Feels Like Summer
My first fabric collection is here!
If you are following me on Instagram then you know I recently released my first collection of designs “Feels Like Summer” now available on the Spoonflower website!
My collection features a few of my favorite things and colors for summer. Obviously I’m obsessed with watermelon and my plant babies.
One of my first makes with my own design, I choose Watermelon Skin in original and pink background. You can find these prints in my Spoonflower design studio here.
Feels like summer has a total of 11 designs (some smaller scaling upon request). There are currently 3 variations of Watermelon skin, 3 variations of Hot Plant Summer, 3 variations of Bouquet, 1 Like Water, and 1 Colorful Feathers.
This collection was created and intended to mix and match prints with each other. For instance, the stripes in the Like Water design share the same colors as the Colorful Feathers design.
Hot Plant Summer would look beautiful with any mix of the 3 color ways . The Bouquet print features a large scale bouquet in green background, medium scale yellow background, and small scale nude background. I think it would be fun to mix the large scale with the small scale for a fun floral project.
The dress
For my first project I went with the Mimi G Simplicity pattern 8639 and Spoonflower Sport Lycra. While sport lycra is most used for swimwear, I love to also create dresses and activewear with this fabric. I used a strong power mesh lining for the bodice portion of the dress and a lighter weight mesh for the skirt. Overall the dress hugs my curves very nicely if I might say so myself.
The pattern is very straight forward and does also include an invisible zipper and darts in the back bodice. I feel if you aren’t the greatest with installing a zipper on stretchy fabrics, you can opt out of the zipper as long as the dress will stretch enough for you to put on the dress. The pattern instructions do not specify but some seams need a zigzag stitch and not a straight stitch. You don’t want your seams popping when you put the dress on and if you sew in complete straight stitches, this will happen.
Mimi G has a YouTube tutorial per usual that you can also refer to.
SpoonflOwer Fabric suggestions
My top choice in every print is Spoonflower Satin! I mean why not satin? Satin is lightweight, smooth, sexy (slip dress season) and perfect for maxis, blouses, and as my friend Seweu likes to say booty clappers. Lol
Sport Lycra is my next favorite because we’re making all the swimsuits this season right? But we can also make all the activewear and dresses with this one too.
All the knits Spoonflower offers are a great choice, Modern Jersey being high on my list for color boldness.
Chiffon and Poly Crepe de Chine are also perfect for those flowy lightweight blouses, coverups, and dusters for summer.
The Lightweight Cotton Twill has won me over in the bottom weight fabric category. I have plans to make several boiler suits and jumpsuit with this fabric.
Cotton Poplin and Cotton Lawn are great for all those gathered, big, puffy sleeves we want this summer.
I love creating new designs so this is only the beginning. My next collection will be dropping soon!!
Please subscribe to my newsletter so you can stay up to date with new drops. I’m so excited to share this portion of my creativity with you all and I can’t wait to see what you create!! Thank you for stopping by and your continued support.
Happy Summer!!
Pink Cord
Pink Corduroy takes Flight
Okay, for real, for real. This isn’t ya girls first jumpsuit and it won’t be the last. It is however, my first flight-suit, so let’s get into it!
If you’ve been following my IG then you know I am no stranger to corduroy. Over the past two years I have created 5 makes with corduroy you can check out one I actually blogged about here.
GET INTO IT
I decided to use the Blanca Flight Suit by Closet Core Patterns. I have had this pattern for at least a year and it has been a year too long. I’ve made other jumpsuits but this flight suit is by far my favorite fit! While I choose a baggy fit for sizing this pattern, it would also be perfect for a more fitted jumpsuit.
FABRIC AND CARE
I found this pink corduroy at Hobby Lobby. It has a slight stretch to it and man can it hold some lint, lol. I’m sure there are proper corduroy pile brushes out there but I settled for a skin dry brushing brush I had on hand. If you’re not already aware, when sewing with and caring for corduroy, you shouldn’t press directly on the pile (you can smash it and that doesn’t look good and you can’t get it back). I press on the wrong side only and refrain from using a hot heat setting.
