Tilly and the Buttons: Stella Hoodie and Joggers in Organic Ribbon Fabric

At first, I was intimidated by a slightly more complicated version of joggers (i.e. putting in the pockets) and of the top (i.e. constructing in the hoodie) but after watching Sewing Bunny's Youtube video on Hudson Pants sew along, I gained some confidence to tackle Tilly and the Buttons' Stella Hoodie and Joggers from her Stretch! sewing book.  

I had this beautiful organic jersey fabric from Fabric Worm in my stash.  I was saving it for a while because I love this print and wanted to make something special.  But being home so much these days, I thought I deserved a super special, comfy, cozy, home wear.  So I  decided to cut it up for a hoodie and jogger set.  

 

And it's just perfect for home wear.  It's bright; it's pink; it has bows all over it; and it's super soft inside.  I did think for a second, "should I break it up by mixing it with monotone fabric?" But the answer was "Nope, go big or go home".  😁    

I was very proud of the hood section where the ribbons were facing all the right direction. 👍

 

The joggers were super easy to sew once I figured out the pockets.  The pocket directions turned out to be quite similar to Hudson Pants (by True Bias), and Sewing Bunny had just released her sew along vlog on Hudson Pants, so that was very helpful.  I guess I am more of a visual learner. 

This pattern also challenged me with putting in button holes.  The cords on the hood and around the waist go through button holes, so I practiced tons on my pink Eversewn 30 sewing machine with pink Gutterman thread.  After I felt sure I could do it with out making a mistake (i.e. remember to put interfacing on the part where button holes go in), I did it on the actual pattern fabric, and it worked!  

 

Last couple of points-- I made the cords out of left over jersey fabric that I made my mom's Billie sweater dress (which was also from Fabric Worm, so the color matched perfectly), and I did lengthen both the top and the legs because I wanted full coverage.  Sometimes, the ready to wear joggers are a bit short for me, so I made it about 2 inches longer in the legs, and it's perfect.  

Now, I can be a big ball of happy ribbons inside my house.  😁

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Tilly and the Buttons: Coco Top and Margot Pajama Pants

When I received this sky blue fabric in the mail, I showed it to my mom, and she said "That would be really nice for a pajama set, and you know, blue is my favorite color"-- hint hint nudge nudge. I got the hints and the nudges, and I made this pajama set for my mom. 😄  It is Tilly and the Buttons Coco Top pattern with their Margot Pajama Pants pattern but with my own hack to keep the bottom of the pants a bit narrow. 

 You can see better in the below photo the pleats I added to the bottom so the pants stay a little bit narrow at the end.  I wanted it narrow enough so it doesn't ride up, but not too tight so the one inch pleats to each side was perfect.

Since I added my own touch to the pants, I added Kylie and the Machine label that says "Bespoke." For the top, I added a label that says "You can't buy this."  😆

 This soft jersey fabric from Urban Sewciety during the black friday sale.  It is made with 95% organic cotton and 5% Spandex. The brand is Stof Fabrics, and it is called Hearts Light Blue Jersey Knit.  I am not familiar with Stof fabrics, but it's very soft and has nice soft feel to it.  Also, I like how it is organic-- which reminds me I have to learn a bit more how a fabric is labeled organic or not.

I purchased 2.25 yards, and I fit the patterns for both top and bottom into it.

Lastly, below is my new overlock machine! It's a Brother 1034DX.  I got it for Christmas from my parents, and it makes sewing jersey sooooo easy (and quick)!  I am using pastel rainbow overlock sewing thread from Wawak.com, and I love how I can add happy colored trims inside my garments. 

 

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Make Nine Challenge 2021

I recently learned of Make Nine challenge, and shared it with my friend at Life at Anchor (her instagram is Madebyvan). I really want to improve my garment sewing, so I pulled the above nine items that I want to make this year.  They involve different types of fabrics, button holes, different types of neck designs, etc-- I hope I picked a variety.  

Only pattern that I was not able to find-- and would love your help-- is the last one.  The cardigan!  That cardigan is from ModCloth, but I love the style and would love to make it myself, but I have not been able to find a pattern similar to it.  I've seen the new Marlo pattern but it's a little bit of a loose fit.  If any one has ideas, I would love a suggestion! 

