Sloane Sweater – SewSophieLynn

A look back at my 2020 Love Notions makes and SALE!

2020 was a doozy in so many ways. It was full of incredible moments and so much uncertainty. Looking back over my sewing projects for the year, they were a true reflection of life and how we rolled with the punches. My sewing time was at a premium and as a result I sewed less and sewed more quick, easy to wear pieces that fit into my new, low-key lifestyle. In honor of Love Notions big site-wide 30% off sale, today I’m sharing some of my favorite LN makes of 2020.

This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for buying through them and helping support my little hobby and blog!

I started the year with a quick fun Sloane in this darling print from Raspberry Creek Fabrics. I used the Classic Tee neckline and have since made that my go-to neckline for the Sloane. I just like crew necks and I figure if I’m making my own clothes, I should be making them exactly how I like them. Sometimes, a too-wide neckline is enough to make me not wear something so I need to remember to make the slight adjustments so these pieces will get worn!

My second quick make of the year was this amazing Sybil pencil skirt in Raspberry Creek ponte (good news, it’s BACK!). I wish this had gotten more wear this year but sadly with online church and no big nights out, this piece is just waiting for a bit of normal life to return. I can’t wait to wear this more! The Sybil Skirt collection is so full of options and a must have in any pattern collection.

The Sabrina Slims rerelease in early February was great timing. I made two pair for the rerelease- one stretch denim and one soft ponte. Sabrina’s are great for this time, still comfy but they look a little nicer than the sweatpants you’ve been reaching for.

This Rhapsody Blouse was a staple for me this summer. I love the easy, breeziness of it and in this amazing Art Gallery rayon, this is one piece I can’t wait for warm weather to wear it again. I have a stack of fabrics pegged for more Rhapsodies this year and I’m really hoping they happen sooner rather than later. I really need to get the Rhapsody maxi dress out of my head and into reality STAT!

This post just had to include the Allegros. I think we’re looking at a three way tie for my most used LN pattern with this, the Classic Tee, and the Sloane Sweater. I now have a pair of Allegros for every day of the week in everything from tencel chambray to rayon challis to double brushed poly and even hacci sweater knit. This is the pattern of quarantine life. Easy to wear, oh-so-comfortable, and so, so versatile. I love using this pattern as the bottom piece in a faux romper look. I’ve lengthened the pants a bit to really work year round too. A good, elastic waist pant and skirt pattern is such a workhorse and I will continue to reach for this pattern in 2021 (and beyond!).

This Namaste set has been one of my most worn makes this year. I admittedly wear them all day and then sleep in them at night (or vice versa on especially lazy days!). I love that this feels ok to answer the door in at 2 pm and no one really suspects you’re still in your pj’s (not that that’s happened or anything ;)). The Namaste Nightwear Collection is latest sewalong pattern happening on Facebook and I highly encourage you to join in the fun. This is such a great versatile pattern that will get you through whatever these next few months have in store.

These were some of my final makes of the year and boy are they favorites already! The Compose Robe came at the perfect time. My girl loves hers and I love cozying up in mine too!

Looking back, 2020 was chock-full of Love Notions sewing for me. Although it was less than my normal crazy sewing years, it was still productive in the best way. These pieces really worked for us and I love, love the time I was able to carve away to create. Love Notions patterns give me a chance to get creative and make clothing pieces that all my kids and I reach for all year long. Make sure to check out the 30% off Love Notions sale and let’s kick off 2021 with some sewing and hope for a great year to come!

The perfect lounge set with Love Notions and Raspberry Creek Fabrics

When Diana at Raspberry Creek Fabrics mentioned new hacci sweater knit prints were coming to the shop, I immediately began dreaming of the perfect leisure outfit in plush RCF hacci. This classic houndstooth print totally spoke my name and I knew it just had to happen.

RCF hacci knit is a medium weight fabric with over 50% stretch. It’s light and flowy but has an incredible softness and plushness too. The poly/rayon/spandex blend means this fabric washes up beautifully, has enough stretch and recovery for almost all of your needs, and feels like heaven!

