Icaria Pants and Reynolds Top Co-ord Set

Well, the day is finally here that the Icaria* pattern has finally been released so I get to show them off properly. I have teased them a few times on both Instagram and Minerva while I’ve been waiting, so you quite possibly have already seen them.

They’re actually a project I did as part of the Minerva Brand Ambassador team, so the gorgeous linen viscose blend fabric was kindly sent to me by Minerva in exchange for review of it.

I was excited to see a woven, elasticated waist pant with a very similar shape to my favourite Samara Pants of a few summers ago when it came up in the Itch to Stitch Testing Group. I have such faith in Itch to Stitch patterns and their consistent fit for me that I cut straight into my good fabric without hesitation. This is definitely not the first time I’ve done that in testing. It’s a pretty bold move, admittedly, but one I’m usually prepared to make, crazy as that may be.  

I know my fabric makes it hard to see the details of the Icaria pants so I thought I’d pop the line drawing from the pattern in here so you could better see what I’m talking about. Did I mention you can make these any length by easily cutting a shorter length or adding length to the bottom. It’s as simple as that! I chose to make mine the longer length of the actual pattern.

I’m all about the faux jumpsuit /coordinating set so as soon as I signed on to test the Icaria I was already thinking about top possibilities. My two contenders were the Itch to Stitch Santorini Tank and the Helen’s Closet Reynolds Top. I decided for such a vibrant print I’d do the Reynolds for maximum summertime vibes.

I’m so enamoured with this set!! If you’re wanting to see more pics or more about the fabric please feel free to head to Minerva - I’ve got all the details over there! If you’re interested in the pattern for the Icaria Pants, it’s on sale right now for the release week over on the Itch to Stitch site. 

Closet Core Sepia Pants

Hello and happy almost end of the school year!!! There’s two days left and the it’s SUMMERTIME!!! I’m just a little bit excited. I have so many plans for sewing and gardening and just plain old recovering from what felt like a long, tough year.

Anyways, enough rambling. I popped on here to show off my new pants! I’ve been on a pants making kick since making my linen Peppermint Wide Leg Pants for #sewfrugal in the spring I’m wearing them lots by the way since the weather turned warm and I quite like them! I did end up running some elastic through the waist because they were a touch too big.

For one of my recent Minerva Ambassador projects I had chosen a really nice mid weight cotton twill. In the time I took waffling over whether I should make the Closet Core Pietra Pants or the Papercut Palisade Pants the May pattern for Closet Core Crew (which I subscribe to) came out. The minute I laid eyes on the Sepia Pants I immediately abandoned all other plans and knew they were the pants I wanted to make with my twill. (You can read my entire post about my project on the Minerva site) 

I absolutely love this pattern! The shape is loose but not sloppily so, and there’s darts at the ankles to bring the fullness in a bit. There’s also a dart at the knee which is a fun detail. The best though is the pockets. The front slanted patch pockets are double layered! It’s such a unique look! And they were so much fun to sew. Ireally took my time making them and thoroughly enjoyed the process!

As soon as I made them I knew I wanted another pair. I really wanted to try the pattern in a lighter fabric so one day after a doctor appointment in the city I popped into  Fabricland and it was my lucky day! Not only had my doctor appointment gone much better than expected but Fabricland had a 55% off sale and I snagged a great lightweight linen/cotton blend for an amazing deal! 

This second pair is every bit as good as my first pair which just goes to show it works well in completely different fabrics! The linen ones are perfect for hot muggy days (like today!) 

These pants really do fit all my favourite summertime pants criteria. Loose fitting, elasticated waist and cropped. Win, win and win!! 

Next week I’ll be back to show you yet another pair of summertime pants I’ve made. I just need to wait for the pattern I used to be released (yes, I was pattern testing again!), although if you’re on Instagram or Minerva and follow me you may have seen a sneak peek. 

Until then I hope you have a great rest of the week and a fantastic start to the summer!

Santorini Tank

Well hello all you lovely people in the “Internet Lands”!  Here I am swanning back in to do a drive by post like I haven’t been gone for a month and a half.  I’ve had good reason though.  I’ve been busy! In fact we just had another family wedding this past weekend.  I’ll have to tell you about that another day because I need to sort through the photos and I want to tell you about the dress I made. Today I’m actually popping in to show you a new top that I made when I tested the pattern for Itch to Stitch* recently.

