WELCOME

Hello! I'm Suzannah, a serious DIYer and mom of two little ones. Follow along with my DIY fixer upper house renovations, sewing and crafty projects, real food recipes, and de-stressing goals.
I believe you can love your home just the way it is, AND have the power to design and make big changes to make it better.
I'm also the author of DIY Wardrobe Makeovers!

1.30.2015

Reader question: Doing it all

How do you do it all?

Recently, I got the sweetest email from a blog reader. Not only does Kristin sound like a fun person, she is so kind to look through and appreciate my various blog posts, home tour, and more.

Hi Suzannah! 
My name is Kristin, and I adore your blog. I am 26 and live in Austin, Texas, with my husband. I sew a little, crochet some more, but also eat Paleo and enjoy your food, DIY, and home decor posts very much. 

I wanted to write and request a blog post.... How on earth do you get everything done?! Are you ever tired or feel overworked? You have a beautiful blog, with tons of gorgeous photos of a neat, chic home, and everything seems tasteful and orderly, and you're working on a book, in addition to what seems like a full-time job? You are an inspiration! I just don't know how you do it all! I would love to read about how you schedule your projects, what your recommendations are for getting All The Things Done and so beautifully! 

 Thank you very much for your incredible blog!

I was so touched by Kristin's email. Hard to know where to start answering her question, actually. As I told her in my quick reply, yes, I do work hard on having a blog, job, house, life, etc. but I don't always feel like I succeed--so compliments like hers are all the more meaningful.

However, I don't necessarily recommend anyone "try it at home," because there is a cost to trying to do it all and I often wish I were doing less. I also told her, I appreciate her request, but I'm more likely to write a post about balancing life goals than about how to fit everything in!

Well, I guess, here's how


I did answer her question, though. Not because I think anyone else should do everything I do! But, the honest answer to the direct questions, I think. Well, Kristin...
  • Yes, I am often tired and feel overworked!! But, I find I feel that way most when I spend time on things I'm not passionate about or resent. I usually feel pretty good when I do the things I love.
  • I've been blogging for more than 5 years now--it's gotten much easier. That really helps with the regularity. I don't really schedule my projects out, I just share what I've made recently, although I do keep an editorial Google calendar so I remember when I'm posting what.
  • My book is almost to the printing stage now, and I wrote most of it more than a year ago. During most of the writing process I worked a less stressful job and had more energy at home!
  • I've been battling my to-do list for years, so now I generally just ignore it and do what I feel like doing most of the time. Sometimes I put things off a long time, although I have always felt comforted by structure so I usually do well sticking to my blog post routine as well as my pretty standard weekday evening routine.
  • I find that I can really only do ONE extra thing after work each weekday, especially on days when I work out. It takes me 1-2 hours to do the cooking and lunch-packing for the next day so afterwards I don't always feel like sitting down again to do tons of emails, etc. But, one extra thing is usually manageable. That might be a blogging thing, or it might be simply watching a few old 30 Rock episodes and foam roller time. That would be a successful evening for me! (Several nights/week my husband is at class or work so I'm home alone.)  My daily schedule? On weekdays, usually something like:
    • 6:00 AM: up
    • 7:00 AM - 4:30 PM: on the clock at work, eat meals at my desk while working (sit/stand work station)
    • 5:15ish PM: either work out in our garage gym and/or chop veggies, start dinner, etc.
    • 6:00ish PM: either shower and/or keep cooking
    • 6:30 or 7:00 PM: usually can have food ready by this point (sometimes husband is home, sometimes not)
    • 8:00ish PM: clean up from dinner, face the emails or watch Netflix and drink tea
    • 9:30 PM: goal for reading in bed, then sleep

I'd love to be able to say I do the bare minimum each day, because I believe life balance and keeping stress levels down are so important. I still sometimes get affected by the to-dos I keep moving forward on my calendar, but I've also learned to take deep breaths through the stress and forgive myself because I know I'm doing the best that I can. I've always been the kind of person likely to get over-committed (I think I learned it from my mom, who's always been on 4 or 5 committees at a time, I swear...), so my goals for the future are prioritizing and learning to step back from less important responsibilities.

