July 2018 – SewSophieLynn

Project Run and Play Pattern Shop

There’s a new pattern shop in town and I couldn’t be more thrilled! I hold a special place in my heart for all things Project Run and Play and now you can get patterns inspired by past contestant entries in one place- The Project Run and Play Pattern Shop!

As designers on Project Run and Play you pour your whole heart into each week’s creations. The level of creativity and craftmanship is amazing. And don’t forget the HUGE amount of blood, sweat, and tears that goes into each look. It’s only fitting that these looks get turned into patterns by so many of the designers. All that hard work needs to be shared with the world!

This week’s featured patterns are the accessories. I sewed up The Tie pattern created by Shannon of Little Kids Grow for season 6. This pattern has kids and adult sizes and is on sale right now!

I was so excited to see some of my other favorite patterns in the shop! The Janie Dress is a staple in our house. It’s the perfect skater dress pattern with loads of options.

The Sydney Pinafore is so unique and beyond cute! These little shorties were worn constantly last summer by this girly and reluctantly were passed on to little sister this summer. Lil sis has loved them just as much! Such a fun pattern!

Dressage Leggings are another staple in our house. I love the color blocking option so much! It’s so fun to mix prints and they fit my girls so well.

There are so many patterns in the shop on my to-sew list too! I’m ashamed to admit I’ve had a Thyme Vest cut and ready to sew since last fall (it’s top of my list once my kiddos head back to school!). My little guy needs a Puffin Vest paired with some sk8 Skinnies for back to school too!

What’s catching your eye?! Make sure to check out all the past contestants who sewed up all the amazing patterns in the shop.

Make sure to enter the Rafflecopter too!

Monterey Romper in Floral Hues by Riley Blake

This project was a fun one! It combined so many of my favorite things: This girl, great fabric, a new pattern, and a totally fun photo shoot.

This project started with the fabric. Riley Blake let us pick fabric from the new Floral Hues collection. This girl has such a huge love of all things red and immediately loved the simplicity of this print. We paired the Floral Hues Daisies in Red with a tiny bit of the Dots in Red. It’s such a sweet combo and the whole Floral Hues line has a great classic vintage vibe.

This is a lovely cotton lawn and it feels amazing! I love the softness of Riley Blake’s lawn and think it’s perfect for so many apparel projects. This picture just shows the weight and lightness of this fabric so well. It’s so breezy and light but I wouldn’t hesitate to wear this without a lining either. The lighting hit her just right and you get just a peek of her silhouette.

We used the Little Lizard King Monterey Romper to really highlight this fabric. This girl absolutely loves rompers and I love to make them for her. She loves all the options with this pattern but has been wanting the split sleeve version since it released. I’m known to ask my girls if they like a pattern when it releases and then sit on it for months and months until they finally break down and beg me to sew it up! I guess I’m a tease like that 😉

I was able to easily blend sizes to make it work perfectly for my tall slim girly. The construction was actually really quick and I’d highly recommend this pattern. It’s easy to get on and off which is a big deal with rompers. Overall, I’m sure we’ll make more of these cute one pieces.

Very little sewing this summer has meant very few photo shoots as well. I MISS being behind the camera so much! This shoot and the time I got to spend editing it were actually my favorite parts of the whole process. We hit a little trail just a couple of miles from our house and loved just wandering and exploring. It was a gorgeous summer evening and I couldn’t get enough of this sweet girl.

I just love these little moments I get to squeeze in with my kiddos. Being able to capture them as they grow and mature is something I’m so grateful for. Lucky you that you get to see it right along with me, lol!

Thank you Riley Blake for the pretty fabric and the push it gave us to create these great memories!

Love Notions Ravinia Skirt

I feel like Tami at Love Notions has secret powers. Every time I find a whole in my wardrobe Tami magically knows and poof! A new pattern appears. This summer I’ve been wanting to add a few more casual skirts to my closet and the Ravinia Skirt (Affiliate Link) is just perfect!

This post contains affiliate links. Purchasing through my links provides a small kickback to me that I use to keep up this sewing hobby of mine 😉

Our summer days are usually spent either at the pool, sports lessons and games, or lazy days at home. With temps close to triple digits, these skirts will be perfect for whatever our day holds.

The Ravinia pattern comes in sizes XS-XXXL and can be made in three lengths- knee, calf, and maxi. There are three waistband options- a simple yoga waistband, a slimming contoured band, and a maternity option. As always, the pattern features no-trim pages which make putting it together a breeze. There is also a copy shop file so you can send it off to be printed as well.

My favorite feature is the pockets! They are nice and roomy and that gathering is so unique and fun!

I got both of my fabrics from Cali Fabrics brick and mortar shop Fabric Outlet when I was visiting San Francisco earlier this month. Anyone else feel the need to fit in just a little fabric shopping on vacation? I love shopping their online selection but touching and feeling all the pretty fabric in real life just can’t be beat.

You can grab this dreamy modal jersey here and it’s such a steal! It’s so soft and that drape is dreamy! I paired it with my stripe modal Classic Tee and it’s almost like wearing nothing at all- it’s just so comfortable, breathable, and soft! (And way better on my family than if I did cruise around in my birthday suit all day, lol!)

This skirt is a cozy double brushed polyester. It’s super soft and I didn’t want to take it off! This particular print is sold out but Cali has a large selection of dbp to pick from. I really like this pattern in DBP too!