For this outfit, I turned to two of my go-to Love Notions patterns: the Sloane Sweater and Allegro Bottoms (affiliate links). I slightly modified both patterns to fit my vision and I’m pretty ecstatic with the results.

In the past I’ve found my Sloane’s a little too wide in the neck. For this version, I used the crew neckline from the Classic Tee to bring the neckline in and up a tad. I also added length to the sleeves so I could omit the cuffs and do a rolled sleeve hem instead. While I love cozy sweaters, I always push my sleeves up to mid forearm (something about my wrists suffocating, lol). Omitting the cuffs makes this so much easier and more comfortable. Since I was going for cozy comfort, I made these modifications to make these pieces really suit me.

For the Allegros, I made a few small changes. I added a band to the pocket to pull it in a touch. I also modified the waistband piece to be two separate rectangles instead of the curved waistband. To do this I measure the length of each waistband piece then used that as my length. For the width I just doubled the width of the waistband minus the upper seam allowance since I wanted to just fold my pieces in half lengthwise. For the cuffs, I cut a couple of inches off of the legs then used a cuff piece from another jogger pattern. While the Allegros have an elastic cuff option, for true comfort I knew eliminating the elastic and using a same fabric cuff would be ideal.

So the big question is, Do I dare wear this set outside of my house? It’s so perfect for lounging but am I cool enough to run errands in head to toe houndstooth? I love that these pieces will work so well with so many things in my wardrobe. I have a cute magenta sweatshirt that I will totally wear with the pants and this top will look so cute with jeans and layered over a plaid shirt. So whether they’re worn together or as separates, I have a feeling these pieces are going to be worth their weight in gold.

Summer Sewing 2019

This summer has just flown by. I’ve barely been at my machines and if I’m being honest, it’s been fantastic! Lots of traveling, family time and incredible experiences. With summer winding down I’ll certainly miss the sunshine and lazy days but I’m anxious to get my own free time back. I’ve got a list a mile long just waiting to be sewn up!

This post contains affiliate links. I get a small commission when you purchase through them.

Raspberry Creek Fabrics new Fall Line hit the shop today and it was the perfect excuse to spend the day sewing with my sister while she’s in town. These three cute cousins are loving their coordinating looks!

My sister sewed up a Greenpoint Cardigan for her dino loving daughter. Her kids wear a uniform to school and this cardigan will be a great layering piece to and from school each day. This dino print is so fun and is a great neutral piece.

Her little man got a new Constance Sweater in the Geo Shark print. A simple piece that is so cute and comfy! She paired it with ribbing from Hobby Lobby and I can’t wait to copy this look for myself.

For Charlie, I used the Sloane Sweater from Love Notions paired with a Shark panel and the Allover Geometric print. I love how these prints pair so well with any solid. I love this kid in teal so that’s what he got, lol. It won’t be long before he’s picking every element of what I sew for him so I’ll take what I can get now 😉

The Sloane is drafted for girls but looks fantastic on him. That shoulder and back detail is my favorite!

This girl lives in leggings all winter so we’ll gradually start building up her stash. This horse print is so fun paired with a denim shirt and I think it will look so cute with so many of her cardigans and sweaters come cooler weather too! I turned to my trusty FREE Love Notions Leggin’s again. They’re such a great fit for both my girls.

Did your summer sewing slow down as much as mine? Are you counting down the days until school starts too? I hope your days have been filled with great memories and I can’t wait to get back to this space soon!

A Mini Capsule for Tweens

As we were preparing for the cooler weather we found a few holes in this girls closet. She loves to wear tunics and leggings and needed more to work into her wardrobe. We loved this mustard dot (surprise, surprise) french terry from Knitpop and built a mini capsule around it.

While back to school shopping she fell in love with these GapKids leggings. We know that rtw leggings rarely fit so we set to find fabric to recreate them. This wildflower print (also from Knitpop) was perfect!

She got two more leggings out of fabric from Raspberry Creek Fabrics. This tropical floral print made a cute pair of capris.

I used two tried and true patterns for these looks. The Sloane Sweater from Love Notions is so full of options that she can have a closet full and no one will know they’re all the same pattern! This is the simple classic tunic version but we love the yoke version too. Our go-to leggings pattern is the FREE Love Notions Leggins’. With a yoga waistband these sew up in a flash!

