Tag: ITY

Tanks, I made it! ;)

Back in April I went to Vegas with my husband, for a work trip. While there I was able to meet up with one of my sewing friends for a little bit and actually meet her in person.

We had previously been shopping for fabric from Fabmere at the same time and she had faster fingers than I did, and scored some gorgeous floral ITY. She is so sweet, and ended up splitting the fabric in half and bringing it to me when we met up.

So I’ve had this gorgeous 1 yard cut of ITY and I’ve been trying to decide what it wanted to become. I thought of and rejected so many patterns when I finally decided to try the Athena from Pattern Niche. I wasn’t sure if the style would work well with ITY, since it is a lightweight fabric with good drape. So I scoured their Facebook group to see if other people had used ITY and found none. After asking Tara if she thought it would work well, I decided to go for it.

There are several different kinds of ITY, some are slinky and slippery, some have a brushed feel, some have a textured feel, and I love them all and how cool I stay while wearing them. This particular ITY has a slight texture to it, which is an added bonus for traveling, as it doesn’t wrinkle in luggage.

The Athena tank has a regular racer back, plus three different scoop and cutout back options. You can choose from a crew neck or a scoop neck for the front neckline. For mine I chose the scoop neck and the option 2 back.

I made a straight size 12, and added 1″ in length for my height. I didn’t make any other mods to the pattern.

I was pleasantly surprised with how simple it was to do the fun cutouts! I have been having machine issues lately, and I was really concerned it would eat my fabric, but it behaved and I love it! The cutout is perfect to show off those cute bralettes, or in my case, my green bra, that just so happens to match.

I have some more fabric that just arrived that I will definitely be using to make another one. I think I’m going to try the option 3 back next and make a coordinating set with a new sports bra.

The fabric is ITY from Fabmere Fabrics and you can see all their gorgeous options here.

The Athena pattern is available from Pattern Niche (formerly New Horizons Designs).

This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through that link, I may get a % back, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my sewing šŸ’•

Layering for Winter in Arizona

Desert living really has it benefits in the winter. We do get our cold storms, but on a typical day I can start out wearing cool weather clothes, transition into tanks and even shorts, and end up back in the cool weather clothing by evening. Because of this and my circulation problems, I really love wearing pants, tanks, and cardigans. I have found myself grabbing that combo from my closet, more and more, so I decided to make myself a new set.

I recently discovered a fabric base called Oakley. I love it for cardigans! It is soft and squishy, and has a slight brushed feel. BUT, it doesn’t grow like some sweater knits, it’s easy to sew, and it is available in some really fun prints. This print in particular caught my eye and I just couldn’t pass it up.

Then came the coordinating tank fabric. I really wanted something I could wear into spring and summer, but wanted something a little “dressier” than a modal or rayon spandex. I particularly like ITY (interlock twist yarn) for dresses and tops, because it has great drape, and can keep me cool in the heat, so I started looking there. I came across this solid navy ITY and took a chance it would match the Oakley print, and ordered. The fabric matched !!

I knew before ordering, exactly which patterns I intended to use for this combo. For the tank I used the Catalina tank from So Sew English Fabrics. I liked the look when it released, but didn’t get a chance to try it out, and now was the perfect time. Since I prefer to wear my regular bra, I decided to omit the elastic for the included shelf bra, and treat it as a liner. Because of my height and my side waist length, I added an inch in the length of the bodice, and also added an inch to the “shelf bra” length.

A few things to note: I am 5’9″ with a side waist length of 9″. Most patterns are designed for a height of 5’5″, and an 8″ side waist length. I have found that adjusting my 1″ for side waist length difference, is usually enough for tops, based on where I carry my height. However, in this case, I would have needed to add 2″ to both the shelf bra and the bodice, versus the 1″ I did, if I had made the pattern as drafted and used the elastic, and hemmed the bodice (which I didn’t do, for the look I wanted). The Catalina is drafted for a height of 5’5″. If I had used a heavier fabric or one that grew, I could have left it with just adding 1″.

