Sedimentary Sews

By Sarah | February 10, 2023 |

  Hello sewing friends! I’m back today to share some more sewing makes and family photos, but instead of the ocean, this time we are focusing on the desert! There are so many amazing desert places to visit, and despite spending quite a bit of time in the Southwest, I feel like we’ve barely scratched…

More Ocean!

By Sarah | February 7, 2023 |

Hello again friends! Today I’m back with one of my favorite outfits of all time, because it’s all about my favorite place in the world: the ocean! We often get asked where our favorite place that we’ve been is, and anywhere with an ocean easily tops the list for me. I grew up in Southern…

Tested: Nustle Joggers (and bonus Green Tee)

By Sarah | February 2, 2023 |

Hello everyone! Today I’m back with another test, this time for the new Nustle Joggers from Itch to Stitch. Until now, my favorite jogger pattern has been the Carita’s from Pattern Niche (formerly New Horizons, most recent pair HERE), and I’ve made them in both kid and adult sizes quite a few times. In general,…

Snazzy New Workout Set!

By Sarah | November 18, 2022 |

Hey friends! See, I promised I’d be back shortly, and here I am! I’ve got another fun outfit to share today, one that involved a bit of struggle and some new techniques for me, and I”m excited to share it! When this “Secret Forest” print arrived in my mailbox from Sew Dynamic Fabrics, I fell…

Celebration Outfits!

By Sarah | November 15, 2022 |

Hey friends! Long time no blog- I think last time I posted we were leaving Maine and into New Hampshire. It’s been a whirlwind fall filled with hiking, rock climbing and exploring. After New Hampshire we continued our tour down the east coast, stopping in New York, West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky and Georgia before finally…

Throwback 90s Sweatsuit!

By Sarah | September 1, 2022 |

Hello friends! I’m back again today with a new me made outfit. This time, it’s a sweatsuit set that has a decidedly 90s vibe, and I’m not mad about it! When I received this “dark jungle” brushed jersey fabric from Sew Dynamic, I knew I wanted something soft and cozy. The fabric feels like athletic…

Matchy-Matchy!

By Sarah | August 23, 2022 |

  Hello friends! Fall is upon us, and I’m really enjoying seeing the leaves change and the weather get cooler up here in Maine. I don’t have any intention of staying into the winter (brrr!!) but for now, we are soaking up the autumn vibes and hoping for a spectacular leaf peeping season! I’ve also…

Tested: Itch to Stitch Soller Top

By Sarah | August 7, 2022 |

Hello friends! I hope you’re having a wonderful summer! We have been so busy hiking, rock climbing, swimming, biking and playing that I’ve barely touched my sewing room since we came to Maine. I had alllll these plans for what I was going to make, and then poof! Time has just flown by, and I…

Little Miss 4th of July!

By Sarah | July 3, 2022 |

  Hello friends! Happy 4th of July! This year, we are celebrating Independence day in Bar Harbor, Maine and hope to enjoy parades, fireworks and BBQs with our traveling family. While I sewed this swimsuit up in Massachusetts, we just got to Maine yesterday, and took our first dip in the Atlantic Ocean this far…

Tested: Greenstyle Courtside Dress and Shorts

By Sarah | June 20, 2022 |

  Happy summer y’all! We are happily three-quarters of the way up the East Coast, and loving every minute of the cool, pleasant days we’ve been having. We are currently in New York, and this state in particular has blow me away with its natural beauty and amazing hiking trails. We sorely missed hiking in…

Sewing with Sarah's Latest Posts

Straight into Homeschool

By Sarah | September 4, 2017

It’s a social media tradition to post photos of your kids on the first day of school, holding a sign with their age, grade, and future aspirations. Being a sucker for all things mom-corny, I love these photos, and I wanted to re-create them in a special way for our first day of homeschool. Of…

Fail Friday: Perfectionism!

By Sarah | August 25, 2017

My “fail” this week isn’t a specific project, but more of a mind-set. I’ve suffered from “perfectionism” all my life- as a child, my dad used to offer to pay me for getting a grade below an “A”- and I never took him up on it! I graduated high school, college, and grad school all…

Greenstyle FitCapsule (Part 1!)

By Sarah | August 25, 2017

I’ve hung around the sewing community long enough to be familiar with the concept of a capsule wardrobe, a small collection of coordinating clothing usually organized around a season or theme. Despite being interested in the concept, I’ve never sewn one, for a few reasons. One, I prefer to be rather spontaneous with my fabric/pattern…

Fall Wovens: Ravanna Pants!

By Sarah | August 24, 2017

A couple weeks ago, I wrote a post detailing my fall woven sewing plans. These types of plans are always a little scary for me to write out, because while they keep me motivated they also feel a bit restricting- what if I want to diverge from my plan? Would anyone notice or be disappointed?…

Tip Tuesday: Refashion it!

By Sarah | August 21, 2017

Last week, I posted my #failfriday, a dress I had partially cut out and then found myself short of fabric to finish. Many fellow seamstresses commiserated with me about the situation, and offered helpful suggestions on how to salvage the fabric and save the project (thank you!). I spent the weekend considering these ideas, and…

Fall Favorite: Cozy Sweaters!

By Sarah | August 20, 2017

Cozy sweaters are a fall staple around my house. I love pairing them with jeans and boots for a walk around the neighborhood to admire the changing colors of the season, or with leggings and slippers curled up by a warm fire with a cup of hot cocoa. Since I’m on a mission to replace…

Fail Friday: Fabric Planning Fail!

By Sarah | August 18, 2017

I was super excited the other day, when I was able to get my Centerfield/Scarlet Swing dress mash-up out of a single yard of fabric. I mean, a whole dress for $7? What’s not to love? In fact, I was so excited, that I assumed I could get it out of any yard in my…

Centerfield Swing- Video Tutorial!

