Sew Long Summer, Hello Astoria and Pirate Pencil

I say Sew Long Summer by sewing up new fall outfits. My newest outfit is the Astoria Sweater from Seamwork Magazine and the Pirate Pencil Skirt from Patterns 4 Pirates.

I knew they would make a colorful fall outfit that I can also leverage for my business casual office. (Oh hey, keep reading to learn about the Sew Long Summer blog tour)

The Astoria

This is my first time trying a pattern from Seamwork magazine. My first impression of the Astoria was it’s overkill of information except for an accurate description of the two versions. I had to dig to find that the versions are long sleeve and 3/4 sleeve. (The 3/4 sleeve descriptor is actually on the pattern piece inventory- nowhere else) I made a straight size Med per my measurements and I’d say it’s a good fit.

The Pirate Pencil Skirt

The Pirate Pencil is a free pattern, but is not lacking in the time and effort put into regular quality patterns. My only critique is that the print instructions don’t have you print pages 18 & 23 for the above knee version. You will need them. The only thing I’d change is adding a little length for next time.

I used stash fabrics to make both pieces; a striped ponte knit to make up the Pirate Pencil and a textured double knit for the Astoria.

Thanks for reading today.

 

The full tour includes these talented sewists, so I hope you’ll follow along and comment on their posts this week.

Sept. 9th   Sewing A La Carte,  mahlicadesigns, Sewing Vortex, Sewing With Sarah

Sept. 10th The Bear and Pea Atelier, Auschick Sews, Stitched by Jennie, Miss Marah Sewn

Sept. 11th Sew Cute Couture by Kathy, A Rose Tinted World, mahlicadesigns

Sept. 12th Little Heart Threads, Lulu and Celeste, The Crafting Fiend, Fils Anddraps

Sept. 13th  Petite Font, Sew 4 Five, The Sewing Scientist, Sew Cute Couture by Kathy, Kitty Makes It

You can follow me on instagram, Bloglovin, or by entering your email in the right side bar.

Lazo Trousers from Thread Theory- featuring DG Patterns Organic Tencel

It took me about a month to get it done, but I sewed up my first pair of Lazo Trousers from Thread Theory. The pattern isn’t hard at all, November was just slow going on the sewing front.

I originally picked up the Lazo pattern hoping to use them to knock off this look I found on pinterest, but my interest in that project has waned.

Picking up a big bag full of discounted closures at Hobby Lobby did bring the Lazos back into focus though. I really like the look they have with two buckles at the waistline and now I can totally do that.

The Pattern: Lazo Trousers in size 10 and shortened 2in. After my muslin, I pinched out a 1/2in wedge from the center back yoke.

Pattern feedback- 1. you should stay-stitch the upper edge of the pants after making your pleats, not after you’ve constructed the whole pant and inserted the fly. I didn’t have a problem with my fabric stretching, but play it safe and do this step early on.  2. I’m not a fan of attaching the zipper to the fly shield as it doesn’t look as neat on the inside. I really like the fly insertion instructions from the Liana Jeans and often use them when making other pants. 3. I inserted the belt tabs into the waistband seam for extra security and a neater finish.

The Fabric: Organic Tencel in navy from DG Patterns shop. If you haven’t sewn with tencel yet I really encourage you to pick some up and give it a whirl. Tencel has nice drape and is super soft to the touch. The silk setting on my iron seamed to work best in combination with a pressing cloth. Direct pressing tended to leave a mark and slight sheen on multiple layers. Tencel woven is one of the recommended fabrics for the Lazos and would work well with any pant, skirt, or dress that needs a nice drape.

As always, thanks for reading today.

You can follow me on instagram, Bloglovin, or by entering your email in the right side bar.

*As a DG Patterns Fabric Ambassador I receive complementary fabric from the DG Patterns fabric shop to use for a project in exchange for sharing it with you.

You might also like The modern striped boatneck top I’m wearing.

Save For Later: Pin this image, so you can come back when you’re ready to start sewing your version.

