Ellie & Mac Discoverer Tee - Wacky Wednesday

It's Wacky Wednesday at Ellie & Mac! As I continue on my goal to sew up my fabric stash and pattern stash, the Discoverer Tee was on my list. I bought it shortly after it released and just never found the time to get to it. I'm so glad that I finally did. I ended up making this one, then made a few more using a few hacks that I posted on the Ellie & Mac Blog. You can find it HERE.

The Discoverer Tee is so flattering on! It's fitted in the shoulders and bust, then is a bit looser through the waist and hips.

The Discoverer Tee was the perfect pattern for me to use up some fabric scraps and remnants. The saffron color fabric is a cotton lycra from Made Whimsy. The print is a double brushed poly remnant that I picked up at Wherehouse Fabrics. It was barely tall enough for my pattern pieces. I normally don't buy florals, but I think I got this one for the colors.

The back also has the curved color blocking. I love how it looks.

Wacky Wednesday means that 6 patterns are on sale for only $1 each through Midnight on Wednesday, January 29th. Find all the Wacky Wednesday Sale Patterns 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 & Mac To the Point Tunic & Dress

It's Wacky Wednesday at Ellie & Mac! This week I'm sharing the To the Point Tunic & Dress.

I've made this pattern only one time before and have intended to make another. The first one I made was a tad too tight across my belly, so I graded out one size for this To the Point Tunic.

Last time I really thought there was going to be enough ease that I wouldn't need to grade for my waist or hips. I was wrong. It wasn't a horrible fit on me, but I felt self conscious in it.

This one has the perfect amount of ease and I'm ready to make another!

I paired my To the Point Tunic with a pair of Greenstyle Creations Everyday Yoga Pants that I made with a reverse french terry  distressed knit.

Wacky Wednesday patterns are on sale for only $1 though midnight on August 28th. Find all the 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.

Ellie & Mas Tres Belle Dress

I recently shared my Ellie & Mac South Shore Romper. I love it and now I've tried the dress version - the Tres Belle Wrap Tunic & Dress. The Tres Belle has three skirt options. The bodice is slightly different in length than the bodice for the South Shore Romper.

For some reason the Tres Belle Bodice seems to give a lower v at the crossover than what I had with the South Shore Romper. I will likely wear a cami under this Tres Belle Dress.

I used a gorgeous Knub Jersey from Sly Fox Fabrics. It is a poly linen blend - 85% polyester, 15% linen. It is a lightweight and ended up being too light for this dress. I am wearing a black skirt under this dress and a nude colored bra. I took photos initially with a hot pink bra and it was clearly visible through the knit.

This fabric is fairly soft. I've purchased linen blend knits before that were scratchy and took several washes to get them to soften up. This starts out soft and I anticipate it will get even softer as I was it.

I used the gathered maxi skirt for my Tres Belle Dress. I also added pockets - because pockets make everything better.

Since this Knub Jersey ended up being a little too light for this dress, I am debating something. Do I make myself a slip to wear under it or do I cut it to be a tunic length and wear it with leggings?

The Knub Jersey I used is the Charcoal color. It is also available in a gorgeous Deep Red. Even though it is too light for a dress, it is perfect for tops.

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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 South Shore Romper

I have made an item I never thought I would make - a Romper. I always hated the idea of getting nearly naked to go pee when wearing a romper. Then Ellie & Mac had to go and release the South Shore Romper. Every single tester looked great in it. Then House of Curves did a month of rompers. The only romper that I loved on each curvy blogger was the South Shore Romper. Everyone looked amazing in it. I have to say, they convinced me. And I think I look pretty good in it too!

One other thing that had kept me from sewing a Romper was my belly. I have a medical condition that often makes my stomach swell and I look like I'm about 5 months pregnant. I worried a romper would accentuate that and the last thing I want is people asking me when I'm due. I think the wide legs that gather at the waist along with the wrap style top really help minimize the belly and bring attention up to your face.

The crossover wrap top covers great with no fear of being exposed. I really thought I would need to wear a tank under it to keep from showing too much of my chest. I did originally think about wearing a tank just so I wouldn't feel so bare when I did go to the bathroom. But it's summer in Texas and I like to avoid extra layers if at all possible.

The one thing I had issues with when sewing the South Shore Romper was adding elastic to the waist seam. I could not get it to look decent. I seam ripped once and retried with different elastic. I then cut it off and redid it without elastic. Didn't like it without elastic. Cut it off again and redid it yet again with elastic. Still wasn't crazy about it, but figured it would be covered by my sash and finished it.

