Chasing Coco

Around Christmas Ellie & Mac was having a big pattern sale and I picked up a few of their patterns. I hadn't made any of their patterns before, but they were cute and modern so I thought I'd give them a whirl. Their patterns are very reasonably priced for an indie designer and they have regular sales so I can definitely see myself buying more in future....I bought five at Christmas so, it'll take me a bit to sew these up! Ellie & Mac has a very inclusive size range, which is a really nice feature and makes me want to support them more. I'm shocked when my hip size is the largest offered. I'm a RTW size 12! Hello? Women come in a lot of sizes and shapes! Grading between sizes is much easier when there is a big range to blend among. I started with the " Favorite Sweater " pattern, kind of a presumptuous name huh? It's an off-the-shoulder pattern with an option for a cowl neck or band and a curved hem or band. It needs a 50% 4-way stre

McCall's 7621 would make the perfect summer dress and in the right fabric, would be great for wearing to a wedding.  I made it because I ordered some new fabric and realized that I still hadn't used...any...of the fabric I had ordered about a month prior. Whoops. I made view D with sleeve option B. I was planning to make view D out of a sparkly knit that I had but at the last minute I decided to use a floral Liverpool knit and thought the flouncy sleeve (sleeve B) would be more appropriate for this summery fabric. I might make it in the sparkle fabric as a straight view D in the future, that would make a cute party dress. Alterations Based on the size chart, I graded from size large at the bust to x-large for the hip size but then it ended up being a little big in the waist/hip when sewn and I had to take it back in a smidgeon. I would probably be ok with a straight size large. See that weird bulky area? That's basically where I graded out, and it was sticking ou

You know how it is when you are just about to leave for a vacation and suddenly decide you absolutely need a swimsuit cover up? You start hunting you stash for suitable fabric and patterns to see what you can whip up while your husband watches your craziness and prays you don't ask for his opinion. That frantic search led me to make Simplicity 8333 to wear over my swimsuit for our recent vacation to Costa Rica! and yes, I did ask my husband's opinion, to his dismay. 😃 I decided to make view B (romper) with the shorter sleeves seen in view C.  Unfortunately, the options for fabric in my stash were somewhat limited (clearly, I need to do some shopping) but I went with the best option and chose a plumb cotton knit. I have no idea where or when I purchased this fabric but I seem to recall I had it in mind for a maxi skirt originally, which meant I had the needed yardage. I also felt I could wear this as a casual outfit also in the summer since it wasn't sheer,