This is the Santorini Tank. It’s a woven top with princess seams and a cute button placket down the left side of the top.  The pattern comes in the standard Itch to Stitch size and cup range. The only changes to the pattern that I made was to add some length to the upper half of the bodice as I normally do with all Itch to Stitch patterns and instead of doing buttonholes I simply sewed the buttons down through both plackets as non-functional buttons. I did test out first if I’d be able to get in and out of it without opening it and because I could and I knew I would struggle to fasten buttons along my side I opted to do the non functional placket. I’m quite happy with how it all worked out!

I made mine from left over linen/viscose fabric from my birthday dress that I made for my 50th almost two years ago. I was really excited because the pattern gave me an opportunity to use up every last little scrap of this fabric that I loved so much! I did have to piece one facing using some left over navy linen from my Brampton shorts but you can’t tell. I did the centre of the facing navy and the rest in the print.

The Santorini Tank has just been released and as usual it is on sale with a bit of a discount for the release week on the Itch to Stitch site.

Now I’m off again, but hopefully I’ll be swanning back in sooner rather than later. (Can you believe I even had a half done post sitting in my file from midway through Me Made May that I never finished? Guess that ship has sailed. Lol!)

The Amador Top

So I do realize I keep saying I shouldn’t do tests when school is in, then I do another test, but sometimes a project is just that good that you want to be in on the ground floor.

Let me introduce you to the Amador Top* which is the newest design from Itch to Stitch. It’s a great top that features dolman style sleeves and a fun front detail with the lower bodice forming a point at the centre front the has some gathering under the bustline. It has a v-neckline that is neatly finished with binding.

I made mine out of ITY jersey. As I finished sewing it up we were under a storm watch and I took the photos on a “snow day” from work. Happily all the snow has since melted - although this being the prairies and all we are forecasted to get up to 10cm of snow over the next day. No thank you!! I’d much rather be able to wear my spring like Amador Top thanks!

As I mentioned I used an ITY that I bought at Marshall’s Fabrics on the city. It’s a super lightweight fabric. It’s a bit slippery cutting out but it wasn’t too awful. It has really good stretch and a good recovery.

The pattern comes in the usual size range of 00-40 with regular or full bust bodice pieces so no fussing with full bust adjustments. I made a size 18 (regular bust) and blended down to 16 at the hip.  No length was added to this one, but I had to get a bit fancy.

Normally I would add length and I think I could have added 3/4” but I blithely went ahead and added my length to the wrong part of the bodice. Imagine my surprise when the under the bust seam was hitting somewhere around my midsection. I couldn’t figure out where things had gone wrong for the life of me. I looked at other’s tops and they were fine then looked at mine which was very much NOT fine. Then one of the other testers asked if I’d perhaps added length to the wrong half of the bodice and sure enough that’s precisely what I’d done. I unpicked the whole top, re-cut the top bodice from the original too big one and started over. Thankfully it all worked out! To hem it I really didn’t want to lose any length so I did a one inch facing using a 1/4” seam allowance leaving me with the proper amount to “hem”.

I keep thinking this would make a good “basic but elevated”  kind of top and want to sew one up in a solid coloured fabric. I just haven decided on colour and/or fabric yet. I do plan on sewing another though for sure!

You can get your copy of the Amador Top over on the Itch to Stitch site. As usual it’s on sale with a discount for the release week!

#SewFrugal23

 Hello and happy March 31st!  We've come to the reveal day for the Sew Frugal Challenge over on Instagram and I couldn't be happier to show off my makes for it!  For those that don't know, the #sewfrugal challenge is run by two lovely sewists, Ruan (known as @TheYorkshireSewGirl) and Sam (known as @Frugalisama) and the idea is to make something using a free to everyone pattern and fabric that you already have on hand.  All month long different vloggers post on YouTube with all sorts of suggestions for free patterns and oodles of inspiration!  They've been keeping me company every evening when I'm on the eliptical machine this month and let me tell you that I have so many plans brewing in my head for all the things I could make with my horrendously large horde of fabric!