I love the fullness of this skirt. These cuts were 2.5 yards each and I used almost every last scrap for these skirts. The floral fabric was a wider piece so I was able to fit the size small maxi out of it easily. The taupe modal wasn’t quite as wide and the midi length worked great for it. I did the contour waistband in the taupe and that needs four waistband pieces instead of the one yoga waistband piece. There is an option to add power mesh to the contour waistband so of course I was all over that! I sandwiched my power mesh between the front waistband and front lining piece and like the extra ‘help’ it gives the stomach area.

You can grab your own Ravinia pattern on sale now through Sunday July 22nd!

Swimsuit Sewing 2018

I’ve been holding out on you guys! I can’t believe I haven’t shared all the swim goodness that’s been happening at our house. I’d like to thank Raspberry Creek Fabrics for giving me the push I needed to sew a million swimsuits this year- ok, maybe not a million but we’ve been busy for sure.

This little man has gotten three swimsuits so far this year. You know me, once I start it’s hard for me to stop sewing swim. It’s so quick and rewarding and they get worn constantly. This suit is a Jolly Roger Raglan turned rashguard. I was dying to try the new Cricut Sportflex vinyl on swim knit and I’m happy to say it’s held up so well. The rash guards in this post have been to the pool multiple times and washed in the machine as well and the vinyl looks brand new. I’m happy to have a fun, easy, quality way to personalize our swimsuits.

The shorts are the Peek-a-Boo Patterns School’s Out Shorts. I used the girl cut line and love the length on him. It’s very retro and just like the big boys are wearing.

This suit is made with the Linden Shorts pattern and add-on pack from Sew A Little Seam. This palm print from Raspberry Creek’s newest swim line was one of my favorites and I just knew this little guy needed a suit from it.

Is this just not the picture of a happy kid, living the dream summer life?!

His last suit, so far, is the Sew Like My Mom Palm Euro suit. I love the fit of this pattern and that it’s a little looser around the front area, if you know what I mean. I think it’s cute and not too snug and so easy to play in.

This sweet tween just keeps shooting up and growing out of her suits. I’m currently making her a 7/8 width and a 12 length which makes store bought suits something we just can’t do. She’s loving this darling red suit we just made and she’s rocking these two as well.

This is the Made for Mermaids Calypso suit (I can’t sing the praises of the M4M Mermaid Shores suits enough!). I love this fabric combo and this particular suit really comes together so quick. Those flutters don’t need to be hemmed or gathered- hallelujah! The RCF swim is nice and thick and not nearly as slippery as some of the other swim I’ve encountered. It makes sewing through all those layers pretty painless. I just make sure to clip more than with normal knits and my serger is my bff when it comes to swim knit.

Can we talk about that booty coverage for a minute?! That’s one of my favorite things about all the Mermaid Shores patterns. I hate seeing my kids with wedgies the whole time their swimming and these bottoms just stay where they’re supposed to. Those M4M girls know what this mama likes!

Her other suit is a combo of my sons’ looks too. I just had to try the Palm Euro pattern on her. She loves boy short bottoms and I think this pattern was so perfect for her! I love the little extra length they have over normal girl patterns. This top is our trusty Camden Raglan from Hey June. The only alteration I did to make it a rash guard was to do a self lining on the front, essentially it’s just two layers of the white swim knit. It worked lovely and isn’t a bit see through. I used my Cricut again for her graphic and love this cute little set.

I’ve got a couple more suits lined up before summer’s end. I really love being able to sew suits to not only fit their personalities and personal style but also fit their unique body types. This is the main reason I sew for these kiddos and one of those things that brings my pure joy!

Love Notions Lace Tour

I’m so excited for you all to see the glorious creations coming your way this week on the Love Notions Lace Summer Blog Tour. So many pretty variations on your favorite Love Notions patterns!

I’m a pretty casual gal and don’t usually go for a ton of lace in my wardrobe. I knew I wanted something that would get worn more than just on the rare special occasion and I kept dreaming of an easy lace woven tee. I pulled out my Harmony Top pattern and found the perfect white eyelet in my stash. And that is how my perfect summer top was born.

My last Harmony top didn’t make it to the blog and I’ve been dying to make a few more for the summer. It’s just the perfect light and breezy top. I love a good woven top to dress up my usual jeans and the Harmony is relaxed and perfect for all those wovens I’ve been hoarding.

I love the back shaping of this pattern. It’s a swingy loose top and bringing in the center back really helps it fit just right.

I did modify the neckline this time and used the crew neckline from the Classic Tee. I love a higher neckline and with the back button it works great and still easily slips over my head. I was channeling these two Pinterest tops. They are just so classy!

Using an eyelet meant I didn’t need to make any other alterations to the pattern. I actually debated between an open weave lace and worried about the seams and front darts looking strange if I didn’t finish them in the exact color serger thread. White eyelet meant no changing thread, lol!

I’m so excited to have this top all summer long. It’s such a great staple and a classic I will wear for a long time to come.

Are you ready for the other stops on this tour? I seriously can’t wait to check them out all week long!

Monday: Sewing Curves SewSophieLynn Kainara Stitches
Tuesday: doodlenumber5 My Heart Will Sew On Third Shift Creations
Wednesday: Princesse et tresors Phat Quarters
Thursday: All Things Katy! Back40life,Sprouting JubeJube
Friday: Sew Like a Sloth Very Blissful Seamly Behaviour

Month: July 2018