Have you ever made a pattern and realized that you horribly messed it up by choosing the wrong fabric?

I have!

That's the story with this pattern. Well, actually patterns. Today is a two-for-one deal where I'm actually reviewing two patterns.

So we all know that exercise clothes can leave a lot to be desired when it comes to fit, colors, patterns, and most importantly pockets!

I do love that more and more styles of leggings are coming in longer lengths and we're seeing more and more pockets, but (isn't there always a but?) the only leggings that come in long lengths are the ankle length leggings. Don't get me wrong, it's great that I can finally get leggings long enough so that I don't have to layer socks over my ankles to keep them warm, but the problem I have is that they don't make capris in long length. It's so awesome to buy capri-length leggings and have them hit me just below the knee. I know, I know, capris are supposed to hit below the knee, but let's clarify - they're supposed to hit several inches below the knee not right at the back of my knee, would it kill a store to make some long length capris? So there's the crux of my legging problem. I want me-length capris that are cute.

Look at all the options!

Enter the first pattern I'm reviewing - Simplicity 8560

There are a couple of looks to choose from on this pattern, but the one I was interested in was the view with those killer deep thigh pockets. POCKETS! Can you guys feel my excitement over these pockets?

So now that I'm done gushing about those killer pockets, it was also nice that the inset was finished off with some fun twists at the end.

Unfortunately the first time I made this pattern I used a super fun contrast fabric for the inset, and that fabric was perfectly fine. Just a lightweight athletic knit that I found on fabric.com. Luckily, I ordered enough of the fabric to get a few things made out of it. The main fabric, however, was a different story. It had some lateral stretch, no vertical stretch and I would definitely not classify it as a suitable knit for athletic wear, but that's where I found it - listed under athletic fabric. Oh well, that's the danger of buying fabric online. I much prefer visiting a store and being able to feel the fabric and see how it moves, flows, and stretches.

Even though the fabric choice was less than stellar for both patterns, I knew that these patterns were gonna be great, so a trip to Jo-Ann's fixed my main fabric woes. They have this great black refined Ponte (pon-tee) knit. It's so great that I've gone back and bought more of it. I really love this fabric. Jo-Ann's does carry a couple different types of Ponte knit, but this particular one is thicker than some of the others, but it's not as thick as a scuba knit. So now that I have the proper fabric, I'm super excited to get these patterns made again.

As with most knit patterns, cutting it out takes as long as sewing it up. Actually, altering the pattern to be the proper length for capri-length leggings for me is the most time-consuming part of this process, and I will admit that I was a little over-zealous with the lengthening. I think I should have only added 3" instead of 4", but c'est la vie!

Look at those twists!

So the guide sheet is straight-forward and offers some tips/tricks for knits and athletic wear. Most of the pattern can be sewn up on the serger which makes it super quick and easy. I topstitched most of the seams with a zig-zag stitch. The most complicated part of this pattern are the twists at the bottom of the leg. I would say to double-check which way you twist those things because there may or may not be a twist on my leggings that isn't going the same way as the other 5.

For once, I was really smart and cut out several things at once. So once I got the leggings done, I could move right on to the sports bra, Simplicity 8561.

The first time I made the sports bra I was nervous because other than bathing suits, I've never made a bra and let's be honest a sports bra is not the same thing as a bikini top. I am glad I had the practice on the terrible fabric while making the bra. The inset on the bra took a bit to finagle and get it right, but the second version came out much better. Of course, having the new perfect fabric was also a huge help.

Even the back is fun!

So the bra is super simple to assemble. All of the pieces are sized just like the bras you buy in the store, so it's not like you need to know an alternate size like you do for regular patterns. I was nervous when I remade the pattern because the first bra was so tight and uncomfortable, but I knew it was because of my horrible fabric choice. So the 2nd one was much better, but definitely not a running sports bra. I think when I make this bra again (and I will) I may make it a size smaller. I should have probably done that from the get-go. Just going with a smaller band size might work too.

