Itch to Stitch Chirripo Top

Kennis at Itch to Stitch always has amazing patterns. I am in love with the newest pattern - the Chirripo Top.  The Chirripo Top is a loose fit top that has 2 options - sleeveless or with flutter sleeves. I chose to make the sleeveless and was thrilled that I found I was able to make my size (I'm a size 10 A cup in this pattern) with just 1 yard of 60" wide woven fabric.


The details in this top are beautifully made and the finishing touches in the sewing construction give you a garment that looks professionally made. The square neck yoke is a welcome addition to my closet full of round neck tops.


My friend Sharon was also a tester for the Chirripo and we met up for photos. I was taking the two photos above when she arrived to the nature preserve where we decided to meet for photos. As usual, when she arrived we began chatting about all the things that had been happening in our lives and I completely forgot that I needed to take photos of this top. I did snag several good ones of Sharon and I together.


The Chirripo is made for wovens. In particular soft drapey wovens. Sharon's Chirripo is made with a crepe (not sure if it's a rayon or poly blend). My Chirripo is made with a cotton voile. My cotton voile is soft, but probably not quite as drapey as needed. But I absolutely love how it turned out in this double border print.


You might notice in these photos that my Chirripo is a little longer than Sharon's. This is because - I made it longer - but not intentionally. My double border print did not have an even amount of border at both ends. I was doing my best to line up the design on my pattern pieces and intentionally left the extra at the bottom with the intent to cut it off before I hemmed. I then decided to keep as much of the print on the very bottom as possible and decided to only trim the back which was longer.


Since Sharon and I had found this noce shady spot on this 100 degree day, we stayed put and took photos of our second Chirripos we made. I did not realize it at the time, but in the time it took us to change tops, the sun had risen just enough to cause a bit of a sun flare in these photos. Let's just act like this was done for artistic purposes.


We both used a poly blend woven for these versions. They were light and drapey. Be sure to read Sharon's blog post at Sweet Mama Life!


The Chirripo can easily be dressed up or down. I'm wearing mine with knit slacks. I'm most likely to wear these pants with my Chirripo to work with a jacket or cardigan. While Sharon paired her Chirripo with some cute shorts and sandals for a casual but chic outfit.


I did manage to get a few photos of just me in my Orange Chirripo!


Here's a look at the back. It has the same square yoke in the back as the front. The back is just higher.


I love the way this top feels. It's so soft and silky. But this fabric was such a pain to cut! It kept shifting around. The yokes and side pieces gave me the most trouble and I think I cut out 6 yokes before I decided to just line the yoke with a cotton woven.



I love the side panel detail! It's so cool and gives the top a great shape on the sides.


The front gathers are very light - it's not heavily gathered. I gathered using my serger and had to ease them out as it had gathered them too much. But I did end up with beautifully even gathers.


The Chirripo is on sale for one week for $8! I'm eager to make one with a flutter sleeve. I'm also toying around the idea of making one with a cotton woven yoke and side panels, but a knit body.

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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.

Nature's Fabrics Bamboo Spandex Stripes

I love Bamboo fabrics - they are so soft, breathable, and feel so much cooler than cotton lycra. I've also become a fan of stripes over the past year. I use to never get stripes, but then I started finding some that I liked. I don't like simple even stripes. I love stripes that vary in spacing and size. When I saw this gorgeous gray tone on tone stripes at Nature's Fabrics that have skinny and wide stripes in varying thickness - I had to have them. 


This Bamboo spandex jersey is 66% Bamboo Viscose, 28% Organic Cotton and 6% Spandex. It is 57/58” wide and weighs 200 GSM.


It has such lovely drape and is so soft. I just had to make a maxi dress with it.


Bamboo is naturally anti-bacterial and anti-fungal supposedly because of a bacteriostatis agent unique to bamboo plants called “bamboo kun” which also helps bamboo resist harboring odors. The bamboo kun in bamboo fabric stops odor-producing bacteria from growing and spreading in the bamboo cloth allowing bamboo clothing to be more hygienic and to remain fresher smelling.


Bamboo is highly absorbent and wicks water away from the body 3 to 4 times faster than cotton. In warm, humid and sweaty weather, bamboo clothing helps keep the wearer drier, cooler and more comfortable and doesn’t stick to the skin. Which makes it perfect for the 100 degree temps we have in Texas during the summer.


Bamboo clothing is naturally more wrinkle-resistant than cotton, and while it might still require ironing after washing, bamboo fabric can be ironed at a lower temperature than cotton. Shrinkage during washing and drying is minimal at warm temperatures.