Anyways, let's get into the nitty gritty of what I decided on.  I went with a theme instead of just picking random things.  I wanted a new outfit for spring, but one that would work well as separates too.  Although as you can see we're a lot of snow melting away from wearing spring clothes just yet...

So I came up with Peppermint Magazine's Wide Leg Pants, Styla Pattern's Reine Top and the Costa Tote from Helen's Closet.  The Wide Leg Pants and the Costa Tote have been on my to make list for ever so long! And when the Styla Reine popped up this winter as a free pattern I was smitten.  Loving a good puffy sleeve as I do, it was right up my alley!

I started with the Styla Reine.  Both fabrics for this top were from "happy mistakes".  The floral french terry was ordered from Prairie Love Knits possibly as far back as 2017 or 2018 (I'm pretty sure I was working for Gen Mills still when I ordered it!).  They accidentally shipped the wrong colourway initially and I decided rather than ship it back I'd keep it (I think the shop offered me a bit of a discount if I wanted to keep it.) But I had no idea what to do with it until the Styla Reine popped up.  The ribbing I used was from much more recent times.  I ordered it in December to go with my pink fleece I had for making my Minerva Brand Ambassador project and I accidentally ordered the wrong pink.  (They have about a billion colours to choose from and I just clicked on the wrong one I guess. LOL)  I figured it would come in handy some day and it sure did!  

Next up in my frugal spring outfit was those pants.  I had lots of choices of fabric - several lenghts of denims of various weights, some floral bottomweights and then this coral linen blend that is from about the same era as the above mentioned floral french terry.  I ordered it from Minerva on sale when it was still their old site, so it's definitely been a few years!  I used a button from my button tin and the zip, while it doesn't match the coral linen - it's tan - is close enough and no one will see it, so I wasn't too worried about what colour I chose so long as it was light coloured!  I LOVE how these turned out!! The pants were pretty much perfect right off the printer (Can't say right out of the package when it's a PDF pattern now can I?  LOL!)  The only change I made was to lower the rise by an inch, and take a small wedge in at the center back.  Other than that they were perfect!  I can't wait to try them in another fabric!  I did do a bit of head scratching over the fly zip, but I think that I was overthinking things and getting myself tripped up because I hadn't done a traditional fly on anything in so long.

Once I finished the pants I had a bit of fabric left - just enough for my Costa Tote.  I found the floral cotton that I decided would be the perfect fabric for my pocket in my "dreams of becoming a quilter someday" bin of fat quarters and other quilt suitable fabrics - it wasn't big enough to do both pockets so I ended up piecing it with the linen for the back side of the tote and then lined both pockets with linen and it worked out just fine!  The lining is from a mystery cotton.  Mystery in that it's a mystery why I ever purchased it.  It's an unfortunate almost mustardy colour, but not in a good way. It's more along the lines of a cross between bile and baby poop.  Shudder! On the bright side?  It doesn't look nearly as bad as a lining for my tote and it gave purpose to an otherwise ugly and unloved piece of fabric! 

I'm so happy with how it all worked out. It feels great to have used up some of my ridiculous horde of fabric and has inspired me to start sewing more from my stash.  I've got grandiose plans of challenging myself to sew frugally, not just in March for the challenge, but throughout the year.  Maybe not always choosing free patterns - because I just had a sort through yesterday of all my PDF patterns that I've printed and it's a bit staggering how many I have.  I should probably impose a pattern purchasing ban on myself for the foreseeable future because I also have oodles of patterns that I've got saved on my computer and have not ever printed out yet to go along with that overflowing box of ones that I have printed.  Anyways, whatever I choose to do with fabric and or patterns it'll be fun coming up with ideas and inspiration!

But for now, I've got a wallet and tote combination I have to finish up for J and C's wedding social in two weeks. (I'm contributing to a "handmade" prize for the silent auction), then I have two garments  that I'm working on as my Minerva Brand Ambassador projects for the month and I just signed up to do a test for Itch to Stitch again.  I behaved myself and didn't sign up for the last one she did and then promptly signed up for the next.  What am I going to do with myself?  I'm incorrigible!  Oh well.  Craftiness is happiness?  (How corny is that?  Ha ha ha!)

