patch pockets

a big reason why I started love aunt maggie was to share, or at least document, all the random knowledge I have acquired about sewing over the last few years. even if that knowledge is just a pattern recommendation or a link to a really awesome tutorial on YouTube. in addition to posting about it here i'll be building all this information in a technique library.

today i am starting this by talking about pockets, in particular patch pockets.

2016: year of the indie pattern

happy 2016 everyone!

one of my favorite stores in the bay area, stonemountain & daughter, has declared 2016 to be the 'year of the indie pattern' and is kicking off #indiepatternmonth today. as a long time patron of independent pattern companies i love this.

let me say that again for emphasis: i love this.

i've previously extolled my love of oliver + s, the crown jewel of independent patterns, and expressed my goal to sew all their styles. but in the spirit of the new year i wanted to share some other indie sewing patterns that have caught my eye and i want to sew in 2016.

a homemade gift

for the past few years I've done non physical gifts for my family, giving gift certificates for restaurants or local experiences instead. this year I did that as well as a few homemade things.

today I am going to show what I made for my very favorite person: my own mama.  

tips for sewing with kids

being an aunt is pretty much the greatest thing ever.

i show up a few times a year with gummy bears and some new books, spend an hour building an awesome lego castle while drinking my sister's beer, let the kid stay up 15 minutes later than they normally would, then drop the mic because i just nailed it.

aside from Legos one of the activities I like to do most with the girls is sewing. Today I'm going to share my tips on how I (attempt) to make it a tear free process for everyone.

non pj pjs

a while back i was watching maya and as bedtime was approaching i said it was time to put on her pjs. the kid lost it. turns out she had never heard anyone refer to pajamas as pjs before and thought it was the funniest thing ever.

today i am going to share a three non pajama patterns that actually make great pjs.