Clothing

I don't know where I read this but someone wrote that only the rich can afford to buy cheap shoes. This makes perfect sense to me, since a good, well-made pair of shoes is something that can be repaired, resoled, shined up and used for a very long tim...

(WARNING: PICTURE HEAVY) In the DH's closet, there are two basic types of shirts: button-down shirts and what he refers to as 'dress shirts'. Now, I only learned this recently, but the 'button-down' shirt (which really refers to there being a collar ...

One of the things about making men's shirts is that generally speaking, you must count on observers seeing only about 25% of the shirt unless the shirt is being worn alone, without a jacket or a vest or a sweater. Then, all of it except for the portio...

Once upon a time, I saw a PR photo of Gary Cooper ("Coop") which struck me strongly in terms of how a) fashionable he was for the period and b) how soft the collar on his shirt looked in comparison to what we are used to today. Now, for the time, unle...

One of the things that drives Aunt Toby absolutely barking dog crazy is not being able to find items in the stores that, at least to moi, appear to be things that every store should have, every year. Sometimes, I'm absolutely unreasonable (as in findin...

I'm a big believer that if you are looking for something, the best place to go to find it is with people who have the same problems you do, or worse problems than you do. In years past, I looked for wool tights on Canadian internet sites and had good l...

It never fails, does it? I planned to make the skirt out of a pattern that I just KNOW I have in the boxes. And then I couldn't find it. So, I tried to "frankenpattern" with another skirt pattern I had which seemed pretty nice, only as per my usual...

I'm a big fan of the movie, Casablanca, and I have the feeling the most people who visit here have seen it at least once (if not a dozen times and I don't have any images because I think I'd get snagged for copyright infringement if I did a screen capt...

Aunt Toby has not always been a knitter. My mom tried to teach me how to knit several times when I was quite young and then gave up (given her lack of success teaching me other stuff, I think there was a personality clash there someplace..). I was act...

UPDATE THREE: Sunday, 7:30 a.m.: 71 degrees F, 75% humidity, winds, 6 mph with gusts in the 10 mph range, foggy, raining hard and steadily, Barometric Pressure 28.20. When I went to sleep last night, it had not started raining yet but it's obviousl...

Well, like everyone else in the summer, we tend to throw the household into 'overdrive' because so many things need to be done and can only get done when a) they are in season and b) the weather is warm and dry enough to do them. So, this week has bee...

And I'm not going to (and you shouldn’t) either. I was reminded of this bit of wisdom recently when I started thinking about the trip the DH and I will be making to the UK next month. We will be staying in various B&Bs, the reservations for which ...

A bolero is a very useful sort of thing to have in the summer months to dress up an outfit.

Are we sustainable yet? And now, Aunt Toby is going to discuss something ‘ooky’ – which is personal sustainability. No, not the ‘in the kitchen’ sort – this is the ‘in the bathroom’ sort. One statistic out there claims that at le...

Well, next month is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, so I’m getting the jump on everyone here to talk about skin cancer. Part of this is that I feel that EVERY month should be one where we remind ourselves that we can get skin cancer, not only during the...

It's time for end of the winter sales - here are some items to look out for and which ones are the most valuable.

Sometimes, just a piece of a pattern can be used for what you want, and sometimes, using an unusual fabric to get the effect you want works out just fime.

More paper doll work to change a skirt pattern for pockets.

Sometimes rehearsing a sewing project, or a part of a project, using paper is a good way to work methods out.

(Truth in advertising: This is not a shot of any of our sheep; this photo is courtesy of North Devon Farmer) Everyone cozy? All settled in? (given the amount of snow and cold out there right now, Aunt Toby certainly hopes wherever you are is cozy) Le...

Sometimes gaining knowledge is just a case of having the right book and knowing how to use it.

Sometimes a way to save money is to make something over instead of letting it languish in the drawer.

There are a couple of shoe repairs that you can do yourself; here's one.

