Sewing Makes Roundup January 2022 edition + Life Updates

Hi friends! I have been sewing!! Finally! Today just happens to be my birthday, and my 40th one at that! I thought I would give you an update and share my latest projects with you today. I was a little quieter on social media at the end of 2021, and it feels so good to be sharing with you again.

I have the details for all my most recent projects, a life update (at the very end), and a video for you today!

Let’s start with the video. You can watch that here.

I seemed to have a color trend this month without even realizing it! I normally tend towards pink, but I have sewn a lot of mustard and burnt oranges and navy more than other colors recently. I still love pink, so maybe I need to add some pink projects in February for Valentine’s Day.

Bottoms

The first category of projects I want to show you are the bottoms I have made. I made one pair of woven pants, two joggers, and a pair of leggings!

True Bias Lander Pants

I made the Lander pants pattern two months ago, and this pair of pants has gotten so much use since then! I love the button front style.

I also love the high waist and wide (but not too wide) legs.

I also especially love how soft this fabric is and how comfortable they are to wear in everyday life!

I wrote a more detailed post about these pants here and you can also see more photos of them here. 

Greenstyle Brassie Joggers

I love wearing comfy joggers, and I wear them so much when I am at home. My favorite pattern for joggers is the Greenstyle Brassie joggers, and I made two pairs this month!

I made this pair in this soft and cozy bamboo cotton french terry from The Fabric Fairy. This is the bengal grass colorway (that looks more green than yellow). I love the soft feel of this fabric, and I plan to buy the black or navy next time I order some.

I also used some camel french terry from The Fabric Snob for another pair of Brassie joggers. This one is more goldish or dark mustard. It has a charcoal heathered textured look due to the wrong side of the fabric being a charcoal/brownish color. When I went to find a link on their website, this particular one was sold out, but they have the same color without the heathered look and contrast backing. You can find that one here.

I made the high-rise version of the pattern for these and love it!

Are you as big of a jogger fan as I am? I have a sew along for the Brassie Joggers here if you want to sew a pair with me or want to watch any of the techniques for sewing them.

I also made one pair of leggings! These are the Cavallos. 

I made this pair to go with a sports bra that I made a few summers ago. You can see the post I wrote when I initially sewed the bra here. Since I am no longer breastfeeding, I removed the nursing clip access and found it was the perfect time to make a pair of matching leggings.

I love that the Cavallos have no inseam and BIG pockets.

They also don’t feel as compressive as other workout leggings patterns to me. 

The feather fabric I used is called Feather Bound and is Athletic Brushed Polyester (ABP) from The Styled Magnolia. 

Tops

I made four different knit tops, using two different patterns.

Friday Pattern Co. Adrienne Blouse

The Adrienne Blouse has sleeve volume and a slim bodice silhouette. 

I made one top using this Navy Double Brushed Poly (DBP) from Knitpop. It is such a perfect fabric for this top! I want several more in solid colors.

I also made one from an ITY from Minerva.

It is such a pretty floral!

I wrote more details about this project here and here.

Helen’s Closet Elliot Sweater

My next knit top project was using the Helen’s Closet Elliot Sweater pattern. I made one top in a bamboo spandex from The Fabric Fairy to wear with my Lander pants.

The pattern has different hem length options, and this is the crop view. 

I love that the turtleneck is wider and looser and does not choke me. It feels really comfortable to wear. It kind of flops over in this fabric, but I like it!

I also made another Elliot sweater in a bamboo rib knit I got from Blackbird Fabric. This color is called Wisteria. 

I used the neckband option on the pattern for this top. I think it makes a great basic cropped tee, and the rib gives it a little texture.

Layers – A Pullover, Cardigan, and Jacket

I made two layering tops to wear out on our colder days as well as a jacket! I used my scraps from my Brassie joggers for pullover and cardigan and my Lander scraps for the jacket. I was happy to be able to make so much out of each fabric and have very few scraps left over.

FibreMood Didi

The Didi is an oversized drop shoulder pullover with a nice zipper detail and big collar.

The Didi pattern states it is for knit fabrics, but I did not find anywhere in the pattern that indicated the minimum stretch required. This French Terry has minimal stretch, and I went with the smaller size (I am between sizes). I think the sizing turned out perfect so feel free to use any knit fabric regardless of how much stretch it does or does not have. I did add length to the cuffs and bottom band since this fabric is not stretchy. I would have rather used a rib knit, but I did not have one that matched that well.

I DO NOT plan to wear them with these joggers, but alas, I did not want to change out of these joggers when I was taking photos! So, imagine this pullover with some jeans or colorful leggings. How would you style it?

I love how the zipper part is done. I first read through the instructions and had no clue how this was going to work out, but once I followed the pattern step-by-step, it all made sense and felt genius! I would love to sew this pattern up again while we still have cold weather.

I used a basic YKK plastic zipper for this one, but I would love to find some unique ones to add even more interest. Do you have a source for unique zippers? 

True Bias Marlo Sweater

Next, I used my left-over bamboo french terry for a Marlo. This is an oversized dropped shoulder garment as well.

