I can hardly say enough good things about these linen joggers. I just LOVE them and have been wearing them nonstop since they came off the sewing machine!

I used the True Bias Hudson Pants patterns and sized up two sizes to compensate for the woven fabric. I already owned this pattern in tissue, which I had cut out in my size to make my first pair of French terry joggers. You should have seen me trying to add back in the additional two sizes while cutting out the pants - actually you can see a reel on my Instagram account. Its kind of hilarious in retrospect, even if it wasn't too funny at the time!

I also increased the ankle cuff pattern pieces to 12" x 5" so I could fit my foot through the opening and use the same two inch elastic I used in the waistband. If I make woven joggers with this pattern again I would increase the length to about 14", allowing putting my foot through the opening a bit easier.

As a fairly new stay-at-home mom I'm finding new wholes in my wardrobe that I didn't have in my professional wardrobe. These days I need outfits that make me look and feel put together while also being very flexible and easy to wash. In January I decided to make myself a lounge set in my colors, which I had done for a Christmas gift.

The first and most obvious hole in my wardrobe was my lack of joggers. I had seen a variety of other sewists make the Hudson Pants and knew I wanted to give them a try. I decided to use a pattern I already owned, the Halifax Hoodie, for the top of my lounge set because I had made it once before and loved it. I was thrilled to find this gorgeous See You at Six Ponderosa French terry and coordinating ribbed knit on June and Lu Fabric's site and knew it was exactly what I was looking for.

I made a straight size four in the Hudson Pants. The pattern calls for two inch elastic, but I used the one and a half inch elastic I could more easily source. This was a mistake I will not make again as I barely had enough room to sew the two channels for the drawstring. I'm glad the drawstring is functional on these joggers because, even though I measured, my elastic isn't quite tight enough. These were a quick and easy make, when baby girl let me set her down, and I was thrilled with how the ribbed knit enhanced the finished product. I will certainly be making more of these. And my husband liked them so much he has asked for his own pair!

I made the same version of the Halifax Hoodie that I had previously made, view D with the cowl neck. I really like this version because it gives me a bit more visual interest up top where I could use it. The French terry of the cowl lays very nicely and I would make this version again. I shortened the sleeves by two inches and they fit nicely, but I might only shorten them by an inch in the future. I wish I had also shortened the body of the sweater since I'm so short and to better highlight the waistband of the joggers. I did run out of ribbed knit and ended up only having enough for the back waistband of the sweater. I don't mind that little detail, although I wish I had sewn the ribbed portion to the front of the sweater. I used shoelaces for both drawstrings.

I recently learned that the Greek independent pattern company AK Patterns names each of their patterns after a real sewist and shares a bit about that person in the pattern materials. How fun is that?! I was so thrilled to be selected to help test the Whitney, a wrap dress and top, not just because it is such a cute and feminine wrap, but because I adore my sewing friend Whitney. Whitney and I are both members of our local ASDP Chapter. She is always willing to help and is such an encouragement.

The Whitney is designed for knit fabrics making it very comfortable to wear and easy to fit. I made my Whitney wrap top out of a medium weight ponte knit knowing such a sturdy fabric would help the scallops keep their shape. In fact, I ended up not using any stabilizer in my scallops, ties, or facing  pieces because the fabric was so strong, and already quite heavy.


I found the pattern instructions for the Whitney very helpful and only made one slight adjustment when I sewed the scallops. Instead of using the drawing guide to outline the seamline on my scallops, I pinned the guide to the fabric and slowly sewed around the paper. After trimming, steaming, and using my clapper I love how they turned out.


My only critique is that when making this pattern again I would use ribbon for the interior ties. It was difficult for me to get the fabric ties turned inside out and sometimes I can see them through the exterior fabric.

Overall the Whitney top is a big win for me and my wardrobe. Made in a soft blush pink I plan to wear this most seasons, dressed up for work or down for casual date nights. The scallop feature makes this a pattern I would recommend for a moderate to advanced sewist.

fabric - $35
thread - from my stash
TOTAL: $47 value

I'm thrilled with my new Lily Ski Pant, but boy was it a journey getting to the finish line! In the spring of 2018, just after starting my sewing blog and associated Instagram account, I was selected as a winner of Style Arc's "International Women's Day" giveaway and won two free patterns of my choice. I love the style lines of Style Arc patterns, but didn't know they were notoriously thin on assembly instructions until after selecting a few very detailed patterns to try.

With minimal instructions, I was afraid to cut into my pant leg to insert the false zip pockets. I ended up taking the whole project to an open sew at my local fabric shop, The French Seam, where my instructor helped me decipher the instructions and encouraged me to take the necessary steps. With her help I was able to insert both of the false pockets and the yoke, the first time I had done either!


Even though I was happy with the progress I had made I was overwhelmed by the project and set it aside for well over a year. I'm so glad #thegreatmodulesewalong came along and encouraged me to complete this unfinished project, because I love these new pants. And the gray and black knit coordinates with nearly everything in my closet.

The pattern calls for 3/8" seam allowances, so when I pulled the project back out I pinned the remaining leg seams together at 3/8" and tried the pants on. They were extremely comfortable so I decided to proceed without making any adjustments in the width. I hadn't inserted a zip fly for many years, and couldn't have done it without this Tilly and the Buttons instructional video. It was a lifesaver! I decided to hand sew the interior waistband and needed to reduce the pant length by 4".

As I said above, I just love the Lily Ski Pant. Made from a forgiving knit they were easy to fit and are extremely comfortable to wear. I could certainly see myself mastering this pattern and making a variety of Lily Ski Pants. However, I would not recommend this pattern of beginners.



Time estimate: 24+ hours
Size: 8
Fabric: Knit ponte fabric "tweed"
Care instructions: cold wash, hang dry

Cost to make:
pattern: gifted to me, ($9.23 value)
fabric: $25
zippers: $7
*used button, stabilizer, and thread from my stash
TOTAL: $32

P.S. Stay tuned for my full module, coming next week!