handmade wardrobe // leafy greens

my top: Tessuti Patterns Romy top in a ‘mora slub’ linen/viscose from Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics

my shorts: Megan Nielsen Dawn jeans in a cotton/linen canvas from Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics

belt bag: Target

Penny’s outfit: Butterick 6342 in a cotton/linen fabric from my stash that I don’t remeber where it came from

Penny’s purse: self drafted

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Why I waited until August to make all my shorts for the summer, I do not know lol. I wish I would’ve made these earlier on in the summer! They’re the Megan Nielsen Dawn shorts. You know the pattern is already tried and true for me - I’ve made 2 pairs of wide leg jeans so far, but this is my first pair of the shorts view! I cut out my size straight, no grading, and they fit like a glove! The only adjustment I made was in sewing the side seams - I went from 5/8” seam allowance at the waist to 1/4” seam allowance at the hem, so I had a little but more wiggle room at my thighs. And I usually really prefer the button fly detail of the Dawn jeans, but I went with a zip fly for these ones becasue the print is already busy and I didn’t want to muddle it or distract from it at all. Only problem - I forgot to order a green or natural colored zipper. So I ended up using a contrasting black one. Doh. Oh well, Atleast you cant see the zipper from the outside!

I didn’t have much fabric left over, so the only thing I was able to make for P to match me was this little purse - she carried around her little mini Paw Patrol figurines in them, lol. I also pulled out this neutral striped fabric and made her this really quick and easy set. I love the apron style back!

handmade wardrobe // tie strap cottelsoe, round 2

swimsuit: Megan Nielsen Patterns Cottesloe swimsuit with tie strap hack in a ribbed tricot from Blackbird Fabrics

pants: Simplicity 8605 with modified extra wide paperbag waist in rayon from Harts Fabric

bag: thrifted Free People

sandals: old Zara

Penny’s swimsuit: Kortni Jeane

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The best part about a cute one piece swimsuit? The fact that it can easily be worn away from the beach or pool! Throw on some cute pants or shorts or skirt, and it doubles as a cool bodysuit. This is my second Cottesloe with tie straps (see the first one here), and I wrote up a tutorial over on Megan Nielsen Design Diary. Whats great is that it is a basic tutorial, but could be used to make all different kinds of ties, I kept these ones short and stubby, my first ones were tied in little bows, but I kinda also want to make a third one (I’m crazy, I know) with super long ties that drape down my shoulders. Wouldn’t that be fun?

Handmade Wardrobe // hiking, but make it fashion

top: Megan Nielsen Rowan top, cropped with added band

bottoms: Megan Nielsen Virginia leggings with yoga waistband (tutorial here)

fabric: light pink athletic knit from Blackbird Fabrics

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When we go hiking, I prefer to wear leggings over any other hiking type of pants. And I loved my last pair of yoga waistband Virginia leggings so much, I wanted to make another pair for our recent camping and hiking trip!  and I purposely bought a bit of extra yardage  of this Blackbird Fabrics athletic knit with the idea to make a cute little matching fitted/athletic tee.

Actually, my original idea was for the top to be a bit shorter with a built in shelf bra/lining so that it was more of a tee-style sports bra. But I was racing against time to finish the set before the trip, so I just left it as a basic tee, sans built in bra. But it’s fine because it works just fine over top a sports bra. I used my favorite Rowan bodysuit/tee pattern to make it. Just cropped it and added a band along the bottom edge, similar to a sports bra,  to help it stay in place better and not ride up. 

I quite like how it turned out! And it was comfy to hike in. The only thing I would say - definitely need to wear nude colored undies with this light fabric. I thought, even though it’s a light color, because it was a thicker knit maybe it wouldn’t be a problem. But the first time I put them on, I was wearing polka dot undies, and there was definitely no hiding it haha. But nude ones did the trick, so no problem! 