Sew Long Summer, Hello Michelle & Robinson

I say Sew Long Summer by sewing up new fall outfits. My newest outfit is the Michelle Cardigan from DG Patterns* and the Robinson Trousers from Ensemble Patterns. Both of these hit my sewing list way back in the spring when I first saw the Michelle pattern at its release and then I won the Robinson Trouser pattern in a facebook group. I knew they would be a perfect fall outfit. (Oh hey, keep reading to learn about the blog tour and GIVEAWAY!)

The Michelle

I chose a sweater knit from The Fab Clique to make my Michelle cozy for fall. I’m really liking this reddish color on me.

I started with a size 10, per the sizing chart, but ended up sizing it down to an 8 from the waist up. It’s a roomy fitting top so you may want to choose your size with that in mind.

 

I do have a little tip on the Michelle construction. When you fold up the front curved hem there is a slight gap (shown in blue) between the hem allowance and the side seam. In most knits this probably isn’t a problem, but in the sweater knit it created a weak point between the side seam and the upturned hem. To avoid this you can stretch the fabric in the hem allowance to be caught in the side seam or you can include an extra tab of fabric when cutting to make sure the hem allowance reaches the side seam.

The Robinson Trousers

I used a lightweight (6-7oz) stretch denim from deep in my stash for the Robinsons and boy do I wish I could photograph black better so you could really see them.

The designer has combined comfort and style in the Robinsons. The elastic waistband and easy fit are paired with a faux fly, nice sized front slash pockets, optional patch pockets for the back, and several finishing options at the ankle to make these more than a simple pair of pull on pants.

I chose to make the exposed zipper and tab closure at the ankle ’cause that’s just my style. I think they look pretty cool.

 

All week we have sewing bloggers sharing how they say Sew Long Summer. The full tour includes these talented sewists, so I hope you’ll follow along.

Sept. 10th   Sewing A La Carte, Tenille’s Thread, A Custom Clothier, Made for Little Gents, Miss Marah Sewn

Sept. 11th Manning the Machine, mahlicadesigns, Sewing Vortex, Crafting Fiend

Sept. 12th Auschick Sews, Aurora Design Fabrics, My Heart Will Sew On, Vicky Myers Creations

Sept. 13th Flaxfield Sewing, Sewing with D, Musings of a Seamstress, Make it Sew with the Bear and Pea Atelier,  Petite Font

Sept. 14th Sewing à la Carte, Sewing by Ti, Stitches by Laura, Sewing with Sarah, My Sewing Roots  

Share what you’ve been making to say “Sew Long Summer” to be entered into our random drawing. (Full details here)

Continental US participants will be entered to win a $20 store credit from Simply by Ti Fabrics.

All other participants will be entered to win a pattern of choice from DG Patterns.

To enter, please tag your sewing project with #SewLongSewcial18 on Instagram or facebook. You can also leave a link in the comments on the mahlicadesigns intro post. Please limit your entries to items you’ve sewn between Sept 10th and Sept 28th 2018. Winners will be notified and announced shortly thereafter.

We can’t wait to see what you’re making.

You can follow me on instagram, Bloglovin, or by entering your email in the right side bar.

*This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through my links, I get a small commission to help pay for my sewing hobby.

Lander Shorts – Who Made It Best

Welcome back to Who Made It Best from mahlicadesigns.

 

Who Made It Best is a friendly challenge where one of my sewing friends joins me in making up the same pattern to see Who Made It Best. The challenge rules are simple: 1. We agree on a pattern to use 2. sew it up to suit our personal styles 3. share it with you and ask you to vote. (Oh, and we keep what we’re up to a secret from each other)

Arielle from Seen & Sewn Patterns has joined me in making up the Lander Shorts for this week’s challenge. Please also check out Arielle’s blog here to see her super cute version. Isn’t this print she choose wonderful?

The Lander Shorts are a high waist button fly short/pant pattern with optional expansion pack for a zipper fly.

I’ve already made a pair of Lander shorts (here) and pants (here) and was ready to try something different with this pair. My inspiration started with a picture of a side button closure and grew into a board of ideas for what I’m calling my Sail Away outfit.

The details I settled on for the shorts are an angled pocket opening, button fly closure moved to the side seam, and a high waist.

I’m wearing a Durango tank from Hey June that I modified with a lower neckline and a contrast piece at the lower bodice. Totally forgot to get photos of that- geesh.

