Chasing Coco

Hello sewing friends! It's been a hot minute since I posted anything and I think I have only made two new patterns in the meantime. Life was very chaotic last fall and I didn't have access to my sewing supplies! The horror! 😱 And since then, well, I haven't been in the mood. It happens sometimes. I recently finished the Aaronica from Made for Mermaids, serious folks, I know I started this in February at least because I had thought I'd wear it on Valentines Day because the small dots are actually little hearts. And here it is, April. Also you can see in this photo, where the bodice goes up a little in the front on the right? Yeah, that's where I accidentally sliced through it with my serger when I was attaching the skirt. Whoops. It was a bad slice too, over an inch but whatever! It happens! Enough about my slow-poke sewing, to business! Pattern instructions Overall the instructions here are good. The photos are clear. There is only one place where I possibly didn...

About a year ago, Annelaine patterns had a going out of business sale. It makes me sad when patterns companies close up! Though I will admit I hadn't purchased from them before they were going out of business, I bought a bunch of their patterns in their closing sale, after all it was my last chance! Though it does seem like they are still around, their website is still up? Not sure what is going on as I received many emails telling me I had to download the patterns by a specific date. If you want this pattern act fast! So far the only pattern I have actually made from this pattern buying frenzy, is the kids Firecracker Dress. I really love the cute cross back of this pattern! I would 100% have bought this in my size if they had it and made it for myself. Directions I am a fairly experienced sewist and a lot of times I can put a pattern together without paying much attention to the directions. However, make sure you read the directions and I would even say to read all of them before...

It is very rare that I buy a pattern during it's release but George and Ginger got me to do it twice this year! And I even made them both!?! That almost never happens but the Solar Sundress pattern was just exactly what I was looking for and magically appeared. The pattern has now been out for a little while but I have been slow to blog about it because it was a busy summer! On the plus side, the delay means I've now made it twice. Version 2 - pockets! Things I love about the Solar Sundress : Pockets! Under-dress anti-chafe shorts - I always wear shortties under my dresses, so these are built in! Built-in bra options Lots of fun options and variations - so many great ideas from the testing team! I have a super active and young dog-beast. Which leads to me constantly walking and sometimes running her around my neighborhood and I had been thinking that I wanted a skort of some kind. I want to look presentable for work and such but also for it to be practical for walking. I have a...

Does anyone else feel like all they are wearing these days is lounge wear? I have been working from home just shy of a year and while I sometimes wear a cute outfit or a nice top for video conference my day to day wardrobe involves a lot of comfortable clothes, including a lot of athletic apparel. With all the cute bras I plan to make from the new Switch it Up pattern , I want some open-back exercise shirts and thankfully, I have several options in my pattern stash. The first one I decided to make was the Good Sport from Ellie and Mac . I actually did a hack similar to this one a while back from their free tank pattern but I wasn't 100% happy with my hack so I grabbed the Good Sport. I chose this pattern to go first because I have made quite a few E&M patterns and am pretty reliably a large graded to an XL hip and I had this adorable bee print fabric from LA Finch Fabrics that I didn't want to ruin (see a close up of the fabric below, it's really cute!). I also didn...

Disclosure: I received this pattern for free as part of a call for testers of an updated size range; the original Heat Wave Hot Pants pattern was already available. As of July 2020 George and Ginger decided the pattern needed a little more work before it could be released. My size fit in the original size range, however, which goes up to 2XL. I do not have any relationship with the pattern company nor was I asked to write this post. The tester call was open to anyone. So I was not super sure about this pattern when I saw it on other people. Don't get me wrong it's really cute but these shorts are well, short and that's just not my preference these days. Now in my 20's I wore like .5" inseam shorts but now I wear 3.5" inseam shorts. Since it was COVID era, I had plenty of time and frankly I needed some shorts, I joined the test anyway! Really, they aren't as short as I thought they'd be! Probably, they look different on different people's bodies or ...

Well somehow we have made it to summer and while a lot of the pools are closed, I know two little girls who are living their best summer life right now. Quarantining with their grandparents, who live next to a river, where there are plenty of swimming opportunities. Meanwhile my neighborhood pool is closed and my husband offered to spray me with the hose as I run around the yard. So, plenty of swimwear needs all around! So this cute lobster print seemed destined to become Cape Cod swimsuit  from Ellie and Mac for both of them (affiliate link). The fabric came from LA Finch Fabrics and I have a lot of it, so you'll be seeing something else made from it in the future! These were supposed to be 4 of July gifts...that's not a thing but I am a gifting Aunt and it was around the 4th of July. However, due to some COVID related complications, I haven't had a chance to hand these suits off yet! Which means, I don't know how well they will fit them yet. Lately they have been fitt...

As my sewing efforts have evolved, I have aimed to sew what I need to wear more and less to learn new things about sewing and garment construction (though it still sometimes happens). This has led me to sew things like underwear and cardigans which I used to always buy. I am a person who is cold 90% of the time, so I am a person who needs cardigans! I have made a couple of M6996 this year and the Chapman cardigan from Ellie & Mac is somewhat similar but it doesn't have a fold down neck and it has pockets❣❣❣ Otherwise and for the construction, they are not that different. I used an animal print rayon spandex from Olga's closet for the main fabric and the black is a lovely thick double brushed poly from LA Finch Fabrics. Changes I made As normal, I graded from a large bust to an XL waist/hip. I made the longer tunic length cardigan with long-sleeves for this first version. Of course, I also used the optional pockets. The only thing I really changed was, I ...

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...

Hello sewing friends! I have been sewing up a storm but blogging about it has taken a back seat, I have a lot of new projects and some past ones, that I can update with more photos of new versions. Stay tuned for more! Today, I'm going to give you the low-down on Ellie and Mac's popular South Shore Romper . I was really slow to warm to this pattern, despite it looking cute on everyone! I made it last year for the first time with a lot of enthusiasm but I HATED the outcome of mine but people kept posting cute ones online over and over again so I finally decided to give it another try. It might not have happened if we hadn't been under a shelter-in-place order for the last month because of the COVID-19 outbreak; it's amazing how much sewing I can get done when basically all socializing is cut off. When I go back to work, I will probably have a month's worth of new outfits to wear. So this was my horrible version from last year...sorry for the bathroom mirror s...