The Zakopane Top

I know that I said I shouldn't pattern test when school is in session.  But things being what they are, I have a knack for not taking my own advice and no sooner had I said that I pretty much signed up to do another pattern test.  In my defence, I had the fabric at hand and it promised to be a super quick sew and I was able to do the proof-reading of the pattern instructions on my lunch break so it wasn't too onerous of a task.

Let me introduce you to the latest Itch to Stitch* pattern!  It's a fun little top with a twist.  Literally.  It features a twist at the neckline.  It's no harder to make than a standard tee shirt, so you can decide you want a new top in the morning and be wearing it by afternoon.  Really!  It's that easy!

For your Zakopane Top, you can choose from long sleeves or short sleeves and it has the pattern pieces for either a full or regular bust so the guess work is taken out of it for you right from the start!

Now, one thing to let you know about, it does have lower neckline, so I have an easy styling recommendation for you if you prefer a bit more of a modest neckline.  You can easily make a Cartagena Cami (also a super quick sew!) to wear underneath and it looks quite good like that!  Several of the testing team did just that if they felt the neckline was a bit lower than they wanted.  You can't easily adjust that neckline because of the way the twist is constructed, so a cami is such an easy and cute work around.

So let me tell you about the two I made!  I'm feeling quite pleased with myself because both of mine were made from fabrics that I had in my stash that I had absolutely no idea what to use for.  The first one, the turquoisey print is a mystery jersey - it's definitely a polyester, and feels almost brushed, but not quite as soft as a double brushed poly.  I bought it pre-pandemic at Marshall's Northwest Fabrics in the city and I'm pretty sure it was on their clearance wall, so I may have paid $5.00 or less for it!  I have no idea what I had in mind for it when I bought it, but I sure was happy to remember it was in my stash when this testing call came around.

My second version is made with an ITY poly that I bought at Fabricland last summer.  Again, no idea what I was planning for it.  Maybe a Soller Dress?  I think I bought it around the same time I made my t-shirt version last summer.  Anyways, it was absolutely perfect for the Zakopane, so I'm glad I didn't use it sooner!  I love the tropical feel of the hibiscus flowers!  

I've been trying my hardest to manifest spring here on the prairies - between my two summery Zakopane's and I just made a super summery viscose challis jumpsuit.  I keep hoping if I make spring/summer attire, Mother Nature will take the hint and finish up with winter.  March came in like a lion and it was still roaring all last week.  Here's hoping for sunny, warm skies ahead!

Anyways, I digress.  If you're wanting to make your own version of Zakopane you can purchase it over at the Itch to Stitch site (it's got a discount for the release week of course!)

Apparently All I Sew Is Tops Now...

Or so it seems.  After sewing my Coimbra Wrap Top*, I kept going on the tops theme for the rest of February!

There's a few patterns I've been wanting to make and I decided there was no better time than the in the thick of the winter doldrums to add them to my wardrobe.

First up was some fleece lined athletic knit Jackson Tees from Helen's Closet.  I purchased the fleece lined athletic from Water Tower Textiles because I had made a few "base" layers for my husband last winter and had some serious Jackson Tee envy going on.  He works in a food manufacturing plant so needs cozy warm layers for daily use at work.  We'd bought one shirt from Mark's last year and while it was great it was also hella expensive, so I had gone to work trying to source similar fabric to try and replicate the one he had.  I found the fleece lined athletic to be very comparable so this year I ordered some more to make him a couple more shirts to have in his rotation.  Then as I said I had envy so I ordered some colours I'd like too.  

The Jackson Tee is perfect for this kind of top and it's so quick to sew!! I did the long sleeve version (Obviously! LOL) and on mine I did the banded bottom and on his I did just a hem.

