8 Days A Week: A Pattern Anthology Collection for Women!

Ok, I had to end that title with an exclamation mark.  Since becoming a stay at home mom, I've had to re-think my wardrobe choices.  My everyday style lately is yoga/ workout pants, and some sort of knit shirt with a zipped up hoodie pulled on top for warmth.  Even wearing jeans feels like "dressing up" nowadays.

So when the Pattern Anthology designers began testing their latest collection for women, I was super-excited to be part of the testing team.  Their are 4 patterns in this collection: The Go To Knit Pants, The McCartney Jacket, The Marigold Dress/ Peplum Top, and the Neptune Tee.  Potentially, you can mix and match the pieces to get a complete wardrobe.

First up is the Go To Knit Pants.  The velour that I used for these pants were seriously a PIA to sew with; the fabric was slippery, thick, and super-stretchy.  Nonetheless, I persevered in spite of a lot of seam ripping and cursing, and the result is a comfy, soft, and cozy pair of lounge pants that is in high rotation.

This is the Marigold in the peplum view.  I love the details of this dress/top: the gathers at the shoulders, the stand-up collar, the A-line shape of the peplum, all combine to make a feminine and classic silhouette. 

And here is the McCartney Jacket.  I love how this jacket turned out.  I thought about making it in the solid blue, but then decided at the last minute to use this scrap of lace that I had left over from a previous project. I love the tone on tone and the texture the lace ads to the Jacket.

 

And finally, the Neptune Tee is a basic tee with cute triangle cut-out options for the sleeves and the neckline.  I made mine from this rainbow on black knit.  I opted for the triangles on the front neckline and the sleeves.  This is a great tee to dress up or down for every occasion. 

 

All these patterns come with loads of options, and for the next couple of weeks, are available at a huge discount as a bundle.  Check out the Pattern Anthology website to see all the options.

 

Make (Believe) Collection by Pattern Anthology



The gals of Pattern Anthology have done it again!  They've put together a truly cohesive collection with all the details and style that we've come to expect from them.  The collection comes with 4 patterns: the Bookworm Button-Up, the Adventure Tee, The Imagine Jacket, and the Explorer Hoodie.  This time around, there are a few different packages to chose from: but basically you can get the patterns for under $5.00 per pattern.  That's a steal in my opinion.  There's also an e-book of activities for children included in a few of the packages.  I've looked over the e-book and am so excited to get started on these activities.  Now that summer is here, my girls and I have a lot of time on our hands and its nice to be able to reach for a structured activity.  You can read more about the different packages  and the e-book here.

 

I was one of the lucky testers chosen to test all four of the new patterns.  If you've never tried a placket, or sewn a collar with a collar stand, or installed a zipper, these patterns are just the perfect place to start. 

 

 

 

 

 

The Bookworm Button-Up includes boy and girl versions with 3 back options, 3 sleeve options, and 3 pocket options.  This is the girly version with bow sleeves and pockets, and a pleated back. 

 

 

My version of the Adventure Tee has rolled-up sleeves with button tabs and a hi-low hem.

 

I made 2 Imagine Jackets, one for each girl.  For S's, I used a super-soft brushed cotton and for B, a purple velour.  Both jackets have ruched sleeves and shoulder patches.  I love how different the jackets look with the different fabrics.  The jacket also comes with regular sleeves and a color-blocked shoulder option.

 

  And finally, the Explorer Hoodie is a comfy, loose-fitting top perfect for cooler months.  It has two zipper options: angled and straight.  I made mine in an organic sweatshirt fleece.

 

The Make (Believe) Collection is available for only 2 weeks, so get it while you can! 

 

(image from Pattern Anthology)

 

 

Another catch up post

I'm going to keep this post brief.  These are all tester pics spanning from fall to just before Christmas.  Above is  Peekaboo's Classic Jumper.  I loved this pattern but really should have made a size bigger.  S outgrew it within the month. 

This is B in Heidi & Finn's Slouchy Cardigan, size 3t.   The best cardi pattern there is, in my opinion.  Of course I had to make a matching one for S.

Here is Kikoi's Peter Pan Collar blouse.  I'm a big fan of their patterns.  Great fit, simple and classic styling.

This is Schwin Designs' Jude Jacket.  The wing embroidery is from Urban Threads.

The Desmond Jacket, also from Schwin.  I really do love the cut of this jacket.  The instructions for welt pockets are the best I've seen.

Ellie Inspired Urban Girl.  A classic, knit layered dress with lots of options.

 Here's another Kikoi Pattern, the Lily Ruffle Blouse.  I've had that fabric in my stash for maybe 10 years!

