Category Archives: PATTERN REVIEWS

I can’t begin to tell you how often I have looked at a piece of clothing and thought “that wasn’t made for me”, meaning – I knew instantly that it wouldn’t fit me, my body type, or lifestyle. But I guess that’s the thing with garments, right? We mostly wear items that fit those three…

I think most of have been on the hunt for the perfect pleated trousers…or at least it seems that way when scrolling my Instagram feed. There is an abundance of patterns out there right now and the fact is, pants are just hard. I am not going to lie, I’ve bought 3-4 (maybe more!) high…

I used to have a jumpsuit in this lovely color and I really liked it but over time the seams wore out because it was pull-on over the hips with no zipper. A jumpsuit was actually one of my original designs for myself and my daughters when I started Ma Ma Osa so many years…

I put the Charlie pattern on my list because it is a versatile little multi-season capsule wardrobe encompassed in one pattern collection! I’ve always wanted to experiment with a “me made” capsule wardrobe; so what better opportunity to try it out than one of the Fabric-Store pattern collections? Before ordering the pattern, I knew that…

One of the (many many many) things I love about sewing is getting to create and then wear exactly the clothes that I imagine in my head – it kind of feels like getting to play dress up, which was something I love now at 28 just as much as I did when I was…

Recently I saw a beautiful, and perfect, pair of shorts that Claire made. Perfect defined as: what I have looked for in a short/pant but haven’t found yet. (Remember- I have been on the hunt for the perfect trouser pattern, and shorts make the cut since it’s basically the important part of the trouser.) Turns…

Shortly after taking on this project, my partner and I made a decision to give up our rent, take our 3 dogs and move across the province, from Cape Town to the Garden Route for three months. I started sewing this dress halfway between packing for the move. All of our stuff had to go…

If you know me or my sewing account at all, then you know I’m a solid supporter of a good button up. I actually found my holy grail of one in the Noa Shirt, one of Fabrics-Store’s many free patterns. I’m a long-time user of their pattern freebies; they were in fact all I used…

Of all the Fabric Store pattern collections, I’d been circling back time and time again on the Lily. The Lily collection is a generous set of Henley placket dress, tunic, shirt, and additional skirt. The looks are timeless. The techniques you can learn through Fabric Store patterns are top-notch. But more than anything, this set…

I’m a big fan of a pattern with multiple garment options included. I have made the Riva Top multiple times and with different length variations even a dress but today I pulled out the Riva Pattern yet again to make a second pant variation, the shorts! Just as I enjoyed the process of the pants…

I have been looking at the Lily collection of patterns from fabric-store for a while now, but all along I presumed that sewing these pieces would be difficult. I noted in the reviews that some people got stuck on the pocket construction, and I already suspected that the front bracket and sleeves would pose a…

At the ripe ole’ age of 32 and after an almost-ten-year career in teaching, I have recently (and shockingly) found myself in corporate America. While many of you have been walking these fluorescent-lit hallways since graduating from whatever business or engineering program you attended, this is my first foray. I had masterfully dodged these stodgy…

With some warm-weather travel upcoming, I’ve been thinking about sets that can mix and match easily. Sets offer versatility while keeping packing light. A monochromatic outfit will also look effortlessly put together and elegant. The Fabric Store Sol pattern is beautiful, including pants, a “cardigan,” and a tunic. I was immediately drawn to the sophisticated…

There’s something really lovely about working with scraps, especially when they’re soft linen scraps. I love improv-sewing shapes together and whenever I do these kinds of projects, I tell myself to keep going and make more (curtains, pillowcases, shirts, dresses, skirts), but then I clean up my giant mess of thread and fabric pieces and…