Ellie & Mac Everyday Tee

It's Wacky Wednesday at Ellie & Mac. This week the Everyday Tee is one of the 6 patterns on sale for only one dollar! I've been telling myself I needed more Everyday Tees in my wardrobe and made two new ones for this week.

The Everyday Tee has become my go-to top to wear with leggings when I go to physical therapy or the chiropractor. I'm sure they are tired of seeing it. You can see it HERE.

The Everyday Tee has a relaxed fit with a high low curved hemline that covers my tush.

I made this Everyday Tee in a super soft athletic brushed poly from Zenith & Quasar. I've noticed that a lot of my leggings have a lot of blue & purple and knew this would coordinate well with many. This pair of leggings - made with YSS from Z&Q happens to be one of my favorite pairs.

And  it just so happens that I found the same print of a lightweight poly spandex jersey at the Dallas Fabric District about a year ago. I  figured it would be perfect as an Everyday Tee.

However, I probably won't wear it with the matching leggings. I was just too lazy to change leggings for my photos.

This Everyday Tee is going to look great with my solid leggings in black, blue, and purple.

I could probably use a few more Everyday Tees in my closet. Maybe once the holidays are over  I'll make a few more and but some HTV on them for wearing to the gym with some motivational wording.

You can find the Everyday Tee and all other Wacky Wednesday patterns on sale 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.

Sinclair Patterns Lotte Colorblocked Hoodie

I can't say enough great things about Sinclair Patterns. I jump at the chance to test their patterns. I'm 5' tall and I have to make so many adjustments to patterns to get them to fit me. Most of the time, I don't bother with any adjustments rather than length. But being so short, I really need length removed above the bust - and making that kind of adjustment requires a whole lot of work. I love that Sinclair Patterns drafts for reguler, petite, and tall bodies. It is a wonderful feeling to print and not have to do anything other than grading between sizes. I'm so excited for the newest pattern - the Lotte Colorblocked Hoodie.

I almost didn't test the Lotte as it is labeled as a hoodie. I never wear hoodies. I went ahead and clicked the application and jumped for joy when I saw that the Lotte included a cowl! I LOVE cowls!

 I love the color blocking on the Lotte and the amazing hidden pocket. The construction is so smart and so easy to do. It does require you to use a sewing machine. Sorry for serger lovers like myself - this cannot be done entirely on a serger.

I made two Lottes. The Lotte above is french terry. The print is from Wanderlust Fabrics and the denim blue is really thick and something I bought off of a friend that was destashing. My second Lotte below was made entirely with a distressed reverse french terry. I love the texture of this fabric. It's a very pale green that I would probably call sage.

The cowl on the Lotte is very full. It does have the option to have a drawstring. I feel like drawstrings make tops look more casual, and I plan to wear this one to work as the weather turns colder.

I didn't do any topstitching on the first Lotte I made, but decided to do some on this version. I even went to the fabric district in Dallas to buy matching thread. The day after I went, the area was hit by a tornado. My favorite fabric shops were heavily damaged. I really hope they are all able to rebuild.

I thought a reverse coverstitch would look amazing on my Lotte. I got my machine set up & threaded, did a few test runs on a scrap and grabbed my Lotte. I was going along and finished the first seam, took it off my machine, and the thread on one needle had snapped.  I didn't have the beautiful 3 thread reverse coverstitch I was going for. I was not about to grab my seam ripper, so I left it as is.

I went ahead and did the 3 needle reverse coverstitch on another seam. Then I did a regular 3 needle cover stitch on another seam. You know - to give variety and make it look intentional.

The Lotte also includes thumbhole cuffs. I was too intimidated by the thumbhole cuffs to try them during testing. Now that testing is over, I plan to give them a try. I have never made a top with thumbhole cuffs, but have always loved the look. The reason I have never tried them is because I always need to adjust the length of sleeves and worried that would end up too long or too short. Wait - I take that back. I did make a hoodie once with thumbhole cuffs, but I made it for an auction so  it doesn't really count.

The Lotte is on sale for $7.99 through October 31st! While there, I highly recommend grabbing the Harper Cardigan while it is  FREE!