I took a class a while ago about designing your own exercise clothes, and the teacher advised that you could/should make the clothes a size smaller if you want the clothes to be more form-fitting and have a more compressive feel. I do love me some compression tights, but for the legging pattern, I'm perfectly happy with how tight they are, especially since I have gained a little bit of weight back since the surgery. Not a whole lot mind you, but enough to where I notice that my clothes are fitting slightly different. I would go with a smaller size for the bra though. There is a bit of wiggle room and while that might be ok for yoga, I will be running again and I don't really feel like getting whacked in the face by my own bosom.

You can't even tell which is the busted leg.

I would definitely suggest this pattern to someone who is ready to branch out into knits and/or exercise clothes. I get it. Knits can be scary, and so can exercise clothes, but these two patterns are well written and easy to follow. I don't know that I'd recommend these patterns to an out-of-the-gate novice, but to someone who has sewn for a bit and is ready for a new challenge. I would recommend though that if these patterns end up being your first foray into sewing knits then make them in a cheaper knit. I wouldn't go with a slub knit, but maybe a decent cotton interlock, because the athletic knits can get pricey and you don't want to go experimenting on expensive fabric only to mess it up.

I couldn't resist sharing this goofy pic!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

I am so excited to share this next project with you guys! Summer showed up here for a bit in VA, but it seems now we're gonna need an ark to survive. Hopefully, the warm weather returns so I can bust these super cute shorts back out.

Ok, so I'm getting ahead of myself. So I've been seeing these super cute tie-front shorts everywhere lately, and it just so happens that I have a tie-front shorts pattern, so now is as good a time as any to bust it out. I bought this pattern last year (maybe?) and then did nothing with it because I couldn't decide on fabric for the shorts. I really like the shiny olive gold color in the picture, but don't you know that I can't find fabric like that?

I am also still on that self-imposed ban on buying new fabric until I work through some of my stash. Well as luck would have it, I had 3 different types of denim - all different weights and colors - hiding in the aforementioned stash. I examined all three and figured that the mid-weight denim would be perfect for this pattern. Just enough drape and light enough to still be comfortable in those 90 degree days that we did have a for a bit, and that will be returning.

One of the bonuses of this pattern is that it doesn't take a lot of fabric. 1.25 yards is all it takes, and that's for my size. I did lengthen it 2" because the super short inseam was worrisome, but I shouldn't have worried, because they're so comfortable that I didn't need to lengthen them. I ended up cutting off the added length before I hemmed them.

The pattern goes together super easy, and the guide sheet is well written. I should have measured my elastic at a smaller size because the shorts don't sit where they should on me, but tightening the tie at the front eases that. Stupid curve at the small of my back. Makes fitting pants so dang difficult.

Like I said this pattern is a breeze. It took me an afternoon to sew them up. Threading the elastic through the waistband was the most time-consuming part. So I would definitely recommend this pattern to a beginner. Not only is it easy, but it's also stylish and looks a lot more complicated than it actually is.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Have you ever had a moment where you didn't know which project to work on, so you start on something new? Yea, me too.

This is what happened last Saturday when I had a few hours to myself and didn't know what to do with them. I decided that I needed a new skirt to wear for our outing that evening, so I pulled out a pattern I'd been wanting to make and grabbed some green denim that was originally intended for jeans but would now continue their existence as a skirt.

I don't know how long I've had this 70's  inspired pattern, but it's been a while and when I was "cleaning up" my sewing room (read - moving piles around) I found it and the denim that was never going to become pants. I mean I bought the denim to become pants, but I have no idea what I was thinking.

This pattern would be the perfect beginning sewing pattern. It's straightforward and incorporates a lot of skills that a beginner should cover, but not so many as to be overwhelming. The guide sheet also does an excellent job of outlining the construction of this super simple, versatile skirt.

I decided at about 1:30 to make the skirt, and by 2ish I was sewing it up. Of course, I didn't allow myself enough time to get it finished before my deadline because I decided to jazz it up a bit by adding top-stitching details to each of the seams. I also didn't have enough buttons. So many little problems adding up. The kicker came when I ran out of bobbin thread while top-stitching the waistband. That's when I walked away for a day.

The next day is when I realized that I screwed up my buttonholes. Not terribly, but I lined them up wrong when I was marking them, so I ended up having to add an extra to my skirt, but not that you can notice.

With the skirt finally done, and me trying to think outside of my fashion box, I headed to Target to take advantage of the sales and clearance stuff. Our Target is being remodeled so there is a lot of clearance! Score!

