Women

Pattern Review: V Neck Hoodie

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I recently tested the new Vivacious V Neck Sweatshirt Dress & Hoodie pattern from Winter Wear Designs.

The v-neck is a nice change from the normal neckline for hoodies. Getting the v-neck just right took me a couple tries. I normally shy away from anything other than scoop necks because v-necks look bad if they’re even a little bit off. I’m glad I gave it a shot! I definitely recommend basting it first to make sure it’s right. Basting is so much easier to remove and redo!

DD was thrilled to have a shirt with thumb cuffs….not that we need them very often here in SWFL, but she does love her warm clothes when we have “winter.”

Our foster kitten loved the kangaroo pocket.

Such a cozy place to watch the world go by.

On a completely different note – My daughter has recently discovered ear wraps. This dragon is her current favorite. Sometimes she wears one, sometimes two.

The fabric I used is a french terry from Peek-a-boo Fabric Shop. I couldn’t decide which color to pair the print with, so I ordered the mauve pictured and I also ordered a sage green. Either one would’ve worked, but this color combo was her choice.

Buy the pattern here while it’s on sale and then come back and let me know what options you would choose.

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Pattern Review: Noelle by Made for Mermaids

I recently tested the Women’s Noelle pattern by Made for Mermaids. I searched for pictures from when I tested the girls version. It was three years ago! It’s part of their Dreamy Collection and it is definitely dreamy!

We even made her Christmas dress from the Girls Noelle pattern.

She was thrilled to get a new dress in one of her favorite patterns.

I made the dress with both the peplum and the long skirt. Since my fabric is a bit heavier, I used clear elastic to reinforce the shoulder seams, side seams and the waist. It will help the fabric not stretch out so much with wear.

The cowl neck is one of the main features of this pattern. For this version, we folded it down like a turtle neck, but you could leave it unfolded and add a drawstring to make it a little more casual.

The other feature is the high-low hemline. It adds to the dreaminess of the dress.

The best part of this pattern is definitely the full circle skirt – you can twirl & twirl!

It’s also available in baby sizes and girls. There are bundles available too. Go check it out here and then let me know what version you make.

How to Sew: Replacing Elastic in Shorts

Ever have a pair of shorts that you love, but the elastic in the waist looses it’s stretch? Well, I haven’t had these shorts long enough to love them (they were hand-me-downs), but I love the cargo style (hello pockets galore!) and knew that they would be comfy. They were a size too big, but that meant they would fit my hips and then I could just take a couple tucks in the waist to make them fit. After I tried them on I realized that the elastic in the back waist was shot!

Skipping ahead for a minute just so I can show you the elastic. Look how stretched out it is! No wonder the shorts were so loose!

Since these shorts were otherwise in great shape, I knew I wanted to try and fix them. The first step is to remove the old elastic. To do this I took out the seam at the bottom of the waistband

Of course the elastic was also sewn in along the top and it was sewn in along the fold at the bottom. So, I had to seam rip three seams total! Fortunately, it was pretty easy.

Check out the old elastic vs the new elastic! I cut the new elastic at about 80% of the length between the belt loops on either side of the center back. Then I clipped it in place and tried on the shorts just to be sure they were tight enough/not too tight. It’s very easy to adjust the length now! It’s frustrating to get all done and realize they still don’t fit.

To put in the new elastic, just reverse the process. First, I sewed the elastic to the waistband on either end.

I pushed the belt loop over just a bit and sewed the elastic in place. This way the seam will be hidden by the belt loop.

To make sure that the elastic is evenly stretched, I mark the middle of the elastic with a highlighter. I also marked the middle of the waist with a pink fabric pencil.

Then I line them up and clip the elastic to the waistband

I sewed the elastic in place using a zigzag stitch since it won’t show from the outside. This way you aren’t trying to stretch the elastic evenly and sew the waistband back down at the same time.