Handmade Wardorbe // Rowan and Wattle

top: Megan Nielsen Patterns Rowan bodysuit in a green rib knit from Blackbird fabrics

skirt: Megan Nielsen Patterns Wattle skirt in a cotton from Shop Well Fibre

slides: Old Navy

Penny’s dress: self-drafted

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The last time we matched while wearing this skirt, its was January and we were in sweatshirts and lots of layers. Happy to finally wear it in warmer weather!

This Rowan bodysuit is my favorite one yet. I added in shoulder ruffles again like I have before (This time I documented the process, so there will be a tutorial on Design Diary sometime soon!). And the green pairs perfectly with this floral Wattle skirt. I didn’t have enough of the ribbed fabric left to make anything for P, so I grabbed this other green knit form Nelly Lou stash and whipped up our go-to gathered dress. Not a perfect match, but she still thought we were in matching outfits, so it was a win! She actually loves matching me, and I hope it never ends. I mean, I know it will, but I seriously live for this.

Handmade // tie top Cottesloe

pattern: Megan Nielsen Patterns Cottesloe swimsuit

fabric: ‘watercolor mostera leaf’ by Little Arrow Design, purchased from Spoonflower

bag: Target

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Gaaaaaaah, I love this swimsuit so much! I originally made another Cottesloe swimsuit out of this fabric - view D bikini with underbust band and waistband (you can see photos at the very end of the post). While I do love the look of that one, I purposefully bought extra yardage of this fabric because it’s gorgeous and I knew I would want to make different two piece versions to mix and match together. So this longline, tie strap top was born! Seriously, I couldn’t love it more. I’m definitely more comfortable in longline tops. Not necessarily a full tankini, but more coverage than a typical bra-style top. All I did for the longline modification was literally extend the lines of the side seams straight down. Nothing fancy. Easy-peasy. I lined the front only, and adding sewn-in bust pads (tutorial can be found on Design Diary).

And those tie details? Don’t worry - there will be a tutorial for Design Diary in the future! I didn’t make it this go-around, since I was just testing it out. But now that I know how cute it turns out, I’ll  be doing it again (maybe on a one piece?) and documenting it for a tutorial. So keep a look out in the next month or two for that!

I also made a second pair of high waisted bottoms, this time without the waistband. But I still wanted the extra height that the waistband provided, so I again simply extended the side seams upwards about 3/4”. Again, super simple.

Now, in this swim print, I have 5 pieces - a longline tie strap top, a regular style top with underbust band, high waisted bottoms, high waisted bottoms with waistband, and also regular low-rise bikini bottoms! So many mix and match options!

Handmade Wardrobe // flower child

dress: Megan Nielsen Patterns Floreat dress

penny’s cropped tee: self drafted  

fabric: double brushed jersey knit from Girl Charlee

my belt bag: Target

my shoes: sooooo old

penny’s pants: Target

penny’s sunnies: Amazon

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I originally had this post scheduled for later in the week, but I was so excited about this set that I rearranged posts and moved this up to Monday haha.

I’ve been holding onto this fabric for awhile (it’s no longer available, unfortunately), but I honestly knew I wanted to make a knit Floreat dress with it from the second it arrived in the mail. This is the 5th Floreat version I’ve made, and as usual, I’ve had to make zero mods to the pattern. The loose fitting shape is forgiving, and it makes it quite an easy sew. Yes, even with the angled hem! Once you get the hang of it (I mean I have made 5 now haha), it’s a breeze. I did also make the matching tie belt for it, but last minute decided to wear my new belt bag with it instead (which I’m obsessed with!). 

My original vision was to make a cute gathered dress for P, too. Or at least a peplum tee. But I had so little fabric left, the most I could squeeze out was this little cropped tee. That little belly sticking out a bit kiiiiills me. 

