Chasing Coco

Final product - 40k Sway George and Ginger Patterns gave the 40k Sway pattern away to celebrate having 40,000 members in their Facebook group. Look at how cute that neckline is? Of course I had to make this super cute freebie. As an extra bonus, there are directions for making a functional placket opening or faux opening. I opted for the faux placket because it's marginally easier and I have no reason that I need the opening to work but if you needed access to a port or to breastfeed, this top design would be great! I measure a size L12 (full bust 38") but I was at the top of the size range and worried it wouldn't fit in my arms so I decided to go up to an L14 and graded out to an XL16 hip. I checked my fabric stretch before sewing it as I was using a French Terry which is not always very stretchy. My fabric had 50% horizontal stretch and minimal vertical stretch (maybe 10%); the pattern says it needs 50% 2-way stretch so I thought I would be fine. Um.....no....It was way...

I have been obsessed with the George and Ginger Lovesick Bralette {now called the Little Black Bra} for the last few weeks. I have made 3   5  a million of them in these past few weeks! I've been sewing up a storm during the Shelter-in-Place orders from COVID-19 and thee bralettes have been perfect to wear when lounging around or working from home. This is the first and at this point, the only bra I have ever made. This pattern was really attractive to me because I didn't need any special supplies, I could make it from fabric I already had. I actually made all of these from swim/athletic knit scraps I had left over. Also, it's a free pattern! If you go the the George and Ginger Facebook group , you can download the pattern for free. It's available in sizes 29AA-48E. Since I used swim fabric, I could also wear these as swimsuit tops. I might make some solid black swim bottoms so I can wear whatever tops I feel like wearing. Pattern tips I never print my patterns...

You know those little cardboard sleeves for your coffee cup at Starbucks? You can easily make your own reusable, eco-friendly and cute version! This pattern is also adjustable if you order different sizes or can accommodate your own special mugs. It's also a great way to use cotton scraps as it only requires a small strip of fabric for the exterior, interior and interfacing. Download the free pattern template here . You'll need: small piece of interior fabric small piece of exterior fabric (can be the same if you choose) lightweight fusible interfacing matching thread 1 button (size isn't too strict but not too small, I'd say bigger than 1/4in) 3 inches of 1/8in elastic tailor's chalk A cutting mat and rotary cutter are helpful but not required After you cut out your the template and choose your fabrics, cut 1 of each fabric (interior and exterior) and 2 fusible interfacing. You'll need to mark where you want your button needs to go. Normally ...

I first encountered the lady hood rockers pattern from Mammahooch2 in a Facebook sewing group. I love seeing other people's makes, it gives so much inspiration. Since I speak German I thought it would be a fun challenge to sew a German pattern! This one was so simple to put together and with so many pictures, you can easily sew it up based on those and a little help from Google translate if needed :) Originally, I wanted to make the hoodie version, Lady Hood Rockers but realized that I didn't have enough fabric for a hood. I also inadvertently made it the full dress length, not realizing the hoodie was an add on to the previous dress version . I'm sure this would have been clear if my German was better. I leaned it to this and finished the neckline with a band and made it a dress. Sometimes I try to make a top and get a dress, it happens. A little bit of an '80s vibe! I made it with this fun feather print from fabric.com . The white turned out to be a little tra...

I was feeling a little like I needed a sewing palate cleanser. I was in the middle of making a jumpsuit (pattern review coming soon!) and just couldn’t bring myself to work on it. Rather than sew nothing, I thought I’d make myself a simple raglan shirt. Basics aren’t always the most exciting thing to sew but we all need them in our wardrobe. I had pinned the raglan tee from It’s Always Autumn some time ago. It is a free pattern and only available in a size large, which happens to be my size. If it’s not yours, you can grade up/down but it’s probably easier in this case to find a raglan pattern that’s size appropriate (raglans are quite simple, it's easy to find a pattern/tutorial). Since, it’s a free pattern it’s not the same as a commercial pattern. If you are used to that, you might be disappointed (but it’s FREE). I had a little trouble putting the PDF pages together, because I didn’t have the website up at the time to see the overall image of the pattern and there aren’t a...