Monday Morning Inspiration/Too Cool To Sweat

It's a rainy, gray, quite cool day in Chicago this morning. I so love days like this. Feels like the universe has given me a blanket to snuggle into. 

I recently shared that I was having a problem with getting pictures from my phone onto the blog. Well, low and behold, one day, everything just came through, like magic. It all seems to be working just fine at this point. I think there are mean little trolls that live in "the internet cloud" who just enjoy having a little fun with us. I think that once they had their fun with me, they released my pictures ;) Whatever, I'm just happy to have it all working once again!

Last week, I shared the romper I made using the Ellie and Mac pattern. I loved it so much that I made another in brown. For those of you who are following my shoe collection...I even bought a new pair of booties to wear with the outfit. You'll see them soon :) I'm typically not a person to wear sweatpants and sweatshirts, but this pattern made me a new convert.

With the thought of wanting some sweatshirt inspiration, something a little less ordinary, I began to look, and found some fun ideas.

Adding a placket down center front, and doing lace up ties really takes this sweatshirt beyond typical.  

I love the idea of a wrapped/overlapped front. Adding the ties with a ring closure makes it all the more special.

Here's another example where they played with the an asymmetrical design.

With this sweatshirt dress, a simple ribbon belt was stitched on and a ring used to keep it all together. Gives the piece a waist definition without any pattern work.  

A more complicated design, but I so love the tie at the neckline. This would work best with a sweater knit rather than an actual piece of sweatshirt knit.

With this top, the band was cut off the bottom, and an asymmetrical casing sewn in. So easy to do, and eye catching.  

Basically the same design as the top above, just done in a sweater knit.

I LOVE this piece! The curved hemline, and the ties, so cute!!! 

Another top with an overlay, and a side tie. 

I think this is my favorite. I love that the pants have a fly front. As for the top, the wrap around aspect is fabulous!

Here the waistline is accented, but not at all fitted. I also like the small bell-shaped cuff.

Another favorite. This is a take on a piece I did for a Fabulous Free Pattern Friday post that you can see HERE. With this, the back section is cut away and then slashed and spread apart. A tutorial for this will be up soon.

I hope this has spurred your imagination, and maybe inspired you to make your casual wear a little more fashion forward :)

Have a wonderful week!

And keep sewing!!!

Rhonda 

A Sweatsuit With Style

I would usually try and do an inspiration post on Monday morning, but I just have to share a recent make as I am so very happy with the pattern. It's the Off-Shoulder Romper from Ellie and Mac Patterns.

While it looks like 2 pieces, it's actually 1!

I made mine out of a great piece of ponte knit. The top band does not have elastic in it, so the sturdy stretch of the ponte works beautifully to keep the shoulder in place. 

I am not a sweatshirt/pant kind of a person, but I love this!!! As I was putting the piece together, I realized that the pattern is quite versatile. The pants could easily stand on their own, just add a waistband. The top could easily stand on its own. The top portion of the pattern could easily be lengthened to a dress. So, rather than just a romper pattern, it's like a wardrobe pattern. I know that for some, the off the shoulder aspect of the pattern might be uncomfortable. Little straps could easily be added. I have another idea of combining the Chelsea Raglan Tee pattern from Fabrics-store.com and creating a non off the shoulder version, which I think would be just as cute.       

As for the pattern, I absolutely love the pockets. They are just the perfect depth. I walked Berkley yesterday afternoon, put my phone in the pocket and never felt that it might fall out. 

The pattern is on sale!!! Even better :) Once again, you can find it HERE. It's a back to school sale, so I am not sure how long it will run, so if you like the pattern, don't delay. I've already cut a second version. The pattern took me no more than 2 hours to put together, so it's a fast make. That did not include the cutting time. 

I am so pleased with the pattern that I bought 3 more patterns, 1 that was free, and the other 2 were only a dollar...SCORE!!! You'll see those soon, I hope ;)

Have a wonderful week,

And Keep Sewing!!!

Rhonda

P.S.

I am STILL having problems with sending pictures from my phone. I found that if I copy a picture and paste it into an email, it will go through, otherwise, I have no idea where it is going. If by chance you have any advice for me, I would greatly appreciate it. I do need a new phone, and I will be taking care of that later this week, so maybe that will fix the problem.