Pattern options
The Blanca has a few options you can choose from like zipper chest pockets, snaps on the sleeves, and tapered legs. I decided to add all three options. If you are on the fence and have never done these types of add-ons don’t fear, the pattern has instructions for them as well. There is a zipper facing on one side but I feel a front facing on both sides and zipper facing is a nice touch. You can opt out of front facing on both sides and simply add binding on the edge of the zipper for nice clean insides.
Customizing Your Flightsuit
Patches are a given when I think of flightsuits. When I thought about the amount of patches and flare I wanted on my corduroy jumpsuit I decided less is more. Trust me, I could’ve went overboard here. There’s no right or wrong way to the amount of patches you add to your flightsuit but for me, I wanted the flare to be subtle.
I purchased the rainbow embroidery design file from Etsy and I played with the sizing on my BERNINA. I wanted to stick with the patch look so I used scrap pieces of the corduroy to create both the rainbow and the goddess patches. For the goddess patch, I simply used one of the fonts on my 880 and sized to fit above the chest pockets. The patches have a slight fray which is the look I was going for.
If you are interested in seeing more behind the seams with my embroidery projects let me know in the comment section.
I used the hardware from an old belt and spray painted gold. You can check that out on my TikTok below!
Overall
Do I recommend this pattern? Absolutely! Difficulty? Advanced. Wearability? Until the end of time, lol!
I also knitted for the first time and made this hat but I will save that for another blog. Stay tuned and let me know what you think about my Pink Corduroy Flightsuit in the comments!
until next time,
Peace & Blessings
HEXY SET
What’s better than one? Two!
Hey y’all! I pulled out this Spoonflower Sports Lycra™️ to create not one but two of my favorites, swimwear and leggings. For the swimsuit I used the Closet Core Sophie swimsuit pattern and for the leggings I used a TNT Mccalls pattern (more deets on those here). I’m all for a matching set and I was inspired to make these two because I wanted to purchase a similar set from IVY PARK. Well them thangs sold out as quick as you can inhale. So I went to the drawing board and thought how can I achieve this look myself? And here you have…the HEXY SET!
Sophie Construction
This swimsuit was also an introduction to bra making (more on that journey really soon). Obviously you would need to create bra cups for this look. For me, finding the right cup size was a challenge. I still didn’t get the perfect fit that I was trying to achieve and I even made an initial practice cup that covered about 3 inches of my girls lol, but this will not be my only Sophie swimsuit this season.
I lined the swimsuit with a white Jersey fabric a bit lighter in weight than the Sport Lycra. You can use whatever swimsuit lining you like. My preference is always whatever will hold the tummy in comfortably. You will also need something to shape the cups. I used my tailors ham but I do wish I had something more circular. Maybe next time I’ll use baby watermelons, I mean they’re about the right size lol.
Sophie and WATERFALLS
It’s summer right? Well I’ve had this swimsuit made since winter and this Sophie was literally waiting for the right time and scene to make an appearance. My 1st water outing this season was this beautiful, nature filled hike to and even more beautiful waterfall!
Overall I love this swimsuit and I will definitely make another with a few adjustments to cup size and make the legs more of a bikini cut than full coverage bum. Tell me what you think about my HEXY Set below. As always thanks for stopping by.
Peace & Blessings!
Lush & Wild
Lush & Wild
I had the pleasure of receiving Katie Kortman’s Lush & Wild double gauze fabric in this beautiful print before it was released April 19th on Fabricdotcom. Click the link here to view the entire collection. Let’s just say I absolutely love these prints
The fabric choices include double gauze, sateen, canvas, and quilting cotton. The hand on the double gauze is a nice soft drape and perfect for Spring and Summer. After sharing a sneak peak of this look on my IG, this print sold out on the 1st day lol. But don’t worry they will print more and it will be available again soon.
Shirring
I had never tried shirring and with the 4 yards of fabric I had, I figured I could squeeze out shirring, big sleeves, and a gathered skirt. Luckily I was able to finish this dress with about 1/4 of a yard to spare.
Okay, so many people told me they’re afraid of shirring. I too was skurrd lol. But I finally put my fears aside after my friend Raven assured me that it wasn’t that bad. One of the most tedious things about shirring is hand winding your bobbins. I sew on my Bernina 880 plus and the elastic thread is too thick to feed through my automatic bobbin threader. If your machine can, then by all means do you. The great thing about my 880 is that the bobbins are jumbo size so I only used about 3 and a half bobbins for my elastic thread.
