Pattern Reviews

Pattern Review – Bitty Brunch Blouse by Patterns for Pirates

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I recently got to test the Bitty Brunch Blouse by Patterns for Pirates. This is a woven dolman style top with options galore! Since I normally sew with knits, this was a good chance for me to use some of my woven fabric. It’s perfect for any drapey wovens.

Patterns for Pirates Bitty Brunch Blouse

I made the dress length option. The hem is knee length in front and just below knee length in the back. You can also make it shirt length with either a straight hem or more of a tunic length with a curved hem.

Bitty Brunch Blouse by Patterns for Pirates full back

It has a simple button closure on the back. No button holes – it’s a simple tab close button. You can also do a henley placket if you prefer the opening in the front.

Bitty Brunch Blouse by Patterns for Pirate Back Button

I love the hi-low hems and have made several things for DD with this hem like the Patterns for Pirates Fav Tee.

Bitty Brunch Blouse by Patterns for Pirates dress length curved hem

Waist ties to cinch it in a little – can be tied in the front or back or you can leave them off completely.

Bitty Brunch Blouse by Patterns for Pirates Waist Ties

I opted for the traditional dolman sleeves – simple cap style. There’s also an option for a tank top with wider shoulders and a cuffed dolman sleeve with a button tab.

Bitty Brunch Blouse by Patterns for Pirates full back

I didn’t put any pockets on this dress (normally I’m all about the pockets!), but there is an option for a chest pocket.

Bitty Brunch Blouse by Patterns for Pirates full front

Get the Bitty Brunch Blouse or the women’s Brunch Blouse for $9 each or buy the bundle for $17.

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Pattern Review – Tara Top by Made for Mermaids

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The new Tara Top by Made for Mermaids is another excellent pattern. It’s full of options and will work for all four seasons! Living in Florida, I only made the short sleeve version (I can’t convince her to wear tank tops).

One of the unique features of this top is the twist on the side. It’s perfect for those drapey knits!

It just looks so breezy and cool! This shirt has short sleeves with no twist – just regular short sleeves.

Another one of the unique features is this twist sleeve.

If you happen to forget to put the twist in when you attach it to the body, that’s OK – it still looks nice! I did take the sleeve off and redo it since I really wanted the twist.

The pattern is $9 and there’s also a Mama Tara (also $9) so you can get both patterns and make Mommy & Me outfits.

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Pattern Review – Little Loungers by Patterns for Pirates

I recently tested the Little Loungers pattern from Patterns for Pirates. I wasn’t sure about the pattern when I started. I was having a hard time figuring out what fabric to use. I didn’t want to make another pair of jean shorts. For my first pair, I used some fabric I had on hand. I figured if they didn’t turn out, it wouldn’t be much of a loss. When they were done though, I loved them! So did my daughter!

I think one of my favorite features is the button tab. Mine doesn’t really button, it’s just for looks.

Please ignore the wrinkles – I ironed and steamed and ironed some more!

One thing I always look for, especially in girls patterns are pockets. You can never have too many pockets! For this pair I did patch pockets on the front and back.

The back pockets gave me such a hard time! I put them on according to the directions (there are no placement lines, just suggested measurements from the center back seam and the waistband seam) and they were so crooked and not lined up! I took them almost all the way off, had my long-suffering daughter try them on and pinned them where they should be. They looked much better!

I did an elastic waistband, but you can also do a yoga waistband and add a drawstring to it. I love the length of these – they’re long enough that they don’t feel like short shorts, but they’re short enough for Florida summer!

I also made a pair from this light weight denim look material (modal, maybe?). These are the knee length version and she says they are very comfy and will be perfect for winter.

The legs taper in a bit below the hip so they look kinda funny when you hold them up, but they look great on!

Get the pattern here or get the Mama pattern Linen Loungers or even better, buy both patterns in a bundle and make matching outfits for you and your kids. The patterns are on sale through Sunday midnight (central time).

Pattern Review: Camila Swimsuit by Made for Mermaids Plus Two Simple Hacks

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I recently tested the Camila swimsuit by Made for Mermaids. It was my first venture into girls swimwear. I’ve made swimsuits for my boys and they’ve worked out really well.

These Monaco swim trunks are so comfy for my boys! They’re made from swim knit are so much easier to move in, plus there’s so many more options for fabric! The shark shirt is one I drafted myself based on a shirt that currently fits. The turtle shirt is the Boulder Tee by Gracious Threads.

Back to girls swimsuits – I’ve never made one! I’ve thought about it, but never took the plunge. The Camila is an easy swimsuit and it comes with a couple options. For my first one, I did view B (ruffle under the arm) with halter ties.

Camila Swimsuit Ruffle Halter Tie

A very simple, but nice touch was the ruching on the sides. It’s so easy and looks so professional.

The acid test was jumping in and horsing around with her brothers.

It survived!

There were a couple small problems. I felt like I couldn’t tie it tight enough to keep the suit up but not be too tight around her neck. Also, there was a lot of extra fabric in the back. I decided that it was because there was nothing to hold the back up, so it just kinda sagged down. The elastic in the top was pretty loose too – in hind sight I should’ve measured the elastic around her before I sewed it to the swimsuit which would’ve helped with the sag.

Note the sag at the top of the back and the saggy butt look. Both of which we want to avoid!

Since I didn’t want to have a date with my seam ripper and rip the whole elastic piece out, I opted for the simpler solution – cross the straps and attach them in the back. I had her try on the bathing suit and shortened the straps enough so they pulled the back up, but were still loose enough to get the swim suit on and off. Presto! Perfecto!

Criss Cross Straps Camila Swimsuit

What my daughter really wanted though was to have the ruffle on her shoulder. View A has an off-the-shoulder ruffle with shoulder ties, but there isn’t enough room to pull the ruffle up on the shoulders. So, I used the ruffle from the Daphne top & dress. I attached it just like you would normally for View A, but the part of the ruffle not attached was much longer. I used the elastic measurement from Daphne and attached it like Camila. The result was perfect!

Sewing swim suits is not hard! You need to take your time, make sure you have the right kind of needle (ball point), and remember pins or clips are your best friend! Take the plunge!

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Pattern Review – Cache Cargo Shorts & Boulder Tee

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I recently tested the two newest patterns by Gracious Threads – the Boulder Tee and the Cache Cargo Shorts.

The Cache Cargo Shorts are the perfect addition to my boys’ summer wardrobe. I love the side pockets plus the cargo pockets.

The back flaps are fake pockets (although it you wanted, you could use the welt pockets from the Dax Trousers to make them real).

The shorts have a real working fly – and it isn’t nearly as complicated as I thought it would be!

The Boulder Tee is a quick and easy sew with a couple options – short sleeve or banded 3/4 sleeves, pocket or no pocket, and optional sleeve stripes.

I love the little design element the sleeve stripes add. Such a simple thing yet it makes the t-shirt different from just a plain t-shirt.

I also used it to make a swim shirt for my son. I just made the seams a little deeper so it was a little tighter. The swim shorts are the Monaco Swim Trunks by Peekaboo Pattern Shop. Fabric is from Peekaboo Fabric Shop.

Gracious Threads is having a sale this weekend on all their patterns. I have the Jasper Joggers which I used to make school uniform pants and then I also cut them of to make shorts.

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