PETER SINGS -- New Year's Wishes from MPB!

Friends, I've decided to skip the usual end-of-year reviews and leave you instead with a simple holiday song, sung in a simple holiday house coat.

She Hated It.

I wish I had good news to share about my mother's reaction to the psychedelic robe I made her this weekend.

Plate Pocket-Palooza!

After hemming the psychedelic terrycloth robe, the only thing left to do was add pockets.

A (Psychedelic) Robe for Mom

A few weeks ago my mother came over for lunch and said she needed a bathrobe, so we looked online and ordered one from Macy's (their Charter Club label).  Yesterday she told me it had arrived and was dreadful, so I told her to bring it down with her the next time she came over, and I'd return it for her.

On the third day of Christmas....

Seasons greetings from the parking lot of the abandoned Pizzeria Uno in North Wales, Pennsylvania!

Tweed Coat Selfies + New Hat!

Readers, is it still called a selfie if you balance your camera on a flat surface and switch it to auto mode, or do you have to be holding it in your hand and standing in front of a bathroom mirror?

Goldilocks and the Three Linings

Friends, you may recall that a few days before Coatmas, I was in the process of putting the finishing touches on my donegal tweed peacoat. 

My Tweed Coat Revealed -- MERRY COATMAS!

Readers, it's hard to believe, but Coatmas is finally here!

You can see my completed tweed peacoat over at the Mood Sewing Network today!  (And I do hope you're not offended by some obvious urban lumberjack styling.)

The Urban Lumberjack Look -- YEA or NAY?

Friends, I know that for many of you -- particularly you Pacific Northwesterners -- the urban lumberjack look isn't really a look at all; it's just the normal way men dress.

Buttonhole Breakthrough + New Lining Fabric!

I wish I could take credit for this lovely buttonhole, but I cannot.

Five Days to Coatmas!

Readers, you know I'm not big on the holidays, but this coming Thursday, December 19, I will be celebrating Coatmas.  And I do hope you'll join me.

Bust My (Coat) Buttons!

I'm usually a plastic button kind of guy, but for my tweed peacoat I've opted for horn.

One Victory, One Defeat

Good news and not-so-good news today, friends.  Naturally, this is all in reference to my tweed peacoat -- the only thing on my mind these days.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Peacoat!

Friends, I never thought I'd say this, but I'm starting to like tailoring!

Peacoat Progress -- a lot of pad stitching (and a little fusing too)

Today I worked primarily on the undercollar and undercollar stand (two separate pieces) of my peacoat.

A Swingin' Sewing Machine for a Groovy Guy

Friends, you are to be forgiven for thinking that this portable, circa-1969 sewing machine looks an awful lot like an Elna Lotus -- on acid.

Wool Tweed Peacoat UPDATE!

What can I say?  Wool tweed is both wonderful to work with and challenging.

Dip-Dye Fashion -- YEA or NAY?

Readers, I'm open-minded.  I like all kinds of looks and, even if I wouldn't wear them, enjoy all sorts of contemporary trends.

Things I Don't Get, Vol 12 -- The $2,025 Vintage Sundress Pattern

Yes, you read that correctly: two thousand and twenty-five dollars.  For a sundress pattern on eBay.  Yesterday.

And that doesn't even include shipping!

Pea Coat, Version 2.0?

Am I ready to make another coat?

Gifts For Cathy + "Who Wears It Best?"

Friends, I don't formally celebrate any of those gift-giving holidays this time of year, but there's something about the season that makes one want to buy stuff.  Am I right?

Peter's Post-Holiday Hodgepodge

Happy Day After Thanksgiving Day, readers!

Are Home Sewers Unusually Cheap?

Friends, a few weeks ago I found myself engaged in conversation with a prominent professional member of the sewing community.

The Completed Pea Coat!

Readers, my pea coat is finished and you can see me modeling it RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE over at the Mood Sewing Network.

Just click here.

Coat-ally Devoted to You!

Readers, I CANNOT believe how long it takes to make a pea coat.  If I ever tell you I'm making another one of these, sit me down and talk some sense into me.

My Interview with Sarai Mitnick of Colette Patterns!

Readers, last week's post about Colette's pattern branding got me wondering more about what it's like to be an independent pattern maker.

