I really liked the pockets on my Jalie running skort, but I find the skort too hot to wear with its double layer. So when Jalie released their swim shorts with the same pocket detail, I was keen to make it up. The main fabric is a supplex lycra.

Stylish V-neck top pattern with unique construction you can make with a drapey knit, a sweater knit, or even a stretch fleece! The raised neckline at the back gives a draped look with thinner knits or that holds on the nape in heavier fabrics. The upper bodice is self-lined at the front With or without sleeves View A: With zipper at front neckline for practical half-zip top View B: V front neckline   ERRATA IN CUTTING LAYOUT Piece A should be cut parallel to the fold, not on the fold.

Jalie 2921 is a great pattern. I mean, really, how much fun is this top? This is my typical look for a typical sch________ day. I’m still not saying it. If I do not say it. It does not exist. I wear a

This blog post is a summary of tons of emails I answered over the years. If those moms and seamstresses emailed me for help, I'm sure there are thousands of people out there who will be happy to learn how to pick the right size on the back of the Jalie pattern :) USE BODY MEASUREMENTS, NOT AGE You should always, ALWAYS, use recent body measurements (that you take yourself - if possible) AND work with the measurement chart on the back of the pattern. You can find a link to pattern sizing on all pattern pages on our website, just below the pattern's description. As you will notice, we use letters instead of numbers so that people don't automatically cut their size according to what they used with another company. If you follow a few simple rules, your leotard should fit just as well as the leotard on the pattern cover. REMEMBER: You want to stay away from sleeve/armhole/crotch alterations as much as possible! Lengthening at the waist is the easiest way to go. REMEMBER THESE THREE STEPS: Find the size that is the best match for B/W/H measurements Compare the actual torso measurement (body) to the torso measurement for the size you are using Lengthen or shorten by half the difference Front and back bodice pieces (around waist level) Sleeves (around elbow level) - don't alter if you are making a short or cap sleeve EXAMPLES Making your daughter's gymnastics leotard was so easy and so much fun that you volunteered to make outfits for the whole club... You measure the girls and unlike your daughter, their bust/waist/hips/torso measurements don't fall in the same Jalie size column. Take a deep breath! It will be all right. Here are examples based on real measurements and stories we received from customers over the years. If after reading this you are still unsure about which size you should use, please email us through our contact form and we will gladly give you some advice. Rachel: LONG TORSO and/or SMALL FRAME Rachel is 8 and her mom says her size 5 t-shirts would still fit but are all wayyy too short. She always comes to the gym with leotards that are loose-fitting, but that seem to pull in the length. This means her torso probably corresponds to a larger size than her B/W/H. Let's see: 1 - Find size for BUST/WAIST/HIPS It is easy to take it at the waist at fitting, so we will remove the waist measurement (size H) from our sizing puzzle. You can take in at the waist when tracing or at fitting. Since Rachel is still growing, you want to go with size J (only 1 size bigger at the hips, which is ok) 2 - Compare TORSO Size J is designed for 41 1/2

(CLIQUEZ ICI POUR LES TUTORIELS EN FRANÇAIS) PHOTO TUTORIAL 3350 - One-Piece Swimsuit FABRIC & SUPPLIES PATTERN & SIZING E...

I did some more sewing over the weekend and completed Jalie pattern #2801, a dress with a large keyhole back for Ice Girl’s compulsory prog...

BIKINI TOPS Fully lined Underbust band that stays in place Princess seaming at the front Gathers at center front. Choice of single- or double-tie back with clasp. You can wear the top halter, over-the-shoulder or X-Back style. A: Feel confident in the waves with this V-Neck bralette top! Wide straps in adult sizes in sizes (Q and up). B: Tan friendly bandeau bikini top with narrow or wide straps. A classic for the beach! ** ERRATUM**  Piece A: Size L is missing. You can find it here BIKINI BOTTOM Lined front Regular leg opening (not too high, not too low) Optional decorative ties at the sides for ruching and do add a fun element to a staple swimwear piece. C: Low-waist, finished with an elastic D: High-waist, finished with wide waistband.