** I’ll have a seperate blog post soon to walk you through how to make these modifications. (Find the tutorial here)

The Pattern: Lander Shorts made in size 6 and modified as described.

The Fabric: Khaki stretch twill from Simply By Ti. I only needed 1 yard!

So, who do you think made their Landers the best?

Please visit Seen & Sewn Patterns for more pictures of Arielle’s version, then place your vote for Who Made It Best. The poll will be on both blogs, so you can see both versions before you choose your favorite. Voting open for one week and results will be posted on Instagram.

VOTE HERE

You can also take a look at the Bronte Tee, Shoreline Boatneck, Sorbetto Top,  Greenwood Tank, Cheyenne Tunic, Chi Town Chinos, and  Ladies Caroline Dress that were part of past Who Made It Best challenges.

You can follow me on instagram, Bloglovin, or by entering your email in the right side bar.

As always, thanks for visiting and voting today.

Breaking Ground with True Bias Lander Pants

Some patterns just stand out as instant must haves. The Lander Pants were that for me and by all the Landers I see on Instagram, for many others too.

After making my Coffee House Pants from Blue Dot Patterns, I was all-in on the idea that I could pull off a wide leg pant, so why the heck not try the Landers. Plus that button fly and slightly higher waist looks so stylish.

I don’t have a lot of experience sewing pants and those that I have made have been pretty time intensive due to details like topstitching, welt pockets, or my pattern hacking. Sewing the Landers really helped put into perspective that sewing pants could be a pretty quick project.

I’m Breaking Ground on these also by sewing my first button fly. Seriously, it’s not difficult, but I’m always apprehensive about screwing up button holes.

The Pattern: Lander Pants & Shorts from True Bias. I made a straight size 10 shortened by 2in and did not need to do my typical full seat adjustment. I did sew a muslin, but you might not need to do one. The pattern includes a 1in seam allowance on the outseam to allow for fitting. You be the judge.

I found the drafting and pattern instructions are on par with the better indie designers. My only criticism is the order of construction has you sew the legs together front and back before working on the fly. That’s a lot of bulk to be maneuvering while working on the fly.

The Fabric: It’s a mystery! Pulled deep from my stash, inherited years ago, origins unknown. Some sort of natural fiber slub woven. It was perfect in my mind for the Landers.

 

Thanks for reading about my Breaking Ground project today.

Please visit today’s other bloggers in the Breaking Ground Blog Tour:

Sewing Vortex, Sewing A La Carte, Little Heart Threads, The Sewing Scientist

You can read more about the Breaking Ground Blog Tour, see all the bloggers in the tour, learn how to participate, and enter the giveaway Here.

As always, thanks for stopping by today.

Cadence Pant for the Fresh Start blog tour with DG Patterns & A Giveaway

Welcome to the Fresh Start Tour

with DG Patterns.

 

A few months ago DG Patterns released the Cadence Pant pattern and I found myself pretty smitten with the fun floral fabric Daniela used to make them.

I rarely wear florals let alone pants that do anything to draw attention to my lower half. As you know I do tend to break my own rules from time to time and for the Fresh Start blog tour with DG Patterns I’m doing just that.

My Cadence Pants are completely out of character for me; a print and on a white background. I’ll be honest, I’m going to have to push myself past my fear of ruining them with spilled something or other to wear these.

The Pattern: Cadence Pant from DG Patterns in size 8 graded down to size 4 through the legs. I added a fly shield and used a bias binding to trim my waist band facing.

The Fabric: I found this French Peacock cotton woven at Boho Fabrics. It softens up with washing and was just right for this project.

There’s more:

Join my fellow bloggers this week as we showcase how we’re getting a Fresh Start with DG Patterns. (Be sure to read on to learn about our sponsor giveaway)

DG Patterns is offering a 50% discount during the tour to help you get some fresh patterns. Use code FRESHSTART50 to save on any purchase.