The real answer!


So, what I really feel is, I just can't offer recommendations on how to pack your schedule and free time and make your life busy but seeming productive.

So really, rather than explaining how I do everything I do, I'd rather say:
  1. don't do it all, and 
  2. I no longer believe that "doing it all" is a healthy goal.
First, I don't do it all! I miss all kinds of things. I leave emails in my inbox for several days before reading them, sometimes. I meant to post this post yesterday. The other night I was up till bedtime cooking. Stuff happens.

Second, I think it's all about goals. A while back I read this article about "success," by Zosia Mamet in my Glamour. It was a pretty short, not too in-depth article, but it brought up a great point through this Merriam-Webster definition of "success": "the correct or desired result of an attempt." So, what do I want to be attempting to do? I've realized recently that my goals are for a happy, low-stress life that lets me grow in the activities I find fun or interesting. Blogging, working, working out, cooking, occasionally decorating, very occasionally shopping or making new clothes, petting the cat, traveling, and more (not in any particular order!)--those are the things I want to fit in to a happy, relaxed life. Not necessarily developing new recipes every day or Instagramming everything I do. I don't think I would be happier if I could "do it all"!

This is what I want my time to look like


A while back my friend Aubrie took these photos of me relaxing at home with the cat. These capture my favorite thing to do on weekend mornings, and sometimes afternoons!--we keep weekends pretty unscheduled. I love to read and drink my coffee slowly, and the cat usually joins in. Hence the cat hair all over my pants--impossible to avoid.
Image Source: Stocksy



I look forward to my weekends for recharging!

Recommended Reading

I love thinking about this stuff--finding happiness in daily life and lowering stress, questioning the things we do that do and don't work. I've blogged about it before, and read a few books (so far). Here are some you should check out if you're interested!

Thanks again to Kristin for the kind words and thought-provoking question!

14 comments

1.26.2015

Black-on-black lace shift dress from a BurdaStyle pattern

I made myself an LBD--but it's anything but basic thanks to this fun pattern and some great fabrics from my mom's library.

I've been seeing a lot of drop waist dresses lately, and it's a new look for me but I think it can be more wearable, less dressy, more fun than a natural waist fit-and-flare dress. Kollabora just launched a collection of 100+ new patterns from Burda Style's catalog collection, and I tried out Burda Style 6853, this princess seam drop-waist style with several skirt and trim variations. (This is really the pattern I should have used for this dress/inspiration dresses--instead I used Simplicity 2584, which I use a lot but may be asking too much of... I modify it a lot.)

But, I found the perfect drop-waist pattern and used black cotton pique and cotton lace overlay for this fun style!

I love the lace yoke and even the super simple black bias tape I used for the trim!

Here's the bones of Burda Style 6853. I couldn't tell until I read the instructions that view C, which I made, uses lace overlays on top of the main fashion fabric for the contrast, rather than a coordinating contrast fabric! What a cool treatment and way to use lace.

This was one of the rare occasions where I actually followed the pattern instructions. The dress is fully lined except the sleeves (see more on linings here) which makes it lay and wear nicely.

Up close you can see the lace overlay, and the bias trim.

I did all the nice construction details, too, like hand-hemming the sleeves.

Check out all the Burda Style PDF patterns on Kollabora!

8 comments

1.23.2015

A long overdue book recommendation, I know you'll like this one: Overdressed

If you haven't read this book already, you probably want to!

Sometimes I'm a little behind the times, especially about reading. I love reading, but sometimes there are phases where I don't find the time. Luckily, this holiday break reset my habit, and this week I finished a book I started back in January 2013. Ha!

And in fact, since many others before me have a written excellent book reviews, I'll spare you the academic review of this excellent book and share my new values on this important topic, influenced in part by the book but really have been brewing inside me for a while.

