Y’all know I’ve been just loving t-shirt dresses. They are so damn easy to wear and convenient and comfortable and really just a never ending list of positive things. I’m really excited that this love might be rubbing off on Virginia! When we were choosing something to make with this gorgeous Sly Fox Fabrics double brushed poly, I assumed she would choose a v-neck top or a maxi skirt to show off the print.
Then she saw Sheila and said, oh, what about a dress. Y’all, my mind was BLOWN! And I was just so dang excited to make her first one from a pattern I knew would fit well and look lovely on her! Plus, I always appreciate when she picks patterns that are so quick to sew!!!
She has worn this one so many times since it was finished. I think I’ve seen her in this more than anything else since it warmed up here and we have the windows open. Pretty sure she’ll be rocking it as a swim cover-up. She has definitely already asked for more!
Since this one comes with the option of the built in full bust adjustment, it saves me time in giving Virginia a fit she is more comfortable with! Plus, this one comes with top or dress length, and a variety of sleeve lengths, no calculations or guesswork needed!
Even though winter is winding down (for us here in Atlanta. I know y’all still have snow north of us. I’m a tiny bit jealous.), I still want all the cozy stuff. Yoga pants (hint hint, coming soon), cardigans, slipper socks, and sweaters!! We have stores of french terry that I am ready to sew up and this is the perfect pattern for it!!!
The Roxanne sweater from 5 Out of 4 Patterns has a few fancy back options to choose from. Virginia and I both chose the lace up back because 1. Matching sister sweaters when you’re in your 30s are necessary and 2. I just learned how to do grommets and am obsessed. But, you can also choose a loop lace up back, a button up back, or, if you don’t want your back showing, a faux button up back. Add in a couple sleeve and hem options and you’ve got all you need to create your perfect sweater!
We picked up this fabric from So Sew English a while ago and it is DREAMY!! It is so damn soft. Plus it is a really lightweight FT, so it will be wearable for at least another month!! We grabbed the cording from Fine Fabrics and it matches PERFECTLY!! The grommets we ordered on Amazon and I have to say, once more, why did I wait this long to add grommets? I have been missing out!!!
One of my favorite things about this lace up is being able to choose how open the back is. Tie it a little tighter to have almost no skin visible. Nice and loose if you want to show off a little more. I love that it spreads and shows more with my curves too. And if you like the open back but don’t want to show skin, the sweater is loose fitting enough to comfortably wear a tank under!
Basically, this top is fun, unique, and was REALLY easy to make! Plus, it is $5 this weekend only (2/21/20-2/23/20)!! Grab your copy while it is on sale!!
Everyone loves a hoodie. They are cozy and cute AF. What’s not to love? There are so many options they can come with! Banded and curved hems. Oversized hoods, v-neck hoods, crossover hoods. Tops and tunics. And y’all know I’ve been loving the crops lately. Basically, a person can find a hoodie no matter what their style!
The 5oo4 Josephine came up for testing and I IMMEDIATELY loved it! It is the perfect not too tight, not slouchy fit. I adore a crossover hood. What more do I need? Apparently a crop hoodie. Peeps – I had NO IDEA I needed this. I sewed up a muslin and left the bottom band off and it was complete love. (Pic of this one included here because I love it! It is just a quick shot and I hadn’t pressed it yet. Also, this isn’t an actual option in the pattern. Also, if you like it, just hem instead of banding the crop length. It is like a secret extra option they didn’t plan to include in the pattern.)
Side note here, grommets are something I had never braved before. It was one of those things that seemed scary and weird. But I’ve been exploring different hardware and ways to add fun accents. NOTE – I used to just sew an eyelet on my machine to add holes for drawstrings. This was also awesome and super easy. Add what you want/can. Seriously. These are SO easy though! I grabbed a multi-metal kit from Amazon and went to town. I am ready to add grommets to EVERYTHING!!! I might go a little nuts. Someone restrain me.
After finishing my muslin (test garment), I was ready to not only dive into another one (or ten), but to cut into some very coveted fabric! I grabbed this heavy ponte in Natural Ash on pre-order from Sly Fox Fabrics and have been hoarding it for a while. But this was the PERFECT project to break it out. I added a pop of color with the cording for my ties and have worn this more times than I care to admit since it was finished. Which reminds me, I need to do some laundry so I can wear it again!
There are many ways to style a cropped hoodie, if you haven’t worn one. My favorite is clearly over a t-shirt dress. This was the perfect opportunity to make another Pamela, this time in dress length. I used triblend from Sly Fox Fabrics and, oh boy, do I love it! If you didn’t grab Pamela during release, what are you waiting for?!
Since the crop turned out to be a hella fast sew, Virginia wanted in on the hoodie action. She isn’t as adventurous as I am, so she picked top length and another Sly Fox Fabrics pre-order from our stash! This one a GORGEOUS Hunter Green French Terry. (I used this same color, from a different order, in one of my Work It posts and she fell in love. So we grabbed her some next time it was available. It is sold out right now, but you never know when they’ll bring it back!) I used wonder tape to sew her pocket and it is so much easier to do it this way! I use it for making sure my turns and topstitches are the right width and more stable so they don’t get wavy and for holding the pocket in place so nothing gets distorted with pins. A couple more grommets and a scrap of cording and Virginia has a fabulous new hoodie!
This one is fun, quick, and super comfy. Grab yours while it is on sale!
