The Lana Top (and Dress) by Coffee and Thread Patterns

Hi! I am excited to be on the Lana Pattern Tour this week! I had been wanting to sew the Lana Pattern since I found out its name is "Lana" and that's my grandmother's name! This lovely pattern by Olga of Coffee and Thread Patterns comes in girls' sizes and women's sizes. All Coffee and Thread Patterns are on sale (excluding bundles) for 20% off during the tour with the code "lanatour".



It's getting really cold here and a few sewists asked Olga how to add long sleeves to the Lana and she made us a little video with how to draft the long sleeve. A few of us sewed the long sleeves up and loved them and Olga kindly agreed to draft long sleeves for both the girls' and women's and they are now part of the pattern for you!! (You will receive the long sleeves and instructions for the frill for free if you've already purchased the pattern, and these will now be included in the pattern).

The Lana Pattern has a top and a dress option. The pattern can be printed in layers so you can print the size(s) you need. The instructions include clear graphics and helpful text. The pattern pieces include notches and dots to line up the pattern pieces. I enjoyed the construction techniques.

We decided to sew tops because we have lots of dresses and it's pretty cold for dresses now. We used Marauder's Map cotton lycra fabric from Joann and this doubled as my Halloween costume this year.

We decided to sew Ansley a size 10 because the girls' has a more relaxed fit. She requested long sleeves and that I leave the frill off. I was happy the sleeves worked well on my first try and the fit is exactly what we hoped! I was also excited that "marauders" lined up well on the neckband.











I am between sizes for mine so I consulted Emi for her opinion and she said her women's is pretty fitted. I decided to size up based on her advice and I LOVE the fit! I could use a teeny more length when I wear these pants but the length is perfect with my overalls and culottes and skirts. I wasn't sure if the frill would be too trendy for me but the frill seemed like a good match for the fabric. I'm really happy I tried it because I love it! I am wanting to sew a solid colored long sleeved top with the frill very soon. And maybe as a gift for my family gift exchange if my sister likes this. I also want to sew a short sleeved one for summer and a capped sleeved one like Mie sewed. Anyway, this is a very versatile pattern and I need several variations in my life. I really also love the depth of the scoop neck and the way the pattern narrows through the waist.











We had pretty vague directions to this photo spot and I wasn't sure if we were just wasting our time. I'm glad we found it even though we missed the leaves when they were yellow. However, the brown leaves ("all the leaves are brown....") kind of go with the fabric so it turned out fine and I set an alarm in my phone to check this location a week earlier next year. The fall colors haven't been as vibrant around town this year and the leaves have fallen earlier this year than last year too. Is it like that where you live? We were thinking it might be because we had several freezing days already.

Lisbon did a good job taking pictures in this post so I decided to let her try using my real camera. There were a bunch of pics with our heads cut off and some laughing and direction but she did a really good job! (And now she always thinks she needs a turn every time we take pics!)







I'm excited for all of us to see the other Lanas on tour this week. The sneak peeks I've seen are gorgeous! Don't forget the discount code and thank you for stopping by!!

Halloween 2018 (rad patterns cosplay 2.0)

Lisbon has loved penguins for the vast majority of her life. She was a penguin for two Halloweens in a row and finally outgrew the penguin costume we found at TJ Maxx. She wanted to be a penguin for Halloween again this year and Rad Patterns released their Cosplay 2.0 pattern around the time that we were talking about Halloween.

The Cosplay 2.0 is slouchy jumpsuit with a center front zipper, designed for knit fabrics with about 10% stretch like fleece. (I think the original cosplay suit was designed for stretchier fabrics) It is drafted to fit over a layer of clothes. The unisex pattern comes in sizes 2-12 years. There are also versions for men and women. The pattern can be printed in layers so you only need to print the size(s) you need. The pages are no trim but they do require overlap, if that makes sense. I still trimmed two edges so I could overlap them more easily. The Cosplay 2.0 has a band option or hood option and included pattern pieces for several different animals.

I don't recall installing a zipper with the method suggested in the Cosplay 2.0 and I quite enjoyed it. Neither turned out perfect but I am much more lenient on perfection when it comes to Halloween costumes. Also unpicking in fleece fabric is not very fun. ;) This was my first Rad Pattern and I was a little surprised by the layout of the instructions and that there wasn't a picture with each step. However the text was easy enough to follow.

Lisbon's is a size 7 because I'm hoping it'll still fit next year and that she will still love penguins! Her measurements put her in a size 5. I did not alter the height or length of anything in hers. Ansley's is a size 12, which she requested. Her measurements put her in a size 10. I shortened hers by an inch because I really wanted to use a nylon zipper and they didn't have longer ones in my store.