Really briefly--Overdressed: The High Cost of Cheap Fashion is about how "fast fashion" and mass-produced clothing availability has increased so much since the 1970's and '80's, and the societal, environmental, and cultural impacts it's having on us and the rest of the world. (Now, if you're reading this blog, you've probably been interested in being self-sufficient and fixing damaged clothes, making your own of a new trend you love, or saving money or time as well as getting exactly the clothes you want. So you probably have a leg up on most people in our culture--we care about fashion, sure, but we also want to be practical about doing things ourselves and mindful of the money we spend on clothes.)

Rather than review the book, I'll point you to these articles and interviews--check them out, and the book on Amazon. And on to the discussion!

My mom lent me this book after she read it, having heard the author on Fresh Air. My mom and I have always been good shoppers. She taught me how to navigate a store, and when I started managing my own money in high school, I developed an eye and taste for cheap fast fashion and deep discounts so I could afford to build my wardrobe with colorful, trendy, brand-conscious finds. Shortly thereafter my mom and I both became very skilled at thrift store shopping. (The big Goodwill by her house still has some excellent pieces, not all of which have been marked up since the trend in secondhand shopping that has occurred in the past 5+ years.)

My mom does know quality, but to my young shopper's attitude, cheap, trendy pieces were more important than nice tailoring for the most part. One time in high school, I remember I counted and had 68 pairs of shoes. (I think about 20 of them were a rainbow of flip-flop choices, but still.) My first "real" job after grad school, I remember I wore a different outfit to the office every single day, combining my pencil skirts, brightly colored cheap sweaters, print tops, Target flared suit pants, and about 10 pairs of heels for the 5 or 6 months that I worked there. (And this was in government, not some creative or trend-based field! I was the only one who did this.)

There was a time when then-boyfriend/now-husband moved 4 or 5 times in as many years, and every time I would pack up my massive closet of cheap and thrift and finds in boxes, duffels, and garbage bags and unpack them in our new place, sometimes with very small closets! But, my closet was small in the house I grew up in, too, so I was very used to creative solutions for overflowing clothing storage, like bookcases outside the closet and seasonal boxes under multiple beds.

Get rid of stuff, own less


So really, having MORE, new, trendy clothing had been my goal since I was able to shop. Not until the past 2 years or so has my attitude dramatically shifted. I've started getting rid of things en masse, no longer worrying as much that I spent money on them and only wore them once (but it's still hard).

Now, I feel a little encumbered by the things that I own and don't love... all the (remaining) tops and sweaters that don't quite fit, or are a little pill-ey, or don't go with anything except black jeans. All remaining the jewelry with the worn off finishes and exposed cheap metal. All the remaining shoes that hurt my feet and only look good in pictures.

Overdressed gave me some sobering facts about how the cheap clothes in my closet made it to the mall or big box store I bought them at. It also gave me, a long-time thrift shopper, a broader perspective on the secondhand clothing industry (shocker: there's actually too much supply donated, a surplus over the demand both domestically and overseas). And it reminded me of some serious environmental impacts of dying and manufacturing of the base goods that go into new clothes, particularly cheap fibers.

Couple that with my recent desire to own less stuff, and the inspirations I've seen lately for the "capsule wardrobe" concept (not a new one, but has recently been popularized by blogs like Un-Fancy--How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe and her seasonal examples, as well as Elise Blaha's capsule wardrobes). And a few years back, the 30x30 challenge lots of folks did. These "challenges" show you that you can live with only 30 or 40 pieces in your closet for a month or a season. They never held much appeal for me, but now, I kind of want to live with a capsule forever.

I wear some combination of grey, black, mottled black, camel, and denim pretty much every day. I don't need all the cheap clothes taking up room in my wardrobe. Why don't I spend more money on fewer, nicer pieces? It's a hard shift to make when the draw of very trendy pieces for very low prices surrounds me in the sale emails and store windows I pass at my usual fast fashion favorites. (Especially since starting January 2015, my company got rid of Casual Fridays but now allows nice jeans any day of the week, as long as no client meetings--cut my wardrobe needs down significantly.)