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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.

Halloween and Dia de los Muertos

Halloween and Dia de los Muertos are my two Favorite Holidays! I was determined that this year I would make myself a few new tops to wear to celebrate. I'm likely to wear these anytime of year and not just in October & November.

First up was to make a top with some fabric I had won from EBS Fabrics a few years ago. I won a set of 4 child panels from the Hansel & Gretel round along with this coordinating print that has bones on it. If you know the tale of Hansel & Gretel, then you know  it's a bit morbid and perfect for Halloween.

I used the Halla Patterns Beachcomber pattern and modified it a bit. I widened it out  from the bust down to keep as much of the panels as possible.  And I made my own sleeves to add to it.

I pieced the 4 child's panels so that they tell the story in order from left to right, top to bottom.

I absolutely love how it came out!

Next, I wanted to sew up my Planchette fabric from Dark Matter Fabrics that I purchased 2 years ago! I have always loved Ouija Boards - especially vintage ones  that have ornate planchettes. I fell in love with this print from the moment I saw it.

 I used the Patterns for Pirates Sweetheart for my peplum top. I used a bamboo lycra for the peplum.

I am wearing a planchette necklace that I purchased from Thread & Grain.

I bought so much quilting cottons when the Tula Pink Tula de Luna line was at preorder. I love Tula Pink's fabrics and her version of Dia de los Muertos fabrics was just gorgeous. I don't think I bought enough, as I'm having a hard time finding patterns that will work with what I bought. So for now, I've used just one of the many prints to make a top.

 I love the Adora Top & Dress (unfortunately it appears that this pattern is no longer available). It features a woven yoke in the front and back with  a knit body & sleeves. I used the same bamboo lycra for this that I used in the top above.

I had to modify the front neckline slightly so that I could keep from  cutting off any of the design. I will be wearing this top all the time! I love it!

My Aunt's birthday is on November 2 - Dia de los Muertos. She's going to Mexico to celebrate this year and I am so jealous! I want to go! My mother asked me to make her a top and picked the fabrics and the pattern. I have a photo of my Aunt in the top I made on Instagram. I had some scraps leftover and was just able to get a top out for myself.

My mother selected this Sugar Skull print from Spoonflower.  This is the Modern Jersey - which is my favorite fabric from Spoonflower. I picked the Love Notions Margot Peplum for my pattern and selected the full circle skirt peplum. However, my skirt was cut into 4 quarter as I was working with scraps and none of my pieces are cut on the grain.

 I love my top and this one will also get worn all the time!

I still have some Halloween and Dia de los Muertos fabrics to sew through with some big plans for next year.

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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.

Halla Sunny Day for a Fall Day

I love the Halla Sunny Day Top & Dress pattern. The silhouette is figure flattering and I love the yoke - it's perfect for using scraps. I recently bought this Talavera Tiles print from Spoonflower to make my Aunt a shirt and had just enough left over to use on the Sunny Day Top.

The Sunny Day has a Shirt, Tunic, and Dress options. I decided to try the tunic length - all my previous versions have been the shirt length. I'm not sure how I like the tunic length on my short self.

The Sunny Day has two styles of sleeve: a fitted and a looser version with an elasticized hem. Since I was using scraps I picked the fitted sleeves.

I also hacked the Sunny Day to have a back yoke. I've done this on several that I have made and love the little added pop to the back.

The Tunic length covers my behind which makes it perfect for wearing with leggings or slim fit pants. Here I am wearing the Love Notions Sabrina Slims made with a bronze ponte.

When I add a back yoke, I also back my bodice piece wider to add some gathers. My neck has been bothering me lately and I have been seeing an acupuncturist and chiropractor. At my last acupuncture appointment, they did cupping which left two large red marks as seen in the photo below. I'm happy to say that I am finally getting some relief and should be 100% better soon.

I love the fall colors in the Talavera Tile print and was so happy to have this dark teal jersey in my stash to go with it. However, Fall still has not made it permanently to North Texas. All pdf patterns are currently 20% off with the code PUMPKIN at Halla Patterns! 

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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.