38 Trips Around the Sun

Instead of being like a thousand other bloggers, I decided to write my New Years Blog Post for my Birthday! Yep, today I am 38. I am not usually one who gets crazy about turning a year older, except when I turned 25…”It was dark times Harry, Dark Times…” That was a rough one! When I think about the things I have done in the last year, I am pretty happy. I switched positions at my job, I bought my first brand new car, I realized it is ok to do fun things alone, upgraded to a new DSLR camera, took my first photography class and I even had time to sew some awesome clothes. I rediscovered my love for geocaching and hiking as well. Overall it was a good year, but I want to make this year even better.

Puppy Playtime!

I have spent several weeks/months really thinking of the direction I want to take my blog. I am just like every other blogger, I want to grow my audience and reach more people. I have noticed a lot of new faces following my social media accounts and for that, I am so grateful. It feels good to be noticed. I don’t know if the average person realizes how much work goes into being a sewing blogger. Pick a pattern, sew it up at least once (typically more), photos, photo edits, write blog posts, then share. 🙂 I do enjoy it though. I like knowing there is a record of my progress. I often look back at blog posts to remind myself of the changes I made to a garment and if I liked the fit or not. I love that other people will randomly find a blog post and leave me a message or pick up a pattern I haven’t mentioned in months. It makes me feel good knowing someone saw the joy in my blog. It also makes makes me feel good when I see kind comments from someone I don’t know.

Being a sewing blogger isn’t all sunshine and flowers though. Every single post is a risk. That seems a little odd, but it is true. Every post we make, every share we do, puts us up for being judged. Readers, I don’t know about you, but it doesn’t feel good to me. The comments people make shock me sometimes. For the dozens of good comments, there are always some bad ones. “Your shirt is too tight.” “You would look better with heels.” “You would look slimmer if…” “That color was a bold choice.” “Prints make you look bigger.” “Plus size can’t wear stripes.” and the list goes on…it is a long list. Note to crabby readers…your comments about me will never be harsher than my own thoughts. Why do people do this? Golden Rule, Folks. If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all. As a sewing blogger, I have gained some confidence though. Sometime,s I even dare to say my outfit looks cute or nice. Baby Steps.

So let’s talk about goals for the next 365 days.

*Do more quality sewing. I do a lot of quick sews, well in the past I did a lot. I have greatly reduced the number of tests I am doing. I want to sew things on my schedule for what I want to sew.

*Learn new things. Master my fit issues ehm… pants, bras, etc. Somethings scare me to sew…Bras…tried it once and quit! Pants are a work in progress. For me, I need to realize my body isn’t a normal feminine shape. Most patterns account for hips and booty and I lack in both. But I am making huge strides in preparing to sew my own jeans!!

*Write at least 5 blog posts for designers or for blog tours. Always on the look out for blog tours!! Tag me if you start one. I want in!

*Test less, Upcycle more. I have seen several mentions lately that plus size upcycling isn’t as popular as smaller sizes. I do agree with this in a way, but I have been upcycling for YEARS! When I began sewing, I started by thrifting for anything with great fabrics! I made some cool stuff, now I have more sewing skills I should be putting to use! As a bonus, we are saving a little space in the landfills!

*Continue to be a positive influence online. I shouldn’t need to explain this one.

*Learn to say No!

I love dressing in layers! S0 happy Fall is here again!

If I haven’t lost ya yet, thanks for sticking around! This is going to be an awesome year and I can’t wait to update this post on my next Birthday.  Don’t forget to give my blog a follow and leave me a comment! 🙂

• You can follow my blog by clicking the Follow button on the right side of my blog.
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 As always this blog contains affiliate links, which is a small commission I earn when you make a purchase from my blog links. Thank you for helping to support my sewing.

Hazel Top, Tunic, and Dress

Bella Sunshine Designs is back and this pattern is exceptional. I love it so much! I made two during testing and they are both perfect! I love when that happens. I made my dress version first because I wanted to wear it to a quilt show the next day. I didn’t quite make that dead line, but I finished that afternoon. I then immediately began a second one.

As always Bella Sunshine Designs is size inclusive. This means her sizes go up to a Women’s size 30 which is an upper bust and hip of 59.75 inches. This pattern comes in top, tunic, and knee length dress options to fit all of your needs. There are also multiple sleeve lengths available.

