Halla Vivianne Sweater and Cardigan

I sign up to test Halla Patterns any chance I get. I jumped at the opportunity to test the Vivianne Sweater and Cardigan.

I always find it super easy to get the perfect fit with Halla Patterns. They have these genius rulers that help you decided how much easy you want in the finished garment.

What attracted me to the Vivianne was these pleats at the shoulders. They are just the kind of detail that makes the finished item look high end.

I probably could have made this Vivianne a little shorter or taken a bit of length from the band.  I made this one with a sweater knit I picked up at the fabric district.

The Vivianne below shows the cropped cardigan version.

This Vivianne Cardigan is french terry with cotton lycra bands. The french terry is a remant from Jo-Ann's and the cotton lycra is from Little Roots.

I wasn't too sure about the cropped version of the Vivianne on my body, but I'm liking it.

I used white Kam snaps for my closures. You can use buttons as well. I didn't have many white snaps (the ones on the underside are actually blue since I didn't have enough of the white pieces) so I didn't put as many snaps on the front as I would have liked.

I also should have put interfacing in my bands. I'm scared to unsnap my cardigan as I'm afraid the snaps might tear the fabric. So I'm pulling it over my head to wear it.

Since I'm on a mission to add more short sleeved tops to my wardrobe, I made a short sleeve Vivianne.

I think this has to be my favorite! This Vivianne is made with a lightweight sweater knit.

If you are wondering what that white thing is on my bust and weird spot poking out at my belly - that's the heart monitor I am wearing.

The Vivianne has several other sleeve options and so many testers made gorgeous versions. I will definitely make more Vivianne Sweaters and Cardigans.

The Vivianne is on sale through February 4.  In addition, get 20% off all the pdf patterns in your cart with the code Vivianne at checkout.

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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 Women's Lucky Girl Top

I love raglan style tops and the Ellie & Mac Women's Lucky Girl Top and Dress is no ordinary raglan.

The Lucky Girl has the cutest sleeves! I made the banded version, but there is also a version that ties.

Raglans are great for mixing and matching fabrics. I used a Texas fabric designed by Robyriker on Spoonflower. This print was offered by Sew Big Fabrics as a fundraiser for Hurricane Harvey victims. You can buy this print - and other coordinating Texas designs HERE.

Love how the Lucky Girl sleeve shows a little bit of skin.

I love that you can use scraps and short cuts for the sleeves on the Lucky Girl. The red I used above and below was a short cut of red cotton lycra from Made Whimsy.

This striped floral was in a short cut remnant pack I got from Wanderlust.

I think it's a fun combo. I might add some HTV to the front.

The Lucky Girl below was the final version and I made it with more scraps!

The cherry blossom design came from a destash and was a super wonky cut. I just barely got the body cut from it. It's  a good thing I'm short. I took 2" out of the length.

The brown was a cotton lycra remnant from Made Whimsy. Mandy periodically offers remnants and flawed pieces for just a few bucks for lots of usable fabric.

Grab the Lucky Girl for only $3.85 through Sunday (02/03).

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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.

Greenstyle Creations Studio to Street Top

I love cute casual tops that I can wear for a weekend at home with jeans or leggings, and that looks equally good dressed up a bit. The Greenstyle Creations Studio to Street Top gives me that. It has so many options and I only tried one body style and 2 sleeves during testing. 

I love v-necks, but often don't make them because they take more time. To really get a great v-neck takes a few more steps and requires me to get away from my serger and on my sewing machine. One of my sewing resolutions this year was to take more time to give my makes more of the details I love that I have neglected to take the time to do.

So first up toward that goal was making this v-neck version of the Studio to Street Top. There's also a v back version with two different v's for two depths. I'll be trying that option soon.

I bought this cotton jersey fabric online a year or two ago and just loved the colors and the print. But it has so little stretch as it is 100% cotton. Thankfully the Studio to Street Top body is a dolman top that has a great loose fit and was perfect for using this fabric.

The sleeves of the Studio to Street Top are more fitted and really do need a fabric with more stretch. I used a cotton jersey rib knit for my sleeves and the neckband.

I absolutely love this top and have already worn it twice since testing.

I have found that I'm in need of more short sleeved tops. Almost every top I make, I tend to do 3/4 sleeves as I find I can wear that pretty much year round. But, I need short sleeves for when I go for allergy shots, infusion appointments, and pretty much anytime I'm visiting the doctor.

I made this short sleeved Studio to Street Top with a double brushed poly. I just love the vintage sewing machine print and have hoarded my 1 yard for a few years now.

Did you read that? I can make a Studio to Street Top with a yard of fabric - and you can too! I made a size small bust graded to XL hips. Yes, there is no doubt that I am a pear.

I also did not remove any length from the top for my height. This is the sloped hem version.

I can't wait to make a few more Studio to Street Tops. I need to try a few more of the options offered.

The Studio to Street Top is on sale for a limited time. Look at all the options below.

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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.

Sew Big Fabrics Florals of the Zodiac

I just love the Florals of the Zodiac Round at Sew Big Fabrics! The flowers of each zodiac sign are beautifully designed on a striped background. Each floral stripe comes in two color variations. In addition, there is a panel displaying the zodiac sign and it's flower.

I was sent three prints to sew up.  This one is Cancer. The flower for Cancer is the Iris.

This is the Golden Beige Stripe and Panel.

This is the cotton lycra and it's a great weight and the white is not sheer.

The Iris flowers are beautiful. The details are gorgeous.

My birthday puts me under the sign of Taurus. I never knew it, but the flower for Taurus is the rose.

This rose floral stripe on black is gorgeous! Especially on this black stripe, it's so striking!

This print is so over the top girly that I knew I needed a feminine pattern for it.

This is the brushed poly and it has such great drape that I wanted to show off. I picked the Ellie & Mac Women's Breezy Dress pattern and made the peplum length.

The bodice of the Women's Breezy Dress is lined and I lined mine with white athletic brushed poly.

I was able to get the Women's Breezy Dress peplum out of 1 yard of fabric - minus the lining.

Last is Aquarius. Aquarius has orchids as it's flower. My dear friend Sharon (Sweet Mama Life) has a birthday coming up and she so happens to be an Aquarius. I made this 5 out of 4 Mabel Tunic for her. She has no idea I made this for her.

The Orchid Stripe on Black is my favorite.  I love orchids and keep several in my bathroom. I have a little bit of this stripe left and plan to make myself a little something with it.

The details in the orchids is just gorgeous! I also can't get over these vibrant colors.

This Mabel Tunic is all brushed poly. I was concerned that the white background of the Aquarius panel might be a bit sheer and decided to make the bodice lined.

I hope Sharon loves her new Mabel Tunic. She listed it as one of her favorite makes from 2018, so I felt confident making her one. I was thankful that her blog post for the Mabel Tunic gave me all the adjustments that she made to get the perfect fit.

The Florals of the Zodiac preorder closes on February 15th. Below is a graphic showing all the panels. Be sure to check out the coordinating stripes - they are all so beautiful!



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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.