Swimwear

Top: Jalie 2805 - Size Q at shoulder/bust graded to S for the waist/hip.

Bottoms: Jalie 3351 – Size S at the waist, R everywhere else. 



Fabric: 1 yard Rainbow Tie-Dye Swimwear Knit from fabricmart.  I purchased this in May 2015 for $4.80.  It’s a great swim knit.  1 yard Aqua Swim Knit for contrast.  The top is also fully lined in front.  Purchased at the same time for $4.40.  Total for Swimsuit : $9.20



Miss K loves this suit.  She is super modest and didn’t want any type of store suit because they are too revealing. 



Miss K’s friend came to swim at our house a few times this summer and got a cute swim suit and bag to match. 



Bottoms are Jalie 3247 View E - Size R.  Then I put the swim briefs from 3351 (also a size R) inside them.  I did have to shorten the rise by 1” for them to fit right in the shorts. 



Top is the SUAT Brazi in XS

These were such a quick sew.  I think I made them in an hour.  Her favorite animal is a Zebra so I used my silhouette to put it on a bag for her with HTV.  I put her name on the bag too.  Fabric: scraps from my suit I made back in Feb 2015.  It is an Italian Swimwear print (nylon spandex) from Michael Levine, Inc. that I purchased in May 2014.  This stuff is super soft.  Top is fully lined, bottoms have the swim brief attached for the lining.

Hits and Misses for Miss K

 Sewing for tweens is hard.  Here is a little catch up on what has been sewn for Miss K lately.

Vintage Kwik Sew 1077 vs. Purl Soho City Gym Shorts



Kwik Sew size 14 - in stretch denim with self made cotton bias tape (both fabrics from the scrap bin).
Kwik Sew was way to small to even be comfortable on K; she could barely get them up over her hips/butt.  I did scoop out the rear but it did not help.  This is sad because they turned out so stinking cute!



City Gym Shorts (CGS) in women’s size 35-37 in cotton woven with self made cotton voile bias tape (both fabrics from scrap bin).

CGS were too small too, but only a smidge in the rear.  I did not scoop out the rear on these but may try again in the future. I going to be honest here - I didn’t follow the directions for these because they are just weird.  You can tell the author is a quilter and not a clothing sewist. Luckily, they are simple to make and no directions are needed.

Fabric is from this dress K never wore. 100% cotton woven, it was simply called Vines Multi when I purchased it for $2.79 for the 1/2 yard. 

Jalie 3024 mash up with SUAT Aurora
I used the top from Jalie and the skirt from Aurora.  Size Q for Jalie and 14 for Aurora.



I really like this dress.  It's cute.  Miss K picked these fabrics but still hasn’t tried it on.  I hope she will like it once she finally does put it on.   Miss K refused to wear it so I chopped the top off and used the skirt to make her an Aurora.

Fabric: 1/2 yard of Coral Cotton Lycra – this stuff is nice and heavy at 11 oz a yard.  Purchased in March 2016 $1.98 from fashionfabricsclub and 2 yards of Mint Green/Gray Stripe Jersey Knit (poly, rayon, lycra) also purchased in March 2016 for $5.93.  Dress total: $7.91  

Jalie 2444 Sport Tank in size Q for shoulders/bust and S for waist/hip. I added 1/4” to each side at the bust and lowered the neck by 1” because the reviews on Patternreview said the neck was too high.



Miss K wears this tank but it is way too tight on her.  Lowering the neckline was also a bad idea – don’t listen to the reviews.  It looks so much better with the higher neckline. I will remake this for her in a larger size because it is such a cute tank. 

Fabric: Turquoise cotton lycra 1/2 yard purchased in April 2016 for $4.80.  Small bit of Shattered Showers poly/lycra that I’m hoarding from March 2015, it is from a custom fabric group "Cuddle Muffins".

Vintage Kwik Sew 1077 – tank
Size 14; this turned out super, super huge on Miss K.  Which is ironic because the shorts at the very top of this post are with the same pattern and way too small.  I ended up cutting this up to make her underwear. I totally forgot to snap a picture of it until I was cutting it up. Oops.



Ottobre 01/2011 #29 Yoga pants
Size 152 with 1/2” shortened.  You’ve seen me make her this pattern a million times. 



These are sewn with super soft French Terry.  They are nice and lightweight.  She loves them. Fabric: 1 yard of Black Two Tone French Terry Fabric (poly, rayon, spandex mix) purchased in Nov 2015 for $7.40 from Stylish Fabrics.


And here are a bunch of SUAT Scrundies that I made for Miss K from scraps and clothes she won’t wear.  I went with the “Adventure Time” theme.  Now she has 7 days of Adventure time to wear.  All characters were done with my Silhouette and Heat transfer Vinyl.  Miss K will only wear these underwear now, claiming them to be the most comfortable ever. I used size XS for her.  


As you can see, the only thing that survived from this tween sewing stint was the undies and the yoga pants.  The rest were either too tight, too big, or not wanted.

Happy Sewing!
Kristin

SUAT Brazi ~ Take 2

 If I had to pick one pattern for the perfect summer dress for me, it would be the Stitch Upon a Time (SUAT) Brazi.  I made this once already in April and also the mini version twice for Miss K.




I figured these would be the perfect dresses for my MIL’s wedding in June, so I made one for myself and one for Miss K.  They worked perfectly for the event.



For myself, I used a straight size Medium and Band 3.  This fits with my measurements (on top).  The skirt has enough room that I did not have to size up for my pear shape.  I also took 1" off the length of the front straps - this will be different for everyone's body.  I didn’t put in bra cups this time, instead I wore my Victoria Secret bra with the straps converted to cross in the back.  here is the only picture I have of the back.

