What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

I've been having a lot of fun participating in sewing challenges this year. I made something in February for the #bhmpatterndesigners challenge (you can read about my Hug Hoodie here) and in March, I decided to play along with Ruan (@theyorkshiresewgirl) and Sam (@frugalisama) for #sewfrugal22. The goal of this challenge is to:

1. Pick a free pattern
2. Choose a fabric from your stash
3. Make the project during the month of March
4. Post a picture of your make on Instagram, tagging both Ruan and Sam, and using the #sewfrugal22 hashtag.

Itch-to-Stitch released a new pattern recently - the Carmo Top - which I found out via their newsletter. When I saw the tester versions, I knew I was going to purchase the pattern and make one for myself at some point before the end of the Winter. But then I saw Megan's video on YouTube (Megan was a tester and I'm a subscriber to her Channel - check her out!), the pattern jumped at the top of the list!

The Pattern Features

Most of the Itch-to-Stitch patterns that I've been interested in are what I would call "basics with a ...

My little brother turned 50 yesterday and over the weekend, his wife organized a small family backyard party. I really wanted a casual dress for the event and decided to make myself the Sunday Romper by Love Notions.

The fabric is a pencil navy stripe from The Fabric Snob. It's doing all kinds of weird things to the pictures and to my computer screen, but it's an amazing fabric! It's really, really comfortable and it sews up beautifully.

The Antrim Dress by Itch-to-Stitch had been on my list of garments to make since it's release. I love crossover bodices and the full skirt really looked awesome and I thought would look really nice on me. I purchased inexpensive ITY fabric from Minerva.com some time ago and decided this past weekend was the time!

I completed my second Spring/Summer capsule outfit over the weekend: the Itch-to-Stitch Tierras Joggers and Newport Top.

The Tierras Joggers pattern is very similar to the Arden Pants pattern I love so much - elastic waistband, side pockets and straight legs, but the rise on the Tierras is lower, which I personally find more comfortable. These hit me about 2 inches below the belly button and will be perfect to wear with the tops I've made that finish at my high hips.

They are a tiny bit long for me so I rolled them up to right above the ...

After making my Cedar Dolman tops earlier this month, I went back on the Cashmerette website and looked for other patterns which would fill some gaps in my Summer closet. 

There are so many things I love about Cashmerette as a company, I just had to give them more of my sewing dollars. They draft their patterns with plus size women in mind and have so many cup options available for their patterns. On top of that, they have a really nifty size calculator that tells you exactly which size to start from when sewing their patterns. I also listened ...

I've been wanting to try the Cashmerette patterns for a long time so I recently purchased their Cedar Dolman top. I've been planning a Spring/Summer capsule wardrobe and a new pink short sleeved top was first on the list. 

Before cutting into my pink fabric, I decided to make a muslin with some leftover fabric from the cowl top I made a few weeks go.

I made zero modifications to the pattern for this version except I decided not to use the hem facings and simply turn up the hem by 3/4" and topstitch. 

This is ...

I always find it a little bit difficult to figure out what to wear at this time of year because where I live, the temperature can change drastically from one day to the next or even during the same day! That is why I love cardigans so much. You can start the day with the cute top and a cardigan but around Noon, take off the cardigan and just wear the cute top. This time of year is also awesome for wearing lightweight sweaters with 3/4 length sleeves.

And that is why I decided to make the Itch-to-Stitch Bellavista ...

I finished a crazy snuggly sweater for myself this week and although it is far from perfect... I love it!

This is the Whistler Pull-over and Hoodie by Love Notions. When I first saw the pattern (which I think might have been on sale recently), I skipped over it. I didn't think the style would look nice on me and I have to say I really didn't need another winter sweater. 

But I had this amazingly soft THICC Stretch Fleece from The Fabric Snob in my stash that I really wanted to make something out of before the ...

Helen's Closet released their Jackson Tee and Pullover pattern a little while ago and well - I love everything Helen does so I just had to buy it. The pattern is unisex so I thought I could use it for me as well as my hubby who loves a good tee.

I ordered knit fabric from The Fabric Snob for this project. I like the look of stripes for the body and a solid for sleeves so I went with that.

I chose to sew a solid neckband and striped cuffs. The pattern calls for a hem band but I ...

I cleaned out my Fall/Winter closet a couple of weeks ago and discovered I need more tops to wear with pants and my many cardigans. And I've always loved cowl neck tops so went in search of a pattern for a sleeveless one.

I found this one from So Sew Easy. It was pretty much exactly what I was looking for.

This was meant as a Fall/Winter top so I used a sweater knit from Minerva. It drapes beautifully and isn't a heavy knit so I thought it would work perfectly for a cowl neck. It ...

As written in my 2021 goals, I'm hoping to fill some gaps in my wardrobe this year. I haven't yet purged my closet or written down what gaps I need to fill, but I do know a navy sweater will come in handy for the rest of the winter and into spring - the temperatures do remain pretty low here until April or May.

For my new navy sweater, I chose a pattern I've done before - the Seamwork Oliver. You can read about my wine Liverpool version here. It is a very simple design, pretty easy sew and ...

Cardigans are a huge part of my closet. Many of the tops I own are sleeveless or short-sleeved and in the winter months, I wear them with cardigans. If I'm being honest, I would love to have a cardigan in every colour. I have a few ready-to-wear cardigans and I have now made four Blackwoods from Helen's Closet (you can see my previous three versions here, here and here).

This is my new red Blackwood.

The fabric is a Liverpool knit from Minerva. I love the colour, but the fabric was a bit of a pain to sew ...

I don't wear dresses and skirts very much - I've just always been a pants kind of person. And I can't remember what prompted me to buy the Monica skirt pattern (5 out of 4 Patterns) - I probably saw someone on Instagram wearing one and got intrigued. 

The skirt pictured on the cover of the pattern is the maxi version and it is so beautiful, I decided right then and there to buy it. I don't really wear maxi skirts in the winter months - just too impractical with the snow and the slush everywhere but I thought ...

I get so much inspiration from bloggers and IG'ers I follow when it comes to garment making. Some of the people I follow have a completely different style and body than me, and I just enjoy the eye-candy. But some of them have a very similar style and body shape so that when something looks really good on them, I'm always tempted to try to make my own version.

Meg from Cookin' and Craftin' posted about her Devon top back in November. Devon is a dress pattern published by Seamwork, but Meg shortened it to a top and ...

I think I may have developed an addiction to the La Bella Donna pattern - this red tunic is my third make from this pattern. I made the short sleeved top last Summer (which I'm realizing now I never blogged about), I made a black version of the tunic with the scoop neck and now I've made the tunic with the cowl neck which I love!

There are so many things I like about this pattern and I'm thrilled I made the cowl version. The fabric is an ITY from Fabricville. It's really soft and lovely to ...

In my continuing goal to make myself work appropriate tops - which really means tops that look nice on video calls, I found the Itch to Stitch Busan Top. I immediately fell in love with the beautiful and interesting sleeves and some of the tester versions were so gorgeous, I just had to give it a try.

But as much as I loved those sleeves, I wasn't sure if the design would look good on me so instead of using a more precious fabric, I decided to cut the top out of leftover Ponte - a grey for the body and ...