Itch to Stitch Nosara Shirt

We're entering the dog days of summer here on the Central Coast. For us that means daytime temps in the 80s and evenings in the high 50s, which is nothing to you hardy folks from the mid-West. But we are delicate flowers, so I've been mining my collection of cool, loose cotton tops.

My newest contender is the Nosara Shirt by Itch to Stitch, made up here in a light cotton seersucker in a white/purple stripe from Cali Fabrics.

From the Itch to Stitch website, the Nosara features:

• Options for cup sizes
• Standard collar with collar stand
• Integrated dolman sleeves
• Front buttoned
• Back yoke with back pleats
• High-low shirttail hem
• Designed for non-stretch, lightweight woven fabric

I opted to trace out a size 4 in a B cup. I thought about doing the size 6, but I checked the finished garment measurements and figured the ease in a size 4 would suit me just fine. And I think that was right, though a size up would be nice too. The extra air-flow might be just the ticket on those hotter days.

The construction of this top is nice and straightforward, and the instructions are great. Somehow I don't have many tops with the high-low hem thing going on, and I like it. This one's not too extreme, just enough to discreetly cover the butt.

You can't tell from the photos, but I cut the back yoke with the seersucker stripes going horizontally to emphasize that design element. 

Overall, a fun and stress-free sew with a very wearable result. 

I'd be happy to have another of these in my closet, and I have 2 yards of a grey and periwinkle checked shirting that's just asking to be cut out. 

My pattern review is on PatternReview.com here.

Leaf Blankets

My grandchildren are going to be gaining two new cousins in October. Their Uncle Benny is going to be having a baby boy, and their Aunt Charlene is going to be having a baby girl. Neither sibling knew the other was expecting until they both made announcements at Charlene's 40th birthday party. It was a riotous celebration, for sure.

I was poking around for ideas for baby shower presents when another sewist turned me on to the Leaf Blanket patterns at Twig and Tale. Could there be anything cuter than a little baby having tummy time on top of an enormous quilted leaf? I don't think so.

I popped for the Tropical Leaf Bundle, which gave me patterns for six tropical leaves in sizes ranging from mug rug to 46 inches long. I decided to trace out a size Small for each pending bundle of joy. I made the Elephant Ear for Baby Boy and the Lily Pad for Baby Girl.

The Elephant Ear in size Small is 35 inches long. Roomy enough for a baby to lounge on comfortably.

The pattern includes leaf veins that you can quilt.

I decided to make one side of my leaves in a vaguely organic color and to use a cute kid print for the underside.

That way when Baby Boy has graduated to tummy time he can enjoy looking at a bunch of cute animals doing yoga.

The size Small Lily Pad is 33 inches in diameter. Baby Girl can pretend she's drifting down the Nile.

And if she gets tired of green, she has a flotilla of jellyfish on the flip side to keep her entertained.

Or she can lie sideways and pretend she's atop a polka dotted pac man.

These little blankets were very satisfying and straightforward to make. Not to mention quick; I probably had both of them done in 3 or 4 hours. Might have been even quicker if I hadn't had to take a few recesses for other tasks.

Twig and Tale has leaf pattern bundles for a variety of ecological zones. If you're more of a Maple person, there's a North American bundle for you, and they've got Australia, New Zealand and Europe covered too.

If you have any kids in your life, or if you just want a set of cute placemats or coasters, this pattern is great.

My pattern review is on PatternReview.com here.

Twig and Tale Fairy Wings

 My great niece is turning 3 next Sunday. I made her a shark puppet for Christmas last year, which was reportedly a hit, so I thought I'd try for another hand made toy.

These are the Woodland Sprite Wings from Twig and Tale. In this first picture they're perched on a lily pad baby blanket.

Here they are held up by moi, so you can get a sense of the size. I made the Small, which is intended for kids aged 1 - 3. When I don't have the kid right in front of me I find I can no longer judge how big a 3-year old is, but I think this will work for Jeanne for a little while anyway.

Here's a close-up of the public side. The wings are stiffened with some heavy-duty interfacing on both front and back and also some sew-in interfacing on the front. They feel pretty sturdy. I'm not a pro at working with those types of materials, but the instructions were good so I was able to muscle my way through.

The appliqués can be cut from little scraps of whatever you like. I used a fuse-able adhesive to position them and then zig-zagged around the edges to hold them on permanently (I hope). 

Here's the underside. The kid is meant to slide their arms through the elastic straps and then flit about the house like a sprite. The stiffened line down the middle, which the designer calls a spine, is supposed to keep the wings at attention, and also give them a little bit of movement. I haven't seen them on an actual kid but I'm pretty convinced they'll operate as intended. 

My great niece is a cute little nubbins who dances around like a fairy even without any wings. I'm hoping she'll get a kick out of these.

My pattern review is on PatternReview.com here.