Typically, with most patterns I require a bicep adjustment, but not this pattern. This is a very roomy Dolman, even after the drawstrings are added, I still have a great flutter effect. Bonus for me because now it is even quicker to make! Dolmans always sew up sew quickly since the sleeves are cut out with the bodice. Perfect for the last minutes sewist!

First up: The Dress.

I used this stunning floral print from Sly Fox Fabrics to make my Hazel dress. They have a 30% off sale happening right now! This fabric is a very lightweight Rayon Spandex. With my height adjustment, I was able to squeeze this out of a two yard cut of fabric. I did the lower cut neckline which is pretty, but I little wider than I love. Perhaps, if I used something a little sturdier for the band it would have pulled in a bit. I used the matching fabric for the drawstrings. These I sewed narrow tubes, and turned them with a tube turner to make them easy. A bodkin made threading the tubes through the channels easy as well.

Next up: The Shirt.

I have been hoarding this stars and stripes, named Becky, print from Stitchin’ Pretties since early summer I believe. This is also a Rayon Spandex, but a heavier one than the floral print. I would compare the weight and feel to a jersey. I couldn’t decide what I wanted to make with it, until now! I know this would be perfect for a Hazel tunic. I planned to pair this tunic with dark washed jeans for a neater look.

You can pick up a copy of Hazel here Bella Sunshine Designs.

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Also today only is the $5 Sunday Sale on the Emmaline Dress from Bella Sunshine! Here is my orginal blog post review for the Emmaline Dress.

Here is the Aff. Link for you to pick it up while on super sale!

Simple Dress vs.

Chevron Dress

Before I wrap this up, let me guide you over to the House of Curves. We now have a blog that is up and running. Myself and Becky, another curvy sewist, did a review for the BSD Hazel pattern and for some extra fun, We are giving away a copy of the pattern. So go check it out here!!!

As always this post contains affiliate links.

Lucky Girl

Are you a LUCKY GIRL? Are you wearing the Lucky Girl Top? Lindsey and the tester team worked hard to get this great top ready for you. This is the first test I have been able to do for Ellie and Mac in a few months. I feel like I am back in my game!

So let’s talk about my shirt and  its options first! I made the tunic length because that is what I am most comfortable wearing. I also have made the split banded sleeve. There is an option to do a tie sleeve if you prefer. The step by step directions made it easy to make these sleeves. I used my serger to finish the edge of my sleeve opening and then my sewing machine to top stitch it. I often find the serged edge makes it easier for me to fold over and hem anything.  I graded from a 4x armscye to the 5x at the bicep then back to the 4x at the elbow. I didn’t want to work out a bicep adjustment for this type of sleeve honestly. I don’t even know where Id begin, unless I put the two pieces together, then bicep adjusted, then split again. That would probably work. Not sure, 4x to 5x worked too.

In addition to the sleeve options, you can choose from 3 length options plus you can do bands on the hem lines. So potentially you can make 6 different lengths! The top comes in PDF download form in sizes XXS to 5X.

I got this print fabric from KSews. I believe it is a rayon poly blend jersey. We think. 🙂 It has a nice two way stretch, but I think the pattern called for 4 way. I love the black and white stripes and the little red cherries that pop out everywhere.

If you love this pattern also, you can pick it up here!

Lucky Girl is on sale for $3.85 AND  When you are adding this pattern to your cart, be sure to add the Feel Frisky Panties. They are free with any purchase through tomorrow, Jan. 31. So 2 patterns for under 4 bucks!

Have you signed up to win free patterns from DIBY and Red Apple Sewing yet? The raffle link is HERE.

Also don’t forget you can save on one pattern purchase from DIBY using this code. 🙂

 

• You can follow my blog by clicking the Follow button on the right side of my blog.
• You can follow me on Instagram by clicking here.
• You can follow me on Facebook by clicking here.

This blog post contains Affiliate Links. This means that when you make a purchase from one of my blog links, I receive a small commission. This doesn’t change the price for you, but is a little Thank You to me! It also helps me to buy more fabric to show you new and upcoming patterns. So thank you!!

