Itch-to-Stitch Sequoia Pants and Shorts

This is a pattern I have been looking forward to making since it came out. I like the style (with lots of pockets) and I figured it challenge me in some ways to make. Plus, I like trying a variety of different pants patterns in particular since pants take more effort to fit comfortably.

I made a shorts version of this pattern (the PDF pattern includes shorts and pants). In all honesty, I was pleasantly surprised at the fit and comfort of the shorts. I have only used these patterns for tops before, so I was unsure of what to expect. I made very few adjustments to get the fit I wanted.

The first pair that I made was what I considered to be a wearable muslin.

The only thing that was different (at least for me) was the waist band construction. Thankfully, there’s additional help on a blog post with lots of photos that make it very clear and explain the written instructions. These patterns are pretty straight-forward with regard to instructions, so I that is something that I really appreciate. But, they are generally simple enough to understand for the beginner as well.

The second pair is made from stretch cotton twill that I had in my stash. I used snaps for the fly closure, but I did not add snaps to the back pockets as the pattern suggests. Once the edge-stitching was done on the top of the pocket flaps, I didn’t really find it necessary. But you could also use Velcro instead. The only change I made to this was to cut the waist band ribbing and elastic about an inch shorter. I wanted a bit tighter fit around the waist, and this worked out perfectly.

I definitely want to make the pants version in the Fall for cooler weather!

If you’re interested in getting this pattern, here’s a link you can use to buy your own PDF pattern!

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Lace Cardi With (OOP) McCall’s 4923

A couple of weeks ago, I spent two days going through all of my patterns in order to try to bring some organization to it all. In the midst of doing all that, I found some patterns that I had forgotten about and some I thought I had lost or gotten rid of. This particular pattern is one that I had completely forgotten about. I had made a version of this years ago using black lace and it became one of my favorites.

The pattern is for different cardigans and a top (basically like a twin set). This time around, I made View D without the trim at the edges. I like that it’s simple an easy to make, but with classic styling. I also like that I didn’t have to deal with putting buttons or closures for this one.

McCall's 4923

This is a nice sweater to have in the summer when it’s hot outside, but cold inside. It seems to give just enough coverage so as to not overheat or be uncomfortable indoors.

This particular pattern is also different in that it is collarless. All of my other patterns that I’ve used have a collar, so this is just a different look and option. That might be something to think about if you like to go on Ebay to look for out-of-print patterns.

If you have this one, it’s certainly worth thinking about making. It doesn’t take long to make and could probably be constructed in about 2 hours.

Summertime Top with McCall’s 7360

I’ve been wardrobe building with tops recently, specifically woven tops. The latest is made with McCall’s 7360.

I used this using View A. It’s basically a Henley top made from woven fabric rather than knit. It’s got some nice variations as well so this could be used in most seasons.

The alterations for making this involved what has become a standard for me lately – the FBA. For this top I would recommend using a soft cotton or cotton blend. You definitely don’t want any fabric that’s too stiff since you want to garment to be comfortable and move with you. As I said above, this is basically a woven Henley top, so keep that in mind.

This is pretty straight-forward and easy to make. I’m wondering, and might try this another time, if this could be made from a stable (or mostly stable) knit. I have used other patterns that weren’t made for knit patterns and done that and actually liked the results better!