pattern review

Pattern Review: Spencer Robe by Made for Mermaids

I recently made the Spencer robe by Made for Mermaids which is part of their Lounge and Lace collection. This robe is perfect for boys or girls and comes with lots of options as usual.

Living in Florida means we don’t need a lot of heavy, warm clothes, but my kids still like robes. This one can be made from lightweight knit material and is perfect for warmer weather. If you live somewhere cooler, it can be made from heavier knits like fleece.

This robe is super comfy – perfect for relaxing and curling up with the electronic device of your choice.

Pockets are a must for any kids clothing item and robes are no exception!

This is the long length which comes just to the knees. The short length just covers the bum.

I chose to add the bear (so it’s got a panda feel for my panda loving boy) ears. There are also options for kitty ears, dino spikes, and a unicorn horn. If you don’t want any ears, you can just do a simple hood or skip the hood altogether and do a shawl collar.

The Spencer robe is also available for men and women.

Individually – $9.00 each
www.madeformermaids.com/spencer
www.madeformermaids.com/womensspencer
www.madeformermaids.com/mensspencer

Kids and Women Bundle $18

www.madeformermaids.com/spencerbundle

Women and Men Bundle $18
www.madeformermaids.com/spencerbundle2

Kids, Women and Men Bundle $27
www.madeformermaids.com/spencerbundle3

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.

Pattern Review – Two Free Tank Top Patterns

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I’ve lived in Florida for almost five years now and my summer wardrobe is still lacking in tank tops! I only wear pants and long sleeves for maybe 2-3 weeks of the year and yet I’m pretty sure that I have more long sleeve shirts than tank tops. This summer I hope to remedy that! I’ve had this Lago tank top pattern by Itch to Stitch for over a year and I’m just getting around to making it. I actually printed it out shortly after I got it and then….well, I never made it. So, while I was at JoAnns the other day I found this soft drapey knit that I knew would be the perfect tank top.

The Lago is a super quick and easy tank to sew up! There are five pieces of fabric – front, back, neckband, and two arm bands. I’m pretty sure that it took me less than 30 minutes!

The Lago tank is absolutely free – no code, no Facebook group to join, just head over to her site and “buy” it!

Using free patterns is a great way to learn more about a designer. You get to try out one of their patterns and the only cost to you is some fabric and some time.

Another great free tank pattern is the Stardust by Halla. You have to join their Facebook group and then read the pinned post for the code, but it’s worth it! It’s available for sizes 00-30. There are several free patterns listed there (check out their dolman pattern). This is another pattern I’ve had for a while and never made (are you sensing a theme here?).

This pattern will work with knits that aren’t as drapey – like this cotton lycra print that I bought because I loved it and it just seems so appropriate for Florida! I made this tank top, but the pattern I used wasn’t made for knits that aren’t drapey. So, it ends up looking like a tent…not really a flattering look, plus after I got it made, I didn’t really like the handkerchief hemline. It slowly made it’s way to the bottom of my shirt pile. One day recently I decided to find a pattern that I could use to fix this shirt. Fortunately the Stardust tank top is a similar cut at the top, but a little more close fitting so I can upcycle my new tank top into another new tank top that I will actually wear! Also, I’ve learned to really pay attention to what kind of material a pattern requires!

The first step is to to fold the front and back in half. I’m not changing anything about the the arms or neckline so I don’t want to take it all apart. I unpicked the hem at the center back and center front folds so that it would be easy to rehem when I’m all done.

Carefully fold front and back in half

Since I’m not adjusting the neckline at all, I just lined that pattern up with the neck binding. This meant that the bottom edge of the pattern was exactly even with the part of the hem I unpicked.

Line up the neck.

I lined up the underarm as best I could. When I straighten the underarm seams out, it almost makes it to the edge of the pattern. Since I’m not adjusting the anything until about 3-4 inches down from the underarm seam, I didn’t worry about it. I already know that I like they way this part of the shirt fits.

Lining up underarm

After cutting out the new front and back, they were still attached everywhere but the new side seams. I clipped them together and sewed them.

Clip the new side seam

After I got them sewed, I had a weird curve near the underarm where the old and new pattern didn’t quite line up. I redid my seam (purple line) to straighten it out so that it doesn’t look funny.

Carefully straighten out the underarm seam.

When I tried it on, I loved it! What a difference the right pattern AND the right material make! I’m already planning for make a couple more of these!

Enjoy your new Stardust tank top!

Hop on over to the Halla Facebook group and get the codes for all the free patterns!

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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.

*This post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure policy for more details.