We love these classic, everyday looks and know they’re going to get worn all fall and winter!

Favorite Patterns Valentine Style

I’ve been loving stocking my kids closets with warm, comfy sweatshirts. They are the first things they reach for all winter long.

This guy outgrew his beloved flannel front Samson Sweater and it was about time he got a new version. The Samson Sweater (affiliate link- I get a small kickback if you purchase through Love Notions links in this post) has tons of options- crewneck, hoodie, button-front cardigan. This simple relaxed raglan style is such a great fit. I absolutely love this Mammoth Plaid Flannel/charcoal french terry combo (all fabric from Raspberry Creek Fabrics). I didn’t make any modifications to use this woven as the front piece and the fit is fantastic!

My oldest daughter got another Sloane Sweater (affl. link) because we can’t get enough cute sweatshirts! I took the same plaid flannel and cut a simple heart. I serged the edges then edgestitched it on. It was looking a little too plain jane so my Cricut came to the rescue. In five minutes flat we had the ‘love’ cut and ironed on! I think it’s the perfect finishing touch!

This cute fabric combo just jumped into my arms during my last trip into Raspberry Creek. I sewed up a new Toaster Sweater for me in this pretty quilted knit (coming soon to the blog too!) and I couldn’t waste any of it! I sewed up another favorite pattern- the Hey June Hatteras Hoodie view B. It’s one of my go-to patterns when I want to do a little color-blocking. I mixed in the Salmon Dots in french terry and Light grey french terry for bands and I’m loving this fun fabric mix! I modified the pattern just a bit by doing an extended cowl neckline. I simply used the band length and widened the width to 6″ to give it a cute slouchy turtleneck look. It’s an extra cozy addition!

A little girl in pink polka dots just kills me!

My kids should be set in the sweatshirt department for awhile!

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 Blog Tour Day Three- free Cut File

Here we are on day three and I’ve got another women’s Sloane for you. This is inspired by a J. Crew sweatshirt I found on Pinterest…

It’s no longer available and I guarantee that I would cringe at the price. Basic sweatshirts with a little embellishment are an easy DIY and usually carry a hefty price tag off the rack.

For this version I sized up to a medium. The inspiration pic looks really roomy and I wanted to keep that look. I used one of my go-to fabrics- this light heather grey french terry from Raspberry Creek Fabric. It’s a cotton spandex blend that’s medium weight with great stretch and recovery. I did a basic view B without any of the bells and whistles.

For my floral embellishments, I used my Cricut. I knew I could achieve the look of the velvet flowers on the original with a black flocked heat transfer vinyl. I love flocked vinyl and use it all the time. It lends a retro vibe to graphic tees and holds up so well in the wash. It mimicked the velvet so perfectly for this project too!

I’m not a graphics girl by any means so my flowers were done with a little trial and error. I found a few free floral clip arts online and traced them in Design Space. I copy and pasted them to get multiple sizes to get a good variety to play with. I had fun laying them out on my top and playing around with placement. You really can’t go wrong. Use as few or as many flowers as you’d like.

You can make your own with these free files using your cutting machine:

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I think they’d look great in a metallic or a subtle monocramatic color on color too!

I love this quick embellishment project! So easy and adds so much to a boring old sweatshirt.

You can check out all the other stops on the Sloane Tour this week here and stick around for my official post tomorrow!

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!

Love Notions Sloane Week

This week Love Notions is celebrating it’s newest pattern and update- the women’s and girls (affl. links) Sloane. All week long I’ll be sharing my Sloanes- it’s such a versatile pattern I can’t stop making them! Today I’m starting with this repost from the CaliFabrics blog. I love this sweater and just had to share it here too!

Make sure you check out all the bloggers joining in the Sloane Blog Tour. There’s hacks and such a huge variety of looks you won’t want to miss.

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!

