Mirroring Suzy Bee Sews - Life So Strange It Should Be Fiction

More gym pants!  Kwik Sew 3988 I made view B with the legs shortened to just under my knee. I'm not really sure what to say about this pattern - I am happy with the end product but the pattern itself was kind of weirdly drafted and the instructions were littered with spelling mistakes......  So the good things are: I like the way the waistband is constructed, it feels firm when done and I like the addition of elastic to the seam to stabilise it. I also like the design elements of the 2 piece waistband and the topstitching. I like how the waistband is finished and I like the shape of the legs. The bad things are: Terrible crotch shape, the front barely has a curve. Here's a photo of the front pattern piece - the black lines are the original pattern and the red lines are my changes; The back isn't much better either Agreeably I normally have to add to the inner leg seam but the sizing is way off too. Going by the ...

So the fly front has bedeviled me for years.  Decades, even.  Something about it seemed so complicated, and it seemed to require more precision than I have the patience for.  I've read at least dozens and possibly hundreds of tutorials, but it has never clicked for me. Hiking was the main activity I had planned for our Greece trip.  Since the only non-exercise shorts I own are my Adventure Shorts , I decided to add another pair to the stable.  And I also decided it was time to face my biggest fear:  the fly front zipper. Elizabeth of SEWN  recommended the fly instructions from Kwik Sew 3614 , so I bought it at the last sale.  The instructions seemed good, although when I actually started following them I realized that step 4 is missing several crucial words and phrases:  "Move zipper toward as far as it will go without puckering underneath (edge of zipper is not even with extension).  Using a zipper foot, ."  I mean really, comma-sp...

Now that Kwik Sew has been taken over by BMV, it is included in the sales so I have acquired a number of their patterns. Source: shop.nordstrom.com via Trena on Pinterest One of the patterns I picked up is Kwik Sew 3915 , a t-shirt with two neckline options.  I've seen this style of collar in a number of ready-to-wear pieces, including this St. John's Knit ($295).  You know how much I love t-shirt variations, so I had to give this one a try.  I used one of the athletic knits from Fabric Mart .  This is a really nice thick and beefy knit with good recovery.  I almost regretted using it for regular clothes because it is definitely athleticwear-worthy! Full disclosure:  it's unfair to call this a review of Kwik Sew 3950, because the only thing from the KS pattern in the finished top is the width of the collar.  I used the body of my TNT tee so I wouldn't have to worry about fit, copying the KS neckline onto it, and then ended up altering the neckline su...

I have very cold feet and have one particular pair of fleece socks that I like to wear to bed in the winter.  I haven't found another pair of commercial socks that I like as much, and the socks I like were a gift many years ago so I can't get more of that particular one.  I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands, using Kwik Sew 3968 . These socks are well-drafted and easy to sew.  The notches line up perfectly--as you can see on the pattern as drafted at left--and you can cut and sew a pair in well under half an hour. That's the good news.  The bad news is that the symmetrical draft that makes them so easy to cut, sew, and grab a pair to put on any-which-way makes them too uncomfortable for anyone to wear.  They flap around in a way that made me feel unstable.  If you want socks strictly for sitting on the couch or going to bed, they will be fine.  But if you'd like to pad around the house at all, you will need to make them conform to th...