A blog of Sewing Sweetness. Pattern Reviews, Tutorials, and More.
It’s been quite a long time since I’ve written any posts over on the Itch to Stitch Blog, but I’m always following what new designs and creations Kennis is coming up with. I happened across her testing call for a knit dress pattern. I was …
This is two posts for adult sewing in a row! Wow, I’m growing up these days. I definitely don’t sew for myself enough, but I’m trying to do better about this. One way to do better about this is to do some testing for designers …
It’s the Designer Stitch Anniversary Tour and I’m joining in to help celebrate. Nearly all my bestie blog friends that sew for themselves sew Designer Stitch patterns, so I thought it was time for me to put my big girl pants on and give it a go. I recently received a store credit from Ann (the A-mazing designer of Designer Stitch) while at the SNAP! conference about a month ago, so when the tour opportunity came up I thought it would be a perfect excuse to give myself a deadline to get at least one done. Sometimes deadlines really help to motivate me. *This post contains affiliate links because a girl’s gotta try to justify to her husband why all those packages of fabric keep showing up at the door.
So, you should notice that “Jenny Dress” is included in the title of my post… Bless it. Jenny and I are still trying to work things out, so I’m actually going to be sharing the Kat Top today. I didn’t change the title because that would change my perma link, and if you are a blogger, you know you don’t want to mess up that perma schedule HTML if you can at all prevent it. If you aren’t a blogger, just know that you don’t want to be the person that screws all the links up for the tour. I will tell you that I am learning a lot about fitting and my body shape while working on the Jenny Dress and Ann has been so amazing and providing support to help me get the perfect fit. I just want to show it to you when I have it “just right” so to speak. On a side note… The Jenny Dress has an invisible zipper and I totally killed that zipper. I mean it looks freaking amazing, so I may sneak you a peek of that on Instagram so you can be in awe with me. It’s my first ever invisible zipper. While I was doing some fittings, my 8 year old zipped it up and said, “Man mom, that really is invisible.” #nailedit
Okay, Okay… How about the Kat Top? The Kat Top is a super amazing shell top. I feel it must be said that even with it’s classic design, this look is definitely on trend right now. Woven shirts in general are on fire, but this relaxed fit is something I’m seeing everywhere.
This top comes with two version, called the Weekday and Weekend Top. The Weekday Top has an easy fit with set in sleeves, while the Weekend Top has a slightly more relaxed shell with a Kimono sleeve. I stitched up the Weekend Top for this post. And I’m probably going to be wearing it quite a bit. It pops on without any closures and the relaxed fit makes for comfortable wear. It is a fantastic pattern for beginners.
I’m just kicking off my summer here, so I felt gingham was the perfect fabric selection for this make. Is there anything that screams summer more? Maybe seersucker??? Still, I think it is perfect for the vibe I wanted.
To help celebrate the Designer Stitch Birthday, you will find that all patterns are 50% off right now. It’s a perfect time to try some of these patterns that you’ve been eyeing in your newsfeed. You will not be disappointed with the quality and knowledge you are getting when you open a Designer Stitch Pattern. They are the real deal.
Be sure to check out the makes from all the other bloggers. There are seriously some amazing makes. I’m always in awe of women that sew for themselves. I personally don’t do it much because boobs and butts are just so hard to deal with sometimes. But these ladies show you just how possible it is to do and how you can make things look so great.
June 6, 2017
June 7, 2017
I’m so excited to get to share my review of Winter Wear Designs Magnolia Fit and Flare Dress and Top. I was drawn to this pattern for two main reasons. First, it is LOADED with options. This pattern doesn’t just include top and dress options, …
I’m finally back in the game doing some pattern testing for Striped Swallow Designs. This is one of my very favorite designers to work with (and now its two designers) working with the brand. You can see one of my other favorite SSD makes here. …
It’s finally my day to share on the Plaid and Boots Tour hosted by Laela Jeyne Patterns. If you don’t know it, I do a lot of work with Laela Jeyne Patterns, so I am around that group and the page a lot. If you aren’t familiar with Marisa and her patterns, I hope this tour has encouraged you to give a pattern (or two…or whatever) a shot. You can try several patterns for free if you join the facebook group. Details are in the pinned post. You can also use Code is P&BTOUR20 for 20% off cart during the tour! *This post does contain affiliate links to help support my hobby.