I've used this pattern twice before, once with 3/4 sleeves and once with short sleeves. The short sleeve version was purged awhile back because the ties were really long and didn't look very good tied into a bow, but the silk jersey version is a nice basic that gets worn to church from time to time. I used Mood Fabric's oyster/brown gray metallic striped cotton jersey knit. It's a thinner knit perfect for a top and has a matching larger stripe. Putting the two together in a simple garment would be a really fun look. I'll have to comb through my patterns to see if I can come up with something for fall. Since I wanted more of a casual look and didn't want to tie the scarf into a bow, I cut the scarf shorter and on the fold. I cut a size T and made fabric facings for the armholes. A twin needle was used to hem the armholes and bottom hem. This fabric has a subtle metallic sheen to it. I'm kind of a Magpie when it comes to fabric selection. If it's shiny or brightly colored my brain says, "Oooh, pretty! Come to Mama!" This top match a ton of stuff in my closet and acts like a neutral. The skirt I'm wearing was made pre-blog, but I posted it way back in 2008. I recently lopped off 2 inches so I could wear it with flats in a casual setting. I'm all about the flats these days. Here are some dressform pictures: This was a fun and simple top to whip up. I have several other things to photograph and blog, provided I can get my photographer to cooperate. ;) Note: This fabric was purchased with my Mood Fabrics monthly allowance, as part of my participation in the Mood Sewing Network.

Wonderful sewing pattern for making pajamas. This PDF pattern includes long pajama bottoms and a long-sleeved pajama top. The pajama top pattern is a classic button-front shirt with a notch collar and chest pocket. The full-length pants have a drawstring (or ribbon) front and an elastic back waist, the best of both worlds! The comfort of an elastic waist, without the bulk. Side slits and optional contrast piping give it a stylish finish. Make it for boys or girls and use a soft flannel or elegant satin for the ultimate pyjama set you will want to wear all day.

A while ago I made, and blogged about, Stylearc's Tessa pant and Jalie's Pull-on pant. I have pretty much figured that normal life has a real place for wider leg linen pants and that they function both as something comfortable to wear in hot weather, and something handy to have in trans seasons. I also figured that elastic waisted pull-ons made sense in a pant that was already sort of pyjamas in disguise and I went looking for a pattern to make something like that. Stylearc's Tessa promised to be that pant with a waist that was not too bunchy (that one thing you really don't want to have happen in a woven elastic waist) but it sort of was that kind of waist when I made them up. I can do enough billowing over the belly without actually sewing it in too if you get my drift. Also the leg shape was just wider than I was ready for yet after all these narrow legged pant years. So I then tried Jalie's pull-on pant that has a nicer more manageable leg and less ease around the waist: I made up a grey linen pair a few posts back and really liked them. However after the wear-all-day test I realized that not having much bulk around the waist meant not much comfort around the middle when I was sitting down, and linen Spanx are not for me. So I went back and made another pair, this time cutting them in the size for my natural waist and tapering back to my hip size. First time out I optimistically thought that my larger than the pattern waist would be accommodated by the elastic stretch. This new version did of course add in more gathers than version one, which I guess is a fashion minus, but it moved them definitely into the category of pants I want to wear. A plus. I really feel that sewers underestimate the importance of just plain old on the body comfort in making real favourite clothes. I often do. So here are the pictures, made in purple linen because I tried to dye some shocking pink linen navy which anyone knows means you end up with purple pants. If you are wondering about my styling notes this is what I wore to Home Depot with the spouse this morning with a Vera Bradley bag my daughter got for $7.00 at a thrift store, and a necklace that has the initials of all my children and grandchildren on it. I have included two shots with my T shirt tucked in so you can see just how gathered they are, but of course I would never wear them like this. These pictures are purely for educational purposes only. Basically all these pictures look more or less the same but I have included them all because I couldn't decide which one showed the legs best. Also as a sewer's only bonus I made the patch pocket facing and the waist casing (these can be sewn showing out or on the inside) out of some green linen I had because I have always thought green and purple go nicely together: The details, with my grandmother's hands holding them Finally I really like the patch pockets on these pants, they function like slanted inseam pockets but of course are so much faster to sew: I love this pattern and now it is just about to turn to fall, I have a summer pant TNT. Naturally. On the podcast front I have cleaned up the sidebar labels and cleverly realized it would be helpful if they were in alphabetical order. You can find Podcasts under P. There is only one now but I am planning a back to school version for later in the week. I have also added a proper rss feed to the site, which as it stands will take you to a feed for all posts and podcasts. I spent several hours trying to set up a podcast only feed in iTunes but the error messages were getting annoying and I was worried this was going to cut too far into my sewing time. Maybe later. In the meantime there are two ways through this site to access the podcasts and unless anyone has any other brilliant ideas that might be the way this stands for now. Now back to the cutting table.