Brief Words and a Question

The pea coat is coming together slowly.

Pea Coat Progress + New Patterns!

Readers, be honest: do you think this McCall's pattern I just purchased, which dates from approximately 1957, is too Sixteen Going on Seventeen for my cousin Cathy?

A Slight Change of Plan

Let's get back to the pea coat project.

As you'll recall, I'm making my coat from the Japanese men's coat pattern book up top.

Japanese TV wants to interview ME?

ZOMG, readers -- you won't believe how I spent yesterday!

About a month ago I'd received an email from a producer at Japan's Nippon TV network, saying they were interested in doing a short (2 1/2 minute) segment about vintage sewing machines.  They'd discovered my blog and were wondering if they could do an interview.

Indie Pattern Companies and The Power of Branding

Readers, today I want to talk about branding.

Inspecting Two Ill-Fitting Men's Coats

I spent most of today gearing up for my pea coat project.

What Cathy won + my pea coat fabric choices!

You may have heard that Cathy won Friday night's Little Black Dress contest at the Pattern Review anniversary party, held at Elliot Berman Textiles.  With a little help from you-know-who.

The 1990's Balloon-Pant Jumpsuit -- YEA or NAY?

Readers, what do you call it when something you consider utterly unremarkable suddenly becomes the new nostalgia?  

Cathy's Photo Shoot from the Pattern Review Anniversary Party!

What a lovely night Cathy had at the Pattern Review Anniversary Party held at Elliott Berman Textiles yesterday!

Showtime!

We made it, readers!

Miles to Sew Before I Sleep

We're getting down to the wire, people!

There is still a great deal to do before this LBD is done, and I have less than twenty-four hours to do it.  I need to insert a lapped side zipper.  I need to attach the sleeves.  I need to stitch down the neck facings and cuff facings.  I need to hem a very wide skirt.  And then there's Cathy's hair!

Little? (No); Black? (Sort of); Dress? (Definitely!)

I know I sound like an old fart, but sometimes I look at photographs of today's celebrities and I think, Who are these people?

We Interrupt This Blanket Coat or "LBD By Friday?"

Friends, are you planning to attend the Pattern Review 12th Anniversary "Little Black Dress" party at Elliott Berman this coming Friday?  (You can read more about it and/or RSVP here.)

Color Blocking on the Brain

I can't get this vintage blanket coat/jacket project off my mind, readers, so permit me to brainstorm a bit.

Camp Blanket Bingo! + A Color Blocked Pea Coat?

Friends, I simply must share with you what followed me home from the flea market this morning.

Pretty in Pink: The Japanese Jacket Muslin

Readers, I finished the jacket muslin.  (I skipped the pockets for now.)

Here it is on me...

Muslining the Japanese Jacket, Today's Trash Find, and Laura Mae!

Let's start with today's trash find.

I know, I know, I'm supposed to be ditching.  But all ditch and no dumpster makes MPB a dull blog.  Look what I found on my afternoon dog walk!

A Reader Asks: "Could My Sewing Idea Work?"

Friends, I received a very interesting email from MPB reader Chris today, and I thought I might run it by you (with Chris's permission of course) and find out what you think.

Taking the Japanese Pattern Challenge, More Ditching + My New Boots!

Let's start with the boots, shall we?

As an American, I am very vulnerable to the phrase "40% off."  And the word "Nordstroms."  Add "Free Shipping" and I am helpless.

What Should I Make With This Fabric? + Claudine's Waxy Buildup!

Greetings from the bike lanes of New York City!

"Patternmaking For Menswear" by Gareth Kershaw -- My Dream Book!

Readers, after publishing the sumptuous, "Draping: The Complete Course" by Karolyn Kiisel last month, what could Laurence King Publishing possibly do for an encore?

Mustard lovers REJOICE: My new fall togs are LIVE!

Friends, to be honest, I've always preferred ketchup to mustard.  But not anymore!

My latest outfit -- mustard pants, black and white gingham shirt, and gray sweater vest -- is live today at Mood, in all its glory.  See it by simply clicking here.

NAME THAT PATTERN - Halloween 2013 Edition!

Can it actually be Halloween season?  Wasn't it just Memorial Day?

Pants, Shirts, Sweaters, Wow!

A very busy day here at MPB Industries, readers!