Simplicity 8294

This is my second Simplicity 8294. My first one  is the version with the gathered skirt and cap sleeve. For this dress, I made the pleated skirt with the arm band. I knew I wanted to eventually make another one of these after my first. I love the collar and the buttons with the tabs is such a cute detail. When I saw this fabric from the new Rifle Paper Co collection, I had to have it! It comes in a navy color way but I just love the mint and how the colors in the print pop against it. I had a quick look through my patterns before ordering and knew this was a good choice! It works great with quilting weight cottons. Plus, I wanted something I made before and liked so I would feel confident cutting into this beautiful fabric!

I thought the blue chambray would be a nice compliment to the colors in this fabric and a nice change from just using white like my last one. I picked this up at Joanns and just used white buttons that I had in my stash. I used a regular zipper on the side as the pattern calls for. I do kind of wish I just used an invisible one, though! I find them easier to put in. I hardly ever insert regular zippers so they just don’t turn out exactly how I’d like them to. I basted it in first but I feel like it’s pulling/warping a little bit. It’s probably one of those things that’s only really noticeable to me. I don’t think I’ll bother trying to fix it but definitely making a note to use an invisible zip next time.

As far as fit, I made this before so I was pretty confident in making the same size as last time. It is a tiny bit more snug in the waist than I would like, though. So I may take a little bit out of the seam allowance on the side without the zipper. I also noticed that it’s a little tight around the arms, too. I made the cap sleeve version last time and didn’t have that issue. I have more of this fabric so I may eventually swap it out for the sleeve or make the arm a little bigger and sew in a longer arm band.

Mint and red is one of my favorite color combos so I love how it looks with my red flats on!

Overall I really love this dress, though. I see myself wearing it a lot this spring and summer. Don’t be surprised if you see me make another one of these!

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Madalynne X Simplicity 8228 High Waisted Panty

Over the weekend I sewed a pair of matching underwear to the Simplicity 8624 bra I made  at the last bra making workshop I attended with Madalynne. I used the 8228 high waisted panty  pattern with this DIY kit from Madalynne! I picked up some DIY kits (OK, four of them) when I was at Maddie’s studio. They are so great because they have all the fabrics, trims and hardware you need (in a pretty and reusable box!) for your project. Lingerie supplies can be difficult to find and this means you can spend more time sewing and less time searching for the correct elastic or stretch mesh.  

I made this panty in less than two hours. I’m all about quick and easy projects these days and this definitely is one! Cutting out was super fast since there’s so few pieces and they are so small. My advice is to use a rotary cutter and when cutting your lace, be sure you are lining up the finished edge with the correct side of the pattern. (It’s the long edge without notches on the side front and side back pattern pieces) You also want to make sure that your lace panels are mirrored. I cut one out and flipped it onto the opposite edge of the lace. Since you can see through the lace, it’s easy to line up the design. Then I laid the pattern over it and cut out my second piece.

I definitely recommend using a walking foot and go slow! My elastic ran away from me a couple times but it was easy to bring it back to where it was supposed to be. And speaking of elastic, you’ll want to make sure the scalloped edge of your picot elastic is on the outside when you are finished so you can see that pretty detail. You’ll do this by lining up the flat edge against your raw edge of fabric and then when you flip it to the inside for the second pass of stitching, the scallops will show. My last piece of advice is to cut the elastic an inch or so longer than the guide so you have extra just in case. I somehow ended up a tiny bit short and had to redo a leg opening!

I hope you aren’t tired of seeing my lingerie projects- there’s definitely a lot more coming! I also hope I inspired some of you to try it out for yourself! Madalynne’s DIY kits are such great way to get started sewing your own lingerie.

Simplicity 1325 – version 2!

Today I’m sharing another Simplicity 1325! I was so nervous about wasting this fabric, I knew I wanted to make something I’ve made before. I definitely wanted a Pinafore style and I loved my red corduroy 1325 I made last year. It came out just as nicely as my first one. I see myself wearing this over turtlenecks and button ups this season.

I added length to the tunic version on the skirt and opted for an invisible zipper instead of a lapped one like I did last time. I also didn’t put in the pockets and did a French seam on the skirt pieces.

I used this beautiful mustard jacquard with rabbits on it from Miss Matatabi. Both sides of this fabric are so pretty so the inside of the dress is just as nice as the outside! It was my first time ordering from this website and I was not disappointed! They carry all different fabrics from Japan. The shipping was fast and the fabrics I purchased are so lovely and a wonderful quality. I will definitely be ordering more in the future.

Royal Wedding Sew Along (Simplicity 8591)

Ok… so this dress. I’m obsessed. I came across this fabric at an antique center on Friday and the Simplicity 8591 pattern immediately popped in my head because there’s a version for striped fabric. I’m pretty sure it’s a cotton sateen. It has a soft touch and has a bit of weight to it. The colors and pattern on it are so dreamy!

I realized I still had time to enter the Royal Wedding Sew Along Contest so this went straight to the top of my sewing to do list. I cut it out on Saturday night, spent maybe 4 hours on it on Sunday and did finishing touches on Monday. I can’t believe how quickly it came together. I thought for sure I’d be racing to finish it by the deadline.