Please keep in mind the amount of shirring you choose and spacing will determine how much elastic thread you will need. I will say you will about 3-5 bobbins for shirring spaced 1cm apart and on an average of 20-30 rows of shirring should be enough. You want to be sure not to wind your bobbin too loose or too tight!
For this project you will need:
Sewing machine
elastic thread (check out my Amazon shop here)
all purpose thread
Binding or bias tape (for sleeves)
Lingerie Elastic 3/8” or 5/8” (for sleeves)
This dress is the By Hand London Shirred dress. It’s literally 4 rectangles. What you will need is your bust measurement x 1.5 and whatever length you want for your dress. For the bottom tier, multiply your dress measurement by 2 and the length about 20 inches (you can make this shorter or longer). For the sleeves cut two rectangles 24” long and 30” wide. You can find more in-depth details in the highlights of @Byhandlondon for this shirred dress.
I sewed 29 rows of shirring for my dress. My bust measurement is 42” so I needed more than the suggested 20 rows of shirring.
For the bottom tier I wanted an exposed gathered look so I did a rolled hem on the top and gathered by using my Bernina Ruffler foot.
I wanted a little razzle dazzle so I added this beaded trim I had on hand to the bottom hem of the dress.
I do hope you enjoyed this look and that you go check out the new Lush & Wild Collection by Katie Kortman! Thanks for stopping by and as always
Peace & Blessings!
National Flannel Day
Are you a flannel addict?
I didn’t realize how much I actually love flannel. So much so, I think it’s only right to make December 25th National Flannel Day!
I mean how many of you, your friends, and family were rockin flannel on Christmas Eve and Christmas? Errrbody, lol.
I have had this quilted flannel fabric for over two years now and finally decided I needed to bring it to life. On one of my IG scrolls I saw Mimi G’s throwback of her flannel bomber jacket with casual sneaks and shades and I remembered why I bought the fabric in the first place.
Let’s Talk construCtion
So I have flannel fabric but didn’t have gray for the cuffs and the collar…or did I? Okay, here’s a tip if you want to recreate this look and don’t want to buy the gray fabric like me. Hubs was literally throwing out old gray sweatshirts that were actually not very old at all and I looked at them (being the fabric hoarder I am) and said ummm I can repurpose these. So…I did!
There were vinyl lettering on some parts of the sweatshirts but I manage to find enough space to cut (in the appropriate stretch direction) the two pattern pieces needed for the collar and cuffs. This quilted flannel is nice and fluffy and it is definitely keeping me warm even in below 30 degree weather.
If you caught my previous blog then you will notice I also used the same animal print fabric as my Jogger Season bomber for lining (no fabric left behind).
To match or not to match? that’S the question
Here’s where some sewers may say flannel matching, HELL NO! I’m usually HELL YES!! The sizing of the flannel in this fabric is not too small where I feel I can’t pattern match but if it were smaller, I might rethink that idea. But guess what? If you don’t want to pattern match flannel that’s okay and that’s yo business! I managed and purposely patterned matched this jacket with the exception of the shoulder and sleeves seams. I tried but my eyes eventually said that’s enough honey!
Below you can see for my zipper install I stitched down one side of the separating zipper and then marked the remaining unsewn zipper piece on the wrong side of the zipper where patterns match. This helps me to eliminate pulling out my seam ripper because my prints aren’t lining up once zipped together.
I live for an exposed zipper and I had a nice gray zipper handy so I stitched a little closer to the edge than the pattern called for.
If you made it this far I bet you’re also wondering if I used a pattern? Yes I did use a pattern but I didn’t follow it to a tee. This pattern by Nikki Brooks of Beaute’ J’adore M7636 is one of my faves. I opted out of the cording and made the sleeves one pattern piece instead of two. I do want to add that if you have a basic shirt sloper you can achieve this look without this pattern. You would need to make sure the fit is to your liking (baggy or fitted) and cut down the middle of the front piece to add a zipper. You would also need to factor in length to fold up to create the waistband of the jacket and pockets if you choose. I like welt pockets for bombers but I didn’t want to make time to insert them this go round.
The jacket has a few seams and in my opinion can be sewn within a few hours (not including cutting). I managed to cut and sew both jacket and lining, with zipper install in under 3 hours but I was rolling lol.
