Sew Long Summer Blog Tour

Here we are, working our way into fall and winding down on summer. I’m not sure about you but living in New England, mornings are cold and the afternoon can range from hot to cool. This means transitional patterns are a priority in our house.

I got to join the SEW LONG SUMMER BLOG TOUR, which is perfect timing for my fall sewing for my tiniest one since she just had a recent growth spurt! And also amazing timing for this beautiful fabric I got as a strike off* from Kimmy Snabric. (READ ALL THE WAY TO THE END FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO WIN PRIZES!)

Isn’t it just beautiful? A bit about the fabric, it is a preorder fabric and this is the panel and coordinate set. It is pre-sale at $19 and what you get is a FH that is the panel and a FH that is the matching coordinate. What is nice about these types of sets is that you can order 1 yard and get plenty to make a complete outfit for a small child or use it for a hoodie since the panels are large enough for adults! Take a look at the other fabrics offered in this round here. This is a very nice weight cotton lycra that will be able to layer over the thin shirts my daughter prefers during the fall transition.

For the pattern, I decided that I would try my hand at an International pattern. If you follow my blog, you know that I tried my first International pattern earlier this year ( Week 6: Sew Something Red or Pink) and had to work fairly hard on that project because I had to translate the pattern, which was time consuming. I purchased the CoEmi Mini Jessi pattern quite some time ago but after my last International pattern was not quite ready to tackle translating another pattern. Then amazing news came, there is an English version! (Coincidentally, this pattern is currently included in the 2 euro sale on Makerist.) I had been hanging on to making the pattern for this transitional weather but also waiting for epic fabric to make something that had wow factor.

I will say that while the instructions are translated to English, the pattern pieces do not have English translations. There are very nice photos but I did end up with a piece I cut out that I wasn’t sure based on the translation where it should go (I assume it is another cuff with a different width but I’m not sure since I only have the English version).

The instructions are clear enough though that quite honestly the hardest part was deciding how to actually mix and match fabrics.

I found the hardest part of this pattern lies in creating the pockets in the front. This is because of the angle indicated where my finger points between clips. I did not find it complicated but the tutorial mentions pinning in several places and going slow and I have to agree this is important to create the front panel and pockets lying smoothly and creating the correct shape. I opted for adding piping after seeing the photos further up and deciding that the pop of the piping would help the panel stand out better against the coordinate.

I am very proud of how this “sweatshirt” came out and know that this style is one my little will wear a ton and she has already asked to go through the fabric for another. I will be sizing up when making with french terry to allow for lots of room for growth and layering but for a transitional fall piece, I really could not be more thrilled with how this came out.

She was soo happy to have such a beautiful top!

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE TOUR HERE:

Welcome to the Sew Long Summer blog tour. We’re going to have a fun one this year.

A nice group of sewing bloggers are going to share with you how we say “Sew Long Summer” and we’ll be asking you to join in with a Social Sew too (read on for details and prizes)

Sew Long Summer is all about getting those transitional wardrobe pieces ready; finishing up all those things we meant to make this summer; and well, basically whatever Sew Long Summer means to you.

Share what you’ve been making to say “Sew Long Summer” to be entered into our random drawing.

Continental US participants will be entered to win a $20 store credit from Simply by Ti Fabrics.

All other participants will be entered to win a pattern of choice from DG Patterns.

To enter, please tag your sewing project with #SewLongSewcial18 on Instagram or facebook. You can also leave a link in the comments on the mahlicadesigns intro post. Please limit your entries to items you’ve sewn between Sept 10th and Sept 28th 2018. Winners will be notified and announced shortly thereafter.

We can’t wait to see what you’re making.

The full tour includes these talented sewists, so I hope you’ll follow along this week.

Sept. 10th Sewing A La Carte, Tenille’s Thread, A Custom Clothier, Made for Little Gents, Miss Marah Sewn

Sept. 11th Manning the Machine, mahlicadesigns, Sewing Vortex, Crafting Fiend

Sept. 12th Auschick Sews, Aurora Design Fabrics, My Heart Will Sew On, Vicky Myers Creations

Sept. 13th Flaxfield Sewing, Sewing with D, Musings of a Seamstress, Make it Sew with the Bear and Pea Atelier, Petite Font

Sept. 14th Sewing à la Carte, Sewing by Ti, Stitches by Laura, Sewing with Sarah, My Sewing Roots

*A strike off is a fabric cut offered by a company to test an upcoming round to see if the print, color and scale are accurate. It is the opportunity for a fabric host to decide if they are happy with a current round then authorize the printing for a preorder. I sometimes sew strike offs that are given to me free for photos and sometimes I receive compensation on click throughs for utilizing the links in my posts.