sewn first?
Continue reading “Designer Knock-off: Kuhl Destroyer pant”
My first real pants drafted from the sloper I made is based on the Marmot Ginny hiking pant. I love the back pocket. The shape of the pant is very similar to the pant sloper. The main thing I needed to draft was the patch pockets on the front and back.
High on my sewing list this winter has been to knock-off a couple of North Face jackets. I’ve been planning to sew the Denali jacket using Kwik Sew 3813 ever since the pattern came out. When searching for detailed pictures of the inside of the jacket, I came across photos of the Pseudio Moto jacket. Oh! Wow! I had to make my own Continue reading “The North Face Pseudio Biker and Denali Jacket Knock-offs”
About 12 years ago I bought a fantastic yet very complicated pattern for shell gloves. And I’ve finally made them!!! It’s a mixture of relief, rapture, disbelief, adrenalin rush and blind panic all rolled into one. Don’t believe me – just check out the photo of the pattern pieces!!
The gloves are designed to be used as a weatherproof shell for your gloves. I have a pair of the mitten styles which I bought when I first started cross-country skiing. Plus, I reverse engineered a pair for DH). They are great, but I find the mittens cumbersome. The glove style of this pattern sounded perfect. Especially this part of the description – “Unlike ‘2 dimensional’ overmitts that are flat and awkward, these are sculpted to fit the hand comfortably in a slightly curved finger position”. See all those curvy pattern pieces on the left of the photo? They are the finger gussets. The three shapes in the centre of the photo form the thumb, complete with a bend. Scary, no? Continue reading “Controlled Exposure 75 – Goretex Shell Gloves (photo heavy)”
I joined the Pattern Stash contest on PR to help me use up some of the patterns that I’ve put in the ‘gunnawundae’ bucket. I have no desire to win, just to challenge myself to use the patterns I have. Many tie in with my winter sewing plans, so that is a big bonus. Pattern hacking was ruled out ( a blessing in disguise) so I started looking at some of my lingerie and accessory patterns. Here is the short list… Continue reading “The glove challenge begins ….”
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