I'm so excited to announce that I've collaborated with Eryn of Style Sew Me to bring you my first pattern design, the eponymous named -- The 'Erica' Pattern.

I've been tossing around the idea of releasing a pattern for a while. But I'd been having problems getting off the ground, because you simply don't know what you don't know. I've always known that I didn't want to be the one to try and draft, grade and digitize a pattern and those things would always be outsourced. But finding the right persons to do that was my challenge. I've always felt if you want to know how to grow apples, then talk to someone that has grown apples for several seasons and knows the ups and downs of apple growing. That's why I reached out to Eryn for advice. We talked back and forth for a while and I kept parking the idea. The last time we had a conversation about this, Eryn suggested that we just collaborate on something together so that I could learn the process from the ground up. That made perfect sense because I had a design and she has a system.

So, born out of that collaboration is The 'Erica' Pattern. Y'all know I love an open-back style!

 I wanted to create something that is cool weather appropriated, but fun.

The dress is a turtleneck, midi dress with a "bra-friendly" open-back cutout with a side slit and an of-the-moment puffed sleeve that mimics the classic leg-o-mutton sleeve.

My fabric is a medium weight Ponte de Roma Double Knit (75% Polyester/21% Rayon/4% Spandex) with 30% stretch across the grain. 

It's important to have a fabric with good stretch so you'll be able to get your head through the turtleneck opening. And you want a fabric with good recovery so that your dress doesn't bag out.

You can find The 'Erica' Pattern here.

And of course there is a sew-along video!

So, here's my first piece of outerwear for the season and it's also a tutorial!

I cut the size 16. It's a little roomy, but that's okay. It'll fit fine over sweaters. Muslins made with muslin fabric never cuts it for me. I have to go through the entire process... wear... live with it and then decide if I actually enjoy the fit. The real test of a jacket is IF I can comfortable drive in it. Can I reach in the back seat without feeling restricted. So, time will tell on this one. 

And that's why I made it in a faux leather. Granted, this isn't a cheap faux leather, it's a good one. I've used it for my gold jacket and these brown leather jeans. I've bragged on this fabric before... it's amazing. It feels like lambskin. It's buttery soft.

The zippered sleeves are one of my favorite details. It's what I regret most about my gold jacket. I wish I'd added this detail.

And most of all, I love the quilted details. This was the first time I've ever done a detail like this before. Not only do I love the way it looks, it was fun to create.

I was inspired to create my own tutorial for this jacket because I genuinely think it's a good pattern. But it's pretty restrictive without any type of visual instructions. You have to be really experienced to tackle this on you own. So, that's why I created this tutorial to inspire others to stretch their sewing abilities and try some techniques they perhaps have never done. So, I hope you give it try and learn some new things!

You can get it here!

Learn to Sew a Moto Jacket -- A Step-by-Step Video Tutorial

I knew when I saw this pattern that this would be one I'd be making. I'm such a fan of Rachel Comey's "Uptown Girl Style", so Vogue 1645 was a no brainer for me.

This pattern with it's unusual design is not the easiest for altering. I normally don't make a muslin, but my mind lead me to do one for this. And I'm so glad I did. My normal alterations for a jumpsuit is to do a FBA, swayback, full seat, lengthen the rise and the hem length. My brain didn't want configure a FBA on this because that would've consisted in re-drafting the fronts, because the bodice and the pants are a single pattern piece. 

I just cut the straight 16, made a one inch swayback adjustment, lengthened the rise by one inch, made a 1.5" full seat adjustment and added 3" to the hem length.

My fabric is a Navy Peachskin from Mood Fabrics.com. I've worked with this fabric before and I love the texture and how easy it wears. It doesn't have a lick of stretch, so you can't really skimp on the fitting in hopes that the give of the fabric will rescue you. It cuts and sews beautifully. But you do have to watch the temperature of your iron and use a pressing cloth.