I love scouring fashion magazines and Pinterest as we head into a new season. I’ve been loving the huge embroidery trend and knew I wanted to incorporate it into my daughters fall wardrobe (I’m hoping to add some to mine too- can’t let her have all the fun!). I hopped on Amazon and grabbed a bundle of embroidered flowers and then started brainstorming everything I was going to floral-fy! Jackets, sweatshirts, pants, tees… you name it. Then when I was browsing the CaliFabrics site inspiration hit! I wanted a subtle print and in my book leopard print is totally a neutral. This leopard sweater knit was perfect!

Now that I had fabric picked out I struggled to find just the right pattern for the look I wanted. I knew I wanted a boxy cropped sweater and really struggled to find a pattern that suited what I had in mind. That was until Tami at Love Notions magically read my mind! The women’s Sloane Sweater is one of my favorites and just recently went under a revamp. While she was busy fixing it up she threw in a girls version too- hello! With a few little tweaks it was just what I had envisioned!

I used the basic banded version, view B. I cropped off three inches at the hem then did my bottom band the same width as the hem. That’s it- super easy alterations to get this easy-going cropped look!

This was one of my first times machine sewing embroidery on. The applique has a black base that made the thread blend in fairly well. If it was a fancy garment or special occasion dress I think I’d spend the time to hand sew the pieces on but for this everyday garment the machine was perfect. Do you have any tips or tutorials you love for attaching embroidery or appliques? I know there will be many more in my future. I think it really elevates the garment and there are so many possibilities.

I love that this outfit could work for both a grown woman and your fashion-minded girls. It’s hard to find clothes in stores that are sophisticated without being too-grown up looking. Her school has a fairly strict dress code and it’s so nice being able to sew things that are suitable.

I’ve decided having a tween is the best! She will happily wear all the latest trends and styles that I feel might be a little too ‘young’ and ‘hip’ for me. We have very similar styles so I always know that if I’d like it then she will be thrilled with it too. It’s a fun age and sure makes sewing for her rewarding. As a sewing blogger, I’d much rather be behind the camera taking the pics instead of front and center! She’s such a willing model that I honestly could just happily sew for her all day.

She’s the reason I started sewing and the namesake of my blog afterall…

Are you sewing for fall yet? Make sure you check out the huge selection of sweater knits in the shop! So many cute fabrics, so little time!

Love Notions Sloane Sweater

Fall is here and that means sweaters and sweatshirts are taking over our closets! The newest Love Notions patterns are perfect! The Women’s Sloane got a revamp and while she was at it she added a girls version too! (affl. links)

This post contains affiliate links. I became a Love Notions Affiliate AFTER falling in love with her patterns, testing process, and attention to details. Purchasing through the links provides me with a little kick back that of course gets spent on more fabric 😉

There are two different views- view A is a relaxed fit, curved hem top and view B is a boxy fit with bands (similar to your favorite sweatshirt). There are tons of options too! You can add a contrast yoke, elbow patches, kangaroo pocket and a hood. You’ll want to sew up a handful just to try them all!

I sewed up this version pre-revision and blogged about it over on the CaliFabrics blog. This super soft french terry version is one of my favorite makes! The fit didn’t change much during testing but many of the options are new including extended sizing and a FBA piece (so nice to have the work done for you!). This is a simple view B with lace added to the yoke seams.

I had just enough left of the rose french terry for this fun top for my girl. She picked some camo french terry (from LA) as a coordinate and I love this combo sooooo much. Pink and camo is just a sweet little match!

I love that these tops coordinate but aren’t exact copies. I’m sure we won’t wear them at the same time but it was pretty fun to get pics with my mini me!

Of course lil sis needed one too! Are you scrambling to fill in all the gaps in your kids cold weather wardrobe? I was shocked to see this girly had outgrown most of her long sleeved tops. A plain view B was a quick and easy solution! This is a quilted knit from Hobby Lobby last year. It’s a bit thicker than the recommended fabric but I love the boxier fit. The perfect loose fitting sweatshirt without being sloppy!

The grey and flannel version was an early tester version. The final pattern is a bit more slim but we still love this one! I can’t get enough of plaid flannel and french terry together- especially this mustard and grey combo. You might recognize it from this rad Halifax of mine 🙂