This fabric was gifted to me from Telio, and the pattern was gifted to me from Indiesew. All opinions are my own.
Say hello to my summer staple dress. The moment I laid eyes on this fun Melody Knit fabric from Telio, I instantly pictured the Panama Tee Dress by Aline Design Co. I love the zig zag pattern and also texture of this fabric. It comes in so many great colors too, but this royal blue screamed summer and there was no going back.
Telio invited me to sew something up for Me Made May using their fabric. I also picked up a few other amazing fabrics you’ll see popping up in the very near future.
I’ve had the Panama Tee Dress pattern for a long time, (picked it up from Indiesew forever ago), but this one is my very first. I sewed up a size 2, view B body with my personal measurements being:
bust: 33″, waist: 27″ and hips: 35″
So the size 2 waist measurement was smaller than mine, but the fit is perfect. I could have graded out slightly at the waist but I decided not to. No mods made. Fit is fabulous. The sleeves are fitted just right, the neckline went in with one try. The whole dress was finished in about an hour. This fabric has great stretch and was easy to work with.
If you are wondering, no, I’m not expecting. Just the result of three giant babies. (Suck it in!). I’m a little self conscious of my middle area and for this reason I don’t normally go for more fitted dresses like this. Although, while wearing this dress I felt so comfortable that II decided I’m just going to wear it all the time anyways. This dress is going to be a summer staple for me. There is just enough ease that this pattern doesn’t fit too close to the body, but just enough that it’s still flattering. I’m really so happy with it with this project.
*GIVEAWAY* Telio has generously offered to giveaway 3 meters of this fabric in your personal color choice. Head over to my Instagram for all of the details, just look for this dress in my grid. Giveaway ends Saturday May 25th at 10 am MST.
So if you’re on the hunt for a simple, easy and quick make for summer that you’ll want wear over and over again, this is it. Go check out all of the other color options this knit fabric comes in! Happy sewing!
This post is sponsored by JOANN. It may contain affiliate links but all words, reviews and opinions are my own.
As we head into summer months, I’ve been getting excited for all of the beach days that lie ahead, especially given that we live in Southern California now. JOANN recently launched this cozy + coastal white and navy stripe french terry fabric. It’s a summer dream! One thing I always like to have in the summer is a great pair of cozy joggers, or an easy sweatshirt to throw on for all of those late summer nights when the temperature cools down near the coastline.
I ordered four yards of this new JOANN fabric addition and pictured a cozy sweatsuit with coastal vibes. Think Free People! To achieve this look I decided to use the wrong side of my french terry fabric, and you guys, it looks so cool!! I love both pieces paired together and apart. Picture a pair of high waisted jeans and this cozy sweatshirt or an easy t-shirt tucked into the pants.
This french terry fabric is sooo good. It’s thick (without being too thick), washes up great, and gives you two look options depending on which side of the fabric you use. I love playing with stripes and had a lot of fun planning how I would use them in this project. I used the stripe horizontally for the sweatshirt with a vertical neckband to match the vertical stripe on the pants.
I used Grainline Studio’s Linden Sweatshirt for the top (with some light pattern hacked pleats I added to give it some flare), and True Bias’ Hudson Pants jogger pattern with the bottom cuffs left off for my pants. I’m going to go in full detail for both plus I have a step by step tutorial to show you how I added the pleats. Let’s jump right in!
First up, let’s talk about the sweatshirt.
I saw a really cool sweatshirt in Nordstrom that had little pleats in it and I loved it so much that I incorporated it into the design of this sweatshirt. I added two pleats on the front of the sweatshirt and one on the back. This is how I added the pleats:
Cut the front sweatshirt bodice in half, I used the line that goes through the center of the pattern.
2. Tape the left side of the front bodice to some tracing paper. Measure 3/4″ from the edge using a ruler and draw a line.
3. Tape the right side of the bodice along the line just drawn.
4. Connect the two pieces along the top and bottom by drawing a line. Cut out the front sweatshirt piece. Fold the pleat in half so original edges match to create center fold of the pleat. Open the pleat up again.
