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!

Jalie 3669: the Nico MEN'S raglan!

Hey y'all! Long time no see! I've been sewing some, but mostly boring stuff and repeat patterns, but today I have a brand new release pattern, as well as a model y'all haven't seen in a while. Poor Mitch. I don't sew for him enough, but thanks to Jalie, that's changing at least a little!

This is the brand new Nico Men's Raglan (Jalie 3669). I've been on the hunt for a good men's raglan for literally years. Most of the patterns available out there are terribly drafted or are not well proportioned, but as you can see, Jalie brought their usual excellent drafting to the table, and the proportions are spot on.

There is a bit of fabric bunching under the arms, but I find that typical for a raglan style and raising the armhole would restrict movement. Mitch loves the fit, so we're happy. The length for both the torso and sleeves is just right for him.

The fit through the back is also great. The neckband is nice and flat against the back neck and the shoulder fit is good. Through the body the fit is close without being too snug.

Since this was sort of a trial run, I used random fabrics from the stash. Both pieces are soft cotton/lycra single jersey left over from other projects. I was afraid the navy would be a bit thin, but it actually worked out really well. Mitch loves the softness of the fabrics, and I do too. ;)

I am so thrilled with this pattern! Jalie wins again. Mitch is happy too, and has requested a few more of these. Since they're a quick, easy sew, he'll definitely be getting his wish! Anybody know a good place to get camo jersey?

Jungle January forever!

Myra and I are in just under the wire, but we could not miss Jungle January! Leopard is our spirit animal.

We went with an easy wardrobe addition - simple knit tops. Leopard print, of course. And for a little flair, waist level ties. We like a little fun.

My top came first. I used burda magazine, 10/2016 #101, which is a drop shoulder tee with an integrated tie. The pattern is pretty interesting, which made for a fun sew.

The left side tie is cut on with the front of the tee, but the right tie is actually a separate piece. Both ties are faced, so the wrong side showing isn't a problem.

Since the ties are not incorporated into a waistband, it leaves the tee with a nice flowy, relaxed fit. It's not my usual style, but I think it works in this fabric, a slinky ITY from FabricMart.

For Myra's tee, I wanted a similar look. I started out searching for tie waist tees. And burda did publish one, but drafted for wovens and sleeveless.

I didn't want to do that much drafting, so I found a good drop shoulder Ottobre tee (01/2015-11) that I added a waistband and faux tie to.

The look is nicely complementary while the hip band and slightly longer length make wardrobe malfunctions less likely for my active girl.

Both tees got self fabric bound necklines and coverstitched sleeve hems. You can also see the dropped shoulder of both tops in this shot.

Blow a kiss, Myra! Let's go paint the town... leopard!!

Ottobre, with Sprinkles on top

So many things I should be sewing, but I really wanted to make this cute outfit from the 06/2016 issue of Ottobre. So I put the practical on hold in favor of the cute.

Myra's a fan. I'm always happy when something I created makes her want to dance.

Both pieces are packed with adorable details. The top (06/2016, #29, the Shy Eyes tunic) has a triangular shape which comes to points at the side seams. The flattened hemline is filled in with an adorable ruffle. The fabric I used is a digital printed jersey from Kitschy Coo, although I got it a few years ago so this print is no longer in stock.

Just in case sprinkles and ruffles weren't enough cuteness, I added a graphic decal to the front. The black is glitter and the shadow layer is pink metallic. It's hard to see them in photos, but there are also large multicolored, flocked sprinkles surrounding the words.

The pants (#30, also from the 06/2016 issue) are a slim leg style with an elastic waistband. While they are similar in shape to the Jalie Elenore pant, there are a few critical differences that made me want to try these out. The fabric is pink stretch corduroy left over from these jeans. It was nice to get the last of that out of the stash, but it is a very soft corduroy, perfect for comfy, kid pants.

From the rear, the inset heart was the detail that made me want to sew these. So cute!! Also a huge pain, but worth it. I think it's adorable and so does Myra. You can also peep the cute little keyhole in the back neckline of the tunic. Ottobre doesn't miss a trick. I love all the great details.

Another nice feature of these is functional front pockets. I did some hearts as the pocket topstitching, just for fun, and because I feel like Vera's decorative stitching is sadly underutilized. Myra likes them. Hearts, ruffles, sprinkles and glitter can't lose! She's already worn it two days in a row, so It's a win for sure.

Train PJs

I'm afraid this post isn't going to be earth shattering, but I wanted to record the info for my own purposes. For some reason, I can never remember which patterns for PJs I like and what sizes I have used! It's a problem. Anyway, I finally got a chance to do some sewing, and the boys need PJs.

I started with Duncan, as his need was the greatest. The shirt is a blank from Walmart that I added the diesel engine to with flocked HTV, It's fun and fuzzy. For the pants, I used the Goodnight Sweetheart pants pattern from the Sewing for Boys book. I've been using it successfully for years, but Duncan is in the largest size now, so we'll be retiring it soon. Sad day. I did have to shorten it significantly. I took 3 inches off the length, and it's still got some grow length.

He likes them very much because TRAINS. The fabric is quilting cotton from Fabric.com. Not my favorite choice, but train printed fabric is difficult to find in anything else.

Logan was a wee bit trickier. He prefers shorts and short sleeved tees for his PJs. All the stores around here have switched over to winter stock, so long sleeves are all that are on the shelves. So, the shirt is mommy-made.

I was a little apprehensive about this, actually. I know, just a tee shirt, but sizing for Logan has been really challenging me lately. He's getting into pre-teen sizing, and I don't have the same intuitive feel for that as I do for children's sizing. The last tee I made him was on the small side, and I didn't want that to happen again. After some discussion with the ladies in my Ottobre sewing yahoo group (Thank you, ladies!!) I decided to go with the Dirt tee from the 01/2015 issue of the magazine, as the photo of the shirt looks on the looser fit side. He falls pretty squarely into the measurements for a 148, but after also comparing a few of his favorite tees with the pattern, I ended up sewing the next size up.

He loves the way it fits, so yay! I think the neckline is a bit wide, but since it's a PJ top, I'm not too fussed about it. If I were making it for him to wear to school, I would have made a band for the neckline, rather than the narrow binding, and probably brought in the neckline 1/2 inch or so. The fit through the body is just the way he likes it though, so win! He likes the shorts very much too, and declares he is happy with his PJs.

The shorts are from the 06/2011 - the Green Check boxers. I went with the same size in the boxers as the tee, but of course, cut the waist elastic to Logan's actual waist measurement, which was 25 inches. I skipped the fly as Logan will never use it, and added a tiny bit of topstiching to the side seams, While Logan was wearing them last night, he happened to need a pocket and I was informed that future PJs needed pockets. Ok, then. The boxers are long - coming to below his knee - but he says he prefers them that way, so that was a win.

I'm happy to have a PJs formula for the boys that will work for now, and I have plenty more train fabric to work with, so there will be more of these forthcoming.