HOC Week 5 – Red Apple Sewing and DIBY Club

I can’t believe we are at Week 5 of #Breakallthedamnrules already. January is zooming past and we are closing in on February. Another morning of snow falling here in Ohio. It looks nice, but we already have way too much. School was closed everyday last week and the weather channel says record breaking lows this week so at least we have that to look forward too!

This week our give away sponsors have both offered up a free pattern of your choice so let’s talk about them for just a minute!

Red Apple Sewing is a new design company just starting to get their feet wet. I have made 4 of her patterns already and have loved each one. She even drafted one on the fly for me because I wasn’t able to find what I needed. RAS patterns are drafted specifically to your needed size. No more making bicep and bust adjustments. No more grading. No more guessing on length. Jessica does all the work for you. You choose printer set up, stretch percentage, fabric type and sleeve lengths and also give her a list of your measurements and she will draft it for you. It really is a sweet deal! Give her patterns a look and let me know what you think!

DIBY.Club is a wide range, meet all your needs kinda place! They offer both men’s and women’s patterns in trendy stylish designs. She has a nice selection of free patterns and the largest size range of the companies I sew for going up to sewing size 36. I have sewn many DIBY patterns as a tester and on my own. I enjoy the well written patterns and the videos when I need help. In addition to offering a free pattern for the giveaway, DIBY was kind enough to offer a special discount to all my readers. 25% off one pattern of your choice if you use the code HOC19 at checkout! It is like creating your own sale!

Please support both of the businesses and show them some love!!

Don’t forget to visit the Raffle link at the bottom of this post to sign up to WIN 2 amazing patterns!!

We already know I recently did a #breakallthedamnrules post with this plaid RAS vest! You can read it here. I still love it!! The pattern is still in the works as Jessica got a new grandbabe this week. 🙂

Here are two examples of my adding an ‘almost solid’ contrasting color to a busy floral print while wearing DIBY patterns. You can read my post about The Mae Poncho here and The Adrianne here.

But my wildest print matching was the Anna skirt is a wild floral matched with subtle pink and white stripes. I planned to link you to it but apparently my post has gone MIA. My photos are in my gallery, but no post to be found. So today, I will blog about Anna. 🙂 ETA: Lucky for me with some additional digging, I found the blog post I had written, discovered it was done during a blogging time out I took and just missed posting it. So here we go…

Picture this….In a time, long ago….before there was 20 inches of snow in my front yard….the sun was shining….the birds were chirping…and I was rocking this A-line skirt with sandals! That is when I wrote this post Mid October…

……So you may have noticed I took a little mini break from the blogging and sewing world, sometimes it is necessary. I needed a few days away to do some non-stressful sewing. I finished some blocks for a quilt block swap and am about 95% done with a T-shirt quilt. I have a few tests in the works, but I have several things I haven’t shared with you yet.

Today, I am sharing the Anna Skirt from the DIBY.club. I have seen literally dozens of people asking for a denim button down skirt in sewing groups and I think this one will fit the bill. 

 

I didn’t use denim, but my fabric is a woven. It is heavier than quilting cotton, but not quite home dec weight. If you have seen some of the other testers, this also looks amazing in a stretch corduroy. I bought some recently, but have my heart set of making pants with it.  

 

I sewed up the size 28 and made zero adjustments. I love when that happens. I do, however, have a confession to make. I sewed this entire skirt with the wrong seam allowance. There is a ton of top stitching in this pattern. In the end my skirt was something like 5 inches longer than my waist band. Trust me, you can’t ‘ease in’ 5 inches on a woven skirt. Out came the seam ripper and I set to work, kicking myself the entire time. Double checking the seam allowances and getting back to stitching. This time went more quickly as I knew what to do. 

 

 

• Print-at-home PDF pattern files in both women’s misses and plus sizes (sizes 00-36) 

• US Letter, A4 and A0 Copy Shop formats 

• No trim pages 

• Size layers so you can print only the sizes you need 

• Complete sewing instruction ebook with our Perfect Fit custom fit adjustment tutorials 

After purchase, your PDF pattern and instructions will be available immediately in your DIBY Club account. 

This is why I can’t wear skirts in public. 🙂

 

PATTERN OPTIONS 

• Lengths: Mini // Knee // Midi // Maxi 

• Rise: High Rise // Midrise 

• Options: Patch Pockets // Belt Loops 

SUITABLE FOR 

• Experienced beginner sewists and beyond 

• Bottomweight wovens with no stretch or stretch fabrics with strong recovery 

Here is the link to pick up your copy of Anna.