Mr. T and I have a hard time taking a good picture….

Fabric: 2/3 yard Lilac Cotton Lycra Knit, purchased in April for this dress from NR Fabrics $9.60 for the yard (with shipping) and  3 yards of ITY Jersey Knit Venus Azalea also purchased in April for this dress, $16.14.  Total for maxi: $22.54


For Miss K I used a size 12 – this is exactly in line with her measurements. I took 1/2” off the height of the bodice to try to reduce some of the wrinkles around her midsection.  As you can see it needs to be brought up a tiny bit more.



Fabric: 1/2 yard of Turquoise Cotton Lycra Knit, I forgot to log it in my database so I think I got it from Purple Seamstress for this dress which would make it $3.25.  The skirt is 2 yards of ITY Jersey Knit Chevron Diamond Royal, purchased in April from Fabric.com for this dress $11.96 for the 2 yards.  Total for this dress: $15.21



Miss K loves the ITY skirt.  She didn’t want to take this dress off.

Since she loved it so much I made her 2 more for her vacation this year with my mom.  That brings her total up to 5 of these dresses! 



Fabric: 1/2 yard of Royal Purple Solid Cotton Spandex Knit Fabric, I purchased in August 2015 from Girl Charlee for $3.25.  The skirt is 2 yards of ITY Jersey Knit Halen Black Purple, 96% poly, 4% lycra.  It is a nice heavier ITY.  I purchased it in April from Fabric.com for this dress $10.76 for the 2 yards.  Total for this dress: $14.01



Fabric: 1/2 yard of Lilac Purple Solid Cotton Spandex Knit Fabric that I purchased from Girl charlee in August 2015 for $3.25.  The skirt is 1.5 yards of Mint Green/Grey Stripe Jersey Knit, 50% Rayon 47% Polyester 3% Lycra.  I purchased this in March from fashionfabrics club for $5.93 for the 1.5 yards.  Total for this dress: $9.18.
 
The Brazi can be found on the SUAT website, the girl’s version is called the Aurora.  There is even a coupon code right now for any patterns on the site.
http://stitchuponatime.com/
Coupon Code: shirtzie4life for 25% off (through 8/9)

Cardi and Tanks ~ Jalie, P4P, Ottobre

This summer has been hot, hot, hot. Unfortunately my body is either hot, or cold with no in between.  So I made up some tanks for the heat, and an awesome cardigan to cover up with when I get cold.

Let’s start with the tanks.

Patterns for Pirates - Layer Me Up Tank



Size: Large, graded to an XL at the hip; 1/2” square shoulder adjustment.  I need to do a forward shoulder adjustment next time.



This is the second one I’ve made (the first below) and I added 1/4” to the hip in front and 1/2” to the hip in the back.  I loved the fit of the first one so much I felt confident in cutting my expensive custom fabric. 



The front is “Up” Carl & Ellie (disney movie) fabric from Wanderlust Custom Fabric on Facebook.  It’s super soft Cotton/Lycra. Normally $25/yard I picked it up in one of her sales.  I only used a small bit for the front of this.  The back is charcoal gray cotton lycra from Purple Seamstress for $6.50/yard



A swayback might be needed.  Really, the fabric is snug on my rear and being hung up there so it’s pooling in my mid back.  I’m ok with it. 


Here is the first P4P Layer Me Up Tank I made.  It turned out to be a wearable muslin.  Size L, graded to an XL at the hip.  This is exactly within my measurements. 



Fabric is “Love Graffiti Jersey Knit”  Cotton/Lycra from Fashionfabricsclub.  I picked it up in Nov 2015 for $5.25 per yard.  It’s a fun fabric but washes terribly.  It fades a ton.




I tried this Ottobre tank first before I made the P4P tank but wasn’t too happy with the fit.  So then I moved on to the P4P's you see above.  This Ottobre tank is really loose on me, I wanted it to be tighter.  This is a size 42 graded to a 46 at the hip. 



The side seam falls really nicely in this picture.  I may have to rethink my dislike of it. It has been in my PJ pile for a good month now.


It feels looser than I like in a tank but looking at these pictures it doesn’t look bad at all.  Maybe I should make one with some rayon spandex.  This is Ottobre 02/2007 #1 “Tank Top” and I made it once before but wasn’t happy with it.  (I never learn).  This time I slimmed up the sides a bit but it was still too loose. The fabric was the same “Love” graffiti as above.


Now on to the cardigan.  I have to tell you right away that I LOVE this cardigan!!!  I’ve been wearing it nonstop and trying to find other fabric in my stash to make more. It takes a bit of fabric at 2.5 yards.

Jalie 3248 Drop Pocket Cardigan



This cardigan is pure awesomeness.  I want to live in it.
Size: W graded to an AA at the hip. 



Fabric: 2.5 yards Heathered Pebble Gray Poly/Rayon/Lycra Jersey Knit - Maggy London; from Fabricmart.  It has 30% stretch.  I picked it up in May 2016 with a coupon so it ended up being $2.84 a yard. This fabric is just the right softness and thin-ness. It is surprisingly warm!



I found some parts of the instructions a bit confusing but I took it slow and watched the pictures.  I had trouble with the last few steps where you attach the back to the front fold over pockets.  I still have no idea what it wanted me to do – something about sewing the fronts by themselves, then the back, I don’t know. I stuck them together and sewed them all at once. 



It is a drop pocket design and there are double front pieces so they act as a full facing.  There aren’t many seams visible on this cardigan either – just the sides and sleeves.  I can’t wait to make a bunch more. 


Happy Sewing!
Kristin