Poppy Kettle Textiles Mermaids & Pups

This is my first time sewing for Poppy Kettle Textiles. They are a custom knit group located in Houston, Texas. The current round is called Mermaids and Pups, and like the name suggests is mainly prints related to dogs and mermaids - neither of which I can see myself wearing. But the round does include some great coordinates, a few florals, and a denim print in a few colors.

The ones I was most drawn to were the raindrop prints. These were coordinates for the puppy prints. They come in several colors. I choose the blue and green to sew.

I have never ordered fabric from Poppy Kettle Textiles and had initially thought I'd make a flowy top. Then I received these strike off samples and they were printed on this gloriously thick and lush 280 gsm cotton lycra. It was way too heavy for anything that needed drape, so I had to come up with another plan. Jan, the owner of Poppy Kettle Textiles, informed me that this preorder and all future preorders would be on a slightly lighter base of 240 gsm. That weight is also very nice and still a great weight for pants and leggings.

I decided to make one of my favorite pullover tops the Irena Top from Itch to Stitch Designs.

I decided to use the green for the body and blue for the collar and cuffs.

This combination is really pretty and the print is unique.

I love that even the raindrops are a rainbow of colors.

This will be a great top to wear over a tank on cool spring days, and over a t-shirt or button-up shirt in the fall.

The preorder for this print, and all the others, closes on May 31st. Order HERE.

Itch to Stitch FREE Lago Tank

I love the patterns Kennis Wong with Itch to Stitch puts out. They are always so well drafted.

I was thrilled to test this tank, even though it's available for free, because it meant that I got another of her great patterns for free. So I'll be posting about it soon since it's perfect for Summer.

Speaking of Summer - the Lago Tank is just perfect for the hot weather, but it's also great for a layering piece in the colder months.

This was the first Lago Tank I made. The front is a poly spandex from Zenith & Quasar and the back is a gold sparkly poly jersey from Hobby Lobby.

This print is of a Hubble Telescope image of the Carina Nebula. It's currently at Preorder.

When I wear this tank to work, I'll be wearing it like this with a cardigan.

I made another Lago Tank with a cotton lycra from Made Whimsy. This print is called Duchess.

My pants are from StyleTuck. It's a new company that let's you design your own clothes. You pick the item and fabric - they sew it and ship it to you. I'll have a separate post about them soon.

My lovely sewing friend Sharon also tested this pattern. See her blog Sweet Mama Sharon for more of her photos.

We have so much fun together!

This photo shows the back of the tank really well. It's not quiet a racerback, but it is narrower than a normal tank.

I hope you grab this free pattern and give it a try. Also check out the other Itch to Stitch Patterns - they are all wonderful and on sale for 20% off through May 15th with the code "lovemom".

Winter Wear Designs Amuse

The Amuse Boho from Winter Wear Designs is the perfect top for Spring and Summer. 

I had very good intentions to make a new Amuse Boho top for this blog tour. Unfortunately, before I knew it, it was May 10th and my newest Amuse Boho was still just a pile of fabric.  But, I'll be posting my photos of it soon.




The Amuse Boho works great with many fabrics. You can use a knit or woven. I made this one with a cotton voile.

The center front yoke and optional back yoke give you the opportunity to showcase a contrasting fabric. In this case, I used a beautiful imported fabric from my lovely sewing friend (Sneha at Sewing Curves) that she brought back from India.



I love the relaxed fit. The gathers are wonderful and it's very important to iron them as flat as possible before sewing them to the yoke to prevent them from billowing out giving the appearance of a maternity top. 

This Amuse Boho, I made with a poly/rayon blend woven which gave the top a much more flowy appearance. 

My yoke on this one is a cotton woven with a lace overlay. I absolutely LOVE how this turned out - but the multiple layers did make it a little more challenging to get my neckline to lay smooth and flat. It's very important to use bias tape made with your fabric - the store bought bias tape does not sufficient stretch and is way too stiff to give a clean finish.

My friend Bryan Zumbar took these photos for me. These were taken all over the downtown McKinney, Texas main square. 

He took so many great photos - that it was so hard to narrow it down to just a few.

Kimmy Snabric

My pool is almost ready to jump into and I'm ready with my new swimsuit I made with this Blue Raspberry Sparkle swim from Kimmy Snabric! There are some beautiful prints in the current preorder - three colors of sparkles, some mermaid scales, and more. All prints are also available on bamboo spandex. It's currently at preorder through May 1st.

ORDER FORM: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScP66gcoGGpkU2gUWFX57pfOzIjZOFNuynQRrNTBB4B4Y7OsQ/viewform

Get 7% Off when you PAY NOW through the Etsy Shop and use code KS7PRESALE (use code only on orders containing only preorder listings): https://www.etsy.com/shop/KimmySnabric?ref=hdr_shop_menu&section_id=21100116

I used the Blue Raspberry Sparkle swim to make a new swimsuit. 

