French Terry – SewSophieLynn

DIBY Club Helen Dress

This post is sponsored by DIBY Club and Raspberry Creek Fabrics. I was contacted by DIBY Club to try their patterns and review them but all thoughts and opinions are my own. To read my DIBY Club Rosa Dress pattern review head here.

When choosing which patterns I wanted to review and sew up I was drawn to DIBY’s dress patterns. They all were cute, easily wearable patterns that looked amazing on all the testers. I sewed up the Rosa Dress as a pretty church/date night look. I wanted a more casual summer dress and especially wanted one that would work well as a swim cover-up. The Helen Dress was just what I needed.

The Helen Dress is a drawstring waist dress with multiple lengths, cap sleeves or racerback tank options, and scoop or crossover necklines. It comes in sizes 00-36 and the patterns feature layers and trimless pages making it a cinch to print and put together. As with the Rosa Dress, the tutorial is amazing and walks you through any alterations you may need to get the best fitting garment. This pattern would be a great place to start if you’re new to sewing or just trying knits for the first time.

I did the scoop neckline, cap sleeve, knee length options. I sewed things per the pattern instructions until it was time to do the drawstring. Since I am planning to wear this as a swim coverup I opted to use elastic in the drawstring casing and added a faux drawstring for looks. I find elastic more comfortable than drawstring and hate losing them in the wash. It was a personal choice and one that worked for this super casual dress.

I used lightweight french terry from Raspberry Creek Fabrics. I am in love with the CLUB dots and rugby striped poly rayon spandex french terry and it works so well as lightweight sweaters, shorts, and especially after-swimwear when you’re just a bit chilled. It was such a good match for this pattern.

I am so excited about this dress. I love that I can wear this from the pool to the store or snow cone shack and feel totally comfortable. It’s going to be the first thing I pack on my beach vacations too- from beach lounging to lunch on the patio, I love a little more coverage and this just nails it. I’m counting down the days until my kiddos are out of school and we can hit the pools and splash pads all day, every day.

Thank you DIBY Club for giving me the opportunity to sew up these patterns. They just released the new Emmeline Dress and it’s another one I’m adding to my list. It feels great to find another pattern company I can trust with great fitting patterns, comprehensive tutorials, and super cute styles. You can check out their women’s patterns, or try a pattern for free!

Fall Mini Hudson Joggers

This little guy is always asking for me to sew him up new clothes. He loves wearing mama-made but I think he’s really in it for the photo shoot bribes! I’ll take it though because there’s nothing I love more than looking at that smiling face!

He has a severe hatred of ‘hard pants’ aka jeans. To satisfy both of us, I’ll happily sew up some slim fitting joggers. They’re a quick sew and I love how they look on him!

I have several jogger patterns I like and for these I used the Mini Hudson Pants from True Bias. I love the fit of these and it was a great twist of fate that I already had a size 7 traced and ready to go. He’s growing like a weed and I can’t keep up with those long legs so none of my patterns from the spring would work for him.

I did modify the waistband for multiple reasons. One, I’m lazy! Two, actual drawstrings always come out in the wash. And three, again, I’m lazy, lol! The pattern calls for wider elastic than I had on hand and then you create a casing for a drawstring. I simplified the heck out of it by doing one big casing and attaching a faux drawstring to the front. These joggers were done from cut to finish in less than an hour.

I used this cotton modal french terry from Knitpop for these. I had originally ordered this luscious stuff for myself but when it arrived the color was a bit more brown than I wanted. I knew it’d be perfect for my boys though. It’s seriously some of the softest stuff I’ve worked with and I’m slightly jealous of these beauties.

Another easy peasy project in the books! I think my family might just hold the world record for most joggers in one household. If not, I think I better keep it up because that’s a title I’d proudly take!

Love Notions Thomas Track Pants

There’s exciting things happening in the Love Notions Pattern world. Kelly has joined Tami as an assistant designer and has just released her first pattern! I love working with Kelly and know she’s been after a great track pant pattern for ages. So it was obvious they should be her inaugural pattern.

(This post contains affiliate links. Purchasing through these links provides me a small commission that I use to keep up fabric hoarding obsession.)

The Thomas Track Pants are so full of options! You’ve got to check out Kelly’s ah-mazing cover pair. Pockets, colorblocking, and hem zippers make them perfect for your little athletes. They come in sizes 2t-14 and I’m thinking my teenage soccer players need some too!

