Summer's Style Studio

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, ...

I decided to write about this skirt because if anyone was thinking about getting this pattern, Simplicity.com is having a $4.99 sale on McCalls patterns right now. It runs until 6/18/25. With their parent company being sold to liquidators, it might be a good time to get it. I sewed this almost as soon as I got the pattern! I couldn't believe it I loved the style as much as I did because I was just lukewarm about it when I first saw it. But once I saw the pattern in person, I was sold and couldn't wait to have this skirt in my wardrobe.  I used to not care for anything with an elastic waist, but I've changed my mind. Age made me wiser? LOL! Right now, I am loving the elastic waist because it's comfortable. It expands when I expand, and contracts when I contract. Comfort. Here's a larger pic of the skirt, sorry about the wrinkles. I love cotton and didn't have time to press it before I took the pic. I'll replace the pics with better ones later. Here are the pa...

  I seriously cleaned out my closet recently and am now in the process of quickly restocking.  I'm in a pants phase and have already sewn enough wide legged and straight legged pants. With that done, I'm concentrating on sewing tops in styles that I really like.  I created a style board so I wouldn't waste time deciding on what to sew. It's working because I have been going from one projects straight into the next. I might even finish the board before the end of the month. Fingers crossed, anyway. Here are the 3 tops I've finished so far: 10/10/2024, Simplicity 3684. I drafted and added the ruffles:     10/13/24 - my buffalo plaid top for this year is not the standard loose fitting button down or barn jacket design. Because I used a knit, I decided to make a surplice top. I used OOP Butterick 3344, a TNT for me, and added the flared ruffle from New Look 6560:           On 10/14/24, I finished Vogue 2980, a Sandra Betzina design. I shorte...