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Thursday, April 10, 2014

Essential Greenstyle Blog Tour Day 5

Hello and welcome!  I am finishing out the last day of the Essential Greenstyle Wardrobe Tour.  What a great tour it has been! 5 bloggers were given 4 patterns and asked to make outfits to fit into their wardrobes.  Well, here is my take...


I am no stranger to Greenstyle Patterns.  I have been admining the Greenstyle Facebook group and working with the genius behind Greenstyle, Angie, for several months.  I started buying her patterns well before I started admining with the group, but at that time I only bought her children's line.  That totally changed a few months ago when I took the plunge and sewed up a few self-care sewing items for myself.  Now I am hooked. Those kids may never get another outfit sewn for them! (ok, I am kidding, but I will be more fair in the future and I'll work in more for myself!) 

I have a few favorites in the Greenstyle line, and for this tour I decided to try to step out of my comfort zone a bit and try some new patterns.  I couldn't be happier that I did.  Now I have several items that are everyday wearable, comfortable and cute (if I do say so myself!) that are a great boost to my spring and summer wardrobe.  

The first pattern that I picked was the Greenstyle Studio Tunic.  This also comes with a maxi and short dress option, but since I am not a big dress wearer, I did the tunic length.


This pattern has an option for a hood or cowl neckline (I did the cowl) and for short or long, and wide or narrow sleeves (I did the short).  I love the look of a scarf and with the cowl, I get that look without the choking hazard from my kids pulling on my scarves...


I used this Digital Chevron Knit which was very generously donated by The Fabric Fairy for the tour.  It is amazing to work with and I think it turned out beautifully.


I am going to try one with a hood next.  Because everyone who lives in California needs hooded tops for summer, right? ;)

The next pattern I chose was the Greenstyle Amy Skirt.  As I said above, I am not much of a dress wearer.  But I thought maybe a skirt would be a good option to give me something a little dressier in my closet for the times I just can't get away with capris.



Boy am I glad I did.  I LOVE this skirt.  It was super fast to make.  I mean less than 30 minutes to sew it up and hem (not including putting together the pattern and cutting).  I have a obsession deep love for striped knits and when I got this piece, I could immediately see it as a maxi.  With the narrow stripes, I don't even mind wearing them horizontal across my not-so-smallest parts.  


I paired the skirt with one of my absolute favorite Greenstyle patterns, the Bella Bubble Sleeve Tee Shirt.  I am not kidding when I say it's a favorite.  This is the fifth one I have made for myself and I have made them for my girls as well.  This pattern comes with a dress option as well. 


I think this outfit is totally flattering and I just feel good in it.  Plus, it goes with flip-flops (but then, what doesn't?) Can't ask for much more than that!



For another casual summer outfit, I also made a pair of Willow Ruffle Pants (sans ruffle) and paired them with the Centerfield Raglan T-shirt.


I love the casual comfort of this one and can already see it being worn to swimming practice and dance lessons.  I cut the willows into capris and left off the ruffles for a more streamlined look, but the pattern includes full length pants with up to 3 ruffles.  



For the centerfield raglan, I cut the sleeves just above the elbow, which is my favorite length for a sleeve.   The centerfield comes with short, long and 3/4 length sleeve options; a straight and a curved hem option (I did the straight one), a scoop and regular neckline (I did the regular one) and optional elbow patches and sleeve ruching.  


Just hanging out on a miniature picnic table.  Normal day in my backyard...

These two pieces sew up very quickly and I love the beachy feel of it.  My daughter says the top is made out of mermaid fabric, so I guess she agrees with the beach feel of it :) 

To say that I had a hard time narrowing down what I wanted to make for the tour is an understatement.  I had so many ideas that I kind of just kept sewing until I ran out of time....


So, since I wasn't out of time yet, I whipped up a pair of the Greenstyle Lucy Leggings. I prefer fitted capri leggings to work out in, but they are hard to find and expensive.  Plus, I am tall (5'11") so I have a hard time finding ones that come down low enough on my calves.  I made these out of some heavier spandex material and they are truly awesome.  I cut them at the capri length that I wanted and I love the fit.  They are a higher-waisted fit, so it helps to holding some of the not-so-small parts while still begin comfortable to move in.  


