August 2018 – SewSophieLynn

Sewing for my favorite season

The kids are back in school AND Raspberry Creek Fabrics released their new fall line. You know what that means, right?! Let the fall sewing begin!

I started off my sewing binge with a little something for me. The Greenstyle Brassie Joggers are a staple in my wardrobe. I wear them any chance I get. I have a handful now and whether I know my day will be filled with running errands or spent at my sewing machines, my Brassies are what I reach for. Comfort in all things. This pair was made using this floral french terry (I love the prints on the grey base in the new line!). I paired it with a teal Panama Tee, my favorite pattern for more stable fabrics like cotton lycra.

Another staple in our house is the Camden Tee. Do I sound like a broken record here? If you can believe it I’d never done the sleeve stripes before and I knew they’d be perfect for this version. This retro stripe is just perfect for fall.

This Windowpane Plaid is such a great transitional fabric. I love the bright colors and it’s so cute with jeans. I used the Willow Raglan from Striped Swallow Designs. I love all the options with this pattern. I hacked it just a bit into a hi-low peplum (a straight peplum top is included in the pattern). I used the 10 top length for the front peplum piece and then blended the back piece from the top to the dress length.

The keyhole back neckline is super fun. I love playing with plaids and stripes on the bias and this bodice just makes me happy!

My little guy got a couple new tees too! This one is the Helter Skelter Tee from Shwin Designs. I love colorblocked tees and especially love when a pattern does all the work for me. And how cute are these little buddies?! He loves when photo shoots include friends (the one on the left is my darling nephew and on the right is the amazing Anna from Kainara Stiches son).

The Skiff Tee from Jennuine Designs is another fun color blocked tee. It has the cutest hidden pocket in the bodice seam too. He was a super fan of that pocket!

I’m dying over this amazing quilted knit! It’s so cozy and that color is just stunning in real life. I love it paired with the blush and burgundy floral (my secret favorite from the whole fall line, shhhh, don’t tell the other fabrics!). I used the Ebony Sweater from Shwin Designs. The relaxed fit just makes it so much cozier don’t you think!

The leggings are Love Notions free Leggins’ pattern. It’s the leggings pattern I use the most for my girls. I love the yoga waistband and the slim fit just works so well on my girls. I’m going to need to sew a big batch of them for fall.

One last look to get our fall sewing started. The Hey Juniors line from Hey June Handmade is something I couldn’t live without. I used the Morrison Tee here and it was great to break out a pattern I hadn’t sewn in awhile and realize I’d been missing out. We were hoping for a boxy sweatshirt look and this pattern was just what we wanted.

This Floral French Terry just needed to shine on it’s own and I think this simple silhouette really helps it out. It’s bright and bold and paired so well with her new jeggings.

It felt so good to churn out some much needed fall wardrobe pieces. I love sewing with CLUB knits and the quick cute projects I can do with them!

Modkid Sage Dress and Top

I love when pattern designers read my mind. My daughter and I have been doing lots of back to school shopping and we both fell in love with this style of dress. It was one of those styles that just kept popping up in every store we looked in and on strangers and friends too! Dresses are one of the hardest things to buy this girly because they never fit properly so we were just waiting for the perfect pattern to appear. Imagine our excitement when we saw the newest design from the gals at ModKid. I jumped in to test this darling dress and top without a second thought!

The Sage Dress and Top is a button-front dress, jumper, peplum, or top with options for a bottom flounce and either straight or cross back straps in tween and teen sizes 10-18. The bodice is straight and features princess seams as well. AND there’s pockets! It wouldn’t be complete without them. The tutorial is thorough and I’m a huge fan of the ModKid methods of construction and patterns. If you’re looking for quality, you’ll love ModKid.

I used a tencel chambray I picked up in LA ages. The pattern calls for anything from quilting cotton to linen and corduroy. I love having options and this style looks great in all of them! To finish it off I used brushed gold buttons I picked up at the CaliFabrics brick and mortar shop in San Francisco. The fact that the materials for this dress all came from California vacations adds so much sentimental value to it.

