Thursday, April 28, 2016

MMM16

It's that time again!!


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'I, Kristin of SunnySewing (www.sunnysewing.blogspot.com  and @kristinsunnysewing on instagram), sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '16. I endeavor to wear 4 days of MeMade items each week for the duration of May 2016'  I also endeavor to actually use my pattern stash in may instead of buying new patterns; I will sew things I will actually wear.  I will post weekly updates on my blog.

Thanks!

Are you participating this year?


~ Happy Sewing! ~ Kristin ~

Monday, April 25, 2016

My favorite new dress ~ SUAT Brazi


So yesterday I shared Miss K’s two new dresses (the mini brazi) and today I couldn’t wait to share with you my new summer dress!

brazi front cover

This is the Stitch Upon A Time infamous “Brazi.”

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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.

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I added 1/2” to the bodice because my muslin felt like I had to keep pulling the top down; however, with the skirt attached I feel like I have to keep pulling the top up – so next time I will just sew it as is and not add that 1/2”

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I made the lining have slits so I could put in reusable bra cups (more on that at the end of the post).
I also took 1" off the length of the front straps - this will be different for everyone's body.

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This is absolutely perfect in every single way.  I love it to pieces!!  I will make and wear tons of these this summer!  I already have fabric to make another maxi – and I may try the shorter skirt option.  This pattern also has just the bra option for a sports bra.  I have seen it as a tank, too!

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I used ITY for the skirt and it feels like I am walking on a cloud!   

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Fabric: 2/3 yard Turquoise Cotton Lycra Knit, purchased just this month for this reason $6.40 and  3 yards of ITY Jersey Knit Tie Dye Blue Multi also purchased this month for this reason, $17.94.  Total for maxi: $24.34

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The grass makes the length look too long, but I assure you it is just to the floor when I stand on solid ground.  I decided not to hem for now, it is just cleanly cut across the bottom. 

brazi back 2

Today was a warm 75°F so I had to take pictures because we will return to the 50s the rest of the week; however it was super windy.  This is what most my shots looked like. . .   I was too excited to share with you so I dealt with it.

brazi 1

The Brazi can be found on the SUAT website.  There is even a 30% off code right now through 4/27. 
http://stitchuponatime.com/
Coupon Code: Aurora30
 
Here are a few quick shots I snapped of how I sewed the lining for removable bra cups:
1. take the lining pieces and place R sides together.  Mark 1.25” from top and bottom as shown.
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2.  Sew from top to that line, and then from bottom to that line.  Make sure you backstitch at each end! Press your seam allowance open.
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That’s it! So simple!  Now you have a slit in the lining to insert and remove the bra cups as you wish.  You would continue sewing the top as the instructions are written for the rest of the top/dress. 
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*~* Happy Sewing *~*

Kristin








Sunday, April 24, 2016

Pattern Testing ~ SUAT Aurora

Stitch Upon A Time has this amazing pattern called the Brazi (I’ll have a post soon with my awesome one – SUAT actually has many amazing patterns).  Anyway, now the Brazi pattern is available for girls and is called the Aurora!  I was lucky enough to be a pattern tester; I was so excited when I got the email that I almost poured my cereal into my tea…. I couldn’t get to my computer fast enough! 

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Just in time for summer, this pattern has a tank on top, skirt on bottom.  There are many options too such as crossed straps in back, uncrossed; shirt length, knee length or maxi length; and knit skirt or woven skirt!  I love options. 

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kidzi 5
The pattern goes from Newborn to size 12 girls!!  I wish I had a little one to put this on.  Miss K has been turning her nose up at dresses lately, but when I sewed up this pattern she didn’t want to take them off!  She loves them. 

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SUAT patterns are amazing!  They are fast to sew; each dress took me about an hour to make.  The instructions are very detailed and give you pictures every step of the way. 

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I used my Silhouette Cameo to do the design on the front of the dress, it matches the design in the skirt.

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Fabric for the above dress:  1/2 yard of Light Turquoise Blue Jersey Knit, 97% cotton 3% Lycra.  I purchased this in January 2015 for $1.98.  The skirt part is 2 yards of Sapphire Blue Floral Jersey Knit, purchased in Feb 2016 for $10.50.  It was listed as a cotton lycra but behaves like a poly lycra.  Total for this dress: $12.48. 