Charlie asked for some cozy pajama pants and picked out this plush fleece for his first pair. After trying them on he declared them soooo soft and comfy and had to wear them to school that day. So they may have started out as pj’s but have become his go-to pants whenever they are clean. This is the basic no pocket, solid version. They’re a super quick sew and the perfect fit!

I made Charlie a couple Moto Maxx tops and he needed a pair of track pants to match too! This version features the cool colorblocking. I skipped the other bells and whistles which made these another quick sew. I used the much sought after oatmeal french terry from Raspberry Creek Fabrics with some olive heathered french terry (also from RCF but currently out of stock) for the accent. His top is also made with RCF cotton lycra jersey (so soft!).

Just in case you need the perfect top to go with your new track pants, I can’t recommend the Moto Maxx enough! I love being able to mix and match prints and that shoulder detail is too cool. Boys clothing can be boring but not with this pattern!

I’m so excited for Kelly to be joining the design team and to be dreaming up more boy patterns. I love sewing for this kid and know Kelly will do some fantastic things!

I’ll leave you with this gem. He’s pretty convinced that ‘matching’ means wearing head to toe of the same color. He just had to wear his new shades and I think he’s doing his best to intimidate you into grabbing this pattern! I know you’ll love it as much as he does!

Striped Swallow Hideaway

I’m always on the hunt for quick, cozy top patterns and was excited to try out the Hideaway from Striped Swallow Designs. I think it took longer to decide on fabric than it did to sew up this cute top!

This pattern is meant to be off the shoulder but I used a simple hack Mandalynn posted on her Instagram. I simply skipped cutting the neckline and hemmed the neck opening 1/2″ before sewing up the shoulder seams. Since it’s a dolman top and only four pieces, it came together in a heartbeat!

This reverse french terry I picked up in LA was perfect. It has excellent drape and I love the muted camo print. Funny story and bonus for all you local peeps: I wore this top out running errands and stopped in to my local fabric shop, Fabric Center on Redwood Rd. They totally have this exact fabric in stock! It felt a little like when you’re shopping at Target and walk past the display only to realize you’re wearing the same top as the mannequin- doh!

I love the silhouette of this top and that it’s a bit out of my comfort zone. I already want to sew up a few more to get me through our cold winter months. I’d love a cozy sweater knit version and you can never have too much french terry!

A New Batch of Halifax’s

I’d like to pretend that I wake up every morning and get dressed to the nines but my reality is not so glamorous. My biggest debate every morning is whether or not I can get away with wearing sweats all day. More often than not you can find me in a sweatshirt and jeans or joggers getting all the glorious mom-life done.

One of my go-to sweatshirt patterns is the Halifax Hoodie from Hey June. I’ve currently got about 10 in my closet- a bit obsessed is right (you can check some out here, here, here, and here). They are quick sews and I just adore all the options.

This cute plaid and polka dot version is my new favorite thing. I used french terry dots and plaid double knit from Raspberry Creek Fabrics– the BEST place to get your cozy fabrics for this pattern. This is view B- the view I do the most. I can whip one of these bad boys up in the time it takes to watch an episode of the Office. So stinking fast! It’s also my favorite pattern to use up scraps and mix prints.

I’ve been dying to do a big bishop sleeve sweatshirt and this pattern was a great place to start. I used view D with a couple of tweaks. For the sleeves I extended the length a few inches and drew a straight line from the shoulder to the new hem- keeping it nice and wide. I made an elastic casing and 1/2″ elastic instead of a cuff. I like the added fullness it gives the sleeves but it’s not too much drama- still nice and wearable everyday.

I raised the neckline up a bit and added the cowl. I love the cowl a little snugglier around my neck. Such a cozy sweatshirt! I used an incredible organic bamboo french terry from CaliFabrics for this version and it’s a little piece of heaven. This slate blue color is so pretty and works well in my wardrobe.

Some of my favorite sewing buddies are having a little party over on Instagram celebrating this fun pattern. It’s a great little refresher from all that holiday sewing and perfect for a little gift to yourself. Search the #halifaxholidayparty to join in the fun!

Love Notions Sloane Blog Tour Day Four

Today’s post is a little sentimental. This pretty lady right here is my mom. She is absolutely the most selfless, kind, genuine person you’ll ever meet. She actually taught me how to sew when I was young. She sewed a ton of my clothes when I was little but then life with five kids kept her away from her machines. She was busy driving us to school, practices, jobs and always had a side job going too. As a mom of five myself, I don’t know how she did it (and our house was ALWAYS clean- super woman, I tell you!).

