Getting Beach Ready

 

We loved our fall beach trip last year (although it was cut a little short) and as soon as we booked our vacation this year, my mind started buzzing with all the beach outfits I wanted to start making!  

I'd love to make a kimono, tee shirt or two, new pajamas, one more Sophie bathing suit, the list is getting pretty long!   

I probably should've started last month!!

 This Burda pants pattern has been on my "to do" list for some time and I felt they would make perfect beach ready pants. I was hesitant to try them since almost every.single.pair.of.pants I have made have terrible back thigh wrinkles.  I have tried a lot of solutions that really never worked perfectly for me so this time I made a few pattern tweaks that truthfully I probably always needed but never wanted to admit to!  I am not sure that they eliminated the back wrinkles, I think that has to do with drafting and the tighter fit of most of the other pants I've tried, but I do think they improved the over all comfort.

So, what did I do?!  I gave myself some extra bum width (one size up) across the widest part of the bum at the side seams,only on the back of the pant.  I also dropped the bottom of the crotch one extra size, only on the back of the pant.  Those two changes really took care of the extra crotch length I often need and the back bum room I need too. 

Another minor change was to slim down the sides of the pants slightly right around mid thigh, only on the outside seams.

I couldn't believe that I had next to no back wrinkles behind my thighs with these pants, but I'll take it!!  Like I said, I think my changes may have helped with the wrinkles, but I am only guessing.  Burda does shorten the inner leg seams on the back of the pattern as well and I have read that this helps eliminate back wrinkles too.

Anywho, I LOVE these pants, they are soooo comfortable.  I want five pair to live in every summer. 

I used a rayon challis from my stash that I have kept for far too long thinking it too precious to mess up.  Not anymore!  My fabrics are feeling less safe these days because I am branching out and daring to use up all those fabrics I've been hoarding. 

Its a good thing. 

Well I am off to cut out those new pajamas, I hope you are finding a few projects as satisfying as this one was to me!

Thanks for reading!

Elizabeth

Summer Makes, nothing too complicated, or so I thought!

I thought that I didn't do much complicated sewing this summer....but then I looked over all my pictures of the garments I made in about two months time and what I didn't accomplish in complexity, I accomplished in volume! 

This beautiful lady is my Mom!  She visited early in the summer and while she was here I made her two tops from the Deer and Doe Plantain T-shirt pattern (a FREE pattern btw).  She loved them, one I made the morning before we went to have a special lunch with friends- that tells you how fast they are to sew!  I made both tops from some soft rayon/lycra from Fabric Mart.   The scoop neck on this top is so pretty on her.  

 As she wore them during her visit I kept noticing little tweaks to the pattern that could improve on it, two being a small sway back adjustment and raising the neckline a smidge.  I also kept imaging how cute it would be as a tunic with a split hem and a little looser fit over the hips- would be so adorable!  I may have to try that for her, probably from the bustline down make it more of an A-line shape...hmmmm thoughts for her next visit!

These swimsuits were made for my Fabric Mart post.  The patterns for the rashguard were from Jalie and I have to say that although mine fit pretty standard, I had to significantly grade out the one for my daughter.  The two piece top is the Sophie swimsuit from Closet Case Patterns and I love it! It was a challenge and seeing as I have never sewn a bra or anything close to bra like, I was super proud at how great this one turned out! 
The bottoms are a McCalls pattern that I really like.  I made them last summer and it fits me really well. The pattern has princess seams in the front and back which really help achieve a good fit.

This guy was such a great sport in posing for me, I know its not his thing but he never complained and likes this rashguard!  Win win!  Its the Jalie Nico pattern and its a great guys T shirt pattern.  Here I used a nylon/lycra fabric from Fabric Mart and although it serves its purpose as a rashguard I think the fabric is a little on the too thick side.  He's worn it many times this summer and as far as fit goes, I did take it in a little to get the tighter rashguard fit that you need for swimming. 

For all of the swimwear I used wooly nylon thread in my loopers and I love that stuff now, total convert.  I highly recommend using it in your serger for swimwear.  It makes the threads softer on the inside of your garment and I think, in the long run will hold up to the chlorine/salt water exposure...here's hoping!
I hemmed my husbands rash guard with a twin needle and although it looked great it didn't hold up to the stretching of the top on and off.  Accomplishing a stretchy twin needle finish is still a mystery to me and not to mention making sure that it goes through my machine with out creating a big crazy mess!  Need to trouble shoot a little more in that regard.

This gal makes me smile, I mean come on she's doing a hula dance in her new skirt (Simplicity 8225)!  So fun!  This outfit was made for Pattern Review's pattern stash contest.  The top (McCalls 7463) is from a great soft knit from my local quilt shop and the skirt is a rayon challis from the stash.  I love this little skirt, good for school with leggings.

The skirt gives her a swish in her step but she wasn't feeling the dress below, so only one picture of it!
She likes the dress (McCalls 6915), just sooo un-enthused about  posing for a picture!  I get it sister, its a little weird feeling!  It was another pattern stash buster for Pattern review and I love this little pattern. 

I couldn't leave tiny gal out of the Pattern Stash bust either, its been some time since I've sewn for these two so it was good to roll up my sleeves and get school basics like this one made up.
This is the Oliver and S hopscotch top/dress.  I altered it into a swing dress adding a little volume around the hemline.  You can't really tell because she is holding onto the hem :)

And of course I had to make this silk charmeuse top because I have been eyeing a pattern by Lisette for Butterick that is almost identical and I could not in good conscious buy that pattern when this doppelganger was already in the stash.   The neckline on this was tricky, lets just leave it at that.

I now have the Lisette pattern in my possession and I think it will probably be better constructed than this New Look 6372.
 

This top doesn't look like much, but I must say that I love the fit of it!  Its McCalls 6964 and is a Palmer/Pletsch.  I have professed my love for Palmer/Pletsch in past posts but they are so great because they have all the alteration lines already.on.the.pattern!  I love that! 

In my mind, the whole time I was making this top, I was comparing it to the Grainline Lark tee.  I really like the fit of this one better.  The shoulders are better fitting for my frame, there isn't as much volume around the waist and I love the shaping of the v at the neckline. 

If you are curious to see how the two compare, the tee on the left is the Lark and the tee on the right is the McCalls.  Both are very wearable, I just prefer the fit of the McCalls top a bit more.

Well thats the summer sewing.  I have been taking a little break from sewing.  Other things in life are encroaching on my sewing time these days.  Here's hoping things will even out soon enough so that I can get back to my machine! 

Thanks for reading! 

Elizabeth