Are you ready to try some bamboo?  Nature's Fabrics has bamboo spandex jersey and bamboo jersey on sale for 20% through July 21! There are 130 bamboo spandex jersey options! Now is a great time to stock up on an assortment of solids and be sure to grab some of the gorgeous stripes!

Information on Bamboo from http://organicclothing.blogs.com/my_weblog/2007/09/bamboo-facts-be.html


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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 Leggings!

You've seen my countless posts about fabric from Zenith & Quasar, but did you know they also offer leggings in some of the past popular prints?

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I have a pair in the Science Rules print. I've had these for awhile now and this print is no longer in stock. I happen to be wearing mine today and thought I'd do a quick blog post because the leggings are currently on SALE! They are $35 with free shipping!


The fit on these is great. They are made with a contoured waistband that has elastic in the top seam. This ensures that they will stay in place all day long.


Here's a view of the front waistband.


The leggings are made with the Athletic Brushed Poly that prints are sold on. It's a great weight, breathable, and moisture wicking. I love to wear these in the hot Texas summer with sleeveless flowy tunics - like here. Sorry - no photos of my face today as it was very early this morning when I took photos and I had not bothered with my hair. It will be 100 today and I'll be jumping in the pool before too long. So - the point of the photo below is to show you how incredibly stretchy this fabric is!


The rise on the leggings comes to my natural waist. But I'm short, so if you are a normal height person, they will likely be more of a mid rise on you. Here's a view of my backside to show you the great coverage.



Seriously, these are so comfortable and with the sale price - they are a bargain! If you can make leggings from a yard of fabric - like my short self, then the cost to buy a yard of a print is $24 plus $5 for shipping. That's $29 just to get the fabric. For $6 more you can buy a pair already made! PLease note in these photos that I have extra fabric pooling at my ankles - I'm short - this may not happen to you.


Sizing! Here is the size chart.When Lilly received samples of the leggins, they sent a small and a medium. My measurements are waist 33, hips 44. I tried the mediums and they fit me like the regular LuLaRoe leggings. Meaning that while they did "fit" I felt like a little bit more room would be nicer. So I went up a size to the Large and love how these fit. They give me a little more room, but not so much that I felt I was wearing LuLaRoe Tall & Curvy leggings.


So - now you might be wondering what prints are available...

Nebulous!




Like a Girl



Chalkboard Math



Blue Circuit



Leggings are normally $50! They are only $35 for a limited time. They also ship for free! Buy them 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 Bianca Knit Bolero Shrug

Sinclair Patterns are amazing! What I love about their patterns, is that they come in petite, regular, and tall. I'm 5' and the petite versions always fit me perfectly! I recently added the Bianca knit bolero shrug to my pattern collection.


I've been on the hunt for a jacket just like this. I wanted it to be waist length with a curved front. The most important though was that I wanted the band to be a curved piece. I have found many similar patterns, but the band was a straight piece. Having a curved piece ensures that the band lays flat and does not flip out.


The Bianca fit the bill for everything I wanted. If you are wondering why I wanted a cropped jacket - the answer is that I really wanted one to wear on top of all my sleeveless tops to wear to work. I needed it to be cropped to wear over my sleeveless tops that are flowy. I found that the longer straight cardigans that I have, did not look right when paired with my more flowy tanks.


The Bianca went together beautifully and has all the finishing touches that I look for in a pattern. The bands are sewn together and then the seam is understitched to keep the back side of the band from peeking out on the front side. Understitching is something you don't always see in a pattern, but is something I always do when constructing a lined item. It really helps give your item a more professional finish.


The length of the Bianca is perfect. I do have a sway back and did not do a swayback adjustment. I'm also an inch shorter than the petite sizing, so the bottom band does get caught ever so slightly on top of my behind. It's not enough that I'd worry about fixing it in my next one.


I absolutely love how my Bianca came out and plan to make many more in an array of solid colors. I made this one with a fun classic book cover print from Zenith & Quasar fabrics. The black bands are the heavy weight black athletic brushed poly (ABP) also from Zenith & Quasar. My entire outfit is actually made from fabric from Zenith & Quasar. I'm wearing the Lago Tank from Itch to Stitch made with a nebula print ABP and Greenstyle Creations Chelsea Pants made with jegging knit.


The Bianca knit bolero shrug is a great addition to any wardrobe. It has multiple sleeve options for any season. The sizing is perfect for any height. The pattern was also a breeze to make. The body of my Bianca took about a fat half of fabric. The bands are what take the most fabric, they took almost a yard.

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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.