This sweet girly is so hard to fit. For this dress as a tester, I sewed it up per the pattern and her measurements. She is a size 10 chest with a 12 height. She’s at the bottom end of the sizing and I was actually worried she was too small still for it. The measurement chart is for the finished garment which is nice to see how much ease you will have but had me a little concerned since she measures 1.5″-2″ smaller in parts. Patty recommends 1″ of ease so keep that in mind when looking at the fit of this dress. I love this on her and like that she has a little growing room too!

Most of my summer sewing is quick and easy and can be finished in a short afternoon. This project did take several days of sporadic sewing but was well worth it. It felt so good to sew on that last button! It wasn’t a difficult sew by any means but a more thoughtful one with great finishing techniques and a beautiful result. I love these kind of projects and can’t wait to do more of them now that school is about to start!

One of my favorite things about sewing with pdf patterns is how on trend designers can be. They follow fashion and streetwear style and stay so up to date on the latest trends. If it’s selling in your favorite clothing store whether it’s Target or a trendy boutique, you can probably find a pdf pattern for it. It’s pretty amazing if you ask me!

I am so thrilled with how this dress turned out and know you’ll love this pattern too! You can grab your copy and any other patterns that just might hop into your cart for 40% off during ModKid’s Back to School Sale, now through Sunday August 19th with coupon code BTS2018.

Summer Day Top by Made

All summer long I’ve been dying to make me a few new woven tops. As soon as I saw the Summer Day top from Made Everyday, I knew it’d be perfect! Stay tuned to the end of this post to see how you can win your own copy, too. You know you totally want to be twinners 😉

I love all the options with this top. I struggled picking which option to do and actually think it took me more time to decide than it did to sew up. Anyone else get paralyzed with indecision when given so many cute choices?! Lucky for all of us, these sew up so quick we can make them all!

I’m lucky enough to get my hands on the newest Raspberry Creek Fabrics goodies and this pretty rayon challis print just needed to be this top. I think woven tees are the best to really let a print shine and this pattern just sings. Can you hear it?!!

I chose the cuff sleeve version because I can’t get enough of this look. I really love a good cuff and this one is super cute.

I did a size 4 and didn’t make any other adjustments. I sometimes like to add length since I’m 5’7″ with a longer torso but I’m really happy with were this hits.

One small thing to note, I found the armhole to be a tad low and wore a cap sleeve half shirt under just for my own comfort. It’s tricky to try to play with an armscyce because you want to keep the arm mobility. I think the comfort and ease wins out here and I’ll probably just keep making these without modifications.

I really love how this top pairs with jeans but think it’ll be cute dressed up with a pencil skirt too. I’m all about versatility and this pattern has it in spades.

Ready to win your own copy? I’m going to make it super easy on you. Just leave a comment on this post and tell me what version you’d make up first and I’ll pick a winner on Friday August 17th. Make sure to check out the Summer Day Top on Instagram to be blown away with inspiration. I can’t decide if I do a peplum version or a simple short sleeve version next (I may be counting down the days til my kids start school simply so I can whip up another one of these!).

Personalizing our wardrobes with Cricut

This post is sponsored by Cricut. I received all Cricut products in exchange for promotion. All thoughts and projects in this post are my own. I’m thrilled to introduce you to some fantastic new Cricut products!

I’ve got an addiction folks. I can’t stop vinyling ALL. THE. THINGS! I’m excited to be sharing a couple of our recent designs that are now available on Cricut Design Space! You can also check them out over on the Cricut blog.

I designed these files using Design Space and Cricut Access. There were so many fun graphics to choose from and the hardest part was narrowing it down to these three. This Vacation Mode design is a nod to my favorite vacation destination- a sunny beach with palm trees, sand, and a beautiful ocean view.

This Paradise Tee was made for my flamingo loving daughter. Flamingos just symbolize the chill, relaxed life. They’ve got it made hanging out in the water and just soaking it all in.

The Summertime Vibes tee was the first design I did as we ushered in summer and said goodbye to the cool spring days. Summertime means lazy days, family time, and lots of sunshine.

For this design I was anxious to try out the new Cricut SportFlex Iron-On. I made this rash guard for my kiddo and used my Cricut EasyPress to adhere this to the front. To get the right settings for SportFlex and swim fabric I turned to my Cricut expert and pal Paisley Roots.

