Maternity Sewing

Figured it was about time for my annual blog post 😂😅 so I thought I would summarize the sewing I did during my pregnancy and garments/ patterns that worked well throughout.  I'm also planning to write up a post about patterns that have worked well so far for postpartum and breastfeeding, so you can expect that sometime in 2022 (ha!!).  Baby boy W arrived in early January and it's been an amazing 3+ months so far.  I'm currently typing this intro out with one hand while he’s snuggled up napping in my other arm.

Two things to keep in mind for this post: For anyone reading this in the future... note that I was pregnant during the Covid-19 pandemic (still ongoing at the time of writing this) and totally working from home, so my wardrobe definitely reflected that.  Also, I was pregnant from April to January so I was at my largest during the cooler winter months.  While this did somewhat affect what I wore and sewed, I don't think there would have been too much of a difference had I been expecting a summer or fall baby.  A lot of what I wore in the summer during my second trimester would have carried me all the way through to birth.

A lot of the patterns I made and wore were not originally intended for maternity wear.  Either they fit well enough for part or all of my pregnancy with no modification, or I made modifications for them to fit better around my growing belly.  I did buy a couple maternity-specific patterns, but 1) there really aren't a ton out there, and the ones that do exist are... just not my style, and 2) they were actually difficult to find in my size!  This is absolutely absurd.  Pre-pregnancy I was right on the cusp of straight and plus sizes... plus size people get pregnant too!!  I was sized out of all the Megan Nielsen maternity patterns and while I made the skirt, because it's made in a knit with room to grow and a simple enough shape to grade up from.  More on that at the end of the post.

First Trimester

When I got pregnant I was SO excited for all the things I was going to sew over the next few months... and then the first trimester nausea and exhaustion hit and I didnt sew anything for nearly three months.  During the first trimester comfort was key.  I found I was really bloated so I tucked my jeans away into the back of my closet pretty early.  However, pretty much all of my wardrobe still fit so there wasn't a huge change in what I was wearing, aside from ditching structured skirts because of working from home. 

Noteable Patterns:

• Avery Leggings - Helen's Closet
• Hudson Pants - True Bias
• Linden Sweatshirt - Grainline Studio
• Ebony Tee - Closet Core
• Elliot Sweater  - Helen's Closet
• Pietra Pants & Shorts - Closet Core

Second Trimester

As my belly started to grow, the weather got warmer, and my energy and appetite returned, I pulled out the various loose dresses and skirts, and elastic waist pants!  Oh my goodness what a blessing sack dresses and elastic waist pants were for the second trimester.  I could look and feel cute, while also being super comfortable.  One bonus of working from home?  Caftans all day, (almost) every day.  I didn't really make any maternity tees or tops, choosing to instead buy some RTW.  I was really pleased with the quality of maternity clothing from H&M, so I've stashed away what I bought for any future pregnancies.  

Noteable Patterns:

• Envelope Dress - Cris Wood Sews
• Charlie Caftan - Closet Core
• Kallie Shirt/dress - Closet Core
• Pietra Pants & Shorts - Closet Core
• Ebony Tee - Closet Core
• Wiksten Shift (top & dress) - Wiksten Patterns
• Cleo Skirt - Made By Rae
• Givre Maternity Dress - Deer & Doe
• Erin Maternity Skirt - Megan Nielsen
• Avery Leggings w/ maternity modifications - Helen's Closet
• Lisa Dress - Tessuti
• Alice Top/Dress - Tessuit
• Burnside Bibs - Sew House Seven

Third Trimester

At this point in my pregnancy my belly was getting pretty darn big!  Most of the non-maternity things that fit through my second trimester were too small and it was getting too cold for caftans, so I stuck with mainly leggings and sweatpants paired with RTW maternity/nursing camis and tops.  Although "hard pants" had been banished thanks to a huge belly and the pandemic, one thing I really wanted to challenge myself with was making a pair of maternity jeans from my TNT pattern, the Ginger Jeans.  They fit pretty well right into the last month of my pregnancy - I'm pretty sure the last time I wore them was at 38 weeks!  I documented the process of making those jeans in my Instagram stories, but I might put together a blog post on that, since in my googling similar posts were few and far between!  The jeans turned out exactly like I had hoped, and it was nice to have something other than leggings to wear out of the house for appointments.

