Dec 28, 2015

Peter's Holiday Hijinks + Another Tunic Shirt!



The last week of the year means festivities, friends, family, and sewing fun!

Dec 23, 2015

A beautiful knit shirt and I didn't make it!



With the exception of fabric, I don't get offered a lot of freebies.

But I did get an offer recently that sounded interesting.  A company called The Uniform asked if I'd like to sample a shirt they manufacture -- a white knit shirt styled exactly like -- and potentially a substitute for -- a formal men's dress shirt.  I said, sure!

Dec 20, 2015

Sewing For Money + Flea Market Finds



Behold my latest shirt, made for a male client.  I love this plaid fabric, which my client actually purchased himself and brought to me, unusual in my business thus far.

Dec 16, 2015

Adventures in Normcore: The Color-blocked Corduroy Shirt



I'm guessing that most of you are familiar with the term "normcore" which, when applied to fashion, basically means ordinary, boring style.  (You can read more about normcore here.)

Dec 14, 2015

A Second Stab at the Self-Drafted Blouse (for my Patternmaking class)



OK, so yesterday I swung by the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), where I'm taking a patternmaking class, since my Professor holds office hours on Sundays.

Dec 11, 2015

Lessons Learned Sewing My First Silk Blouse or "Never trace darts with red carbon paper"



Roughly three years ago, at the Chelsea flea market, I impulsively purchased three yards of lightweight silk taffeta in a gold, beige, and black plaid, at a very good price.

Dec 9, 2015

My First African Wax Print Garment!



Monday afternoon I was heading uptown to a meeting and, with half an hour to spare, decided to pop into the hit-or-miss fabric store "It's a Material World" on 39th Street in the Garment District. 

Dec 7, 2015

NAME THAT PATTERN - Ho Ho Ho Edition!



Dear readers, it's hard to believe that it's jingle-bell time already -- weren't we just carving pumpkins?

Dec 2, 2015

Unusual Black Fabric Project + A New Vintage Sewing Machine!



I've just finished sewing a tunic-style shirt for a male client who wears mainly black (or dark gray) but wanted something a little unusual too.

Dec 1, 2015

Peter Models the Black Denim Jacket!



It's finished!

You can see me model my black denim jacket here.

Nov 27, 2015

Irons vs. Garment Steamers



Readers, when it comes to sewing tools, I'm pretty old-school.

Nov 24, 2015

The Impromptu Black Denim Jacket Project



If you follow me on Instagram, you know that two weeks ago I tried on a very cute Comme des Garcons jacket at Dover Street Market and decided to make something (somewhat) similar.
Here's the jacket.

Nov 21, 2015

What I've Been Sewing of Late



I always enjoy expanding my sewing horizons by taking on new challenges.

Nov 18, 2015

And the WINNER IS......!



Readers, while you're all deserving of prizes in my mind, sadly I had only one Kenneth King DVD to give away to a lucky MPB reader.

Today, I am happy to announce that the winner of the Smart Sewing With Fake Fur DVD is.......

Nov 16, 2015

Mackinaw Madness!



Readers, while I try to maintain a clear plotline here at Male Pattern Boldness, there are usually a few subplots going on, not all of which I discuss publicly. 

Nov 13, 2015

MPB Exclusive: KENNETH KING GIVEAWAY!



Friends, despite extensive negotiation between his people and my people, I am sad to report that I will not be able to give couture fashion designer Kenneth D. King away to any of my readers.  There's only one of him, alas, and he's a busy man.

However, thanks to the generosity of Mr. King, I am able to give away a sealed copy of his latest DVD, Smart Sewing with Fake Fur to one lucky MPB reader!

Nov 11, 2015

Neoprene Updates!



Now that my silver jeans are done, I'm thinking about my neoprene project again.

Nov 9, 2015

Peter Models the Silver Metallic Jeans!



My silver jeans are done and you can see me model them here!

Nov 6, 2015

WARNING: Silver Denim Can Be Blinding



I'm happy to report that my silver denim jeans are nearly finished.

Oct 28, 2015

My New Paisley Shirt -- from 1942!



A few weeks ago, longtime MPB reader Pam (who comments as erzulimojo) sent me extraordinary cotton paisley shirting she'd purchased in the UK a number of years ago and never used.

Oct 25, 2015

Things I Don't Get, Vol. 17 - People Who Wear Black All the Time



I know them.  You know them.  You may even be one of them!

Readers, what is it with people who wear black, like, all the time?

