Carol and Tamlyn’s Summer challenge!
I’m really excited to share my blog post with you all.
The lovely ladies at FF suggested that this year we take a slightly different approach with our blogging, it’s always good to mix things up and keep it fresh!
So, some of the blog team have signed up to running challenges on our blog months and this month it is my turn, I was tasked to choose a partner and also a theme.
I thought long and hard over this and finally decided to choose my lovely friend Tamlyn as my challenge partner, as I really admire all she does and love her unique sense of style and her skill as a maker!
Then scratched my head again about what our challenge should be. I settled in the end for SUMMER. I wanted to keep the challenge wide open to interpretation but for me I knew straight away what I wanted to make!!
The Tilly and the Buttons Indigo dress. Now I must confess that I didn’t love the pattern straight away it was a bit of a slow burn for me, I only made the pattern up for the first time earlier this year, but I really love it and wear it all the time. So, I knew I had to have a second Indigo in my wardrobe for this summer.
I spent some time perusing the lovely summer fabrics on the Felicity Fabrics website and finally settled on this sweet little cotton poplin, it’s the prettiest shade of blue with tiny little white polka dots all over it!
I made the standard size 7 which is my usual size in a TATB pattern and only made a couple of minor alterations, I lengthened the bodice by 3 inches and the top skirt section by 4 inches, this gives me great length.
I’ve taken some pics of my make styled two ways, one with my Havianas and shades for Summer and also for the colder Autumn with chunky boots and a hand knit sweater, I hope you find this inspirational?
The cotton poplin gives my Indigo great structure and always looks so crisp and clean in the sunshine, but unfortunately it is sadly now out of stock. However, I’d like to take this opportunity to make some other suggestions from the great selection which Felicity Fabrics have for the new season.
So, my first choice I think might need lining, but the fabric is so lovely I think it would definitely be worth the effort.
https://felicityfabrics.co.uk/shop/jade-white/
This one is such fun, it would be absolutely adorable as an Indigo.
https://felicityfabrics.co.uk/shop/cotton-safari-white/
The flat double gauze is such a pretty shade, I totally fell for this when I saw the recent blogger make by Liz (The baker that sews)
https://felicityfabrics.co.uk/shop/flat-double-gauze-sage/
Then my next two are both Viscose, I really think either would make a lovely Indigo, so drapey and soft!!
Amelia is such a lovely shade of blue, but I also think the Olivia Black Viscose would be super as a transitional Indigo, it would look great with some chunky boots and sweater as well as with strappy sandals and shades!
As I’m writing this, I’m currently totally unaware of how the fabulous Tamlyn has interpreted the challenge and I’m really excited to see what she’s made!!??
But whatever it is I’m sure it’s going to be fabulous!
Carol xx
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When Carol suggested the theme of this joint blog, I was super happy! Summer is definitely my favourite season and it’s the time that I get most excited about my sewing.
When I started thinking about my ideal summer outfit, I had to consider the sorts of things I would be doing over the warmer months. Well, I have a 3 year old son, so our summer will consist of days out to the beach, the farm, the park – the list goes on. So I definitely need outfits that will be practical, while still keeping me cool and also having the potential to layer up. For these reasons, I opted for a two piece outfit – a top and shorts combo that will see me through the summer months and beyond!
The shorts pattern was easy to choose – my recent obsession has been the Gracie Steel Foxie Boxies, a comfy and cool shorts pattern with an oversized boxy fit, high rise and deep elasticated waistband. This is the FIFTH version I have made, and I still don’t feel like I’m done with this pattern. There has also been a recent update to the pattern – it now comes in a long version which I definitely want to try!
When it came to choosing the fabric, I headed to the Felicity Fabrics website in search of a light-medium weight woven. I was immediately drawn to the Dalmation Viscose Twill – I don’t usually wear light colours but I thought this would be really easy to pair up with a black top. I also loved that it had the potential to be dressed up or down, adding to the versatility of it. The fabric itself sewed up beautifully – it pressed really well and behaved itself at all stages (including hemming and all of that topstitching through the waistband). Unfortunately this fabric is sold out now, but I think these would make a fantastic pair of Foxie Boxies:
For the top, I really wanted a fitted style vest top. I have a couple of RTW ones from years ago that I’m clinging onto because I love the style, but they’ve definitely seen better days! Enter the Sommar Camisole by Paradise Patterns – a tight fitting top featuring a built in shelf bralette, front scoop neck and a back straight neckline. The top comes in two lengths – cropped or hip length. I opted for cropped as I thought it would sit really nicely above the high-waisted shorts. The pattern is designed for knits with elastane and I found the perfect fabric on the FF website: Viscose Jersey in black. It would also look amazing in:
Sewing up this pattern was an absolute dream. The instructions are so comprehensive, even telling you at each step what your zig-zag stitch length and width settings should be – genius! The process of choosing your size is very thorough too, with detailed measurements including upper and under bust. If you’re looking for a knit cami pattern with a professional looking finish that will be a staple in your wardrobe, look no further than the Sommar – I can’t recommend it highly enough.
I hope we have provided you with some Summer sewing inspiration.
Thank you for reading,
Tamlyn xx
