Summer sewing--StyleArc Olive Spliced top

I think it's safe to say that I simply love sewing dresses.  However, you can only have so many summer dresses, especially when you only work part of the summer.  I am dedicating the next week or so to simply sewing tops.  I need them for casual wear and to wear with skirts or pants.  Today, I made this top by SA:



This is the Olive Spliced top.  You can make it in either a light woven or a knit.  I chose a white linen for my version. 

And, here it is!

I love this top!  It feels breezy and who doesn't love a crisp white top for summer?  

I love all the seaming on this.  When SA named this the 'spliced top' they were exactly right! 

Yep, the back mimics the front.  I chose to topstitch my seams, just because I really like to topstitch.

This is a great length, not too short and not too long.

Here you can see the neckband.  The directions call for the neckband being cut on the grain but looking at the neckline and how shaped it is, I knew it needed cut on the bias.  I wasn't wrong.

Thanks for reading and I hope you are getting some summer sewing done!

Sue

Another summer dress--Jalie Nikita

Hi all,

Summer has arrived in full fury and I decided to sew some clothing for the HOT weather.  The pattern I used is the Nikita Workout Tank and Dress.  I made the dress.  Here's an image of the pattern.  

I love the swing style, the racerback and the side seams that end at the front of the dress.  

Here's my make: 

This is made entirely of remnants from other projects.  I consider that to be a free project.  Right?  

This dress is so perfect in hot weather.  It was a high of 96 today with a 'feels like' temp of 112 at its highest.  

I used three fabrics from Stof.  These knits are so amazing.  They sew like a dream.  

I do like the back.  It covers what you need to for a racer-back bra.  It doesn't cover it all, but enough.  

Here is a closer-up of the front.  The bands are very narrow.  I typically like my bands a bit wider.  When I made another version, I will widen these by about a 1/2".  For Jalie patterns, use your full-bust measurement.  It works.

Here's a bit closer of the back.  You can see how the front panel starts at the back.

I can't wait to try the workout top!

Thanks for reading!

Sue

I made a Bra--that fits! Simplicity 8711

Oh goodness, I am so excited!  I finally made a bra that actually fits me and is comfortable to wear.

Here's the pattern I used: 

How sweet is this bralette? Simplicity doesn't mince words in their pattern descriptions.  This one simply says, "Misses monowire bra and panties."  

I also order the bra kit from here: https://madalynne.com/  So many fun fabrics and styles!  

The kit arrived in this sweet little pink box with more fabric than I needed.  It also was generous with the elastic amounts.  The only thing that there was only one set of was the o-rings and the sliders, a two-hook-eye combo, and a three-hook-eye combo.  Plus you get one monowire.  

I love that little ruffle at the bottom band.

So, let's chat a bit about sizing.  In the past, I've tried to follow the directions for sizing.  I've made either an enormous bra that wouldn't fit me with great amounts of toilet paper stuffed inside, or one that was too small.  This one, however fits!  I am just giddy about this! 

That little picot edge of the elastic is so cute.  Plus, I love the black lace with the beige lining.  Wouldn't this also be pretty with pink lining?  Actually, any color?

Here's a closer-up of the ruffle.  

And the back, which you can see how the ruffle ends up finishing off.  

And, lastly, a photo of the side seam.  I will be making more bras now!

Thank you Madalynne!

Sue :)

Yet another Harmony...

Yes, that's right...a third Harmony. Some patterns are just worthy of repeating and this is one of them. 

In case you are wondering, here is the pattern.  It is from StyleArc, a company located in Australia.  I am a bonafide SA junkie! 

This time, I used this floral coral print from Telio that I purchased at fabric.com.  

This fabric!  I simply love it.  I rescued a near flop from disaster by cutting it up and using it for this top.  Whew!

I really love how this top looks.  Those flounces!

Enough said, right?

For this fabric, since it's poly and doesn't hold a press well, I ended up topstitching the flounce seams about 1/8" from the seamline.

I had this cute little blue button in my stash that worked great for the closure.  

Thanks for reading! I am going to put this pattern to rest for a bit. I am sure you'll see more of it in the future.  Wouldn't this be a cute dress? 