I am 5' tall and did make a few adjustments. I had to remove 2” from the length of the bodice so that it would end at my natural waist. I then measured my crotch from my natural waist in front to my natural waist in the back. I found that I needed to add 1” to the front and back rises to ensure I had enough room to prevent the crotch seam to ride up uncomfortably - I probably lost most of that inch redoing that waist seam so many times. I also shortened the legs by 2” then took another 2 inches off before I hemmed them.

I really love my South Shore Romper and have plans to make another. I'm thinking I will add a waist band to my next one and widen the legs to give a fuller look like a maxi dress. I think adding elastic into a waistband will work out a lot better for me. I'm severely allergic to latex and cant have it touching my skin. I will have to be certain to wear high waisted underwear or a long tank under this to keep the elastic away from my skin.

If you have been hesitant to try a romper, I would suggest giving the South Shore Romper a try. I think you will be as pleasantly surprised as I was. All patterns are on sale for 50% off for the month of August. No code needed.

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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 Autumn Spice Top

It's Wacky Wednesday at Ellie & Mac and one of my favorite patterns is on sale for $1! The Autumn Spice top has a great fit with two different style options and is a great scrap buster. I'm thinking forward to October and my next cruise to New England and Canada. I decided to dig into my scrap bin and make both versions of the Autumn Spice with long sleeves.

This is the below bust version. I used Moss Dreamy Solid from Made Whimsy, Medallion Double Brushed Poly from Sly Fox Fabrics, and a teal rayon spandex - unsure where it came from.

So yes - you can mix and match fabric types. I would suggest putting the fabric with lease drape on the top.

I love how my Autumn Spice turned out with these scraps. One confession though - I ended up not having enough of the moss cotton lycra. I had cut the top and back pieces, and one sleeve and did not have enough for the second sleeve. So I bought a yard so I could finish my top.

Next I made an above the bust version of the Autumn Spice. This is the version I have made previously.

I made this one with a navy/white stripe mystery knit that had some vertical stretch (this will be important later), Moonstruck floral brushed poly from Sly Fox Fabrics, and white distressed reverse french terry from Mily Mae Fabrics.

I really love how these fabrics look together. I was a bit concerned putting the white on the bottom. You know they say lighter colors add weight. But in  this case, I think it works and doesn't make me look any bigger.

On a previous post I made of the Autumn Spice Top someone posted that they didn't like the way the seam went through the middle of my boobs. Yes - someone said that. What I have determined is that you really should use a fabric with no vertical stretch for the above the bust piece. This navy/white stripe did have some vertical stretch, but not a lot. It does come down lower than the pattern piece when I hold it up to my chest.

Now this post has me thinking. Which version is more flattering on my figure? Should I make more below the bust in the future, or stick with the above the bust version? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Check out all the Wacky Wednesday Sales at https://www.ellieandmac.com/collections/wacky-free-patterns?aff=675

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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 Sweetie Pie Tunic & Dress

It's Wacky Wednesday at Ellie & Mac! This week I am making a new to me pattern - the Sweetie Pie Tunic & Dress. I decided to make the Tunic version and need to make a few more. I love the fullness of the Sweetie Pie. Isn't it a cutie pie?

You definitely want to use a fabric with a lot of drape to prevent it from tenting out. I used a lightweight poly spandex jersey knit I got from a local sewist destashing. I normally don't do florals, but loved the muted colors and abstract design of the flowers.

I find this shape very figure flattering and have already spied a few knits in my stash that I will be turning into Sweetie Pie Tunics for this fall.

Another pattern in this weeks Wacky Wednesday Sale is the Lucky Girl Top & Dress. Here's a photo of my favorite one. I wear this one quite often.

Be sure to check out all the patterns on sale for Wacky Wednesday!

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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 Sunny Day Dress

I love the Ellie & Mac Sunny Day Dress. It goes together quickly and looks great on. It's the perfect summer dress. As I was getting ready to pack up and move, I often got distracted in my sewing room. I went through a bit of a sewing frenzy thinking I needed to sew up a bunch of fabric so I wouldn't have to move it. With my stash - that was a  joke. I mean- I'd still have to move my clothes - so what was the point. I think the point was I would rather sew than pack.

So as I went through my fabric, I did decide that I could stand to part with some. Other fabrics were kind of special to me or I had them reserved for something in particular. This fabric fell into that category. I got this fabric from my sweet friend Sneha. She used to live in the DFW area, but now lives far away in Canada. Ever since she gave me this fabric, I knew I needed to make something for summer with it.

Since I know I can whip up a Sunny Day dress in about 30 minutes, I went for it! I even attempted to pattern match and did pretty darn good. I immediately wore it and took photos there on the front yard of my now "old" house. Packing and moving kept me so busy, that I didn't have time to blog until recently.

I've worn this dress many times since I made it and it always makes me think of my sweet friend. I'll be visiting Canada on a cruise later this year. I'm hoping I can convince Sneha to visit me at one of my ports of call.