Noteable Patterns:

• Elliot Sweater w/ slight modifications - Helen's Closet
• Avery Leggings w/ maternity modifications - Helen's Closet
• Ginger Jeans w/ belly band - Closet Core
• Ebony Tee - Closet Core
• Givre Maternity Dress - Deer & Doe
• Hudson Pants - True Bias

Overall Maternity TNT's:

If you couldn't tell from the lists above, the Avery Leggings are the clear winner here.  A bona fide maternity tried ‘n’ true pattern!!  I made a few pairs with maternity-friendly modifications.  I lowered the rise of the front to accommodate my belly, and increased the height of the waistband by about 4" so it could be pulled up and over.  I also had a pair I had made pre-pregnancy out of double-brushed poly and they fit right up until the end because of the amount of stretch!

The Elliot Sweater was also a great pattern throughout.  I moved the side slits up a smidge on the second one I made, and both were so comfortable and fit really well over my belly.  I’m pretty sure I actually wore one of them to the hospital when I went to for my induction, knowing it would be super comfortable to wear home, too.  They’ve also been one of my go-to tops postpartum as they’re really easy to pull up for breastfeeding!  Huge props to Helen’s Closet for making easy, comfortable patterns and a very inclusive size range.

The Ebony Tee also makes the TNT list because it fit for my entire pregnancy with zero modifications!  I had three that were in fairly regular rotation, and like the Elliot Sweater, they’ve been really great for breastfeeding.  I actually have three more cut out and ready to sew right now!

And last but not least, the Envelope Dress is another amazing non-maternity maternity pattern.  Zero or low-waste, and sizing is based on your hip/waist measurement.  Sew one up in linen and you’ll be the most comfortable pregnant person around on those hot summer days.  I added and invisible zip to the front of one for easy boob access, and I think I’m going to need about 10 more for this summer!

Honourable Mentions:

I have to hand it to the Givre Maternity Dress pattern.  For a super simple bodycon maternity dress, it’s perfect.  Well, mostly perfect.  The two tee versions I made were amazingly comfortable, and I made a long sleeve version in a sweatshirt knit for my maternity photos.   The tank version was a huuuuge miss for me.  The straps are too wide, and it didn’t look nearly as cute as I had hoped.  Another drawback is the size range.  I was right up at the top end... which again, is ridiculous.  Pregnant people come in all shapes and sizes, and everyone deserves cute and comfortable clothing!

Another honourable mention goes to the Pietra Pants.  I have three pairs of pants and one pair of shorts, and they were one of the most comfortable things to wear over the summer during my second trimester.  No modifications needed, the elastic waist stretched enough to accommodate my growing belly for a good few months.  While I would have loved to just wear caftans all spring and summer, I needed some pants for easy belly access at ultrasounds and midwife appointments.

Don’t Bother:

So, really only one pattern here... and that’s the Erin Maternity skirt from Megan Nielsen.  While I did make 2 and they worked out well for me, it’s a don’t bother for a couple reasons.  First being the total crap size range.  Like I said above, I was out of the size range with 45” hips (the pattern goes up to 44”).  Second, the pattern is essentially just a tube with some ruching on the side, so a beginner sewist could easily draft their own.  For $18?  I feel silly for buying it in the first place.  In finding the link for the Burnside Bibs, I've discovered Sew House Seven has a new free pattern that could VERY easily be hacked into a maternity-friendly skirt and the size range is much more inclusive!

