May plans (he, he) and another finished cold shoulder top

Hello everyone!

Thank you for all your kind comments on my two cold shoulder tops from my last post.  Since then I have been hard at work on my third version of Simplicity 8337.  It truly is a great pattern!  I can go on and on about it, but you probably want to see my finished top already, so here it is:

This fabric is another ITY knit, but this time with a mini-chevron motif.  I like it because it reads more "casual" than my other two versions, and I have a feeling I will be reaching for this one quite often.

Because this is my third time sewing this pattern, I used every opportunity of my son's naps in order to put this one together.  By now I can pretty much sew this top from memory, while only double-checking the correct seam allowances.  That was a nice feeling!

Also to note: Don't forget to trim your seam allowances off, depending on the view you choose to sew.  That makes a difference in how the neckline sits if you forget this step.

Overall, this is another love!   I have a feeling I will be rearranging my closet REALLY SOON so that I can accomodate all of my new makes.

MAY PLANS
I know this is near the end of May, but I never announced my plans for the month! How did that happen?  Well, I am not really sure, but you could probably take a guess at my theme for the month, according to all the tops I have been sewing.  It is simply to "put that on REPEAT."

In essence, I am taking ONE pattern, Simplicity 8337, and sewing it over and over.  So, I have already sewn View B, and I do hope to get to View A as well, because flounces are so cute and feminine, and on trend (lol).  To be honest, I really don't follow trends a lot, but I do like to dibble and dabble in them from time to time.

Also, you can find me on Instagram!!  I am pretty low key on there, but I will be posting updates on my progress with the flounce top on there.  So, feel free to follow me, and I would love to follow you all in your sewing journeys too!

Stay sew-filled!

Sew the Trend: Simplicity 8337 Cold Shoulder Top

Hello everyone!

I am glad to be back, and feeling a lot better.  And better yet, I am ready to show you my finished Simplicity 8337 Cold Shoulder Top:

Last month I got the opportunity to participate is Ms. Faye's TOPS THAT POP sew along. It ran for two weeks at the end of April, and I finished my top with the extended deadline.  I had a long list of tops I was considering, but at the last minute I decided to abandon my list and try something new.

 I love how it makes me feel SASSY! And every now and then, a little sass is good--it can spice up your wardrobe in just the right way.

Here are the details:

The fabric is an ITY print that I used from my stash.  It is one that I have loved a lot, but never touched.  I even thought about using it for another top, because I couldn't decide what I wanted to make from it.  However, it was destined to be a cold shoulder top.  And thankfully, I had just enough fabric to squeak this top out. 

I made a size S, and graded to a M for the side seams.  I wanted the top to be a bit more fitted around the bust, but hang looser on the rest of it. Also, I left off the trim on the front pattern piece.  I think trim would be cute if I make a solid version, but it would get lost in my bold print. Other than that, no adjustments were made.  

In terms of sewing, this top did not take long to make.  There were only five pattern pieces to work with, and the binding for the neckline and armholes is not hard at all.  A confident beginner could definitely make this with little issues, and get a stunning result.  

Now, I can sense the hesitation you might have with the obvious center front seam, because I felt the same way.  I wasn't sure if the seam would lend well to the print of my fabric, and make it easy to obtain a great match.  I was wrong!  Just make sure to pay close attention while laying out your pattern, and the rest comes together nicely.

When I finished this top, I knew I had to make another one!  And so I did...

Hello Lady Peacock! I love this peacock-ish fabric I purchased from Fabricmarts Fabric.  It is another ITY knit, but not as stretchy as my first top.  I love the end result, but am debating re-working the sleeves for a bit more roominess. 

Overall, I HIGHLY recommend making this top!  So much so, that I am making ANOTHER one, lol! I am almost finished with my third top, and look forward to showing you that one soon.  It is all a part of my May plans, which I will reveal in my next post.

For now, here is a sneak peek at the fabric:

Stay sew-filled!!

April "Minnie" make for my daughter

Hello everyone!

Happy May!

I am excited to update you on what I have sewn since my last post!!!  Ok, so that happens to only be TWO projects, but they are two great ones! Today I am focusing on my make for April--my daughter's overall dress.

I enjoyed sewing this project!  Back when this Ottobre issue came out, my daughter picked her faves, and this overall dress was at the top of her list.  Nakisha from Dressmaking Debacles commented "She's so cute and she's spot on about that overall dress - make that now!!!"  Well, I listened!  I began to wash the fabric, trace/cut the pattern pieces, and put this together.  My little bit chose the fabrics, and we thought it would be fun to mix in a solid color to offset the pink leopard.

Both fabrics are cotton knits that behave in different ways.  The leopard print has a bit more stretch (Denver Fabrics), while the solid black is more stable with little stretch and recovery (Fabricmart Fabrics).  I do not remember offhand what size I traced, but I did not make any adjustments.  My daughter is almost 8, and she wears the Ottobre size appropriate for her age.

Here are some close-up picks:

Once again, the superb drafting and instructions of Ottobre patterns shines through!  I absolutely love the facing of these overalls, and the clean way the front and back pieces join together.  Though there were a lot of instructions, it was explained in a clear enough way for me to understand.  I would recommend this for a confident beginner and up sewer.  

The BEST part of all, though--I attached SNAPS for the first time, lol!! And it was...EASY!  In fact, it was so easy, I now want to apply snaps everywhere.  Truly, I didn't know it would be such an easy thing to accomplish, and I am glad to have learned it.  I used the tutorial by Closet Case Files found here, and the rest was simple.  I already had the hardware kit for my Anorak, so I used the tools from that to put on snaps I purchased from Hobby Lobby.

A note on snaps: there are two types--spring and ring.  I used ring, but the downside to that is that the crushed metal shows through on the wrong side.  For a cleaner look, I will use spring snaps for my next project.  For this dress, it didn't matter much because I need more functionality than wearability. However, that is a good thing to keep in mind when purchasing snaps.

As you can see, my sweetie is one pleased little girl!  She wore this to school for teacher appreciation week because her teacher's favorite color is pink.  She told me another girl at school asked her where she got her clothes from, to which she responded, "my mom made them."  The little girl then replied, "Wow, I need your mom to make me one too!" Ha!!!!!!  That made me smile!

Not a day goes by that I am not elated to sew for my kids.  And this garment brings me a little closer to my goal of making projects for them too.

My next post will include my latest project, Simplicity 8337, a cold-shoulder top I finished for Ms. Faye's TOPS THAT POP sewalong.  I am recovering from a stomach flu right now, and as soon as I get pics with it on, you will get to see it. I look forward to giving you the details soon!!

Stay sew-filled!!