 And here's another reversible pinny by little kiwis closet and another chance to use my embroidery machine.

The Tilly Dress, also by Little Kiwi's Closet.  She grew out of this one fast!  Now it's in B's closet.

Goto Patterns' latest: the Belinda Dress, another fabulous pattern by the talented Andrea.

 

And one of my all time favorite patterns: the Gatsby Dress by Heidi & Finn.

 

Whew!  I think I might have missed a couple, but it's been a fun retrospective of the fall season and makes me realize how much I've accomplished! And a huge thank you to the talented designers for letting me test their wonderful patterns.

 

Some selfish sewing coming up, I promise!

 

 





Pattern Anthology's Winter Wonderland Collection

 

You guys, I don't know how this happened, but I got to test not 1 or 2 or 3, but 4 of Pattern Anthology's Winter Wonderland Collection.  First up is the Holly Pants, designed by Andrea of Go To Patterns.  These pants were originally made for B in a size 4.  They were a little too loose and long on her, so I tried them on S, and whadda ya know, they fit her perfectly.  I think this had something to do with the fabric that I chose--a really soft brushed cotton with silver thread running throughout.  Although not a stretch fabric, there is a lot of give in the looser weave.  I love the pleats and tapered legs, the belt loops and flat front and elasticized back waist.  So stylish and comfy at the same time.    

Next up is the Sweet Bonnie Top from Shwin Designs.  In the process of testing this top, I actually made two, one in interlock knit and the other in rayon challis.  B is wearing the knit version.



Honestly, I just can't resist a peter pan collar.  The back has an exposed zipper that gives this top a modern flair.

Here's the woven version that I made for S.  She didn't like the top at first, because, gasp, there was no pink or purple in sight.  It took about a day, but she came around eventually.  

And one of my favorite items that I've ever made, this is the Amarylis Dress by Blank Slate Patterns.  I just happened to have this black and white gingham taffeta in my stash.  The construction of this dress is absolute genius.   And bonus,  it's totally reversible!  If there is such a thing as perfection, this pattern is it for me.

I love the back equally as much as the front.

Ok, back to Shwin Designs.  When Shauna asked for volunteers to sew up the size 8 for the Johnny B Good Hoodie, I had to give it a try.  It's such a cool shirt, and surprisingly easy.  The hood, the cuffs, the shoulder placket, I just love all the details.

I made this for my nephew.  He's such a cool dude in his hoodie.

Well that's it!  You can find the Winter Wonderland Collection here.  There are 8 patterns altogether; the complete collection comes out to be $5 per pattern, a really great deal for all the mix and match options you get.  Since the tops have both long and short sleeve options, and the Holly Trousers also can be worn as shorts, these patterns really will carry you through all the seasons.

Phew, it was so much fun sewing up these patterns.  Thanks to the designers for such an awesome collection and for letting me be a small part of the process.

Some Midnight Sewing and Go To Carousel Shirt

Most of my sewing happens after 8pm at night, when the kids are in bed and the house is quiet.  I love those hours to myself, and they often last after midnight so that I can complete a project and leave it on the stairwell next to the girls' room for them to find the next morning.  It's a nice surprise for them to discover something new.  

Sometimes though, the late hours result in silly mistakes that I don't discover till the next day.  Take the shirts pictured above.  The pattern is the Go To Carousel Shirt, part of the Pattern Anthology bundle that was released in the spring.  When I went to try on the shirts on the girls the next morning, I noticed that S's shirt seemed to be almost the same size as B's.  I chalked it up as the fault of the pattern because, in my experience, a lot of patterns seem to run short on the torso.  But as the day wore on, it became more puzzling to me that a size 5 would look exactly the same as the size 3.  I was pretty sure that I had cut the right sizes and not the same size twice.  Then I checked both shirts against the pattern just to make sure and they seemed fine.  As I mulled over the situation, it occurred to me that I must have sewn the size 5 front onto the size 3 back and vise-versa, and this was the reason why both shirts seemed to be the same size. 

So because S's shirt is so short, I decided to make a peplum that didn't turn out so well.  I might have to cut it off and start over with a new peplum, or she might have to tuck her shirt in.  I do love these little shirts though, especially the high neck and the gathers, and the keyhole in the back is a really cute detail. 

The shorts are from a Ruby Jeans Closet on Etsy called the Simply Sweet Shorts.  It's a really simple basic pair of shorts that have an optional ruffle and a couple of buttons. 

 

KCW  is coming up next week and both girls will be in dance camp everyday.  So excited to get some sewing time in the daylight hours.