Don’t forget to use the exclusive HOC19 code to save 25% on any pattern you choose.

Here is this weeks Raffle Link.

A Rafflecopter Giveaway

 

Virginia Tank 2.0

So yesterday I told you about my black and white striped DBP tank! Today I am talking about my second tank. I used the 1 yard cut of  this colorful Mandela type print. I like busy prints, obviously. I have been throwing prints in your face for weeks and preaching that you should be wearing them as well. I like prints because they hide a multitude of sins that usually come in the form of lumps and bumps and rolls on my body. I am all about you should love yourself and work with what you got, but I also don’t wish to draw attention to areas I want to minimize. Personally, that isn’t good for my self-esteem. This print is kinda amazing though. I love it, I am praying it restocks soon. I think this will make an amazing dress for spring.

When your print has all these amazing colors in it, you can pair it with anything! I am wearing a super bold teal beaded necklace in my pics! Sometimes, all you need are awesome accessories to go from casual to snazzy!

Today I am not breaking the prints rules, but I am working on an amazing pattern hack tutorial. I will be using some another amazing Sly Fox Print and it isn’t a stripe and it isn’t a floral! Trust me, it will be epic!

Again here are all the options for Virginia. 🙂

• Tank top with optional built-in bra
• Separate full bust adjustment (FBA) pattern pieces for the tank and bra
• Knee length or Maxi length skirt
• Skirt can be made from woven or knit fabric
• Tank top has two neckline options in the front and two neckline options in the back
• Dress can be made with knit waistband or elastic casing
• Maternity option
• Pockets!
• Sizes XXS-5XL
• Matching girls’ option! Check out the Girls’ Virginia Tank & Maxi and get 10% off when you buy both patterns at once!

Pattern Links

Here is the link to the Women’s pattern.

Here is the link to the Girl’s pattern.

So since this is a House of Curve #Breakallthedamnrules post I must remind you to hurry and sign up to win a $25 shop credit to Sly Fox Fabrics! You too can wear these amazingly versatile stripes!! Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram and Facebook!! Use the code #Breakallthedamnrules Today is the last day to sign into the raffle to win from Sly Fox Fabrics! Click Below!

Here is the post where you will find the raffle link! 

• You can follow my blog by clicking the Follow button on the right side of my blog.
• You can follow me on Instagram by clicking here.
• You can follow me on Facebook by clicking here.

This blog post contains Affiliate Links. This means that when you make a purchase from one of my blog links, I receive a small commission. This doesn’t change the price for you, but is a little Thank You to me! It also helps me to buy more fabric to show you new and upcoming patterns. So thank you!!

HOC Virginia Tank

So this is my second show and share from Sly Fox Fabrics week! I purposely ordered 2 different 1 yard cuts with the plan to make some great tank tops! I love wearing tank tops around the house, under shirts when it is freezing cold out, and of course, when I am mixing up my prints! I spent some time recently perusing Pinterest to come up with some trendy fashion ideas for my plus size self. If I am super honest with all of you, I spend a lot of time perusing Pinterest for sewing ideas. I have been making an effort to pin more and screenshot less. Do you follow me on Pinterest? Here is my link. While there, I discovered I really needed a black and white horizontal striped shirt. I wear stripes…a lot of stripes, but I didn’t have one single shirt that was all stripes. I ordered this amazing black and white double brushed poly print from Sly Fox Fabrics. I  knew it would be perfect for my plan!

I paired my Black and White tank with the super sassy, super girly, super shortie short skirt. I have had this skirt in my drawer for no less than five years. I picked it up at the Goodwill because I loved the print. I have not worn it one time. Not one single time. As a matter of fact, I had to cut that plastic pricing marker off to take pics. Someday, I hope to wear super pretty skirts for more than photos but the truth is, I don’t know how to sit like a lady. 🙂 I also wore this black belt that I have had for years and black suede boots with this outfit.

Puppy Playtime!

Why it works: Black and White small scale stripes with the graphic print of the skirt which also contains black and white. I love how the black boots and belt don’t compete with the fabrics instead they compliment.