In conclusion... I'm really quite pleased with the "maternity wardrobe" I put together over a few short months.  I know a lot of people say "I don't want to sew anything I'm only going to wear/buy for a few months!"... but I'm going to have to disagree with that for a couple reasons.  First off, when you're feeling uncomfortable and awkward in this new body, having something to wear that makes you feel cute is totally worth it.  Second, there are plenty of things you can sew that can still be worn postpartum!  And third, when you're done having babies you can always pass on your maternity-specific duds to a friend or donate them to a thrift shop so they can continue to be enjoyed.

I do hope I'll be able to get a post up soon about the various breastfeeding friendly garments I've made and worn over the past few months, but in the meantime I've posted a couple things on Instagram that you can check out.  

Elodie Wrap Dress - Maternity Edition: Closet Core Patterns Tester

Another blog post!  And another test for Closet Core Patterns - the Elodie Wrap Dress!!  This is the first pattern released since their name change from Closet Case Patterns to Closet Core Patterns, and I'm pretty excited to be a part of it.  (Note, I have gone back to edit my post for the Blanca Flight Suit with the new company name).  I'm also super excited that I was still able to test the pattern, despite being 16 weeks pregnant at the time!!  I'm now 20 weeks pregnant, and baby is due at the very end of December this year :)

When the Closet Core team emailed me to ask if I wanted to test their new pattern, I made sure to let them know I was pregnant with an expanding waistline and that while I would love to test the pattern, I might make some adjustments to keep the pattern maternity friendly so I can still wear it over the next few months.  Since part of testing a pattern is about making sure the fit is spot-on, I would have totally understood if that wasn't what they were looking for and I was happy to wait for the official pattern release.  I was SO stoked when Alexis emailed me back saying they would still love for me to test the pattern, maternity adjustments and all.  So here we are!  Presenting the Closet Core Elodie Wrap Dress - Maternity Edition!

I made "View A" with short sleeves, and the midi-length skirt.  The fabric I used was this gorgeous green mid-weight viscose-linen blend from Fabrications Ottawa.  The fabric has just enough weight and the perfect amount of drape for this pattern. [...]

Pink Blanca Flight Suit - Closet Core Patterns Test

Finally!  I've been meaning to get around to taking photos and doing this blog post for ages, and I've finally found the time and energy.



Back at the end of February/ beginning of March right before everything changed due to COVID-19, I was asked to be in the tester group for the Closet Core Blanca Flight Suit!!  I had signed up earlier in the year to be added to the group testing the 14-30 size range for Closet Core and I was SO excited to get this email.  It's been nearly a decade since I really wore a pair of coveralls (if you went to University for Engineering in Ontario/ Canada, you know what I'm talking about!) so I was stoked to make my own pair.  There have been a ton of coveralls/ jumpsuit/ boiler suit patterns out there recently... but none of them caught my eye the way Blanca did. [...]

Helen's Closet Elliot Sweater +"Hack"

Back in December when I was doing some Boxing-Day online shopping, I found a great sweater on Roots that caught my eye.  It looked perfect for pairing with leggings on the weekend, and I could even get away with wearing it to work on Fridays paired with jeans.  Sadly my size sold out and I was sweater-less.

BUT - I realized I had some grey Tencel & Organic Cotton French Terry (from Blackbird Fabrics) in my stash which would work well to replicate the sweater, and would be WAY more comfortable than the polyester-blend RTW version.  I also found some twill tape hanging around that could be used for the ties in the cowl, so I didn't have to go out and buy anything.  Yay for shopping my stash!!  

As for a pattern... I originally thought about altering the Grainline Hemlock Tee with a cowl neck... but then Helen's Closet released the extended sizes for the Elliot Sweater and the pattern was on sale!  I do fit within the "original" size range for Helen's patterns, but seeing the pattern show up in my IG feed (and the sale, duh) made me realize it would be the perfect pattern to use!

