Love Notions Allegro Shorts

My favorite thing to wear is anything that is comfortable AND looks cute. So, my outfit consists of secret pajamas. The shorts pattern I used is the Allegro by Love Notions. 

This was my first go at the pattern since it was updated earlier this year, and I am so glad I reprinted and tried it out. The newer pattern has much more room in the rise and crotch and is just a lot more comfy to wear, especially when sitting down! Speaking of sitting down, I also try my elastic on in the sitting position before closing up the waistband and sewing the casing stitches. This is so that when I wear the shorts sitting down in the future, it doesn’t hurt my stomach from being so tight! 

I removed 1.5 inch in length from the 5 inch inseam because I prefer shorter shorts! Maybe it is because I have such short legs, but I feel longer shorts make my legs look even shorter.

Pockets, pockets, and more pockets! These are super functional!

The fabric I used is chambray, and it is a perfect weight for hot weather! I used the same fabric for the drawstring, except I cut the drawstring in half and put 1/4 inch elastic in the back so that I don’t have to untie the bow when I use the restroom. Sorry if TMI!

Greenstyle Green Tee

One of my FAVORITE T Shirt patterns is the Green Tee from Greenstyle. It is a free basic t shirt pattern and is so figure flattering. It skims curves and is comfortable enough to sleep in or can be dressy enough with jeans and heels. Seriously, it is a work horse. 

My favorite fabric for the Green Tee is a t shirt type knit that is not overly stretchy and doesn’t stretch out when I wear it. The cotton modal that Raspberry Creek has is absolutely perfect!

I also have to tell you how happy I am with this V neck!!! 

This is a light purplish color that almost looks white. I like having some basic solids in my closet, but I think when the world returns to normal, I will visit my sweet friend Aimee again. I love when we have crafty days and put HTV on blank shirts we have made! 

Favorite Sewing Notions

When asked what my favorite resources are in the sewing room, I felt like saying, EVERYTHING…. my fabric, my machines, my thread, my scissors… It just takes so much to make the process a breeze! I knew I needed to narrow it down, though, so I thought about the things that have made it a game changer. 

I think my sewing went up another level when I started using a rotary cutter and cutting mat. Cutting became quick, more precise, and I felt like a ninja. The second thing I absolutely felt changed the world were wonder clips. I use them for everything I sew and couldn’t imagine keeping it together without them. When I have areas I have to use pins, I still stab myself!!

Resources

• Love Notions Allegro Shorts in Indigo Blue Chambray
• Greenstyle Green Tee in Orchid Cotton Modal Jersey 

Thanks for stopping by today!  I would love to stay connected with you. You can find me on Instagram. 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 the support. Any and all opinions expressed are still my own.

I received Raspberry Creek’s Spring line in the mail last week, and I have been happily sewing it up, especially since the colors and prints are everything I want to be wearing this spring and summer! For today’s post, I will talk all about the patterns I used as well as the fabric!

Sinclair Patterns Dakota Dress

This was my first time to try a Sinclair pattern. I was immediately drawn to the button front bodice on this pattern, but when it came down to it, I ended up not using the part of the pattern that caught my eye! I thought the buttons may get a little lost in the strawberry field, so I made my life easier and used the solid front option on the pattern!

The Dakota pattern comes in petite, regular, and tall sizes, and I seriously began doubting myself as to which file I should use. I am definitely in the petite range at 5’2,” but I have sewn for myself long enough to know that I have a standard 8 inch side waist and do not fit petite clothing on top. All of my shortness is in my legs, so if I make height adjustments it is only on my bottom half. In my doubt, I consulted my Facebook sewing friend Beth, and she confirmed my gut reaction. So, I downloaded the regular file and made zero alterations to the bodice. My measurements fit squarely into a US size 2 (the XS). On the skirt, I also used the regular file but took one inch out in length. Maybe I could have saved myself time and just printed the petite skirt and used it on the standard bodice? Either way, I LOVE how my dress turned out! The fit is just perfect!

It has an interesting hemline that goes up a little on the sides. It also has POCKETS!

I love all the pinks and reds in this fabric and the pop of green. It reminds me of Strawberry Shortcake! I also love that this dress works for everyday wear or can be dressed up with a cute bag, earrings, and the right shoes. Speaking of shoes, my friend Beth said I needed some red ones to wear with this dress!

Ellie and Mac I Love the 90s Dress

I made my middle daughter a favorite Ellie and Mac pattern of mine – the I Love the 90s Dress. I have this one printed in so many sizes for my daughters. This dress is also very aptly named because I remember loving baby doll style dresses in the early 90s.