Your Fresh Start Tour bloggers are:

Monday: Sew Cucio, Flax Field Sewing, Fee Bricolo, mahlicadesigns, Sewjourns

Tuesday: Lilla Gumma, Create Whimsy, Frullemieke, Hutsepruts, A Custom Clothier

Wednesday: House of Estrela, FABulous Home Sewn, Sprouting Jube Jube

Thursday: Very Blissful, Stitches by Laura, Auschick Sews, it’s Liesel

Friday: Kathy’s Kwilts and More, Stitched by Jennie, Sewsewilse, Our Play Place

Southern Belle Fabrics is generously sponsoring the Fresh Start Tour. During the tour use code: DGBLOGTOUR to save 20% in the shop.

Discount code expires Jan 21st 2018 11:59PM CST

Southern Belle Fabrics is also offering a fabric giveaway. Enter below to win a MFRB Mystery Box valued at $60+.

Giveaway includes shipping to US and Canada (up to $45 in free shipping)

 

A Rafflecopter Giveaway

Giveaway winner will be announced through social media on or about January 20th.

                *****************************************************************

As always, thanks for reading today.

You can follow me on instagram, Bloglovin, or by entering your email in the right side bar.

This post may contain affiliate links, if you purchase through my links I get a small portion to help my sewing hobby.

Coffee House Pant from Blue Dot Patterns

Diane from Blue Dot Patterns has created another pattern with a modern look that has become a closet staple for me. The Coffee House Pant is a loose fitting cropped pant with an elastic waist and “notched” pocket detail.

Being on the short side (almost 5’4″) I just stear clear of cropped pants and capris. I just can’t seem to find that magic length that looks right. So when I saw Diane’s new pattern was a cropped pant, I was happy to make up a pair as a tester, but didn’t imagine I’d end up with something that would actually work for me.

But looky here:

.

One of the chararteristics that appeals to me is that while these are so very comfortable to wear, they look neat and classic.

The Pattern: Coffee House Pant from Blue Dot Patterns in size 8 with no alterations.

The Coffee House Pant is on sale until Jan 14th to celebrate it’s release.

As with all the other Blue Dot patterns that I’ve made, the pattern is well drafted and the instructions professional and easy to follow. I think you would be happy with any of her patterns.

The Fabric: A natural woven that my mother picked up from an estate sale. The original sale tag was dated 1954. It drapes wonderfully and doesn’t wrinkle all that much.

As always, thanks for reading today.

You can follow me on instagram, Bloglovin, or by entering your email in the right side bar.

Georgia Top and Alyse Slim Pant featuring Simply By Ti Fabrics

Ladies and gents, today I get to share my first project as a Simply By Ti Ambassador.

You may be pleasantly surprised to see me wearing color and a bold print. I love my cold weather color pallet of all greys, but when I can’t tell one garment from the other in my drawer, it’s time to add in some color.

A few months back I made a pair of the Alyse Tapered Leg pants from Designer Stitch* (unblogged) but they were a tad loose and I didn’t love the silhouette on me. I thought the Slim Leg version might suit me better and wanted to try again. I chose the stretch twill in burgundy from Simply by Ti for this go around. The color is so rich I knew it would make a great wardrobe piece.

For my second pair of Alyse pants I pinched out a little from the center front rise but it looks like I need to do a little more work to eliminate some wiskering. Even though I sewed the same size as before, the slims are a bit snug around my curves, but I’m going to roll with it.

To top off my Alyse Slims, I returned to my TNT Georgia Top from Blue Dot Patterns in a chevron stripe cotton/lycra. I don’t do large prints, so I was worried about if this would overwhelm my frame. I really like how it turned out. The stripe is bold but not overwhelming, makes interesting shapes along the Georgia’s shoulder seam, and gives me a dramatic look.

The outfit is just what I was hoping for.

The Patterns: Alyse Slim Fit Pant from Designer Stitch* in size 4. A 1/2in adjustment to the length of the front rise was done. The Georgia Top from Blue Dot Patterns in size small. 2in added to the length of the arms.

The Fabric Stretch twill in burgandy has great stretch and recovery. It’s just perfect for bottoms and jackets. Chevron stripe cotton/lycra jersey has a great wieght to it to minimize curling and clinging.

As always, thanks for reading today.

You can follow me on instagram, Bloglovin, or by entering your email in the right side bar.

 

As a Simply by Ti Ambassador I receive complementary fabric from the Simply By Ti shop to use for a project in exchange for sharing it with you.

