Ruby Jam Fabrics

Pattern Review of the Adult Discoverer Tee

Pattern: Adult Discoverer Tee
Designer: Ellie & Mac
Fabrics: Cotton Lycra from Rubyjam Fabrics
Skill level: Beginner
Measurements: Bust: 45″; Waist 40″; Hips 46″
Size made: XXL
Adjustments: None
Pros: Love the colour blocking on this and how it allows you to mix and match coordinating fabrics.
Cons: None

The Wrap Up

I had a lot of fun sewing this one up.

My Brother in Law’s partner has a bit of a thing for avocado’s so as soon as I saw this fabric I knew that I wanted to make it into something for her.

The discoverer tee seemed perfect as I was able to colour block with a solid to break up the ‘strong’ hero print. It’s also quite a flattering fit for larger busted women (as my sis in law is) as the colour blocking hits above the bust.

If you like a simple, easy sew with colour blocked options, this is a great pattern. I have also written a tutorial on how to add knit piping across the colour blocked section which I’ll link here. I did it for a the kids version but it’s the same principle for the adult version.

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Pattern Review of the Classic Zip Pj’s

Pattern: Classic Zipper Pj’s
Designer: Peek A Boo Pattern Shop
Fabrics: Clover & Co Fabrics, Ruby Jam Fabrics
Measurements: Various
Size made: Various
Adjustments: None
Pros: So many pros, they are a great one piece zipper pj for kids of all ages
Cons: Not any really!

Links:

Classic Zipper Pjs

Clover & Co Fabrics

Ruby Jam Fabrics

The Wrap Up:

Without doubt, the Classic Zip Pj’s are my go-to for any zippered Pj. I have made so many now cause I just LOVE them!!

I originally looked for a pattern because my daughter loved wearing the Bonds Zippies but she then grew out of their size range. I asked in a sewing group and as per usual the incredible sewing community delivered, suggesting the Peek A Boo pattern.

I love that there are 2 styles with the long and short zippie as well as long and short sleeve, so you can mix and match the leg and sleeve length options. There is also a zip guard option, but I tend to do more of a zip guard ‘tab’ if I want to include a zip guard, which just encloses the top of the zip, not the full length of the zip.

I have mainly made them from cotton lycra, but I did make a gorgeous newborn gift from a printed rib knit from Clover and Co fabrics and definitely fell in love with that. I also love using my own zipper tapes and zip pulls. its such a fun way to personalise them even further. I have some Star Wars fabric sitting there that I am going to make a gift from and bought a baby yoda zip pull to go with it. I can’t wait to finish that one and gift it.

One of my top tips for sewing this garment however would be to use washable double sided tape when installing the zip. It can be tricking sewing zips into stretch fabrics, but using a washable tape is a HUGE help. You can get it from more fabric/craft stores like Spotlight and also places Amazon stock it as well.

I have definitely got some great use from this pattern and consider it a staple for my kids wardrobe and I dare say you will too! Now where can I get an adult version….?! hehe

Gallery:

Pattern Review of the Katherine Dress

Pattern: Katherine Dress
Designer: Sonia Estep Designs
Fabrics: Black Solid – Sew Unique Fabrics
Animal Print accent – Rubyjam Fabrics
Measurements: Chest: 44″; Waist: 39″ Hips: 47″
Size made: 18/20
Adjustments: Graded from an 18 at the top to 20 in the waist
Pros: I love the signature options of an empire or natural waist the Sonia Estep includes in most of her patterns. I am surprised I like the bishop sleeve on me.
Cons: I had high hopes for this dress but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. It was unflattering over my tummy and the pattern doesn’t include pockets.

Links:

Katherine Dress Pattern

Sew Unique Fabrics

Rubyjam Fabric

The Wrap Up:

I made this dress after seeing a pic on an ad on facebook. I really liked the style and wanted to recreate it for myself.

The Katherine dress from Sonia Estep was prefect, especially with the empire waistline and above knee hemline. I also had the perfect animal print fabric from Rubyjam that I wanted to try it with.

It was a really quick sew, I had it done from cutting to wearing in about 2hrs, but I was unfortunately really disappointed with how it sat on me. When I tried it on it sat right at the top of my tummy, straining against it showing it up very clearly.

These photos don’t show it very clearly, but it was very tight across the tummy and I would not have felt comfortable in it at all.

I did think about unpicking and adding a panel in the skirt, but I didn’t have enough fabric left and to be honest, I was just happy to chalk it up to experience and move on. Not all garments look good on me, and thats perfectly fine. So I very happily have passed it on to my neighbour, who looks fab in it!

The one thing I did LOVE about this though was the bishop sleeves. Im not sure I’ve ever done them for myself and I will be making more. They looked very cool and will now feature in a few upcoming winter garments hahaha.

So, for now you get to enjoy looking at my garment on my neighbour, who absolutely rocks it! And a sneaky photobomber of one Miss Jemma who is trying to be her surrogate daughter in an almost perfectly matched RTW dress she has haha.

Gallery:

Pattern Test of the Side Snap Body Suit

New Pattern Alert!!

I was super excited to recently be involved in testing the newest pattern for Peek a Boo Pattern Shop. The Side Snap Body Suit pattern, was released this week as part of their lullaby line range designed for preemies up to 24 Months.

I chose to test the short sleeve, 12 months size and I am so happy with the final result.

Peek a Boo is one of my fave companies to test for as Amy, the owner is always so easy to communicate with and usually there are very minimal changes from the original version.

One of the other things I love when testing new garments is the opportunity to dive into some of my fabric stash. For this test I pulled out the planets fabric from Ruby Jam (check out my Sewing Buddies page for links) and also a cute Superheros fabric I picked up at Spotlight.

I also tried metal snaps for the first time on this test, and I can safely say I MUCH prefer plastic KAM snaps. I found the hammer on metal snaps cumbersome and not user friendly at all. Although, I did like the look, so perhaps I’ll persevere with them another time.

Theodore is becoming quite difficult to photograph for modelled shots now as well. He is on the move and zero interest in being a performing monkey haha. Even snacks don’t do much these days. For the whole time I tried to get photos of him in the planets suit, he became VERY attached to the blue Tupperware soup spoon. We just had to roll with it!

The pattern comes in A4, A0 copy shop size and projector formats, and is layered for ease of printing and projecting. As with all Peek a Boo patterns, the instructions are incredibly easy to follow. It’s is on sale for this weekend only, September 11/12, so if you want to grab it at a discounted price, click on my affiliate link below to get your copy.

Side Snap Body Suit