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Fabric No-Buy 2020

After amassing a large (to me) fabric stash over the last year or so with little (or less than usual) sewing output, I’ve reached a point where I really need to evaluate all the fabric I have before buying more.  I’ve been hemming-and-hawing over this for the last little while, and I think I’m ready to totally commit. [...]

Yellow Waxed Cotton Kelly Anorak

Well hey there!  Gosh it's been a while, hasn't it?  Here I am back again, with a sewing project from the spring to share with you all!  Yes, from the spring.  Good thing is though, that the yellow waxed cotton canvas Kelly Anorak I sewed up last spring also works PERFECTLY for the fall!  It's a beautiful early fall day outside today and I was feeling inspired to finally share this make, so perfect timing to take some photos of this jacket I love so dearly.  

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Me-Made-May 2019 Pledge

Ooops!  I realized I never posted my pledge for Me Made May 2019 on here!  It's up on my Instagram, but might as well get it posted up here for posterity's sake ;)



For the month of May 2019, I pledge to do the following:

• Track what I wear and how I feel in an effort to find gaps in my me-made wardrobe and cull unworn items;
• Implement a fabric buying ban: I have a stupid amount of fabric stashed away and there is no reason to buy more;
• Sew for at least 15 minutes every day (when possible), as I find I loaf around on the couch after work on weekdays and then feel guilty for not doing anything productive/ not sewing.

I'll be keeping up with my progress by posting daily outfit photos on the 'gram, and posting about my 15-minutes of sewing in my stories.

So there it is!  Spoiler alert: I already cheated a bit on the fabric buying ban.... I did buy some fabric at the veeeery end of April, and then scooped up some swimwear fabric from Blackbird when it dropped the other day... OOOPS.  I mean, I'mma give a pass on the swimwear especially because I don't really have a stash of that, and don't have enough for some new swimmers this year.  Sure sure I made 3 suits last year... but I don't actually love all of them?  ANYWAYS!  We'll see how the rest of the month goes!

Me-Made-May Outfit Tracker Template 2019!

Last year, as a part of my Me Made May 2018 Pledge, I wanted to track what I wore every day, and how it made me feel... so I put together an "outfit-tracker"!  I've updated the Outfit Tracker for this year, and once again have made it available for download.

The tracker is laid out like a calendar, and with the drop-down menus, you can select what you wore that day from your own list of self-made items.  Last year I wrote a quick blurb about how I felt... but this year I'm just going to use a numbered system for consistency's sake.  Feel free to use it however you wish!

You can also change the names of the categories or take some out if they don't quite suit you... but I feel like I've covered almost everything that one could be wearing day-to-day!  I guess with the exception of undergarments, but you can always enter those in the "Other" category.

If you would like to download the template, I've made it available at this link: http://bit.ly/2HYLC9d

If you do use it and share it, all I ask is that you tag me @kalliesews, or give me appropriate credit as I built it from scratch 🤓.  Thanks!  If you have any questions or comments, leave a comment here and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.  Happy #memademay2019!

Cone Mills Denim Morgan Jeans

Now that I know I can do it, I am OBSESSED with making jeans & pants.  OBSESSED, I tell you.  Last year I had maybe 3 pairs of pants, total, in my wardrobe.  Only one of them being me-made.  Now I'm up to at least 7 pairs, all me-made.

These are (I think) the third pair of wearable pants I made, second pair of denim jeans, and first made from non-stretch fabric.  When I bought the 100% cotton Cone Mills denim, it was really stiff and I was worried about how it would sew up.  Thankfully it softened up perfectly in the wash, and is just the right weight and slight drape for a pair of "boyfriend style" jeans.  Enter, the Morgan Jeans by Closet Case.  

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Burgundy Cleo Pinafore

In the spirit of the #SewBibs challenge, I present my burgundy twill Cleo Pinafore!  Sew Bibs is a challenge for the month of March hosted by a handful of awesome women.  You can catch the details of the challenge on the blog Fa Sew La, and a pattern round-up on the blog Cookin' & Craftin'.