*This post may contain affiliate links, if you purchase through my links I get a small portion to help pay for my sewing hobby.

 

Chi Town Chinos- Who Made It Best

Welcome back to Who Made It Best, a series on mahlicadesigns.

Who Made It Best is a friendly challenge where one of my blogger friends joins me in making up the same pattern to see Who Made It Best. The challenge rules are simple: 1. We agree on a pattern to use 2. sew it up to suit our personal styles 3. share it with you and ask you to vote. (Oh, and we keep what we’re up to a secret from each other)

Sewing with Sarah has joined me in making up the Chi Town Chinos for this week’s challenge. The Chi Town Chinos are a relaxed fit short and skirt pattern with optional expansion packs for a fitted trouser or fitted longer short. Alina Sewing & Design was so kind to provide Sarah with a complimentary copy of the original pattern plus expansion pack for our challenge.  Please check out Sarah’s blog here to see what she made.

I’ve had the inspiration for todays Chi Town jean hack waiting on a Pinterest board until my pant making chops were a little more practiced and for the right boyfriend cut jean pattern to come my way. I had been waiting for the Morgan boyfriend jean pattern to go on sale, when a facebook friend pointed out that I could use my Chi Town pattern instead. Bingo!

To get the boyfriend cut look, I added 1/2in at the hem line to both the inseam and outseam of the front and back pieces, then graded that increase down to zero just above the knee point. Next, I added width to the pocket pattern piece so I could add a couple tucks to the pocket detail.

My final pattern modification was to shift the location of the side seams. I wanted the woven striped panel to cover part of the front and back side while still being able to encase the raw edge of my striped woven. I trimmed away 1in from the side seam of the front piece and added 1in to the side seam of the back piece.

After my pattern alterations I was able to follow the pattern instructions like usual to construct the pants, with one additional step. Before sewing up the side seams, I basted the woven panel to the side seam edge of the back piece and also topstitched the selvage edge of the woven down.

Details for my enjoyment: 1. Hong Kong finished side seams 2. bound waistband facing 3. label on the fly shield 4. tuck detail on the pocket.

Blooper reel: 1. button-hole is wonky and a smidge tight 2. I made the front pockets effectively useless by shifting the side seam.

The Pattern: Chi Town Chino Expansion pack #2 made in size 6 and altered as described.

The Fabric: Grey stretch denim(sold out)  from Finch Fabrics and what I think is a Guatemalan striped woven from inherited stash. The stretch in my denim is a big player in accomplishing the boyfriend fit.

So, who do you think made their Chi Town’s best? Please visit Sewing with Sarah for more pictures and details on her version, then place your vote for Who Made It Best. The poll will be on both blogs, so you can see both versions before you choose your favorite. Voting open for one week and results will be posted on Instagram.

VOTE HERE

You can also take a look at the Bronte Tee, Shoreline Boatneck, Sorbetto Top,  Greenwood Tank and Cheyenne Tunic that were part of past Who Made It Best challenges.

Are you interested in a challenge? Contact me at mahlicadesigns@gmail.com to join in the WMIB fun for 2018.

You can follow me on instagram, Bloglovin, or by entering your email in the right side bar.

As always, thanks for visiting and voting today.

Sew Long Summer…hello Chi Towns and Toaster Sweater

I’m saying Sew Long Summer with two items that have been a long time coming.

I’ve needed a classic pair of trousers (that fit), since my son was born five years ago.

Feeling pretty good about the Chi Town Chino shorts that I’ve been making, it seemed a natural choice to use the Chi Town expansion pack to make my first pair of trousers.

I’m really pleased with how they came out; though after an hour and a half into making the welt pockets I thought I’d never reach the end of them. Hang in there, the pockets come out so nicely and the rest of the pant moves along quickly.

The Pattern: Chi Town Chino Pants (expansion pack) in Size 8.

The Fabric: Black twill from Imagine Gnats (now sold out)

For my top, I’m revisiting the Toaster Sweater. When I made it last spring (here) I honestly didn’t think I’d make another one, but it turns out the Toaster was just the pattern for showcasing my surface design idea.