I ended up finding this fun striped shirt, which I'm not sure if it's black stripes or very dark blue stripes, but I kind of like that I can't tell, and this lovely mustard seed yellow cardigan. Some old wedges out of my closet, and the new skirt, and VOILA! I have a fun, versatile outfit that works all year.
My purple locks even worked with my outfit. I need to touch-up my grays, but the Pravanna violet is still looking good even after a month.

A bit ago, I saw this Instagram post come across my feed.

Jeans, Jeans, Jeans! Who doesn’t want to make their very own pair of perfect fitting jeans? When designing my Mimi G jeans pattern, I had two things front and centre in my mind, making sure they fit curvy girls and making sure there was no gaping in the centre back at the waist. This pattern is one of my favourites and no one ever believes me when I tell them I make my own jeans. Mimi G @mimigstyle #MimiGTakeover

A post shared by Simplicity New Look (@simplicitynewlook) on Jan 11, 2018 at 5:30am PST

I was intrigued because pants, and especially jeans, are the most difficult to fit to a person, and I have found that most pant patterns are not fitted to anyone, and almost always require adjustment. I will give that they have gotten better in recent years with the addition of curvy, skinny, and average sizing, but even still there are fitting issues.

After reading all of the comments from Simplicity and MimiG, my mind was made up that I would give these jeans a go. I know I have mentioned on a few occasions that I am not a one-size-fits-all girl. I span 3 sizes from bust to hips. So much fun! Not. In addition to spanning all those sizes, I regularly have to lengthen patterns, because they are made for the average(?) female. Although these jeans have a 30" inseam, which seems extremely short to me. Usually, I prefer a 36" inseam, because high waters scarred me as a child. No one likes high waters, Mom! It wasn't her fault. It was a different time. They didn't make long length jeans the way they do now. Being as these jeans are skinny jeans, I didn't need 36". 34" would do the trick. So now with all of the tidbits settled, it was time to create new pattern pieces from the originals.

I watched MimiG's sew along videos for these jeans, not because I needed to know how to put them together, but because the guide sheet was not very clear on how to choose the right fit for your body for these jeans. MimiG did go into more detail, but really you could devote an entire 15-minute video on how to properly fit jeans to your person. She spent maybe 30 seconds, but it was an informative 30 seconds. In the video, MimiG says that she likes her clothing to be form-fitting, and denim will lose its elasticity and sag after a bit, and who wants a saggy butt in their jeans? No one. So she has the pattern piece in front of her and says that she could cut out the pattern of her hip measurement, but because she likes her clothes to be well-fitting, she opts to cut out the next smallest size, which happens to be 2" smaller than her actual hip measurements. This is not new, but it's totally dependent on how you like your clothing to fit your body. I like my clothes to fit well and follow my curves, but I don't like looking like I've been poured into them.

So I follow her advice and decide to cut out my pattern a size smaller as well. This happens to the be the size that my waist measurement falls into. Let me try and clear all this up because it's a lot of words where numbers might be better.

My hips are 48" around. My waist is 34". According to the powers that be my hips are a size 22 and my waist a size 20 according to this pattern (and every other pattern almost). For a size 22, the finished hip measurement (finished = hip measurement + wearing ease) is 48-1/2", which would fit me great, but the waist would be oh-so-gappy. My biggest problem with all jeans is that the waist never fits, so cutting out this pattern at a 22 would not do me any favors. The finished hip measurement of a size 20 was 45-1/2", which is 2-1/2" smaller than my hips, but the denim I was going to be using has a fair amount of stretch, so I could cut them out and not worry about not being able to fit my hips in them. Cutting them out as a 20 would also help ensure that the waist would fit more accurately. So with this plan in place, I set out to make myself new pattern pieces to accommodate the added length I would need, and ensure that I could reuse the leg pattern, because if these jeans turned out well, I was going to be making myself some more jeans, maybe in a boot cut!

As a side note, I could've altered the jeans through the hipline, but I've done that before and I don't like how it looks. It's much easier to just go with a smaller size and pray for the best. Not the most reliable of chances, but I've made enough pants, and been dissatisfied with enough of them that I was willing to take the chance.

