Summers in the South means shorts season.  Even with shorts and my "Mom on the Run" lifestyle, I still like to always look pulled together.  And I think I've found my TNT shorts pattern, Simplicity 1887.  I made the pants pattern a few years ago and I completely forgot about this one. And I saw them in a fabric ad in a Joann's flyer and I fell in love.  

I had this beautiful ivory crepe woven that I'd picked up from Hancock and I used it to make Mikaela a dress (that I will eventually post) and I had just enough leftover for these shorts.

They're extremely quick to sew... I think I made mine in about 2 hours from cut to finish.  The most challenging part is feeding the elastic through the double casings. 

I cut the size 14 and sewed the straight out of the envelope.  The only change I made is to add D-rings to one side of the ties.  I like hardware!

I wore my new Striped Double V-neck Blouse c/o Shein.com with my new shorts.  It paired perfectly and gave a great nautical look.

I love these shorts so much, that I made a colorful pair in a green and white cotton print that I picked up from Joann's.

I wore this pair with my white off-the-shoulder top c/o Shein.com.

And for my last "mom on the run" look, I wore my DIY white skinny jeans with this adorable Navy Blue Rayon Gauze Lace Insert Blouse c/o Shein.com.  I really liked this top.  But unfortunately when I washed and dryed it, it shrunk like crazy.  I mean small enough for Isabella!  I recently mentioned the pretreatment of rayon gauze on this top that I made.  I guess Shein.com didn't get that post in their feed. 

A black and white outfit is always très hip. You get pieces that can be worn together or separate. That’s the perfect way to add to your wardrobe. Especially when using seasonless fabrics.

When searching for seasonless fabrics, I look for comfort. I also look for fabrics that will keep you comfortable in the warm months and can also be layered in the cool months.

For my top, I used this gorgeous Black Sleek Viscose Ponte Knit. I love the weight of it.  It works for this top and it would also work for a body con style dress.  The weight of this knit would hold in and smooth everything out. It would also make a great pair of ponte knit pants.

For my top, I used New Look Pattern 6461.  It’s an extremely simple pattern, just the front and the back.  The front has horizontal bust darts.  I cut view C, in the size 12. I added 3 inches to the length because I didn’t want my top cropped.  I modified the top by finishing off the seams and hems with seam binding.  After sewing the front and back together at the shoulders, I left the sides open.

I added eyelets to each side for lacing details.

And I laced up the top with rope and DIY tassels made from crochet thread.

I didn’t much care for the pants in New Look 6461. The elastic waistband simply wasn’t polished enough for my beautiful Italian Ivory Lightweight Stretch Suiting.  I went with New Look Pattern 6459.

I love how tailored this pattern is.  I cut the size 16, and made them straight out of the envelope.  I find that I typically need to size up in New Look Patterns because they run significantly slimmer.  Like junior’s RTW sizing.

Even though this fabric is opaque, it’s still white.  And with most white pants, you’re plagued by pocket show-through.  I don’t like that, so I omitted mine (at the last minute) and just stitched up the pocket openings.

The pants have a back invisible zipper.

And I always add strips of 1 inch interfacing to my zipper area to stabilize.

I’m pretty happy with the way these turned out. The fabric with its 4-way stretch is really comfortable wear and looks really luxurious at the same time.  I would love to have an entire suit out of this.

These are two great pieces made from two extraordinary cuts of fabric that make great additions to my closet! I’m sure I’ll get plenty of wear out of these.

The growing trend of off-the-shoulder tops and dresses keeps growing and getting hotter as the mercury rises.  So this time, I thought I'd change the game up a little bit on mine and give you some single shoulder styling!

There are times in sewing life that all of the elements align.  You see a style that you love and have an "I can make that" moment.  You know already how you're going to go about creating your inspiration garment.  And as soon as you walk into the fabric store, lo and behold -- the perfect fabric lands in your shopping cart!  That my sewing friends is called "sewing kismet"!

Viva Aviva Exclusive for Intermixonline.com

Polka dots and ruffles scream flamenco and makes me feel super sassy.  Olé!  

Even the wind wanted you to get into the greatness of this top!

Want to know how I made this top?  Well, here is a tutorial I created as a BERNINA Brand Ambassador for the We All Sew Blog:  

Single-Shoulder Ruffle Top Sewing Tutorial

I'm a girl that loves her accessories.  It's a part of getting dressed and topping off my amazing handmade wardrobe.  A fabulous watch is a great statement piece to finish off any look.

I've partnered with JORD Wood Watches to tell you how fabulous this "new-to-me" brand is.  I've seen these watches in passing before and I have always thought they looked really interesting.  They're very striking.  I'd never seen one up close.  I've really been missing out.  Let me tell you a little about them in case you're like me:

I chose the Sully Dark Sandalwood & Maple.  I received it couple of weeks ago and I've been enjoying the heck out of my new JORD Wood Watch.  I've been wearing it nonstop.  I normally go back and forth between my stainless steel and black ceramic watch.  The black ceramic watch has been my favorite for a couple of years.  But it's beyond heavy!  I'm very much aware that I'm wearing it.  And I can't sew in it because the weight bothers me.