This is the second Cleo I've made, but the first one I've actually worn more regularly.  The first one was made in a similar fabric, but in green... and doesn't really fit anymore.  I was a bit hesitant to wear this to work... but paired with a black turtleneck or a black & white striped top, I looks put-together enough for my somewhat casual office.

Green Denim Lander Pants

I have THE BEST story to tell about these pants.  I made them back in October, just in time to attend a conference on Women in Engineering.  Just after joking with some coworkers about not needing to attend the "Branding Yourself" panel because "my social media is on point"... I was recognized by a fellow sewist (from Winnipeg?!?) JUST BECAUSE OF MY PANTS!!  It seriously made my day, and it was SO much fun to meet a fellow sewist/ engineer!

2018 Wrap-Up & 2019 Make Nine Plans

I realize I never posted my 2018 Make Nine plans on here, so I won't really bother with posting the outcome (I'm very pleased!) since you can find a pretty detailed breakdown over on my instagram account.  I didn't get a whole lot of blogging done, mostly because I didn't make the effort to take photos of a lot of my makes (more on that, over here).  BUT - I really did make a lot of things!!  I've also been more on IG than on my blog since it's just so much faster and easier to share a quick snap of my work outfit for the day, or a story on what I'm working on.  So, despite not being successful at blogging about the things I've made, I've been quite successful in filling my wardrobe with even more me-made items.

On to 2019 plans!!  While I do really like the idea behind the Make Nine Challenge, I realized I didn't really like picking out nine patterns I was going to sew throughout the year.  New, exciting patterns are released, a pattern I chose back in January might just not be my style any more, and I definitely sew WAY more than nine things in a year, so it's not much of a challenge!  So, I revisited the actual goal of the challenge:

This is a gentle challenge. It’s not one that you can fail. It’s meant to be flexible, a tool you can use to evaluate your motivations and needs for working towards specific things as the year goes on. This is meant to be a challenge focused on learning more about yourself and your making habits while achieving goals. Work at your own pace and join in at any time. – That’s it! (Rochelle, Home Row Fibre Co.)

With that in mind, I decided to go about my 2019 Make Nine a lil' bit differently.  CATEGORIES.  There are SO MANY PATTERNS I really want to sew this year, and other things I would like to get done... but I picked a handful of things that aren't on my usual go-to list.  This gives me a whole bunch more flexibility, but still acts as a goal to drive my sewing for the coming year.  Click on through for more deets and some patterns I'm thinking about.

Jenny Overalls Shorts

I'll be honest, I was a little skeptical of this whole overalls trend that kind of picked up this summer... but the more I saw the different types & patterns popping up, the more they piqued my interest!  Aaaand, leave it to the ladies at Closet Case to release a pattern which was exactly what I was looking for.  I know there are tons of other options, but I typically have very good luck with the drafting from Closet Case, so I snapped up a copy of the Jenny Overalls, ordered the snaps & buttons, picked up some canvas from IKEA, and set to work.

The first pair was my "wearable muslin" in a bluey-green canvas fabric.  They turned out... just ok.  Having made the Ginger Jeans with little alteration to the pattern, I was pretty confident in going into these with no changes, sewing up a straight size 14 as my measurements were just about bang-on (40/33/42).  That was probably my first mistake.  The Jenny's are drafted using a different block than the Gingers, and the changes resulted in the waistband of these overalls being a smidge too tight, and the rise being too short (ouch!)

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Tulip Festival Penny Dress

WHAA?!  A blog post?  It's been a while, eh?  I actually haven't gotten around to taking photos of any of my newer makes, so I'll be posting here & there some "older" makes from earlier in the year that I do already have photos for.

I really, really love it when you find a fabric that pairs so well with a certain pattern.  I saw this cotton-linen blend at Fabricland back in the early, early spring when I was there with a friend from OGG exec, when I expressed how much I liked it (because omg floral cotton-linen) she suggested making a dress in time to take photos at the Canadian Tulip Festival.  DUH, PERFECT IDEA (thanks Crystal!)  I just had to decide on a pattern....

