Angela Wolf Ruched Tee

Lately, I've been having a hard time feeling inspired. We're busy, and with summer vacation here, my sewing time is extremely limited, but I ran across some YouTube videos recently by Angela Wolf, which led me to her Facebook group, which resulted in this top. Sometimes inspiration takes roundabout paths, and you just have to go along for the ride.

This is the Ruched Tee by Angela Wolf Patterns. I know, I have a zillion basic tee patterns, but every time I pulled one out, I just didn't want to sew it. And I really DID want to sew this one! I have no regrets.

The skinny on this pattern - it's a fitted scoop neck tee with sleeve and collar options. Since this was my first time sewing it, I went with the simplest options, which were a short sleeve and a narrow banded neckline.

Isn't that a lovely neckline? Wider bands can be troublesome sometimes, but this one lays nice and flat. Of course, I couldn't leave well enough alone, so I added a band to the sleeve hem as well, for a ringer tee look. Me likey.

The shaping is nice through the back, and the neckline hugs the back neck perfectly. I really like the finished length as well. I find it very flattering, but also allows easy back pocket access. Essential for me, as that's where I generally stick my phone.

Of course, it wouldn't be called a ruched tee if there wasn't ruching! The pattern includes options for ruching either or both side seams, as well as the longer sleeve lengths. The instructions were really fantastic. This is my first Angela Wolf pattern, but I was so impressed by the pattern quality that I've already ordered her jeans pattern as well. The instructions are in a lovely spiral bound notebook, and the pattern is printed on really nice quality paper. It was a pleasure to use!

This fabric has been in the stash so long I can't recall when I bought it, but it had a fabricmart sticker on it. It's a lightweight rayon lycra with a perfect drape for this top. The bands are a pink rib knit that perfectly match the teeny pink polka dots. I'm pretty sure it's from Chez Ami. I miss their fabric!

So, the verdict? This pattern is a huge win! I will definitely be making it again. There is a cowl neck option! Y'all, I love a cowl neck! And I can't wait to get my jeans pattern. I do love making jeans. You know, sometimes sewing inspiration can be tough to find. I'm glad my random path led me here. Back to the sewing machines!

Jalie Eleonore and Yoko, a match made in heaven!

So, y'all probably have noticed by now that I'm a bit of a Jalie fangirl. I sew their patterns a lot for everyone in my family, and I have always been happy with my results.

So, when Jalie released the Yoko top for FREE, naturally I was quick to download it!! And then I sat on it, because I just haven't had the time to sew that I wish I had.

But then I made a pair of Eleonores in basic black, because everyone needs black pants, right? I've made quite a few pairs of these (see here), so I won't go into great detail about them, but I did do a few fun things...

Rainbow metallic unicorn and dragon pockets were a must! I love fun back pockets, even on "basic" black pants.

I also added real pockets to the front. The pattern is drafted with a faux pocket, which is kind of a pain to sew, and also irritates me every time I try to put my hand in it. Now they are real pockets! Jalie offers an add-on to the pattern, if you want your own front pockets. I drafted them myself though.

But this blog post is about the Yoko! Did I mention it's a free pattern?! Go download it! It's a basic loose fitting tee with a dropped shoulder, long sleeves and a turtleneck. It's a super quick sew!

I made mine out a a nice, slinky ITY jersey. I love how it flows when I wear it! I've seen it made out of pretty much every knit imaginable, and it always looks awesome.

I did make on wee alteration to mine - I just can't leave well enough alone. Since I was planning to wear it with skinny jeans, I wanted more of a tunic look, so I added 2 inches to the length in front and 4 inches in back. When I sewed the side seams, I left the last couple of inches open as a vent. The top is loose enough that I don't need it for ease, but I like the look.

You can see it here as well. Another feature I love about this top is the sleeve. It's nice and long, but snug enough that I can push it up to get a 3/4 sleeve look as well.

I may have started out to sew basic pants, but I don't think I ended up with anything basic at all! I love this outfit, and feel like a total rock star in it!

Jalie mashup swim tank

It's that time of year again! School is out in a few days and my kids are looking forward to lots of swim, sun and playing outside. Logan needed new swim togs this year, and while he found some cool Minecraft trunks he liked, we came up empty for a top.

