Caitlin's New Belcarra Blouse!

I'm always searching for cute top patterns that I can pair with jeans.  When Tasia from Sewaholic released her newest pattern, the Belcarra Blouse, I wasted no time cutting into the pattern! 

Pattern: Belcarra Blouse by Sewaholic
Fabric: 2 1/4 yards voile from Rashida Coleman-Hale's Koi collection
Size Made: 14
Alterations: None

This adorable blouse is super quick to sew up.  There are no darts and no zippers - just a simple pullover top shaped with raglan sleeves.  That's right - raglan sleeves with woven fabrics! I've never sewn raglan sleeves with anything but jersey, so it was fun to try the technique with voile.  

The simple construction of Version A lends itself to using a fun and funky print, like this Scalloped Edge voile designed by Rashida Coleman-Hale.  Version B of this shirt has adorable pintucks on the raglan sleeve, so I might just have to make another Belcarra out of a solid voile.

This will be in heavy rotation this Summer and I can't wait to make more!  If you want to make your own, you might consider following Tasia's sew-along that just started this week.

Jaime's Josephine Top

Rae of Made by Rae makes awesome patterns. Her patterns tend to be simple to sew and flattering to wear - the perfect combination for anyone looking to get into garment sewing. We carry and love her Washi dress pattern which has a cult following among indie sewists. Her newest pattern, Josephine, caught my eye immediately and I couldn't wait to stitch this up.

Pattern: Josephine by Made by Rae

Fabric: La Venta voile print, 1 3/4 yds

Size and style made: view c, small with A-B cup

Alterations: none

Josephine features pin-tuck pleats on the front for a sophisticated, feminine look. The pattern comes in 3 variations - I can't wait to sew them all! For my first go, I made the sleeveless variation which also features front and side vents.

I choose to use one of our new voiles from Cloud 9's Palos Verdes collection by Leslie Shewring. These organic cotton voiles have a lovely hand and I was super excited to sew one up as a garment. This print - La Venta - was my favorite from the beginning so it was an easy choice. The voile fabric is soft and light, perfect for the feminine design of the pattern.

One of my favorite things about this pattern is two cup-options. Each size can be made in A-B or C-D cup. Brilliant! So many patterns tend to be loose on me in the chest, so it was awesome to try the smaller cup size option. I love the fit! The pattern was easy to sew up and Rae has helpful tips, tricks and tutorials throughout the pattern for those new to garment sewing. If you're more confident with garment construction, you can breeze though this top in just a few hours.

Josephine is currently only available as a digital pdf pattern here, but we have our fingers crossed we'll be carrying it in print version soon. I know I'm going to be making more of these and I'm excited to explore the variations - nice work, Rae!

Erikia's Skirt Spectacular!

Hello! Erikia here, you may know that I love simplistic sewing and making up my own stuff. Well, I've been busy this summer sewing up a ton of easy skirts. Here's a look at a few I've made:

This lovely voile skirt was whipped up during a Fancy Tiger Crafts employee sewing night. The very talented Miranda taught us how to make circle skirts without a pattern in 2 hours! I loved it!

I saw a skirt similar to this online and fell in love with it. To make mine, I sketched out the pattern before starting. I already had measurements for a basic a-line skirt that fit me, so all I needed to do was calculate the measurements for the interior angles. It may look complicate, but honestly it was pretty easy. Little things that helped make this project effortless was layering the jersey cutting the front and back at the same time, using a quilting ruler and rotary cutter to cut the pieces and stitching it together with exposed seams. The best thing about this skirt was I made it out of a remnant, so it was super affordable!

Here's another simple a-line skirt with a little detail added to dress it up. I made a ruffle with coordinating fabric and edged it with matching crocheted trim. Adding the trim was the hardest part. I pinned it on, machine stitched it in place, put some fray check on the edges and hand-stitched the ends together. It was definitely worth it though because the trim is so cute.

This skirt is a favorite of mine! I drafted the pattern from a skirt I bought years ago. Gathering each tier of the skirt was the hardest part, but it gives the skirt amazing texture! I used a twin needle and stitched the fabric down flat with raw edges exposed. In addition to the skirt, I also made my tank top. This was another super easy project. It's based on a basic tank top and I stitched it together with a serger and left all other edges raw. It felt a little plain when I was finished, so I added the ruffle along the neckline, which was a leftover scrap.

Happy sewing!
Erikia

Jaime's Esme Top

 

There are so many new sewing patterns being released right now, we are in a sewing frenzy over here in Fancyland. The new Sew Liberated patterns are all adorable, but you know how I feel about tops to wear with jeans. Irresistible. I made this top in 3 hours - it was so quick!

My friend Caitlin recently came in with a Tova top made out of this Anna Maria Horner voile and I loved it so much I decided to make my own shirt out of it. The weight and drape of the voile and rayon challis fabrics are perfect for this top. The Esme has an easy fit and the buttoned yoke adds an adorable touch. If you love the Schoolhouse Tunic or Tova top, try out the Esme - it will be your new go-to top pattern!

Caitlin's Socialite-a-rama

Hello!  Caitlin here...as some of you may know, my specialty is garment sewing!  I love creating versatile clothing that can dressed up or down.  As we saw with Miranda's dress project, it's nice to find a go-to pattern that you know fits and can be a staple in your wardrobe.  For Miranda, it's Built By Wendy's dirndl dress; for me, it's Anna Maria Horner's Socialite dress! 

The first Socialite I stitched up was made with this sweet rose print by Heather Ross.  Turns out, Jaime and I think alike!

Then I realized it would be perfect as a top!  I chopped off the pattern at the pockets and made a cute top with this Anna Maria Horner voile. 

This top has been well loved, so when I spotted this beautiful Liberty print, I knew I needed to make another!  It's perfect dressed down with jeans and a cardigan, dressed up with a nice pencil skirt, and even with shorts in the summer!  I absolutely love the Socialite Dress pattern! 

My advice to you:  don't be restricted by the pattern in the envelope.  Maybe a dress can become a top, or vice versa.  A shirt can easily become sleeveless, and sleeves can be added to a tank.  Find your go-to pattern, make it your own, and your handmade wardrobe will grow faster than you ever expected!

If you want to see more of my crafty projects, check out my blog at www.sparrowsandspools.blogspot.com!