Next up is the Tilly and the Buttons Agnes Top.  I absolutely adore a good sleeve and Agnes has a great sleeve.  Just look at that "puff" (must be a throw back to my obsession with Anne of Green Gables when I was a kid.  I cannot resist a puffed sleeve!)  Not only is the sleeve a puff sleeve it has a great gathered detail on the side of the sleeve too.  Be still my sleeve loving heart.  Of course I'm sure everyone in the world already knows all about the TATB Agnes because it's been around quite some time now.  My only problem with my Agnes is it feels a bit more... ahem... form fitting then I'm used too.  But those sleeves.  Oh those sleeves.  They'll be what convinces me to wear it and love it even if it's a bit more slim fitting than I care for!  I sewed it up in a jersey that may have been from the Fabric Snob - I'm not sure though. It's been in the stash for a long time.

Then there's the Helen's Closet Dawson Top.  What is with me sewing slim fitting tops lately? Especially given, as I just mentioned, I'm not terribly comfortable in them.  But this is so darn soft.  The sweater knit was bought from Fabricland with Dawson in mind.  I was sort of envisioning the Dawson paired with a corduroy TATB Miette Skirt for a sort of 70s vibe.  But I've not yet found the right corduroy for my vision so maybe that'll happen down the road.

At the very beginning of March I continued on with the top trend and made another pattern that I've been wanting to get to for awhile now.  I am pretty sure I got the pattern for free at one point last year, but I see now on the website that it's $10.00, so maybe I'm misremembering.  Anyways, it's a cute variation on the standard tee with it's gathered sleeves.  I'm telling you I really can't resist a good sleeve! This is the Galaxy T-Shirt from Pattern Scissors Cloth.  I sewed it out of a very inexpensive end cut of jersey from Fabricland.  I love the colour but it's a wee bit on the thin side (it also wrinkles if you look at it sideways)  I'm thinking I might make a Cartagena Cami to go underneath it down the road.

And even though I told myself I shouldn't do any more test projects when school is in, all that went out the window as soon as Kennis posted her latest Itch to Stitch pattern test call.   I've already made two of them, but can't show you just yet as the pattern is still in the testing process.  I can't wait to show you though because it is going to be an awesome little wardrobe staple!

I have a few other projects in mind for this month.  The #sewfrugal challenge is on right now for 2023 and so I've been busily making plans with my stash fabric and some awesome free patterns.  But more on that at a later date! I'm also in the process of making a jumpsuit for my next Minerva project.  Right now though I've got get going and get some things done around the house...  apparently those dishes aren't going to do themselves.

Coimbra Wrap Top

Well hello there!  Can you believe I'm back again so soon?  LOL!

I thought I would jump in and do a quick little post about a new pattern from Itch to Stitch*.   I have made a bit of an unwritten rule for myself that when school is in session I usually don't sign up for pattern tests because I feel I can't really dedicate the time and energy to the testing process and usually end up feeling frazzled and rushed and like I'm not putting in my best effort.  Kennis has had some really great pattern releases since I tested the Brampton Shorts last summer, but I have dutifully sat out each time until this one.  

I figured I could handle a fairly straight forward pattern and I had a couple of fabric choices in my stash.  I did end up taking almost the entire test period to complete my project because there were plenty of evenings that I was either busy or just didn't have the wherewithal to sit down at my sewing machine (reminding me of exactly why I have that little rule for myself!).

The hardest part about the Coimbra Wrap Top for me was lengthening the crossover - I needed to add my standard 1 1/2" in length to the upper (from shoulder to waist) bodice that I do for pretty much every Itch to Stitch pattern.  It's not really hard to do in all reality - I just tend to stress and overthink it each and every time I have to do it and that's what makes it challenging for me.

The rest of the process was absolutely a breeze.  The way the hem and facings are finished is really slick - and is the easiest way I have ever seen mitred corners done.  I know you can't tell from the outside, but I know they are there and it makes me happy.  I do so love a good mitred corner for a clean finish on the inside.

So let me tell you a wee bit about the Coimbra pattern.  It is, as I've mentioned a wrap top - not a faux wrap - with the option of a collar or just a simple faced neckline.   It features bust darts for a nice fit (and offers full or regular bust pattern pieces - no full bust adjustments necessary!).  Sizing is available from 00-40 - to fit busts from 30"/76 cm to 62 1/2"/158.5 cm and hips from 32 5/8"/82.5cm t0 64 1/4"/163cm.  Coimbra is designed for medium weight knit fabrics with 50% horizontal stretch and good recovery.