Mom to the rescue. Logan specifically wanted a tank top, not a sleeveless shirt. And I wanted it to be wicking polyester so it would dry quickly and be comfortable in the heat. Neither requirement was an easy one...

The fabric turned out to be the least challenging. After searching at my usual favorite spots and coming up empty, I just did a Google search and found an impressive line of wicking jersey at Wazoodle. They had a range of colors and weights to pick and choose from. I went with the classic Minecraft color scheme of black and green. Shipping was fast and the quality is excellent, so I'll be shopping there again.

The larger challenge was the pattern. Boys tank top patterns fizzle out after the toddler sizes and Logan isn't quite big enough for mens sizing yet. Even Ottobre failed me! Logan was very specific about wanting a tank top and not just a sleeveless shirt. So, I had to get a little creative. I decided to start with the ladies racer back tank by Jalie (3245). But since it has decidedly feminine lines, I used the Jalie Nico raglan tee to get a more masculine shape, blending the two patterns together at the underarm. And since I was hacking up a couple of patterns anyway, I decided to do some color blocking and add mesh side panels for comfort. All in a day's work.

Logan is very happy with it. He loves the way it looks and fits and says it is very comfortable. I even got a hug from my not physically demonstrative boy. I think as I look at him that the armhole could be slightly lower, but really, it's a pretty good fit.

The fit through the back is pretty good though, and it looks well proportioned overall.

On the side, I added 4 inch wide panels of athletic mesh - the sort with large holes that jerseys are made of. It gives the tank some more breathability as well as a cool sporty look. I also color blocked the front and back with green on the lower 6 inches of the tank, and used the same green jersey for the neck and armhole bindings.

I got my Cricut in on the party for some finishing touches with a creeper face and Minecraft logo. I used a silicone HTV that has a slick feel. It's a cool texture that goes with water play well. I also coverstitched all the seams, both for a touch of contrast stitching, and to be sure the insides were nice and soft. No itchy seams!

It was a little more patternwork than I have been doing lately, and it was nice to use that part of my brain. Logan loves his tank, so that's the most important thing. I had fun making it, too.

McCalls 6794 top and some Eleonore jeans

I love a quick knit top, which is probably why my dresser is full of them, but there is just something a little classier about a top made from a woven fabric. It stops being "just a tee shirt" and, even in a casual, easy wearing style, becomes something a little nicer.

This top is McCalls 6794, which is sadly now OOP. When I bought the pattern, I was so excited about it, but something kept getting in the way of sewing it. I'm glad I finally did. It's darn cute and comfortable!

I made view C, which the model on the envelope is wearing. It features a high-low hemline, cut on, dropped sleeves and a bias faced neckline. The pattern utilizes a contrast fabric for the midriff panel and ties, but I thought there was enough going on with my print and used self fabric.

From the back, you can see the hemline a little better. The fitting in this top is all achieved by the waist tie and the front gathering. It's got a LOT of ease - I sewed 2 sizes smaller than called for by my measurements and made no alterations for my full bust. There's plenty of room for the girls in all that gathering.

My fabric is a polyester charmeuse that has been in my stash long enough that I've forgotten its origins. I likely bought it intending to use it for lining, as I rarely use poly charmeuse for garments, but it does have an excellent drape for this top, and gathers well without adding bulk. For this top, you definitely need a lightweight fabric with plenty of drape! Rayon challis, silk charmeuse or chiffon, or even a lightweight voile would work well.

So, I finished my top, so proud of myself for having used both stash fabric and pattern, and realized that I didn't have anything to wear it with. This shape doesn't really work with my flared jeans and all my skinny jeans were printed or bright colors.

So, I whipped out my trusty Jalie Eleonore pattern and some Ralph Lauren denim I got at Mood a couple of years ago and made some skinny jeans.

I won't talk more about the Eleonores - I love this pattern and I've made it several times - but I am glad this top pushed me to finally make a pair in regular denim. I mean, as regular as I ever get, you know. The denim is shot with gold threads... Because that's how I roll.

Ottobre 03/2014-16 sparkle tee!

My sassy girl recently outgrew her entire tee shirt drawer (conveniently timed for Top Month!), and there was much weeping and wailing as I "made" her get rid of many of her favorites. I told her to choose a few for me to recreate for her. One of those was a RTW Old Navy top that I had added HTV to. It was a beige shirt printed with gold stars all over it, and I really wasn't sure I would be able to recreate it. Where was I going to find the fabric?!