Handmade Wardrobe // palm leaf Cottesloe

swimsuit: Megan Nielsen Cottesloe swimsuit in an (old) swim fabric from Blackbird Fabrics

cover-up: hand drafted kimono in a rust gauze also from Blackbird Fabrics

Penny’s suit: Kortni Jeane

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Here is Cottesloe number 2! This is view B, which is your basic, no frills, one piece. Perfect coverage from top to bottom. Back has a bit of a scoop back, but not anywhere near as low as view A. Sorry I don’t have any photos of the back - I got sunburn reeeeeal bad a couple days before and my back was bright red with some not so cute tanlines, doh. This suit is fully lined with bust pads. which is nice, but as I mentioned in my other Cottelsoe post, I think I personally prefer a shelf bra. And also just like my other suit, I added 3/4” to the length for my long torso. That’s it! No other mods. Nothing fancy. The perfect basic suits for swimming laps, running after a toddler, or just for someone who likes some coverage.

And P.S - the sewalong is currently in progress over on Design Diary. So if you’re making any version of the Cottesloe suit and need some help with construction, head on over there!

Handmade Wardrobe // gingham Cottesloe

Swimsuit: Megan Nielsen Patterns Cottesloe swim in a gingham fabric from Raspberry Creek Fabrics

Penny: swim top from Kortni Jeane, sunnies from Amazon

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Gah, I’m so excited to finally be able to share some shots of my Cottesloe swimsuits! If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve seen some flat lay and mirror selfie shots, but I was finally able to wear them IRL for some actual swimming while we were on vacation in Florida. First up - my grey gingham View A one piece with back ties! This is my favorite of all three suits I made. It fits like a dream and feels so buttery soft. It’s got the perfect one piece coverage in the front and along the bum, but with a bit of some surprise skin with the low back. I also included a shelf bra with bust pads in this one. Bust pads are a must for me! Not to add size (it doesn’t help me anyway, ha), but for even-ness, and modesty. I did a full lining with bust pads in the other two suits (which you will see later), but I’ve decided that I like the shelf bra of this one better, and will probably continue with this method for future me-made swimsuits. The only pattern modification I made is adding about 3/4 - 1” to the torso length, just as I do for my Rowan bodysuits #longtorsoproblems.

The Cottelsoe sewalong starts real soon over on Design Diary, so keep a look out for that!

What do you think? Isn’t it a dream?!

Also - throwing in a few pics of my kid, because she cute.

handmade wardrobe // Floreat, and a mini, and a tote bag too

top : Megan Nielsen Floreat top in Cloud 9 double gauze from Fabric.com

penny’s top: Butterick 3642 in same fabric

jeans: Urban Outfitters

tote: handmade using this Megan Nielsen tutorial

slides: Target (last year)

Penny’s shoes: Old Navy

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I recently worked on updating some old tutorials for Megan Nielsen Design Diary, including this DIY canvas tote! It’s nothing fancy, just a basic oversized tote bag. But a perfect carry-all when you need to take a small collection of toddler toys and snacks with you everywhere, haha. I actually didn’t use a traditional canvas, but instead a nice weight cotton/linen blend in a subtle stripe. I added a small macrame feather I made one night while crafting (search Pinterest for “macrame feather” to find a few different DIYS).

I actually made this brown Floreat top back in the fall, but it was already too cold to wear it without layering. So I’m happy to finally have some warmer weather to wear it alone and let it shine! And of course, I made sure I had just enough left to make a matching top for P. I love this double gauze - I actually bought it in two colors and used the blue one to make the jumpsuits a few posts back!

handmade wardrobe // not mellow yellow

my top: Megan Nielsen Patterns Floreat top (knotted) in a yellow rib knit from Fabric.com (no longer available)

Penny’s top (in same fabric) and dress: Simplicity 8706

my jeans: Megan Nielsen Dawn jeans in cream denim from Style Maker Fabrics

My shoes: Swedish Hasbeens

Penny’s shoes: Old Navy

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Not as many photos to choose from for this outfit set, because someone was a bit cranky and not in the mood for photos. So we cut it short after a few snaps. She still cute tho.

This isn’t a new handmade outfit. You’ve seen both of these garments before. I wore the Floreat top before here, and in this outfit I just knotted the angled hem for a different look.  Read about these Dawn jeans here. And I also posted about just Penny’s outfit when I first made it (here), if you want to see it closer up and see her happier to be wearing it HA.