I think this pattern is easy to moderate depending on confidence with zippers, pleating (sleeves), and cording (if using). I would definitely recommend it and once you try it, you will probably use it again and again.
I hope you all enjoyed this creation. Tell me what you think below. I’d love to hear from you.
Until next YEAR!! Bye 2020
Peace & Blessings
Fall Florals
Fall Florals
Who says you can’t be colourful in the Fall?
Greetings! It’s finally fall and I like to migrate my vivid summer colours all year round. So for my first official fall make I wanted to use this Telio denim cotton from fabricdotcom. I had to have it (I also snagged it in yellow). So what to make? I have 8 yards of this amazing fabric and the first thing I thought of was a jumpsuit!
I choose the Intrepid Boiler Suit by Alice & Co with the zipper and elastic waist option. What I love about this PDF pattern and the instructions is that it has a few different options for creating this jumpsuit. The main option is with an exposed zipper. You can also add a facing for inside the zipper and the instructions break down how. I added the zipper facing and bias binding to majority of my seam allowances for a more detailed look on the inside.
I won’t get too heavy into the construction of the pattern because I feel the instructions were pretty good. I did notice that when attaching the pants to the bodice there is more than enough space to make adjustments. I personally added 1.5 inches to the waist length of my pants because I have long legs. Even with adding the extra inches, I still needed to bring down the seam allowance for the bodice and pants seam. What I noticed for myself is, I needed a baggier fit in the booty and sewing based on the instructions, my boiler suit was definitely giving me more of a wedgie.
Tip: Until you see what seam allowance width is best for your body, this would be a seam to baste stitch instead of stitching at regular stitch length.
Tip: select a longer zipper if you’re taller so you can remove this jumpsuit easier for bathroom trips! I usually use a zipper 2-4” longer than what the pattern calls for. If it’s too long you can always remove teeth and shorten but if it’s too short…well, you’ll be upset you have to get a longer zipper.
I have made this boiler suit once before and have yet to wear it because I want to add bigger pockets for the butt (the original pocket do seem small to me). As far as additions and spicing this boiler suit up a bit, I plan on creating another version with pocket flaps, a loop to catch the the sleeves when folded, and instead of elastic in the waist try a tie belt. I hope you all enjoyed this look and I would love to hear your thoughts on this pattern. Are you jumping on the Boiler suit train? I hope you are welcoming Fall with lots of colour! Until next time,
Peace & Blessings!
Pink panther
Think Pink!
I absolutely love pink and I couldn’t help but notice my wardrobe was lacking in pink separates. So what do I do with this stretch pointe knit from Joann? Make a suit, duh.
My inspiration for this suit blossomed around January of this year when I saw Tracee Ellis Ross lounging in her bed, wearing a very similar pink suit with a t-shirt and heels.
In that moment I decided I would make my very own.
The Perfect Pattern!
I used McCall’s pattern 7876 to create this look. This pattern was very easy to follow and the pockets on the sides can be switch out for exposed pockets on the front of the jacket if you choose. I decided to follow the pattern design with the addition of two extra buttons and I lengthened 2 inches so I could wear the jacket as a dress as well. I considered adding shoulder pads but I didn’t like the look with my shoulders already being a little broad. I choose 1 size up from my normal size because I wanted the jacket to be extra baggy.
The pants for this pattern were not my favorite right away. After styling, I now love them. They also have a baggy fit and double pleats on the front. I was honestly confused by the directions initially to create the pleat but I figured it out. My suggestion for choosing fabric would be one with a soft drape.
I love the versatility of a suit and the color pink. I mean come on, pink is a neutral too. There are so many ways to pair and mix & match these two pieces it’s unbelievable! Here’s how I’ve styled them thus far.
Sewing time
I managed to complete both the pants and jacket in a total of 3 days. I dedicated 1 day for cutting out the pattern and 2 days total for jacket and pants. Keep in mind the jacket requires hand sewing for the lining and not much tailoring involved because of the baggy style fit. I would definitely create with this pattern in the future.
Tell me your thoughts on this suit? How would you style it? What colors and shades are you thinking of for Fall?
peace and blessings!
