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.

Ladies Caroline Dress- 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 fellow bloggers 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)

Jillayne from Hazelnut Handmade has joined me in making up the Ladies Caroline Dress for this week’s challenge. The Ladies Caroline Dress has a fitted bodice with gathered or pleated skirt, with several sleeve and neckline options. Please check out Jillayne’s blog here to see what she made.

The Caroline Dress pattern was one of the first pdf’s I ever purchased, but at the time I thought it was above my skill level so it got set aside. How things have changed; my sewing skills have improved to a point where I found this pattern quite easy to make.

I didn’t notice this in my muslin, but I got some serious gapping in the back armscye. I took out a 1/2in wedge along the shoulder seam for this version and altered my pattern to take out an additional 1/2in wedge across the shoulder blade if I should choose to make the pattern again.

The Pattern: Ladies Caroline Dress made in size 10 and altered as described.

The Fabric: Robert Kauffman’s London Calling primrose pansy cotton lawn. I used 1.75 yards.

So, who do you think made their Ladies Caroline Dress the best? Please visit Hazelnut Handmade 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, Cheyenne Tunic, and Chi Town Chinos 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.

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.

Cheyenne Tunic- 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)

Victoria from Very Blissful has joined me in making up the Cheyenne Tunic from Hey June Handmade** for this weeks challenge. Please check out Victoria’s version here.

I chose to do two hacks on my Cheyenne for the challenge. The first was to make it sleeveless following the tutorial on the designers blog, well, because it’s July and I’m hot.

The tutorial is ok if you are comfortable with drafting, but I’m not the “just draw a new armscye” type. I redraft my patterns all the time, but freehanding an armscye curve leaves too much room for error for my taste. This tutorial/hack will work best if you have a tnt sleeveless pattern that you can trace off.

My second hack was to extend the right collar band across the front to make a key hole opening.  You can see below how I extended the collar band out 2.5in from the bottom edge and retraced the curved leading edge. I could use a smidge more room for the button-hole, so you might try extending it out 3in if you want to copy my look.

I’ve been needing to try more of the blouse patterns in my stash, so I’m very glad Victoria asked to make the Cheyenne for the challenge. White blouses are always a staple in my mind and I feel like I have a winner with this one.

So, who do you think made their Cheyenne Tunic best? Please visit Very Blissful 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 and Greenwood Tank 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.

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

Greenwood Tank – 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)

Elizabeth from Elizabeth Made This has joined me in making up the Greenwood Tank from Straight Stitch Designs for the challenge and you can check out her version here.

Almost everyone needs summer tanks and they are a wardrobe workhorse for me in my non air-conditioned house, but to be honest I struggled a little with how to make a straight forward design seem interesting enough for the Who Made It Best challenge. My challenger, Elizabeth, is a whiz at pattern hacking and surface design, so I felt pretty intimidated trying to go one of these routes and they really didn’t feel “me” for this project.

I put together a Greenwood Inspiration pinterest board with all kinds of ideas I want to try, but I settled on accenting the geometric print of my fabric with a triangular insert at the center back neckline. This does feel “me”.

For the body of my Greenwood, I used the Circuit Ashen knit from Art Gallery fabrics and a stretchy metallic looking mystery fabric for the triangle insert.

I was super careful getting the placement correct for the triangle insert; measuring and double checking and I still got that sucker kinda crooked. Gah!

So, who do you think made the Greenwood Tank best? Please visit Elizabeth Made This 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 follow me on instagram, Bloglovin, or by entering your email in the right side bar.

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

As always, thanks for visiting and voting today.

Bronte Top – Who Made It Best

Welcome back to Who Made It Best, a new 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)

Rachel from Sew RED-y has joined me in making up the Bronte Top from Jennifer Lauren Handmade for the challenge and you can check out her version here.

This is my first try at making a Bronte Top and I’d say it’s only a so so try. I was between sizes and accidentaly cut the size smaller instead of the size up. I’m getting pulling and bunching on the shoulder overlap and the shoulder seam is pretty wonky. After I snapped these photos, I noticed I completely missed the instructions to tack them down to prevent this very problem.

I’m not sure if I can get over the snug fit on this one. I feel like I prespire a lot, so tops that are snug under my arms make me very uncomfortable.

On the bright side, I’m very pleased with this outfit. I’m a chicken when it comes to mixing prints, but I think these work well together.

