Manitoulin Threads

 As I continue to work my way through my summer reading of the book “The House of Gucci”, I marvel at the changes to the business over the years. From a simple beginning of making leather bags, the company name has now become teenage slang for "it's all good". Hence, my kids are always saying, "That's so Gucci". Nothing like teen slang to perpetuate product branding, lol! Urban Dictionary Definition "Gucci" I spent some time on Pinterest looking at Gucci's latest offerings, and jacquard cardigans are THE thing.  I had selected this Python Texture Activewear Knit from France .  Elliott Berman Textiles has such a wide range of fabrics to choose from, and this one doesn't disappoint.  It is the perfect weight for a top layer and it can be worn for anything from a workout coverup, apres workout, workwear or weekends. I found a couple of inspiration pics of Gucci cardigans that really appealed to me   Gucci Jacquard Wool Cardigan Gucci Int

  Part 2: Inspired Wardrobe with Pants (Chevron Print Stretch Cotton Sateen) As I continue with my Inspired Wardrobe journey, with my inspiration coming Elliott Berman fabrics and from my summer reading of the book “The House of Gucci”, I decided that I needed pants next. My Gucci link for this wardrobe item is the origin of the fabric I used: Italy.  I love that Elliott Berman fabrics are high-end, sustainable fabrics and are sourced from Europe.  Quality lasts. Chevron Print Stretch Cotton Sateen Color: white, sky blue, navy. Fiber Content: 97% cotton, 3% lycra. Width: 58" I love the cool, airy feel of cotton sateen, and stretch fabrics are comfortable for wearing. I was originally going to make a pair of wide-legged paper bag waist pants, but decided to go for a sleeker look so that I don’t feel that I always need to tuck in my tops. I pulled an old Jalie pattern from my stash, as I have always loved the fit of these pants.  Plus, they are super easy to sew with a zip opening b

Vacation sewing in the summer is always the most fun for me because I have time to create inspired-by wardrobes.  Last summer, I read all about Chanel and created a summer/early fall wardrobe based on the books I read and designer collections. This summer, I decided that Gucci and Elliott Berman Textiles would be my inspiration. Sewing in the summer does have an additional wrinkle for me, if you will.  We spend much of the summer at our cottage (called a camp in Northern Ontario).  This means that I don't have my projector and millions of notions, tools, etc at hand.  It calls for a bit of planning ahead, for sure, but it is fun as it brings me back to my early days of sewing when I had limited resources at hand and learned to make do. I began by browsing the EB Textiles website and came up with some fabrics that looked like they would work well together.  I was so excited that I put together a video with my new fabrics! Fabric Unboxing Video via Instagram  The next step was to sta

  Medallion Print Knit for the Win While I love eye-catching and unique prints, sometimes my wardrobe calls for more subtle prints.  I’m an elementary school principal, and there are times when I have meetings and such that are more formal than the regular everyday happenings of a school of youngsters. Enter, the Elliott Berman Textiles Medallion Print Viscose Knit, which comes to us from Italy. This fabric has an amazing hand to it.  It is substantial enough that it doesn’t cling to every lump and bump, yet has a beautiful, flowy drape to it. A lot of my wardrobe consists of navy blues and burgundy colors, especially my blazers and dress pants.  I decided to make a top that could be worn on its own, but also have a jacket popped over top for any meetings that may pop up. I chose the Sinclair Patterns Danielle Relaxed Fit Batwing Top.   I can’t say enough good things about Sinclair Patterns.  I love that their patterns come in Petite, Regular and Tall sizing.  I am 5’7” and have long

  Since 2022 is the Year of the Tiger,  I thought it quite fitting that I start off the year with a tiger-print make. I sewed up a Digital Safari print and it is a slinky viscose knit panel from France. It comes in royal blue plus two other colourways. (click the images to go to the fabrics). When sewing with panels or large-scale prints, I usually drape them over my dress form to get an idea of scale and placement.  (I tend to want to avoid bulls-eyes over certain parts of my anatomy, for example). With this stunning panel, I wanted to choose a pattern that would break up the print as little as possible. I decided to go with a tried-n-true (TNT) tissue pattern that I have had in my stash for years - Vogue 9057 by Marcy Tilton.  Most of my sewing these days tends to be with digital patterns and my projector, but sometimes I have the perfect pattern languishing in my stash, waiting to be made up again.  This is one such pattern. Though the pattern is now out-of-print, you could try Etsy