Knit for Victory - A Victory Beret

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My first knitting project was nine months ago. Nine months! I haven't shared anything about my "knitting life" here on the blog, but today I am changing that.  Let me introduce you to Victory, a 1940s style beret pattern designed by Tasha at By Gum By Golly.


I'm not going to lie, when I first saw the pattern I was initimidated. Other than an easy color work beanie from one of Stefanie Japel's Craftsy classes I didn't know a thing about this style of knitting. Thankfully, Tasha hosted a knit-along for her pattern with really really helpful information. If anyone out there is interested in learning color work I highly recommend learning with Tasha's pattern teamed with her knit along posts! 


Knitting with two balls of yarn was a struggle at first and the stitches at the beginning of the hat are far from perfect. I wasn't sure how to to hold the yarn and how to have consistent tension. In the end I held one strand of yarn in my left fingers with the ball of yarn on my left side and one ball of yarn on the right side with a strand of yarn in my right fingers. Keeping everything separate was really helpful because it prevented tangles. Originally I was a British style knitter, but after this project I can kind of knit continental too!


Blocking this was pretty fun. I soaked it in lukewarm water for about a half hour and then carefully soaked up the excess water with a towel. To get the beret shape Tasha recommended blocking the hat on a 10.5 inch dinner plate. Luckily, our dinner plates at home were the perfect size and I let it sit overnight.


Finishing this beret has been such a boost of confidence and I feel much more comfortable tackling new  techniques. What are you waiting for? Go get this pattern!!!!

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An Emery in Paris

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I've been lucky enough to get to know Christine Haynes over the past year or so. I have realized the following to be true:

  • Christine is one of the nicest people I have ever met. If for some weird reason someone out there disagrees with me then I automatically don't like you.
  • She is extremely knowledgable about sewing and talented at designing patterns.
  • Paris is Christine's home away from home.

When I made her latest pattern, the Emery dress, it was right before my trip to Paris. I knew that I needed photos of my finished dress in Christine's favorite place on earth.

 I had imagined taking photos in some beautiful garden surrounded with stunning architecture, but life doesn't always turn out how we plan haha. Our train from London left at 1:00 and would arrive two hours later. I knew that I was cutting it close, but I figured that I would get some photos before the end of the day. Unfortunately, I didn't take into account that Paris is an hour ahead of London time and by the time we arrived at Hotel Castex the sun was setting and I had no idea where to even find a beautiful garden haha. The photos ended up being taken in front of our hotel, but I hoped Christine would appreciate the effort ;)

This dress is seriously comfortable and transitions nicely from day to evening! I wore it running through the train station in London, for two hours on the train to Paris, out to a dinner under the Eiffel Tower, and on an evening boat ride along the Seine River. And, as you can tell from the first few pictures, POCKETS!

Let's talk about the sewing of the dress. Last year I sewed a dress with waist darts and bust darts. For the life of me I could not rotate them to the correct position or get the bodice to fit and I probably said a million curse words. You can imagine how pleased I was by the fact that these bust darts were perfect and needed no adjustments, yes! I don't think I even yelled or said a bad word once! The only alterations needed were a narrow shoulder adjustment of 5/8 in and shortening the bodice by the same amount. These seem to be standard changes for me, as I have had to make them on a few garments I have sewn.

This fun yellow and black fabric is from the Los Angeles Mood store. It's a little sheer around the skirt part (no issues with the bodice, as it is lined), so I will need to wear a slip or leggings which I am fine with. In Paris I wore fleece lined leggings and was perfectly warm.

Believe the hype about the Emery pattern. There's a reason that everyone is sewing it and making multiple versions. The design is great (Tasha's fit perfectly without adjustments!), everyone loves how the pockets are attached, and the directions are crystal clear. It's marked "intermediate," but I think that a beginner could sew it easily, especially if they are referencing the sew-along.

Emery has seriously thrown a wrench in my sewing plans. I can't stop thinking about all the versions I want to make and View A is probably going to be taking cut-sies and jumping up on my sewing queue, so I can get another version on my body ASAP. Thanks for designing my new favorite dress pattern, Christine!

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2014 goals

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Yes, this post is more than a few days behind schedule, but better late than never, right? Below I have listed some goals that I would like to work towards in 2014. I'm sure this is the millionth post about resolutions that you have read and it's probably more boring than a baseball game (sorry baseball fans, I'm just not into it), but I like to blog about my goals and then look at them throughout the year to stay on track.


1. Photography
I bought a new camera and need to put it to use. Maybe Melissa and I can get together more often and take photos of our finished sewing projects. I should also get outside and photograph the beautiful areas around my house.

2. Have fun and slow down
Hobbies should be fun and I don't want to stress myself out. My goal is to have fun making things that I will wear and not focus on a list of things that I "need" to learn. I have my whole life to sew and I don't need to get anxiety over deadlines and make sewing feel like homework.

3. Read 
I'm not sure how to go about this, but I would love to have an online book club with you guys. Something casual every two or three months or so. Is anyone interested?