5. Cut the pattern piece out of your fabric. Clip into the three ends/marks of the pleat along the bottom edge of your sweatshirt before unpinning the pattern piece from the fabric. Repeat for the other front pleat.
6. To sew the pleats, fold the pleat in half towards the side seam, matching the notches and iron in place. If you are using horizontal stripes, make sure to match them up.
7. Pin the pleat in place 5 1/2″ from the bottom of the sweatshirt.
8. Using an edgestitch foot, sew along the pleat starting at the bottom pivoting around the top of the pleat (backstitch a few times along the top) and go back down the bottom along the other side of the pleat. Repeat for the other front pleat.
9. Now for the back piece. I added one pleat that starts at the top of the center back and goes down to about the middle of the sweatshirt. Add 3/4″ along the foldline of your pattern piece using tracing paper. Cut out the sweatshirt back piece on the fold. Iron the pleat to the right side, and pin in place 10 1/2″ in length. Sew just as we did the front bodice pleats.
10. Continue to follow the pattern instructions as directed. Have fun playing around with the direction of the stripes! Here’s what mine looked like once I decided on the placement I wanted.
The top is all done!
For the pants, I used the Hudson Pants jogger pattern by True Bias. I added 1″ to the rise of the front and back pant pieces because I wanted a slightly higher waisted fit. If you wish to do this too, make sure to add 1″ to the two pocket pieces as well. This is what my pattern pieces looked like:
I cut all of the pant pieces against the grain line of the fabric so the stripes on my pants would be vertical directionally.
I sewed up the pants according to the pattern instructions. I didn’t add on the bottom cuff pieces and instead hemmed the bottom of the pants up at 1/2″ using a double needle. I’m about 5′ 5″, and the length was perfect for a slightly cropped pant. I also made the drawstring piece out of the same french terry fabric.
I love this cozy look so much! It’s great for pajamas or throw on some cute slides and its equally acceptable for wearing out. I threw the sweatshirt on with my jeans this past weekend (it was a little chilly out) and it was so comfortable and warm. I know this outfit is going to get a lot of use in my wardrobe!!
French terry in a nautical stripe has so much potential for a great summer garment, and this is my take on it! Thanks so much for reading along, and stay tuned for lots more summer sewing inspo coming your way over here at The Sara Project!
This fabric also comes in a navy with white stripes color way, check it out here!
I made a swimsuit. WHAT!? Megan Nielsen recently launched her newest sewing pattern and asked me if I would be willing to review it. My instant reaction was YES. I had never sewn a swimsuit before and I really loved the design of the Cottesloe Swimsuit. I actually been in hot pursuit of a new swimsuit for this season but haven’t really found anything I loved. I need something that’s modest (for chasing three kids around), comfortable but also cute!! THIS IS IT.
I love everything about this swimsuit. I love the great coverage, and the low scoop back. The best part? It was so easy to make! Megan’s instructions are fabulous and very easy to follow along. I feel totally confident in swimsuit making now.
I sewed up the size closest to my measurements and found I needed to size up a bit. I think it’s mostly due to the fabric I used but I would definitely recommend making a muslin first (and using similar fabric if not the same fabric too!). I sized up to a 4 and added 1/4″ in length. It’s perfect.
I used this really fun seersucker gingham black and white swim fabric I found at JOANN. I’ve got my eye on some great swim fabric over at Blackbird Fabrics too. I found my swimsuit lining at JOANN as well, and fully lined my swimsuit. I also found some power mesh at JOANN that I used for the shelf bra.
I sourced my 1/4″ swim elastic from JOANN, and cut some 1/2″ elastic out of an old swimsuit I literally wore once, as well as the cups.
Now you’re wondering, well how does it perform!? I wore it today while taking my three kids 5 and under to the pool ALONE and everything stayed tied and in place. This fabric also worked well when wet. Everything was a win, even the running back and forth from the spa to the pool with the 13 month old and the three kids hanging on me in the pool.
