Still here – all my lame excuses…

July 24, 2025July 24, 2025 ~ Coco ~ 8 Comments

I can hardly believe it’s been so long since my last post. And I appreciate the comments and inquiries meanwhile.

I’m fine, have had some bumps in my road, mostly health-related, nothing big or awful, just enough to dampen my sewjo and blog-writing a bit. OK, not completely – I’ve been posting to instagram every week or so (the link has disappeared from my sidebar! but it’s cocos.loft. WordPress has changed a lot since last year…).

If you’re checking in here, thank you so much. I plan to write more! Coco

Ramble – recent sewing stuff

September 29, 2024September 29, 2024 ~ Coco ~ 11 Comments

I’m beginning to think I’m sewing-challenged! Over the last several months I’ve had epic fails. I know it’s probably my inclination to try new things, but it can be really depressing!

I picked up the Seamwork Lisa cardigan as a freebie, found on Instagram. I had enough knit fabric my stash to go for it. What a disappointing pattern. I drafted to my measurements and ended up with a voluminous unconstructed mess. Into the bin…

I like the silhouette in the line art, but in the future, for this design, I’ll go for the True Bias Marlo Sweater (yes, a fall sewing plan).

My next fail was a Grainline Felix dress. This is a favorite pattern, but the dismal results were entirely my fault. I purchased a rayon gauze fabric, those two words together should have been a caution. I’m a pretty good sewist, but taming the horizontal stretch of the fabric was too much. Add to that, once received, I just didn’t love the print. Ooo – I really really don’t like it! Into the bin…

Surely there’s something good on the horizon! Well, yes – I’ll be sewing the FabricsStore Mara painter coat soon, in Brussels Washer Jam from Etsy Hawthorne Fabrics.

. And I just got the fabric for my daughter’s Muna and Broad Tarawi shirt from Harts Fabric. XMas present. It’s Scream Date Midnight by Alexander Henry. Totally rad and so her!

What else – well, I’ve made a couple RTW purchases, both much loved. From Nordstrum Rack the Flying Angel high-waisted jeans. Wow, the fit and flow are incredible, and I do appreciate/enjoy a good pair of jeans. I just don’t think I could make these.

And from Levi, the 90’s Trucker red tab jacket. I had one sooo many years ago, it arrived today, be still my heart. Iconic and with fond memories.

And that’s it for today. I need to empty my bin and straighten the Loft. I tend to throw things to the floor in fits of frustration 🙂 Ciao – Coco

Note: Sons and Daughters days – my. beloved David and Ashley.

Buyers regret – the Ilford Jacket

September 18, 2024 ~ Coco ~ 10 Comments

It’s just not easy… for the last 6 months I’ve been thinking of sewing a linen painters coat, aka duster. My Pinterest account is full of inspiration and pattern suggestions. I really had to think about my basic ‘wants’ as to design and fit.

A gorgeous garment recently posted by Modelled_by_madge got me going again. Go see it!

The Mara Painters Coat is a free pattern on the FabricsStore. And I was quick to download it.

Honestly, my thinking went awry at this points. I have some fabric that would make a nice utility jacket, so why not get a pattern suited for that, and just lengthen it.

So I purchased the Friday Pattern Company Ilford Jacket.

The things you don’t know until you have the pattern – the Ilford:

The front is self-interfaced, the interfacing is not continuous to the shoulder. Result: the wrong side of the fabric will show unless the jacket is buttoned to the chin!

The sleeve head and armscye are not sculpted. I just shudder at how this might look once sewn, as well as the struggle to manage the side seam/sleeve juncture (going back and reading more reviews, this was often described as an issue).

The Mara coat, on the other hand, has a ‘traditional’ sleeve head/armscye, and better yet, a proper front interfacing to expose the fashion fabric, not the inside, when the coat is loose..

Sigh. I won’t ever sew the Ilford, but I know that sometimes reality doesn’t meet expectation. In general, we really don’t see the innards of a pattern until we have it in hand.

I have some lovely Kaufman Brussels Washer Linen for my Mara coat! Purchased from HawthorneFabrics on Etsy, the color is Jam – love it 🙂

Bye for now – Coco

Zen Charmer maxi dress

September 2, 2024September 2, 2024 ~ Coco ~ 10 Comments

Summer transition and I’ve indulged my continuing fascination with Alexander Henry print fabrics. This 2008 Zen Charmer print is a favorite. I actually made my daughter a dress with this in 2013!

I took the time to redraft my variation of the Style Arc Patricia Rose dress. My tissue was so tweaked it was stiff with tape. Over time and use it was also too small. IMHO, having patterns in PDF format is great – I just printed a new set and started over.

I’ve been sewing this dress since its beginning, with changes to suit my style.

Drafted the back in 2 pieces to match the front,
Added a band between the bodice and skirt, no fold in the bodice. I like the band because it breaks up the length of a maxi, throws some detail into the mix, and adds balance.
Drafted a softly gathered skirt, no front pleat.

