Maritime Shorts by Grainline Studio

I love these! Mostly I love the fabric but the pattern is also pretty good. I had a lot of fit problems. My measurements put me in between a ten and a twelve and since my fabric was a little stretchy I made a ten.  But they were still huge. I took the back seam in by two inches and each side another inch. My hip to waist ratio is just funky I guess. Now that I know where I need to alter the pattern I’ll probably go down another size or two but grade the hips out to the ten.

I was also a little confused about the back pockets because I thought they were supposed to have a flap based on the pictures. They still maybe should?

Try to ignore the really messed up waistband stitching and look at the cute pocket lining!

Before I made these I read a few reviews that said the zipper instructions were a little confusing but I thought they were pretty good at explaining especially accompanied by this tutorial. It might be because I’ve never done one before so I have nothing to compare it to but it was much easier than I expected.

Moneta Dress

This is a new pattern from Colette Patterns. It’s a great knit dress pattern that comes with a lot of customization options. I will definitely be making this again but in a more casual fabric. I bought this fabric on clearance at Joann’s and I really like it but I want a dress that has more every day wear potential. I also want to try shortening the bodice about an inch so it hits at my natural waist more.

I love the pockets!

I didn’t have any trouble putting the pattern together or following the instructions but one note is that there were a lot of pages to print. I thought I had mistakenly printed out the pieces for every version but after frantically stopping the printer and double checking I realized there were just a lot more than I was expecting.

 

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And here!

Small Fry Skinny Jeans by Titchy Threads

I don’t normally sew pants. I haven’t found a leggings pattern I like and pants just never seem worth the effort for something you could easily buy. But these were so rewarding! I can’t say that I’m converting to all hand made bottoms but I feel so accomplished after these! There is a sew along on the blog that really walks you through all the steps and breaks it down into manageable intervals.

The pattern comes in 0-3 M to 3T or 3T to 12 and there is a free size two to download. I used the free pattern to see if I would like it enough to buy the full pattern and I’ve got to say I do think it’s worth it. For her size I think I’m going to wait until she needs the size three (and as you can see from the picture that’s a long way off) to purchase the pattern to get the most use out of it although you can pay a little more to get all the sizes.

The back is probably my favorite part. All the topstitching makes them look really professional. And I’m in love with the pockets!

The instructions have you topstitch the inseam which also adds to the the professional feel as well as reinforces the seem to make it extra strong.

Luckily these have an adjustable waist that uses buttonhole elastic so you can easily let them out if needed.

 

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Simple Pleat Skirt by Amelie Clothing

I was a tester for this skirt a little while back and didn’t realize that the pattern has been released! This is by Amelie Clothing and is the same pattern shop that I blogged about here.

I never think to buy skirt patterns because in my head they seem so easy to wing but honestly it’s so nice already having the measurements and proportions figured out for me. And then trying to recreate it (read: do more math) for bigger sizes is just not my thing. Especially with those pleats!

The instructions do a great job of walking you through the folding and pressing and folding again part and give specific measurements to make sure they come out perfectly spaced. It really spoke to my OCD nature.

And I really love how neat this looks from the inside.

This skirt has the perfect amount of fullness but I did use pretty stiff fabrics. Hopefully this still fits come July because I think it will be perfect for the 4th!

Parisian Top from Pattern Anthology

I was lucky enough to test the Parisian Top from the new Pattern Anthology collection a few days ago and I love it! This is the Just Add Jeans Collection and it’s full of things I could actually see myself wearing. My children’s to adult pattern ration is pretty rough so I’m really excited to start building it up some and make things for me to wear.

This top is for knits but the collar can be made with woven fabric as well. I really like when comfortable clothes also look good and this pattern fits the bill.

Close up of the collar and gathered sleeves. I was a little worried about the gathering here because I actually used a much lighter weight, almost shear, fabric for the sleeves and bands and wasn’t sure how finicky it would be. But it turned out fine!

The pattern was full of helpful hints and instructions that are very easy to follow. The bands on the bottom of the shirt and sleeves mean there’s no hemming and since it’s knit there’s no need to finish the seams, so it’s a pretty fast assembly. The fit was perfect for me (I made a small) although I added a few inches of length, but the pattern has since been adjusted to be longer.

Japanese Pattern by Ham*a

I love Japanese children’s patterns. They always seem so floaty and comfortable. I can’t actually read Japanese but this post has the pattern and instructions link that I downloaded the pattern from.

The sizing is obviously Japanese sizes but this chart is what I used to reference for converting to American sizes. Also the pattern doesn’t have seem allowances but the instructions give a diagram for adding them. The elastic at the shoulders was the only place that really tripped me up but I’ve actually made this once before so I had the benefit of trial and error. 

My first time making the shirt (my first time using a Japanese pattern ever).