So after I got my new pattern piece made, it was time to dig through the stash and figure out which denim I was going to use. Yes, I have multiple cuts of denim, because I hoard fabric. This is another chance at stash-busting my hoard, and if the jeans don't work out, then at least I have one less cut of fabric in the stash.

I also took a chance on a different way of cutting out my pattern. For years, I have pinned my pattern piece to the fabric and then cut it out, making sure to notch out the placement triangles. This time I used really big washers (same as MimiG did in her sew-along) and cut out all of the pattern pieces, and instead of notching out the triangles, I cut very small slits at them. This was big people. I don't do change, but I've taken several classes on sewing and pattern design and this is the way the instructors all do it, so why not see if this way worked for me. It was different. I did like not having to notch out the triangles, as that can be a pain in the ass, but not having the pattern piece pinned down was nerve-wracking at times. I don't know that I'm totally sold on not pinning down the pattern piece, but I'll give it a few more goes just for the sake of thoroughness.

So my pattern is cut out and it's time to sew. The guide sheet was very good at detailing and instructing on how to sew up this pattern, so I'm not really going to expand further on that. There are parts of pant/jean construction that will always be a pain, and this pattern is no different. My machine is starting to show her age and persnicketiness and gave me trouble at several parts of construction due to the thickness of the fabric layers. I may have to invest in a new machine here soon because to get her serviced/tuned up would cost as much as a brand new machine. This makes me sad. I may be more attached to my sewing machine than is healthy. I opted to invest in a nicer top-stitching thread, and the details really stand out. The jeans are starting look like legit!
 I get to try on the pattern before attaching the waistband, and I love how it fits so far! My hips are being hugged by the denim without being too tight. The waist is loose, but the waistband isn't attached yet, so I'm not concerned about that.
I get the waistband on and I'm in LURVE! They fit! They look great! I'm so happy. I will be making one small alteration though. Across the front of the jeans, they are a perfect fit, but once you reach the small of my back, it's gappy. Hello, gap. You haven't been missed. Luckily, the curvy pattern of these jeans allows for a taller yoke at the small of the back, and they sit almost at your natural waist. This is a good thing for all of us belt wearers because the jeans will be less apt to sag down below the belt while wearing them. So for the next rendition of these jeans, I will be altering the yoke to be a size 18 at the top of the yoke, and a size 20 at the bottom. I will then cut out a size 18 waistband, and hope for the best, because I will definitely be making these jeans again, and while digging through my stash I found another gorgeous denim which is just begging to be made into some trouser-type boot cuts.
I added rivets to my finished jeans and then proceeded to wear them the very next day. They are the most comfortable jeans I own, and I can't wait to make another pair. Right after, I pick up more top-stitching thread.
 I can't thank MimiG and Simplicity enough for these jeans and pattern, but I would suggest adding a page to the guide sheet on fitting said jeans. I would say that these jeans would be appropriate for an advanced beginner to beginning intermediate sewer. The fly is the main reason for this because even as an experienced seamstress it's still a pain in the ass. Its the nature of the beast.

Thank so much for visiting!

When we got the invitation to the hubs' Christmas party, I knew exactly what I wanted to wear. I'd seen this pattern while looking for Gold Cup patterns, and figured it was time that I made myself another sheath dress. 

I'm back! With another post even! What?! That's like 2 in a week. Well more like 2.5, because Dana wrote most of the PSL post from Wednesday, and I only added my $.02 worth. Still!

So this post has been in the works since March. March, people! I technically finished the sewing of this dress back in March, and then it sat on my dress form until last week, when I finally got around to finishing it. It needed buttons and buttonholes. That's it. I got 98% done, and then it sat. For 6 months! I know I'm not the only one who does that. I mean, I can't be, right?!

With fall weather arriving, it was the perfect time to finish this dress, because the yellow and black buffalo plaid is also a lightweight flannel, and who doesn't love flannel?  I do also need  to apologize for the lack of good pictures, apparently I've forgotten how I set up my phone to take full pictures of myself.

So the pattern was simple and straightforward, as most shirt dresses are, but this one has the nice added touch of having a tailored shirttail hem, but it was also on the short side. Always. So I cut out my dress in the longest length, and then simply shifted the pattern down to cut out the shaped shirttail hem. Easy peasy. I like my skirt hems to be 24" from my waist, but this one is 23" which is totally ok.

