Hello again, all of you lovely people!
Today I bring you one of my favorite Jalie patterns, as well as a Jalie I had put off making because I was intimidated by it. Also, a couple of pair of well intentioned but questionably hued leggings. Haha.
Here we are, my tiny girl Peaches (almost 2) and me!
First things first, let's start with our shirts. They're Jalie 3245, a pattern I love love love. I've now made a total of six of them, including these two. You can see the other three I've blogged here and here (the sixth has never been documented).
This pattern is designed to be a bit relaxed and I feel like it runs true to size or to the slightly generous end (because: relaxed). I made myself a size V for my 37-38" bust and a size E for Peaches's ~20" chest (and love that she has some room to grow!). I've pondered trying a U for me but wonder if it won't be a tad small. Perhaps I should just bite the bullet and get 'er done next time?
Both of these are the tunic length (there are also design options in the pattern to make half sleeved top or a racerback top or tunic!).
I am a huge fan of Jalie in general; they're my favorite independent pattern company and I was so excited to join their testing team this Winter. I'm a huge fangirl, but I am not an unabashed fan of any pattern company. If I feel something isn't quite right with a pattern, I don't sugarcoat. But man, I love this pattern.
I also love the neck binding technique Jalie uses. Here's a very visual step by step!
4. Fold the binding over the seam to the outside of the garment to meet the stitching line and press.
5. Fold the binding over again to the front of the garment to encase the raw edge. Make sure you don't fold too far that you see any of the neckline seams (white little bit in the upper right photo)
6. Clip/pin and stitch the neckline and voila!
All finished.
But enough about patterns for a sec; time to talk fabric! Here are the wonderful textiles I used to make our outfits:
I had also planned to use a textured deep navy double knit for our leggings, but the color didn't work quite right with the navy of the feather print. The perils of online fabric shopping! I was pretty pleased that these three more or less look pretty nice together, though. An argument for ordering extra to be sure you have enough options that *will* definitely work.
Speaking of the leggings, which were Jalie 2920 for me (also seen last post) and Love Notions Leggin's (FREE!) for Peaches (she's obviously still a bit small for the 2T but I can see these fitting well in the coming months!)...they're a bit nude.
But not quite nude, they're too pale for that. I had a tank top about this color (perhaps a tad darker) when I was in middle school and every time I wore it at least one person told me I looked topless from afar. Not the best choice to make leggings from a color that is *this* close to ones skin tone, but oh well! Sometimes we try things and they don't work out quite like we were hoping. Bahaha.
Also, there's the light colored leggings and kids outside factor (by the way, don't worry, I didn't freeze the girl for these photos, though Winter is a huge issue for getting photos with natural light and kids because it is often too cold. It was 50 degrees when we took these!) MUD finds kiddos like fridges collect magnets.
But no need to dwell on the leggings, they are what they are. Let's go onto this beautiful purple rayon lycra jersey. I love how it pairs with this print and wish I'd had enough of it to use for the sleeves of my raglan...but decided I really wanted to make Jalie Helene cardigan from the rest instead!
I mentioned that I was nervous to make this...I don't know why, since all other Jalies I've made have gone together without a hitch. And I was apprehensive based on the cover photo alone; I hadn't even looked at the directions!
Well, my weirdness was completely unfounded. The way the pocket is created in this is absolute magic (so many Jalie patterns have such ingenuity!) and this is probably the EASIEST Jalie cardigan I've ever made (you can see the others here here here and here). I believe this pattern also requires the least amount of fabric of the Jalie cardigans I've tried. I will definitely be making more Helenes, and probably making the pocket deeper next time (because I CAN!).
That said, even though this fabric fits the callout on the back of the pattern (fluid knit with 40% stretch), this jersey was a bit too light of a choice. I'm not completely unhappy with it, but next time I'd use a firmer fabric such as lighter ponte or double knit so the in seam pocket stays more hidden when worn, as intended, instead of drooping down.
All in all, I'm pretty happy with these outfits of ours, despite Leggingate.
I'll leave you with the reality of Mama and me photos with an almost 2 year old. Because if you've ever dealt with a toddler, I'm sure you can relate!
Jess
Today I bring you one of my favorite Jalie patterns, as well as a Jalie I had put off making because I was intimidated by it. Also, a couple of pair of well intentioned but questionably hued leggings. Haha.
Here we are, my tiny girl Peaches (almost 2) and me!
First things first, let's start with our shirts. They're Jalie 3245, a pattern I love love love. I've now made a total of six of them, including these two. You can see the other three I've blogged here and here (the sixth has never been documented).
This pattern is designed to be a bit relaxed and I feel like it runs true to size or to the slightly generous end (because: relaxed). I made myself a size V for my 37-38" bust and a size E for Peaches's ~20" chest (and love that she has some room to grow!). I've pondered trying a U for me but wonder if it won't be a tad small. Perhaps I should just bite the bullet and get 'er done next time?
