Tag Archives: Patterns

January 24, 2026 · 5:21 pm

Creative in Crime

Merry meet all,

I know it seems the world has gone crazy right now. I just try my best to focus on the positive, or, should I say – paws-itive? Yes, I am referring to my adorable cat with a unrivaled penchant for mischief. She is so cute. She fills me with love. That is something that the world needs way more of right now, peace and love. It is out there. 

Today’s post will be on a very different topic than my other previous posts. Make yourself a coffee and keep reading! 

I changed my mind about writing the Ed gein book. I am at the very least postponing it. Instead, I’m focusing on other projects. I need to know there is a big advantage for me to go to all that trouble, in other words, I want to know for sure I would make enough profit to have justified going to all that work. I have to finish editing Born of Venom, continue with my herbalism studies, perhaps write another horror novel. When I am more established as a writer, then I will consider writing the Gein book. But for now. I am focusing on other projects. 

I enjoy writing nonfiction. It is in many ways much easier than writing fiction. Believe me, it’s true. Or at least, that is true for me. Bring the nightmares on! 

In other news, I am waiting for the renaissance sewing pattern to arrive via owl mail. I have a pattern, but it is the wrong size. I can’t wait to start sewing! I have the fabric for the peasant blouse and skirt, new cream-colored and brown bias tape, interfacing, ribbons for the bodice, lining material for the vest, threads and all my sewing tools. All I need is the pattern. I also want to get d-rings instead of setting in the eyelets the traditional way. I prefer using the d-rings because they are much easier. I have all that lace. I am sure I can make the outfit look beautiful. I can’t wait to sew it! I also want to wear the vest and the blouse with other outfits. I plan to sew the overskirt and add the lace to the whole overskirt. That will look amazing!

My first pattern I made from the Renaissance pattern

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I found a bodice that I sewed from the original sewing pattern. It is worn out and old. I will toss it soon. It’s shown me how much I have improved in my sewing since sewing that bodice. I may or may not add boning to the bodice. I really could do without it. The bodices that I checked online at Holyclothing do not have boning. I want to feel comfortable in it, not gasping for air. Lol. The boning does give the bodice a shape and a structure. I will know how it wil go later. 

Sewing carefuly and slowly, and paying attention to all the details pays off, resulting in a beautiful garment. I also feel the same way about writing and revising. With hard work and attention, everything falls into place. 

Blessings, Spiderwitch

 

 

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February 17, 2025 · 5:05 pm

Grey gowns and grey skies

Merry meet all,

Recently I sewed myself a lovely grey dress. I intended the dress to be worn with the black overdress from Holy Clothing. Today’s post will focus on the sewing of the dress. I love how my dress looks! Tres beau I wanted a dress that was similar in style to the chemises from Holy Clothing but I knew I could make it much cheaper myself. Shown below is a photo of the chemises from Holy Clothing:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I made one big mistake- well, okay a few mistakes but that happens with sewing. I didn’t initially have enough fabric to cut out the pattern pieces. I wanted this dress to be ankle-length. As a result, I had to make new calculations. I had to add more fabric onto the hem of the dress to extend the length of the dress. But more on that later. 

The dress – a work in progress

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The pattern of the chemise in the photo above is very different but I think I achieved it with my grey dress. 

The grey dress shown with the black overdress

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I finally had enough fabric and had all the cotton pieces cut out and marked, I proceeded with the sewing. I used the pattern Simplicity pattern 5189. The pattern is simple and uncomplicated. I wanted an easy pattern. I am still suffering burnout from sewing the Arwen dress. However, I did make a few changes from how the pattern is meant to be completed. I made some modifications. I added the short sleeves and added elastic to the hems of the sleeves. I didn’t have a wide enough neckline to add in elastic. Next time, the dress will have a wider neckline so it can be worn off the shoulder. I added a ribbon and grey lace trim to the neckline and the cap sleeves.

I could not believe how easy the sleeves were to set in. I added the grey embroidered fabric lace to the front of the dress. I love it. It is a dark silver romantic 3D floral lace with beads. The trim is just beautiful. I also added a grey drawstring ribbon in the neckline and sleeves. 

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/766918166/dark-silver-romantic-lace-3d-flower?ref=yr_purchases

The hyperlink leads to Etsy and which exact seller I purchased the lace from, in case you are interested in buying it for yourself! I sewed the extension of the hem. That was a lot for me to figure out. Ugh it could have been better but I didn’t have all the fabric pieces together when I cut out the patterns. It still looks good though, thanks to careful sewing and pressing the seam allowance after. I had to sew sections together and I had to fix the sewing machine. Thankfully, the sewing machine was not hard to fix. I eased in the hem extension sections to the existing dress hem. I want to add ribbon to the seam to conceal the section where I had to ease it in. 