After I made the blue one, Miss K wanted another one right away.  So I made this red one with a woven skirt. 

front view 1
back view 1

I used a size 12 for Miss K – this is exactly in line with her measurements.  I made no adjustments!

back view 2
front view 2

Fabric:  1/2 yard of Bright Red Jersey Knit, 97% cotton, 4% lycra; purchased in Jan 2015 for $1.98.  The skirt is 2 yards of White/Red Floral Print Lawn, purchased in March 2016 for $8.90.  Total for this dress: $10.88

front view 3
front view 4

I made the gold butterfly with my Silhouette cameo. 

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Happy Girl, happy Momma!  This pattern is amazing!
Interested in the pattern?  You can find it here:
http://stitchuponatime.com/product/aurora-crop-top-dress/
You can even get it with a Coupon!!  The code is: Aurora30 for 30% off (Through 4/27)


Hopefully I’ll get my Brazi posted tomorrow, pending the weather. 
 
*~* Happy Sewing!! *~*

Kristin



Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Roses, Pajamas, Pants, and Undies!


Round 2 sewing for the girl. 

Awhile back I made K a dress in a rib knit.  The fabric stretched out too much and the dress was a wadder.  However, Miss K snatched it up as a nightgown and wears it every chance she gets.  So I decided to re-make that dress with this pretty rose fabric she picked out a few months back.

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Everything went beautifully this time around.  My fabric behaved, the pattern is well written and well drafted.  Seriously this is probably the best I’ve stitched up any garment. 

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And K hates it.  She thinks it is “too girly.”  I was a tiny bit crushed, however I don’t think this color looks that great on her so I’ll let it go. (Although I do think the style is beautiful on her).

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Pattern:  McCall’s M7079;  This is a great dress pattern for girls and has many options for open back, short sleeves or sleeveless.  It reminds me a lot of Kitschy Coo’s Skater dress.  It has a fantastic skirt on it too, perfect for twirling.  I’ll try again in a different fabric because I love this pattern, I mean I really, really love it!

roses 1

Sizing:  Size 12 for shoulders and bust, size 14 for the rest.

roses 2

Instructions/Alterations:  well written.  The pattern calls for you to simply turn and stitch the neckline, I used binding instead.  I also used fold over elastic in the waist to help it hold its shape.  FOE is so much softer on our skin whereas clear elastic makes us itch and get a rash. 

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Fabric:  2 yards Buff Yellow Floral Ponte de Roma Double Knit.  Miss K picked this out in August of 2015 from fashionfabricsclub. It is a nice thick Ponte and fantastic to work with. Total cost: $9.90. 

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Next I thought I would try the Jalie Eleonore (3461) pants pattern in a Ponte.  I made these in a stretch corduroy for Miss K before and they looked nice but she split the back seam the one time she wore them. 

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Sizing: This time I sized up to an R above the knees, a Q below the knees, and a P for the height.  This worked beautifully because they fit well.

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Instructions/Alterations: I made no other alterations besides the mixed sizing, oops I forgot I did scoop out the back crotch curve about 1/2" to accommodate her large rear.  The instructions are typical Jalie, words and picture steps.  They do a great job of holding your hand with each step clearly shown.

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Fabric: My fabric had 60% stretch (20% vertical); it is a gray, super soft “Pontiroma,” a poly blend, lighter than Ponte, but a nice weight.  I purchased 1 yards for $5.44 from Walmart.  I forget when I purchased this. 

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I tried a new underwear pattern for Miss K.  This is Stitch Upon A Time’s Scrundies pattern.  I used the XS for her.  She won’t take them off! I had to make a second pair just to get her to take the first pair off! I think I need to make her some more!  These use bands on the legs/waist instead of elastic so they are nice, soft, and not restrictive at all.

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Miss K also needed a few more pajamas.  They have pajama day at school every so many months so she needed some separates to wear. 

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Pattern:  Jalie 2686
Sizing:  I used a size R for the waist grading to a Q at the hip on down, and O for the inseam.  They fit perfectly and she loves both these pairs. 

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Fabric: 2 yards of Ice Cream and Cupcakes Flannel.  I picked this up from Hancocks in June 2015 for $6.38.  I bought the shirt to go with it and put this cute kitty on it with my Silhouette cameo.  He is trying to squish himself into a cupcake wrapper so I thought it fit well with the theme. 