I chose to make mine in a super soft sweater knit.  I've no idea what the fabric content is because it was one of those "mystery" knits that was on sale at my local Fabricland a few months ago.  I think I paid about $4.00/metre for it.  It feels like it might be a bit prone to pilling, but it sewed up nicely and feels lovely so hopefully it'll last!

The Coimbra Wrap Top  is available over on the Itch to Stitch site and is on sale for the release week if you'd like to grab your own copy of the pattern.

  

What Can I Say? I've Been Busy...

Well.  Here we are.  I went to look something up here on the blog the other day and realized it's been more than five months since I was last here.  How the heck did that happen?  I knew it had been a little while, but let me tell you, I was a bit shocked to see my last post was about a late summer sewing project.  Time flies I guess!

I've been keeping myself quite busy in all aspects of life - work is often feeling crazy and overwhelming, the boys are busy, my husband has been working all sorts of extra shifts because no one in his section seems to be able to consistently show up for work, we've had the run of the mill illness and a bout of Covid, a new cat adopted us and I've been doing oodles of crafty type things.  I guess I just put this old blog on the back burner and forgot about it.

But I'm back for today anyways - not going to make any promises of when I'll return because every time I seem to figure I'm going to get back to blogging I don't... I would like to start writing again though, so we'll see.  Even if it's just for the purpose me keeping a journal of sorts. It's nice to look back on things every now and again.

So I won't try to catch you up on all my projects I did since my last posting.  That would take us from here to next Christmas!  (You can click this link to an Instagram reel I did of almost all my sewing projects from 2022 if you're interested)

Today I will just jump in with a fresh start.

Knitting on my Sous-Sous Vest
in Berroco Pirouette Yarn in Driftwood 

In December I decided to pick up my knitting needles and knit each of the kids their Christmas ornaments.  And this time knitting felt good!  So I kept at it.  I knit ten simple stars for the ornaments, then moved on to making fingerless gloves for four of my co-workers as Christmas gifts, then a pair of mittens for myself.  Then I finished a pair of socks I started last year and finished a vest (also started last year!).  Then I cast on another pair of socks which is where I'm at now.

Corkscrew Mitts by Jill DeMarco knit in Lion Brand Wool-Ease

Swirl E. Socks by Susie of Prairie Girl Designs
knit in the Sunset colourway of Estelle's Sock Twins Yarn

I love enjoying knitting again. I did miss it but it just never felt quite right when I'd try to knit, always feeling forced and cumbersome, so it's good to be back at it.

A work in progress -
my First Night Socks by Dana Rae Makes

Don't worry!  I've not abandoned my sewing.  I didn't actually do much in January.  In fact I only sewed one thing - it was the top I'm wearing in the first photo (a Forget Me Knot Vera Top - you can read the details over on the Minerva site if you'd like! But happily I have done a bit of sewing this month already and I have a few more things planned yet for February.  I made a few base layer shirts out of fleece lined athletic knit for my husband using the Helen's Closet Jackson Tee pattern and I've just finished a pattern test for Itch to Stitch* as well that hopefully I'll be able to show you later on this month.  I just cut out a Tilly and the Buttons Agnes Top tonight and I'd like to take a crack at sewing up the Paper Cut Patterns Nova Coat that I cut out a few months back.  Who knows if I'll actually get them done, but that's my unofficial goal in the back of my mind.  We'll see...

A Last Minute Summer Sew

Labour Day long weekend is coming to a close now and school starts on Wednesday for the kids. (I've already been back since last Monday).  The hectic fall season is upon us for sure, but this weekend the weather has been gloriously summery - sunshiny and warm, so I'm wearing a last minute summer sew that I  almost had finished whipping up before we went on holidays - all I had left was the shoulder straps and hem for when we got home.  Not having had an opportunity to wear it since finishing it, I totally forgot about it until this morning.

Of course, it's the new free Orchard pattern from Helen's Closet that you can get just by signing up for their newsletter!  It's such a simple make and comes with a top version with two lengths and a dress version also with two lengths (that even has pockets!).  