Since the “lining” was designed to be a shelf bra, it comes in to your body and has more negative ease. I found that this helped keep the “lining” in place and gave me a really clean silhouette, with no visible lines.

I particularly like the extra strappy look I got on the back, wearing it with my regular bra.

For the cardigan, I chose the Patterns for Pirates, Cocoon Cardi. I had a happy accident the last time I made the pattern and ended up with 10″ bands versus the 5″ or 13″ options in the pattern. I also sized it up one, from my measured size, and the combo was love. For this cardigan, I did the same.

These two have been on wear, wash, repeat since making, and I foresee the tank being worn with shorts, into summer.

ombre leopard print Oakley patterns for pirates cocoon cardigan and Navy ITY So sew English Fabrics cocoon cardigan

The links in this post are not affiliate links.

April Spring Capsule Challenge, in May

When I sew, I usually try to make complete outfits or separates that I can add to my current wardrobe. I see it as a way to freshen up my wardrobe or allow it to transition into another season without too much effort. I have never made a full capsule, unless you count my, “I’m going on vacation and need new clothes”, as a capsule.

When So Sew English Fabrics hosted a Spring Capsule Challenge last month, the idea appealed to me but I decided to skip it since I already had my sewing list for the month. If you are a list maker like me, you know how it is always longer than the time we have to sew.

Then, when I was scrolling facebook one afternoon, my daughter was reading over my shoulder and piped up with, “Ohhh a capsule wardrobe? That sounds like fun! Mom, can you do one for me? My clothes don’t fit.” Off we went to shop the site and see what she could put together. I let her pick her fabric, patterns, and how she was going to wear them together. The rules were that you had to make 6 items, one of which needed to be a bottom (pants, skirt, shorts, etc). This is what she picked.

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The fabric arrived. life happened , my health struggled, and the fabric sat. In a pretty, cordinated, freshly washed and folded pile, it sat. Just when I was getting caught up, my machines started acting up. But finally, it happened, her capsule was done, and only a month after the challenge. šŸ˜†

She didn’t have any comfy shorts so she chose two pairs for her capsule. I used the same free pattern for both,Ā The Ginger Shorties from Sew Like My Mom. This was our first time using one of their patterns and it sewed up quickly. She wanted a rolled hem look, so that was a slight modification to the pattern, otherwise we did it as written.

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For this first pair we used cotton spandex heavy french terry, the same I used for my leggings in this post. This fabric is no longer in stock, but there is another that is equally amazing still available. She paired it with the Patterns for Pirates heart breaker cami, in lavender cotton modal spandex. The heartbreaker cami has a few different strap and ruffle options as well as different lengths. There is even a matching adult version. This fabric was super easy to sew up and with the cotton content it will be a great top for summer.

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She really loves the addition of the front ruffle and how it took a simple tank to a dressier look. Pssst, it was super simple to do too.

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She picked the Made for Mermaids Kelli Kimono in this gorgeous lavender beth wool dobby woven, to wear over the tank and short outfit. She gets chilled easily so she wanted to have a lightweight option to add to it.

For the second shirt she picked lilac cassidy venezia ITY. This is her first shirt from ITY and she kept talking about how smooth and cool it felt, ha ha ha. Yes dear, that’s why I like it so much. We used the Kaitlyn tank from CKC Patterns. This is a repeat pattern for us both, and this newest one didn’t disappoint.

To wear her ITY top again, she added the second pair of Ginger shorties. For this pair she chose solid fuchsia ponte. I offered to add some pockets to this pair but she opted for some on her “next pairs”. I think I’ve created a monster.

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She also asked for a rolled up hem on this Ponte pair.

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When she was shopping for fabric she fell in love with this white butterfly floral venezia ITY. She wasn’t sure what ITY was at first, so I took her to my closet and showed her a few of my ITY items. She gasped and said, “That dress!! Can you make me one like that?”. Fortunately the pattern I used for my dress, also comes in girls sizes, so I was able to make that happen. I used the Annelaine girls Lexington. The Lexington has a few length options for the skirt and some different sleeves as well. For this one, we did the tank option with the high-low hem skirt.

