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Drumming to the beat

My younger son has been doing drum lessons for a few months now, and really enjoying it.

We recently got him some proper drum sticks to practice with, so I made him a case for them to keep them together in his school bag.

He chose the fabric, and I made a long skinny pouch with a dome and some padding.

Seasonal Sew Wardrobe Sewalong

One of the Facebook groups I belong to is a Sewalong group. They have previously done a monthly sewalong of a specific pattern, but earlier this year put forward a wardrobe sewalong.

The start date and format were similar to a Pattern review contest, but rather than the 2 month time frame over there, this sewalong had a more sensible (to me) four month time frame.

The general premise was that in the time period you sew up 8 pieces that can be worn with each other. No orphan garments here please!

I started with a big list of patterns that wanted to make, and then loosely decided that I would follow a 2 dresses, 2 tops, 2 bottoms, 2 toppers plan to make up my wardrobe.
I also decided I would like to try and make it all from stashed patterns and fabric.

Style Arc Toni Designer Dress

Maven French Dart Shift Dress

Itch to Stitch Hepburn Turtleneck

Hot Patterns Breton Tee

Sewing Rabbit Cowl Sweatshirt

Swoon Scarf Neck Cardigan

Style Arc Allison Skirt

Trousers from my trouser block

 With a few patterns swapped in and out over the course of the sewalong, I finished up my 8 piece wardrobe and kept to the plan!
All of the fabric is from my stash, and only one of the patterns, the French Dart Shift, was purchased after the sewalong began, so I'm calling that a win!!

This has been a fun experience, and these pieces are already getting a good workout in my wardrobe.

Style Arc Allison Skirt

I recently made up the Allison skirt by Style Arc, a pattern I've had in my stash for a while. I was intrigued by how the pleats were made so they weren't bulky.

When I finally got to printing out the pattern, I have to say the pattern pieces are odd looking!
While it wasn't at all difficult, it did require some fabric origami to achieve. Once I had that figured out, it was reasonably quick and painless.

I used a royal blue merino I've used previously, and am happy with how it came out.

Worn here with my turtleneck to create a faux dress

The only alterations I made were to lengthen the back and shorten the front, which seem to be standard alterations for me with my prominent bottom and tilted waist.

I would like to try this again in something a little weightier, perhaps a ponte.