If you are a sewist, you might also work with the understanding that sewing and fabric shopping are two separate hobbies. Since buying a house, my fabric shopping habit has grown. Significantly. If you aren’t reading me here, a bit more bluntly – damn, I have a lot of fabric. Some of it I am saving for just the right project. Some is stuff I ordered online that wasn’t quite what I thought it would be. Some I’m holding for projects for other people (projects they are either waiting on me to have time for, or haven’t decided on actual details so I can sew). But there is sure a lot of fabric in my house. So this year, instead of using one pattern for 12 different pieces, I’m going to be sewing my heart out, using only the stuff I have in my possession already. (This is most of the fabric in my stash, but…not all. Clearly my organization is sometimes strong and sometimes terrible. Judge away.)
I’m sure I’ll be buying other fabric throughout the year, but for this series, I want to focus on clearing out some of the beautiful fabrics I already have. Bundles my sister and I are sharing. Loved pieces that deserve to reach their potential. Weird fabrics that I didn’t know what to do with. Every month I’ll choose something and give it a purpose. I might be breaking down a bundle to share with my sister or sewing something for other people entirely. I’ll be using patterns from across designers and sharing all the details so you can recreate any looks spark inspiration in you! I hope you enjoy this year’s version of Work It as much as I know I’ll enjoy sewing for it!
We are starting strong this month with a bundle we bought one of (why oh why do we always do this?) that we are both completely in love with. We had two yards of this sheer white with grey flowers (rayon jersey) and two yards of the lovely grey bamboo. This bundle is from So Sew English Fabrics and is so damn lovely. Both fabrics are soft and feel luxurious. I have to say the reason we were sitting on this for so long is that splitting two, 2-yards cuts between us was HARD! We bought this way back in April of 2017. Almost three years ago! Back when we were buying one or two yard cuts for most things. We have changed to buying two or three yard cuts so we have enough for whatever the fabric tells us it should be. (Sometimes it whispers, sometimes it shouts. You just never know until it is ready.)
Virginia and I pulled this bundle out, again (you can’t imagine how many times we’ve pulled this off the shelf to try to find what it wanted to be) and gave some real thought to what we could make with one yard each. Brainstorming was actually faster than I expected. Since it was an overlay bundle, I knew I wanted a tank out of the grey. My favorite tank pattern is the Strappy Cami from Rebecca Page Sewing. (Peeps! This one is a freebie for all subscribers!) It is the perfect basic tank for layering. Just fitted enough that it works under all my tops, but not so fitted it would double as shapewear. Basically, it is comfy AF. It is also super easy and quick to cut and sew. I love those quick sews! The bamboo is just so lovely to wear. And despite not loving sewing knit binding, it went so fast with this bamboo! Thankfully, Virginia picked the same tank, so it was a nice quick batch sew to make them both at the same time.
This leaves the overlay. What patterns do we love that I can get out of one yard each? Well, I had just finished sewing Virginia’s Camilla when we were chatting about this and it is one of my favorite 5oo4 patterns. Plus, if I go sleeveless and top length, I can sneak it out of a yard!! Decision made! I just love the drape with this sheer fabric. Camilla definitely highlights that drape. So, what does Virginia need with her yard? Well, her favorite shirt is the 5oo4 Jessie. Jessie has a sleeveless option that only takes a yard! BOOM!! All the decisions are made. We both have two new pieces that we can mix and match into our wardrobes.
Super excited to be starting another year of Work It and I hope you’ll join me to see this stash getting smaller all year!
I am loving the cold weather we are finally seeing! Cold for Atlanta, not cold-cold. But I am thinking ahead to those hot summer days and my more casual outfit needs. So when Pamela popped up, I just had to make one. Or two.
One of my favorite things about sewing is having a basic piece that is just a little bit more. A fun sleeve. An interesting neckline. Just something that takes it beyond the basic. Pamela is PERFECT for this. Just look at this sweetheart neckline. It is so cute. A little feminine. Super easy wear. Plus, so many options!!!
I’m rocking the crop (I just couldn’t resist making two!) that I have been wanting to add to my closet for a while! This sweetheart neckline is everything. I’m so glad it is a band, rather than a facing or lining. It takes an extra minute to sew, but is so worth it for not having that extra layer or a facing flapping out all damn day. If you’ve ever installed a classic v-neck band, this is just three of them. Really. A little patience and basting first, you’ll be good to go. (I’m serious about the patience. You might notice a slight pleat on my red one. This was my first attempt and I rushed it. Didn’t give it enough of my attention.)
Crop tops were made to be worn with these skirts. The navy is a simple circle skirt. I don’t actually know which pattern I used, but it is one of my favorite skirts. I blogged about the floral one here but it is currently my favorite skirt, hands down. I’m particularly excited about these crop/skirt combos as we get that warm weather. Cool, comfy, and so pretty.
Now Virginia. This woman can wear any damn thing. The sweetheart neckline is exactly what she was missing though. The FBA piece makes it so, so much easier to fit. She also chose the pleated sleeve and I adore it. Just a little pizzazz (yeah, I’m 100, get over it). She is rocking the tunic length. I might add a little elastic to the side seams to give her a ruched shirt, but only if she let’s me have it back for a minute.
Pamela comes with so many options! There is a scoop or square neck. There are short sleeves, long sleeves, bishop sleeves, bell sleeves. Or say fuck it and leave the sleeves off entirely. Crop, top, tunic, or dress. Maternity. This pattern has it all. And I still managed to make two identical shirts. 😀
All three of these tops are made with just amazing DBP from Sly Fox Fabrics. You know I love me some Sly Fox. This DBP was absolutely the right choice for us. I love the comfort and ease, plus it is just so damn easy to work with. There is a little structure to the pleats on the sleeves without being too prominent. I like working with it, particularly for necklines, as I find it doesn’t slip or roll too much.
Basically, I love this damn pattern. I recommend it to everyone who likes wearing tees that are a bit fancier. There will definitely be a few more of these in my future and I can’t wait to share them with you! Don’t forget to check out 5 Out of 4 and grab your copy while it is on sale!!
