Welcome to the first day of the Remix the Stitch Blog tour, I hope you are just as excited as I am to see what these ladies have come up with.
Let me quickly share all the nitty gritty about some things and then I will throw it over to the first two bloggers sharing their makes for Remix the Stitch – Day 1, they are insane in such a good way!
Last year on September 18th I released my first pattern, Ravenna! I was so scared that day when I hit publish on the pattern and the intro post. I knew how I felt about the pattern, it was pretty great, but what a test in confidence to throw something out to the world and hope that people like it. One year later I will tell you that I still get just as nervous putting a pattern out that I did last year, maybe more because people actually know who I am this year where as last year I was totally unknown.
One of my good friends has the cutest woven joggers in the most perfect tribal fabric. They are perfect for the summer when you want to wear something comfortable but also look a bit more put together. She recently wore them over to my house for a girls movie night and I immediately knew I had to have some! But that thought was immediately followed by why buy it when you can sew it. The best part was that I knew exactly what pattern to use and had the most perfect peach skin fabric in my stash for them.
I don’t think I have ever mentioned here that I have been sewing samples for my friend Allie of Indiesew for the last year. I remember when she emailed me about it, I couldn’t respond fast enough because really, who doesn’t love working with a super great lady while also sewing fun patterns. If you haven’t checked out their website you should head there now, I will wait…
It’s pretty fantastic, eh?
We all have those clothes in our closet, the ones we made that we like but just don’t love. The fabric is great so you just can’t quite get rid of them but goodness it isn’t working for you. Back when I was pattern testing I made a bunch of clothes that for the purpose of the test were great, but because the pattern is usually refined through testing, what I ended up with might not have the final edits incorporated. This left me with clothes that I didn’t love.
For my entire adolescence and adult years I have been very self conscious of my body. I can look at a picture and pick apart the ways that I don’t look good. I bypass the fact that I love my smile or the way a shirt looks on me, I am simply blinded by the flaws. Since starting this blog and specifically my pattern business I am looking at pictures of myself all the time. Sometimes I look at them and think DAMN I look hot, but other times I see the hint of a muffin top through my shirt or how wide my hips look and I get down on myself.
I love when a pattern can be made as written but then also use it as a springboard to so many other looks. I have felt from the beginning that Ballard is just that, a great pattern on it’s own but with endless possibilities.
When I was sewing a sample for the Ballard Stitch Kits we were in the middle of a ridiculous heat wave and the thought of putting on a 3/4 sleeve top to take pictures seemed like torture. It was then I realized why not just make the Ballard sleeveless. With a couple basic modifications to the instructions as written you are left with a totally different look.
My newest pattern, Greenwood, is pretty much the perfect basic piece. Not only is it an all around great tank top, but it is also a wonderful layering piece through the seasons, and the foundation for so much beyond a basic tank top.
During testing a few of my amazing testers began to come up with some hacks or add-ons they would like to see with the Greenwood as the base. As soon as the idea of turning the Greenwood into a maxi dress was brought up I knew I had to make one, who doesn’t like a comfy knit top with a long flowy skirt.
