Summer's Style Studio

Simplicity 5158. The back neck was too high, and the shoulders too wide, but everything else fit well. I didn't have to shorten anything. I love where the waist and hip fell and the flare was perfect for my petite self. Not too narrow, not too full. And the neckline was not too low. Make a muslin for the fit of the back. Simplicity 6620. I don't know what it is about this pattern, but I made the jacket a few times and each one was just a little off on me. I also didn't like the sleeve cuffs because they don't have an opening. Easy to fix, but it's something I really didn't like. The collar is also a little too big for my taste. I made the pants, and they fit me perfectly! I won't be sewing the jacket again for myself, but I'll definitely be making the pants again!    I like knit tank dresses and just made this last week. What a disappointment it was. I should have made a muslin, but didn't. The shoulders were too broad, and the neckline was too low. ...

I finally made something trendy for myself. This is huge because I'm not a trendy dresser. More classic than anything else. When I tried it on, I absolutely loved the way it looked. I put side seam pockets in the pants because I love pockets! I got my inspiration for this from Simplicity 9756, which is in the current catalog. Look at how pretty it is! The only reason I didn't get the pattern is because it starts at a size 10, which it too big for me. The style is already very loose fitting and on me, I knew it would make me look sloppy. I like working with size 6 or 8 patterns. Size 10 is just too big. So I dug into my pattern stash and came up with Butterick 6354 for the shirt. As you can see, it's not overly loose fitting. Anything that's too loose fitting would just look sloppy on me. And the length is perfect. Since junior petite patterns are drafted for those who are 5'1" or shorter, I never have to worry about the length on anything I sew with a junior pe...

I bought New Look 6546 for the tank only back in July of 2024. I didn't sew it right away because I thought it might end up being a wadder. But I finally got around to making a muslin and was soo surprised at how well this fit. I loved it so much that I made a bunch of them!!! The pattern is out of print, but you can still find it at online shops. What I really love about this pattern is that it's close fitting. Take a look at the garment measurements above and you will see exactly how much negative ease it has. A lot of tank patterns are have a much looser fit, but not this one! It's so nicely fitted. The pattern is also drafted to have neck and armhole bands. A lot of patterns have neck bands, but patterns with armhole bands are much harder to find. THE PICK A KNIT RULE - You can find a pick a knit rule on the back of the envelope. Because of the close fit, I definitely used it. What I discovered is that the more beyond the stretch line my knit stretched, the better the f...

This is the best tank top sewing pattern that I have ever come across! I sewed a muslin as is first, so I'd know if I had to make any adjustments. I thought it was going to be too low cut with a neckline that was too wide, and armholes too low. It was none of that! The only change I made to the pattern was to shorten the neck band and the overall length. I'm petite and don't like wearing long tops. That's it! I'm populating my wardrobe with basics right now. Even if I had planned to sew some really fun summer dresses that I really want to wear right now, I decided to work on my wardrobe basics instead. The best wardrobe I could ever have has to have an adequate amount of basics or that wardrobe is not going to work for me.  Today, I'm going to sew several of these tanks. I'll come back and update this page with pics when I'm done. Be well! Summer    

I made 4 V-neck tank tops that are going to be getting a lot of wear this summer.  I modified View E of the recently OOP McCalls 6886 fitted knit dress pattern to make them. As of today, M6886 (sizes 6-22) is also known as M8058 (sizes 6-22) (available as a pdf only at the Simplicity.com site and as a paper pattern at pattern review), and It's Sew Simple L9450 (sizes 6-14 only) at Walmart for $2.97: View E has sleeves, but since the ones I made are sleeveless, I raised the armhole by 1" so it wouldn't be too low, and I took it in at the side at the bottom of the armhole by 1" so there would be no armhole gaping. Worked perfectly! I made a muslin first and didn't make any adjustments to the pattern so I could see what adjustments I needed to make. Sewn as is, there was a lot of gaping. It's really not suitable for anything but a sleep shirt. I needed one anyway, and the knit is really soft, so it's not going to waste.  :-)    The white one that I made is no...

  Fun sundresses guaranteed to keep me cool in hot weather, that's exactly what I need in my summer wardrobe. I searched my pattern stash and came up with a few that are going to be in my wardrobe before the summer is over. From the vintage Butterick Boutique line of patterns, Butterick 5305 (see pic above). How cute is this!  I have a pink, yellow, and green border print that I'm going to use to make the short version.    Hilary Duff had some really cute McCalls patterns a while back and I want to make the McCalls 5804 dress. I'm making the sleeveless version but with a gathered skirt: I'm using an orange print that's leftover from a sarong I made a few weeks ago: I absolutely love my sarong! I also want to make a fitted white sundress with vintage Simplicity 2571. I have some white twill in my stash that will be perfect for this. I might just make this all white, or I might trim it with navy for a nautical look: From Butterick's Suzi Chin Maggy Boutique line, ...