Both of these are the tunic length (there are also design options in the pattern to make half sleeved top or a racerback top or tunic!).
I am a huge fan of Jalie in general; they're my favorite independent pattern company and I was so excited to join their testing team this Winter. I'm a huge fangirl, but I am not an unabashed fan of any pattern company. If I feel something isn't quite right with a pattern, I don't sugarcoat. But man, I love this pattern.
I also love the neck binding technique Jalie uses. Here's a very visual step by step!
1. Sew the binding together to form a loop.
2. Pin and Stitch the right side of the binding to the wrong side of the neckline
3. Press flat.
4. Fold the binding over the seam to the outside of the garment to meet the stitching line and press.
5. Fold the binding over again to the front of the garment to encase the raw edge. Make sure you don't fold too far that you see any of the neckline seams (white little bit in the upper right photo)
6. Clip/pin and stitch the neckline and voila!
All finished.
But enough about patterns for a sec; time to talk fabric! Here are the wonderful textiles I used to make our outfits:
I always love a good print, especially in a rayon/cotton blend knit. Though when I received this fabric I did have the thought: when does fashion stop and cultural appropriation begin? And is it really OK for me to be wearing this print with Native American motifs as a white person, or is it fine in the name of fashion? A hard one to answer. Ponderings from a liberal Midwestern bastion.
This particular fabric is now sold out, but you can see some very similar ones still on the site here. I have a particular affinity for this one, which I almost ordered instead of the navy.
This rayon/lycra jersey was even better in person than I dreamed. It really has a pearly sheen to it and worked so perfectly as a coordinate to the purple in the feathers of the print. Sadly this is also sold out, but there is still a rainbow of solid rayon jerseys to be perused on the site!
As a mom I'm always on the lookout for a good cotton/lycra jersey. This one totally fit the bill for use as leggings (though definitely need the butt covered because there's still a bit of a sheerness factor). There aren't any cotton/Lycra jerseys on the site right now, but french terry always makes for a great substitute.
I had also planned to use a textured deep navy double knit for our leggings, but the color didn't work quite right with the navy of the feather print. The perils of online fabric shopping! I was pretty pleased that these three more or less look pretty nice together, though. An argument for ordering extra to be sure you have enough options that *will* definitely work.
Speaking of the leggings, which were Jalie 2920 for me (also seen last post) and Love Notions Leggin's (FREE!) for Peaches (she's obviously still a bit small for the 2T but I can see these fitting well in the coming months!)...they're a bit nude.
But not quite nude, they're too pale for that. I had a tank top about this color (perhaps a tad darker) when I was in middle school and every time I wore it at least one person told me I looked topless from afar. Not the best choice to make leggings from a color that is *this* close to ones skin tone, but oh well! Sometimes we try things and they don't work out quite like we were hoping. Bahaha.
Also, there's the light colored leggings and kids outside factor (by the way, don't worry, I didn't freeze the girl for these photos, though Winter is a huge issue for getting photos with natural light and kids because it is often too cold. It was 50 degrees when we took these!) MUD finds kiddos like fridges collect magnets.
But no need to dwell on the leggings, they are what they are. Let's go onto this beautiful purple rayon lycra jersey. I love how it pairs with this print and wish I'd had enough of it to use for the sleeves of my raglan...but decided I really wanted to make Jalie Helene cardigan from the rest instead!
I mentioned that I was nervous to make this...I don't know why, since all other Jalies I've made have gone together without a hitch. And I was apprehensive based on the cover photo alone; I hadn't even looked at the directions!
Well, my weirdness was completely unfounded. The way the pocket is created in this is absolute magic (so many Jalie patterns have such ingenuity!) and this is probably the EASIEST Jalie cardigan I've ever made (you can see the others here here here and here). I believe this pattern also requires the least amount of fabric of the Jalie cardigans I've tried. I will definitely be making more Helenes, and probably making the pocket deeper next time (because I CAN!).
That said, even though this fabric fits the callout on the back of the pattern (fluid knit with 40% stretch), this jersey was a bit too light of a choice. I'm not completely unhappy with it, but next time I'd use a firmer fabric such as lighter ponte or double knit so the in seam pocket stays more hidden when worn, as intended, instead of drooping down.
All in all, I'm pretty happy with these outfits of ours, despite Leggingate.
I'll leave you with the reality of Mama and me photos with an almost 2 year old. Because if you've ever dealt with a toddler, I'm sure you can relate!
Until next time...happy sewing!
Jess
The cardigan is so pretty in the purple Jess, and the feather is such a fun print and a great match for the purple. The cardigan construction reminds me of their drop pocket cardigan, but it's a little different. I always love Jalie for their cleverness! I almost pulled out the Nico the other day for my daughter, but you reminded me I have 3245 too! She's been eyeing a pink striped cotton in my stash, LOL!
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