How freaking cozy is this tunic? I used Jalie’s 2911 upper bodice with Jalie’s 3245 bottom to make it. I’m loving the tunic length tops with leggings and boots look. I’ve made several tops like this lately. This is my favorite. This is made out of merino wool and the fabric is fan-FREAKING-tastic. Oh, obviously we have been getting some snow. I think we are getting about 12” today. I had to take my pictures outside because it is so dark. The sun is coming up at 10:06am and setting at 3:39pm so there isn’t a lot of light. I’m working with what I have, people. Love the booty coverage. Lightened and with flash although with all the snow you can’t see much. The 2911 top is considerable shorter than this and a little boxier. I narrowed it through the waist and followed the 3245 pattern. The length and rounded hem are straight from Jalie 3245. Here’s an inside picture. The color is pretty close here. It might be a tiny bit darker in real life. It’s a thin merino wool that drapes well and has some stretch to it. You can’t really see it well but there is a very subtle herringbone design to the knit. Here’s the inside. It’s a sport material with two faces (you totally can’t trust it! Get it, it’s two-faced? My humor is lame, I know.). The outer face is 100% merino wool and the inside face is antimicrobial 100% polyester. I may have a few bolts in different colors for those of you who are interested. I’ll set up my ETSY store with some goodies right after Christmas. I have some delish wool doubleknit too. Divine, I tell you! Here’s the inside of the knit. It’s had to photograph inside with low light. Happy, happy holidays to you people! Things are busy here! Hardly any time for sewing!!

This project has been a long time coming. Not just in that I cut it out a full month ago, made it two weeks ago and am just blogging it now, but in that I bought this pattern and fabric literally y…

Easy-fit low-waist stretch pants or shorts Wide waistband with drawstring Straight leg Out-of-print pattern, published in 2004

One was in the plans, but I found two fabrics at Joanns that I liked, so two were made. My favorite is the blue one because I love the color, but I know these both will get a lot of wear. …

Front-zip hip-length stretch fleece jacket pattern Long raglan sleeve Self-fabric cuff Two zippered hand pockets Optional decorative stripe at sleeve. The perfect water/windproof jacket when made with Polartec 4-way stretch Power Shield or Wind Pro fleeces (available at Mill Direct Textiles (US) and Discovery Trekking (Canada)) This sewing pattern can easily be lengthened (bodice and sleeve for men).

V-neck tunic with back tie Upper bodice gathered into empire waist inset Optional modesty panel - no gaping! Choice of cap or banded 3/4 sleeve View A has added ease and gathers at lower front View B has a flat lower front

This post is part of the Shorts on the Line sewalong. Shorts on the Line 2014 is sponsored by: Britex Fabrics , Hawthorne Threads , m...

PDF sewing pattern for a banded scoop neck tops with optional hem band With ruching or gathered foldover at center front Sleeveless, with tulip or three-quarter sleeve