The dress has a lined bodice and is really quick to make. I used a solid white cotton lycra to line this one. I think the part that takes the longest is gathering the top of the skirt. My daughter said she felt so pretty in this dress and wanted to wear it to a picnic! Too bad it has been raining all week and is so cold and muddy outside. I told her we would dream of the summer heat and wear our dresses again when the weather cooperates.

She was so excited that she has strawberry earrings that match her dress!

Chalk and Notch Waterfall Raglan

I made my youngest daughter the Waterfall Raglan by Chalk and Notch. I have made this pattern for myself a few times and was excited to try it out on her. She turned 2 last month, and based on her measurements I made the 18 month width and size 2 for height. She is still pretty petite, and I am glad to tell you that this dress is going to probably fit her until she is at least 3! It will just slowly become a tunic and then a shirt!

I used Raspberry Creek’s white cotton lycra for her sleeves and neckband and also made her some pink leggings in cotton lycra to wear underneath it to keep her legs warm. I love the contrast and how the pops of green go with my dress! I also love how she smiles now for photos!

When I got my package of fabric in the mail last week, my youngest helped me to open what I got on Instagram, and she squealed with delight when she opened this fairy tale print.  I was so happy and relieved that she loved it just as much as I did.

She kept checking on the fabric in my sewing room for a few days after, and I had to watch her that she did not drag it off somewhere else. She was definitely more than happy to show off her finished dress for me!

Love Notions Vanguard Tee

The Vanguard tee is part of a pattern kit that also comes with a pants pattern. I made the tee for my boys because I love all the color blocking included in the pattern. It was perfect for the pirate swords print that they picked out for their shirts!

My oldest son wanted a V neck and short sleeve. I really like how easy the V is in this pattern because you overlap the pieces instead of having a line straight down the middle. It has a little more wiggle room for getting it on point that way!

My youngest son wanted long sleeves and was confused that I gave him the option for short sleeves. I tried to explain to him that I am trying to sew ahead and prepare for summer, but he was like “No, mom. You said I can’t wear short sleeves outside even just yesterday!”

The prints are just perfect for play!

Red rover, red rover, let Aaron come over!

I hope you enjoyed what I made! I am loving all the prints that Raspberry Creek has available in their spring line this year. They also had avocados, watermelon, and citrus! I just adore fruit prints!! I used cotton lycra for all of my projects, but they also have the same prints available on french terry.

Resources

• Patterns: Sinclair Dakota Dress, Ellie and Mac I love the 90s*, Chalk and Notch Waterfall Raglan, and Love Notions Vanguard
• Fabric: Strawberries, Fairy Tale main, Pirate Swords, solid pink, and solid white

Thanks for stopping by today!  I would love to stay connected with you. You can find me on Instagram. 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 fabric was sent to me for free so that I could sew it up and show how the fabric looks when worn. I am so grateful for the opportunity to sew for them! Also, 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 the support. Any and all opinions expressed are still my own.

XO

I purchased the Love Notions Allegro pattern when it released a year ago and was so excited to live in them all summer long last year. At the time, though, I was in my first trimester of pregnancy and still utterly exhausted. I powered through making my first pair while my kids were at VBS one morning and loved the way they looked finished. However, when I tried my shorts on, my stomach had already outgrown the shorts. I put them in the rapidly growing pile in my closet of clothes that did not fit. It seemed that everything that was not a stretchy knit was going into that same pile.

I had my sweet baby in January and have had a few months to shrink back to normal. So, when the warm months set in, I tried them on, and they fit! Here I am (in this photo below) wearing them on Instagram during Me Made May this year with my Anna shirt that I blogged about here. They fit great and were absolute LOVE. I made these first shorts out of an Amy Butler Sateen Fabric in the Lark Collection called Ivy Bloom. The cotton sateen is a medium weight twill fabric.

Fast forward to July, and I knew I needed to make another pair of these shorts. I had some rayon challis from Sly Flox left over from the Havana dress that I made in June. The scrap was just enough to squeeze out another pair of Allegro shorts in.

Fabric

I love that this pattern not only works for medium weight fabrics (like the sateen I used for my first pair) but that it also works for those lighter weight woven fabrics that I have left over from making other clothes. Most of my patterns for woven bottoms really need a bottom weight fabric to look right.  Rayon challis is a lighter weight apparel fabric that I normally think of for tops and dresses. It works wonderful for this pattern, though. It flows just right and gives these shorts such a comfortable feel.