At this point I realized that the center back belt loop was going to be in the way of sewing the waistband back in place.

I undid the top of the belt loop so I can easily fold it out the way.

Then I folded the waistband back into place and stitched it down with a straight stitch. I sewed it on the outside so that I could be sure I was staying on the original stitching line. I also redid the top stitching along the top of the waistband and sewed the center back belt loop back down.

Now my shorts stay put and I’m sure I’m going to love them because, again, pockets!

Pattern Review: Slumberland Pajamas

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I recently discovered Pickle Toe Patterns when I saw her tester call for the Moonstruck Skirt. I enjoyed testing for her, so when I saw another call for her newest pattern – the Slumberland Pajamas – I jumped at the chance.

The pattern includes both a nightgown and pants/shorts and a shirt with either long or short sleeves.

The shirt is a dolman style which means that the sleeves are part of the bodice. This makes the shirt/nightgown super easy! It’s just three pieces – front and back and then the neckband.

For the nightgown, I colorblocked it since I didn’t have enough of the purple bamboo spandex (from Mily Mae Fabrics – the bamboo spandex is sooo soft!). I also used the zigzag fabric for the neckband for a contrast. The night gown also comes in a shorter above knee option. Of course, you can always make it however long or short you like and hem it to your perfect length.

For my second pair, I used a french terry with two way stretch. It’s a bit heavier and probably too heavy for regular use here in SWFL. However, these will be perfect for when we go camping! I can walk to the bath house and feel like I’m decent and I won’t freeze – win, win! I made the pants length, but they can also be made in shorts or capri length. The waist also has options for high, mid, and low rise.

I came up a little short on the sleeves, so I did a bit of colorblocking. The sleeves would have been plenty long for me without the colorblocking, but since it was my first pair I wanted to follow the pattern exactly. For my next pair, I’ll probably cut the sleeves a bit shorter. These come almost to my elbow and my preference is much shorter.

One of the things I really like about the shirt is that it’s longer. Nothing is more annoying to me than a shirt that isn’t long enough!

The Slumberland pattern is on sale now through Friday May 24. Get your pattern and then join the sew-along on facebook.

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Pattern Review: Reagan Rash Guard

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The newest pattern from Made for Mermaids is the Reagan Rash Guard. It’s available in women’s and kid’s sizes.

My daughter is in the women’s version and my youngest is in the kids version. Fabric is from Raspberry Creek Fabrics.

The Reagan is a raglan style shirt that is close fitting. It can be short or long sleeved (since we’re in Florida and the sun is pretty intense in the summer, I went with long sleeves). There’s also a cropped version and the kids version has an optional ruffle along one arm seam. As with most raglan style shirts, this one is a quick sew! I made mine in about 30 minutes. I think the longest part is taping the pattern together.

Sewing with swim fabric is not that much harder than sewing knit fabrics. Swim does tend to be slippery-ier (is that a word?) so you will need to pin or clip your seams really well to keep them straight. Also make sure you’re using a stretch stitch (zig zag or triple stretch stitch are my favorites). If it’s your first time, just go slow! The pattern itself is easy and the instructions will walk you through each step.

We took ours to the beach for the ultimate test. It was a success! The kids love their new shirts and the fabric is so soft! It’s from Raspberry Creek Fabrics swim collection. They design and print their own fabric right here in the US! It provides UPF 50+ protection.

I also made my boys new swim trunks. I used the Monaco swim trunks pattern by Peek-A-Boo Pattern Shop. It’s a European style swim suit made with swim fabric rather than board short fabric. The pattern has a shorter inseam, but my boys wanted shorts closer to their knees so I lengthened the inseam to about 8″.

The turtle fabric and coordinating stripes are also from Peek-A-Boo Fabric Shop.

The turtle shirt is the Boulder Tee by Gracious Threads

The Reagan pattern is on sale now through Tuesday, May 21.

Women’s Reagan

Kids Reagan

Reagan Bundle

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