SueBear Sews And Flows

So, you know how sometimes you have a favorite thing and you have many of this thing because it's your favorite and you can't imagine that you could want a different version of this thing because you think this thing is already perfect? No? Just me? Well, I'm a die-hard Cashmerette fan, in particular the Springfield top. I have made at least six version of that tank top, maybe more like ten. It's a quick sew for me. I've perfected the fit. I've started hacking it into different iterations. I love it. Sooo....when Helen's Closet asked for testers for a beginner's level tank top, I was happy to help but not terribly enthusiastic about the pattern itself. Because, you see, I had already solved that issue in my closet. Or I thought I had. Y'all. I love this top. It was a sleeper for me. I was unsure if I liked it up to and including putting it on my body to wear for the first time. By the time we got home from a dinner out with friends,...

Downward Dog Sue Style Later this month will be five months since I completed Yogafit Level I training and I thought I’d check in.  I spent February, March, and April team teaching both gentle yoga and the regular yoga classes at my rec center. So invaluable. While I felt the weekend training was extremely helpful in breaking down how to get in and out of poses and putting together flows, the team teaching I did was where I could see refinement. Diana, my mentor, and I really talked about strategies of teaching, how to turn the class away from the mirror, how to teach with the mirror, how to begin to connect the pose to what people may feel in the pose. We talked about physically getting through a class while talking and how that affects my breath. While I really appreciate the ability to take the Yogafit trainings when it’s convenient, I can also see the benefit of doing a more traditional training that may be 3 or 4 weeks long. I would imagine those trainings have time to ...

I'm in the midst of packing for a big vacation we're taking with my mom. We're cruising with stops in Key West and Havana, Cuba and I could not be more excited. For several reasons. 1. I'm going to do awesome relaxing things like read in a deck chair while overlooking the water. 2. I'm going to HAVANA CUBA!!! 3. I'm going to KEY WEST!!! (Both places I've never been.) and a biggie... 4. I know what I'm going to wear. I've talked a bit on this blog about how I'm currently in the midst of making lasting positive changes in my life. Part of that process has been learning to sew my own clothing. I'm taking quite a few things I've made with me. My whole wardrobe won't be hand made, but a good 60-70% will be. So knowing what I'm going to wear means so much more to me on this vacation. I know where the fabric came from. I know how it was constructed. I know how much time went into the garments. I know it will fit. I know I...

Greetings! Helen’s Closet is releasing their new pattern today, Yanta Overalls. This is their first new release in their new extended sizes. I was excited to be one of the testers for this pattern. I chose to sew the short option with a brown 100% cotton micro-whale corduroy from my stash, originally from Fabric Mart Fabrics. I used a batik quilting cotton as the lining to reduce bulk and add a pop of color. I don’t like unfinished pocket interiors so I lined the chest and tush pockets as well. The tester version also had in-seam pockets which I used, but the final version eliminated those and uses front patch pockets. I think that was a smart change as I found the in-seam pockets bulky. I may sew up the seams, cut them off and add the patch pockets later. Helen also raised the tush pockets on the higher end of the size range. I would definitely say my back pockets look a little saggy in placement. I chose to use the clever hidden zipper and I am quite pleased with the added eas...

Please pardon the radio silence. Life. You know. Anyhoots.... I have a dress! A new one to share with you. I have literally been dreaming about this dress since the spring of 2017. I went back and looked at my records and found that I'd bought the fabric in July of 2017. I cut out the fabric in early December 2018. And finally!! A dress!! Without further ado...I bring you my blue baby. This is the Cashmerette Lenox pattern in a straight size 30 DD. Can you tell I was feeling myself today? I took the opportunity of sunshine and a quiet apartment complex to get some fun outside shots.  The Kaufman ivy blue Oxford cloth is from fabric.com . They seem to be out of the ivy color I used but I linked to the navy which looks just as crisp. I would say this was a great fabric to work with. Given the amount of handling this dress took over the months, it frayed very little and pressed like a dream. It does wrinkle, as you can clearly see, but I think that...

Designed by Piet Oudolf. Pic credit: Design Indaba  Sometimes, I just need a moment to dream. So here's a pretty picture of what I hope to someday create in a garden of my own.

I have been thinking quite a bit about worry lately. I have always been an anxious person and there are few times in my life I recall that weren't overshadowed by a worry I was experiencing. In my time here, I've tried prayer, antidepressants, therapy, and meditation to combat the anxiety that worry creates. To an extent, all of these methods have worked, but meditation has been my biggest relief. I credit ongoing therapy and my short time on antidepressants with creating the base building blocks of good mental health, but they weren't able to fully conquer and address the immediacy of panic attacks. Meditation and the breathing that informs and enhances a meditation practice has created so much mental and emotional space for me. (I will say here that I consider prayer to be a form of directed meditation.) Like many things in life, worry is a habit. I had carved a very deep metaphorical groove in my brain where worry lived. If I solved one reason to worry, without c...