Spring Sew and Tell/ Fabric/ Pattern/ Craft Swap 2025
Come make new sewing friends at the Dayton Garment Designer Meet-Up
“My One Yard Thing” 2022 Collection
Since the term One Yard Wonders has long been taken I’m calling my series of one yard garments My One Yard Thing! You might know that it is very, very difficult to make adult clothing out of one yard of fabric. You have to get extra creative and really love a challenge, but, it can […]
Year of Awareness, 2021 Designers Review
Let’s face it, the year of less was a total joke. I adopted the mantra from a book where the author tried not shopping for one year. Her addiction to shopping changed into other addictions until she realized the secret to happiness for her was crafting, having extra time, friends, and family.
By January […]
Save the Socks, Easy Sock Darning
This year is the year of less here at the House of McElfresh. Just a touch of minimalism can save money, help make us more mindful, and free up some time. I disclose that this isn’t our first attempt at trying this! It is always a work in progress. Each time we’ve tried “less,” we […]
Ugly Sweater Pillow Covers
Hey, time to refashion those ugly sweaters into wonderful holiday decor. We love the idea of using what we have and getting more use out of it. Although, if you want to do this project and have no ugly Christmas sweaters the thrift store is full of amazing sweaters all year round. I chose to […]
Collaboration with Artist and Poet Tiffany Diaz
I have been following Tiffany Diaz and enjoying her art work and poetry for years now with great respect. After many times commenting that her paintings would look great as a fabric I asked her if she was interested in collaborating. I was delighted when she said yes and to pick any painting and […]
Never Underestimate the Power of Landfill Burglary
I’m honestly not sure what to call my latest line of dresses. Nothing feels quite right. They are made from materials people gave me or were being thrown out. I came up with the name landfill dresses because I believe most of the fabric would have ended up in a landfill. Picking out fabric is […]
Love What You Have
As my awareness for the waste that is involved in fast fashion grows I have to ask myself, “Do I have too much waste?” Sure, I have made all of my clothing, but do I value it? Do I love it? Do I wear everything I have made? And if not, why?
I decided to do […]
Upcyle Your Own Design
Oh dear, I do believe I made something I do not like. It happens. I love the fabric, but it just doesn’t look good. The fabric is too thick for the drape and, well, I like to learn the hard way.
A friend and artist Erica Blackstolk gifted me four yards of […]
Project of the Year
Have you ever gone down the rabbit hole of looking for the perfect sized piece of furniture or wished you could just do it yourself? This has been me looking for a work sewing desk for the last three years. I wanted, at the least, 72″ long, 20″ wide and 30″ tall. These are pretty […]