Like, I don't need all this jewelry. I don't wear most of it. And this is the pared down collection!
Photos by Nakalan McKay

But, I sew. As you can tell from the name of this blog, I want to focus more on enjoying the things I've made rather than make-make-make (or shop-shop-shop) all the time. Slow down, enjoy what I have, be grateful, make less waste. And, as my new book DIY Wardrobe Makeovers will show you, I know it's pretty easy to repair and remake clothes rather than buying new.

I guess I'm saying, I feel like I've been building up to a place of shopping less, buying nicer stuff, being more conscious of my wardrobe. But it's still hard to take the plunge and get rid of all the junky stuff and only shop from brands with good social and environmental practices, paying a fair price for what I wear.

Have you read the book, or tried a capsule wardrobe?

21 comments

1.20.2015

Real food Shepherd's Pie recipe - two ways!

It's winter! Here's a delicious, warm, seasonal classic you can make from veggies in season this month. It's one of the first dishes I made after I started eating meat again, and I love classic recipes like this (Shepherd's Pie or Cottage Pie) made with some variations for unprocessed, Paleo-friendly real food ingredients.

But I have my sweet friend Linnea to thank for the encouragement to share this recipe. She had a baby girl last fall, and friends signed up to bring her and her family meals. She was completely un-picky about what people brought, but of course I wanted to make them one of our favorites, an easy, one-dish meal free of processed foods, grains, legumes, or other irritants.

I hesitated to share this because there are gazillions of Shepherd's Pie recipes, even other Paleo-friendly versions... but as I looked through them recently when writing this recipe, I realized they are all different and I have yet another way of making mine!

I typically make this dish in our dutch oven (real deal/good knockoff), but for taking to a friend I bought a disposable square metal pan with plastic lid. This recipe fits perfectly in one of those dishes or a 5-6 quart dutch oven, and I love making it on Sundays to start us off with great lunch leftovers for the week.

I should also note that, besides the spices and frozen peas, EVERY ingredient for this amazing dish came from our winter CSA share or our latest grassfed cow share (the ground beef). I wanted to save this recipe to blog when it's really seasonal and you can make it from ingredients sourced locally! I love finding amazing ways to combine our local, organic, seasonal produce. And of course, grassfed beef is incredibly nurturing and nutrient-dense, and makes me feel good! This is one of our fave balanced one-dish meals.

I made it with mashed potatoes this time, but if you have nightshade sensitivities, you could also do it with sweet potatoes or your favorite root veggie. For a lower-carb version and because I don't love white potatoes that much, I also often make it with pureed cauliflower on top in place of the potatoes. (There's lots out there about the are-white potatoes-Paleo controversy... good summaries here and here.)

This recipe can be made completely dairy-free, with butter only, or with butter and cream, depending on your dairy tolerance.

Real Food/Paleo Version - Classic Shepherd's Pie

Mashed Topping Ingredients:

  • 1.5 lbs potatoes OR 1.5 lbs sweet potatoes OR 1 head cauliflower OR 1.5 lbs your favorite mash-able root vegetable
  • 1/4 c. heavy cream or full-fat coconut milk for dairy-free
  • 1 tbsp. grassfed butter or ghee (or omit for completely dairy-free, you'll just have dryer topping)
  • salt & pepper

Filling Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp pastured hog lard, grassfed beef tallow, or grassfed butter
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 medium onion
  • 2 carrots
  • 2 stalks celery
  • sprinkle sea salt
  • 1/2 c. frozen peas
  • 1.5 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1 tbsp dried parsley
  • more salt & pepper
  • 1 lb grassfed ground beef or lamb (or combination) (grassfed vs. grain-fed article if you're interested)

    Instructions:


    1. Chop and boil potatoes, cauliflower, or your choice of root veggie (in a saucepan). (When they are done, between the next steps, strain, add the next 3 ingredients, and mash.)
    2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
    3. Chop the garlic, onion, carrots, and celery. An a heavy pan or dutch oven, saute in the lard, tallow, or butter with a dash of salt. Once sauteed, add the peas, tomato paste, and spices.
    4. Create a spot in the center of the pan. Cook the ground beef or lamb with another dash of salt and break it up into small pieces. It will look like this.