I can’t say enough good things about this swimsuit! Thank you to Megan for pushing me out of my comfort zone! I’m so glad I did and I can’t wait to make another!!!
This post is sponsored by JOANN. It may contain affiliate links but all words, reviews and opinions are my own.
Have you tasted the rainbow?! I’ve spent some time window shopping from low to high end clothing stores, and you know what trend has really stood out to me lately? RAINBOW stripe EVERYTHING! Rainbow is a HUGE trend this season and the moment I saw JOANN’s new rainbow stripe linen for spring/summer I knew I needed some. Shout out to Heidi from Handmade Frenzy who first brought this amazing fabric to my attention on instagram.
This rainbow stripe linen fabric is currently taking the online sewing world by storm, and I’m excited to give you my take on it! I love that the colors in this design have a slight remix from the standard ROYGBIV order, giving this fabric a slightly more sophisticated look.
I used the Kalle Shirt Dress pattern by Closet Case Files because it matched really well with my “ready to wear” inspiration (from Madewell of course). I love wearing easy linen dresses in the summertime and this one is going to be just what I need in my wardrobe.
Madewell Stripe Rainbow Shirt Dress Inspo *Currently Sold Out
I love my Kalle Shirt I made last summer and still wear it all the time. It worked out that this pattern was a perfect pattern match to re-create the Madewell inspired dress. I sewed up view C in a size 4. I went with the hidden placket, just like the Madewell dress. Quick side note here, do not be intimidated by the hidden placket! I was a little anxious about going with the hidden placket but it was pretty easy to figure out and I love how it looks on this dress. I added 2 1/2″ in length and brought the side hem down a little for a less dramatic hemline.
I cut my pattern out against the grain of the fabric in order to position the stripes vertically. I cut my yoke and sleeve bands on the grainline to add a little bit of contrast with the stripes. I cut my pocket off-grain as well because I wanted it to blend into the shirtdress front. I love the overall look and had a lot of fun sewing up this little dress.
This linen fabric was great to work with. I washed and dried it before cutting my dress out. I really love working with linen fabric in general, it’s a really great beginner friendly fabric but is a little more professional looking than a quilting cotton. It’s easy to work with and hold loads of garment possibilities!
I hope you feel inspired to try this colorful trend! Thanks for reading along!
This post is sponsored by JOANN. It may contain affiliate links but all words, reviews and opinions are my own.
Hello friends!
I’ve recently joined the JOANN blogger team and I’m thrilled to be sharing my first post with you today. While planning this project I knew I really wanted to make an outfit that shouted “SPRING!”. I had so much fun walking through JOANN and browsing through all of their new spring fabrics. There are so many reallllllyy good ones right now!
I decided that I wanted to make a two piece outfit that included a pair of jeans and a feminine top. I was initially planning on blue denim jeans but then I saw the 10 oz. white bull denim (what shouts spring more than white jeans?), and it jumped into my cart. Next I had a puff sleeve blouse in mind using Simplicity S8839 and I was on the hunt for the perfect fabric. I turned the corner and there it was: a blush peachskin puckered windowpane rayon poly fabric named Spring Garden. It was a perfect match and I felt giddy inside about it!
First, let’s talk about the top.
This pattern is really as EASY as they say it is on the envelope. I love the bias binding casing and elastic to create the gathered hem.
I really love the long sleeve design of Simplicity S8839 but I knew it wouldn’t be very practical for my current lifestyle. We also recently moved our family from SLC Utah to Orange County, CA and I really need some warm weather tops. I’m all about the puff sleeve trend happening right now! I love the cropped style bodice with an ultra feminine sleeve detail, so I went with view B.
For the fabric, I used Spring Garden HM Peachskin Puckered Windowpane Rayon Poly #164-3404. It’s currently not available to purchase online but could possibly still be available in stores. The whole Spring Garden collection is gorgeous and totally worth checking out!