As my sister and I have gotten more into sewing she’s been wanting to get back into it too. She was super nervous to sew for herself and scared of the new PDF world. We knew that Love Notions Patterns (affiliate link) would be a great match for her. They are classic styles with great instructions that come together easily and there are tons of beginner friendly patterns too!

I’ve been sewing PDF patterns for so long now that I forget about how different they are from how I learned to sew in Home Ec. The printing and taping are new not to mention the trend towards cutting pieces with pattern weights and a rotary cutter instead of pins and scissors. I find it so much easier but that rotary cutter can be a little intimidating for a first timer. We started with the LDT pattern this summer. I think it’s a great pattern for a beginner (although the fabric recommendations can be a little trickier to sew with). She made two gorgeous dresses and wore them all summer! Once fall hit she kept mentioning she’d love to try a hoodie. The new Sloane Sweater was perfect!

Our first stop was Raspberry Creek Fabric for some pretty french terry. She had a hard time deciding and grabbed fabric for two versions! I knew this cotton spandex french terry would be much easier for her to sew than the rayon spandex she’d been struggling with. It’s nice and thick, doesn’t curl or fray, and sews up so great on the serger. I highly recommend it for a newbie to sewing knits- it’s a dream!

We washed the fabric, printed and cut the pieces, and sewed this up all in an afternoon! This is her ‘I can’t believe I made this!’ face! She was so excited to have a cute finished garment in no time. It’s the best feeling to see someone’s confidence grow and their love of sewing ignite again. Doesn’t she look amazing?! I think she did an awesome job too! I love her fabric pairing and how she used the dots. It suits her so well! I think that’s one of my favorite things about Tami’s patterns- if you look through her tester photos you will see real women, all shapes, sizes, and ages, and everyone looks fantastic! Her patterns are easy to wear for women of all walks of life- you can make them dressy for the office or casual for the stay-at-home mom and everyone in between. They’re just so, so good!

And here she is doing the signature blogger ‘look at the ground as naturally as possible’ pose. Nailed it! This was simply the best afternoon and I’m so glad I got to share a piece of it with y’all.

You can catch all the other stops on the tour here:

Monday: Sew Shelly Sew, The Wholesome Mama, Ruby Rue Creations

Tuesday: Third Shift Creations, Sew Like a Sloth, Four Seasons and a Roadtrip

Wednesday: Seamly Behaviour, My Heart Will Sew On, Ma Moose

Thursday: SewSophieLynn, Very Blissful Blog, Kainara stitches, Sprouting JubeJube

Friday: Sew and Tell Project, Sewing curves, Princesse et trésors, All Things Katy!

Love Notions Sloane Tour Day Two

If you’ve followed me for very long you know I’m all about comfort. Even in my fanciest dresses, I love to feel like I’m in my pajamas. So it’s no surprise I now have a closetful of variations on the Love Notions Sloane (affl. link). Sloane season also coincides with french terry season which means I will be living in comfort (and style!) for months!

Raspberry Creek Fabric carries my favorite french terry, a thick cozy cotton spandex blend, in tons of gorgeous prints in their in house CLUB fabric line. Diana at Raspberry Creek is a dear friend and has graciously sponsored most of my Sloane fabric posts. You definitely need to head over to check out her huge selection at amazing prices (not to mention lightning fast shipping!).

This newest line is something dreams are made of. I’m such a fan of olive and plum and this fabric is just beautiful! I used the floral on oatmeal base and plum dots for this version.

I did view B with the yoke and hood options. I did a size small and like the boxy fit of this pattern. The wider fit sets this apart from my other hoodie patterns and feels very fresh and trendy that way. It’s still classic and not too slouchy though too! This pattern can be made almost entirely on your serger making it sew up in a flash. I did a french seam on the hood and a little topstitching on my machine but even then this was easily a quick afternoon project. Am I speaking your language too?! I don’t think anyone ever has ‘too much’ sewing time!

I had to quickly throw this on hot off the machines so I could get quick pics. I was dying to wear this out trick-or-treating with my crew. It was perfect for our slightly crisp fall evening!

You can check out more fantastic Sloanes this week by following the blog tour- so much cuteness!

Monday: Sew Shelly Sew, The Wholesome Mama, Ruby Rue Creations

Tuesday: Third Shift Creations, Sew Like a Sloth, Four Seasons and a Roadtrip

Wednesday: Seamly Behaviour, My Heart Will Sew On, Ma Moose

Thursday: SewSophieLynn, Very Blissful Blog, Kainara stitches, Sprouting JubeJube

Friday: Sew and Tell Project, Sewing curves, Princesse et trésors, All Things Katy!

