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burning books
On New Year’s Eve of 2024 I decided to go to my favorite local yarn store, The Little Knittery, to splurge on some yarn for a fun knitting project I had recently found on ravelry. My knit-jo had been all but demolished over the past couple years, and though I kept starting new projects with leftover yarn from my stash or vowing to challenge myself with crochet patterns, nothing ever stuck- I just wasn’t inspired or excited about anything needlework related. Add to that the ennui gaining momentum in my life over the past several months due to some pretty… Continue >
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Knit romper
I almost titled this post “Shit Romper” as it is both brown and composed of a silhouette that, from the back, makes me look like I pooped my pants (all this in addition to being a shitty pattern), but I decided to take the high road lest I deter any sensitive readers from actually reading the blog post. Let’s get into it! I’m sure most of us in the sewing community who use patterns to make garments have a love/hate relationship with the Big 4 (Big 6?? how many is it now??) but for those of us who are advanced… Continue >
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old chair new clothes
I first learned to reupholster about 10 years ago when we first moved to LA. After living in a pre-furnished home in Vancouver for years and finding myself unable to quench the DIY bug that had taken a firm hold on me, I hit the SoCal ground running and tackled every single project I had been dreaming about for the previous four years- woodworking, interior decorating, upcycling, DIY home goods and artwork, refurbishing vintage furniture, tiling, building- you name it! The (sadly) now defunct Design Sponge did a lovely feature on our home many years ago after we got settled… Continue >
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hacked terrycloth jumpsuit
I’ve donned the term *spiritual hacking* (see also spiritual grading) to signify any hacking or sewing adjusting I do that is not based on math or tested techniques. It’s a method of using your eyes, your accumulated knowledge, and your gut instincts to turn a standard sewing pattern into something more new and more you! Of course I respect and appreciate all the folks out there with tried and true methodology and academic and experiential training under their belts (I love learning from them!) but for those of us without a background in tailoring, design or pattern making, I think… Continue >
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addie masters’ vintage jumpsuit dupe
I went into a deep dive of the work of Addie Masters in this post so if you want to read more about the original designer this jumpsuit is a dupe for, please check it out! First things first, I think this make has total WOW factor and I am so pleased with how it has come out. I had high hopes for the pattern (ME 2027) and it truly didn’t disappoint! I am already planning my second, more casual version of this make in a combination of pretty, summery linens and I am looking forward to a little more… Continue >
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Sippin’ on some sewing tea
Those who have been reading my blog posts for a while know that my primary resource for making inspiration of all kinds (clothes, shoes, ceramics, nail art!) is pinterest. It’s probably not anyone’s favorite, nor most efficient, platform to manage ideas and images, especially with ads placed every 4 or 5 pins (and lots of diet advertising! have y’all noticed that??), but it’s what I have been using the longest and it meets the admittedly low bar of my personal needs. Occasionally I will scroll through my boards to sort through them, getting rid of images that no longer seem… Continue >
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Jasika Blazer
Alas! I have finally, finally, FINALLY made the Jasika Blazer by Closet Core Patterns, the sewing pattern that Heather Lou so generously named after me! Spoiler alert: I LOVE ITTTTTT! SO DEEEEEEPLY!!!!!!! Now you might be saying to yourself, wow, this pattern came out about a year ago-ish, why did it take so long for…
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Colorblocked Kalle
FYI: This post is about the Kalle Shirt/Shirtdress by the artist formerly known as Closet Case Patterns- they have now had a name change and can be found at Closet Core Patterns! Same great patterns, cool designs and inspiring and informative blog, but with a new name! You can check out their blog to learn…
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Ombre Dress
I got this fabric for either Christmas or my birthday several years ago, I can’t remember which. It’s an ombre silk charmeuse from Mood and there were several colorways to choose from- I’m also not sure who this gift was from (I think it was Claire?) but I am SO HAPPY they chose this…
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Mustard Linen Jumpsuit and Windowpane Check Duster
Before I begin this post, I just want to take a moment to make my position very clear- I am a staunch proponent of #blacklivesmatter #blacktranslivesmatter #disabledtranslivesmatter and #defundingthegoddamnpolice. I am so worn out by the last couple weeks and I have tried to use my social media platforms as much as I can to…
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Spotted Shelby Romper
