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Kat Waters
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Blog: Kat Makes

Adventures in Obsession

ginger high waisted corduroy flares

Ginger Cord Flares: Groovy, Baby!

October 9, 2017

In which our blogger makes her fifth pair of Ginger Jeans (second pair of flares!) with 1970's inspired twist, and a great amount of attention paid to grain lines. as you do.

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In Making Clothes, Pattern Sewing, Projects, Yarn and Handknits Tags closet case patterns, ginger jeans, ginger flares, corduroy flares, 1970s fashion, retro style, cropped tee, burgundy corduroy, flare jeans, diy wardrobe, handmade fashion, sewcialist, sewists of auckland
2 Comments
blue-orla-dress-header

The Blogger and the Vintage Sheets

July 24, 2017

Two parts retro and one part refashion - this week, I've turned a vintage sheet I found at a secondhand market into a cute sundress with a dip-dyed skirt.

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In Making Clothes, Pattern Sewing, Projects Tags the orla dress, hand dyed, handmade wardrobe, slow fashion, vintage sheet, fabric dyeing, sundress, floral, sewcialists
6 Comments
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25 Years, and a Sundress for Winter

July 19, 2017

In Which our blogger falls into the next age bracket for surveys - and makes a birthday dress.

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In Pattern Sewing, Projects, Travel, Making Clothes Tags an orla affair, auckland sewing, birthday dress, dress with pockets, handmade, handmade wardrobe, sew nz, the orla dress
2 Comments
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Moto-Hacking the Ginger Jeans

June 19, 2017

In which our sewist makes metal-studded motorcycle jeans - and guides you through the process to make your own!

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In Pattern Sewing, Projects, Making Clothes, Tutorials Tags closet case files ginger jeans hack, diy wardrobe, ginger jeans, handmade, handmade wardrobe, jeans tutorial, me made everyday, moto ginger jeans, moto jeans, new zealand sewist, sewcialists, slow fashion
15 Comments

My Capsule Wardrobe, and MMMay Wrap-Up

June 6, 2017

A Successful Me Made May, and the completion of the Capsule Wardrobe! Plus, an investigation of the wardrobe planning tool Style Book, and many, many outfit photos.

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In Pattern Sewing, Projects, Self Drafted Sewing, Making Clothes, Yarn and Handknits Tags auckland sewing, capsule wardrobe, handmade, handmade wardrobe, me made everyday, me made may, month of handmade, new zealand sewing, sewing basics, sewing blog, wardrobe architect, wardrobe sudoku
3 Comments

Pattern Review: Juniper Cardigan(s)

May 29, 2017

In which our Very Excited Blogger reviews a new pattern, and waxes poetic about sleeves. Again.

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In Pattern Sewing, Projects, Making Clothes Tags cardigan, embroidery, embroidery on knits, jennifer lauren handmade, juniper cardigan, juniper cardigan pattern review, me made wardrobe, merino, new zealand sewing, pattern review, saddle shoulder, sewing tall, silk embroidery, slow fashion, the fabric store, vintage inspired
7 Comments
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Harriet Squared

April 24, 2017

Harriet! Hi Harriet! Cloth Habit's new pattern, the Harriet Bra, has been taking the sewing world by storm the past few months - my instagram, facebook, and bloglovin' feeds are all full of Harriets in all shapes and sizes. It's wonderful, and it's high time I joined the party! (I actually made the first bra in this post a while ago, but I'm only now getting around to blogging it!)

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In Pattern Sewing, Projects, Making Clothes, Bramaking Tags bra fitting, bramaking, cloth habit harriet bra, diy wardrobe, handmade, harriet bra, lingerie sewing, me made wardrobe, new zealand sewing blog, sewcialists, sewing with silk, the fabric store
12 Comments

Ginger Jeans, 2.0

February 6, 2017

In which a pattern becomes a staple, even if its waistline does not.

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In Pattern Sewing, Projects, Making Clothes Tags denim, drapers fabrics, ginger jeans, handmade, japanese denim, jeans pocket design, making jeans, me made wardrobe, sewcialists, sewing, topstitching, wardrobe architect
7 Comments

The Finer Points of Sleeves (Part 2)

January 21, 2017

In which our sewist begins the descent down the rabbithole of sleeve perfection.

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In Pattern Sewing, Projects, Making Clothes Tags armscye draft, butterick 2257, collared shirt bust adjustments, diy wardrobe, fitted shirt, handmade, me made, sewcialists, sewnz, sheer, shirtmaking, striped shirt, the fabric store, wardrobe architect
2 Comments

A Shirt that Fits (Part 1)

January 12, 2017

In which our sewist wages war against sleeves.

