Laela Jeyne Patterns just released The Summer 2017 Collection, Marisa's first pattern collection, and I am seriously in love with every single piece. With the kids home all summer long, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, easy to make and easy to wear clothes are always near and dear to my heart. There are six patterns in total, and I am super excited that I can make myself some staple summer pieces. I'll be ready for pretty much anything from hanging out at the zoo to a treasured date night. I'll even have something for the lake if we get that far this summer!
Okay, so what's in the collection?? Like I said, there are six patterns that you can either buy separately or build you own bundle. All of the patterns are on sale right now so this is a great time to get some amazing patterns as some righteous prices (food for thought: if you buy the entire collection right now, the sale price is 40% off the retail price of the bundle). I'm going to run through each pattern and give you my take on them. The entire collection includes the Women's Dahlia Tank Top, the Women's Lily Woven Blouse, the Women's Rose Circle Skirt, the Girl's Rosie Circle Skirt, the Women's Violet Swimsuit, and the Girl's Vi-Vi Swimsuit
Dahlia Tank Top
I would definitely say this is a beginner pattern; it's a very fast sew and is perfect for anyone wanting to try out sewing with knits. It was a little more form fitting that what I usually wear, but I have to say, I love it! It is so comfortable, and I used a double brushed poly knit from Knitpop so it was so very soft. I really loved that there were different cup sizes so I didn't have to wonder if I needed to adjust down for a good fit!
I made the hip length for this one. I'm not quite brave enough for anything shorter yet, but there is a short option if you prefer that. I really loved the length on me, and the bindings on the neck made for a cleaner finish that was more comfortable for me than a neckband. The Dahlia is such a versatile top that you can easily pair with jeans for everyday wear or with a skirt/slacks to dress it up. One blogger even made one in stretch velour!!
Lily Woven Blouse
Oh, how I love this blouse! I made mine in a very lightweight woven from Sincerely Rylee, and it was so amazingly cool and breezy. I also opted for a lace zipper that was a smidge longer than the pattern called for so I did have to mod the zipper lines to make sure I had the zipper in the right place.
The Lily comes with the option of an A-line silhouette or a gathered front. I went with the A-line sleeveless option. I am so happy with how the A-line turned out, and I wasn't quite so self-conscious while I was wearing it around!
My favorite part of the top has to be the front darts. They pull the bust in a bit and made me feel elegant. My husband kept telling me to put that one top back on after I changed into PJs because he loved how this one turned out. He very rarely pays attention to my clothes so snaps to Marisa for this one! I paired this with a pencil skirt I made a few months ago, and suddenly, I was wishing we were on our way to date night. HA!
This one took a little longer to make because of the blouse's structure. DON'T let that scare you, though! Marisa walks through every step of construction in great detail so you can get everything put together. I would definitely suggest some familiarity with darts and zippers, though. It took me about an hour and a half to make the Lily, but the end result is so amazing that it makes it completely worth taking the extra time to get it right!
Women's Rose and Girl's Rosie Circle Skirt
Both of these are amazingly fast and easy to sew up. My daughter has been learning to sew and use the Rosie to make her first clothing item! For hers, we chose a performance knit for the waistband, and it was perfect (if you want to use a woven fabric, there are also instructions to make a woven waistband). The recovery on the performance knit was sturdy enough that Nay didn't feel like she was fighting to keep her skirt on, and she's loving the twirl factor on it.
There are three silhouettes for this pattern: quarter, half, and full skirt. Nay wanted the half circle, and I went with a quarter circle. We both went with the knee length, because, again, it gets HOT here. You can also choose a maxi length if you are looking for something longer.
My Rose is a lightweight sweater knit from a mystery box from Sincerely Rylee, and it came out super comfy. I used the same fabric for the waist, and I think I'm going to go back and change that to something a little sturdier. I wasn't thinking right when I put that on there, and I definitely feel like I need something more to support the weight of the skirt. I really love that my skirt is a little more streamlined because it doesn't accentuate parts of me that I don't want to highlight. Here, I paired it with the Dahlia, and it was a perfect combo!
Violet and Vi Vi Swimsuits
Swimsuit shopping is the bane of my existence. Nay acts like I'm driving us to our deaths so I was super stoked to see that swimwear is part of the collection. It was perfect timing because the kids were headed to camp, and Nay needed a one piece. Apparently, one piece suits are harder to find than the Holy Grail because we found nothing after four stores. I made her a size 7 and added 1" to the length. Turned out perfect! I also made her version fully lined with the side cutouts because they were cute. We decided to skip the ruffles on the top, but that is an option for both the Violet and Vi Vi.
The kids pretty much live in their swimsuits right now so the Vi Vi has seen a lot of love, and I am absolutely digging the crossover in front. In looking at other photos, I think I somehow managed to get it turned around the opposite way?!?
For my Violet, I added the built in bra as well as the full lining. I really appreciate the built in because the water is kind of cold when you first get in, and, um, yeah...My version was just a plain one piece, no ruffles, no cutouts. I did do a low back on mine while Nay wanted the higher back for hers. I was also a little worried about creepage, but the neighbors are happy to report that my bum stayed fully covered the whole time that I was in the yard with the kids!
Of all the pieces in the collection, these took the longest to make (mostly because I messed up a couple of times and swim wear is a booger to unpick), but man, that fit is so worth it in the end. I can't even get CLOSE to this kind of fit on my store bought suits!
As I said in the beginning, I seriously love every piece of this collection, and I am so excited to have some go to patterns for my summer wardrobe. Thanks so much for stopping by as we continue with the Laela Jeyne Summer Collection Tour! There are a lot of talented ladies sharing their creations with us this week so please stop by and show them some love. Laela Jeyne is also having a giveaway on her blog where you can win two patterns of your choice from the summer collection! Just head on over to the Laela Jeyne blog and take a look at the daily roundup posts to see who's coming up each day and to get to the Rafflecopter link to enter the drawing! Here's a look at who's already shared their makes and who's on deck over the next few days!
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