C Sews

The first hat I made was for cold winters in upstate New York where I grew up. Using some fake sheepskin fabric, I made a hat with earflaps. I think I was inspired by some Russian hats I’d seen. I didn’t have a pattern. I just cut and sewed. I’m not sure what happened to [...]

This is my favorite place to browse and find vintage hats in person. It’s truly a hat lover’s delight with a wide variety of styles in excellent condition – everything from wool hats trimmed with feathers and sequins to bonnets with velvet ribbons and netting. But hats are just one of many things All Things [...]

I’ve often asked where I get my hats. Well, some of my hats I’ve had for more than 15 (or even more than 20!) years. But I do buy several new hats every year. So here’s a list of some places where I’ve bought some of my more recent hats, vintage and contemporary – along [...]

I saw a lot of fun clothing combinations and nice details over the past month. These photos were snapped in San Francisco – usually in the Financial District or around Union Square during my lunch break or after work. What you’ll see below is: grey knit tights with a snowflake pattern worn with a knit [...]

Not long after I graduated from college, I saw a photo of an absolutely stunning red hat in a magazine. I can’t recall what magazine it was but this shaped felt hat was gorgeous (and gorgeously expensive) with many folds of felt in front. I loved everything about that hat – the perfect shade of [...]

After I made my sewing machine pocket  organizer, I got to work on a chair organizer – a very handy item that drapes over the seat of the chair so you have pockets on both sides of the chair (from McCalls’s pattern M4274, now discontinued). But it’s made for a traditional chair with four legs. [...]

This week’s StyleEye focuses on outerwear. I saw some nice coats on women either on the street or on BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit), the commuter train in the SF Bay Area. I take BART to and from work and often spot people wearing something eye-catching as they’re waiting for the train, exiting or entering [...]

When I began sewing again in 2009, I took out a lot of sewing books from the library. One of the books I repeatedly checked out was Bend-the-Rules Sewing: The Essential Guide to a Whole New Way to Sew by Amy Karol. The book contains several easy-to-make projects, everything from bibs and book bags to pillows [...]

I like to take photos of clothes and accessories I see on people as they’re walking, on public transportation, in a store, or wherever they may be. This will be a regular feature on C Sews so I decided to call it StyleEye. My first post in this vein was called Fashion Details. As I [...]