What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

I went through my cool weather patterns recently and thought it would be fun to make a list of my favourite ones and share it with you!

When making the list, I had these criteria:

• The pattern needed to be appropriate for a beginner
• I had made a garment from it multiple times
• I wore the garments often

The Blackwood Cardigan by Helen's Closet

I made 4 cardigans from this pattern - one short and three long. This is probably ...

I've made the Ashton Top and the Arden Pants a couple of times now (both patterns by Helen's Closet), but I hadn't made an outfit from both until now and I'm in love!

I've been working on creating a small capsule for the warmer weather months and these two pieces are part of that capsule. Participating in Me Made May this year made me realize I don't sew "outfits". I sew individual garments that may or may not fit with the rest of my wardrobe and that means I have a few orphan pieces ...

I've been wearing the Arden pants I made last Fall pretty much every week and I love them. So I had been planning to make a few more pairs for Spring and then Summer. I had a slightly lighter weight stretch suiting in my stash and decided to pull it out for my next pair of Arden.

I made the exact same size (18) but lengthened the legs by 1 inch so that I could wear my new pants with short heels. And that is when I learned that even when you make a garment from the same pattern ...

Helen's Closet released their Jackson Tee and Pullover pattern a little while ago and well - I love everything Helen does so I just had to buy it. The pattern is unisex so I thought I could use it for me as well as my hubby who loves a good tee.

I ordered knit fabric from The Fabric Snob for this project. I like the look of stripes for the body and a solid for sleeves so I went with that.

I chose to sew a solid neckband and striped cuffs. The pattern calls for a hem band but I ...

I love simple tops such as the Ashton top by Helen's Closet. It's the perfect top for summer and I've been wearing mine all winter with cardigans. And then a little while ago, Helen came out with an expansion pattern to put sleeves on the Ashton top, making this top even more versatile! I immediately purchased it and pulled some fabric from my small stash.

The fabric is a gorgeous blue Tencel twill from Blackbird Fabrics. I'm not going to lie and say it was easy to work with for a beginner like me because it ...

I made the York Pinafore a couple of years ago and I really wanted to revisit this pattern in a denim. But I've been doing a lot of research into what styles would look best on my body type and the cocoon shape of the York isn't recommended. So I hesitated.

In the end, I was swayed by all the lovely York Pinafores I saw online and decided to go for it.

I made View A (the longer length with the low neckline) but used the pocket from View B. The fabric is a gorgeous 8 oz non-stretch ...

Cardigans are a huge part of my closet. Many of the tops I own are sleeveless or short-sleeved and in the winter months, I wear them with cardigans. If I'm being honest, I would love to have a cardigan in every colour. I have a few ready-to-wear cardigans and I have now made four Blackwoods from Helen's Closet (you can see my previous three versions here, here and here).

This is my new red Blackwood.

The fabric is a Liverpool knit from Minerva. I love the colour, but the fabric was a bit of a pain to sew ...

Last Summer, my step-daughter gave me a really cute cover-up which I absolutely love. I'm a huge fan of wearing layers, even in the warmer months so a light cover-up to wear with shorts and tank tops has been on my list of projects for a while. I purchased the Suki Robe pattern from Helen's Closet a while ago and Helen published a hack to turn it into a cover-up.

Well, right before the Holidays, I was doing research on community-made Sukis because I was thinking of making one for my mom and step-mom. And during my web ...

After making a pair of Arden pants that ended up being a little too big, I decided I really needed to try the pattern again in the correct size. I re-cut the pattern in a size 18 and chose to go with another stretch woven from my stash: a really nice stretch suiting from Minerva.com in a dark grey.

This pair turned out much better! I made no other adjustments and followed the pattern exactly. This is such a nice, easy and fun pattern to make. All those years of quilting really came in handy with all the topstitching ...

I made a shirt... with a collar... and buttons!! 

Well, I made a whole outfit which I had high hopes for, but the pants are a bit of a failure (not due to the pattern because it's amazing).

All right - let's start with the shirt. I used a gorgeous viscose linen slub from Blackbird Fabrics and it was an absolute dream to sew. It's also really comfortable. It's going to be amazing to wear next summer but over the next few months, I can easily wear it with a cardigan on top.

To say that I ...

About a week ago, because the weather here really turned and it's now officially fall, I decided to take my Fall/Winter clothes out of storage. While I was doing it, I took an inventory of everything I have and everything that would be appropriate for working from home. Like a lot of people, the fact that I've been home all the time for months now means I've been eating more and moving less. As a result, I gained a few pounds and many of the pants I wore last Winter don't fit comfortably anymore.

So ...

I love cardigans! Especially at this time of year when it could be really cold in the morning and quite warm by lunch time. In the Fall and Winter, I basically wear cardigans every day - so I need them in all the colours!

This is my third Blackwood Cardigan (pattern by Helen's Closet). You can read about the short version I made here and the long version here. 

I decided to make the longer version again this time because I plan on wearing leggings a lot this Winter and the length of the Blackwood is perfect with leggings.

I ...

Now that the weather is starting to get nicer and warmer, I realized that my wardrobe is in dire need of lighter cardigans. I have some ready-to-wear cardigans I purchased last year, but after only one season of wear, they are looking pretty sad.

I made a Blackwood Cardigan for myself last year and I just love it so decided to make another one with a couple of yards of gorgeous Art Gallery cotton knit from Fabric.com I've had sitting in my stash for a while now. Sadly, this specific print isn't available anymore, but they have ...

When Helen's Closet published its Pona Jacket pattern a few months ago, I wasn't sure I wanted to make it - wasn't sure the really boxy shape of the jacket would suit me. But then I started seeing versions pop up on Instagram and some of them were so nice, I just had to try it.

I didn't really have anything in my stash that would have been perfect for this, but I found a Cotton & Steel quilting cotton I purchased for a quilt back so decided to make a practice version with that. (It's an ...

One of the very first garments I made for myself was a Helen's Closet pattern - the York Pinafore. You can read all about it here. Since that first pinafore, I purchased many of Helen's patterns. They are extremely well drafted, well written and they are classic, basic pieces we all need in our closets.

In addition to the York Pinafore, I also made a Blackwood Cardigan (blogged here) and a practice Elliot Tee.

A couple of weeks ago, I thought it was time to make my "real" Elliot Tee. I've had 3 yards of a stretchy fabric ...