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#SewYourStashSeptember

We might be a week and a bit into the month already... but my friend Kate (@ilovecupkates) came up with this great idea to stick to only sewing what she has in her stash for the whole month of September.  I decided to join her in this pledge since I too, have an overflowing stash of fabric!

Lots of sewists have a self-imposed #fabricbuyingban from time to time, but we thought, “why not make this into a monthly challenge?!”  And so, we have #sewyourstashseptember!!  

We want this challenge to be open-ended, so you don’t have to put a total ban on your fabric buying for the month if you don’t want to.  We all know there are sometimes some killer sales you just have to take advantage of!!  This challenge is meant to make you take a closer look at what you already have, and maybe fall back in love with some fabric you bought years ago and never used.

So!  Take a look through the piles of fabric you already have, and make your own #sewyourstashseptember pledge!

Me-Made-May Outfit Tracker Template

As I noted in my Me-Made-May 2018 Pledge, I wanted to put together an "outfit-tracker" to keep track of what I wear every day, and how I feel in each outfit.  So!  I put together a GoogleDoc spreadsheet to keep track of everything.

If you would like to download the template, I've made it available at this link: http://bit.ly/2HYLC9d

If you do use it and share it, all I ask is that you tag me @kalliesews, or give me appropriate credit as I built it from scratch 🤓.  Thanks!  If you have any questions or comments, leave a comment here and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.  Happy #MMMay18!

Me-Made-May 2018

It's the most wonderful time of the year for the online sewing community - Me-Made-May!!  I'm home sick from work today, and finally have some time to put together this post!  It's going to be a long one, so feel free to skip down to the bottom for my actual pledge.  However, I think reading through my thoughts on my MMMay challenge will hopefully help to explain how I chose my pledge this year.

This will be my third year participating in MMMay, and my handmade wardrobe has grown by leaps and bounds since my first year participating (2016 summary, 2017 summary).  While having a substantial me-made wardrobe kind of makes the whole "wearing me-mades" part of MMMay easier, it put me in a bit of a pickle deciding how to actually challenge myself this year.  MMMay is meant to be a personal challenge with your me-made wardrobe (as discussed here on Zoe's blog) and not a photo challenge where you post an outfit-selfie every day on instagram.  I already wear mostly me-mades every day now, so that really isn't challenging for me any more.  I put a quick call out on my instagram stories and I got some feedback from some of my followers/ Ottawa sewing buddies for some interesting challenges:

• Putting together a handmade capsule wardrobe for each week or for the entire month
• Documenting which me-mades actually get worn
• Less repeats and wear lesser-worn items
• Refashion some older garments or something from a thrift store

I will be perfectly honest - I actually think capsule wardrobes are kind of dumb.  Absolutely NO offence to people who love them (or to the person who suggested it, I do appreciate your suggestion!), I have just never understood the point of 'curating' your closet down to so few pieces.  Variety is the spice of life! (says the person with an absurd amount of blue items in their closet).  I don't like being limited to certain outfits and I really love sewing and integrating new things into my wardrobe to work with older items.  I'm constantly thinking of new outfit ideas and how different things I have made could work together.  Now, I TOTALLY get the point of having everything in your wardrobe go together perfectly, and I've definitely started to try to focus on that with my sewing.  BUT the whole capsule wardrobe thing just isn't for me. 

When it comes to refashioning items... for whatever reason, this is just something that has never really piqued my interest?  I do have some older skirts that I made when I was just learning to sew (and a gathered skirt was the best thing I could do) that no longer fit, but the fabric is still in great shape.  The skirts are long enough and there is enough fabric in them that I could definitely squeeze out a top or something from them... this just isn't top of my list at the moment.  While I love the idea, I don't think it's something I'm going to work into my MMMay challenge this year.