I used the Virginia pattern from 5 out of 4. I have also made myself and Momma Mia matching Virginia maxis from this pattern. She also has a few knee length tank dresses in her stash from this pattern. You can see those dresses here. It is a great pattern to meet some needs in the ‘basics’ sections of my closet.

All the options for Virginia 🙂

• Tank top with optional built-in bra
• Separate full bust adjustment (FBA) pattern pieces for the tank and bra
• Knee length or Maxi length skirt
• Skirt can be made from woven or knit fabric
• Tank top has two neckline options in the front and two neckline options in the back
• Dress can be made with knit waistband or elastic casing
• Maternity option
• Pockets!
• Sizes XXS-5XL
• Matching girls’ option! Check out the Girls’ Virginia Tank & Maxi and get 10% off when you buy both patterns at once!

Pattern Links

Here is the link to the Women’s pattern.

Here is the link to the Girl’s pattern.

So since this is a House of Curve #Breakallthedamnrules post I must remind you to hurry and sign up to win a $25 shop credit to Sly Fox Fabrics! You too can wear these amazingly versatile stripes!! Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram and Facebook!! Use the code #Breakallthedamnrules

Here is the post where you will find the raffle link! 

 

• You can follow my blog by clicking the Follow button on the right side of my blog.
• You can follow me on Instagram by clicking here.
• You can follow me on Facebook by clicking here.

This blog post contains Affiliate Links. This means that when you make a purchase from one of my blog links, I receive a small commission. This doesn’t change the price for you, but is a little Thank You to me! It also helps me to buy more fabric to show you new and upcoming patterns. So thank you!!

HOC Week 4- Sly Fox Fabrics

We have crossed the halfway point gang! I hope you are having as much fun as I am. This post is a little bit different. So last week our winner was LeighAnn!! Congrats and enjoy shopping at Bella Sunshine Designs. Now on to this week’s prize!

I reached out to Sly Fox Fabrics and begged them to sponsor a giveaway prize for this weeks House of Curves #Breakallthedamnrules series. Just kidding, I didn’t have to beg and they still went above and beyond. First off, they donated a $25 store credit to one lucky winner! That teamed up with $6.99 flat rate shipping…becomes a super amazing prize! And this is where they went “above and beyond.’ The Foxes also let me pick 6 yards of Double Brushed Poly to create my looks with!! This was beyond amazing and I quickly ordered some great prints. Then I placed an additional order as a super “Thank You for hooking me up!” So let’s get started with my first look.

Today, I am going to make some adjustments to The Dashing Dress I shared several posts ago. Mostly, I wanted to shorten the bodice so it would hit me at a more flattering spot. So as you know I have already made my dress with Charisma (Rayon Spandex) from Sly Fox Fabrics.

See where the waist and bodice meet…the largest part of my belly which draws attention to my rolls. Not my happy place. Not cute! I wouldn’t wear this in public as is.

So Step 1:

Cut off the seam between the bodice and skirt. There was so reason to pick out that serged seam and honestly my patience wouldn’t allow it. I found using sharp sewing shears was more accurate than a rotary cutter. As a side note I love my Tula Pink Shears. They match my Tula Pink Rotary cutter that Lindsey from Ellie and Mac sent me! I love them! Did I mention that? Snip Snip, they cut like butta!

Step 2:

Now you have 2 pieces again.

Step 3:

To shorten the bodice by 2.5 inches, I laid the bodice out flat being careful not to have any wrinkles and to line the edge up neatly. I used a quilting ruler to cut a long continuous cut. I used a rotary cutter for this.

Now you will reattach the bodice to skirt in the same manner as the original directions. And you get….

TA- DA So much better. 

OK now Let’s #Breakallthedamnrules with this dress! This is where my NEW Sly Fox Fabric comes into play. I used this gorgeous purple, black and ivory  Double Brushed Poly plaid to make a Sleeveless Knee Length Cardigan.

So my hunt began for a sleeveless vest as soon as I decided what I wanted to do. I asked for some pattern recommendations on Facebook and Jessica from Red Apple Sewing quickly offered to draft one just for me. In case you don’t know Red Apple Sewing is a newer pattern company that is just starting out making custom patterns. What you don’t know is, they are one of our prize sponsors for next week. 🙂

My request for Jessica was simple. Sleeveless vest, must hit at knee length and be made from knit fabric. She drafted it to my personal measurements, my personal seam allowance requests, and my fabric type and stretch percentages. Signed, Sealed, and Delivered. I kick myself for not begging for pockets also.