I have to mention that both these ITY’s have such vibrant colors, but the butterfly floral one, it’s almost as though the print is popping off the fabric. They are just so beautiful!

I am really quite impressed with how she picked her outfits and the patterns she chose for each one. I kind of want to copy them for myself now. šŸ˜†

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All fabrics were from So Sew English Fabrics.

This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through that link, I may get a % back, at no additional cost to you. Letā€™s be honest, we all know it goes right back to adding to my fabric stash. All opinionsĀ on this blog are my own.

 

Wardrobe Staples – Tank tops

Wardrobe staples are just that, staples. They are such great building blocks that can take a simple outfit up a notch or allow you to quickly expand your current wardrobe. Since I live in a pretty warm climate, year round, the wardrobe staple I use the most, are tank tops. When I got the opportunity to test the new Greenstyle Creations Staple Tank, I was excited. I enjoy testing and helping out pattern designers, but it can be a lot of work, fabric, and time. So when the item Iā€™m testing, happens to be something I will get a lot of wear from, itā€™s a huge plus.

This particular tank is great to wear solo, layering over a sports bra, layering under a jacket or even a loose fit slouchy top. Ā It fits the bust nicely and allows for a little breathing room throughout the rest of the bodice. The staple tank is available in the size range of XXS ā€“ 3XL. It has a pretty scoop back, perfect for showing off those fun bra straps if you wanted to.

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Another thing I love about this tank, is the option to finish your neck and arms with either a band or binding. Ā Iā€™ve become fond of binding on my clothes. I really like the low profile look it gives and I donā€™t find it more or less difficult to do than a traditional band.

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I used the binding method in the pattern for both my tanks. Yup, you read that right, I have already made two, and have a few more planned. Did I mention these are fast sews and donā€™t take up much fabric?? Ā Both of my tanks were made from leftover fabric from my camo leggings and ombre maxi. I did my exact size per the chart and added my usual length for my height. Boom, done.

For the camo tank, I used double brushed poly, from So Sew English. I really love camo and Iā€™m enjoying the addition to my wardrobe. I was so pleased with the versatility of this tank that I couldn’t stop trying different ways of wearing it. I kind of wonder what my neighbors were thinking as I paraded in and out of my house with all these outfit changes, ha ha ha.

For this outfit, I paired the tank with a new pair of Greenstyle Stride tights, in Supplex, and my black tennis shoes. This was super comfortable when I rode on my recumbent bike and for running around with the kiddos. This supplex was my first and I got it from So Sew English (SSE). It has a GSM of 440 and has totally been squat proof, plus it was a dream to sew up.

I changed my shoes into my white tennis shoes and threw on my cuffed sleeve jean jacket. Perfect for those cool mornings and evenings, or whenever I want to pretend that I don’t live in tanks and leggings most days. There is just something about the jean jacket and camo combo I can’t get enough of.

Change the shoes. Switch to some stretchy jeans and add a long necklace. Tucked in or left out. With a cardigan (This one is the Coffee & Tea from Annelaine, in a ribbed sweater knit from SSE) or without. Another three looks! SERIOUSLY!!Ā  5 looks so far and I didn’t even get to take pictures of this tank with my slouchy tops, darn laundry.

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ITY is one of my favorite fabrics to wear for summer here. It has a cool touch to it and it feels so flowy that I wanted to try it as this tank. This particular ITY is the blue ombre Venezia from So Sew English. It’s only been available in bundles recently, but they do have other Venezia ITY options. I hung on to my three yard cut for a while and finally used it for my recent maxi. I was left with around two yards of not quite half the width of fabric. Turns out it was the perfect amount to make this tank. I really like how it looks with the white shorts. I’m thinking I need to add pair of loose leg white pants to my wardrobe soon. Wouldnā€™t that be cute??

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The Staple Tank is available from Greenstyle Creations and is on release sale right now, ending Wednesday, March 27th.Ā  How would you wear your staple tanks??

 

This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through that link, I may get a % back, at no additional cost to you. Letā€™s be honest, we all know it goes right back to adding to my fabric stash. All opinionsĀ on this blog are my own.