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.

Bella Sunshine Designs Ladies Sophia

Bella Sunshine Designs just released the Ladies Sophia and a girls version. The Ladies Sophia is a great racerback tank that's flowy and perfect for the hot Texas summer. The individual patterns and a bundle are on sale through July 18th - Ladies is $6.50, girls $5.50, and the bundle of both is $10.



Pattern Information
•Ladies - sizes 0 to 30 (see listing for measurements)
•Girls - sizes 6mo to 12Years•Layers option
•A0 print shop file
•Trim patterns formatted for letter and A4

 I made my first Sophia in a liverpool from Made Whimsy.

This particular print is not currently in stock, but Made Whimsy has so many gorgeous liverpool prints available.

 I'm wearing my Sophia in these photos with some black skinny jeans. I'll wear this to work with a blue cardigan thrown on top.

The racerback on the Sophia has a great curvy shape that's different than most racerback tanks.

 I found the Sophia to be so comfortable, that I had to make more than just one.

I made a second Sophia using a lightweight nylon spandex athletic knit.

The Sophia also comes with different lengths. The two I made above are the shirt length. I decided to give the tunic length a try as well. The pattern also includes a dress length.

The tunic length Sophia is perfect to wear over leggings.

My son bought me these fun, macaron print leggings at Jo-Ann's.

 I made this Sophia with a brushed nylon from Zenith & Quasar. It's so soft and has a lot of drape to it.

The Sophia is a great top for your summer wardrobe. It's also great for a workout tank - you can tie it in a knot at your waist for an athletic look. And it's great for layering. I plan to wear my shirt length Sophia's to work under a cardigan.

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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 Plitvice Top

Kennis Wong of Itch to Stitch always has a new pattern that I just have to make. All her patterns are wonderfully drafted. Everything goes together perfectly and the fit is always spot on. I love tops with a draped neckline. I've tried several and some were too low cut and some were just fails. The Plitvice from Itch to Stitch is perfect! I have lots of drape and what's really the winner - I don't have to worry about flashing anyone when I bend down. That's been the biggest issue I've had with many draped neck tops.

I used this bright red brushed nylon from Zenith & Quasar for my Plitvice.

The Plitvice calls for fabric with 75% horizontal stretch.

My brushed nylon has 100% horizontal and vertical stretch. This stretchiness does effect how the gathers drape on the top.

The stretchier the fabric (and if it has vertical stretch too) the lower the drape will hang.

This brushed nylon is so super soft, but it's an athletic knit that wicks away moisture and always feels cool to the touch. It was perfect for this top and the 100 degree temps the day I took these photos.

The Plitvice will be great with slacks for work or with jeans for a more casual look. I'm wearing my Plitvice in these photos with my beloved Greenstyle Creations Chelsea Pants made with a jeggings knit (also from Zenith & Quasar).

My friend Sharon was also a tester of the Plitvice - so photos together were mandatory.

Sharon made her Plitvice with a lovely green jersey knit and it looks so cute with her denim shorts and sandals. You can read her blog review of the Plitvice at Sweet Mama Life.

The Plitvice is on sale for $8 through July 15th. Be sure to check out the Itch to Stitch Blog post to see a roundup of all the beautiful Plitvice tops the testers made.

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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.

New Horizons Designs Women's Cascade Tee

New Horizons Designs just released the Women's Cascade Tee. A girls version was released recently and so many women wanted a version of their own. The Women's Cascade Tee is on sale through July 11th for $7. You can grab the Bundle with the girls version for $14.

I made the sleeveless version for the hot Texas summer.

I love the relaxed fit and the cascade ruffle adds a little bit of flair.

I made this version with a striped poly spandex 2-way stretch knit that I bought at C&C Fabrics for $2/yard.

I tried my best to match up my stripes and really love how my Cascade Tee turned out.

The first version that I made, I made it a size too big. I didn't realize my error until I tried it on and posted fit photos in the testing group. My mom came by for a visit recently and it fit her perfectly.

This one is also sleeveless.

I used a silk jersey I purchased from Golden D'or for $1/yard during one of their big clearance sales.

My mom is a bit of a clown - so I have to include this photo as proof.

The Women's Cascade Tee also have sleeved options and can be made without the flounce for a simple relaxed fit tee. The introductory sale price ends on July 11th!

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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.