Beach Vibes
Beach Vibes
Summer vacations are here and always my favorite time of the year. This year I traveled backed to Punta Cana with my family. For this special vacation my husband and I are celebrating 10 years and renewing our vows! In typical sewist fashion, I had to create most of my clothes for this trip. One of my most favorite handmade items is this two piece swimsuit using my friend Katie Kortman’s Spoonflower fabric. Does this not scream CORNY RAINBOW?
let’s tAlk swimweAr!
First I have to share that sewing swimwear is not all bad. I will say if you have a serger that is half the battle. Picking your elastic is also very important. Be sure to purchase swimwear elastic. I purchased my elastic from amazon. Another tip for sewing swimwear is to use twin needles for stretch fabrics. The twin needle makes finishing the hems very professional and clean. While not all swimsuits need this finishing stitch, I think the double stitch is perfect for my two piece. I used a two piece swimsuit I purchased last summer for my pattern and added two inches to all edges. My old swimsuit did not have a zipper and the fabric is not as thick as this Sports Lycra so this make was perfect for a zipper. I cut straight down the middle of the front pattern piece and installed the zipper. The front top piece and the entire bottom piece are lined with mesh fabric. For the waistband I used 1 inch elastic. I attached the elastic after finishing my edges with my serger. I attached elastic at leg openings, waist of bottoms, and the edge of the top. An easy way to attach the elastic is with your serger (pull only the elastic while attaching not the fabric).
Where did I go wrong?
You don’t just sew your 2nd swimsuit ever without bumps in the road (well…I didn’t). My first mistake was thinking that since I’m sewing fabric I need to stretch, I also needed to use my stretch thread. Oh God…was I wrong. The stretch thread wasn’t necessary AT ALL! So after my thread broke while sewing for the 37th time I finally said to myself, why don’t you just use an all purpose thread. Well, I finally did and goodness I could’ve saved so much time if I just started with basic thread (talk about learning from your mistakes).
Overall I really enjoyed making this swimsuit and it fits me perfectly. This Spoonflower fabric made making this swimsuit that much more worth the hour plus of seam ripping lol. The time it may take to sew this look is about 1-2 hours. I plan on making more swimwear very soon and even considering a YouTube tutorial (I think I’ll take a poll on that lol). I hope you enjoyed this read.
Thanks for stopping by!
Peace & Love
Summer Makes
The Finish Line for a Vacation Wardrobe!
Greetings lovelies!
Today I want to talk about this pile of fabric I’m under and the race to completing my summer vacation wardrobe. I’ve only been planning this years summer vacation for the past year. You’d think I’d be done with all my makes for this getaway by now but…I’m not! A few weeks back I reflected on the pieces for 2019 I’ve made so far and I was really impressed with myself. But when it comes to summer, I have so many ideas and creations in my head I’m finding it hard to focus. There is no doubt, Spring/Summer is my favorite season!
This week I’m actually focusing on a solid plan and that plan includes…how many looks do I want for this trip? (or should I just be naked the entire time?), how many previous makes are coming along?, gotta make at least one swimsuit (I’m using Katie Kortman’s Spoonflower Sport Lycra), and the most important creation, my vow renewal dress. WHAT THA?
I’ve narrowed it down to 6 new looks and 3 oldies (but that is subject to change lol). Stay tuned for these looks! I love them all and I’m sure you will too.
Are you a planner for vacation wardrobe? Do you wait until the last minute to whip something fresh together for your getaways? Or do you pack for holidays like a minimalist? I’m curious.
Black with a kick
Black with a Kick!
Let me see those legs! Tis the season for sunshine and skin. I decided to create the high-waist shorts view of McCall’s pattern 7726. There are a couple of different ways to construct the pleating with this pattern so be sure to read the instructions and pattern pieces. I got a little confused with the shorts view (it happens).
I choose this black striped poly-blend obviously because I have a stripe obsession. The texture of this fabric is smooth and semi heavy weight. The fly on this pattern gives the shorts a very clean look and feel. On the inside of my shorts, I added binding to the pocket and waistband seams. You can choose to serge but I wanted this make just as extra on the inside.
I would definitely recommend this pattern and I will make it again. Next time I will make the pleats loose at the waist. I consider this pattern moderate (especially if you’re new to installing a fly and pleating).
Paired:
Jacket: Guess
Bra: Soma
Shoes: Aldo
Bag: Kate Spade
Fabric: G Street Fabrics