So why does this combo work? The dress is a very colorful and a fun wild print. The plaid is darker, with a more muted print. The purple helps to tone down the wild print. Both pieces will work well together or separate! I am so happy to have these two pieces in my closet.

Let’s Talk about the Patterns

 The Dashing Dress you can pick it up here. Currently it is 40% off along with every other pattern at Ellie and Mac.

Red Apple Sewing– This vest pattern is just in the beginning phases, but it will be available soon. Stop by and check out the other Made to Measure patterns!

Here is the link to join this weeks give away for a $25 Shop Credit from Sly Fox Fabrics!

A Rafflecopter Giveaway

 

• You can follow my blog by clicking the Follow button on the right side of my blog.
• You can follow me on Instagram by clicking here.
• You can follow me on Facebook by clicking here.

This blog post contains Affiliate Links. This means that when you make a purchase from one of my blog links, I receive a small commission. This doesn’t change the price for you, but is a little Thank You to me! It also helps me to buy more fabric to show you new and upcoming patterns. So thank you!!

Jenny Cross Front Tunic

When the tester call came out for a cross front tunic, I was skeptical. I have made several wrap tops, most weren’t wearable. I prefer a little more coverage than most wrap tops provide. So like any good tester, I signed up. 🙂 I believe my response was something like, “I will trust 5oo4. Rachelle won’t let me down.” She didn’t! I love this top. I want to make more!

The banded cross front panel has clear elastic sewn in the band to keep it in place and held snug. This keeps the band snug against my body. In addition to the banded cross over, the shirt also creates a tulip front bottom hem. Another nice feature is the dolman sleeve in two lengths. I choose to make the curved back hem, but the pattern includes a straight hem options as well.

Along with this cross front top, this pattern includes a slim fit tank top with two different necklines. I sewed the lower neckline option and it still provides enough coverage to keep my shirt plenty modest. The 5oo4 website describes Jenny with these bullets.

• Semi-fitted dolman style sleeves WITHOUT the big batwing!  This drop shoulder style is comfortable and stylish!
• Both regular and full bust adjustment (FBA) pattern piece included
• Short sleeves or long sleeves
• Back hem can be curved or straight
• Modesty tank with two necklines included

Since we are still celebrating #Breakallthedamnrules around here, I threw on my plaid jacket in perfect complimenting colors! Color and pattern scale make this look work here. I choose matching boots and earrings as well. Tonight is the last night to sign up for the week 3 drawing for a $20 shop credit to Bella Sunshine Designs! Did you sign up yet? What are you waiting for? Here is the link to the give away.

A Rafflecopter Giveaway

This fun print is from Sly Fox Fabrics. It is a double brushed poly called Saucy. Here is the link. It is currently on sale for 20% off, but only until midnight tonight EST! Also don’t forget Sly Fox Fabrics has flat rate shipping for $6.99 on any order in the US.

Sly Fox Fabric is sponsoring the next week here at my blog and Trust me, you don’t want to miss a minute of the fun!

Pick up the Jenny Crop Front Tunic with included Modesty Tank pattern here.

It is currently on sale for $6.95 for the Women’s Version. Size range from XXS-5X.

• You can follow my blog by clicking the Follow button on the right side of my blog.
• You can follow me on Instagram by clicking here.
• You can follow me on Facebook by clicking here.

This blog post contains Affiliate Links. This means that when you make a purchase from one of my blog links, I receive a small commission. This doesn’t change the price for you, but is a little Thank You to me! It also helps me to buy more fabric to show you new and upcoming patterns. So thank you!!

HOC Week 3

Welcome to Week 3 of the House of Curves #Breakallthedamnrules series. Have you made yourself something amazing to wear yet? I hope so! Make sure you are tagging me on Facebook and on Instagram. You can use #sequoialynnsews and #Houseofcurves or #Breakallthedamnrules so I can see you amazing outfits!

OK This week we have another shop credit to give away! This time Bella Sunshine Designs has donated a $20 shop credit!! I wear a lot of great items from Bella Sunshine Designs. Their size range is from doll size through size 30. For reference in BSD patterns, I wear a 24 bust, which is about a 3x in RTW.