I knew as soon as I saw the pattern that I wanted to make mine out of leftover linen that I had in my stash.  Because I was working with scraps I knew that I'd need to do some colour blocking to make it work.  I used the "Summer Breeze" linen in Pomegranate from Pure Linen Envy that I used a couple of summers ago to make my Helen's Closet Ashton Top along with leftover bias binding and a small strip of fabric that was all that remained from cutting out the linen blend from Minerva that I made my Zadie Jumpsuit with (also a couple of years ago). I also seamed the back of the top because I didn't have big enough piece of the solid linen to cut out the entire back piece. Scrap busting at it's finest!! 

To make my colour blocked version I went the easiest route possible.  First to make sure my top would be long enough for my liking, I added  1 1/2" to the pattern right off the hop.  Then I traced out the cropped version and added 5/8" seam allowance.  For my contrast band I traced off the rest of the top pattern from the cropped version line to the cut line and added 5/8" seam allowance at the top.  I cut both pieces on the fold since I had the room for it on my strip of linen blend, then it was just a matter of stitching the band to the bottom of my front and already sewn back pieces.  Then I continued on with the pattern as directed.  I lucked out having enough of the patterned linen bias tape left over from my Zadie to finish everything off with so I didn't even have to piece any teeny tiny bias strip scraps together.

I am really happy with how my colour blocked top turned out and now that I know how darn easy the Orchard Top and Dress is to sew, of course I can't help but thinking of some fall print fabric to make a dress with to pair it with a mock neck Dawson Top.  Hmmmmm...  Before I ponder that too much though I have a couple of other projects in the works - right now I'm working on a Moss jacket and some Winslow Culottes (Helen's Closet has ALL my attention right now apparently!!) and then I have dress I'm planning for early fall and I still want to get the pants hack of the Brampton Shorts made.  So many plans... so little time.  

Speaking of time I have to dash.  It's football practice night and the boys need to be at the field in less than an hour.  Gotta go...

The Brampton Shorts

Hello, hello!  How's your summer been going?  I've been having a great one!  We've had quite the busy one between football practices four times a week and working out in the garden - I refuse to let the weeds take over this year - and we even got in a trip to Saskatchewan that was absolutely wonderful.  We rented a cabin at Regina Beach for a few days and used it as a home base for day trips to Moose Jaw and Regina.  It's got me really excited to spend time over the next few months planning a road trip for next summer!

But here I am again with another pattern release from Itch to Stitch*.  I am definitely not ready to say farewell to summer or summer sewing for that matter, so the Brampton Shorts came at the perfect time for me.  Also, I'd been planning all summer long to make a few pairs of shorts, because I had only one pair left that fit me and so was in a bit of dire need.  The call to pattern test was the kick in the pants (or shorts as the case may be) that I needed to finally get to it.

Brampton comes with two different lengths to choose from, optional inseam and back pockets and optional belt loops and sash tie belt.  It features an easy elasticated paperbag waistband and comes in sizes 00-40.  This is a quick and easy sew, even if you choose all the optional pockets, belt loops and belt!  I whipped up my first pair in no time at all and made a second pair right away.  I didn't require any modifications to my shorts making it even quicker.   I chose to do the shorter length and all the options for both my pairs.

My first pair I made for the pattern test was made using leftover fabric from a previous Minerva project - my Itch to Stitch Anza Dress.  The fabric, that was gifted to me two years ago by Minerva, is a beautifully drapey rayon chambray.  I had just enough to do the shorts except for the pocket lining so I just used a white cotton lawn I had left over in my stash for that.  

The shorts fit great right off the hop.  As I said, no modifications were needed at all, so I was ready to make another pair straight away!  

I  definitely wanted to use all the options again, and this time wanted to try a different fabric to see how it would work out.  I chose a navy blue lightweight linen that I had bought earlier in the summer on sale from my local Fabricland with making shorts in mind.  It turned out to be perfect for the pattern as well!

My linen ones passed the road trip test too - I wore them all day on my trip and was equally comfy sitting for several hours in the truck as I was walking along the beach and lounging in the cabin. 