For my top, I sewed up a size 10 which was one size down from what my measurements were on the chart. I made a few fit alterations to my top. First, I noticed the sleeve caps were hanging off my shoulders and didn’t lay on top of my shoulder notches as they should. (You can see this issue on the front of the pattern envelope, so I wasn’t surprised). I altered the shoulders by taking off a bit of the bodice shoulder and tapered to the underarm side seam. I also raised the sleeve hem by a 3/4″ for a smaller ruffle at the hem. I love how the fabric has a bit of structure but also some drape to it. It was a great fabric + pattern matchup.
Now let’s talk about these pants. I used the Dawn Jeans pattern by Megan Nielsen, and chose the straight leg view. A year ago I bought some straight leg Levi’s and I am obsessed with them. After making the wide leg version in the Dawn Jeans, I instantly loved how they fit me high on the waist and snug at the hips. With this pair, I was hoping to recreate something similar to my beloved Levi’s. I went with a zip fly this go around (this pattern offers a few different fly options), and you guys!!!!! The fit is so good!!!!
I sewed a size 4 in the waist and tapered to a size 0 in the hips. I ended up slightly taking in the waist a little more from here, as well as taking about a 1/4″ off of the center back yoke and tapering to the end. The finished fit is fabulous. I was nervous about sewing white jeans but with the proper undergarments, the pants aren’t too see through and are totally wearable. JOANN’s 10 oz. bull denim works really well for this pattern.
I had a really big birthday this month and I desperately wanted to wear my new spring outfit while celebrating but I couldn’t get my photos done in time for the big day. I have been dying to wear these pants but have had so much anxiety that I would get something on them if I didn’t wait to photograph them first. The other night I had a dream that I spilled something all over them and spent the rest of the dream planning how I would try to clean them up for the photoshoot. You guys, these pants are really that good haha! I’m so excited that I can now add them to the daily rotation.
I decided to go with a sand colored Gutermann topstitching thread (Col. #30) to add a little contrast to my jeans and I really love how they turned out.
I bought all of my supplies (besides the Dawn Jeans pattern) from JOANN stores including the jeans zipper, jeans button, jeans needle, topstitching thread, interfacing, etc. You can find everything you need for jeans sewing at JOANN! Since moving, my new JOANN store has been totally revamped and it’s gorgeous inside. I can’t wait to go back and browse all the fabrics again.
I hope this post leaves you feeling inspired for spring sewing! Thanks for reading along and come back soon because you won’t want to miss what I have planned for April! Happy sewing!
Without planning it ahead of time, the last two garments I made ended up pairing so well together! They also make a great Valentine’s Day outfit! I love this blush pink color, have for a while now, so it’s no coincidence that this worked out. I can’t resist this lovely color!
I made up the Perkins Shirt designed by Ensemble Patterns and paired it with Workroom Social’s newest fabric collaboration launch, Arcs in Blush and Black Rayon.
Can we talk about how luxurious this rayon fabric is? The drape! The matte finish! It’s really good. It sewed up beautifully and feels so nice on the body. To help spread the word about the launch, workroom social sent me two yards of fabric, and after leaving the decision as to what to make with it up to my friends on Instagram, the Perkins Shirt won the vote.
Oh, the Perkins Shirt! I love this pattern!! I’m all about cropped tops and the details in this pattern are excellent! It gives off a very edgy, yet cool vibe. I will definitely be making more in the future! I added 1″ from the cropped option to get this length on my top, no other alterations were made.
Moving along! I have been wanting to make the Fulton Sweater Blazer ever since it came out, and this seemed like a great opportunity to finally get a chance at it. The pattern itself was pretty straight forward, the trickiest part being the collar. I watched Alina’s sew-along video for the collar and it was very helpful. It’s totally doable, but keep in mind it might take a few goes to get it just right (it did for me anyways!). The fabric I used is a little slippery to work with so this might have also added to the struggle I had.