I decided to do a little hacking to the Patterns for Pirates (P4P) Sweetheart Peplum. First I shortened the bodice stop a little under my bust. P4P just hit a huge milestone and have a sale on all patterns - 50ksale gets you 30% off through April 25th! Check out their Facebook group for pattern support.

I lowered the neckline and made the back more of a racerback.

I then fully lined it and added bra cups. I added a band (which is on the inside).

If my skirt (which I shortened to be just 10" long) was made with a solid colored swim knit - my top would be completely reversible. You can see the lining peeking out just a tad (it's red with white stars from Zenith & Quasar).

My swim bottom is modified Scrundlewear from Stitch Upon a time. I also made them fully lined and reversible. They have the Red with White stars print on the reverse.

I really love how this came out. I love the look of a one piece with the ease of a two piece. I'll definitely be packing this one on my next trip.

577 Custom Fabrics

This is my first time sewing for 577 Custom Fabrics! They are a Canadian custom knit group. The current round is Bravo and open through April 29th.

They print on cotton lycra and french terry. I received the cotton lycra to sew. It's soft and is a great weight.

This is the Dreams Take Flight print. It's a beautiful dream catcher design that's printed diagonally.

I paired the print with cotton lycra solids from Made Whimsy. This is the yellow and dark coral 12 oz cotton lycra solids.

My shirt is the Bodacious Ladies All Sleeve Top (BLAST) from Duck Butt Designs.

I also made a teeny tiny top.

I don't remember what pattern I used - but look how cute and little.

Jaded Threads Shoppe

This is my first time sewing for Jaded Threads Shoppe.  The owner, Maggie, is really sweet and she is very active in many other custom knit groups.

She prints on a 95% cotton/5% spandex base that is a nice heavier weight at 240 gsm. Maggie also prints on PUL for those that make diapers.

This round consists of 4 panels each featuring a cute animal on a watercolor background. Two coordinates are being offered as well - an orange faux sparkle and a watercolor splatter design.

The preorder is open through April 30th. These are the designs. Order HERE.

Maggie sent me the adult panel of the Red Panda.

She also sent me a fat half of the Watercolor Splatter. This print is so pretty all on it's own.

My favorite top to make with an adult panel and a fat half of coordinating fabric is the Koerbs Brothers Stitch Design Hello Hi Lo Top. I would normally make it with sleeves, but figured we will be in the heat of summer soon and this would be super cute to wear to the zoo this summer.

The panel background is also a watercolor design and just goes perfectly with the watercolor splatter.

The Red Panda is seriously cute!

Preorder closes on April 30th.

Zenith & Quasar Flash Pre-Order 19.5

Zenith & Quasar is running a flash round of some gorgeous floral prints and coordinates that have been run previously. The round includes two gorgeous colorways of a vintage inspired floral print with two classic coordinates - a gingham and a plaid. The round also includes the ever popular watercolor wildflowers.

Here's the lineup of all the prints.

These prints will be available on Swim knit and Athletic Brushed Poly (ABP). The ABP offered this round is a slightly higher weight than what is typically offered, but it has the same beautiful drape, breathability, and moisture wicking, as the normal ABP offered. This heavier weight will ensure that the light colored backgrounds will not have the sheerness sometimes seen with the lighter weight.

The preorder is open from now through April 14th. Order HERE.

I decided now was the perfect time to sew up the teal roses I had from the last printing. I'll be buying more to replenish my stash.

I found a super cute pattern for free on Fabric.com. It was for the Holiday Heroine Cape Tank Pattern. The pattern for the tank portion is HORRIBLE! It was ill fitting and was just awful. I already have a tank pattern that I LOVE - the Halla Stardust Tank. This pattern is free with a code from their Facebook Group. So I took the cape from the free pattern (really it's just a circle skirt with a high-low cut) and added it to the Stardust Tank.

This camel/tan color matches the small flowers perfectly, but I'm second guessing my decision to pair the two together.

I really do like this top and think I might make another with a pink or cream body and put the cape on it and put a different cape on this body. I'll probably wear it a few times and see if the color combo grows on me.

I pulled out the tops I made previously and did new photos since I couldn't find the old ones. This is the Cream Roses. This is the Stitch Upon A Time - Merryweather. I added color blocking to the sleeves.

The print is subtle and beautiful.

I could have sworn I made two tops with the watercolor wildflowers, but only found one in my closet. This is the Koerbs Brothers Stitch Designs Hello Hi Lo Top. It's one of my favorite patterns.

I love the curved v-neck and that the back piece comes over the shoulder to peek out on the front of the top.

I've made a few other items with these prints. I know I used some scraps I had of the watercolor wildflowers to make my cousin's baby girl a dress.