I swear… 2018 I was a sewing fool! I just couldn’t say no to all the tests and new techniques to try out. It caught up with me and I couldn’t keep my blog up-to-date with all of them! 2018 was a year of epic pattern releases and I can’t wait to share my favorites with you!
My Favorite 2018 Pattern Releases
It was hard to choose but these are some of my faves!
Going Home Sweater by Ellie and Mac
I loved how this raglan fit. I’m actually a huge fan of raglans that don’t make me look like I’m a baseball reject. I made this one in a tunic version in a double brushed polyester plaid and it was all love!
Juliette Body Suit by Petite Stitchery
I’m an 80s baby and a 90s girl so this pattern took me back to my childhood when bodysuits were super in. I was super nervous about making one but it was really easy and now I’ve made 3 of this pattern and a couple of another body suit pattern.
The Family Go-To Jacket by Patterns for Pirates
Yes, I made my entire family jackets. This was one of my harder sews because it used techniques I wasn’t familiar with but the face that I MADE US ALL JACKETS was really big to me!
The Women’s Adeline from Made for Mermaids
I made two versions–long and short. The long is by far my favorite. I feel like a goddess whenever I wear it. I hacked it to create a suuuuuper low v-neck for my vow renewal as well as made my girls matching ones. It’s such an easy pattern to work with.
The Sierra Pattern from Made for Mermaids
This is a pattern I can’t wait to make more of. I made the original in some suuuuper short shorts which I loved. I also hacked it into a pants romper with a zipper for nursing. I feel like a functional milk maid in this!
The Clueless Collection from Made for Mermaids
This was THE cutest collection ever!!!! I made some really quality skirts for my oldest and I. But this collection has socks, a blazer, bodysuit, skirt, sweater vest, and cardigan. It’s a huge and really functional collection!
Harmony Harems by Petite Stitchery
I can’t stop making these. When I left the corporate world, I actually used to make and sell Ankara print harem pants for babies. And now I’ve made them in French Terry, Cotton Lycra, and DBP. It’s love.
Women’s Serenity Top & Dress by Petite Stitchery
I saw a sweatshirt on Pinterest that said “Wifey” and I knew I had to have it. This pattern allowed me to essentially recreate it easily. It’s soooo comfortable and was such an easy to make piece!
Yes, I realize that I have put up zero posts in between this week and the last Sunday Lately. I’m using Katy from Wild and Wanderful’s prompts weekly as the reminder that this site exists for a reason. Sewing and creating is my passion. While this site does generate some income, that’s not the sole purpose of it, unless some awesome brand wants to sponsor some things and then I’m all like, heeeeeeeey!!!
Sunday Lately .::. Embarking
This week I’m back into pattern testing full force which means I’ve been embarking on some new patterns! This is always exciting for me because I love the pattern companies I’m testing for this year. My word for the year is INTENTION. The way that this manifests in my sewing life–more specifically in my testing life–is that I’m no longer testing patterns because I’ve been chosen. Rather, I’m more intentional about ME doing the choosing for what’s going to be worn in my closet.
**Spoiler Alert: One of the new patterns is so great that I wore one that I made last weekend AND yesterday–same pattern, different fabric.
Sunday Lately .::. Enjoying
This is going to sound crazy but I’ve really been enjoying hugs from all of my kids. Before you hop into your throne of judgment, hear me out. When you have a baby, you are literally touched all.the.damn.time. While I love him and our snuggles, by the time I put him down for naps, I was touched out! Now that he’s getting older and more independent, this makes space for my two older ones to get some mommy loving which I’m not able to really enjoy for myself. Yes, I would hug them but it’s just not something I was enjoying. But now? Bring on the snuggles girls!
Sunday Lately .::. Experimenting
I’m a maker, a creator, a lover of taking nothing and turning it into something beautiful. And now I’m experimenting with this as an income generator doing something I never thought of until a friend asked me to make her one. So cryptic since I haven’t named it, right? The obvious (and something I AM working on) is sewing classes/lessons but that’s not what I’m talking about here. I’m talking about customized bullet journals! Yep! I am making her a year long custom bullet journal and I’m pretty excited about it. I’ve been bullet journaling since 2015 and it’s made a huge impact in my productivity, planning and organization. So I’m trying it out with her to see if it’s something that will be joining my business model!
I can’t believe how long it’s been since I’ve written over here!!! Not writing isn’t for a lack of pieces or information to share either! At the end of last year I was a sewing and working fool and just didn’t have time to document all the things that I wanted to–like all my favorite sews. No worries, I’ll be catching you guys up in no time.
Sunday Lately: Obsessing
Guys. I can’t stop de-cluttering. No, I haven’t watched the new Marie Kondo series on Netflix either. When my kids were out of town visiting my mom, I started in their playroom. I can’t tell you how many things I tossed into the trash and donate piles. Then came my office. I reorganized fabric and all of it was put away–was only because I started back sewing again after taking a whopping 3 weeks off. But now we’re in my husband and I’s room and I’m on fire!!!
Sunday Lately: Perusing
I can’t stop with the self-improvement books. Right now I’m reading what seems like 5 of them at the same time but I can’t help just picking them up and jumping right in! Every book store I go into is another opportunity to peruse the self-improvement section for new books I don’t have.
Sunday Lately: Praising
Myself.
Yeah. I’m over here patting myself on the back for the things I’ve been obsessing over and perusing because I feel like I’m setting myself up for a successful year. I bought a new car and as a freelancer, new bills can be scary! But I bought it and am securing the funds to pay it off early and buy my husband a new car so yay me! Also: I’m on track for filing my taxes at the end of this month. Go. Me.
So what are you guys up to?
Hello there!
My name is Aaronica and I'm the sewist behind The Needle and the Belle. I started sewing when I was 13 and then fell back in love with sewing through PDF patterns. I now document my pieces I make here!
