Dawn Apron by Lydia Naomi

I've been in the market for a gardening apron. Something rough and tough, with pockets for my equipment and enough front coverage to save my tee shirts from dirt and rocks. 

Somehow I stumbled on the Dawn Apron, by Lydia Naomi. I think it was on someone's blog, but I can't remember whose and google has not helped me out on this. 

It's one of those cross-back aprons. I don't think I've ever tried one on before, but turns out they're really comfortable to wear.

 And great for something where you want freedom of movement. Like gardening.

The pattern comes with a piece for two side pockets that have elastic inserted in the top hem. I'm thinking that elastic will keep my pruners and trowel corralled while I work. 

I added a chest pocket for my phone, and maybe a seed packet or two. I have a pair of scissors in there for the photoshoot because details are hard to see in denim.

I haven't road-tested it yet. I just finished it this afternoon and it's been raining the past few days. Weather prediction for the next 5 days is for sun, sun, sun, so I hope to get out there and finish a few garden tasks. I have 10 yards of bark mulch to spread and a vegetable patch to get planted.

My pattern review is at PatternReview.com here.

Itch to Stitch Palermo Top

The Palermo is from Sew Beautiful, the Itch to Stitch book that came out in 2020. I got the book soon after it came out and I've made several of the patterns. Looks like the only one I've done a post on is the Fortuna Jogger. I made two of those and still happily wear them to the gym and for lounging.

The Palermo is a peasant style top with a square, elastic neck and 7/8 length raglan sleeves.

It has that boho vibe but it isn't over the top.

The side seams have a bit of shaping to them, which helps keep the volume in check. And the slit at the front neck breaks up the gathers very nicely. As a short brick, I have to watch that sort of thing or I can look like a roll of toilet paper in one of those frilly covers. 

I made it totally according to the specifications and it came out at about high hip on me. I'm 5'3", for reference.

I cut the elastic to the length spelled out in the pattern and that fit perfectly too. If you want a bit more of an off-the-shoulder look, you might want to cut the neck elastic a bit longer.  Even the length for the sleeve elastic is just right.  My sleeves stay in place when I hoik them up without strangling my arm.

The Palermo is a quick and stress-free sew and feels like a great little summer top. Cool and breezy, but keeps your arms out of the sun.

My pattern review is on PatternReview.com here.

Itch to Stitch Islares Top

I had a bit of a marathon sewing session with the Islares top, by Itch to Stitch. I liked my first version so much that I ordered two cuts of cotton lycra to sew a couple more.

The Islares has a square neck that's just the right depth and width for me. My bra straps don't show and there's no gaping when I move.

I think the nice fit is due to the darts at the shoulder and the interfaced neckline. 

That neckline was a bit more complicated to construct than your average tee, but the instructions are great and it's worth the extra care.

The bottom hem has a bit of a curve to it, which I quite like.

The back neck is also squared off, but not as low as the front.

The top has a pretty close fit, which makes it nice for wearing under a jacket or sweater. You do want to have the recommended stretch in your fabric though, to keep the underarms from being uncomfortably tight. My two cotton lycra versions are fine, but on the verge of being annoying.

This is a great top for early spring, when you still want to keep your arms covered up a bit even though the sun is coming out. Though the pattern includes a short-sleeve version too.

My pattern review is on PatterReview.com here.

Running Belt

This is one of my favorite things I’ve made in some time. And it was so quick and easy too!

I try to run two or three times a week. Well, truthfully it’s more like jogging. I have a couple of neighborhood routes, one for wet days and one for dry days. The dry day run is through a nearby park, under oak trees and through coastal scrubland. Lovely, but it’s a muddy morass during the rainy season. The rainy day run is on pavement, but it has a couple spectacular views of the bay. The beauty of both is that I can just grab my phone and house key and take off.

My old running belt had developed zipper issues and the ones available in the running stores all seemed overly complicated. And expensive.

Then I stumbled over a YouTube tutorial by The Last Stitch for a great little running belt. When it’s empty it’s tiny.

But it easily expands to hold my phone and keys. And I could fit in some cash, a credit card or some energy snacks, no problem.

It was so quick and easy to make, and since I made it to fit me, I didn’t need to use any sliders or other paraphernalia to allow for size adjustments. The belt part is some waistband elastic I had in stash and the buckle is a cheap-o plastic one from Hart’s. I had the thing sewn up in mere moments and it’s served me well for months now.

Here it is ready for an outing. 

Note to self: remember these would make quick and easy gifts, especially for those hard-to-buy for nephews!

My pattern review is on PatternReview.com, if you're interested.