 

Almost Done!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had to remove a few puckers from the seams, and do a fitting to make sure the dress fit me. I am very happy with it. I believe in taking my time and sewing my best. I wish I had a larger table to work on instead of my ironing board. That would make a huge difference for me. Also I don’t have the best lighting to do sewing in either. I hope that changes soon. My other option is to sew at the library. Then I can have access to a large table and better bright lighting. That really improves the quality of sewing if I am not straining my eyes. I can’t wait for the warmer weather to return, because that means everything is brighter. I cannot wait for spring. 

I ordered a pattern for another long simple dress to sew. The pattern is Simplicity N6775. I want to sew a nightgown dress to lounge around in at home. Something I can relax in and feel comfortable in. I hope I have enough fabric for it – the blue knit tricot fabric I used to make the Arwen gown. The pattern is simple. I just want a pullover dress that is relaxing and casual. Fabricville did not carry the pattern to my dismay so I had to order it online. The link below connects to the website that has the pattern if anyone wants to get the same pattern. If not, I will buy more fabric. 

https://simplicity.com/new-look/n6775

The grey dress looks ultra feminine and a little sassy – which is the embodiment of feminine, right? Right I love the dress. It can be worn on its own or with the black overdress. Sewing the dress myself saved me a ton of money rather than paying for shipping and handling and ordering it from Holy Clothing. Now I plan to order about 3-5 meters of the organic cotton cambric fabric and making another simple dress with it. I want to dye the fabric green though. But I hope to have enough of the blue cotton knit for the dress I want to lounge around in. Sweatpants are not feminine. I am enjoying sewing my own clothing because I don’t like the clothing in the malls. It doesn’t have to cost a fortune though. I want to share an image of the finished grey dress with Holy Clothing. I hope they see what I did and see how they inspire me! The cotton cambric is the fabric that they use at Holy Clothing. 

My book launch for my published novel The Cult of the Spider People: Bone Chillers #1 is fast approaching. I am so nervous. I also hope the launch is successful. 

Don’t get me wrong. Sweatpants are great but I love my feminine witchy style. Bring it on! I hope this inspires you to sew your own clothing. 

Blessed Be Spiderwitch

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April 7, 2021 · 7:35 pm

Skull Pyjama Pants

Merry meet all,

I just sewed a pair of awesome spooky Pyjama pants. I love them. It was so easy and so much fun to make I had to share it with you. It is so easy to do. You can do it in one day or in a few days. 

I borrowed a pattern from my Mom. Her pattern was so simple. But there is the problem. It’s not really all that simple. Since I had a skull print on the fabric, I wanted to ensure the direction of the print was correct. I laid out the fabric on my kitchen table. I made sure the direction of the skulls was in unison. The skulls go down the pants not up. I hope I explained that clearly. I have included a photo of the skull Pyjama pants. Maybe that will help. 

Then I cut out 4 pieces on the selvage. I had 4 pieces of fabric. Then I stitched them together – the inside of the legs. I used a straight stitch. Then I sewed the crotch area. I reinforced the stitches. That means I stitched twice to strengthen the stitches so they don’t unravel. Then I sewed the front and back sides together. I tried the pants on. Yay they fit! When I was sure that they fit, I proceeded to the next step. 

I did a finishing stitch on the seam allowances of the pant legs. I did a long nice zigzag stitch. That prevents the fabric from fraying. But I hit a snag. There is always a snag when sewing. I needed to set the sewing machine to the right settings to do a zigzag stitch. I had to watch the tutorial on how to do that again. 

I pinned down an inch or two of fabric at the waistline. I did that to make sure I had enough of a casing for the elastic. I pinned the bottom hems of both legs of the pants. Then I stitched the pant hems. I stitched again to strengthen the stitch. I then sewed the casing for the waistline. I worked in the elastic using a safety pin. I looked in the mirror and armed with chalk- and securing the elastic in my fingers, I measured how much elastic I needed. Always have more elastic at hand than you plan to use. You are always better off using more than less. You cannot compromise on this step. Or it will never fit you properly. I also tested my pants for fit by sitting down in the pants to see if they truly fit me and do a few stretches. When I was sure they fit, I stitched the ends of the elastic, tucked it in the hole and stitched the hole closed. I wore the  pants for a moment. Yup they felt good. I was so happy. It was so easy to do. 

Just like the elastic, I encourage any of you who are eager to try this to have more fabric than you need. It is o easy to err when sewing. Always err on the side of caution. If you are using a print like mine, decide how you want the print to go. The skull print goes down the pants on both sides- front and back. This is in unison or consistent. It makes it look store bought. 

Now I have an awesome affordable cool pair of Pyjama pants to wear with my diabolical dark lord slippers. !! I love how they turned out. Paying attention to the details ensure a beautiful garment in the end. It is easy to have problems as you are sewing such as the elastic twisting in the casing, not enough elastic or fabric or running out of thread. Taking care of those tiny details ahead of time saves you the trip to the fabric store in the rain- when you could have been sewing. 