I can sew in my JORD Wood Watch because it's so lightweight.  I love men's sized watch, but the icing on the cake for this one is that I can easily forget I'm wearing it.  Which is good and bad.  Because I'm subject to bang it around.  That's where that scratch resistant glass comes in handy!

The two-toned wood design is a great neutral and goes with everything well.  It's a no-brainer these days which watch I'm going to reach for.

They make fabulous gifts for dads, graduates, birthdays, and perfect for a 5th year wooden wedding anniversary!  And of course, yourself!

Gauze is one of those fabrics that is definitively summer, especially in bright white.  It's lightweight, airy, and slightly crinkly -- it screams relaxed, casual and it's wonderfully cool.

I found this rayon gauze at my local Hancock Fabrics.  It was $12.99 and on sale for 55%.  I happily grabbed my 2 yards.  This fabric is gorgeous!  It's so much more polished looking than a basic cotton gauze that you can get for about 2 bucks a yard.  When I prewashed it, it did shrink some.  That's why this is an important to step to never omit!  I know we get excited from a new fabric purchase, but I learned early on in my sewing that if I skip preshrinking, I'll be sorry as soon as I throw it in the wash.  Also, gauze tends to grow!  So you need to press it first with a cool iron to smooth out the crinkles so you can cut it out.

I mentioned before that as soon as summer months roll around, I never have enough cute tops.  So I've been filling in that wardrobe gap.  I reached for McCall's 7155 again.

I cut the size medium again.  This time I elimated the facings.  I wish I had done that the first time.

Since the top is cut in two layers of fabric, I just treated the bottom layer as I would a facing, but it's more like a self-lining.  I trimmed and serged the seam allowance so there wouldn't be any fraying.

Also, with the shrinking of my fabric I ran short.  I had to cut the bottom layer of fabric in two pieces instead of on the fold.  I just added a seam allowance when cutting.  

Those things happen in sewing and it's hardly noticeable.  And who would know that it's not meant to be that way.  I've learn to not sweat the little things and minor details.  Call it a design detail and move on!

I need at least one more version of this pattern, a black top.  And then maybe I'll be ready to move on.

I posted this dress on Instagram when I finished it.  I mentioned that I'd fallen out of love with maxi lengths.  I haven't made a maxi dress in 3 years.  This was my last one.  And someone asked why?  Well, for one thing, I've taken quite a few spills in them.  I'm not the most graceful gal and I'm naturally highly accident prone.  My life should come with it's on comic outtake reel!  Pretty much every single time I've worn a maxi anything and had to walk up stairs, my foot is guaranteed to get caught in the front hem.  I've closed them in my car door many times.  And now that I'm in my mid-40s, hot flashes are a real thing.  And the idea of being swathed in yards of fabric just no longer made sense.

What brought me back the maxi length after all of this time?  This See It! Sew It! Style It! look:

Salvatore Ferragamo Spring 2016 RTW Collection

I saw that dress in ELLE Magazine (I think it was the March issue), ripped out the page because I knew this would be something I'd actually make.  Even though this is a runway look, it was just so simple to replicate.

First thing, I had to find the right fabric. My fabric needed to be lightweight... extremely lightweight, like one level away from being translucent, in natural and breathable fibers.  It's already in the mid-90s here and we're just getting started with summer.  The RTW dress is blue cotton... probably a poplin. That's what it looks like.  I found this gorgeous Blue Silk Shirting at Mood Fabrics.com.  It's extremely lightweight and the drape is incredible.  I bought 4.5 yards and used almost every bit of it.

How did I put this look together?  I used two patterns:  Vogue 8184 for the bodice (It's a 10 year old out-of-print pattern, but it's a great one to own); and McCall's 6558 for the skirt and ruffle.  I chose to use the Vogue pattern for the bodice because I wanted a fitted bodice with princess seams, instead of the elastic neckline of the McCall's.  I felt it would look more like my inspiration dress.  Since I didn't use boning in the bodice, I shaped the neckline with a horsehair braid to keep it from collapsing over the bustline.  And I added an inch to the length.

For the skirt I added a couple of inches to the length.  I cut one pattern piece for the front on the fold. 

For the back, I added a seam allowance and cut two separate pieces, because the design now has a back zip.  I eliminated the elastic waist and created gathers and attached the skirt to the bodice. This fabric really didn't like having a zipper.  I know now that I need a lot more stabilizing around the zipper area for such a lightweight fabric.

For the ruffle, I folded the top edge over 3/4" inch to created a clean finish.  I gathered (lots of gathering) and attached the ruffle to the skirt by sewing it on top of the skirt.  And I pressed my gathers down.  It's finished with a 5/8" hem.

And to really seal the deal on my look, I added the long sash.  My sash is 120" x 5".  Super long so it can be worn obi wrap style.