    Next step depends on which baking and serving method you choose!

    Version 1:


    5. Distribute beef/veggie mixture into individual oven-safe dishes, distribute mashed potatoes or veggies on top, and bake for 20-30 minutes.


    Version 2:


    5. Distribute mashed potatoes or veggies on top in the dutch oven or pan, and bake for 20-30 minutes.

    In this method, cut slices out like you would a pie.

    We usually make Version 2 and have great leftovers for lunches and an easy dinner for one or both of us, but the little dishes are very pretty for a dinner party or special meal!

    Of course, you can also saute the veggies/beef in any pan, then transfer to a casserole dish or disposable casserole dish, then put the potatoes on top, like I did for Linnea. I brought it to her just like that--with everything cooked, but still needing the 20-30 minutes in a hot oven to mesh all the flavors and crisp up the top. That way all she had to do was heat it!

    5 comments

    1.16.2015

    An overview and a happy story--big changes! Or, raw vegan to Paleo

    I have a happy story to share today. Something I've been wanting to post for a long time, but I get nervous. I'm not sure when it all started--either January 2010 or Christmas 2012, but now, January 2015 when I feel the best I ever have, it's time to let the cat out of the bag and share my successes.

    Warning: if this stuff (health, body image, lifestyle) doesn't interest you, feel free to skip this post. I'm often hesitant to share content like this, but I'm passionate about it now and I hope my story can help others--so I'm writing for those of you who this will really speak to.

    I've posted about my shift from raw vegan to Paleo, but a lot has changed since then, and I often get questions from people asking if I feel better now, or why I like one better. And I have a hard time answering. I'm very conscious of how much I talk about food and health, since not everyone likes to hear about it. I don't want to be the cheerleader no one wants to listen to, rah-rah-rahing about how great my new trend diet is. BUT, there's so much to say. So many things I want you to know if you are interested. My way of eating has dramatically improved my health, alleviated or removed many of my physical and mental heath issues, and given me a new passion for lifelong health. I know there are people out there who struggle with ongoing issues and may someday find the diet that works best for them. If hearing my story helps them explore the massive world of internet knowledge and find their solution, that'd be awesome.

    So I'll start in the middle.

    Pre-Phase 1: 10-Year Vegetarian, then Mostly Raw Vegan


    Hope these graphics are helpful! I thought they'd be easier than a paragraph explaining all my symptoms and changes.


    During both my vegetarian and raw vegan phases, I thought I was "fine" despite my ongoing health problems.

    But then... my husband changed everything. Sure, I thought I was fine, but he was struggling with health problems, too, and he started learning about leaders in the Paleo and Bulletproof Diet trends. (He ate mostly vegan, also very low fat, with more cooked foods than I did but very rarely meat or dairy.) He wasn't sure how to talk to me about this, but he basically said he wanted to start eating a lot of grassfed beef and butter. Turns out a high fat (30-50% of calories from healthy, unprocessed fats) diet makes people lose weight and feel better, he was learning. I was very uncomfortable with his new interests.

    I'll skip over my reaction to this shocking development from my until-then compliant mostly vegan husband. (He now has a blog, Grassfed Geek.)

    As I did research of my own and began to learn more about high fat, grassfed beef- and butter-filled diets, I realized I couldn't argue. I had never felt solid in my reasons behind being vegan, and I realized there was a lot of science on both sides, but I felt much more confident in the science on the ancestral, human diet side (omnivorous diet).

    So, I began transitioning to eat a higher fat, less raw vegan diet.

    Phase 1: More fat, cooked veggies



    Amazing what a difference FAT makes! Energy is good.

    So, as I continued to research (listened to lots of podcasts and read lots of blogs and books), I got excited about making the leap to eating meat again! (Husband was excited. He started eating meat regularly, too.)