Sue

A little summer sewing...StyleArc Ariel Skirt and Harmony Woven Top

If you've seen my reviews before, you know I am a SA mega fan!  I simply love their patterns.  I was so excited to try this wrap skirt called the Ariel.  Here it is: 

This goes together fast and is so well drafted.  Normally, I shy away from wrap skirts since they tend to be difficult to keep the goods under wrap when walking, but not with this pattern.  This one stays put!  

For my top, I created another Harmony Woven Top, again by StyleArc.  

I am so into flounces these days.  I can hardly believe it but I find them so feminine and cute.  Plus, they are fun to wear.  

Here's my rendition: 

We had a huge rainstorm over night and lots of fog this morning.  Enough of the weather, back to the outfit!

The only deviation for me was to make just one flounce on the top.  I like the double, but since I've already made one of these, and I am working on another, three of the exact same top is a bit much.

For the top, my fit adjustments were to lengthen from the shoulder to the apex, the bust curve, and the back between the shoulder blades and waistline.

For the skirt, I made zero adjustments. 

This fabric!  I purchased it on a recent trip to Baton Rouge to see my daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter.  I arrived back home three days ago and whipped this out fairly fast!

This skirt is so comfortable.  It has an elastic waistline for the majority of it with a flat front where the wrap meets.  Plus, check out the flounce!

Close up time!  This is the sleeve.  I love making narrow hems.  I stitch 1/4" from the edge, turn and press, and press again.  It gives me a very precise edge.

Here's the inside of the skirt flounce.  You can see what I mean with the precision.  

The flounce is also edge-stitched or top-stitched in place.  I love that added detail.

Like I mentioned before, I have this top cut out and have begun putting it together for a third.  I just really love it.  I am sure I will make the skirt again as well.  I'd love to have it in a solid.

Thanks for reading!

Sue 

More from Simplicity 8375--ripe for hacking!

One of my goals is to purchase block (basic) that I can adapt or design to whatever I want.  How realistic is this?  Not very but a girl can dream, right?  Here's my base pattern that I am talking about using as a block: 

How sweet is this?  Plus I really like that it's a bit more boxy than my beloved McCall's 8668.  

I recently made two tops from this.  Both are entirely different and equally fun and so suitable for summer!  Here's top 1: 

I found the inspiration for this top as a RTW online.  I didn't exactly copy it, but the styling is there.  

I hope to be able to take some photos of me wearing this soon!  Both fabrics were from my stash.  Up until recently (couple of years), I shied away from wearing yellow.  With the absolute awful weather we had this past winter, anything bright and cheery is so welcomed!

You can probably tell what I did by looking, but with the lace, I simply overlaid it with the lace, cut, and then added the ruffle.  I did roll hem the ruffle since that is what the inspiration photo had.

For this one, I obviously made sleeveless and then chose the scooped back.  Across the back, you'll see what I did.

I love tunics like this for summer.  So cool and comfortable to wear.  This fabric came from JoAnns.  I love the mustard-y yellow with the white and black.  

I just put a single strip across the back.  The neckline wasn't drooping and the shoulders were staying put.  I just wanted a little something there.  

So there you have it.  Two yellow tops from the same pattern that look totally different! 

Thanks for reading!

Sue

A little summer sewing: McCall's 7903

I love sewing for summer.  Actually, I love sewing for every season, but with our spring almost non-existent, there's something about making summer garments extra-appealing.  Here's my latest: 

This cute little top is loose-fitting with all those flounces!  Aren't they awesome?  I made view C.  I simply love the fabric I used.  The manufacturer is Art Gallery and this is a Viole.  It's light and breezy, perfect for a hot summer day.  

Here's mine.  I'm not sure this is the best use of this fabric, but I do really love the colors and the print.  I'll wear it a bit and see what I think....

When the pattern says this is loose-fitting, it is.  Believe it.  Typically, I try to size down but I wanted to try this as written.  I didn't want to mess with the flounces and how the hang from the bodice.

Look how wide these are!  Isn't that too much fun?

This shot makes me think this is not a garment for me.  I feel about as wide as a hippo in this top.

I really love that cute little back tie.  This really took no time at all to make.  I may end up altering it by making some waist darts, taking in the flounces, and going from there.  I did end up wearing this to church and received many compliments so maybe I am being to hard on myself.  

Thanks for reading!

Sue