FabricMart came to my rescue with this grey/silver version that Myra just loves. Whew! I was afraid I was going to have to cut a zillion tiny foil stars. That would have been not so fun...

The original shirt had long sleeves and a gathered neckline. Myra requested short, puffed sleeves, since we live in the South and it's hot here. We found a perfect pattern in the 03/2014 issue of Ottobre. The original was designed for striped knits and to be cut on the bias for a diagonal stripe, but I didn't need that, so we cut it on the grain instead. Otherwise I didn't change the pattern at all. It's a really nice basic tee.

The neckline is a nice high scoop, gathered with clear elastic and bound with self fabric. Those stars gave my coverstitch binder a wee bit of trouble, but they sure look nice. The sleeves are puffed just at the cap and hemmed.

The top came in two lengths and I sewed the longer one, in the hopes that Myra will be able to wear it for more than 5 minutes. She's growing so fast these days!

At Myra's request, I replicated the decal on the original top, this time with silver glitter instead of gold. We do love to sparkle around here! I was so happy I was able to replicate a favorite top, and even to improve on it!

*************Tip for tops********************
Since it is Top Month for the stashbusters, I though I'd share a little tip for hemming in a tight spot, such as sleeves on a child's top like this one.

When I know I'm going to have limited space for pressing my hem (or and binding/bands - pretty much anything that is getting sewn in the round), I press the allowance up before sewing the piece into the garment. If it is a particularly small piece, like doll clothing, you can stitch the hem at this point as well, but I don't do that for human clothing, since it leaves a bump under the arm. Pressing the hem is at least 4000X easier on a flat piece than it is once the sleeve seam is sewn and you have a tube to deal with. Once the hem is pressed, it is much easier to fold up and stitch. As I mentioned, this also applies to binding and bands - press them in half before you sew them into a loop. It will be much quicker and easier! I hope that helps with your knit top sewing!

Jalie 3670, the Loulouxe skort (and a bonus raglan tee)

I took a lot of action shots of this cute little number. It is made for movement!

When Jalie announced this Spring's pattern release, this one actually didn't register on my radar. What was I thinking? It's adorable! But I'm not a sporty girl, so for some reason I just didn't see the cuteness potential until one of the ladies on the Jalie Facebook group posted one she had made for her daughter. I ran to the PR website and ordered the pattern (and a few others, ahem) immediately and sewed it up the next day.

So, here we have the Loulouxe skort, Jalie 3670. It's designed for comfort and style when running and biking, but it is also totally perfect for the playground or your bestie's backyard.

Myra's Loulouxe is made from a combination of digitally printed jersey (from Kitchy Coo) and solid pink interlock from Chez Ami. The pattern is designed for stretch knits with 60% stretch (like spandex and supplex knit), which these don't have, but it worked fine without size adjustments.

How cute is that flounce in the back?! The Loulouxe features a colorblocked skirt, with integrated shorts. The front skirt has a slight a-line for ease of movement, and the back is a full flounce, which is cute as well as functional, since it accommodates running, biking or playing equally well.

The shorts are nice and snug, with the option for a pocket or two. The size could easily be altered to fit a larger phone or device, but Myra's mp3 player fits just right as drafted.

I added a buttonhole to the top of the skirt to allow the headphone cord to pass through so Myra wouldn't have to put it under the skirt. If your devices uses bluetooth, or you're using the pocket for other things, you wouldn't need that, but Myra likes the functionality.

Other than adding the buttonhole, I made a few pattern changes for fit. Myra has a forward tilted waist, so I raised the back waist and lowered the front. That's a standard change for her. I also added 3/4 inches to the skirt length to make it school appropriate. Since it's designed as a sport skirt, it is quite short.

To complete the outfit, I also made Myra a raglan tee using Jalie 3245. I shortened the sleeve to a cap length (using the length of the cap sleeve on the Sweetheart top) to make it summer friendly. I also added a  vinyl decal to the front of the tee, just to break up all the candy print in front. And because I love my Cricut.

Myra and I are both pretty thrilled with the outfit. Cute and fun, but also functional. Jalie wins again!