The first top was a size 80 and at 8 months old it fit perfectly. This new one is a 100 and obviously too big! I sewed up the arm opening more after trying it on her and it fits much better but still has plenty of room to grow, and I can unpick those stitches if necessary. I knew it would be too big but I don’t know if I can bear watching her grow out of it because I love the fabric so much!

Look at the little lampposts!

Mathilde Blouse by Tilly and the Buttons

It’s finally done! I really wanted to take my time with this and make something I would actually wear. Unfortunately I’m not 100% sure I can pull this shirt off but that’s entirely related to my fabric choice and has nothing to do with the actual pattern. The pattern I loved! I’m definitely going to use it again with a different type of fabric and want to make it with the full sleeves next. And the pleats!

The Mathilde pattern was really easy to work with but what really sealed the deal were the series of instructions on the website. When you download the pattern it comes with a short list of instructions that do assume at least a basic understanding of garment construction. But the website has a ton of tutorials that lead you through each step with really helpful explanations and photographs.

There’s some weird static cling going on on the left side there.

The one area that I got stuck on were the back openings. I’ve never sewn them to be turned inside out before so I had a hard time visualizing it. I’m really glad I stuck with it though because it was kind of like magic and now I’m obsessed and want to do all my openings this way.

French Seams! Another obsession of mine.

I’ve got to be honest, a friend did tell me that I looked like I was in half a Blanche nightgown and while I don’t disagree with her I think that it’s mostly due to how shiny this fabric is and the fact that I gathered instead of pleating it. When I first put it on I thought it would look really cute with a pair of coordinating bloomers (maybe these?). It’s growing on me though.

I do really like it belted but my husband makes fun of me when I try to belt things. He doesn’t believe me that it’s a real “thing”.

 

 

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Rae Shirt by Refugee Crafter

Another nice free pattern available! The last post on this blog was in 2012 but there are a lot of old posts to look through. This shirt is a size 12 months but is really roomy and will probably still fit at 18 months and then some.

The pattern also comes with instructions that have color photographs of each step.

My favorite part are these little pleats. They aren’t as prominent with this busy fabric but I think they’re a sweet touch. Attaching the neck binding was a little tricky but the instructions did a good job of explaining it. If I were to make this again I might try to finish the neck with facings but I do really like the coordinating color the bias tape adds.

The sleeves are actually the 3/4 length option (it comes with a long sleeve option as well) but are still pretty long. They aren’t really long sleeves or 3/4 at the moment but the shirt still has a lot of growing room. One more note on the sleeves, I ended up having a sleeve that was a bit too big for the opening. The pattern didn’t address this so I just gathered them until they fit and ended up with more of a puff sleeve. I think it’s cute but I don’t think it was meant to be this way since there was nothing in the instructions about it. It’s entirely possible I cut it out wrong in the first place.

I didn’t get a good picture of the back but it closes with buttons all the way down. I wish I had gotten one though because I used cute little shell buttons shaped like hearts.

Tania Culottes by Megan Nielsen

I think the closest I’ve ever worn to culottes were ‘skorts’ as a child and I don’t think I’ve ever looked at a pair and thought they were fashionable. Until now! This pattern is adorable. These got in my head and I just couldn’t get them out until I found myself buying the pattern around 10pm and having to force myself to wait until the morning to start sewing it.

I wish I could tell you what type of fabric this is but I have no idea since I bought it at a thrift store. It almost felt like silk to cut through but is thicker like cotton. I had just enough to eek out a medium/large-ish size and to add an extra two inches to the hem. If this were a real skirt that still wouldn’t be enough length to chase a baby around all day but since these are really shorts it’s perfect!

The only picture I took while making these is a grainy cell phone shot.

The construction was much easier than I was expecting and the instructions were very clear. Before buying the pattern I couldn’t think how the crotch seams were hidden so well but had an *Ah Ha* moment going through the pattern. It’s really effective.

Don’t mind me, I’m obviously still excited by a twirly skirt!

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Geranium Dress by Rae

I’ve been wanting this pattern ever since I first saw it. I really don’t know why I put off buying it for so long and in fact this tunic is made from fabric I bought specifically for this pattern back in the beginning of Summer. I finally bit the bullet since this is also the pattern I want to use for a Christmas dress and wanted to test the size before I cut into the fancy fabric I bought for Christmas. I love it! This is a really nice pattern and even with the buttonholes was very easy to put together. I won’t use the cap sleeves in the next version but really wanted to try them out. And if I have time I’m hoping to use the bodice to make a little bolero jacket.

The bodice is lined with a light pink cotton to match the embroidered flowers on the main fabric. Side note: I ironed this right before taking the pictures but it’s linen which wrinkles really easily. Maybe not the best for baby clothes but I loved the little flowers. This might be the only time I show the inside of something I make. They don’t always turn out this nicely, although you can see on the right where it’s a little uneven. I lined the whole thing just to make it a little warmer. The lining is just a little longer so it peaks out the bottom.