It’s time to ‘fess’ up, as they say. Aunt Toby has never..ever…met HRH Charles Philip Arthur George, the Prince of Wales. Never. We just don’t move in the same, as we might say, circles. But on the other hand, if we did meet, we’d have...

One of the great annoyances of life is not having an umbrella when you really need it. Another one is to open it up and find out that, damn, one of the attachments at the edge has broken off, or is missing, or has rotten out or something else. We're n...

more ideas for sewing for pregnancy.

Frustrated by the lack of maternity sewing patterns? Here are some ideas.

worn out fitted sheets are a blot.

customizing a waistband not only gives you a better fit, it also gives you the opportunity to deal with changes.

There are a lot of sewers out there who buy, collect and use vintage patterns (and no matter what the online retailers call them, I'm not sure you can consider Nolan Miller "Dynasty" sewing patterns from the 1980s to be exactly 'vintage' but that's a d...

Recently, I read on another blog that I frequent the author's question about what sort of fabric he'd gone and bought to make himself a pair of pants. Male Pattern Boldness He thought it might be 'some sort of twill'. Several of us recognized imme...

For those folks who requested an actual shot of the dress from this post because it disappeared into the laundry before I could do it, here you go. Apologies for the armpit shot, though it does give you an idea of what a honkin' broad back I have (cou...

Aunt Toby doesn't do a lot of pattern reviews, but when I find something that works on me (5'2", shorter-than-normal arms, a bit thick in the waist), then I've got to promote it. Seriously. This is a great dress for anyone. Very Easy/Tres Facile. M...

Sewing with leather is fun.

One of my goals this year is to work with fabrics and materials that I don’t have any experience with. There are certain materials that give me the willies and over the years I have dipped my experiential toe into working with them. This year is to b...

Even if you don't have a zipper, you can repair a fly so that you can still close it.

Given what it costs at the tailor's to get a zipper replaced, it's a skill that is worth knowing.

A good pair of blue jeans is worth patching and saving.

You can use a pattern for all sorts of things - it all depends on the fabric.

Aunt Toby has been a sewer for a long time. Looking back, since I was first set in front of an old reconditioned and electrified Singer treadle machine when I was 11 years old, it's been 40-odd years. And sewing is one of those things where there are ...

How I tested the warmth of my new coat.

A final look at the year.

Relining an old coat, the finish.

How to repair a pull in a woven material.

Coat sewing series: The coat is done.

Picking clothing fiber content to keep you warm.

Coat sewing series: details that you can sew into the coat that make it look higher quality.

Coat sewing series: Designing features into the lining to make it more useful.

Coat sewing series: the guts of the thing.

For sewers, making a coat is a huge deal, and it should be much more popular considering how much better a result you can get versus what you can buy for the same money. How to overcome your fear.

Coat sewing series: Moving on to the next muslin on an entirely different coat.

Coat sewing series - when it's time to throw in the towel and move on.

Coat sewing series - using a gusset to fix a too-low armscye

Coat sewing series: more on the amscye

New sewing series: the coat - making a muslin and reworking the armscye

New sewing series: Making a coat - choosing a pattern

Another way to freshen up a living space: enhancing curtains.

More reasons to have 'tried and true' sewing patterns.

Getting over 'fear of cutting' to refashion a sweater.

Saving money by using things you already have in the closet.

DIY feminine hygiene protection

Making home sewing pay using Sewing With a Plan.

Making home sewing pay off better by using 'tried and true' patterns.

More on making home sewing pay.

Is home sewing a bargain? Here's how to decide.

When times get tough, keeping up appearances might be the best investment you make. Here's why.

What really is an investment? Here are some guidelines in terms of how to evaluate.

Want to lift weights for health but don't have a set of weights at home? Here are some ideas.

Part 2 of Relining a Coat

Help yourself stay healthy by dressing for the weather.

Replacing the lining in an old coat - part 1

The true cost of shoes.

Once you actually look in your closet, you might find that you don't actually need more clothing. On the other hand, if you look at this list, you just might.