@bigpawbullets

@bigpawbullet's

Since junior high, I have always dressed simply with clean lines and solid colors. It's more elegant. Started sewing my own clothes in 7th grade.

The clean, curving lines of the vest are appropriate for all occasions. Love the soft, buttery fabric and rich gray. It will go with pants and skirts.

Last year, women's blazers were cluttered with zippers, flounces and buckles in stores. Tacky.

Instead I sewed a black, stretchy corduroy blazer that fits me perfectly. Made of cotton and lycra, it is breathable and stretchy. Cost me $25 instead of $200-plus in stores.

Sewing allows me to tailor clothes to fit. I have ridiculously long arms, wide shoulders, long waist, flat chest and a narrow waist and hips.

Instead of buying an $800-$4,000 mother-of-the bride-dress, I made one for $32 in 2018.

@LiterateHiker My wife would love you. She made nearly all our children's clothes and many of her own in her younger days. She still indulges herself from time to time. Sewing, knitting, tapestry, embroidery. Our house walls are festooned with her output.
It did help, of course, that from the day our first child was born only I went out to work whilst she stayed at home.

@Petter

Wonderful! Love creative, artistic people. I would love your wife, too.

I also sewed daughter Claire's clothes from age five to 11, when she wanted store-bought clothes.

Like me, Claire is long-waisted and runs hot. In kindergarten, she got a yeast infection from wearing her snow pants in class, so she wouldn't miss precious recess time. The doctor suspected sex abuse. Her dad and I were horrified.

That's when I began making Claire cotton, breathable clothes with sturdy, deep pockets. Added an inch from waist to crotch.

Matching scrunchies for her ponytail. Halloween costumes and the same costume for her doll.

"Mama, I love falling asleep to the sound of your sewing machine," Claire said at eight.

@LiterateHiker Part of her output. I used to buy old, damaged furniture on auctions, then restore them, as a hobby. Lesley made tapestries for some.

@Petter
Very nice work! Linda & I do similar projects.
I knew I liked you!

@bigpawbullets It takes one to know one!

@Petter

Beautiful work! Wow.

@LiterateHiker Thank you. That's why we had to get larger and larger houses. We needed more wall space and more floor area!
As it is, a lot of her output is stored in our garage, reducing it from a 2 car space to a 4 bicycle space - and even those hang from the roof!

@Petter

It was 2 yards for the vest. $50.

@LiterateHiker 2 yards long, but how wide?

@Petter

The suede fabric was the standard 45" wide. Some fabrics are 60" wide.

Because the suede fabric has a nap, I had to cut out every piece with the nap going down. This took more fabric. Plus, I went back and bought more fabric to add the 3-1/2" band at the bottom.

@LiterateHiker Got it. So the suede cost you $20 per square yard. Thanks. I can now put my plodding, pedantic mind to rest.

@Cyklone

I have wash-and-dry hiking vests. This one is not for hiking.

@LiterateHiker fashionable hiking?

@RoyMillar

Thank you so much!

@MizJ

Thank you. The purple jacket is interesting.

@Fit-50something

Hilarious! Thank you.

@19dacar52

I finished it myself. Thank you.

@LiterateHiker Awesome!

@bobwjr

Thank you. It's one of the hardest project I sewed.

Sewing buttonholes are like making pancakes. The first one is a flop, and they get better as you go.

So, I started making buttonholes from the bottom. Ha!

@Cutiebeauty

Thank you, dear.

@LiterateHiker oh my gosh.. you called me dear! I'll love you forever!

@Cutiebeauty
LH is quite obviously your "Agnostic-Mom".

@bigpawbullets I would love it if she were mom, we are so alike!

@BitFlipper

Thank you so much! I appreciate your saying it looks elegant.

@OnTheInside

Thanks for the compliment.

Very funny!

I am not going to let a dog chew up $25/yard suede fabric.