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The second pair of pants was made with 1.5 yards of Sky Blue Sheep Flannel.  This fabric is heavenly.  It is brushed on both sides making it extremely soft.  I picked it up in February from fashionfabricsclub for $9.90.  Miss K has been asserting the fact that she is not wearing baby clothes anymore, yet she picked this image of “Timmy the sheep” from “Timmy Time.”  I will never understand, but I was happy to oblige.

Mr. T was feeling left out of the pajama making so I whipped him up a pair of pajama pants from Simplicity 2771.  I used Size Teen Large for him and added 1” to the inseam.  This fabric was also brushed on both sides.  I used 2 yards that I purchased from fashionfabricsclub in February for $9.90.  I bought this shirt to match and added the Bob’s Burgers graphic to it.  Mr. T loves this set. 

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Stitch Upon A Time Boxerwear – I set out to make Mr. T and Mr. Sunny a pair of boxers with Ewoks on them. I’ve used this pattern 3 times now for each of them.  But since these are made with Ewoks, I had fun with them.  For Mr. T I used size XS with bands and no fly.  For Mr. Sunny I used size XL long length with fly, leg bands, low rise front, high rise back, and waist elastic.

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 I also flatlock stitched the butt seam of both of these to make them more comfortable. Both guys loved them and wear them often.  Fabric: 1 yard total for both of Dark Olive Cotton Lycra Jersey Knit Fabric Combed 10oz.  I purchased this from Stylish Fabrics in Nov 2015 for $6.90.  It matched the Ewok panels I had gotten as flawed about a year ago for $1 a piece.  Each pair cost about $4.45 to make. 

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Finally, I wanted to gift my niece and nephew a fun t-shirt for Easter so I bought and one for the boy in a 4t but couldn’t find a shirt for the girl in a 6-12 months.  At the last minute I decided to make her one with the Flosstyle Jukebox pattern.  It turned out so cute!  I designed the Farm graphics for each shirt myself. 

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This week I’ve been doing a little landscaping, spring cleaning, and pattern testing.  This warmer weather has shorts on my mind.  I think I’ll start sewing some up soon!

*~* Happy Sewing! *~*


Kristin


Friday, April 15, 2016

First Maxi for the Summer!


Here’s my first maxi for the summer! 

maxi 12

Stitch Upon A Time (or SUAT), recently released the “Shirtzie” pattern.  I loved everything about it so I had to get the pattern and sew it right away. 

maxi 8

I normally sew a size Medium for all SUAT top patterns so I started with that.  It was too tight so I sized up to a Large.  However, after I did this I realized my fabric is thicker and has more spandex than my normal Cotton Lycra, so it might just be the fabric causing me to size up. 

maxi 1

While I loved this pattern, I didn’t love that the skirt gathered all the way around.  Pear shapes should not have gathers at the hip.  So I grabbed my skirt from SUAT’s similar pattern, the Brazi, (a tank maxi) and used that skirt.  It has gathers only in the front. The pieces from both patterns are interchangeable.

maxi 2

I also slimmed down the skirt for a more straight look than the flared bottom of the pattern.  I just eyeballed that part but mainly I went to the normal hip mark and then went straight down from there instead of flaring out. 

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I also had to cut the back skirt with a center back seam to save fabric.  I added seam allowance at center to make up for this.  With my busy print you can barely tell.

maxi 4

I had to shorten the hem by 4 whole inches!  And I’m 5’7” tall!  Honestly I’ve had this dress sewn most the week now but didn’t feel like hemming it.  Today I finally did.

maxi 5

The pattern goes together really easy.  There are picture steps as well as words.  This is a PDF pattern.  I love being able to print in layers (only the sizes you need) and I print “borderless” on  my printer setting so it is a breeze to tape together. 

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Fabric:  1/2 yard of 11 oz Dark Navy Blue Cotton Lycra Knit purchased March 2016, $1.98; and 2 yards of Navy/Ivory Floral T-Shirt Jersey Knit, 100% cotton, purchased also March 2016 $7.90.  Total for dress: $9.88

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Thoughts:  I really love that this maxi dress has waist definition.  As a pear shaped woman I find it hard to wear any dress that does not snug in at the waist; my proportions get all thrown off and I look larger than I really am.  So this pattern was perfect for me. 

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We have a bit of a heat wave this next week so I’m looking forward to wearing my new maxi dress!  (77°F is really warm for the Midwest this time of year, we just came from 40°F).

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*~*  Happy Sewing! *~*

Kristin