Even though I'm all for a beautiful interior, there was just no way I was going to Hong Kong finish the entire inside of a jumpsuit. If this were a jacket, I could see it, but not on a jumpsuit. My serger worked perfectly fine. And if you're wondering how a jumpsuit like this stays together, it has an invisible zipper on the inside.

And it's held closed with a belt on the outside. I used a Maxant Rectangular Buckle Kit 1.5" from Mood Fabrics.com for the buckle. 

I absolutely love this jumpsuit and I can't wait to layer it over a top for cooler weather!

As I was preparing to revisit this oldie, but goodie, I decided that since this is basically a plain t-shirt with a fancy sleeve detail that it would be a great opportunity to add an embroidered detail. I'm still learning all of the things that my beautiful Baby Lock Aventura II can do and I'm completely fascinated and obsessed with embroidery.

While planning my top, I had to decide on an appropriate embroidery design. Because when it comes to knits, all embroidery is not created equal. Even though I'm always drawn to the big beautiful colorful designs, a lot of them are way too dense with a high thread count for a knit fabric. So I picked a light and open design that looks almost like a sketch with a single color. I chose this Flower design. And I used a cut away mesh stabilizer.

I'm planning a lot more embroidery projects. I'm pretty much hooked on it now.

When I saw the pattern and the possibility to create such a dead on replica of the jacket, I was stoked. And I immediately started to collect my supplies.

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For my jacket, I took inspiration from the three of these gorgeous Gucci jackets to create my own version.

My fabric is Tomato Red Sportswear Stretch Poly Rayon Spandex Twill from Joann. It's the same fabric that I used for my pink suit. The front bands and the pocket bands are Italian Black Suiting from Mood Fabrics.com. The gold metal buttons are also from Mood. The ribbon trim is Offray 3/8" White Grosgrain Ribbon and Black 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon.

I cut the size 14, grading out to 16 for the hip. And I added one inch of length. I made a one inch swayback adjust.

I wanted to capture the essence of the crest insignia on the original jacket, so I just added an embroidered monogram using my Baby Lock Aventura II.

I felt like the the trim should be followed up around the jacket's sleeve vents. I added the grosgrain ribbons with a mitered corner.

My lining is a silky print from Joann. The instructions on the pattern suggested lots of hand sewing. I bagged my lining and machine sewed it with very little hand sewing.

I did that by leaving an opening in the center back of the lining and after I was done, I just slipped stitched it closed. So much easier than hemming by by hand.

And I love cute little details, so I added a hanging loop.

I paired my jacket with McCall's 7098. They're currently out of print, but I made this pattern originally back in 2016, and I really didn't like the quality of the fabric. And earlier this year, I made them again in a beautiful black wool stretch suiting.

One of my all-time favorite looks for fall is a monochromatic black outfit. And who doesn't love an all black 'fit? The summer was filled with so many bright hues, so it's almost soothing to calm things down a bit. A lot of people think all black outfits are boring. The best way to make your outfit interesting is my pairing different fabrics. It keeps the outfit interesting by adding texture like I did here: a matte and a glossy.

My top is McCall's 7978. It's a corset waist style button front top. This style is very popular this season. I've been seeing these tops everywhere in all price ranges, from high-end to the junior department:

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My fabric is Italian Cotton Shirting from Mood Fabrics.com. This is a different take on a button front shirt. And I like that it's different from anything I own. I like the interfaced corset waist. It gives you that "snatched" look and I'm glad that my shirting fabric has lycra. It makes the top comfortable to wear and it doesn't restrict any movement or breathing! I used my favorite knit interfacing that matches the give of the fabric.

I needed to lengthen the midriff by one inch.

Which caused me to need 5 rouleau loops and 5 buttons instead of 4.

I made a full bust adjustment by slashing and spreading. I didn't want to have to worry about creating a dart. I just needed more room in the area for the gathers.

The back has a yoke with a yoke facing and a gathered back.

I love this top with the corset waist and the cute peplum detail. I pairs great with my faux leather Simplicity 8749 pants.