So, let’s get started. Today’s theme for the tour is Game Night and Bonfires. A perfect match for my infatuation with all things fall, pumpkin, and autumn colored in the world. I created two looks for this theme because there are really two types of “bonfire” experiences that I am aware of. My post was sponsored by Art Gallery Fabrics, so I got some beautiful fabrics to make my creations for this post.
The first bonfire I styled for is the “out in the cow pasture” or “down at the cabin” type. This includes a gigantic pile of wood where the fire is huge and amazing. Hot dogs and s’mores are had by all. It’s a laid back, relaxed event with lawn chairs and blankets and so much fun. For this I sewed up the Emily T-Shirt with the Taylor Leggings. For my Emily T-shirt I used a lovely panel which was provided by Moon Man Printing. To cover my back side, I did add some length to the Emily at the shorten lengthen line. I’m not at the stage in my life where I wear leggings with my back side actually being visible. Kudos to you if you are. To complete the Emily and make the Taylor Leggings (a free pattern with the group discount code), I used the Trade Winds Port by Sharron Hollan for Art Gallery Fabrics. I loved this fabric! The knit is butter soft and I’m so thankful for the opportunity to sew it up. I then paired it with my Willa vest which I shared about here. I paired it with my boots and with some comfy canvas shoes so you get get several vibes for these makes. The boots are probably necessary thought.
The second type of bonfire is what I would call the “city girl bonfire.” This is the type where someone has an outdoor fireplace, amazing seating, and a great view. The environment is a little more subtle, yet classy. My sister has an amazing outdoor seating area with a fireplace that is perfect for this. Which is right here. I totally stole this photo from her social media, but I feel it was needed.
For a classier look to match the city-girl-bonfire I stitched up the Samantha Swing Dress. I used the Hi-Lo dress option with long sleeves. This fabric was also sponsored by Art Gallery Fabrics, Survey Ochre by April Rhodes. I have to say, I love this color in the fall. It just goes perfectly with my inner self. It was like my heart was happy to wear something that screamed fall. The Samantha Swing Dress has a ton of options, including a racer back. I made a racer back tunic here if you want to check that out. Samantha also has girls version with the Sammy. If you like to do Mommy and Me looks, you may need the bundle. Sweet Red Poppy made a Sammy that is perfect match to mine for this tour. Too bad we don’t live closer, we could have gotten that on camera. Don’t miss her post!
Again, I paired this with the same Taylor leggings as before. This dress doesn’t require leggings, but since we are talking about cool weather and bonfires I felt like it was a necessary piece to complete this look. I also paired this with my canvas shoes as well as a pair of brown leather boots to give you some additional styling ideas. I really think I like the boots the best!
And styled with the boots here for a bit of a different look….
So, what do you think? I’ve gotten several complements on my Samantha while wearing it already, so I’m thinking it is working. I can’t wait to see all the other looks for the theme today! Don’t miss out on all the seriously awesome giveaways!!! Catch the details below along with the blogger schedule.
Monday
Kaleidothought – idle sunshine – Allie J.
Tuesday
Sew Pinspired – SewSophieLynn – The Wholesome Mama
Wednesday
Nini and Ash – Sew and Tell Project – Sweet Red Poppy
Thursday
Pear Berry Lane – Paisley Roots – Threadbear Garments – Lace and Pine Designs
Friday
Olive Ashby – Sunflower Seams – Elegantine
Marisa has been super busy wrapping up the last patterns for the year over at Laela Jeyne Patterns. This week the Sydney Slouchy Raglan is on the list of new releases. You don’t want to miss out on the releases this week, because the Taylor …