I also needed to alter the pattern between the bust and hips, because I'm not a one size fits all girl. So after adjusting the side seams to accommodate my many sizes, I had a dress that was ready to be put together.

Sewing it up was easy and straightforward with no surprises. I mean, it's a shirtdress, how many different ways are there to make one?  And after the 6-month hiatus, putting in the buttonholes and attaching the buttons was easy, although I didn't realize that I had very dark blue thread in my machine instead of black, so now I have very dark blue button holes. Oh well. C'est la vie.

I would say this pattern would be good for the adventurous beginner. It's not a difficult pattern, by any stretch, but it could seem a little daunting to a sewer who just unpacked their first sewing machine.

So last week, we had some wonderful fall-like weather, and so it was the perfect time to test out my new dress, and step out of my very safe fashion box. You see, I'm not very good at pairing ankle boots with anything. I'm just not certain of just how to wear them, but the model on the envelope is wearing them. Therefore, so can I. Pairing the dress and boots with a blanket scarf was also new, I know we've talked about my adventures in scarf wearing, but I've never attempted a blanket scarf. So much newness going on! I was brave though, and put my best booted foot forward and went on my way.

Its funny how doing something small, like stepping out of your fashion box, can give you such confidence. I am very pleased with how the whole look came together, and am so excited for more fall weather so that I can don this outfit again. As it is, I'm currently wearing my Key West Circle Top and shorts, because summer is making a last stand.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

If you follow my instagram feed, then you'll have seen my Gold Cup posts. It was a perfectly wonderful day of cold rain and wind. Despite the less than stellar weather, I still had a blast with my hubs and neighbors.

Our theme this year was Stepford Wives, which was awesome, because if you've read this blog for a while then you know I have a favorite style of dress, and a "Stepford" wife dress would definitely fall into that category. Not to mention, who doesn't look good in a fitted bodice and full skirt?

Finding a dress pattern was easy, deciding on a dress pattern was more difficult. There are so many! Not to mention that any number of my already completed dresses would have fit the bill, but wearing an old frock just isn't as fun. So after debating for some time about which pattern I should make, I decided on this little wrap number from Simplicity.

I love the neckline and the straightforwardness of the dress. There are no frills, and the details in the dress add so much personality to it, that I knew this dress would be the perfect jumping off point for an over-the-top hat. I didn't want the two pieces to compete, I wanted the dress to compliment the hat.

Even better still was that I didn't need to purchase fabric! Remember my stash-busting mission statement from a few months ago? Well I heeded it, and dug through some of my bins and came across a super fun suiting from ages ago, and had more than enough for the dress, and I may even be able to knock out another skirt or at least a pair of capris, for another fun outfit. Mom helped me out in the lining department by giving me 5 yards of buff colored lining that she had! Score! The only thing I purchased for this dress were the buttons, and those cost me a whooping $3 at Walmart. Not to shabby if I do say so myself.

So the pattern has a lot of pieces, but it's fairly simple to see how everything is constructed and the guide sheet is really clear about how and where the pieces fit together. The construction of this dress is straightforward, and the stitching lines for the curved areas are very helpful,  at least so far as being a visual reminder for how the arcs should be shaped. Oh and this dress has pockets! That are deep and encased between the lining and the dress. The entire dress is lined, which makes it that much more couture, and definitely helps with the fit of the dress, because most of the lining pieces are also interfaced which adds not only stability to the curves of the dress, but structure to the rest of the bodice. The added layer also felt nice with all of that rain falling.

I did pull a bonehead move, and bought the wrong size pattern. Or maybe I didn't buy the wrong pattern, because I span 4 sizes, it's sometimes a pain to buy patterns, because my sizes aren't always on the same pattern, and who wants to buy two patterns? I don't. So my fix for buying a pattern on the small end of my size range, was to take 3/8" seam allowances all over the dress. I cut out a size 16, which fits my shoulders perfectly. I'm a triangle shaped person, so my shoulders are the smallest size on the size scale. I planned this out really well....

Luckily, having years of experience and running my plan by Mom worked out exceptionally well. I wouldn't advise taking this route. Ever. It was nerve wracking, and with all of the curves it could have gone much differently. I did make sure to clearing mark all of the pattern markings. Those things are super important on a pattern like this!

