Designer Stitch Gemma Twist Tops

I love testing patterns for Ann Grose of Designer Stitch. Ann keeps us entertained and her patterns are always perfectly drafted. This time was especially fun for me as my friend Sharon also joined in on this test.

The newest pattern from Designer Stitch is Gemma. Gemma is a beautiful top that has two variations - each is equally beautiful. I only had time to test one variation, and that was the twist front.

Gemma is Italian for precious stone  - a gem or gemstone. This was stuck in my head as I pursued my shelves of fabric looking for the perfect fabric to make my Gemma with. So when I came across this jewel covered jersey, I knew I had to make a gem covered Gemma.

I'm wearing my Blue Tactel Shakti pants in these photos. The Shakti pants go perfectly with Gemma.

The Shakti Pants are also from Designer Stitch. You can read my blog post about them HERE. I absolutely love the 5 pairs I made and wear them non stop.

I removed 2" in length from the Gemma for my height. I think this length is perfect on me. If I made it longer, I worry that the knot would then land right under my belly and then accentuate it.

I really love that the neckline has a very gentle v-neck shape. It's also not daringly low, but also not too high either.

Ann asked us to give a sexy look to the camera. I decided to give the camera a smoldering gaze. I think I just look pissed off.

Either way, I do feel beautiful in my Gemma.

Sharon and I met up for photos. It was a lovely day, hot, but not unbearable.  I decided to switch out of Shakti pants and put on a pair of black RTW pants.

We of course talked about Ann and her asking us to be sexy. I asked Sharon if this was sexy enough?

And she laughed at me! Then we both had a good laugh and called it a day.

I just love Sharon's mustard Gemma. If you want to read her review of the Gemma, head over to her blog Sweet Mama Life.

The Gemma is on sale through September 3 for $8. Ann is in Australia, so in the US the sale ends sometime on September 2. You can buy the pattern HERE.

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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. These links provide me with a small compensation if you make a purchase using my link. There is not cost to you when you do this. My thoughts and opinions given in this blog post are mine.

George + Ginger Sincerely Darcy Pants

Kristi of George + Ginger and Darcey of Sincerely Rylee have teamed up to bring you a new pattern that is a fun way to finish off summer. These are the Sincerely Darcey Pants and they are a Free Pattern! Go to each of their Facebook Groups to get the code to make them free.

The Darcey Pants have a cool high-low hem that goes from side to side.

They allow you to still show off a bit of leg, without being in shorts.

But they are just as breezy and comfortable as shorts.

They are like a fancy wide leg capri with sass.

They are seriously comfortable and looks great with flip flops and sandals.

I paired mine with my cold shoulder hacked RuLo. Read all about it HERE!

A lightweight drapey knit is best for the Darcey Pants. I made mine with a poly jersey knit.

Darcey has the perfect fabric for these at Sincerely Rylee. It's called Cupro and is a new type of knit for her to carry. It's a super soft modal blend knit. I can't wait to get my hands on some!

Grab the pattern, then head over to Sincerely Rylee to order some Cupro. Make some Darcey Pants and enjoy the end of Summer!

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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. These links provide me with a small compensation if you make a purchase using my link. There is not cost to you when you do this. My thoughts and opinions given in this blog post are mine.

Ellie & Mac Be Confident Update!

I love a good tunic, because I tend to wear leggings whenever I'm working from home and on the weekends. I especially love wearing tunic that have a high-low hemline. I love the shorter front to show off more of the fun print of my leggings, but enjoy the extra coverage on my rear (where I need it). I was excited to hear that the Ellie & Mac Be Confident pattern was being updated and signed up immediately to test the revisions.

I compared my original Be Confident pattern pieces to the newly revised pieces. I found that the shape of the high-low skirt had been modified. It now has a more gentle slope from the front to the back.

The length of the tunic length skirt was not changed much - it is just a tiny bit shorter. I'm 5' tall and did not remove any length from the skirt. I did remove length from the bodice.

The Be Confident does have a full circle skirt. Which means it is perfect for doing some twirling!

As an adult, I think we forgot how fun it can be to let loose and go for a spin.

I forgot how dizzying it could be.

The bodice of the Be Confident was slimmed down for an improved fit. I made the Be Confident last year and had been disappointed in the fit as the bodice was extremely loose. Now - the fit is just perfect.

The bodice is intended to end at your natural waist. I'm 5' tall and I removed 2.5" in length from the bodice. I recommend measuring yourself to determine if you need to shorten or lengthen the bodice.

I used a slinky lightweight knit for this Be Confident and the wind was able to blow my skirt around.

I'm wearing leggings I made with this fun blue plaid plush brushed poly from Zenith & Quasar Fabrics.

There was one revision made to the pattern after I made this version. The revision narrowed the shoulders by 0.5 inches. If you notice in my photos, the edges of the shoulder go out and slightly over the edge of my shoulder.