Now for the pattern… The shape is lovely. I made a size 6, graded to an 8 in the waist. I’m very happy with the fit. The skirt is so full! It has a front panel and a side/back panel on each side. There’s a band that wraps around near the bottom as a decorative touch. This pattern is so fun for a striped fabric. I took extra care to make sure I cut everything out correctly and tried to pattern match the best I could.

I’m completely in love with how it turned out. I only wish I was really going to the Royal Wedding so I’d have somewhere to wear it!

Simplicity 8608

There’s snow on the ground today but we had a few nice days over the weekend. I finally was able to wear my Simplicity 8608 wrap dress I made last month. Perfect springtime/ Easter dress. I made version A- a short faux wrap dress with elastic waist, removable sash, pockets and lots of ruffles!

Was it easy to make? The dress was easy to make overall- hemming all if the ruffles was probably the most time consuming part!

Pattern Adjustments? I added an inch to the length of the skirt. I wish I had enough fabric to add maybe 2 more inches. It’s a little short for me but definitely wearable.

Fit? I made the size 8. The wrap part on the bodice is a little big for me. I wonder if I should have made the size 6 or somehow adjusted the pattern. I think adding a snap will help a lot.

Fabric choice? I absolutely love this fabric I bought from Jo Ann’s. I knew I needed to get it at soon as I saw it! The flowers and colors are so pretty. I believe it’s rayon. It worked beautifully with all of the ruffles.

Anything to watch out for? When you attach the ruffle pieces, you need to do a gathering stitch along the unfinished edge. BUT you barely need to gather to fit! Don’t bunch it all up like I did only to realize I had to basically undo it all.

Would you make it again? Probably! I’m curious about the romper or jumpsuit versions.

Simplicity 8454

Hello! I made a Simplicity 8454 top over the weekend! I was in Jo Ann’s on Saturday and noticed they were having a 99 cent Simplicity pattern sale. I was so glad to get this pattern! I picked up two others. It was such a good sale, it was hard not to go overboard!

I’ve had a couple yards of this floral Swiss dot fabric (also from Jo Ann’s) sitting on my shelf for nearly a year and thought it would be perfect for this top.

I really love this top. It’s so cute and fun with the ruffles. It’s going to be perfect to wear in the spring. The pattern came together quickly. The fit is pretty good. I do wish I had a tiny bit more room around the arms where the ruffle is sewn in. The pieces didn’t quite match up so I’m not sure if I made a mistake while cutting, or what. I plan on making another one so hopefully I figure that out next time.

Today was such a beautiful, warm day. It made me so excited for spring and a spring wardrobe! I have a weekend full of sewing planned so I should be back soon with lots to share!

Simplicity 1325

Can you tell I’m ready for Valentines Day?! Today I’m sharing this jumper that I made. I found a cut of this red corduroy as I was passing by the remnant table at my local fabric store. I knew immediately it needed to be a skirt or jumper. When I was browsing the Simplicity website on a Black Friday, I found this pattern in the sale section for only $5. I had planned on making this for Christmas and even had all the pieces cut out. I never found the time though and just sewed this together last week!

The top is lined and features a deep V. The skirt is a circle skirt cut on the bias so it flares out nicely. The pattern includes pockets but I didn’t have enough fabric and I didn’t think it needed them. I also switched the zipper to an invisible one instead of a lapped. The pattern included a longer version of this (I added a couple inches to the tunic version), a top, a jacket and a pair of pants as well. I haven’t decided if I’ll try any of the other patterns included but I definitely feel like I got my moneys worth!

I am very happy with how this turned out! Sometimes a pattern just works, you know? Everything lined up and stitched nicely. I think the fit is great, too! I recently bought a new petite dress form and I definitely think that helped. My old one was just too big for my measurements. I put it on my dress form several times throughout my sewing to make sure everything was going to fit.

 

I’m wearing a pin I made from a vintage valentine and some printable Shrinky Dink paper. I have two different designs and I just love them! I made them a few years ago and I always wear them throughout February. I am so glad January is over and I am looking forward to spring now. Here’s hoping that groundhog doesn’t see his shadow 😉

Swan-derful!

I didn’t make many gifts this year so I wouldn’t get super stressed out. Michael really wanted me to make something for our niece though, so I made this little dress in a swan print flannel from Jo Ann Fabrics. The pattern I used is Simplicity D0848. This pattern has so many cute dress ideas with appliqué and a couple bags. I kept it simple by just using the basic dress pattern although looking at these pictures, I wish I had added Pom Pom trim! I know I’ll use this pattern again with one of the cute appliqués.

1940’s Overalls (Simplicity 8447)

I made overalls! These have been on my to do list for some time. I had the pants finished for a month before finally finishing them up a couple weekends ago. I was a little nervous to make them because it was my first time sewing with denim. I am so happy with how they turned out! I used a light-medium weight denim so it wasn’t bad at all. I definitely plan on making a denim skirt sometime over the winter so it was good to ease into it. The only change I made to the pattern was that I opted to put the pants pocket on the back instead of the front.

I have to mention this little fox pin. I bought it from The Woodland Fox on Etsy. It’s a handpainted wooden Ash from Fantastic Mr. Fox. I just love that movie.