4. Make things for Luke
My husband is great and if anyone deserves something handmade it's him. I ordered all three Thread Theory patterns and plan to make them for him. I am not looking forward to making adjustments for his muscles, so maybe I should hide his protein shakes and discourage him from going to the gym in the meantime? hahah! Just kidding!

5. Blog more, but only if I want to
There is so much pressure to blog and sometimes I force myself to put up a post even though I'm not 100% feelin' it. I doubt that any of you are lying awake at night wondering why I haven't posted as much, so I shouldn't stress about blogging when I'm not in the mood. And if you are lying awake at night thinking about that then I am kinda creeped out right now.

6. Make more everyday pieces
I used to sew a lot of dresses, but they don't get worn as often as they should. If you follow me on Instagram then you have seen the many tops I have made, but not blogged. I haven't posted them online because I have this fear that you guys won't think it's "exciting," but I need to get over it because that's what I wear. I don't wear fancy clothes all the time and who cares?!?!?

7. Knitting
Continue to learn and make things that I will use and wear.

In conclusion, this year I want to have fun making things that are functional!

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England Ladies

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On December 21 of last year I was lucky to meet up with some lovely ladies in London! Tania, Rachel, Louise (no blog), and Marie all braved the cold rainy day to meet up with me at the V&A tearoom to talk sewing and do a little fabric shopping.

Yes, Rachel is one of the prettiest people I know!

Sweet Louise.


They took me to a magical store that carries a huge selection of Liberty fabrics, but unfortunately I didn't find anything I had to have. At the Liberty price points I really have to love a fabric if I'm going to spend $$$$.

Two intelligent and talented ladies that I adore so much! xoxo

Lovely Tania!

It was a dream come true to meet up with sewing bloggers that live so far away from me who I had always wanted to see in person. I never really thought that I would have the opportunity, but I'm glad I did! It's awesome knowing that I now have "real life" friends living in England :)

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A Portside duffel bag lets you travel in style

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One of the reasons that I started sewing was because I didn't want to dress exactly like anyone else. I feared showing up to a party or event and seeing someone wearing the same Forever 21/Express/H&M outfit. I love how sewing your own clothes can express your individuality and creativity. But why stop at clothing? Why not sew your own accessories too?

In comes the Portside duffel bag by Grainline. Jen designed a seriously cute and functional bag pattern that is perfect for a weekend getaway or a plane carryon. The pattern is designed with an advanced beginner in mind, but with a little patience I think anyone can tackle this pattern. I'm usually the queen of a million questions, but I was able to sew this bag no problem and with no confusion.

Another perk about the pattern is that it doesn't use crazy fancy hardware that is hard to source. Other than fabric, interfacing, and webbing the only things you will need are D-Rings and the swivel bolt snaps/hooks. My local fabric shop doesn't carry the most extensive selection of hardware and I could find everything I needed for this project easily.

I used a lightweight canvas for the leopard print portion of the bag (you might recognize it from my hoodie) and a twill for the pink part. The Twenties quilting cotton was hard to pass up, so I used that as a fun surprise as the lining. How can you look at it and not smile? See -----> :)

When I make another version (apparently I am making one for my husband, he told me so) I might use stiffer fabrics to hold the bags shape or use interfacing on the exterior pieces. My fabric choices work fine when the bag is stuffed full, but the bag doesn't look as great when it is empty. Pockets on the inside would also be a good addition.

The outside pockets are perfect for carrying books!

My bag has now been to three countries (United States, England, and France) and has been on trains (or the "tube," as the English say) and planes, so I feel confident in saying that it is my traveling sidekick. I don't want to leave home without it!

Shout out to LAX for the photo shoot location. Thanks, dudes. Taking photos is a great way to waste time during a four hour layover. 

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My Archer for Archer Appreciation Month

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As I type this it is January 2, 2014. Technically Archer Appreciation Month was in December, so I hope you guys will forgive this late post. If you follow me on Instagram then you know that I have been traveling and haven't been near my sewing machine.


I'm going to call this my Tosh.0 shirt. It was actually my friends idea, she told me that the finished product looked like the shirt he has been wearing all season and I love that! I think he is the funniest person on tv, besides Charles Barkley.


The fabric was purchased on my last trip to Mood Los Angeles. It's a white and pink checkered shirting that feels lovely, but gets pretty wrinkly. I'm going to have to try and starch it when I wear it next. The pattern is, of course, the Archer sewing pattern.


I've been thinking a lot about new years resolutions and past regrets and I think that one of my biggest regrets about last year is not sewing this pattern earlier when it was released. Seriously! I know that I'm not the first person to write great things about Archer and anything I say will be redundant, but guys, people love this pattern for a reason. The construction is spot on, the directions are amazing, and the finished product is something you can be so proud of. It's hard to impress my husband, but when he saw my shirt he said, "I thought you said you couldn't sew collared shirts." He is now expecting me to make him a shirt. I've created a monster :)


That's not to say my shirt is flawless, there are definitely some mistakes. I was confused on the button bands and don't think I attached one of them correctly and my buttonholes look pretty terrible, but that's ok! This is my first Archer (View B) and I have time to perfect my skills on future versions. Yes, I have multiple versions planned.

Current Archer count: 1. How many do you have in your closet?

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