    Phase 2: Meat, & no longer fruit/raw sugar at every meal



    The weight loss was surprising at the time (I didn't realize how much muscle and bone mass I'd lost). Skipping Phase 1, since it was pretty short, but compare these photos from the summer before (Pre-Phase 1) and three months into eating meat (March 2013, Phase 2).

    I look at that first photo now and feel shocked. Look at the bags under my eyes. Look at the tiny arms that don't look like they could hold much up without collapsing. I won't go into body image much in this post since it's a huge topic, but at the point in this photo I thought that I was pretty small but still could lose some body fat. (!) When I look at the Phase 2 photo, I remember that I was a little self-conscious that I was getting heavier--but those jeans are minuscule. My butt is tiny. My face looks much fuller, though. I still wore the same clothes, although my bras fit more snugly! Those 10 pounds went to my muscles and boobs.

    Side note: While there's no photo of it, pre-pre-phase 1 (high school, college, grad school) I was never such a low weight. I wasn't built skinny--no one in my family has the Taylor Swift genes, more the ScarJo genes--and I was never as small as I was in my raw vegan years. Hence why the Pre-Phase 1 photo is so scary to me now.

    Phase 3: Complicated! With a happy ending.


    Things were going really well. I felt energized and healthy eating meat from local sources, and no longer drinking smoothies and juices all the time and not feeling any more satisfied. (My husband lost about 40 pounds eating meat and fat and cutting out grains and sugars.) I was so excited to have found Paleo, and loved learning more about humans, diet, history, health, modern medicine pitfalls, the food industry, local food, sustainable food, movement, training, and all those topics I still love.

    So then...


    These photos show the end of Phase 2 to the beginning of Phase 3. As you can see, they were taken about a month apart. This was the beginning of my weight gain, and while I could still wear some of the same clothes, my face and arms were fuller (and the dress fit more snugly).


    And then, the post-medication weight gain was very difficult. I look at photos taken a month apart and I remember the struggle I had having to buy all new jeans and shorts in that short period, gaining 20 pounds and not knowing when it would end.

    But, it did end eventually. The weight gain continued for another month or so, but slower. There's a warning, folks--don't get on ADHD medication unless you absolutely have to. So crazy to gain that much weight so fast after getting off it.

    So I learned:


    But that's not really part of this story. What the whole "Paleo" thing has taught me is 1) which foods irritate me and which work for me (almost everyone who eats "Paleo" defines their own parameters based on trial and error, eliminating foods) and 2) Why are we modeling diet after our ancestors, again? There are so many things in our modern lives that don't make us happier. Hunching over our desks all day. Medicating ourselves (in my case, anyway) before addressing the root of my hormone, neurotransmitter, and gut issues. Getting flat feet from wearing positive-heeled shoes. Irritating our skin with industrial beauty products. (Speaking for myself about all these things, no judgment to others.) Eating "Paleo" to me means taking care of my body with what is natural and easy for me.

    Being on that medication was not right for me--I knew it at the time but denied it. Eating only fruit and salad was not right for me. Now, I eat incredible, high quality food and I feel good almost all the time. Those are two huge wins for me. I've also learned that I feel great when I lift heavy weights regularly, and stand at my desk at work big parts of the day. If all those positive things mean I weigh more than I did when I was unhealthy, well... so what??

    Today: Health is the goal.


    I'll skip ahead a few sub-phases to some images taken in the past few months. Again, I can't really go into body image today, but if you read my post the other week you know I'm very excited to celebrate physical strength as a goal, and (as evidenced above!) you can imagine that I don't believe being skinny at any cost is a good thing. I like these photos of me because I look happy, strong, and HEALTHY.

    That's what this journey has taught me so far. Oh, and how we eat today? I am SO totally tired of the word "Paleo," but we do still eat what can easily be defined as The Paleo Diet, although I think of it as "real food" more than anything else. Husband can tolerate dairy, I can't. He can also do white rice, which I only eat occasionally. As much as we're all human and there are foods that our bodies have evolved to eat, we also all have our individual tolerances and once we cut out the processed foods, we can identify which foods make us feel best. That's part of why it feels so great to eat what seems like a limited diet.