Here are my make nine (from left to right):

• Clover Pants by Colette (now, Seamwork) purchased from Needle Sharp. 
• Indigo Dress by Tilly and the Buttons purchased from Needle Sharp.
• Delphine Skirt by Tilly and the Buttons from Love at First Stitch Book
• Darling Ranges Dress by Megan Nielsen purchased from Needle Sharp.
• Mimi Blouse by Tilly and the Buttons from Love at First Stitch Book.
• Melilot Shirt by Deer and Doe purchased from Bobbie Lou's Fabric Factory. 
• Bobbie Pinafore by Tilly and the Buttons purchased from Needle Sharp. 
• 25k Bralette by Rad Patterns -- Free!
• Cardigan-- Looking for a pattern. 
  

 

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Finlayson Sweater for Dad

 

For Christmas this year, I bit the bullet and decided to make clothes for my parents.  I really wasn't sure if that was the best idea because at that time, I had only made about two pieces of garments.  But my lovely girlfriends gave me a fabulous gift card to Mood Fabrics, and I was able to purchase really good quality fabrics to make beautiful garments.  So I said to myself, "why not?  if it's not perfect, they will still love it and can wear it at home."  😆

So, I got this Navy and Red Cotton French Terry (with a little bit of stretch for comfort) from Mood Fabrics, and this shawl collar men's pattern by Thread Theory called Finlayson Sweater from Hawthorne Supply Co.   The pattern (unlike Tilly and the Buttons) was not in color, so I had to pay very careful attention to which is the right side and the wrong side, but I think it turned out pretty okay.  My Dad when he initially opened it, looked at it very carefully to see where it was made from. I told him that I made it, and he was quite surprised and happy.  I think he especially liked the shawl collar.  

One thing that I am very proud of in this piece is the line matching I did. If you look at the picture of the sleeve below, the lines match! I pinned it like a little hedgehog to make sure they line up, and it was definitely worth the effort!

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Tilly and the Buttons Billie Sweatshirt

 

I sewed this Tilly and the Button's Billie Sweatshirt dress with gorgeous organic fabric from Fabric Worm.  It's very soft and stretchy so it's perfect for home wear.  It was on super sale over the holidays so I got a very good deal too!   It is sprinkled with ballet slippers, flowers, little kitten faces, and birds--- my rule is if it doesn't have flowers or animals, what is the point?  😆

Billie pattern was purchased from Brooklyn Craft Company.  They have a big collection of Tilly patterns.  

As usual, Tilly's directions were super easy to follow and the fabric was so easy to sew on my Eversewn Sparrow 30 Sewing Machine.  

I made this for me, but my mom loves this blue color, so when she saw it she wanted it, so I gave it to her with the label from Kylie and the Machine (purchased from Urban Sewciety) added.  Now, I can make another one for myself! 😘

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Happy New Year!

 

Starting this year nice and easy.  Obvious confession-- I have not been good about posting here.  And I've done so much sewing!  I did try to post regularly in my Instagram.   And you can see, in 2020, I did a lot of sewing, and quilting, and I even sewed some garments!  Honestly, I was pretty intimidated about sewing garments.  It seemed it required accuracy, precision, and attention to detail that I was not used to with my sewing machine.  But Tilly and the Buttons Stretch Sewing book and patterns are so easy to follow that I just winged it on a first try, and it came out pretty well!  

 

Initially, I made this jersey Freya top with birds on it, and this gave me the confidence to make her Coco Top in this beautiful grey Jacquard sweatshirt fabric with stars from Guthrie and Ghani.  I treated myself to these for my birthday in 2020 and sewing it was a bigger treat.  The directions are so easy to follow in the pattern, and the fabric was really easy to sew with for a beginner garment sewer. 

This star sweatshirt is my favorite, so I wore it for at home New Year's Eve celebration, and I am so happy I got to ring in the new year with something I made! 

Of course, I didn't forget to make a new garment for Marco too.  For Christmas, he received this new doggie coat that I made from quilting fabric stash  I have.  There is no pattern because I just copied one of his coats that fits well for him and added the collar to make it a bit snazzy.  I also made one for my aunt's dog, Bailey, so now doggie cousins have matching coats.  🐶

Happy New Year!  🎉

 

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Farm Sweet Farm Sew Along

This is my first post about my sewing projects!  I've been participating in Lori Holt's Farm Sweet Farm Sew Along for the past few months.  (Confession--I am totally behind...)  And considering that I am a relatively new to sewing and quilting, this project was a bit daunting when I got the fabrics delivered from Fat Quarter Shop.  But after watching such helpful youtube instructions (particularly of the ones from Riley Blake that show Lori's appliqué method) and some trial and error, I finally got the hang of it!

This is my favorite block so far.  I love how little sew simple shapes came together to form her dress with apron!  (I also changed her hair color because I have dark hair and tilted the gentleman's head slightly towards the lady) 😍

But what drew me to this sew along was-- all the cute farm animals!

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