Maritime Shorts: Blast from the Past

Posted on July 4, 2014 by oliver's fancy

Note: Happy fourth of July to all my American friends! I’ve been trying to get this post published for several days but just now finally was able to finish it up. Sorry that it’s not super festive for this holiday weekend. I did actually manage to pull together some matching patriotic tanks for the boys (finished this morning-lol) but you’ll have to wait until next week to see those! maritime shorts- new pics (1 of 2)

So this pair of shorts is actually from last summer and never got blogged…because they just now fit! I made this pair of maritime shorts as my wearable muslin version, and I think I was dreaming about the reality of my after-baby body and they ended up being way too small. Yeah, oops. Well anyway I am happy to report that they do, indeed (mostly) fit me now as long as I haven’t eaten too much ice cream the day before. 😉

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Chambray+Meadow Tiny Pocket Tank

Posted on June 9, 2014 by oliver's fancy

In my previous summer sewing post, I alluded to the fact that I had finished one of the items on my first wish list and here I am to share it with you. I am pretty pumped about this tank because it was one of those ideas that I had in my head and it actually turned out as well as I had pictured! I have seen a couple of color-blocked tanks and tank dresses around the inter webs (Sew Caroline has a version here) and really wanted to make a version of my own. I made one of these tanks last year, (blogged here) had some trouble getting it fitted correctly since I had just recently birthed a baby and my body was a bit out of proportion. V. happy to report I re-measured myself for this tank, was able to go down several sizes this time, and ended up with a much better fit! Yay for body normalcy finally returning.

Pattern: Tiny Pocket Tank by Grainline Studios, size 8.

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Sugar Pop Top V 2.0

Posted on May 5, 2014 by oliver's fancy

I wanted to get one more top in before Selfish Sewing Week and Spring Top Sewalong were over. Technically Selfish Sewing week is over now, but since I finished this on Saturday, I’m still counting it! If you follow my IG account- @oliversfancy, last week I asked for advice on which fabric to use for my SPT version 2.0 and then realized I had forgotten about the Art Gallery fabric I bought specifically for this purpose. So, for my IG peeps thanks for all your input and I will come back to those fabrics at some point soon, but, first, here is my AGF version of the Sugar Pop Top.

Art Gallery quilting cottons are a higher quality than normal quilting cotton and therefore are a really nice weight for garments. I love how lightweight and breezy this top turned out. But yet, it’s got enough substance that I don’t need to wear a tank under it. Perfect for the summer heat! Also can we talk about how cute this fabric is? I just love it! I picked it up at a quilting store in Asheville, but you can find some online at the Fat Quarter Shop here.

For this version, I added about 1.5 to the hem. I made the size L again but took in the sides 1/4″. I may try the size M next time and see how that works for me because I have plenty of room in this top. I also lowered the bust darts 1/2″. I wasn’t super scientific in my dart-lowering and one dart ended up being a teensy bit lower than the other one but other than that, they turned out really well.

The Sugar Pop Top is a new pattern from Sew Caroline and is available for purchase here. It’s on my must-sew list for cute, spring and summer tops. You can check out my previous SPT here. What is on your must-sew top list? Any new patterns I need to know about? I’m always on the look-out for great patterns!