Knock it Off Tour

The Knock-it Off Tour hosted by Sprouting Jube Jube and Lulu and Celeste is for all you do-it-yourselfers. You know who you are. You walk through the mall and all you can think is, “I could make that so easy!” or “Man, that top would be so cute if only it was two inches longer/shorter/had sleeves/a v-neck/hood/ruffle/stripes/butterflies/etc…”. Chances are if you’re a seamstress of any level you will be thinking this on EVERY single shopping trip!

My inspiration comes from a no longer available Anthropology top I came across during the Tallinn testing. I loved the simple ruffle and knew the Tallinn was just the pattern for it!

Try not to spit out your soda at my awesome recreation of the pic. I’m pretty sure this model is a size negative 20 and hasn’t seen a donut in her life. It’s like I’ve found my long lost twin 😉

I was really thinking this would be an easy hack. The Tallinn sweater features the same overlapped front but is a straight angled top piece. The bands are done in two pieces and the neckline features a turtleneck or slouchy cowl.

Now there’s a reason I don’t really do tutorials. #1- I rarely ever hack patterns. I can usually just find a pattern that suits my needs. #2- I definitely don’t have the sewing skill to share with you. I learn from doing and would hate to teach techniques wrong. #3- I don’t have the patience to take all the needed pics to properly show what I’m doing. Now with that out of the way I’ll do my darndest to explain what I did to create this look.

My original mods to the actual pattern pieces were fairly simple. I used two right front pieces and altered them to be wider at the shoulder and curved at the hem. I used my french curve for the curve and added 2.5″ at the shoulder seam. I slashed and spread my sleeve piece to make it a bit looser like the inspiration and made it 3/4 length. I’m sure I could have just sized up that piece to make it easier. I also cut the neckline right in between the turtleneck and cowl necklines and made a neck binding piece 1.75″x 80% of the neckline circumference.

I had to get a little creative sewing it up. The Tallinn has separate hem band pieces for the front and bottom. I struggled wrapping my mind around getting one continuous ruffle sewn on since it’s included in the shoulder seam. I didn’t want the bulk of the ruffle under the other shoulder so my ruffle tapers off underneath and is not included in the right shoulder seam.

So, I got a little crazy and sewed up the right shoulder then sewed about an inch of the outside left shoulder seam. I then added the sleeves and sewed the side seams. I could then add the ruffle to the outside hem in one continuous piece. (My ruffle is 2″ by 2 times the length of the full hem.) Once the ruffle was on I could then finish the left shoulder seam and attach the neck binding. Not mind blowing sewing but it did stretch me a bit.

I honestly wasn’t in love with this when we first took these pictures. I couldn’t figure out what it was. I found the original top and read some of the same thoughts in the reviews- not flattering was a general consensus. For me, it really highlights my broad shoulders. Not something I usually go for.

That night as I laid in bed I had one of those hallelujah moments. I knew the ruffle needed to come in on the shoulder to cut my shoulder in a bit and it was as simple as pleating the shoulder piece. I really didn’t want to unpick all the ruffle and topstitching to fully alter the whole front piece!

It’s not a huge difference- before altering on the left and after on the right, but I think it helps a ton. I really love the final top and think it’s such a great transition top for spring.

For this top I used a super soft blush french terry from Stylish Fabric. It looks like this shade is out of stock currently (glad others are sharing my current pink obsession) but there are a ton of other beautiful colors to choose from.

I’m so excited to pair this top with jeans or my favorite new Brassie joggers. It’s such a great, comfy mom outfit.

BTW- The Tallinn is a great nursing top and this little hack is a great way to switch it up a bit in case you need a closet full of them.

You can catch all the amazing Knock-offs this week here:

Monday, April 24

Lulu & Celeste – Call Ajaire – Paisley Roots – Adventures with Bubba and Bug

Tuesday, April 25

Sprouting JubeJube – mahlicadesigns – Sew and Tell Project

Wednesday, April 26

Lulu & Celeste – SewSophieLynn – Nini and Ash – Little Heart Threads

Thursday, April 27

Sprouting JubeJube – sewingbyti – Inspinration – House of Estrela – Beri Bee Designs

Friday, April 28

Lulu & Celeste – Duchess & Hare – Creative Counselor – Filles a Maman (FAM)

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Pattern for Pirates Joggers

It’s not very often I get to sew for my big boys so I jumped at the chance to test Pattern for Pirates newest joggers. Best part- there is a pattern for the whole family!