I’ve had my heart set on some tapir fabric since seeing some on etsy last year. After watching Elizabeth Made This use fabric stamping so often, I was really encouraged that I could give stamping my own fabric a try (it took about a year of thinking about it though).

I used a Speedball kit (similar) and Jacquard fabric paint from my stash. I think I spent about thirty minutes carving the stamp and another ten stamping the fabric. After Elizabeth’s advice, I heat set the fabric paint for a good five minutes and let the fabric dry an additional week before laundering. So far so good.

The pattern: Toaster Sweater from Sew House Seven size medium with no alterations.

The fabric: French terry in mint from Simply by Ti Fabrics – oh my goodness is this so soft and cozy.

As always, thanks for reading today. I hope you’ll visit todays bloggers in the Sew Long Summer Blog tour.

Tuesday: mahlicadesigns, My Heart Will So On, Couturious, Anne-Mari Sews, Adventures With Bubba and Bug

 

ALENA and NICKI Show Your Stoff

Welcome to day two and my stop on the Show Your Stoff blog tour. We’re featuring  Zierstoff Patterns throughout the tour and I have a discount code for you below.

I’m really excited to Show My Stoff today, but before I jump in, please be sure to stop by today’s other Show Your Stoff bloggers.

Musings of A Seamstress, mahlicadesigns, Anna’s Heirloom Boutique, FABulous Home Sewn

Now, back to me. 😉

The ALENA top was an easy pick for me with its slight kimono sleeve and high and wide neckline, both of which work really well to deemphasize my round shoulders and balance out my pear shape.

Finding a match for ALENA did take some thought and I finally settled on trying the NICKI capris. My one try with rtw capris in the past looked pretty awful on me;  I know there’s some magic formula for where cropped bottoms should land, but I didn’t use it. I took a chance with what felt comfortable and am super pleased that the NICKIS look good on me.

I made the ALENA in size 40 using 3/4yd of a very lightweight jersey knit from Finch Fabrics. The fit is perfect and the construction was quick and easy. My sewing machine is no fan of tissue weight knits, so I stabilized my sleeve opening with Pellon Knit-n-Stable before folding it over to hem.

I made the NICKI capris in size 36 using about 1 yd of a brushed poly from Sew Vagabond. Using the brushed poly was a bit of an experiment. I knew the fabric would give me some nice stretch but wasn’t sure how it would work for the pocket and fly details on the pant. It sewed up wonderfully. The faux fly and front slash pockets look neat and tidy and the stretch makes these oh so comfy. Take care pressing multiple layers though, it took a couple washings for the press mark to come out.

I did make some of my usual adjustments for pants: adding a full seat adjusment and shortening the legs for my 5″3′ frame. I also topstitched the pockets closed and cut out the pocket bags. In the brushed poly I was getting pocket seams showing through.

The ALENA is going to be a Tried and True pattern going forward and I have a plan in the back of my mind to do a pattern hack with the NICKI capris. In the mean time, I’m going to get good use out of this outfit for an upcoming trip to New Orleans and any other time I want to look smart this spring and summer (and secretly be really comfortable).

Thanks to the ladies at Zierstoff for supplying the patterns to enable me to make todays outfit, gving you a discount code,  and thank you for stopping by today.

Use code MahlicaDesigns30 to save 30% through the end of April.

Did you miss yesterday’s bloggers? Here’s the full tour.

Monday April 10- Anne-Mari Sews,  Inspinration, Tenille’s Thread, Sew Cucio, Embrace Everyday

Tuesday April 11- Musings of A Seamstress, mahlicadesigns, Anna’s Heirloom Boutique, FABulous Home Sewn

Wednesday April 12-  Thread and Scissors, Kaleidothought, Idle Sunshine, mahlicadesigns

Thursday April 13- Very Blissful, Sew A Piece of Joy, Zowie Zo, Nina Makes, Thread and Scissors.

Friday April 14- Tales of a Tester; Bless, by Tone; Life Sew Savory; Needles to Say, Adventures with Bubba and Bug

Saturday April 15- Musings of A Seamstress,  Anna’s Heirloom Boutique, Ronda B Handmade, Glitter in my Coffee, Anne-Mari Sews, Stitches by Laura; Tea, Dust and Stitches

As always, thanks for visiting the bloggers on the tour.