This one has a V neck and comes in a cropped or mid-thigh length.

It has wide bands and requires big buttons. The bands really cinch it in to fit snugger around your waist. I used the pattern piece for bands that are made out of non-rib knit. I bet that if I used rib knit, the bands would be more relaxed.

Chalk and Notch Joy Jacket

Ya’ll, I am so excited about this jacket!! The Chalk and Notch Joy Jacket is such a great pattern!

Do you ever finish a project that you just can’t believe that you made it?

That was definitely this one! I mean, it took forever (well, not really but there were times that I felt like I would never finish!). The instructions were very easy to follow, and there wasn’t anything in particular that was hard. It was just very involved, and there were so many pattern pieces.

It is fully lined.

It has a collar option or hood. The hood is a three-piece hood.

The hood has a drawstring casing, and there is also an option for a drawstring casing through the hem.

As far as adjustments, I removed one inch in length from the body and sleeves. I also used a smaller seam allowance through the bicep, elbow, and forearm. 

You can get more details on the blogpost I wrote for this jacket here.  Can you believe I had enough fabric left over from my Lander pants? I ordered 3 meters and had a few moments of doubt that it wouldn’t work. Thankfully, it is easier to play pattern Tetris with solids. 

I made the bottom drawstring long enough to tie a bow, but I think I may take an inch or two more off the length. Does it look like it hangs a little long to you?

Dresses

Last, but not least, I made four dresses!

Deer and Doe Myosotis Dress

The Myosotis dress is an oversized dress with all the ruffles.

I love the shorter length and how it feels to wear.

The bodice has three buttons, a collar, and 6 darts! I felt like the darts were unnecessary since it is not fitted and has so much room. Can you see my scar from my ankle surgery a few months ago in the photo above? It has healed so much!

You can read more about my dress in the post I wrote on it here.

Twig and Tale Driftwood

With my scraps, I made my daughter a Driftwood dress.

This is such a cute peasant-style blouse or dress pattern. It was pretty quick to sew for her too!

You can read more about her dress on the post I wrote on it here.

Friday Pattern Co. Wilder Gown

I also made a Wilder Gown in this gorgeous bird print from Minerva. 

This is a flowy tiered dress with a neckline that has a bow. I left mine untied when I wore it.

I wore this one on New Year’s Eve to ring in the New Year. It was a great dress to be festive while lounging around at home.

You can read more about the dress in the post I wrote on it here.

Ellie and Mac I Love the 90s Dress.

Finally, I made my daughter another I Love the 90s Dress. She picked out this adorable fabric from The Fabric Fairy and asked for a dress from it. 

This babydoll style dress is quick and perfect for cotton lycra. I made her one several months ago in this candy print from Jumping June, and she wears it so much that I knew it would be a winner. Here is the other one I made her.

It was cold outside, and her hem was flipped up, but I think you get the picture. She LOVES that dress. And now she has another one she loves just as much.

Life Updates

This fall – I started a new job (well not new, but one I had taken a break from for five years), both boys played competitive baseball with lots of tournaments and practices, my oldest ran cross country, and I had ankle surgery. It was a full season for sure.

Ankle surgery was tough. In August I sprained my ankle a week before my kids started back to school. After three weeks in a boot and two months of physical therapy, my foot was still not much better. So, I had an MRI and found out that I had a tarsal coalition. It was that moment where all of my random ankle pain that I have had for so long made sense. I was happy to know the cause and sad to be facing surgery.

The doctors said the surgery was not necessary if I did not plan to be that active and could live with the pain. I definitely did not want to live in pain, and I felt like not being active was a death sentence. I turn 40 next week, and the thought of becoming sedentary seemed so bizarre!

So, I had the surgery in October. I was not able to do anything for a week. I was not casted, but I was too swollen for a boot. My husband carried me around or I crawled if I needed to use the restroom. After a few days, a sweet local lady let me borrow her foot scooter. After the first week of immobility, I was able to wear a boot again. Then after a week in the boot, I was in a regular athletic shoe and started physical therapy. After a month of physical therapy, I was walking without a limp and starting to run and jump again!!! 

Writing that all out seems like I had an easy recovery, but I had so many emotional days and pain-filled days. My biggest problem was all the nerve pain. I had nonstop tingling and strange sensations all on top of my foot. I did acupuncture, and it helped (especially with the swelling and constant tingling). I still have random zaps and burning sensations and numbness, but I am about 90-95% of the way better. The only time it still tells me that it is hurt now is when I lay down at night. This too shall pass.

What have you been sewing? Which garment is your favorite of the ones I sewed?

I hope I inspired you in today’s post!  I would love to stay connected with you. You can find me on Instagram. You can subscribe to my YouTube channel HERE. If you want to take a look into the things that inspire me, you can follow me on Pinterest. You may also follow my blog with Bloglovin.

Disclosures

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small compensation when you purchase via my link. This does not cost you anything, and I genuinely appreciate your support. Any and all opinions expressed are still my own.