Halla Patterns Stella Sweater Upcycle

I love the Halla Patterns Stella Pullover and have made so many of them. I went through my closet recently and took out a bunch of sweaters that either no longer fit me or had moth holes in them. I always like to see what I can salvage from sweaters before I put them in a bin to be recycled. I took this coral sweater that is a wool blend that I accidentally shrunk in the washer & dryer, and cut it apart to use on a Stella Pullover.

One of my favorite features of the Stella are the pockets. I love having pockets and these are a great size. I normally add a bottom band to my Stella Pullovers and completely forgot to add one to this top. I haven't decided if I want to seam rip the hem and add one or not.

This length is with 2" removed for my height. I don't think this length as-is is necessarily bad, I'm just used to having a little bit more length.

I used a cotton lycra from Kaynen called Dodo that is a European import I purchased about 3 years ago. I have another sweater upcycle that I used this same fabric on a few years ago.

What I had loved about this sweater was the cute button detail on the collar and sleeves. I was able to keep both and think my upcycle turned out perfect.

I still have the body of the sweater that I'm considering using on another top or using it to add a bottom band to this top. I also have 5 more sweaters that I plan on upcycling too.

Halla Patterns has all of their PDF patterns on sale for 40% off through December 31st. Use the code HOLIDAY for the discount. Shop 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.

Itch to Stitch Busan Top

I love testing for Kennis at Itch to Stitch. The newest pattern I tested, the Busan Top, is a new favorite!

The Busan Top is designed to be made with heavier knits. The sleeves won't have as dramatic a flair if you use a lighter knit.

This makes the Busan Top perfect for cotton lycra. It's hard to find patterns for tops that can be made with cotton lycra that are not plain t-shirts or raglans.

Check out these sleeves! The top has narrow shoulder and these big pleated sleeves that look great on all figures. If you have broad shoulders, they are minimized, and if you have narrow shoulders (like me) they add a bit of volume to make them look bigger (and my hips look smaller).

I also love the high neckline. This is the perfect top for cooler weather.

Here's a closer look at the pleats on the sleeve.

I love that the Busan Top is slightly loose. It's a comfortable fit that I feel good in.

Of course I couldn't make just one Busan Top!

Look how gorgeous the sleeve is in this green velvet from Zenith & Quasar!

I love how dressy it feels in this velvet.

I'm tempted to make another one of these tops in velvet. But I'm on a velvet kick lately and want to make everything in velvet. 

I was hoping to make at least one more Busan Top before the pattern released, but time got away from me. I'll definitely be making time to sew another one or two over the holidays.

The Busan Top is on sale for $8 through December 21st! Be sure to check out the release blog post with photos from the other testers. It can be seen HERE! So many testers made fancy holiday worthy versions that are worth seeing.

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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 Ginger Dress Update!

When Kristi announced she needed testers for the Ginger Dress Update, I signed up immediately. It's one of the George + Ginger patterns that I have not ever made. I'm not a fan of dresses, but will definitely wear this with legging. I did do my photos with bare legs since after all - it IS a dress.

But, don't look close - I have some seriously ugly legs. I did do some photoshopping to remove the more unsightly parts with bruising.

Since I am 5' tall, I did take 3" out of the length of the pattern. I typically take 2 - 2.5" out on tops and 3" for tunics. The Ginger Dress is short on me! This is probably a great look on many, but I'm old and not used to showing off my kneecaps.

I love this fun handkerchief hem though. It was an especially windy day when I took these photos.

I used a 2-way stretch poly jersey for the body and used Spoonflower Modern Jersey for the band at the bottom. This Ammonite print is one of my designs. It is based on an Ernst Haeckel drawing.

The Ginger Dress is seriously cute. I love the loose fit and think just about any body shape/type can look great in it.

The Ginger Dress has a sleeveless as well as various sleeve options. I made the short sleeves - which was added in the update.

Sleeveless was also a new addition to the update and I can't wait to make one for summer.

I had so much fun making the Ginger Dress! I even hacked a shirt version. I'll be posting a blog on it in the near future.

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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 Slash Tunic

It's been awhile since I made a George + Ginger Slash Tunic, so what better time than now. The Slash Tunic is best when made with heavier and stiffer knits like liverpool and scuba. These types of knits tend to be hot so I love them for fall and winter wear.

I've had this Nicole Miller scuba knit from Jo-Ann's in my stash for a long time. The print was called Boho Patch Multi.

I really love that with a busy print like this, the princess seams seem to disappear.

I just love the slash hem on the Slash Tunic. It allows for the leg to peak through as you walk and move, but it stays closed when standing. You can make the slash openings as daring or modest as you like. I prefer them to open beginning at my high hip to ensure I don't flash and flesh.

The Slash Tunic comes in tunic, mid, and long lengths. This is the mid length.

It also has three sleeve options; short, 3/4, and long. These are the 3/4 length sleeves.