The penguin is not one of the included animals so I did some sketching and studying of online pictures and penguins from Lisbon's stuffed penguin colony. I was pleasantly surprised that my first attempt worked well! I used black and white sweatshirting fabric and the newer plush anti pill orange for the beak. All fabrics (and zippers) came from Joann Fabrics. The sweatshirting is starting to pill a little on the outside since this little costume gets worn pretty much daily. I was expecting more pilling on the reverse of the fabric but that has remained soft. I wash in cold water and line dry. The plush anti pill fleece is pretty nice. I thought I might need to interface the beak but it's so plush it just stands out on its own.

I color blocked the front piece and the hood. Lisbon really wanted me to make the undersleeve white like real penguins but after doing the hood and the front and getting them to pretty much line up I was ready to be done. I used some Joann's loungeletics compression fabric for the black eyes. I did briefly consider sending it to the embroidery shop but remembered the price for set up and then stitching was pretty much what I'd spent on the entire costume.





(She learned the Chicken Dance in preschool which is the best!)





















I finished Lisbon's costume in the first couple of days of October, right before a week of cold weather. She wore it all week around the house because I hadn't turned the heat on yet. Ansley insisted that she wanted to "be herself" for Halloween but I think the cold and seeing Lisbon's costume finally persuaded her. She was invited to a costume Halloween party at 4 pm on a Saturday. On the way home from choreography around noon she decided she wanted to be an emoji with a yellow suit and the face.

Last year I picked up McCall's 7674 but we never got around to making it and she decided to be a Ranger instead. I quickly made another trip to Joann's for more plush anti pill fleece fabric in yellow, black, and white. I totally missed the very light pink tongue when I glanced at the pattern envelope before leaving the house., so hers is tongueless. I was also surprised I had to trace some of the face pieces since they weren't all separate pieces in the pattern.

Anyway, I did the best I could with the time I had. I tried to make sure the pattern placement of the face wasn't weird. I sewed the face onto the front pieces before installing the zipper. I added the hood and arm and leg bands the next day. And Ansley's worn her costume around the house almost every day since I finished it.





(Ansley said this needs to be captioned "hashtag Halloween handstand" so #halloweenhandstand








Happy Halloween! Thanks for stopping by!

The Wasabi and Sake Tees by Sew Like My Mom

Hi! The Wasabi Tee (and dress) and Sake Tee (and dress) by Melissa of Sew Like My Mom are in heavy rotation at our house! (as is my craving for sushi....)



The Wasabi Tee comes in two size ranges (12m-8 years and 8-16 years) and includes separate pattern pieces for boys and girls, as well as separate cut lines for sleeveless vs sleeves (short or long are included though you could figure out something in between if you wanted). The Wasabi Tee also includes an optional kangaroo pocket and a dress length. My favorite feature is the hood with its darts! I have never sewn a hood with darts and I love the fit achieved through the darts! The hood can be lined or unlined and also crosses over in the front of the tee or dress (which is another one of my favorite features).









The Sake Tee (and dress) is the women's version of the Wasabi Tee (and dress) and comes in sizes XXS to 3XL. You already know the hood is my favorite. A close second is the shaping through the torso for the girls and women. It's so flattering and is still incredibly comfortable.








The Wasabi and Sake Tees are designed for fabrics like cotton lycra, interlock, french terry, and similar fabrics. I pretested some in interlock and a rib knit and used a waffle knit for these. The sleeves and bottom hems are hemmed with a traditional hem, though you could add bands if that's the look you're going for. The patterns include the option to print in layers so you can print just the size(s) you need. The pieces also include notches to line up the hood and sleeves, etc. The instructions are clear and include helpful text and photos with computer aided drawings.





Ansley's is a size nine in the chest with a ten length. Mine is a straight size L. These are based on our measurements and are our normal sizes for Sew Like My Mom Patterns.







This photo shoot was super quick. We were on our way to choreography for Ansley's hip hop team so we left early to take pictures since it would be dark when she was finished. As we pulled onto the street, the leaves were being blown and collected! We are usually pretty fast but had extra motivation! Ansley is my photographer and enjoys telling me how to pose. For the first time I let Lisbon take pictures of us with my phone and thought she did a decent job! (I have since let her use my camera and she did well too(!) and since it's all digital it doesn't matter if she takes a bunch. She's four).





I had a little freak out when I found these leggings for Ansley because they are WOMEN'S SIZES! I actually bought mine first because I had a coupon and they were on sale on top of a sale (so they were like 83% off or something) and I love the phone pocket. I sized up because that's what they had left in the store so they are too loose for an intense workout but perfect for like yoga or lounging. Anyway, Ansley's are also a little loose but since we are wearing leggings as pants that's totally acceptable. ;) I wish I could buy fabric like this! Anyone have a good source?



The Wasabi and Sake Tees and Dresses are on sale through Wednesday, October 24th. There are options in the shop to buy the smaller children's range, the larger children's range, the women's and various combos. The bundle of all three is here (and we were so excited to make the listing lol). And if you're so inclined, here's my affiliate link (I get a small commission if you purchase with this link and there is no extra charge for you! Thank you for your support!).


Thanks for stopping by!!