By Sarah | August 17, 2017

I loved my Centerfield/Scarlet Swing Mash-up so much that I decided to share it and sew it LIVE, in a guest post for Emily of Life Sew Savory! I enjoy the opportunity to video my projects, because it lets me share tips and tricks as I go along, and interact in real time with my…

Eating my words: Centerfield Swing Mash-up

By Sarah | August 16, 2017

I’ve been invited to many LulaRoe parties, but never had the slightest interest in attending. Why would I spend precious fabric money on poorly constructed clothing in strange prints when I could make my own? Plus, as I usually (politely) explained to the hostesses, the every popular “Carly” dress and endless variants just wasn’t my…

Tip Tuesday: Pattern Storage and Organization

By Sarah | August 14, 2017

By now, you know that I own more than a few patterns. I actually don’t know the full number- it’s probably in the thousands (asking a seamstress how many patterns or yards of fabric she owns is akin to asking a woman her age. Just don’t do it if you want to be happy. Compliment…

Fall Sewing Plans: Woven Edition!

By Sarah | August 13, 2017

I’ve fallen in love with wovens, and can’t imagine leaving them behind as summer fades….so I’ve come up with a some fall plans that showcase a few of my favorite (or soon to be favorite!) woven patterns and fabrics. (New to sewing with wovens? Check out my post here for everything you need to get…

Fail Friday: Sewing Machine Maintenance (or lack thereof)

By Sarah | August 10, 2017

I have a confession to make: I am a BAD BAD BAD sewing machine owner. I haven’t maintained my machine properly in over three years. Aside from some occasional dusting and a few forays into the bobbin case with my lint brush, I haven’t oiled her, cleaned her, or taken her in for professional maintenance.…

Never fear the geometric prints!

By Sarah | October 30, 2017 |

I’ve always been a little hesitant to sew with large scale boho, paisley, or geometric prints- what if I end up with huge mandalas on my boobs? – But they keep popping up in my feed, and in a moment of weakness, I ordered this paisley-ish single brushed poly print in royal from Sly Fox…

Bye bye Bikini!

By Sarah | June 27, 2017 |

I’ve been on a bit of a swimwear kick lately, and I’ve been dying for a sexy, yet functional (read: won’t fall off in the ocean) one-piece swimsuit, but it’s been a bit of a unicorn. Don’t get me wrong, I still have all the feels for the bikini’s I’ve sewn (see examples here, and…

Animal Instinct

By Sarah | November 22, 2017 |

Are animal prints still trendy? I feel like as I’ve gotten older time seems to move more slowly for me- so it’s hard to tell if a trend is past, current, or recently been resurrected. Either way, I still like animal prints, and I had a small (slightly less than a yard) scrap left over…

2020 Fit Capsule!

By Sarah | February 2, 2020 |

A couple weeks ago, Alex Resch, a sewist extraordinaire and all around amazing person, hosted a “Choose your Own Adventure Activewear SewAlong” over in the Fabric Fairy group. I spent time with her planning out my fabrics, patterns and getting hyped up, only to have life get in the way and knock me off course.…

Tutorial: Shortening a Nylon Coil Zipper

By Sarah | April 26, 2017 |

We are stitching up some awesome jackets right now during the Midway Bomber Jacket Sewalong! Today, we are sewing in our zipper, and while a metal zipper is the easiest to shorten, sometimes you just want or need to use a nylon coil zipper, like I did on my exposed zip. So, my very helpful…

The Thong Song….

By Sarah | July 26, 2017 |

There’s a song on repeat in our house right now, thanks to my husband’s juvenile sense of humor and my sons’ unerring ability to pick up on things they aren’t supposed to hear: I didn’t anticipate adding the word “thong” to my kids vocabulary, and I hope someday they’ll forgive me for the side effects…

Chelsea Pants Week: Day 2!

By Sarah | October 3, 2017 |

It’s Day 2 of my self-imposed “Chelsea Pants Week” (see my Day 1 intro post HERE), and today I’m going to show you the “dress up” version of the NEW Chelsea pants by Greenstyle Creations. Yesterday was a boho/casual/wine with the girlfriends type of look, but the Chelsea’s are incredibly versatile, and also look sharp…

Swim SewAlong Day 2: Cutting Fabric & Edgewater Tegan Pattern Review

By Sarah | March 20, 2022 |

Hello friends! I’m back with Day 2 of the Swim SewAlong! Every day this week, I will be walking you through the construction of the Greenstyle Cami Tank and the Jalie Gigi Swim Bottoms, through video tutorials, blog posts and support in the Fabric Fairy Facebook Group. You can use any patterns you’d like, but…

June BeeBox: The Duchess Skirt!

By Sarah | July 1, 2017 |

I’ll admit, I was a bit stumped when I received my June Bee Box from Vinegar and Honey. I love stripes, but I don’t love sewing them (I’m a perfectionist, and all that matching drives me batty sometimes!). That, combined with the fact that its been in the triple digits here, had me scratching my…

Zip it Up! FREE Zipper Bag Pattern!

By Sarah | September 10, 2018 |

I’ve added quite a few firsts to my sewing belt this year- my first jeans, my first capsule wardrobe, first coats (men’s AND women’s!), first bra (yet to be blogged)…there’s a lot to feel proud of! One thing I haven’t attempted yet, though, is to sew a bag. For some reason the idea of sewing…

Sarah Connell

About Sarah Connell

Sarah is a wife, mother and avid seamstress. She is passionate about teaching, encouraging and empowering other women to express themselves creatively. 

Follow her sewing adventures on SewingwithSarah.com or your favorite social site.

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