The pattern comes in full length as well, with a ruffle option for the bottom.  I think my next pair or running capris will have ruffles too.  Maybe that will draw attention to my ankles and not to my heaving, out of breath, barely moving pace...


At the last minute (like last night) I decided to add a Greenstyle Jenn's Poolside Dress to the mix.  It was a super quick sew and I was easily able to finish it in one evening after the kiddos went to bed.  As you can see, it is great for lounging casually around the pool and enjoying a book...


...And then reality sets in.  All we have is a kiddie pool and there's no way I can lounge long enough to read a book.  Plus, my kid was upset because I borrowed her pool and didn't put water in it.  


But, now I have a cover up for the next time we go to the actual beach (obviously I need a little sun!) and the pattern includes children's sizes, so I can make one for the kiddos too.  

The final piece I made was a pair of Aspen pants.  Although I have made 2 other pairs of these, I had not tried them in knit before.  


Holy awesome lounge pants batman!  They are super comfortable and cute enough to wear out in public.  


The wide leg is really flattering, drawing attention away from the not-so-small area, but remaining cute and comfortable.  They have a yoga waist band and can be made in both wovens and knits.  


These were so comfortable that I ended up wearing them the rest of the evening after I took the pictures!

And that wraps up my portion of the tour!

Thanks so much for stopping by! And if you haven't already, don't forget to enter the giveaway to win one of five amazing prize packs from the tours awesome sponsors below.  
  



Thank you to all of the sponsors of the Essential Greenstyle Wardrobe Blog Tour:

And our wonderful bloggers!  Please visit their blogs this week to see their Greenstyle Creations:
April 7, 2014 Swoodson Says
April 8, 2014 Keep Calm and Carrion
 April 9, 2014 Shawnta Sews
April 10, 2014 Becca Duval Photography
April 11, 2014 Blogs Like A Mother

27 comments:

  1. Gorgeous!! I love the options/modifications you have chosen on all your pieces too. I have to confess that I haven't put my Studio pattern together yet and haven't read through the pattern to check out all the options, definitely going to get on to that ASAP now that I've seen the options you chose. Thanks :)

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    1. It is a great pattern! I am def going to make more of them.

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  2. Love this. Great job Sarah. I am impressed and you look beautiful. :)

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  3. Great job on all the pieces. I really need to sew a few for myself. You are inspirational.

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    1. Thanks so much! Once you start sewing for yourself, you won't stop :)

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  4. These are great, Sarah! And that RAGLAN! I DIE!!! Florals and stripes.....what's not to love?!

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  5. everything looks great1 and I totally want a pair of those aspens!

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  6. Love this! You're such an inspiration

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  7. Bought my Studio pattern! Love it with short sleeves and the cowl neck. And that bit with the pool was HILARIOUS. I'd love to see my picture lounging next to the pool--it would just look like a kid pile-up!

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    1. Right? "Lounging" is just not part of the vocabulary when you're a mom!

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  8. Love the your Centerfield Raglan!

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  9. Great job Sarah! I love all your pieces. And the pool pics made me giggle. :)

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  10. You look fantastic in everything Sarah. I especially love the Amy skirt and Bella top too. I must make those for myself this summer. They look absolutely amazing on you. And I didn't even know about the Pool dress. How did I not know about that? I live around the pool in the summer and am always looking for great cover-ups. Guess I'll be getting that one too. You really rocked this!! Love it all and you look awesome!!

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    1. Can't wait to see all of your stuff Danielle!

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  11. Loving everything you made and all your fabric choices! :)

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  12. Wow! These are great and I loved seeing some new patterns I hadn't seen before. Great job!

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  13. Left a comment but it didnt show up. :p ..these look great. I read every blog this week bc I am determined to make more and more stuff for myself. Love the bubble bella. Your princess one is still my fave though :)

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  14. Such great stuff! I really do love these patterns!

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  15. Love everything you made, Sarah! I def need to make myself some princess inspired Bellas like you did...so cute!

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  16. love your outfits! And, I didn't know a bunch of them came with dress and tunic options! Good to know!

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  17. Thank you all for your nice comments!

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  18. Oh I love those wide leg pants I wonder if I could make them work with suiting so I can wear them to work..

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    1. The Aspen pants would work with suiting! You would just need to size up one size. I've made 2 other pairs with wovens, this was my first time trying them in knit :)

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