When you sew the zigzag stitch, be neat and clean. Sew it next to the straight stitch or on it. The point of the zigzag stitch is to prevent fraying. If you look carefully at a garment in your wardrobe, you might just see a zigzag seam on your clothes. It will be found on the inside of your garment. Look even closer and you can see how neatly it is done. Yup that is what I am talking about. You can adjust the stitch to be wide or a narrow zigzag stitch. Try not to sew the zigzag stitch outside or far from the seam allowance. Sew it on the seam allowance, inside the seam allowance. It will look neater that way. If you think you can do it, a smaller seam allowance leaves you more fabric. It may help the pants fit you better. 

Remember this maxim when sewing: Measure twice, cut once. I can’t emphasize that enough. It is so true. When you hem the pants, you don’t always have to do a narrow hem. I didn’t. I just folded up the hem on the inside of the pants an inch or two. I secured the fabric with pins then sewed it. I did it twice to ensure it would not come undone. The fabric I used can unravel easily. I had to be careful. The stitches show on the right side of the fabric. But I took the extra time to make the seams neat. I can see it but I don’t know if others can. There are so many black lines on the print it may not be visible to everyone. 

That is how you sew your own pjs! It is so easy to do. Most fabric stores carry fabric patterns. It certainly is a cheap way to make a pair of pyjama pants. I love mine. It’s even better that I can wear my Dark Lord slippers with them. I ordered the slippers from Killstar. But I didn’t plan to pay for shipping and handling for pjs- not when I made mine look that cook! I also plan to set in a black tie or ribbon for the pj pants. That will be the finishing touch! 

Does this inspire you to sew your own pyjama pants? I hope so. 

Blessings, Spiderwitch

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December 2, 2013 · 11:56 am

Gypsy Witch gets into her sewing groove

The material for the gypsy outfit

The material for the gypsy outfit

Merry meet all,

Currently I am embarking on a major sewing project. I like to wear a certain style of clothing, i.e.., a style that you won’t find in department stores. I love to wear dresses, long skirts, peasant tops, jewelry and boots. I bought a gypsy outfit pattern. I may be in over my head. 

I am an experienced seamstress. But most patterns are created with the idea that people already are familiar with many sewing techniques. It took me a few days to figure out how to sew the tiered skirt. I just did and also have to learn how to sew a corset. I am grateful I bought a black sheer peasant blouse.

I can pass on a few tips for those stitching Witches that are reading this: Mark your pattern pieces. You must be able to know one from the other. You need to know a side shirt lining from a front section piece. If you sew it wrong, then you have wasted your time, thread, and efforts and then must seam rip the entire thing. I once sewed a gorgeous Galadriel white cloak. I sewed it wrong and seam ripped the entire cloak. I stitched it back together and it turned out more beautiful. I also don’t believe in plastic sewing machines. My Mother owns a beautiful sewing machine model she has owned for years and years. I have a White model she learned to sew on as a beginner. The steel sewing machines are the best for making quality garments. 

Stitch neatly and in straight lines. Your garment will look more beautiful. Do not take your anger out on the garment. I made a beautiful Arwen style blue satin gown for a Renaissance Faire. While I will never sew blue satin again, I will also hopefully never have to sew a Arwen gown in blue satin or a sleeve five times in a row with a coffee pot erupting volcano like in my apartment. Yeah disasters happen while you are sewing but what determines everything is how you act on the disasters. 

I became this experienced by surviving disasters like the one above. The dress is beautiful and received many compliments at the Faire. I am wiser now. 

The gypsy skirt needs to be gathered on every tier and fastens by elastic. It is a good idea- and I need to do this too- to have everything you need at the go. Assemble your fabric and tools so it is at hand when you need it. Protect your patterns, fabric and such from damage. I just hope I have enough fabric to make the skirt. It is important to study the pattern illustrations and instructions to the letter. You can help this by storing pattern pieces in large, labeled, and clear ziploc bags and reading sewing books for more information. I recently finally invested in a sewing book to do my sewing with. I wonder how I did without it. The book is titled ‘Sewing Basics: All you need to know about hand and machine sewing’ by Sandra Bardwell. I bought the book at Chapters. 

I chose beautiful fabric material for the skirt. The yoke of the skirt is a dark chocolate brown colour and made of velveteen. The tiered part of the skirt is a print pattern of flowers and made of georgette material. I chose a brown lace for the trim for the skirt tiers and a ribbon with coins dangling from it for the hem of the skirt. That will be sewn on last. I bought a fresh set of sewing pins and new fabric markers so I can identify everything easily. Chalk is good for marking though it is temporary. 

Oh and one more tip to pass on: take your time sewing. I know making this whole pattern will at least take a couple of weeks. I don’t even have the pieces all cut out yet. This weekend, I plan to do a lot of sewing. As they say, practice makes perfect. I can’t wait to be finished the gypsy skirt. I might make one in purple, too. I shopped on Black Friday and bought everything on a large discount. 

Wish me luck!

Blessed Be,

Lady Spiderwitch

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