In my opinion, this dress is not for a beginner sewer or even a newly intermediate sewer. Having a bit of sewing experience definitely helps with the construction  of this dress, and the curves around the neckline add to the difficulty of this dress. I would say an advanced intermediate sewer would be comfortable tackling this pattern.

I'll be writing about the hat I created for Gold Cup later this week, so be sure to stop back by!

It may have taken a month, but I got this button down done - finally. I couldn't find buttons for it, so that put the brakes on this top. I finally ended up just going with simple black buttons. I did have grander notions of jet black snaps, but when I finally found some I did like, I didn't like their price tag. The snaps would've cost three times what the shirt cost me!

I was so excited to make this pattern. I love maxi skirt patterns, and the tulip effect of of View D had me hooked, which is why I bought this pattern on an impulse. 

I wish it had turned out well. I bought a midweight melon colored knit for the pattern, and all was well until I got to the waistband. 

The skirt draped beautifully, and the only hairy part was the gathering of the center front. The guide sheet doesn't adequately describe that you have to gather each section, baste them together, then add more gathering stitches to the combined front and then gather all of that again.

I don't know if a jersey would've handled that better ,but I just think there were too many rows of stitching on top of one another to make the last set of gathers work well. That could've been done better, but I made it work.

I decided to make the pattern at a 20 because that's the size my hips are, and just cut the elastic band at a size 18, which is my waist measurement. All should have been fine. Then I got to the waist band.

The elastic was encased inside the facing for the top of the skirt. The problem with this is that with the gathers at the center front of the skirt made it heavy. Heavy enough to pull down and look silly. A yoke would've been fine, but would not have aligned with the tidy look of the top. Maybe a lighter knit would've been ok, but I doubt it. There's a lot of fabric at the center. So needless to say, I'm done with this skirt.


I could try and fix it, but it's not worth my time. I don't like how the construction of the waistband fit on my body, and even though I cut the skirt out for my size, it's not flattering.

I have more knit fabric, and will just make a traditional column maxi skirt. No frills, just keeping it simple.

So there's the disappointing skirt from last week.

Hi guys!

I'm reviewing a super flirty and girly tank today, and I'm super excited to share it, because for once I  have semi-proper pictures!

I got the hubs to take the pictures of me. How about those apples?

So the shirt is a simplicity number that is super versatile and fun. I can't tell you how quick and easy this top went together. The biggest pain, was probably the hem, because I picked chiffon. Stupid chiffon. Chiffon likes to fray, so I serged the cut edges as soon as I could, but that still didn't help some parts.

I made view C, which is the top larger picture and the bottom left corner picture. It's got a contrast front center panel, with sheer sides and back. I don't actually care for the look with the sleeves. I think it makes the top look a bit dowdy.

I will say I wasn't prepared to have to alter the armholes after cutting out the pattern, but I understand why the guide sheet instructs you to. The pattern is made for sleeves, so in order to properly finish off the edge of the armhole edge for the sleeveless versions, you need to cut an additional 1/4" off the edge. With the polyester I used as my contrast that was no big deal. It's got the body to handle that trimming, but the chiffon. That bloody chiffon. I ended up basting in a line 1/4" from the edge and snipping that off. That was just easier for me.

The whole shirt doesn't take much to sew up. The front center is made up of 4 pieces, and then there are 2 side pieces and the back piece. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. You finish off the neck and armholes with bias tape, and then hem it.

I think it took me two afternoons, simply because of someone's napping schedule, but in reality, if Baby Girl had taken one of her oh-so-lovely 4 hour naps, then I could've easily gotten the shirt done and browsed Pinterest for a bit.


I love that this top is so versatile. It can be dressed up or down, and is colorful enough to carry through almost 3 seasons. I don't know that I'd wear in November, but there are certainly warm enough days to pull it off in October. I actually ended up wearing a light cardigan with the top, because Saturday was a bit on the brisk side, and the sweater looked fine with the top.

Have a terrific day everyone!

Man, I feel like I'm being pulled in 8,000,000 directions. 

So Saturday was Fall Gold Cup, and it was a blast.

Please ignore the dirty mirror! I was almost done getting ready in this photo.