I don't usually sew Christmas gifts. I often will knit Christmas gifts, but that didn't happen this year, for a variety of reasons. Several days ago I was evaluating the gifts I'd purchased for my daughters for Christmas and I realized it was scant offerings this year, especially considering that I didn't knit any hats, scarves, or wrist warmers. So, at the last minute, I decided to sew something. I rarely sew for my daughters. Probably the biggest reason is to avoid frustration. They are both very choosy about style, fit, pattern, and color. Particularly about fit. It's just easier to buy them clothing or, better yet, let them buy their own. But I decided to bite the bullet and hope for the best. I spent a lot of time anxiously considering various options. I wanted to use stash and/or remnants for everything. I measured each of them when they visited on separate occasions. (I know they are expecting jammies this year, so I hope they won't be disappointed.) I was very surprised that the girls (at 20 and almost-18 years old) have virtually identical measurements, though the oldest is 2 inches taller. Yay! That was very considerate of them. I poured through my small pile of Burda pattern magazines. I scoured my stash for multi-sized patterns that might accommodate them, but still be youthful and current. (Even if my girls shared my aesthetic, which they don't, most of my patterns are in a range that is too large for them.) I wanted the outfits to believably mimic RTW and be coordinated - no point in sewing fashion orphans. I poured through various RTW websites intended for the young, such as Delias, Urban Outfitters, and Zara, to make sure I wasn't off base in my ideas. In the end, I decided on a wrap skirt (#128) from the Sept 1994 issue of Burda (size 38) and a Jalie Sweetheart Top (size S). For the two skirts, I had some stretch denim remnants from my recent spate of skinny pants sewing, though I really had to work it to get the skirt out of the tiny piece of blue flocked fabric and ended up piecing the waistband. In my stash, I had some nice viscose/lycra (in black) and rayon/lycra (in eggplant) - each fabric coordinates with one of the skirts. I made the skirts on Thursday and Friday evenings, after work. I made the two tops on Saturday. What quick, satisfying sewing! (So this is what it's like to just sew right from the envelope!) From my stash I had snaps (I love to use my SnapSetter tool) and closures for the skirts. I had tried sewing the black denim skirt with contrast gold top-stitching, but didn't like the result and spent an hour ripping it out. Amusing aside: I had one small spool of eggplant thread in my stash. I'm sure this old style Dual Duty spool was from my mother's cache. I neglected to notice as I was winding the bobbin that it used up almost the entire spool. Not wanting to head to the fabric store two days before Christmas for a spool of thread, I sewed most of the top using a "close enough" brown thread in the needle and saved the eggplant thread for where it would show, such as the hems, top-stitching, and attaching the bust elastic. I have more of the eggplant fabric, so I'd better buy more of this color! We celebrate our Christmas on the 24th, so I am crossing my fingers that these outfits will fit and they will like them! (Though, in full disclosure, I only attached the snaps and skirt closures to the right side of the skirts. This way I can have them put them on, mark the correct positions, and quickly attach the other halves.) I was happy with both patterns and think that the Jalie top is especially cute. It's a bit fussier to sew, with it's 1/4" seam allowances and small pattern pieces, than a normal tee, especially with these flimsy non-stable knits, but is not too bad. The only change I made on the Jalie pattern was to the little band on the front. Because of the vertical elastic, the band on top flopped a bit, so I sewed out a small wedge of fabric so it would lie flat. The photos show what it looks like: For the skirt, I omitted the pocket and contrast top-stitching. I hope you have a nice Christmas, if you celebrate. For me, I have the week off between Christmas and New Years. My sewcation begins on Dec 25th as the kids spend the day with the other side of the family. Ready, set, SEW!

Fitted raglan pullovers with long raglan sleeve and choice of neck shaping. A: Banded crew neck B: Hood with ponytail hole C: Soft turtleneck. Two cuff options: regular or longer with thumbhole. Read the story behind this pattern

Sometimes it’s all about connections. Who you know, who knows you, who heard about you. A friend of my sister’s asked me if I would be interested in making her daughter a figure skating dress for an upcoming competition. Seeing as I do all of my own daughter’s dance leotards, a figure skating dress is simply a jeweled up version with a skirt attached to it. So, the answer was, of course I can make her a dress! I met with Catherine, the young lady I would be designing a dress for, and from her likes and dislikes, the way the music made me feel and doing a bit of shopping I came up with a one sleeve, no back, light grey dress with lace appliqués. I used a few Jalie patterns together to come up with the final look. I just love using Jalie patterns! You get all the sizes in one nice package. Most patterns can be used together ( the top of that one with the bottom of the other one ). If you like to sew go have a look at www.jalie.com Bonus: they are a Quebec company! The back is a modified keyhole from #2792 the front is #2792 unmodifed The skirt is actually 2 layers, bottom one is made of the same stretch lace I used for the sleeve and the top layer is the same as the body, Jalie pattern # 2797 I then found this very beautiful lace and sewed it on the front of the skirt and on key points on her arm. I finished by adding all the pretty shiny stones needed for a proper figure skating dress. The final dress is a one of a kind. I must say I am very pleased with my first Skating project. First time she wore it, she made her way to first place on the podium. Congrats again Catherine!

I've used this pattern twice before, once with 3/4 sleeves and once with short sleeves. The short sleeve version was purged awhile back because the ties were really long and didn't look very good tied

Sporty skirt with attached shorts, wide waistband that hits just below the navel. Back flounce that gives a nice movement and flatters all body types. Shorts with lined inseam panel and enclosed seams to avoid chafing. The short can be simply hemmed (A) or with a phone pocket and leg band (B) to keep it in place while running.

Sophie Marceau souffle aujourd’hui ses 50 bougies.

This spring I decided to try something new, totally inspired by a fabric. The thing is I don’t usually wear florals. Not sure why but my eye always goes to stripes and polka dots but never anything that is flowery. This print, a lovely lily design on a navy background, however changed that. Every time I walked by the bolt in my almost daily visits to the Fabricville down the street, » Read more about: New season, new ideas with Jalie patterns »