A button up shirt is pretty much a wardrobe staple and I have been dying to make one forever! I just knew it would be a wonderful layer to take me through the spring, summer and fall here in Seattle. My conclusion is that everyone also needs a chambray shirt in their wardrobe.
I originally made this shirt for the photoshoot of my plaid Wedgwood skirt and then never actually took it off long enough to blog about it. Seriously, I would probably wear this every day if I didn’t start getting looks.
Me Made May is one of my favourite things to participate in every year. If you haven’t ever done it I highly recommend you participate even if you aren’t going to post the pictures every day. The month long challenge gives you a really great perspective into the clothes that you go for in your closet and the ones that you avoid wearing. If you have a closet full of handmade clothes and half of them you never wear for whatever reason, you are really going to identify that when you are forcing yourself to wear one handmade item every day. Not only that but you definitely identify the clothes that you absolutely love whether because of the fabric or the pattern. This really helps you plan further clothes and fabric choices.
I am so excited to be joining Melissa of Melly Sews for her 5th Annual 30 Days of Sundresses. This series is always so much fun to follow along with because you never know what everyone is going to share.
With the temperatures rising here in Seattle I knew this was the perfect opportunity to draft a relaxed fit dress that could be worn dressed up or casual. I am all about relaxed and flowy so a dolman style shift dress seemed right up my alley. It was from these ideas that I came up with my newest pattern, Carkeek, which is also a free pattern for all of you!
I am most definitely a broken record when it comes to the tester roundup for my patterns. I am always so lucky to get such a great group of ladies helping me test my patterns. So many of them keep coming back to help me so I guess that means I am doing something right. I have made so many friends through this process and many of whom I can email with pattern questions because I know I can count on them to give me the feedback I need and want.
Introducing the newest pattern to my collection, View Ridge!
This top is the perfect example of when you take your inspiration and make it your own. As a pattern designer it is easy to get lost in all the possibilities but I had a pretty clear vision of what I wanted out of this top and the final pattern is that plus more.
The pattern features 3 views for a variety of lengths and finishes. You can sew it with or without ruffles and long or cropped length. All versions have the hi-lo hem which makes it great when pairing with pants, shorts or skirts.
Last week we were lucky enough to get AMAZING weather, and not just for Seattle. As soon as the sun came out I started dreaming of flowy tanks that can be worn with shorts, skirts and cropped jeans. After a little bit of working and reworking I have arrived at a top that I am in love with and can’t wait to share with all of you. With that I am calling out to all of you to help me test the View Ridge top.
View Ridge is a woven top with a hi-lo ruffled hem. With the front yoke and gathering it is super flattering on all body types.
The neckline binding on my Greenwood pattern is still one of my favourite finishes for knit, I use it any chance I get. I love how clean it looks and definitely has the RTW look that many sewists want out of their handmade garments. As I was putting together the paper pattern for my Montlake pattern I realized I needed to add a couple pages so that I wasn’t forced to have blank pages within the pattern booklet. So not only are the people who buy the paper pattern going to get this information but I also wanted to show all of you a Montlake neckline alternative. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to sew up my favourite tee with my favourite neckline finish.
It’s no secret that I love my tee pattern, Montlake. When I designed it I was really aiming for a closet staple that could be made in any knit fabric and modified easily to better fit your body and style. I have already shared how I modified the pattern to be made as a tunic and a maternity tee, today though I am sharing with you a Montlake with side slits!
When I first gathered my testers together in the testing facebook group I knew ideas and suggestions were start flowing. This may make designers cringe but I love getting feedback from sewists on what they like and don’t like about a pattern, because they really do represent a great mix of the people that will eventually be buying the pattern. One of the first suggestions that started swirling around was the ability to modify the pattern to include an invisible zipper, while I think an exposed zipper is wonderful not everyone agrees. The idea stuck and so today I am sharing with you my Wedgwood invisible zipper modification.
I pretty much start every tester roundup saying the same exact thing, I have the best bunch of pattern testers around. This amazing group of ladies make every single pattern I create so much better and I love working with new to me sewists with each round of testing. My favourite part of a pattern release is definitely this post, so without further ado I am sharing with you the Wedgwood tester roundup! Make sure to click over to the shop and grab your copy of the skirt while it is still marked down.
