Once again Kennis Wong of Itch to Stitch* has knocked it right out of the park with her newest pattern releases, Medellin and the Cartagena Cami. I was so happy to have the opportunity to be on the testing team for both of these two patterns.
Medellin is a great faux wrap top, perfect for those gorgeous snuggly French terries, sweater knits or double brushed poly. It's a quick and easy sew and figure flattering. Throw in the comfort of a snuggly knit fabric and it's a definite win for the wardrobe.
I made my Medellin from a lightweight French terry that I purchased as last year (I think from Blended Threads) - it's so snuggly and soft I'm going to be on the hunt for more like it... Bring on ALL the floral French terry! For my pattern I sewed up a straight size 18. Other than adding 1 1/2" of length, this was sewn straight out of the envelope. Like most of the Itch to Stitch patterns, no other alterations were needed for me. (I like to pretend that Kennis is designing for me personally! Ha ha! But honestly, they really do fit my body really well as drafted.)
The Cartagena Cami is an absolute wardrobe staple and perfect for pairing with Medellin or a cardi. Made from very little yardage of knit fabric allows you to pick from your leftover scraps in your stash or treat yourself to some new fabulous fabric - you can afford to splurge because this pattern really takes next to no fabric at all. The neckline, armholes and shoulder straps are all constructed with FOE (fold over elastic).
I had got rid of almost all my camis recently because they were either too old and tattered or too small, so I've been on the hunt for, at the very least, a black one since. They're harder to find than you'd expect though, especially in the larger sizes. Add that to the fact I have a long torso so everything is always to short and my search for a ready to wear one has been completely fruitless. To heck with RTW!! My closet is going to be re-stocked with Cartagenas instead. Beware though. Do not fall victim to over priced FOE (Fabricland here on the prairies is selling it for $4.50/metre which is ludicrous. I normally pay between $0.80 - $1.00 online so check around for a good price)
My first cami is made with a bamboo jersey left over from the Super Red Panda costume. It's soft and a bit drapey thanks to the bamboo but was super easy to sew up; I had no problems with shifting or slipping fabric at all! My only change from the pattern for this one was once again to add 1 1/2" of length.
I've paired it with my brand new, fresh off the machine, Aviero Cardi here, which by the way is my entry for this year's #CosyCardiChallenge hosted by the Stitch Sisters and Amanda from @amanda_isewalot. The cardi is the regular length version with 1 1/2" of length added and made from a super soft drapey sweater knit I bought at Marshalls Northwest Fabric in the city - it was on the bargain wall and I'm pretty sure I paid no more than about $4/meter for it at most. My only conundrum is whether or not I want to leave it open or add snaps just for "looks". I almost never wear my cardigans closed. Decisions. Decisions. LOL (PS: You can grab the Aveiro, Lisbon or Paro cardi patterns for a discount using "ITSCOZY" until November 17th - you have up until the 30th to enter the Cozy Cardi Challenge so why not treat yourself to a new pattern for your entry!)
For my second cami I grabbed some double brushed poly fabric I had left over from my dress I made in the summer. I did have to add a center back seam because the pieces I had left were two narrow to do the back on the fold, but I was happy to find a purpose for this pretty floral that I wasn't sure what to do with! This pattern is so quick! I actually timed my second one I made and with changing the serger thread, running out of bobbin thread and having to wind a new one, plus rethread the machine as well as change presser feet it took me a grand total of 39 minutes. The FOE is so simple - Kennis has taken out all the guess work and gives you all the measurements you need. Easy Peasy. I'm going to make about a million more of these! I'm pairing it here with my first Aveiro Cardi.
If you want to grab your own copy of Medellin and Cartagena, head over to the Itch to Stitch Website right now!! For the release week only you can get Medellin on sale for $8.00 USD and Cartagena for $5.00 (no codes needed for the sale prices), but if you want both, which I think you will, pop them both in your cart and Cartagena will be discounted 100%. WHAT?!?! If you hurry you can get both these awesome wardrobe favourites for the price of the Medellin.
All garments look great!
ReplyDeleteThank you! :)
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