Oct 21, 2015

Peter Models (Belatedly) the Striped Knit Rugby Shirt!



Now that fall is here and, with it, cooler days, I finally found a weather-appropriate day to model my striped knit rugby shirt which, you may or may not recall, I completed late last summer.

You can view it today by clicking here.

Oct 18, 2015

What I've Been Sewing, et al.



It will come as no surprise that I've been sewing a lot of shirts lately.

Oct 15, 2015

Laura Mae Comes Over to Play!



It isn't often I get to see my friend, Californian co-blogger Laura Mae, so when I heard she was coming East to visit family and would be in New York City for the day, I quickly arranged a play date!

Oct 12, 2015

NAME THAT PATTERN -- Happy Birthday, Luke Perry Edition!



Readers, I know as well as you do that former teen idol and star of Beverly Hills 90210, Luke Perry's birthday was actually yesterday, October 11th, but I still think it's not too late to celebrate this beloved actor's 49th.

Oct 9, 2015

Why I Gave Away My Miyake Coat + More Shirtmaking!



One of my favorite projects of 2014 was the leopard print Issey Miyake coat I made as part of the Mood Sewing Network.  So glamorous!

Oct 7, 2015

BREAKING: MPB Reader Donates Grandmother's Stash to Peter!



Imagine my delight when, a few days ago, I received an email from MPB reader and fellow native New Yorker Jay (above) asking if I might be interested in his late grandmother's stash of vintage fabric, which had been stored in his family's attic for at least four decades.

Oct 5, 2015

Honk If You Like My Sewing Label



For my first-ever sewing label, I opted to go for the handcrafted hipster look.

Oct 2, 2015

New Fabric, New Books, and MORE!



I went fabric shopping this week and the theme was cotton flannel.  No neoprene for me -- yet.

Sep 29, 2015

Things I Don't Get, Vol. 16 -- The Neoprene Craze




Neoprene -- you know, the stuff they make wetsuits out of -- is now a popular fashion fabric!

Sep 26, 2015

And speaking of ponchos...et al.



Readers, today we visited a wonderful street fair/flea market that takes place once a year just a block from my apartment building.

Sep 24, 2015

Peter Models the Plaid Overcoat!



My coat is finished!  You can see me model it here.

Sep 22, 2015

Ponchos for Men -- YEA or NAY?



Readers, I have never been a fan of the poncho.

Sep 18, 2015

Plaid Overcoat Progress + More Pattern Drafting!



My plaid Burda overcoat is coming along slowly but surely.

Sep 15, 2015

Remaking a Coat Pattern from Six Years Ago, et al.



Readers, I don't know how I managed it, but six years ago, with little more than two months' sewing experience under my belt, I made Burda 7780 (above).  It turned out pretty nice, especially from a distance.

Sep 8, 2015

Say Hello to My New Elna Grasshopper!



Readers, this has been a good week for me sewing machine-wise and it's only Tuesday!

Sep 6, 2015

Aug 28, 2015

I'll See You In September!



Vacation Eve!

I have not been out of town in a very long time and I'm really looking forward to a break in my routine.  Can't wait to eat some lobster!

Aug 25, 2015

Modeling My New Summer Outfit or "Pink Pants-a--palooza"



Readers, my last Mood outfit of the summer is complete!

Click here to see it.

Aug 23, 2015

Liked It So Much, I Made Another!



One of the garments I'm complimented on most frequently when I wear it is the blue cotton shawl-collar sweater I made a little over a year ago.

Aug 21, 2015

The Mystery of Phoebus Dressmaking Patterns



So I was surfing aimlessly through the vintage pattern pages over at Etsy, as I am wont to do from time to time, when I stumbled upon this.

Aug 20, 2015

Aug 18, 2015

The Scary World of Sewing Labels (and what they should say)



I feel like now that I'm doing a lot of sewing for others, it's time to order some custom labels.

Aug 15, 2015

Ed's Second Shirt -- Pink and Blue Gingham!



I've been sewing a lot for the past few days and I'm happy to say I am 95% finished with Ed's second shirt (above).

Aug 13, 2015

Plaid linen shirt, completed and modeled!



Meet Ed, our dear neighbors Irma and John's son-in-law, who's visiting this week with his wife from California.

Aug 11, 2015

Sewing a fine linen plaid men's shirt



I've fallen behind, readers.  I haven't yet shown you photos from Susan's last fitting from last Friday, which went very well.  I hope to share those with you later in the week.