This is what she found and it’s worked perfectly:

EASYPRESS: Heat up your Easy Press to 305 Degrees and make sure to warm your garment for 10-15 seconds before laying the vinyl on top. Using medium pressure, press on top of the vinyl for 30 seconds, then turn the garment over and press the back for 15 seconds.

It’s also recommended to warm peel.

REGULAR IRON: it’s recommended to put it on Wool setting. Warm up your garment for 10-15 seconds before laying your vinyl then press the front of the garment for 50 seconds and the back for 15 seconds. Cold Peel.

He’s worn this rash guard constantly and it’s been in chlorine, splash pads, and sun. It’s held up so well and still looks brand new! Hooray for SportFlex!

I’m so excited to introduce to you all my favorite Cricut products EVER! The original EasyPress changed my crafting life and the new EasyPress 2 machines are even better!

They now come in three different sizes- 6″x7″, 9″x9″, and 12″x10″ for all your iron-on needs. The EasyPress is simple to use, heats up in just 60 seconds, and is a great alternative to a standard heat press.

I love how convenient it is. I never considered a conventional heat press for safety and storage reasons and my regular household iron was not consistent. My EasyPress addressed all those issues. It’s easy to store and the insulated resting base protects surfaces. I often let my kids use the EasyPress (with my supervision of course!) because it’s so easy to use and the hot surface stays away from your body. Use the EasyPress Mat or a thick, folded towel under you project to protect your surface and to absorb the heat. You can find all the recommended settings here. It couldn’t be easier!

I’m loving the cute mini version. This one is going to live in my sewing space because it is absolutely perfect for little projects like adding iron-on size tags to all my handmade garments (you can see a whole post about how I make them here). I was blown away by how quickly this little guy heated up! It was ready in no time at all.

The new 12″x10″ EasyPress is such a great addition to the line up too! It was so nice to be able to iron-on a wide design in one pass. Since I make a ton of personalized tees and sweatshirts for my family, this one will be heaven-sent.

I couldn’t wait to try out the new machines and whipped up some back to school tees in no time.

Whether you’re still in summer mode or planning for fall, Cricut has you covered!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.

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Made For Mermaids Mama Camila

I’ve been sewing swimsuits for my kiddos this summer and I’m finally sharing one for ME! Let’s be honest though, I’d much rather be posting pics of my kids than of me, especially in swimwear, yikes! This swimsuit has been in my head since last summer and I’m so excited to have it done, it just has to be shared with the world!

The Mama Camila suit is one of my favorites (I also have a healthy obsession with the girls version as well). I wore last year’s Camila so much throughout the year that I knew another one would be a welcome addition.

When I snagged this lemon print from CaliFabrics last year I knew I selfishly wanted it for myself. I loved it so much when it arrived that I had to order more just in case my girls needed a suit or two too. I love that CaliFabrics gets designer ends so their selection is always great quality. For better or worse, their selection is constantly changing so check back often and make sure to grab your favorite prints before they disappear.

Let’s talk about this pattern. I love how incredibly versatile it is. The main bodice is a simple one piece with elastic ruching through the tummy area. There are options to sew the flounce like this or over the arms. I like to do the off shoulder view because you can still slip it off your shoulders and wear it like this easily. You can do shoulder ties, a halter tie, or skip the ties altogether. This is my first time doing the double ties and I love them! If you choose to skip the ties the top of the suit feels super secure with the elastic.

When I’m chasing kiddos at the pool, I tend to tuck the ruffle under my arms. It’s a little more freeing, lol!

Off the shoulders feel so chic though! This is my vacation with the hubby look. Cute but a little sexy too 😉

I like to add all the inner options to my suits. This one has foam cups, a shelf bra, power mesh and a full lining. The pattern walks you through adding everything to get a suit that’s flattering and supportive. I love being able to make something that makes me feel as comfortable as possible strutting around the pool.

Are you new to sewing swim? Looking for swim tips? I’m over on the CaliFabrics Blog too sharing some of the things I’ve learned throughout the years. Swimsuits are so much fun to sew and I look forward to sewing a new batch each season. This Camila is at the top of my list of favorites for sure!

Month: August 2018