One of my favorite color blocked BSD patterns is this Amelia! You can read about my original Amelia here.

I made this dress last spring and I still adore these prints today! The lined bodice keeps everything in place and makes it comfortable to wear anywhere. Plus, I do love anything with an Empire Waist.

So why does this work? The black in the floral and the polka dots bring the two different prints together. Again, we have to look at the scale here. Large random floral design, smaller organized polka dots.

This dress is sized from 00-30 and it comes with an included Full Bust Adjustment!

Get your patterns here!

Ladies Pattern

Another one of my absolute favorite Bella Sunshine Designs patterns is this one…

The Apple Cardigan. This was actually my second ever blog post! You can read about it here. 

So why does the floral work with the pink stripes? It all comes down to the color and scale. More than a year later I am still wearing it! Sometimes I wear it with my favorite camo slim fit pants “because camo is basically a solid.” 🙂 We will talk about that in a few days. 🙂

Here is another Apple Cardigan I have made. Again, mixing up my prints. 🙂 My original post can be seen here. 

 Here is the link to the Women’s Pattern.  

Have you joined the House of Curves Facebook group yet? Have you added us on Instagram? Are you following my blog??

Now take a minute and Enter this week’s giveaway by clicking below!

A Rafflecopter Giveaway

 

Autumn Spice — HOC style

Sometimes when mixing prints, you will have to get a little creative on how you will split up a pattern for perfect colorblocking and sometimes a pattern is already perfect for it. That is 100% the case with the Autumn Spice top. This pattern already comes split for 3 different colors.

This is the Autumn Spice with the above the bust color blocking. You also get a pattern for the color blocking to begin below the bust. It’s a 2 for 1 pattern. 🙂 I knew right away I wanted to use stripes across my shoulders and work my way down. Another awesome thing about color blocking is you can usually use scraps!! All 3 of my pieces of fabric were scraps that wouldn’t be large enough for a garment itself. Plus it feels good to have 3 more scraps out of my stash.

I love that this top wears comfortably like a regular T-shirt, but is a little fancier. Curved hi lo hemming is a nice detail on any top, and I prefer the hi lo at my hips. Even though I didn’t test this pattern for Ellie and Mac, I didn’t hesitant to purchase it.

I love that this top definitely meets the requirements for #Breakallthedamnrules. But Why does it work?

This combo is working mostly off of the color. Black is in the stripes and the flowers, red is in the floral print and the bottom solid. Also in my book, stripes and floral will always look good when the scale is right. The small stripes with mid size flowers looks good. What if I had used a large stripe? I feel they would overpower the mid size floral print and create a different look all together. Are you playing along with the House of Curves #Breakallthedamnrules series? Are you tagging me on Instagram and in Facebook? I would LOVE to see what you’re making! Also did you join in the raffle to win a store credit of $25 dollars at Ellie and Mac? The raffle is on the post. Hurry!! Today is the last day on this one!

Let’s Talk about the fabrics!

The top stripe and the bottom red are both DBP. The black and white stripes are from Stitchin’ Pretties. Stitchin’ Pretties donated a prize to my week 1 giveaway as well as my New Year’s Eve party! Only 2 more days are left in the huge blowout sale over there so get to moving! The red solid is from Sly Fox Fabrics. They are our week four giveaway sponsor and are running an awesome deal of $6.99 flat rate shipping in the US! My middle floral print is a rayon spandex that I picked up from Sew Blessed. They sponsored a give away for my New Year’s Eve party and always has great deals. These are the 3 companies I shop at. I would say 95% of my garment fabrics come from one of them.

Let’s Talk about the Pattern!

Here are your options:

Curved hem

Above and below bust color block bodice options

Relaxed fit

Three sleeve length options

No trim pattern pages for quick and easy assembly

Layers printing feature is included for this pattern for your convenience.

Here is the link!

Women’s Autumn Spice It is currently 40% off along with all the patterns at Ellie and Mac in celebration of the New Year!! 

So go get the pattern, go enter my drawing for a store credit, and GO GET TO SEWING!

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This blog post contains Affiliate Links. This means that when you make a purchase from one of my blog, I receive a small commission. This doesn’t change the price for you, but is a little Thank You to me! It also helps me to buy more fabric to show you new and upcoming patterns. So thank you!!