Hi everyone!
My name is Michelle, and I blog at happilycaffeinated, and I’ve been sewing for eight years now. My sewing projects tend to be casual separates, which reflect my lifestyle as both a mom and a software company employee.
SBCC Mimosa blouse + McCall’s 6966 maxi-skirt
I’m 40 years old, and after having lived most of my life in San Diego, I moved to Seattle, Washington two years ago with my husband, daughter, and our cats. People frequently ask if I miss San Diego, but after the short amount of time we’ve lived here, I feel like the Pacific Northwest is a much better fit for us, culturally. I do miss In-n-Out, though! The fabric shopping in Seattle is much better than it is in San Diego, as well. To pay for my fabric shopping habit (and our mortgage), I work as a technical writer for a large tech company in downtown Seattle.
HotPatterns Cote d’Azur dress. My pictures frequently include dog and toddler photobombs.
My weight has fluctuated a lot as an adult, and finding clothes to fit my enormous bust has always been a challenge. I decided that I needed to learn to sew after a particularly traumatic visit to an Ann Taylor Loft dressing room where, after having lost over 50 lbs over the previous year, I found that I could fit into a size 10 in RTW pants, but still couldn’t button a size 14 blouse without pulling and gaping. I immediately signed up for a beginning sewing class through my local Adult Education program, sewed my first pair of pajama pants, and was completely hooked. Sewing has given me the freedom to choose the clothes that I actually want to wear, rather than buying something that I don’t love because it’s in my size, and it sort-of fits.
Colette Moneta dress
As a reader since the beginning, I couldn’t be more excited to be joining the Curvy Sewing Collective as an editor. By joining the CSC, I’m hoping to share some of the experiences that I’ve gained through trial-and-error in trying to deal with my own fitting challenges. I’m looking forward to being really involved here!
When not sewing, working, or parenting, I am a fan of wine, craft beer, and 80’s & 90’s pop culture. Our current family projects are potty training and trying to discourage our 3-year-old from repeating certain Faith No More lyrics.
Oh hey! I love finding Seattle area bloggers, I guess I’ll mosey on over and follow your blog 🙂
Checked out your blog. What a great pair of jeans and your lining at the waist band was so cute. Thinking of sewing something for the first time that’s why I love this blog. Feels so at home.
Welcome to Seattle Michelle! As an import myself (from Canada) 11 years ago I can say that Seattle (or in my case, specifically Lynnwood) feels like home. My hubby is originally from LA, and also works for a big tech company on the other side of the lake from you. He’s a mad 80’s buff and has thoroughly corrupted our middle daughter (22) into all things Danny Elfman. I’m new to CSC, so we should have fun getting to know one another! I have your daisy on black fabric in turquoise! 😀
I love your blog. Especially the patterns of the week part. Welcome
A huge fan of yours . So glad to see you here as well. Looking forward to seeing your posts.
I also had a horrible experience in an Ann Taylor Loft dressing room. I got stuck trying to take off a bias blouse. After about 15 min, I managed to wriggle out of it without damaging any seams. There were tears and trauma. Never again. 🙂
Michelle, welcome and I am looking forward to your posts. Your garments in the pictures are most becoming and fit well. Congrats!
Welcome, Michelle! Looking forward to your posts. Also, I love the black n white striped skirt in the first photo!
Thanks! The skirt is a McCall’s pattern–M6966. It runs large and long, but I really love the finished skirt.
It definitely sounds like PNW is your home all right! Lovely to have you on board 🙂
My 18-year-old self would be freaking out if I knew that one day I’d be working a few blocks away from Sub Pop records’ HQ.
Also in Seattle you have the Sewing & Stitchery Expo every year!!!! Traveled from Atlanta to attend. Welcome.
We do! I can’t believe how fast some of the classes fill up, though.
I’m looking forward to your posts! As a Washingtonian who lives on the Olympic Peninsula in Port Angeles, I must say you have a much better shot at decent fabric than I do. I tend to purchase fabric online, also. Welcome!
I am well-acquainted with having to do most of my fabric shopping online. 😉
Yay! Seattle represent!
I would love to hear where you like to fabric shop in Seattle, because personally, I find it very frustrating to find anything that isn’t ugly or overpriced. So I do most of my shopping online. I’m going down to Portland for the weekend and am excited to finally get to do some real fabric shopping. 🙂
Have you been to Seattle ReCreative? It’s a “creative reuse center” (sort of a craft thrift store) and they have some great deals on fabric and patterns–when I went, all fabric was $2/yard.
I haven’t been there, but I keep meaning to check out Our Fabric Stash, which I understand has opened a new location about a 10-minute walk from my office.
I’ve added that to the list of places to check out soon. Thanks for the suggestion!
I’ve tried to go there twice now, but even though it was during their posted hours, the store was closed. Luckily it’s right near my house, so one of these days I’ll actually show up while it’s open.
I’m (belatedly) remembering our conversation about it. What a bummer that they haven’t been open. Having had some dealings with volunteer “employees” myself, I have to say I’m not super duper surprised. 🙁
We don’t have anything like Portland’s Mill End here, but I really like two smaller shops–Drygood Design and District Fabric. They’re not FabricMart-cheap, but their prices are in line with equivalent quality online. I stopped by Drygood last week and wanted to buy everything–they’ve got a nice selection of nice chambrays, double gauzes, and other fabrics that would make lovely blouses right now. There’s a Pacific Fabrics on my way home from work, and I love that I can swing by and pick up a YKK zipper in there or serger needles without having to order online and wait.
I love DryGoods Design!
Since my office moved a few months back, I’m a dangerously short bus ride away from there for lunchtime stress-relief shopping. She really does a fabulous job of selecting fabrics.
I’ve never been to DryGoods Design. I need to check it out. I like Pacific Fabrics if I don’t have some fabric in mind that I want. Although, they seem to be vastly different from one location to the next too. I like Nancy’s Sewing Basket on Queen Anne and there’s a new place in Fremont that I haven’t been to yet, but I’ve peered into the windows. Lately I’ve been going to the Hancock in Kirkland and finding some cute fabrics.
Drygood moved a few months back to a new location right on Pioneer Square. The new store is much bigger and easier to find than the location that I blogged about last year (if you ever run across that post).
The new place in Fremont is District Fabric (unless there’s another new place that I don’t know about). I like Nancy’s, too, although it seems like everything that I fall in love with there is always outside of my price range.
Yay Michelle! I’m so glad to see you here, I really respect your opinions as a curvy seamstress (even though we are oppositely shaped 😉 ) and I can’t wait to hear more from you.
Thanks!
Welcome! I look forward to your posts and commentary.
I’ve tried fabric shopping in San Diego and agree there are few stores. I haven’t fabric shopped in Seattle but see there are many on line companies and expect the brick and mortar stores are there also. Happy fabric shopping!
There used to be Jane’s in La Jolla, but that closed a few years after I started sewing. And even a lot of the Yardage Towns have closed. Outside of the National City swapmeet, I can’t really think of many options targeted at garment sewers.