Indiesew 2016 Winter Collection

November 19, 2015

By now, you've probably seen all the fabulous photos of outfits made up from Indiesew's 2016 Winter Collection. BUT!

In case you haven't, I have a few more for you right here. But first, feast your eyes on the fabulous collection Allie has put together:

So good, right? I had intended to sew them all up for the blog tour, but alas...life happens. My two older kids are no longer going to preschool three days a week, so I've had very little time for sewing/blogging! I do have a few things to show you, however.

First up is the Dropje Vest which I absolutely LOVE. I modified mine slightly to have patch pockets in the front. I also did the lining in such a way that this vest would be fully reversible if I wanted. Don't ask me how I did it though; it took a lot of head scratching and lots of seam ripping. :)

The gray fabric is sweatshirt fleece from Joann Fabrics. The lining is black thermal knit that I purchased in the LA fashion district. The patch pockets are Pendleton scraps given to me by a friend.

I love the look of this vest so much, I already have another one just like it (but a different color/Pendleton print) cut out and ready-to-be-sewn.

The hood design is quite unique, and the fit is superb. I made a size 6 based on my measurements.

Oh and the jeans are the soon-to-be-released Birkin Flares!!! (shameless plug)

Don't you love the threads on my jeans? Ahhhh, the plight of a sewing blogger. :)

Next up is the Bethioua top by Elle Puls which I have worn several times this week including one night to bed when our furnace was broken.

I love the detail in the back and the batwing sleeves. It gives a little something different than other raglan sweatshirt patterns out there, and it looks feminine with its shaping at the waist.

I made a size 6 so it would be oversized, but I probably would have been fine with a 4 which was suggested by my measurements. I also started with the relaxed cuffs but ended up cutting them off and narrowing them a bit since they were tooooooo relaxed for my taste.

The fabric is an amazing French terry (with matching ribbing!) from the newly opened Hell Gate Fabrics. It was a little pricey but totally worth the quality. I might be purchasing some more...

Finally, we have a pattern of my own design - the Syrah skirt! I actually made this one last year and pulled it out just for this post. My original intention was to dye it black (as it has become faded), but I didn't have time. So, it has a bit of a worn-in look.

It looks great as shown here with a basic tee (the Union St. Tee - not in this collection but also available on Indiesew) or any of the tops included in the 2016 Winter Collection. The pattern includes a short lining as it's written, but I could totally see making the lining full-length to make this a warmer, more winter-appropriate garment.

So what are you waiting for? Head to Indiesew to get your bundle!

Be sure to check out the other designers on tour!

Wear to Where: Pneuma Tank & Jalie Leggings (with Linkup and Giveaway!)

November 15, 2015

I recently had the pleasure of being invited to the "Wear to Where?" blog tour put on by the lovely Katy of Wild and Wanderful and Angelica of Gardening in High Heels. The series features fashion and sewing bloggers from around the web showing what they'd make and wear in various situations. As you can see, my chosen situation was workout wear. So naturally, I went to the crowded climbing gym on a Saturday morning to have my husband take these embarrassing photos!

For this look, I made the Pneuma Tank from Papercut Patterns in an x-small and the Jalie 2920 leggings in a size S (5'6", 34"-28"-37" as pictured). All the fabrics are leftovers from my short-lived activewear fabric shop. :)

The top is a perfect fit. The only thing I'd change is to maybe add some padding in the sports bra portion for some extra support and coverage. Ahem, it doesn't offer very much as you can probably tell in the bottom photo.

The leggings are a tad bit tight and low-rise for my taste. Next time, I will probably go up one size and add some height in the back. I have to admit that I was worried they were being stretched to a scary point while doing some of these climbing moves! Fortunately, there were no mishaps.

I was very pleased with the fit in the legs and crotch. If you've sewn leggings before, you know these areas can be tricky fitting-wise.

Be sure to head over to Wild+Wanderful or Gardening in High Heels to check out the other brilliant bloggers, sewists and stylistas on the tour, as well as be able to link up your own looks and show us what you would Wear to Where!

Now let's talk giveaway prizes for this tour!! For the sewists: Choice of 3 patterns from Cole's Creations, Choice of 3 patterns from Made for Mermaids, Pattern of choice from Patterns for Pirates, Pattern of choice from Scientific Seamstress, Sewing-tee of choice from Sewing Stadium, Pattern of choice from Simple Life Pattern Co, Pattern of choice from StitchArtFor the Fashionistas: Set of 6 cards from Designs by Nicolina, 30 minute Social Media/Copy Consult by Gardening in High Heels, Tee of choice from Handmade Escapade, $20 Store Credit from Jenny Penny Designs, Tumbler from Joy+Tren

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Casual Knits: McCalls 6886 & Simplicity 1071

November 14, 2015

Today I have a couple really simple but functional pieces to share with you. I made this top when I was pregnant with Finn out of boredom, and it was intended as a muslin since I wasn't keen on the fabric. It's a super comfortable and soft jersey with lots of 4-way stretch, but the bright colors aren't really my style. However, when I tried it on, my husband just loved it. I think he will always prefer a tight tee over my default oversized stuff! He also loves bright colors. So, it has entered into regular rotation in my jeans-and-t-shirts wardrobe. I used the ever-popular McCall's 6886 dress pattern and simply shortened it to a tee length. It can be a bit hard to find a nice, fitted tee (since most modern styles are more relaxed), but this design works great. I think that a lot of us stop wearing such fitted garments after having kids, but they can be very flattering as long as there's no muffin top spilling over too-tight bottoms! They're also a necessity for layering.

I made a size 10 which was one size smaller than my suggested size based on measurements. It probably would have been fine in a 12, but I wanted to try a really fitted look. I'm glad I went with the 10 and could probably do the same in the future for this particular style. I also added a neckband instead of simply folding under and coverstitching. You can see a tad of excess fabric in the neckband, so I'll probably shorten it a hair next time. I might also make it a bit more narrow.

The skirt is Simplicity 1071 and was almost completely overlooked. I purchased the pattern for the tops, but in my search for a knit pencil skirt pattern one afternoon, I pulled it out and ended up with this. I made a size small based on my size 12 measurements, but next time, I will make an extra-small to get a more fitted look. It has some drag lines around the waist as it is. I made no modifications other than using slightly wider waistband elastic since it's what I had on-hand. The fabric is a heavyweight ponte purchased at Fabric Depot in Portland.

The best thing about this outfit is that it's super comfortable, but it still looks nice. I was comfortable chasing after my kids at the climbing gym, but it would be equally appropriate for a casual office, I think. I also love that it works with sneakers or flats - both of which are in regular rotation in my wardrobe.

I highly recommend both patterns and will be sewing them many times again!

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