These past 6 months I have been lucky enough to be an ambassador for Measure Fabric, and for this sponsored post I requested a few yards of their blush double knit fabric to make a Fulton Sweater Blazer, pattern designed by Alina Design Co. This fabric has a really great weight to it, on the medium to heavy side. It also has a sleek feel to it with a slight sheen giving it a bit of a dressed up feel to it.
I sewed up a size 2, added about 1″ to the shorter version (I’m 5′ 5″) and omitted the front patch pockets, mostly due to the difficulty of the slippery knit fabric. I gave the pockets a go, but without my trusty wonder tape, the pockets shifted a lot during the topstitching process and I couldn’t get the front to lay smoothly. I may add them on later, but I kind of like how it looks with out them, too!
That’s all I have for you today! Thanks for reading along, and thank you to Measure Fabric and Workroom Social for providing the fabric for this post! Happy sewing!
This is a sponsored post, yet all opinions are my own.
Hey guys! I’m officially ready for spring, and it’s all thanks to this fabric! Isn’t it gorgeous!? It makes me so happy. My recent collaboration with Indy Bindy Fabric resulted in this fun top, using a free sewing pattern called the Ruffle Sleeve Top from Peppermint Magazine.
Amy Watts, owner of Indy Bindy, is an Australian currently living in Japan with her husband and two little boys. She started her fabric business one year ago and loves supporting the independent designers found in her shop.
The fabric I chose to use for this top is this stunning design called FLORAL. Believe me when I say it’s even better in person.
A little bit about the designer: Kayo Aoyama. Her atelier is right in the heart of Tokyo. However, she spent years studying and working in Sweden. And her experience translates into a beautifully unique and fresh style all of her own.
Aoyama-san describe’s her aesthetic: “My design is inspired by organic shapes, like plants and stones. I draw by hand, because the uneven lines or trace of brush makes reminds me the most of nature. My wish is that my design will brighten up your everyday life the same way a fresh bouquet of flowers will add that extra sparkle to your home.”
The Garden print was hand painted in watercolor before being transferred digitally onto the fabric. I love Aoyama-san’s description of the design process behind the plump yellow and pink blooms:
“I love looking at large flower buds, like ranculus and peony, that are round like a ball. I drew this pattern steadily and with momentum, allowing me to capture the succulent round bud that doesn’t usually last long.” – Kayo Aoyama
The Peppermint Ruffle Sleeve Top is a free download, and a great quick project! I made the size between A and B; I found my measurements to be right in the middle of the two sizes. Instead of using the facing, I used bias tape to finish my neckline. I used Amy Nicole’s Youtube video that walks you through how to finish a v-neck top with bias tape, it’s excellent! I don’t sew a lot of v-necks and needed a little guidance!
I also cut off 1 1/2″ from the sleeve length before attaching the ruffle pieces. I wanted a slightly shorter sleeve, and I love this finished result.
I was nervous about making this shirt in 100% cotton, but the drape is still good and it totally works. The sleeves aren’t too stiff looking and lay nicely (another concern I had). Overall, I’m thrilled with this top and had a fun time wearing it around LA in 70 degree weather this past week. Now I’m back in Utah and waiting for warmer temps so I can pull this cutie back out! It’s such a great pattern/fabric combo!!
Amy is hosting a giveaway, so you can win some of this gorgeous fabric for yourself, plus other amazing prizes such as:
2m of the fabric of the winners choice
1x Kayo Aoyama Tote Bag
1x Collette sewing planner
1x In The Folds pattern of the winners choice
12 month digital subscription to Peppermint Magazine!
To enter the giveaway: follow @indybindyco on Instagram, and leave a comment tagging a friend. (Each comment/tag counts for an extra entry!). Three extra entries for signing up for Amy’s newsletter, too! One winner will be chosen at random. Head over to her Instagram for more details.
Indy Bindy has so many other gorgeous cotton prints, make sure to check them all out, you won’t regret it!
Fabric for this post was provided by Indy Bindy Co, but all opinions are my own.