I'm so excited with this pattern and how it fits and wears!  I have some burnt orange viscose twill that I bought the same day I bought the navy linen with the intention of making some Helen's Closet Arden pants, but I changed my mind.  I'm going to hack the Brampton Shorts into pants.  I'd hoped to make them before my trip, but ran out of time, so I definitely want to make them for back to school.  I think they'd be super comfy as pants and I know that pattern fits well so it'll be a fuss free pants making venture!

If you want to get a copy of the Brampton Shorts they are on sale for the release week and I highly recommend them for any of your summer sewing plans!  I'll keep you posted on how the pants making goes! But for now I'm off.  I have to eat my breakfast and get out on the tractor and get the grass cut, then get into the garden and tackle the weeds and pick some veggies for supper tonight!

It's Been Awhile...

How has it been three months since I last posted here?  I didn't even realize it had been that long.  I've had so much going on!  It was a busy spring for sure - two of my kids got married within three weeks of each other,  I ended up with Covid in between the weddings and then some sort of stomach thing that lasted a whole miserable two months and then the end of school madness.   I will say that this year was probably the hardest and most stressful of my career to date.  I'm not sure why - it felt like it should have been easier than the two years previous, but whatever the case I'm so thankful it's done and hopefully next fall is a lot better!

But here I am.  Feeling so much better and we're into week three of summer break, so I'm caught up on much needed rest and feeling more relaxed than I have in months.  Summertime and the living is easy.  I've been working away in my garden, reading books that have been on my to read list for far too long, floating in the pool and getting some sewing and knitting in too.

I'm going to do a catch up post of some of the things I was working on in the months of my blogging hiatus - I sewed my dresses for both weddings and the ties for my husband and little guys (Ok, they're not little anymore - one is already a full fledged teenager and taller than me.  How did that happen?)  and I did a pattern test for Itch to Stitch* in between the weddings that I'm realizing I never shared here, along with a few other sewing projects and I picked up my knitting needles again!!  I'm so incredibly slow at knitting now, but I'm enjoying it, so that's what counts!

So, speaking of pattern testing, I recently finished another one and it's just been released today!  This is the Soller Top and Dress from Itch to Stitch and oh my goodness it was love at first sight!  The Soller features gathers at the front shoulders (achieved so simply with elastic!), a v-neck binding and grown on sleeves that are also finished with binding.  

I made the top version for testing and loved it so much I literally snipped the threads, tried it on and cut out a dress version and was wearing the dress by that afternoon.  So this is also a super speedy, quick fix kind of garment.  I need new tees in my wardrobe because most of mine are getting tattered and worn from so much use, and I'm trying to decide how many Soller tees would be an appropriate number.  

I made my tee out of an unmarked jersey remnant I picked up for a few dollars a couple of years ago at my local Fabricland.  I think it likely has some rayon or bamboo in it because it is super soft and has a drape to it.  I really, really hope I pre-washed my fabric - I usually do before I put it on the shelf, but I had a horrifying moment of thought after I cut it all out that I may not have.  Please oh please don't shrink! It's perfect the way it is!  I'm being super precious about how I care for it, because I don't want to ruin it.

The dress is just as good.  I've reached for it so many times this week already! It's just so comfy and easy to wear.  

This one is made out of The Fabric Snob's "boyfriend" wash jersey and it definitely has been pre-washed so this is a easy throw in the wash without a second thought kind of garment.  Which is a darn good thing given I practically have been living in it right now.  It's been so hot and humid the last little while it's been the perfect thing to throw on and go about my day. 

I want to talk about the yardage for a moment too.  After sewing some garments recently that took a whole lot of yardage (mother of the bride and mother of the groom dresses I'm looking at you...) it was so nice to be able to whip out a top or dress out of a small amount of fabric.  A top in my size 18 takes .8m  and the dress 1.2m!

If you want to get sewing a Soller for yourself, head on over to the Itch to Stitch site.  It's on sale for the release week too!

I'll pop back in soon again to tell you about the Lemont top that I tested and then forgot to tell you about here (although it was over on my Instagram and I did post about it in the ITS facebook group, so you may already have seen both I made.  I'll have to fill you in on the details of my wedding sewing too!