As with any large print, placement of the pattern pieces took forever. It can be hard to avoid print and color collisions, and on this print, excision of body parts! Working with large pattern pieces helps, a design with small pattern bits would not have worked.

What a fun project, it kept me busy for about 10 days. Last notes, the print on the fabric is 42″ wide, it’s 100% cotton, and the dress used all of 4 yards. I found it on Etsy, a great place to look for older fabrics. It was $13.65 a yard, a terrific price for a vintage AHenry.

Bye for now – Coco

Let’s ramble…

August 27, 2024August 29, 2024 ~ Coco ~ 8 Comments

Hard to believe, this month marks 5 years since I moved into my bungalow. As I wander around, I’m amazed by how many spaces I haven’t filled – but I admit, I enjoy empty walls and floors. Kind of an ‘calm calm’ thing for me. On the other hand, I really enjoy the colorful art I’ve collected, my many (almost vintage) rattan chairs, and an abundance of woven baskets (I have some real beauties, found at thrift shops. Woven with many materiels including copper. Exquisite).

And now I’m in love with the collection at Quarter Moon Bazaar. Inspired it seems, by Frida Kahlo and Mexican art.

The pillow covers are 18″ x 18″, perfect for framing. Which I did 🙂 And it now hangs in my sitting room. The room is small, a look at it in its totality would show how this piece works to pull together my Jenny Foster dogs, baskets, flowers, rugs, and so on. Perfect.

I have two more! not yet framed. Here’s a look at the craftmanship of the piece – it’s embroidered! I love to hang fabric as art, this is just so lovely.

The pillow cover was easy to disassemble, no fancy stitching, with the front canvas very preserved once I removed the zipper and canvas back.

Of course it arrived with a few soft wrinkles from packaging. After removing the backing, I placed the piece face down on some low-loft quilt filler. I used light steaming, not much pressing, and it was free of folds and wrinkles. And very straight, on grain, and consistent, not skewed at all.

I ordered a frame from Amazon, after looking at about 2 million frames 🙂 I didn’t care about glass or plexiglas, I was focused on the materials and the many reviews. It arrived with incredibly thoughtful packaging, this frame was not going to be damaged in shipping!

The framing process: I actually cut an 18″ x 18″ piece from my frame shipping package and used it to ‘fill out’ the embroidered fabric and tighten the fit inside the frame so that the fabric would not droop. A few staples on the sides, and it was not difficult to fit snugly into the frame.

The frame has multiple hangar hardware options, but I simply used Command strips. I love Command strips.

I cannot think of another thing to say about this little project 🙂 I love the artwork, the design, the excellent construction, and ultimately, how this piece looks in my home.

Bye for now – Coco

Summer heat – lawn maxi shifts

August 17, 2024 ~ Coco ~ 13 Comments

I’ve been in south Florida for 46 years and have never experienced such a hot humid summer. Our afternoon thunderstorms are always just over the horizon. The weeds in my gardens are having a great time, because there is no way I’m going out there to pull them!

And how to beat the heat in garments. I am totally committed to cotton lawn shifts, I don’t want pants with elastic around my waist, just something cool. OK, I keep my AC on 78 (I get cold so easily), so light shifts work for me.

My go-to is New Look 6352, modified a bit for fit, but a great pattern.

And lots of cotton lawn fabrics. These might not survive all the laundering to next year, but that’s OK, because replacing is fun.

I haven’t sewn the last 3 fabrics, they’re in the wash. We won’t get cool until November. The lovely and whimsical menagerie is one of 3 already in the closet. I also have a Stan blouse in this cute fabric. Cotton lawn is so light, fragile with repeated washings, but fit-for-purpose for my everyday shifts.

My daughter just left after 3 wonderful days together. She’s headed off to an attorney convention here in Orlando that includes a childrens’ charity superheroes gala. So of course I made her Super Woman dress 🙂 She has a tiara and wrist gauntlets to go with…how fun.

I miss her already!

But I have an interesting project in the wings, in white lightweight rayon/linen fabric. I love Koko Beall patterns and found this one on Pattern Walk.

Bye for now! Stay cool…Coco

What’s up buttercup…

August 2, 2024 ~ Coco ~ 21 Comments

I haven’t posted in ages! But I do have an excuse. I had laser gum surgery in mid-July, and developed a complication. Aargh. Despite 7 days of amoxicillin post-surgery, I had a penicillin resistant infection that took out/destroyed the tissue behind a front tooth, to the root. Pain through the roof, and 8 days of pain medication and a ‘new’ antibiotic. I am left with a hole in my palette behind the tooth, which is slowly resolving. My periodontist assures me I won’t need a tissue graft.

So I lisp and live on high protein yogurt and Ensure. Pudding for chuckles and comfort. How boring is that… I’m not now in a medication fog, and I’m slowly regaining interest in something other than my mouth!!

Until later….Coco