A blog of Sewing Sweetness. Pattern Reviews, Tutorials, and More.
Wow, back to school has really knocked me on my booty the last two weeks. There is no tired like back to school tired. I always feel like here in Indiana we are starting back while everyone else is just getting into the prime of …
Hey friends! I’m loving this post I’m sharing today. It’s all about learning to sew with knits. When I started sewing I didn’t really even understand what sewing with knits would entail. I didn’t know anything about fabric selection, stitch type, the required needles, and …
This year I spent A LOT of time combing the web for a short pattern that I could utilize in the capsule wardrobe I was planning for my girls. I wanted a go-to short pattern that was more practical than the Papillon Shorties that I often rave about. I needed something that was a quick sew and wouldn’t need pleats ironed before each wear. **Affiliate links are used in this post. If you decide to purchase a pattern from a link on this page, this means you will be helping to support my fabric hoarding tendencies at no extra cost to yourself.
When I was scoping for patterns I had a particular look I was going for, but fit was something I looked at as the most important criteria. I can’t stand the poochey crotches and saggy bums that we often see in many PDF short patterns. I’m serious when I say it took me weeks to settle on the patterns I went with. I read a lot of reviews, looked at all the suggestions people made, and ended up trying two new to me patterns. The first was the Satya Shorts from Jennuine Design.
Continue reading Satya Shorts and Schooner Tee Complete a Capsule
As part of the summer capsule I’ve been working on, I was on the hunt for woven top patterns. I particularly wanted several with thin, spaghetti-like straps because I know my girls choose clothing based on comfort and they are already complaining about the heat. …
I’ve been working on several projects while also trying to pack up my sewing space to do some room swapping with the girls. For this post I’m sharing some makes from Oliver +S with fabrics from Riley Blake Fabrics, but I want you to know that …
I’ve been sitting on this make for quite some time and now I’m able to share it. I will be part of a group a few makers sharing some Jennuine Design pattern makes. This Certified Jennuine Design makers will each feature a pattern once a quarter. We may hack a pattern, write a tutorial for a mod, or sew it just as it is. Basically we are just going to show you some of the possibilities with the Jennuine Design patterns.
For this feature, I stitched up the Schooner Tee and Dress. I have purchased so many ready-to-wear tops for my girls with this sleeve style and I kept looking at the construction to see how it was put together. I was excited that this pattern was the solution to all my questions. This is a seriously quick sew. I may have taped, cut, and stitched this up in record time. The sleeve isn’t a separate piece, which means it’s just a front, back, and neckband. I feel like I could sew an entire collection of shirts and dresses just for this reason. #quicksewsrock #imlazy
The Schooner comes in sizes newborn to size 12. That is a huge size range! I think that makes it a great option for gifts since it is so quick, it covers a large size rang, and it is far from a fabric hog.
My favorite thing about this pattern is that it is more of a flutter sleeve, but it is something my girls are still able to wear to school. We have a “sleeves required” dress code, but this pattern has great shoulder coverage. This tee pairs well with pants, capris, shorts, and even skirts. Its’s a great casual everyday look for your little lady.
Welcome to the Rushbrook Blog Tour! I don’t know about you, but recently my sewing feeds started to fill up with versions of the Rushbrook Dress and Top from Titchy Threads. Shortly after, I was contacted to see if I would be interested in …
How about this dress?! I happened to come across Simple Life Pattern Co. needing a few more testers for a dress a few weeks back. I was pretty swamped, but I just wanted to make this dress. I cranked it pretty quickly and hopped over …
It’s back to school time! Ahh!! Kiss my daytime sewing goodbye, along with trips to the pool and picnics in the park. Fun in the sun is O-V-E-R, over. (Insert multiple tear faced emojis.) Even though my heart is sad to say goodbye to summer, I know my big girl is so excited to get back to school to see her friends and meet her new teacher. To help get us motivated for school, we selected some fun fabrics together to make a fun and “techie” back to school outfit, Maid for Mermaid style. If you are ready to start getting your school clothes put together, Made for Mermaids is having a sale to go along with this back to school tour. Use code is M4MB2S to get 20% of your patterns. Woot! You can also check out some tools to help you plan your back to school sewing on the Made for Mermaids Blog. (This post contains affliliate links, because this fabric hoarder needs some spending cash. Every little bit helps.)
I was so excited to get an invite to join in on this Back to School Tour with Made for Mermaids. The sewists on the tour are people I follow to be inspired by, so it is certainly an honor to be sharing along with them. This tour is going to be loaded with inspiration for both girl and boy back to school creations!
So, let’s get started with what we came up with for our back to school look. I selected the Evie Pleated Suspender Shorts and the Charlotte Collar Top. Once these were picked out, we headed to our locally owned fabric shop Let’s Sew to let Peyton pick out some fabric. We ended up with two fabrics from Robert Kaufman Plug & Play for the quilters cotton used and I had an Art Gallery knit solid in my stash that went great with the color in the shorts, so we stuck with that. Why buy more fabric when you have Art Gallery that matches? (I can’t believe I just admitted to not buying more fabric when I had a legit excuse.)
The Charlotte top came together great. Typically I’m not a fan of gathered sleeves. I’m a bit OCD on getting gathers to look exactly the same on both arms and that can sometimes be difficult. I didn’t have trouble with these and I love how the puffed sleeve gives the top a feminine look. Another feature I liked about this top is the banded sleeve. Personally, I say BAND ALL THE THINGS. I hate hemming knits. Mostly, I think this is because every time I do I am reminded of how I don’t have a coverstitch machine and that makes me sad. Do you have an extra coverstitch machine? Feel free to mail me one. 🙂 The collar turned out great for this top. Charlotte actually has several collar options, or you could just leave it off for a simple tee.
For the Evie Shorts, I made a few modifications besides leaving the suspenders off. The first change was lowering the rise. I knew Peyton wouldn’t be wearing these at her natural waistline, so I followed the instructions in the pattern so they would sit a bit lower. Second, I brought up the inseam slightly. To be honest, now that they are done, I’m not sure I will do that the next time. They are boarder-line on passing the dress code in length, but what kind of parent would I be if I didn’t push the dress code, right? (Just kidding… kind of.)
I just love that she picked out such a fun fabric. We didn’t go with something flowery or school themed and I still think they look great. The keyboard collar and the HDMI, Ethernet, etc. hook-ups in the shorts bring the “techie look” together. Secretly, I want a pair to wear to Technology Night at my school.
So, this is the beginning of my back to school sewing. What do you think so far? Have you enjoyed the first few days of the tour? Be sure to check out all the stops on the tour and don’t forget to take advantage of the sale. (Hop back up to the top for the coupon code.)
Gotta love those glasses…
We are coming close to the finish line. Day 4 of the tour is upon us. Today may be the biggest day of the tour, so be sure to leave a comment or two for the bloggers so they know you made it to their …