Welcome to the Sew Long Summer blog tour. I am joining today to show you what I have been making for my younger daughter as we edge closer to the end of Summer.
Not only are we sewing bloggers are going to share with you how we say “Sew Long Summer” But we’ll be asking you to join in with a Social Sew too (read on to the bottom of the post for details and prizes) How fun is that?! I love sewing along with other people on a general themed topic.
Where we live it is now getting quite cool at night and in the morning but heats up by noon so it is time to make and wear pieces that can be layered into Autumn and Winter. With that in mind I knew I wanted a fairly basic but still cute top pattern to fill her shirt drawer with. And knowing I dislike making repetitive basics I knew it needed options so I could use one pattern and be done for this growth spurt.
When I was looking through the things I pinned to my style board for her on Pinterest she liked This Dress From Persnickety Clothing 
It is pretty dang cute right?! I actually bought an orange and pink stripe knit from Fabulace on Etsy and made her these first three for her birthday (the big #3! We skipped terrible twos and are now firmly in threenager mode) to somewhat mimic this dress.
This third one has little rainbow pastel hearts on white, it was harder then I thought to catch this one on camera. I will admit though that doing three similar versions in the same fabric can get confusing when she wants to wear them back to back…or hauls a dirty one out to wear again before it hits the washer. This happens more frequently then I would like, but it does show that she loves them. That is always wonderful when you make something for someone else.
I knew she needed tops instead of dresses so I chose the Faux Layer Low Waist Top option of the Sew A Little Seam Blythe Top, Tunic, and Dress Pattern 
It came together so smoothly I whipped up the first three for her birthday and when I came across some nice knit ladies shirts a couple days later I grabbed them up to refashion into 3 more Blythe’s for my little. And there is yet one more almost finished on my sewing machine right now…how many is to many? I am never quite sure myself. I find refashioning quite joyful and love going to thrift stores to pick things out in fun fabrics I couldn’t get in yardage and combining them in fun ways. For example, one of the shirts I refashioned has cuffs that I kept and think look super cute-being able to keep details is great!
For all of the Blythe’s I have made so far I have used the bound neck keyhole option due to my kids being fairly tall and slender and having large heads so having that keyhole closure makes getting her dressed so much easier!
For both striped versions I didn’t have enough fabric in the shirts for the gathered skirt so I just added the length of the skirt so they are long enough and made the two A-line tops you see here. Equally as cute and comfortable. I think little adjustments like that really helps you get the most mileage out each of your patterns. So full price this pattern is $7.00, if you consider how many times I have made it already (6) my price per make is $1.16 each for the pattern. I used size 3 this time and it goes to size 12 so there are many more years and sizes left to use. Not to mention that I have two daughters so double the use. If I make any more Blythe’s it just keeps going down. And so on, until that pattern has completely covered it’s purchase price many times over. How many cute shirts can you buy for $7.00? Remember this next time you have a spur of the moment pattern purchase…not that that happens often. Right Ladies? Yes, excellent. We agree to rationalize it away lol impulse pattern buyers unite! Now if only I could clone fabric yardage…
Are You ready to sew with us? Our theme this month is all about getting those transitional wardrobe pieces ready; finishing up all those things we meant to make this summer; and well, basically whatever Sew Long Summer means to you.
Share what you’ve been making to say “Sew Long Summer” and use the hashtag #SewLongSewcial18 to be entered into our random drawing.
Continental US participants will be entered to win a $20 store credit from Simply by Ti Fabrics.
All other participants will be entered to win a pattern of choice from DG Patterns.
To enter, please tag your sewing project with #SewLongSewcial18 on Instagram or Facebook. You can also leave a link in the comments on the mahlicadesigns intro post. Please limit your entries to items you’ve sewn between Sept 10th and Sept 28th 2018. Winners will be notified and announced shortly thereafter.
Sept. 10th Sewing A La Carte, Tenille’s Thread, A Custom Clothier, Made for Little Gents, Miss Marah Sewn
Sept. 11th Manning the Machine, mahlicadesigns, Sewing Vortex, Crafting Fiend
Sept. 12th Auschick Sews, Aurora Design Fabrics, My Heart Will Sew On, Vicky Myers Creations
Sept. 13th Flaxfield Sewing, Sewing with D, Musings of a Seamstress, Make it Sew with the Bear and Pea Atelier, Petite Font
Sept. 14th Sewing à la Carte, Sewing by Ti, Stitches by Laura, Sewing with Sarah, My Sewing Roots
Miss Marah Sewn 