The back has a center seam with shaping to prevent pooling at the lower back and to also allow for sway back adjustments. The back lays nice and flat, I'm just standing wonky in the photo.

The Slash Tunic is a great piece to wear over leggings or skinny leg pants. I keep saying that I'm going to make a few in solid colors to wear with leggings, but the funky bold prints always grab my attention first. If you are interested, the link to my first blog on the Slash Tunic can be found 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.

Greenstyle Creations Warrior Pants

I always enjoy testing for Greenstyle Creations. I wish I worked out more to justify buying and sewing all of their amazing activewear patterns. I really enjoy sewing and testing the more athleisure patterns, as those fit into my lifestyle so much better. The newest pattern is the Warrior Pants.

It's hard for me to believe it, but I moved to Plano nine years ago from my hometown. It's so hard to build a new network of friends and get into a new routine. For me that meant I needed to find a new workout routine that was gentle on my body as I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis after moving.

That's when I discovered yoga. The Warrior Pants are named after the warrior pose in yoga. When I think of the warrior pose, I think about doing Sun Salutations. Moving through a series of poses all while slowly breathing in and out. Like life - sometimes you just go through the motions of day to day life.

I haven't been to a traditional yoga class in probably 2 years, but still practice at home. The Warrior Pants are not something I could see myself wearing to a yoga class though. I tend to prefer leggings and tanks. I wore wide legged pants once and I kept catching my foot in all that extra fabric hanging between my legs and nearly fell over - several times.

The Warrior Pants to me are the perfect warm weather athleisure pants. You look like you might work out, but you might just sit on the sofa all day. The pockets have a very unique construction that results in the front leg overlapping the back when you make the pockets.

You sew up the side seam as you desire. While you could sew them completely closed, that would be kinda boring. I don't care to show too much leg, as my legs are not very pretty. I sewed mine down the sides to my knee.

I made this pair of Warrior Pants with rayon spandex from the fabric district. You can find amazing remnants for $2.50 a yard at the fabric district - but you have to take the entire remnant. That's usually not too bad, but some of their remnants can be an entire bolt! I got this fabric from Sharon (Sweet Mama Life - check out her Warrior Pants blog post). She and I often swap fabric leftovers. She gave me this fabric after she had already made something from it.

I also made the Warrior Pants in cotton lycra.

These are so comfortable!

While I may never wear my Warrior Pants to a yoga class, I'll definitely wear them all over town.

As we get further into fall and our nice warm days slowly disappear, I'll be looking forward to next spring to get out my Warrior Pants and even make a few new pairs.

The Warrior Pants are definitely not for a beginner sewist. The unique construction of the pockets could be challenging for a beginner. In addition, these require a lot of topstitching - often with slinky fabrics. While I did make a pair with cotton lycra - the Warrior Pants look best in a drapey lightweight knit. The first pair in my blog is an ITY knit. The ITY and Rayon Spandex are ideal fabrics for the Warrior Pants, but both can be extremely shifty. So be prepared to use lots of pins and patience, but the end result is worth all that extra effort.

The Warrior Pants are on sale for $9 through Thursday, October 25th.

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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.

A Sparkly Baby Awesomesauce Tee

I've made a couple of A Sparkly Baby Patterns before and decided to try out the Women's Awesomesauce Tee.

I have to say, it's pretty awesome! It has a slim and regular fit options. I made the regular fit.

I do find the sizing of A Sparkly Baby patterns to be a whole lot different than most PDF patterns. For the Awesomesauce Tee, there is only an underbust measurement.

My under bust is 31" which is 6" smaller than my under bust and 7" smaller than my over bust measurements. According to the pattern, I should make the size 30".

I printed out sizes 30" - 36". Because while I have a small under bust measurement - my hips are quite a big larger. I also have a broad back. I graded my pattern pieces from a 30" underbust to a 36" at the hem line.

I then cut my back piece with an extra inch at the fold line to give me the width needed for my back. This gave me the perfect fit across my shoulders and upper back.

I love the loose fit of the regular cut line, but I did add some additional ease to the top.

When I cut the lower bodice piece I again added some extra width at the fold cut line adding an extra 1.5 inches to the center section.

I used a single brushed poly from So Sew English that has great 4 way stretch. I bought it about 2 years ago.

This top is so comfortable and I love how it accentuates by bust and then is nice and loose over my waist and hips. There are 2 options for the center bust. I did the center band option, but think I'll do the elastic option next time.

I'd suggest using a light weight knit with 4-way stretch for the bust pieces, but a 2-way stretch should work for the rest of the top. I also recommend printing multiple sizes if you are a non standard shape like myself and measuring pattern pieces to ensure you get a proper fit.

A Sparkly Baby does have a multi pattern discount- 20% off 2 and 30% off 3. I highly recommend the Renni Dress and the Palauchos.

The entire shop is currently 40% off through October 27th!

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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.