Tag: Handmade Style
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The Hand-knit Connelly Cardigan and its Twisty Cables
The Connelly Cardigan is my latest handknit project. This visually stunning design features a twisty cable pattern for the body and a simple 1×1 rib stitch for the elegant neckline and underarm. The resulting fabric is highly textured, ultra squishy, and dense, with a wonderful weight and drape. Worked from the top down, the neckline…
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A New Camel Coat with Retro Style
My new retro camel coat is the first camel-colored article of clothing I’ve ever owned. Yes, you heard it right. I’ve never gravitated to brown colors — always black or gray. So this new make in such a classic and timeless color is a first for me! Reissued Burda Pattern from 1955 When I saw…
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My New Skirt: Reverse Applique in the Alabama Chanin Way
It’s finished! My first project using the Alabama Chanin reverse applique technique is done and dusted! The skirt is made up of four identical panels. Each panel has a slight flare at the hem, giving the skirt a nice A-line shape when stitched together. The hem is left unfinished, as the jersey knit fabric will…
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Wearing my Handknit Twinset in the Wild
I finished knitting the Woolfolk Pringle Twinset back in June but didn’t have a chance to wear it out until now because the weather has been so warm! As I wrote in a prior post, I love how this set turned out. The Woolfolk Tynd yarn knits up into a soft, drapey, and lightweight fabric.…
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Learning How to Reverse Applique the Alabama Chanin Way
I have to admit that, when Alabama Chanin’s unique reverse applique t-shirts gained popularity in the late 2000s, I wasn’t a fan. Unfinished edges (even though cotton jersey doesn’t need to be finished), uneven hand stitching, and exposed thread tails — the details that others found charming went against my tailored style aesthetic. I couldn’t…
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A Peplum Moto Jacket Marries Opposites for Edge
A peplum moto jacket seems like an odd combination. After all, moto jackets are tough while peplums are so feminine. But there’s something about marrying the two that somehow works — kind of like how opposites attract! My version has the requisite hardware of a moto jacket — visible zippers in the front and on…
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The Moto Jacket is Always Stylish and Forever Cool
The moto jacket — or motorcycle jacket or biker jacket — is one of my fave styles. I love the details, such as the notch collar, exposed metal hardware, bold stitching, shoulder epaulets, and prominent zipper closure. It has a flattering silhouette that just skims the body. When made in traditional black leather, it definitely…
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Wrap up Your Summer in the New Floaty Knit Wrap
The new Floaty Knit Wrap is elegant and as light as air — making it the perfect accessory for summer. Handknit with a luxurious silk, cashmere, and merino wool blend yarn using large knitting needles, the resulting fabric is airy, drapey, and light enough to squish into an already-full beach tote. Just having a Titanic…
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A New Nautical Twist on the Classic Twinset
Fresh off the knitting needles is my take on the classic twinset — a new twist on the nautical look that is super popular this season. The sleeveless shell is a mix of stripes — wide and narrow — that plays on the traditional mariniere look. The cardigan is a solid navy blue but with…
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A New DVF Wrap Dress in an Edgy Floral Print
The DVF Wrap Dress is truly a classic. I just completed a version in a beautiful fuchsia and gray viscose knit fabric and love the result! The Details For this version, I used a stretchy knit fabric as the dress is cut and fit to hug the body in the bodice. This fabric is a…
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The Twinset Turns 90 and is Still New and Cool
Regardless of whether you think the twinset — a knitted shell and matching cardigan — is fashionable or frumpy, it is an iconic style that is 90 years old this year! For my generation, the twinset entered our style consciousness in the early 2000s when J. Crew debuted the style in a splash of bright…
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Fashion Friday: The DVF Wrap Dress is New Again
The DVF wrap dress, designed by Diane von Furstenberg, debuted 50 years ago and remains a classic. Like a peak on a seismograph, its popularity spikes every few years — and somehow always seems new and fresh each time. Image from here I was too young to be in tune with fashion when the original…