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In Pattern Sewing, Projects, Making Clothes Tags armscye fit, butterick, butterick 5526, collared shirt sewing, first muslin, handmade, handmade wardrobe, kat sews patterns, me made wardrobe, rayon, sewcialists, sewing, shirt fit issues, short sleeved shirt, sleeve fit troubleshoot, wardrobe architect
11 Comments
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Hi! I'm Kat, I don't have any cats, and this is organized chaos. If you'd like to chat about catlessness, sewing, knitting, or other forms of world domination, I'd love to hear from you!katherine.klebenow@gmail.com

Hi! I'm Kat, I FINALLY have a cat, and this is organized chaos. If you'd like to chat about cats, sewing, knitting, or other forms of world domination, I'd love to hear from you!

hellokat.makes@gmail.com

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Featured
Tutorial: Sewing a custom Cat Carrier Cover for your cat's travel box
Oct 9, 2024
Tutorial: Sewing a custom Cat Carrier Cover for your cat's travel box
Oct 9, 2024

Today's project is a cover, custom made to fit over my cats' travel carrier. This project has everything - custom drafting, magnets, hardware installation, problem solving: All in the name of keeping my kitties happy in transit! It's a long one - you've been warned.

Oct 9, 2024
Weaving your First Project on a Rigid Heddle Loom
Apr 26, 2023
Weaving your First Project on a Rigid Heddle Loom
Apr 26, 2023

My very first project on my new rigid heddle loom! I so enjoyed learning this new skill - here are a collection of tips as well as links to tutorials I found helpful as I made my first project!

Apr 26, 2023
DIY, Sewing, and Craft Supply Shops in New Zealand
Apr 13, 2023
DIY, Sewing, and Craft Supply Shops in New Zealand
Apr 13, 2023

Ever wondered where to get a weirdly specific hardware? supplies for making shoes, bags, or embroidered tea towels? Dye supplies or fancy zips? I've compiled a list of my favourite sources!

Apr 13, 2023
Sewing the Haptic Lab Constellation Quilt (again)
Mar 30, 2023
Sewing the Haptic Lab Constellation Quilt (again)
Mar 30, 2023

I’m making a northern stars constellation quilt to match my southern stars one! This one has started quite a bit differently from the last one - so I’ve shared my process in case it helps you with a similar project!

Mar 30, 2023
The Tambour Embroidery Hoop Holder: A Woodworking DIY
Mar 23, 2023
The Tambour Embroidery Hoop Holder: A Woodworking DIY
Mar 23, 2023

In which our intrepid tambour embroidery fanatic once again attempts woodworking in the name of beads. (Also, in which fortunately the attempt is once again successful!)

Mar 23, 2023
The Home Sewist's Guide to Snap Fasteners for baby clothes, bag making, and more
Mar 15, 2023
The Home Sewist's Guide to Snap Fasteners for baby clothes, bag making, and more
Mar 15, 2023

A deep dive into the world of snap fasteners! Did you know there were so many options to choose from? We go through five popular options for fasteners and discuss the pros and cons, as well as applications, of each

Mar 15, 2023
Lillian's Embroidered Wedding Veil
Mar 1, 2023
Lillian's Embroidered Wedding Veil
Mar 1, 2023

Making Lill’s cathedral length floral embroidered wedding dress - all in one monster post!

Mar 1, 2023
Art Deco Wardrobe Collection
Feb 19, 2023
Art Deco Wardrobe Collection
Feb 19, 2023

This was going to be the year I finally attended the Art Deco festival in Napier - here’s everything I made to wear for the weekend, all in one place!

Feb 19, 2023
Tutorial: Pullover Hoodie with Cat Pocket
Nov 9, 2022
Tutorial: Pullover Hoodie with Cat Pocket
Nov 9, 2022

Do you have a velcro kitty like me? I made my very own cat-pocket hoodie so I can carry my little guy around wherever he wants to go, and it’s a tutorial now so you can make one yourself!

Nov 9, 2022
The Prick and Pounce Method for Tambour Embroidery
Nov 9, 2022
The Prick and Pounce Method for Tambour Embroidery
Nov 9, 2022

Today we’re exploring one of the oldest methods of embroidery design transfer - the prick and pounce method!

Nov 9, 2022

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Woven scarf number two! For this one, I tried weaving with laceweight which I was *certain* would require a 15 dent heddle but the wpi math said 12.5 so I went with it. Woven on my @ashford_wheels_looms 16” rigid heddle loom using alpaca yarn w
Pink scenes from a weekend of sewing: I’m having a summer birthday for the first time in almost a decade, and the occasion calls for a summer birthday dress! I’m tackling the bustier style, which i anticipate may be a bit of a mission bec
Happy first Gotcha Day to this little dude! It’s been so fun to watch him grow up from a tiny little puffball into a Whole Cat, who is somehow also just a tiny human fellow in a cat suit 💕 here’s to another 365, and may the future, perha
Finished Scarf!! It took a while for the weather to cooperate for these photos but that’s all good because it gave me time to write my blog post! 

This is my Very First Ever project on a rigid heddle loom- mine is the @ashford_wheels_looms 16&
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