Anza Dress

A while ago I tested the Anza jumpsuit, for Itch to Stitch patterns. That pattern comes also with a dress option. The upper bodice is the same as the one from the jumpsuit only with a skirt for the lower part. 

I made it in size 4C and I shortened the skirt by 4 cm . I had the dress very fast finished, almost, but sewing the buttons did take longer than sewing the whole dress. It is something with sewing buttons ...I don`t know, it must be. A few days ago I finished the Classic shirt from Liesl+co. but I still need to sew the buttons and I just can`t push myself to do that, very strange :))).

I really like this dress and I wore it a few times already. Very easy to wear, love the deep pockets and the relaxed fit.

I made my dress in a very nice deep red crepe, ( in real life is not so bright red ) and lined the pocket flaps with a nice satin, also used for the skirt pockets. I did not line the breast pockets this time. I love the buttons and I think the gold with red it looks really nice. Again I used some metal beads as cord stoppers.

I could wear this dress every day, with flats it could be my uniform :)

Here is my Jumpsuit from the same pattern.

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Kiera Skirt- New pattern Designer Stitch

This is going to be my favorite item for the summer! The new Kiera Skirt from Designer Stitch! This is perfect for our summers.  Even if  I am not ( yet) a skirt person, I can totally see myself wearing maxi skirts all the summer.  

The Kiera skirt has two options, the one I made with a flat yoke and another version with a shirred back yoke and optional waist ties. You can add ties on the inside of the skirt and by tying them you can create different looks in changing the length of the skirt. There are some amazing testers versions with this option.

I made mine in size 3  in a beautiful crepe, that has the perfect weight for this skirt, I just love it. 

The skirt has 8 panels, 4 for the front and 4 for the back. The print was just too big and crazy to try any matching. The sewing was very fast, finished all the seams with my serger. I want to give a try to the shirred yoke, the instructions of how to do that are very clear.

During testing,  I found this amazing crepe at my "fabric guy" ( he is not mine or anything :), I pay for my fabric, but he has beautiful fabrics, sometimes real gems ). This fabric is so soft and "spongy "  and the print is amazing. So...this was screaming  Maxi Kiera, so in two days after buying it I had my skirt done...So happy that I can enjoy this fabric in this beautiful skirt.

I am 1.69m tall and I added 2 cm to the length. To make the fit easy, I made a muslin only for my yoke. So I could see where the yoke was hitting on my waist and so I decided also on the length.

So there are my new additions to my summer wardrobe, I know I will get a lot of wear of my two Kiera skirts and if I find more of this perfect fabrics, I know I will make a few more. 

The new Kiera Skirt is on sale at the moment at the Designer Stitch shop as a PDF with instructions in English.

Passenger Trench Coat for girls -Ottobre Magazine 1/2013

I love this pattern! I wish there was something like this for adults , but until then I will make more for my daughter. This is the Passenger trench from Ottobre Magazine ( 1/2013) . I made it in 2015 in a beautiful cotton stretch print in size 110 and now  I decided on size 128 but I think a size smaller it would have been also ok, this is a little big in the shoulders but I know she is growing so fast so it is fine.

This is the first Passenger, can`t believe that this is 2 years ago!

This is a straight size 128 with the only adjustment for the sleeve length, I shortened the pattern by 1.5 cm . Also, I interfaced the front panel of the jacket, in the instructions is the facing that gets interfaced only. Also, I cut the undercollar on the bias to get a better roll. 

I had a hard time deciding on the buttons for this, but I think these ones are perfect. The color is just enough to pop and with the little silver/gray are not boring. Sewing wise, everything went pretty smooth. I can`t understand the Ottobre instructions always, most of the time actually. But it is a jacket and after you make a few it is like sewing a t-shirt . The fabrics are also easy to handle and press, so no problems.

And talking about boring, the lining is for sure not boring! I told her that she can choose the lining, I know she is crazy about busy, shiny fabrics so there you have it :))). 

I am so pleased with this small trench, I wish I could wear a print trench...:)) Lisa is very happy with it and that makes me even happier.  

Lago Tank -Free pattern from Itch to stitch

This pattern is a stash buster and it is a winner in the category " instant gratification" and to make it even better, the latest pattern from Itch to Stitch is free . You can download the Lago from the Itch to Stitch shop here .

Even if it is free I must assure you that the pattern is fully tested as all the other Itch to Stitch patterns are. The pattern comes in 00-20 sizes and it is made for knit fabrics.

I made my tops in size 6 for the upper body tapering to size 4 from the waist down. Also, I shortened the tank at the pattern lines by 4 cm.

The neck and armholes are finished with a  folded band...very easy. I made my tops with the serger and only the hem with a twin needle on my sewing machine. The blue print Lago is made in 30min from cutting to wear :)...if that is not fun... and lesser than 1m of fabric for one tank

I love the relaxed fit and I know that will come more of this tops in my closet.

You can download the free Lago tank here, also free is the Lindy Petal skirt, which I want to try soon. 

Here you can see all the versions made by the testers! 

Eleni Top- Designer Stitch pattern

The weather is not really appropriate for this kind of tops or any other kind of summer clothing but I keep making them in the hope that when the hit strikes ( hahahhaha....that happens like never here ) I will have pretty clothes to wear.  This top is my second one from the Eleni top from Designer Stitch Patterns. The first one is here.

Here are all the options for this pattern, but I guess you can endless variate on this, there are instructions how to adapt the pattern for a peasant neckline if the off the shoulder is not your style.

The version I made now is the short sleeve top with the flounce but you could easy make the top with the flounce, omitting the sleeves, then you can finish the armholes with a bias binding. 

The first time I made this top I used a pretty stiff cotton but now I used a very soft silk cotton, I had this for years in my stash ( still have one piece in the same print but in pink/orange(ish) color) so I am happy to have it sewn. 

The most work on this top was hemming, the fabric was not very cooperating but with a little patience, I`ve got it done. And this is all I had to say about the Eleni top, I hope I can make one more for the summer, maybe the dress version.

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