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Author Archives: Jaime

Ombre Summer Top

I don’t know about where you are but June in Central California can’t seem to make up it’s mind whether it’s spring or summer! This top will keep you comfortable either way with it’s easy style and linen fabric. Meet the Melody Dolman by Love Notions. The Melody Dolman top is a button down shirt with the option of tying the front. As there is no separate sleeve, the sewing is a breeze.  In fact it’s marked as great for beginners who Read More...

Halloween DIY Costume | Rey from Star Wars

Are you ready for Halloween this week? Or will you be burning the midnight oil to get those DIY costumes done? This year my kids opted for store-bought costumes, which gave me a chance to make a new costume for myself! I chose Rey from Star Wars, specifically her outfit from The Last Jedi. We don’t do much to celebrate but it’s fun to answer the door to trick or treaters while all costumed up myself! I used Simpilicity 8718 and it Read More...

One Basic T-Shirt, A Million Design Possibilities

How is your summer coming along? Hopefully you have a good stash of lemonade, a robust air conditioner and lots of fun planned! Before it got too warm, I made a shirt that I wore every time it was clean.   This self drafted basic t-shirt project is a part of my journey through Cal Patch’s Design It Yourself Clothes book on basic pattern drafting. The first project is a basic skirt, drafted using your own measurements. Next you learn how to add design details for a new style. Read More...

Basic Skirt Variation: Add a Flounce!

I’m back again today with the third and final version of the Basic Skirt! If you’ve been following along, this year I’m working through Cal Patch’s book, Design It Yourself Clothes. I started with the basic skirt here. Then I used that original pattern to draft a denim skirt shown here. And here is the final variation: adding a yoke and a ruffle or flounce. Cal Patch walks you through using the basic skirt to draft this version by closing the Read More...

The Together Tank – Knits & Wovens

Let’s all be honest – most of our modern closets are full of knit fabrics. From leggings, to t-shirts and easy knit swing dresses, most of us love the comfort and forgiveness of knits. However,  garments made from woven fabrics are usually more formal, more appropriate for business casual or occasions a little fancier than every day. This Together Tank is the best of both worlds! The front of this tank top is made from a woven fabric, appropriate for Cotton, Linen, Read More...

Basic Skirt Variation: Self-Drafted Denim Skirt

A few weeks back I shared my self-drafted skirt as the start of my journey through Cal Patch’s Book Design It Yourself Clothes. Today I’m here to show you a variation! As I mentioned, the premise of the book is that once you draft a well-fitting basic pattern, you can draft different styles off of it, knowing it fits you to a tee. You can build an entire wardrobe from 4 or 5 basic patterns! One of the variations the book is the Rosie Read More...

Sew Your Own Beach Bag | MadeByJaime

Summer is coming and, around where we are, there’s a region on the central coast of California appropriately nicknamed “Bakersfield West”. Yes, the 100+ summer temperatures drive many of us to enjoy the water & waves and if you’re going to the beach, you must have a great beach bag for all the necessities! This generously sized bag was made using a free tutorial at Sew4Home but if you’d like some guidance in making your own, I’m running a local class Read More...

Wardrobe Staple | Self-Drafted Basic Skirt

Have you ever tried your hand at pattern drafting? As 2017 ended, a few of my friends from the Instagram Sewing Community decided to get together (virtually) and work through Cal Patch’s book, Draft It Yourself Clothes: Patternmaking Simplified. The basic concept of the book is to create a basic pattern (skirt, t-shirt, woven shirt, pants and dress) that fits you perfectly. After getting the basic pattern right, you then use Cal Patch’s instructions to draft different styles using the Read More...

DIY Shift Dress

Hi all! I’m Jaime from MadeByJaime.com here to share with you a simple and easy DIY shift dress. My kids and I have been creating art on Fridays and we’re usually using water colors. I saw this water color-esque print in the aisles of F&M Fabrics while looking for something outside my usual picks – black, grey, navy & neutrals – and thought it’d be fun for the shift dress I had in mind. The pattern is the Sazerac Shift Dress Read More...

DIY Rey & Jedi Costumes | Halloween 2017

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays to sew for. There is whimsy, imagination and the joy of pretending to be your favorite characters from the big screen. We don’t do Star Wars every year, but it does seam to weave it’s way in to our Halloween pretty frequently! TheFabricMarket.com is THE BEST place to get fabrics for costumes because the prices are so affordable! My daughter decided soon after the movie release that she wanted to be Rey. We used Read More...