On any given day in our house at least 3 or 4 of us are sporting joggers of some kind. My big boys live in their woven ready-to-wear versions and love to lounge around in comfy knit ones too. My littlest will ALWAYS pick ‘soft pants’ and I can’t make them fast enough for him. Now me, you know I’m a fan (here, here, and here).

This guy is growing like a weed and we have the hardest time finding pants long enough for him. These are perfect for him! We didn’t need to add length this time but it will be an easy alteration in the future.

He likes his joggers nice and skinny and was pretty happy with the fit of these- loose through the hip and thigh and tapered calf and ankle.

For his, we did slat pockets, elastic waist with drawstring, and cuffed bottoms.

This guy is still tiny! He’s finally growing a bit but his waist/hips are staying slim. The fit on him is a bit bigger since I went with his waist measurement and not his hips which would have took him down a size or two.

He likes the fit and has worn them any chance they’re clean.

His pants feature the patch pockets, elastic waistband and rolled hem.

A winning combo!

Charlie is super easy to please. He picked his fabrics and is one happy camper! All of the fabric for our group shoot is from the lovely Raspberry Creek Fabrics.

His love of comfy pants is hard because he’s got a tiny waist and long legs. RTW elastic waist pants are usually too big in the waist for him. So unfortunately (wink, wink) mom has to sew him a drawerful of cute pants.

These are a size 5 with a 4 yoga waistband. The yoga waistband totally ups the comfort factor even more!

I made two pairs for myself during testing and I can’t hardly stand to take this pair off. It’s a super soft double brushed poly and they feel like heaven!

I struggle with fitting my calfs in other jogger patterns and I love that calf measurements are included in these. I made a size small graded to a large at the calf and then back down to a small at the ankle. The fit is just perfect!

Make sure to pick up your copies today! You can get the bundle or buy them separately- Baby Bear, Mama Bear, and Papa Bear.

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One Thimble Issue 13 Blog Tour

The newest issue of One Thimble is here! It’s packed full of unique and fun kids patterns and so much sewing inspiration. I’m excited to join in the release day fun and share two of my makes from Issue 13.

I was immediately drawn to these two bottom patterns- the Peg Shorts by Tadah Patterns and the Orbis Skinny Harems from Sofilantjes. I love that they both come with a ton of options!

The Orbis Skinny’s are a unisex pattern in sizes 12 months to 14 years. They are loose in the hips then almost legging tight through the calf- such a hip silhouette! You can make them in 3/4 or long length.

The pocket is one big piece that is so unique and such a great place to use those fun scraps.

The asymmetrical faux fly is such a show stopper! My little guy wanted snaps instead of buttons and I love the finished pants.

Those pockets and the amazing french terry have won this guy over. He has worn them constantly since I made them!

I was loving the Peg Shorts pattern and was excited to make them work with our quickly dropping temperatures. In a gorgeous red cordoroy layered over tights, these are just perfect!

I love the buttons on the front and the classic style.

Gold details make these a fab choice for the upcoming holidays.

They come in sizes 3-10 and have a ton of adorable features. You can do back welt pockets and Kawaii ruffles or a skirt front as well. The back elastic waistband makes these super comfy too!

We struggled to get photos in after school one day. Anyone else struggling with Daylight Savings? I love the sunshine in the morning but it seems like it gets dark so quickly these days!

This tour is full of amazing bloggers and so, so much inspiration. Make sure you check it all out and pick up your issue here.

11/10 Pattern Revolution, Beri Bee Designs, The Sew and Tell Project, SewSophieLynn

11/11 Create 3.5, GAAFMACHINE

11/12 Tales of a Tester, Little Cumquat, Call Ajaire

11/13 Happy Okapi, Sunflower Seams, Stitches by Laura

11/14 Made by Sara, Candice Ayala, Filles a Maman

11/15 House of Estrela, Snickerdoodle Stew, Swoodson Says

11/16 The Lady and the Gents, Lulu & Celeste, Pear Berry Lane

11/17 Finn’s Door, Blue Wren Handmade, Once Upon a Sewing Machine, Just Add Fabric

I’ll leave you with this cutie 😉 Pants not pictured just luscious blonde locks in need of a haircut. Everytime I cut his hair he looks years older and it just about kills me. This mama is struggling letting go of her ‘baby’.

Tag: French Terry