I LOVE THIS MAKE, I LOVE THIS MAKE, I LOVE THIS MAKE!!! This is one of those garments that worked for me right from the very start- directly out the envelope and every step of the way. Such garments can be pretty few and far between for me, I usually need to make some sort…
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(I Can’t Believe I Made) Silk Velvet Pants + Adrienne Blouse
I want to start out by saying that these pants are very imperfect, and I know it. I don’t say that to denigrate my skillset or self aggrandize or anything, but rather to serve as proof for any other sewists out there that things don’t have to be perfect for us to enjoy them, for…
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Grace
Hi all! I meant to publish this on my birthday last week but I totally forgot, lol! This essay was originally published on the Welcome To What We Are blog and now I’m sharing here for my own followers. Thanks so much for reading! Grace I was 9 years old when *Anna Finch, arguably the…
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A Short Story
This blog post is coming to you from my personal queerantine! Times are pretty terrifying and stressful and unprecedented for many of us who have had the privilege of living lives absent of large-scale chaos such as what the Coronavirus has introduced, but I have witnessed and experienced such profound moments of beauty during this…
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My Judi Dench Coat
WOOHOO! How y’all doin?? If you follow me on instagram, you know how…special…my experience with CATS the movie was. I’m not here to argue with anyone about whether or not CATS was good. I have been around long enough to know that art doesn’t have to be good to be entertaining, and I was NOTHING…
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A Camel Overcoat
This particular make was the source of a lot of interesting conversations on my instagram a couple months ago, and it all started with curating my closet and defining my color palette. In culling a wide assortment of beautiful looks on pinterest to get a better understanding of my style goals, I found myself coming…
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Where In The World Is Sika San Diego?
I actually hate the nickname Sika and I only let a tiny few people in my family use it, but it does have kind of a nice ring to it in this context, lol! This Vogue 1650 trench coat was a BEAST, but I expected it to be. Occasionally I’ll come across a design that…
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My Journey To A Curated Closet, The Finale! Part 4
Well, it’s not really the finale…it’s actually more like the beginning! I feel like I’ve put in a considerable amount of brain work these past few weeks trying to make sense of all this information that’s been swimming around in my head and that part finally is over- now I just get to implement all…
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More Color, More Curation! Part 2
That last post started so many conversations, both here and on IG, which I wasn’t expecting at all! Thanks for sharing your own experiences and enthusiastic responses- it’s been fun reading about your own forays into playing around with a color palette and being more thoughtful about your wardrobe planning- it feels like there is…
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The Curated Closet and Color Me Beautiful
I took a strong cue from my friend Renee of the Miss Celie’s Pants blog to read The Curated Closet, a lovely little book about how to cull your personal style and create a closet that works best for your tastes and lifestyle (full disclosure: I haven’t finished it yet because it was due back…
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Confetti Dress
I tried making this dress several years ago when I was a) not yet as adept at fitting clothes to my body b) not yet as adept at matching perfect fabric to perfect pattern and c) not yet as adept at handling silk. Needless to say, it was a not a win. I blame it…
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Snowbunny In the Desert
This is a two-for one post because the garments looked so good together I couldn’t bear to separate them! Let’s start with the jacket, which has inspired more ridiculous stories and posts on my instagram account than I ever imagined. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jasika Nicole (@jasikaistrycurious) The jacket pattern…
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Cielo Dress in Vintage-Inspired Silk
The fabulousness of this dress was a huge surprise for me! I thought that the design might be a bit too simple to pack the big punch I was hoping for, but it absolutely delivered and I am happy to learn, once again, that you can’t always judge a pattern by it’s model photos! Not…
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Amy Jumpsuit in Watercolor Voile
Well I am definitely late, in North America at least, with sharing this make since it’s top of the summer wear but decidedly fall now. This jumpsuit still works well in Los Angeles where it continues to bake like an oven (high of 93 degrees yesterday) but here in Vancouver it’s a whole 30 degrees…
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Oberlin Tote from Klum House
Hey, y’all! Today’s post is brought to you by Klum House, an online store for makers that sells patterns and bag making kits in streamlined, simple designs with beautiful, high quality tools and materials. Klum House reached out to me recently to help launch their new and improved Oberlin tote bag release, and my initial…