If you already own the Be Confident, you will get an email with the updated pattern. If you don't already own it, now's a great time to buy it at the price of $3.85. In addition, there is a site-wide back to school sale. All patterns are 40% off - no code needed! Shop all patterns HERE!

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And here's a few photos of an earlier version I made. This was the looser fit bodice.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. These links provide me with a small compensation if you make a purchase using my link. There is not cost to you when you do this. My thoughts and opinions given in this blog post are mine.

Elephant House Fabrics Holiday TV Specials

Elephant House Fabrics always seems to have the most amazing coordinates to go with all their fun prints. The Elephant House Fabrics spin on holiday prints is awesome - there are prints inspired by two of my favorite animated shows - The Simpsons and Futurama.



As much as I loved those prints, what really caught my eye was this Green Sequins Print.

Green is my favorite color and I do like shiny sparkly things. I may look like I'm covered in Green Sequins, but I'm not! This knit fabric is printed to look like a million shiny sequins are covering it.

These Green Sequins are perfect to make your holiday outfit this year. But I'm pretty sure I'm going to be wearing this everywhere - dinner out, work, the grocery store, everywhere!

 I used the Bella Sunshine Designs Ladies Sahara pdf pattern for my top.

The Ladies Sahara has this low back that makes me feel - oh so  fancy!

 I made the peplum version of the Ladies Sahara, but it also has a dress option as well.

The bodice of the Ladies Sahara is fully lines. I used a solid black cotton lycra to line my top. It also has a sleeveless option.

I feel so beautiful in this top. The Green Sequins do it for me.

Not only is this fabulous Sequin print available in Green, you can also get it in Red and Aqua. I might need to get more of each color. There's also a tinsel print that's also gorgeous. This preorder closes on August 12th. Don't miss out as these are perfect for holiday sewing.

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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. These links provide me with a small compensation if you make a purchase using my link. There is not cost to you when you do this. My thoughts and opinions given in this blog post are mine.

Duck Butt Designs Carol's Favorite Tee

I recently got two of these cool cactus panels from Nature's Fabrics. Each panel is 25 inches wide by 30 inches tall. I got 2 so I could have the cactus design on the front and back of a top. Panels are 50% off through August 14th! I also got this Ocean cotton interlock to coordinate with it.

I made the Duck Butt Designs Carol's Favorite Top (CFT). I love this pattern for using two different fabrics. I feel like the color blocking is sophisticated. The CFT is perfect for wearing to work as it's modest and looks great under a cardigan or jacket.

Since I'm trying to get into the groove of making items for my fall wardrobe, I did 3/4 length sleeves.

The cotton interlock has great stretch and worked great for binding the back neckline.

I think the CFT was perfect for showing off the cactus design of these panels. These panels are Organic Cotton/Spandex Jersey and are 92% Organic Cotton and 8% Spandex. The tallest cactus on it is 14". 

I can't wait for the color weather to arrive so I can wear my newest CFT.

I'll definitely be buying some more fabrics from Nature's Fabrics. I was so impressed with how soft it was and how beautiful the colors were. Nature's Fabrics has all panels on sale for 50% off through August 14th! Find them on their website by searching for "panel" or click HERE.

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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. These links provide me with a small compensation if you make a purchase using my link. There is not cost to you when you do this. My thoughts and opinions given in this blog post are mine.

Ellie and Mac Cold Shoulder Top

Ellie and Mac has a new release that is perfect for transitioning into fall - the Women's Cold Shoulder pattern. It has multiple sleeve lengths and a side cinched tunic version. I made the banded top version with 3/4 length sleeves.

I made this Women's Cold Shoulder top with a ribbed sweater knit. Green is my favorite color and this green matched one of my favorite bralettes perfectly.

I did not remove length from the top for my short height. I love the slouchy and comfortable fit of the Women's Cold Shoulder top.

I'm wearing my Women's Cold Shoulder top with my Palazzo Pants in these photos, but think as the weather cools down, I'll pair it with some skinny jeans and boots.

The cold shoulder detail is really cute, but can make it hard to hide bra straps. I think it looks super cute with the bralette though. Hopefully I'm not too old to pull off this look.

Here's a view of the back. The neckline and sleeves are finished with a binding. This can be a little tricky to get perfect. You will definitely want to pay attention to how much stretch and recovery your fabric has when sewing and cutting the binding.

I redid my sleeves twice as this sweater knit was really stretchy and did not have good recovery. But in the end, I think it came out great!

I made this version early in testing. I used cotton lycra for this one. I also removed 2.5" from the length for my height. If you look close, you can see that my bra straps peek out a little bit.

Using cotton lycra is a lot easier than sweater knit for this pattern.

The pattern is only $3.85 through Sunday. In addition all patterns are 40% off  - no code needed, prices are marked on the website.

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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. These links provide me with a small compensation if you make a purchase using my link. There is not cost to you when you do this. My thoughts and opinions given in this blog post are mine.