Ready to make a Sunny Day Dress or any Summer Dress? Ellie & Mac is having a Summer Dress Event! All dress patterns are on sale for an additional 20% off with the code SUMMERDRESS. Make any Ellie & Mac dress and upload a photo to their Summer Dress Event Album HERE to be entered to win a prize!

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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.

Zenith & Quasar Knit Seersucker!

Seersucker has to be the quintessential fabric of summer. I was so excited when Lilly stocked a KNIT seersucker at Zenith & Quasar. Yes - knit! It has the look and texture of a seersucker woven, but has the ease of wear that you get with a knit. It's also an athletic knit. I plan to see if I can sneak a swimsuit out of my scraps - or I may just give in and buy more.

Here's an up close shot so you can see the texture of this turquoise seersucker knit.

I had to make one of my favorite dresses with it - the Ellie & Mac Be Dreamy Dress. This dress just has a summer vibe to it and I can't stop making them.

I do make my Be Dreamy Dress a bit different than the pattern. I know I have quite the behind, so I add some width to the top of the back skirt and gather it slightly. I really don't need it, but I feel better knowing my booty has a little extra wiggle room.

I feel so fancy wearing a maxi dress. I love having my legs covered.

The flutter sleeves are so cute and easy. They are just a circle with a circle right in the middle. On this dress, I decided to offset the armhole so that I had more fabric draping over the top of my arm and less under it. Part of the reason I did this was because I ran out of fabric! I barely had two 15" squares to ge my sleeves out of. So I improvised and LOVE the result. I think all future Be Dreamy Dresses I make will have offset armholes.

My neckline ended up a bit high due to the high recovery in the stretch of this knit. If I thought I had enough fabric left, I would lower the neckline and attach a new neckband.

This gorgeous turquoise seersucker knit is available at Zenith & Quasar for $18/yard. It is 50" wide  and the stripes run horizontally. I cut my dress cross grain because I wanted vertical stripes. The fabric is 55% polyester, 40% nylon, and 5% spandex with 4-way 50% stretch. This fabric is great for so many things. It screamed DRESS to me, but I think it would be so cute as a swimsuit, a crop top with white shorts, or as culottes with a white tank.




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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.

Zenith & Quasar Botanist's Notebook

Zenith & Quasar is reprinting some past designs that are popular from past rounds. The preorder runs through June 29th. I've sewn many of the prints at preorder and will be showing off a few makes new and old over the next few weeks.

First up is one of my all time favorites - Botanist's Notebook. This is a vintage Ernst Haeckel illustration. I pulled some of my hoarded stash off my shelf and made 2 new items with it.

 

I've had the idea to make a maxi dress with this print forever and decided to wait no more.

This is the Ellie & Mac Be Dreamy Dress. I recently made this dress for the first time and fell in love with it. You can read my initial post on the Be Dreamy Dress HERE.

I've been buying from Zenith & Quasar since inception. My dress is made with 2 different fabric bases. The skirt and sleeves are the original base that had 2-way stretch. The bodice and neckband are the athletic brushed poly with 4-way stretch.

The one modification that I made to the Be Dreamy Dress is that I cut the back skirt wider and gather it. I feel like this gives me plenty of room for my behind and gives a beautiful silhouette.

 My bodice was made out of a different knit because I did not have enough of the original base for the entire dress. I actually didn't have enough of the fabric for the skirt and had to cut the skirt a few inches shorter than I normally would.

To keep as much length as possible, I hemmed my dress with a rolled hem. I also used a rolled hem on my sleeves.

Since I had cut into my athletic brushed poly base for the bodice of my dress, I decided to go ahead and make myself a tank with it while I was at it. This is the Sinclair Patterns Shelby Tunic.  This is my go to loose fit sleeveless top. I'm wearing it here with Greenstyle Creations Everyday Yoga Pants made with modal jersey from Sly Fox Fabrics.

Since I was taking photos, I thought I'd share my previous makes with "new" photos. I started to wear my Shelby Tunic with my Itch to Stitch Paro Cardigan and my A Sparkly Baby Woman's Palauchos. But thought that might be too much and you wouldn't see the neckline of my cardigan.

I love the back of the Paro Cardigan. And no - I have never actually worn both of these pieces together.

So here are my A Sparkly Baby Woman's Palauchos on their own.

This outfit I have worn. My top is my other go-to sleeveless top, the Halla Patterns Agnes.

And this last photo is from July 2015. My first time sewing this print. I finally let this top go last year. So I only have this old photo of me to show you.

Be sure to check out all 24 prints at preorder. https://www.zenithandquasar.com/product-category/preorder-r34-reprints/

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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.