As for documenting which items actually get worn and working in lesser-worn items, this is something I can really get behind.  I know I have a whole bunch of me-mades that have been languishing in the back of my closet or the bottom of my drawers.  They get worn sometimes but they're not necessarily part of my regular rotation.  Or, things that I wore a couple times and decided they just didn't work for me.  What I think would be super helpful is to create a database of all my me-mades and throughout the month, track how often each of them gets worn.  I could also keep track of how I felt at the end of the day in each outfit (and if I get any compliments on an outfit that day).  I also still have some RTW items in my wardrobe that I have had for a while (or basics like camisoles, bras, and undies) that are starting to get tired and need to be replaced soon - I can document these and plan ahead to replace them.  SO - now that I've written out all those paragraphs and figured things out... here's my (kinda long) pledge for Me-Made-May 2018:

I, Kallie Auld, sign up to participate in Me-Made-May 2018.  

Over the course of May 2018, I will strive to wear all of my seasonally-appropriate me-mades.  I also pledge to work in older me-mades that tend to get less (or no) wear, and to track what I wear every day how how I feel in each outfit.  Items that go unworn will be either refashioned, given to friends, or donated.

There it is!  I'm hoping this is actually a good challenge for me, and by the end of the month I'll have a better organized me-made wardrobe and more room in my closet and drawers for the things I have planned.  I'm also going to try to put together a database of sorts of all the items in my wardrobe, and set up a page where I can input what I wear every day.  I'm probably going to document each day on my Instagram as per usual and post weekly updates here on the blog.  At the end of the month, I'll post a summary of how things went and hopefully share the details of my clothing database.  

As with every year, I can't wait to see what everyone is wearing this month.  Best of luck with all your personal challenges!

Birthday Suki Robe

I made this Suki Robe (from Helen's Closet) for a dear friend for her birthday waaaay back in January.  I don't often sew for others (thoughts on the phrase "selfish sewing" to come later... spoiler alert - I hate it), but when I do I want to make something special!  I bought this gorgeous floral rayon from Blackbird Fabrics and it has the perfect drape for a breezy robe (have I told you how much I love rayon?  because I LOVE RAYON).  The only tricky part was photographing this one... not the easiest to show off a robe when it's not on a person, and we all know black fabric is notoriously hard to photograph!

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Sewing Room Overhaul

HOkay, time for some fun stuff!  Back during the Christmas break, I finally got around to painting and redecorating my sewing room.  Since moving into our house, it has been so nice to have my own space, where I can leave things as-is in the middle of a project and keep it all out of the way.  We have a 3-bedroom bungalow (and no kids for the near future) so Matt and I each have our own spaces to do what we wish with.  I don't really have much more to say other than I LOVE THIS ROOM!  What a difference a fresh coat of paint makes.  The gorgeous wood floors really pop and the room just feels that much more inviting.  It was really nice to finally get some of the art I've been hoarding up on the walls too.  SO, first off are the before photos.

From when we first moved in:

To just before I painted:

You guys.... holy crap was it hard work fixing up the walls.  There were lots of holes, and I needed to sand down and wash them all.

I'm actually still not entirely done... I still haven't painted and re-installed the closet door!  It's hanging out in the basement and I'll get to it eventually ;)

And.... now for the finished room!  I re-arranged where the furniture is, and I like the layout much better.

I've had the Kallax shelves for a while now, but moved them from where they were.  I also got a HUGE (selfie) mirror (see above) and a clothing rack for storing UFOs, items to be photographed, as well as some ongoing projects and fabric.  Pretty much everything in this room is from IKEA, aside from the ironing board.

Here's a couple details if you're curious:

• Paint colour: Benjamin Moore 'Moonshine' (trim is BM 'Simply White')
• Kallax Shelves
• Wall Shelf
• Clothing Rack
• Hanging Organizer
• Desk (old, this one is similar)
• Desk legs
• Mirror