C Sews

I love the public library. It’s a great source of free information for everyone. It’s also a wonderful place to check out new sewing books. Right now I’ve got five books out, four from the Berkeley Public Library and one from the San Francisco Public Library. I flip through the books to see how many [...]

I knew something was wrong last year when I saw the sale price of a floor-length black cotton skirt at H&M: five dollars. I remember asking myself: How was it possible to make and sell a long skirt – even with an elastic waist and lightweight fabric – for only five dollars? I really couldn’t [...]

I recently checked out this great book on hand sewing from the public library: Alabama Studio Sewing + Design: A Guide to Hand-Sewing an Alabama Chanin Wardrobe by Natalie Chanin. It focuses on creating a hand-sewn wardrobe – yes, everything from bolero jackets and wraps to dresses and skirts of varying lengths – from cotton jersey fabric. [...]

I’ve seen many interesting prints over the past few weeks. Here are some that caught my eye in San Francisco and Berkeley. I spotted these women on the street, on the BART platform, and outside a grocery store. You can see my previous StyleEye posts here. Most of these women are in motion so they [...]

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 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 [...]