Breaking the Rules!

I am continuing to glamp it up with the Wanderlust collection. (Can I make that an official catch phrase? "Glamp it up"...this could be fun!) Anyhoo, this time, I, (GASP), broke a few rules.

Alright, I admit, if you have followed me for some time you already know that breaking rules isn't new for me. After all, rules are made to be broken! But I have been a surprisingly good girl lately by following the patterns I sew as is. So it felt quite refreshing to mix things up again.

Are you looking at the pictures trying to figure it out? Let me help... I made the Kudzu Cargos and the Fawn Lily. Okay, the sleeves probably gave away the Fawn Lily, but you didn't guess Kudzus, right?
Let's take a closer look.

I actually didn't make major changes to the Kudzu pattern, and I just love how they turned out! For my girl I chose to make the skinny style. But, being that the weather is warming up rapidly this time of year, I decided to make a cropped length. First, I started by measuring my daughter's inseam. I eyeballed approximately the length I wanted and took note of that measurement, which was 16 inches for my size 6 girl. When I cut my fabric I took into account the hem allowance. It ended up being approximately 3.5" I off the length.

The next change I made was to forego the knee pleats. I used a very stretchy denim with great recovery so I decided to streamline the look by skipping the knee pleats. To do this I simply folded the pleats on my tissue paper, and taped them down, before cutting my pieces of fabric. It worked out perfectly, and I couldn't be more satisfied with the result!

Other than those two changes I made the Kudzus according to the pattern. And how stinkin' awesome are they! These crops will definitely be worn on a regular basis.

Now on to the Fawn Lily. You may have noticed that the front yoke has neither buttons or a crossover. That's because it's made with knits.

I decided to make this a simple, everyday tunic by using knit fabric for the yoke and skirt pieces and creating a basic front yoke. The knits allow the tunic to stretch enough that it doesn't need to open wider at the neckline to make it easy to get on. The sleeves are made with a light stretch twill. It is super soft and works superbly with the knit.

I trimmed the yokes with flat piping to help reinforce the neckline. All in all I love how it turned out and think that I will continue to play around with fabric selections and different yoke and skirt variances for the Fawn Lily.

I hope maybe I have inspired you to think outside the box when making your patterns. Understand the rules first, then break them to your hearts content! ;)

The Aster Cardigan from LBG Studio

I think this is my new favorite cardigan pattern - the Aster Cardigan, designed by LBG Studio. Another great pattern from the Willow & Co Wanderlust collection. Umm, can I get one in my size please? For real.

The cardigan is a cropped length that is right on trend. And the 3/4 length sleeves are my favorite sleeve style. For this outfit I paired he cardi with some cropped jeans and a simple tee. I love the retro feel of the three paired together.

The peter pan style collar gives the cardi a very timeless look. Wear it casually with jeans, like above, or dress it, like below. For this outfit I paired the cardi with the Fawn Lily dress - also from the Willow & Co Wanderlust collection.  :)

I made the Aster with a creamy colored cotton interlock that has subtle glitter specks throughout. Then the color has a cream colored lace overlay. Both details are hard to capture in pictures, but oh SO lovely in real life! They add just enough glam, without being too dressy. Then for the three little buttons I chose a pearly pink...because, according to this girl, pink goes with everything.

Then there's that balloon Keilana insisted on having in the pictures with her. LOL!

I sized up on the pattern for two reasons: one is that the cotton interlock I used is a bit of a stiff knit, the other is that I discovered that this knit also tends to keep shrinking slightly with the first five or so washes. And with the rate this girl is growing it is always good to keep ahead of the game as much as possible. Okay, well that was three reasons I guess.

I just can't say enough about how much I love the Aster Cardigan pattern. As you can tell, my girl loves it too. Yep, the silly faces come out when she is all excited (Just wait 'til I share the bloopers from this photoshoot!). The tutorial was great - easy to follow and nice, clear pictures. And the construction gives it a perfect finish. I will definitely be making more of these!

Ready for those bloopers?

In that first one she has a little rock and roll hand going on. It was a dizzying, but really fun photoshoot!

Stick around as I sew up more great pieces from the Wanderlust collection! Coming soon :)

The Mulberry Tunic from Willow & Co Patterns

I knew from the very first moment I saw the sketches that I wanted to sew the Mulberry Tunic. This is the first pattern from Olga of Kid Approved. It was released as part of the Willow & Co Pattern collective for the Wanderlust collection. 

I LOVE this tunic. It is a totally timeless style with modern elements - such as such as button tabs on the sleeves and pieces that can be color-blocked.  And the hood! What kid doesn't love hoods?

Apparently R2-D2 likes the Mulberry Tunic too :)

Yes, we are gearing up for May the Fourth!

Since R2 (that's what his homies call him) is my son's favorite Star Wars character at the moment, 

I sewed up this Mulberry with an R2-D2 pocket.

The main body of the shirt was sewn using a yummy gray chambray. I wish I had like ten more yards of this fabric because it is awesome. It sews easily and looks great! It does fray easily, but since the Mulberry Tunic has some neat finishing techniques the fraying is no worry.

The front yoke and button tabs on the sleeves were sewn using a blue sateen. It has a nice tight weave and was so easy to work with. The fabric resists wrinkles pretty well, which makes for a lovely finish.

 Than I used a deep yellow, almost mustard colored, contrast thread. The bias binding on the neckline is this same yellow color. I love how the yellow thread really played up the details in the tunic and brought the colors together.

I made a size 12 for my son and the fit is spot on! He is getting so big that it has become increasingly harder to find sewing patterns that still fit him. That just makes the Mulberry all the more awesome!

 All in all, the Mulberry Tunic get s really big, HUGE, thumbs up! 

Thanks for checking it out. Stay cool! B)