Sewing my Stash - Solstice Wrap

So a big part of my sewing goal for 2018 is to "sew through my stash".  This includes my pattern stash, AND fabric stash.  Obviously "new" is always exciting and I can't cut myself off from any new purchases, so I'll be mixing new patterns and old fabric, and old fabric and new patterns to keep me on track!  Its my game plan for using up some of my older items, but still keeping me engaged and motivated!

I have had this sweater knit in my stash for several years now.  It came in a flawed bargain lot from Girl Charlee and I immediately fell in love with it. Its soft brushed sweater knit from way back before "brushed" was even a thing. :)  It was a 2 yard cut with a black streak along one edge. Still TONS of usable fabric, but I could never settle on a pattern to use it for!  I was scared to waste it, but I hated that it had been sitting unused for so long. Then one day, I saw a beautiful Solstice Wrap from Striped Swallow Designs that a sewing buddy made in a solid color and I realized that pattern would be perfect for this simple plaid too!  I had been wanting a pattern that could be office appropriate but still super cute, warm, and comfortable and sure enough the Solstice Wrap checked all those boxes!

I am glad I saved this fabric until I had improved my sewing.  There's quite a bit of hemming edges on this pattern... which I admit used to intimidate me with sweater knits in particular! But thankfully (thanks to my walking foot!) I've got that pretty much perfected and it was a breeze!  The sweater came together super quick and once I tried it on I realized it fit perfectly on my first try! that's what I call a  WIN!!

Now that I've finally tried out this pattern I will be making a bunch more.  I think it would be awesome in french terry and double brushed poly as well!

Happy Sewing to you!

Portlander Pants

Small sampling of Pinterest Inspiration

There are a bunch of beautiful,  floral wide leg lounge pants that show up in my Pinterest feed several times a day....  I have been absolutely swooning over them, so I took a little bit of time and fabric from my stash and made myself a pair using the Portlander Pants pattern from New Horizon's! (It was released prior to the name change, so you may remember it being from Terra's Treasures before she changed the pattern company name, just an FYI!)  The one thing missing from the "Pinspiration" pants is POCKETS!  If you've been following me for a while, you know that pockets are life and 90% of the time I will pass on a pattern if it doesn't have pockets..... Thankfully, there is a blog post on the New Horizon's website with a tutorial and extra pattern piece so that I could add some patch pockets to the front of the pants, therefore making them EVEN BETTER than the "pinspiration" pants!  :)

For my pair, I used a couple of amazingly soft rayon blend French Terry fabrics to make sure they are the most comfortable lounge pants around!  The floral print is from So Sew English, and comes in a couple other color ways as well.  The solid waistband is very lightweight, and ultra soft.  It is the perfect true "oatmeal" color I have been searching for!  I found it at Love Adore knit fabrics, and also grabbed a royal blue and black because one can never have enough solid color french terry's on hand! (or so I like to tell myself...)  These pants came together very quickly, and are exactly what I was looking for!  If you want to recreate these popular pants for yourself, you can grab the copy of the pattern here, and don't forget to check out the blog post mentioned above for adding the pockets!

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Please note that this post contains links.  Some of these may be "affiliate links" which means that if you decide to make a purchase I get paid a tiny portion of whatever is purchased, but at no additional cost to you.  Affiliate payments go directly to my fabric fund to continue the cycle of sewing up or testing more patterns so I can share the love with you!

Sew... What do I wear? Valentines Day Edition!

Hi All!  I'm super excited to be a part of the Blog tour for Made for Mermaids and Patterns for Pirates.  They're rounding up all sort of awesome Valentine's inspired looks for you!  So, a funny side story... today is actually my birthday, which is ironic that I'm doing a Valentine's post since my mother had been due with me on Valentine's day and I arrived 2 weeks early instead.  I legit held it against her when I was young for the LONGEST time that my birthday was not on Valentine's day.  Enter adulthood and having my own children, and I realize due dates actually mean quite little (hello little man of mine born 11 weeks before his due date!!)

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For my Valentine's date night outfit, I chose to mash the Mama Cassie off shoulder top with the curved hem line of the Mama Mya.  I purposefully wanted to keep it slim and fitted as my fabric didn't have good drape, and I worried if I flared it out too much it would look like a tent. I definitely will repeat this mash, and want to make one in a flowy material that I will make wider at hem, closer to how the Mama Mya normally is.

To mash the two patterns together, I traced the top of the Mama Cassie bodice pieces, stopping around the mid-bust line, then used my new curved ruler to easily blend down to the hem line of Mama Mya. I simply did the same steps for the back piece as well.  I also wanted elbow length sleeves, so I just folded my sleeve pieces between the 3/4 and short sleeve lines for that mod!

I had so much fun styling this top for a date night look. I'm totally a jeans girl, but throw on some heels and a sexy top and I'm ready to go!  I also paired it with a choker necklace because I'm absolutely loving that trend right now, especially with an off shoulder top!  Plus, I just so happen to have a choker that perfectly matches my hot pink heels!

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Be sure to check out the schedule to see all the fabulous makes from the other ladies on the tour! Everyone has such a unique take on this, I am loving seeing everyone else's ideas for Valentine's day outfits! The links to their blogs are all posted below!

Jan 30 - The Do It Better Yourself Club/ Wild & Wanderful/ SewSophieLynn/ Vinyasew

Jan 31 - Argyle and Pearls / Ma Moose / Red Stitch Blue Stitch/ All sewn up by Stacey

Feb 1 - All Things Katy! / Sew and Tell Project / Sew A Piece of Joy / The Kisses Co

Feb 2 - It's Liesel / Sewingly, Michelle / Stitching and Making/ Rebel & Malice

Feb 3 - On Wednesdays We Sew/ The Crunchy Mommy/ Margarita on the Ross/ Four Seasons and a Road Trip

Please note that this post contains links.  Some of these may be "affiliate links" which means that if you decide to make a purchase I get paid a tiny portion of whatever is purchased, but at no additional cost to you.  Affiliate payments go directly to my fabric fund to continue the cycle of sewing up or testing more patterns so I can share the love with you!