    But I didn't want to talk about our diet as much in this post as I wanted to share the incredible positive changes that I can't believe I've experienced through changing my food! (If you want to learn more about Paleo, I shared some more in this post along with a couple short lists of resources.)

    Here's to health!


    2017 update:


    I wish I could say I felt 100% comfortable in my body no matter what size it was when I'm in good health. But, I didn't always feel good about the size and weight I had arrived at despite other successes. In 2016 I played with the macronutrient ratios in my diet and increased carbs while reducing fat and increasing protein, and lost and kept off several pounds, though tracking felt too restrictive after a few months. I continued to work out about 3x/week until we moved into our fixer upper in October 2016 and our lives (and home gym) have been turned upside down by house projects for a while! Now I get in 1-2 workouts per week and maybe yoga.

    I've also found I can tolerate white rice, some dairy, and some legumes better than I did early into my healing Paleo diet days. Eating Paleo for me was a path to learning about my body and healing my relationship with food, and while it was a fantastic template, my diet some days includes non-strict Paleo things at multiple meals.

    I should probably post a more recent photo of myself post-intentional weight loss. But it's winter and I'm wearing tons of layers in all the recent photos. I'll try to add one sometime soon!

    Update: Here are two of me in early August 2017, days before and after I found out I was pregnant!


    49 comments

    1.13.2015

    New knock-off: J.Crew leather patch pocket pullover tutorial

    This is a fun, dressier DIY clothing makeover/knock-off!

    Inspired by the J.Crew Factory merino pocket tunic and the J.Crew merino leather pocket sweater (both from more than a year ago, I think), I put together this tutorial for a simple patch pocket detail on a plain sweater. Here are the originals...

    J.Crew merino leather pocket sweater (sold out)
    J.Crew Factory merino pocket tunic

    And here's what you can make!


    Leather Patch Pocket Sweater Tutorial


    You will need:


    • Crewneck sweater or long sweatshirt
    • About 1/4 yard leather or faux leather (mine was super cheap fake leather, but since it won't bear much strain, that's fine)

    Here's my "before" sweater and finished project.

    (Note: this sweater had a funny balloon shape so I took in the sides majorly before using it for this tutorial--gave it an even more dramatic before/after, eh? See my method for taking in a lightweight sweater here!)

    1. Try on the sweater;. TK

    2. Cut approximate pocket pieces. You pick the proportions; this will depend on your size and the length of your sweater. Cut two identical. Mine ended up being about 7.5" wide by 10" long.

    3. Fold over one corner for hand angle. Lay your hand on top of the piece, imagining 1/2" will be turned under on all sides. I did a right triangle, but it could be more steeply angled like the original.

    4. Topstitch the top pocket edge. Start with a row of stitching just over 1/4" (typically the presser foot width) from the edge. (Remove pins before you reach them.)

    Then sew a row less than 1/8" from the edge. If you can tell up close on the original, there are two rows of stitching which adds to the quality look.

    5. Trim the excess pocket. Leave a small seam allowance outside your first row of top stitching. It's not like it will ravel!

    6. Pin or clip under 1/2" all the way around. Leather and fake leather are difficult to pin, so you can also use sewing clips like these--very handy for thick projects, too.

    7. Pin pocket in place. Approximately on top of the hand position you marked, pin the pocket down on one side. You'll probably be able to align it with the grain of the sweater to keep it vertical and straight.

    8. Top stitch on the sweater. With about 1/8" of the folded seam allowance to the right of the needle, top stitch all the way around the pocket.

    9. Match the other side. Fold the sweater in half lengthwise with the sewn pocket facing down and line up the second pocket's edges to put them in exactly opposite places. Pin carefully (repeat step 7) and top stitch (step 8).

    Easy!
    P.S. My suede flats are from Lands' End and I love them. Great price, real leather, even come in wide! And sparkle.

    Try it at home!!

    7 comments

    Search

    © Create / Enjoy • Theme by Maira G.