So, who do you think made the Bronte Top best? Please visit Sew RED-Y for more pictures and details on her version, then place your vote for Who Made It Best. The poll will be on both sites, 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 follow me on instagram, Bloglovin, or by entering your email in the right side bar.

As always, thanks for visiting and voting today.

If you’d like to join me in a challenge this fall, shoot me a message at mahlicadesigns@gmail.com

Shoreline Boatneck- Who Made It Best

Welcome back to Who Made It Best, a new 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)

Ti from Sewing by Ti has joined me in making up the Shoreline Boatneck from Blank Slate Patterns for the challenge and you can check out her version here.

The Shoreline pattern comes with several options for bodice and sleeve lengths and then when you add in the options from the expansion pack, it can be hard to choose where to start. I just went practical. I really need a longer sleeve dress for cooler weather but the impending summer pushed me to going for the short sleeve option.

I recently purchased this striped knit from Simply by Ti (total coincidence that I used a fabric from my challenger’s shop) to add to my stash thinking I’d use it for a dress sometime. As I formulated my plan for the Shoreline, I knew these stripes would be the perfect fabric.

If you’ve followed my blog for any time, you will know I just can’t leave well enough alone, I have to brainstorm through my pattern hack ideas to take it up a notch. Somewhere online lives my inspiration for the bodice hack I did here, but I cannot find it now to share.

For the hack, I traced off the front bodice piece from shoulder to 1/2in (my seam allowance) below the bottom of the armscythe. I then folded the top of the dress pattern piece over to cut out the lower portion of the bodice (plus 1/2in s.a.). I traced my new bodice piece onto a large piece of paper and cut out the middle to make myself a window to help me determine my stripe placement.

You can see all my hash marks as I tried and only partially succeeded in lining up the bodice stripes to my sleeve stripes.

Stripe matching on the sleeves only came out so so, but look at those side seams! I still feel very proud every time I get that stripe matching nailed.

I’m barely 5’4″, so for my shorty self I had a choice between lengthening the tunic or shortening the dress. I went with the tunic, so I would have a narrower sweep at the hem and lengthened by 2in at the marked lengthen line at the waist and then added another 2in at the hem line.

As you read my post today, I’ve already worn my dress to a graduation party and as a day dress on my vacation. At first I thought the dress was a little too roomy around the waist, but now I’m glad that it hides my over eating well.

I’d made the Shoreline in the past as a tee and it wasn’t true love -I like a wider boatneck opening; but I love this dress! I want more more more. (My hubby says this is his favorite dress I’ve made.)

So, who do you think made the Shoreline best? Please visit Sewing by Ti for more pictures and details on her version, then place your vote for Who Made It Best. The poll will be on both sites, so you can see both versions before you choose your favorite. Voting open for one week.

VOTE HERE

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

Many thanks to Blank Slate Patterns for providing the updated copy of the Shoreline Boatneck pattern for Ti and I to use for our posts.

The new Sorbetto- Who Made It Best

Who Made It Best, a new series on the mahlicadesigns blog, is launching this month.

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.

Sarah from Musings of a Seamstress has joined me in making up the new Sorbetto top from Colette Patterns for the first challenge and you can check out her version here.

The Sorbetto was re-released based on Colette’s new pattern block and there has been a lot of chatter out there about it. (Ally J. has a nice post comparing the original and new versions.) Honestly, I wouldn’t have made up the new Sorbetto without Sarah suggesting it. I made up the original several years ago when it first came out and I was a newbie at sewing. It wasn’t very remarkable other than leaving me scratching my head about the dart placement.

Since I haven’t made the Sorbetto in years or any other Colette pattern ever, I worked up a muslin of the short sleeve top to check the overall fit and to see if I may want to add it to my list of summer blouses to make. I’m not sure if I’ll be making the blouse, but I did learn that the bust dart needed to be moved up by 1 inch and got a good feel for the length.

To make myself a Sorbetto dress, I added about 20in in length to the front & back pieces, added 2in to the sweep at the hemline front & back, turned the front pleat into an inverted box pleat (stitched about 4in from neckline down) and assembled as normal. Hack complete.

Please visit Musings of a Seamstress for more pictures and details on her version, then place your vote for Who Made It Best. The poll will be on both sites, so you can see both versions before you choose your favorite. Voting open for one week.

VOTE HERE

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

Want to join me in a Who Made it Best challenge? Contact me at mahlicadesigns@gmail.com