I've wanted a black circle skirt for far too long. It is such a classic wardrobe staple and, simply, fun to wear! After grabbing a stack of stable knits from JoAnn I was set to make some new bottoms for the autumn of 2018. You heard me right, I started this skirt in 2018!

I was trucking right along, following all the pattern instructions, when I realized that I although I liked the functionality of the front patch pockets, I thought they looked like appliqued oven mitts on the front of my skirt... Sadly, I had already sewed them into the side and zipper seams as well as the waistband. I was so overwhelmed with the amount of unpicking I would need to do the whole project got set to the side.

My 2020 sewing goal is to only make garments that I already own the fabric and/or pattern for, and finishing an unfinished projects fits that bill perfectly. Thankfully #thegreatmodulesewalong came along and gave me the inspiration I needed to finish this skirt. It is one of the two bottoms in my module, which you'll be able to see at the end of the month. So stay tuned!


There are numerous blogs and vlogs online designed to help anyone make a circle skirt from scratch. I liked using the Veronika circle skirt because, in addition to being free when I signed up for Megan Nielsen Pattern's e-newsletter, it also gave me something concrete to use for a pattern. I inserted an invisible zipper, although I could have probably gone with an elastic waistband instead. I'm currently enjoying this longer length and can also shorten it later if I'd like.


Time estimate: 8-10 hours
Size: small
Fabric used: 2 yards solid refined ponte knit fabric black, 50% stretch
Care instructions: machine wash cold, line dry

Cost to make
Pattern: Veronika circle skirt, FREE
Printing and shipping: $4
Fabric: $28, JoAnn
Stabilizer: $3
Zipper: $2
*used thread, hook and eye from my stash
TOTAL: $37

So, I may have been living under a rock until very recently. Let me explain...

When I received this lovely Lady McElroy stretch crepe from Minerva I asked my Instagram followers what I should make with it. My sister thought I should make a Fashion Nova leopard tank dupe. Can you believe I hadn't heard of Fashion Nova before?! Thankfully, I new exactly which pattern to use - the Ogden cami!

The main elements I wanted to make sure to implement from the inspiration piece were the double straps for visual interest and the length so I could tuck in the cami if desired. I lengthen the Ogden cami front and back pattern pieces by 1 1/2" as well as lengthening the interior shell pieces 1 1/2" so they fell past my bust. I made four of the standard straps and tried to sew them in at a slight angle allowing them to fall away from each other. I had a bit of difficulty with the thickness created by adding an additional strap to each side, but love how the final garment turned out.


The neutral colors and hints of blush pink and slate blue will make this cami a staple in my wardrobe. I had enough fabric to make both this basic and additional top, coming to the Minerva blog soon, and this Lady McElroy stretch crepe became the staple of my #thegreatmodulesewalong. I can't wait to show you may whole module later in March!



Time estimate: 3 hours
Size: 4
Fabric used: Lady McElroy stretch crepe fabric in tan, 25% stretch
Care instructions: cold water wash, tumble dry low

Cost to make
Pattern: Ogden cami, from my stash
Fabric: gifted, remnant
*used thread from my stash
TOTAL: FREE

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At the end of January I had the privilege of attending the Heartland ASDP's annual sewing retreat. I was so excited to go and take a few difficult projects I needed help getting the perfect fit on. There are a multitude of talented sewists in the Indianapolis area, including Evelyn Cummings my Palmer Pletsch fitting instructor, and I had access to them all weekend!

One of the difficult projects I took to the retreat was the Sewaholic Granville button up shirt. I knew I needed to add width across the middle of the back of this pattern following my first time making it. I started by increasing the size of the top half of the shirt to a size four and grading down to a size two through the waist and the hips. Other adjustments I made included a 1 1/4" sway back adjustment and shortening the sleeves by 3".


The gray Cotton + Steel gingham I purchased for the project was only 44" wide and I had to be very careful about how I cut out the pattern pieces. Since I had so little fabric, and as a fun fashion statement, I decided to use a cotton floral print on the interior cuffs and collar stand and cut the sleeve placket on the diagonal. I was also able to borrow one of women's simflex sewing gauges to perfectly place my buttons down the front of my new shirt.

I had less difficulty with the collar stand this time around, but did find it still had a bit more fabric than I needed. The only thing I would change in making this pattern again would be to move the shoulder seams up about 1/4". All-in-all I love this top and it will surely see a lot of wear. The back has enough room for me to move in while still having the slim, fitted look I desired. The peek-a-boo pops of floral and the sleeve placket are my favorite elements.



Time estimate: 16 hours
Size: 2-4
Fabric used: 1 1/2 yards Cotton + Steel gray gingham, 1 yard The Alexander Henry Fabrics Collection 2014 floral (out of stock)
Care instructions: machine wash/tumble dry low

Cost to make
Pattern: $25, previously used
Cotton + Steel gingham fabric: $18
The Alexander Henry Fabrics Collection 2014 floral fabric: from my stash
*thread from stash, buttons gifted
TOTAL: $43

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Paul wears button up shirts at least six days a week, but has trouble finding a shirt that is slim enough for him. I was so glad when I saw Simplicity 8753, with a slim fit view and picked it up right away. As soon as I saw this gorgeous Italian cotton on super sale at my local fabric shop I just knew it would be a perfect match for the S8753 and I had to have it for Paul.

Thankfully, I had recently taken the Palmer Pletsch Tissue Fitting button up shirt course with Evelyn and was able to implement those techniques to make a perfectly fitted shirt for Paul. I started by taking his measurements and learned that Paul was a size 38 in the chest but a 34 in the waist. I cut out the tissue pieces in the larger size, pinned them together, and had Paul try it on. I ended up bumping the side seam out to a 36 to allow him more room to move and breathe. I also shortened the sleeves by an inch, then cut out the fabric. Although this plaid is a repeating pattern it is not a balanced plaid so I took extra care in cutting out each piece.

Paul got another fitting once I had the fabric pieces cut out and pinned together. At this point I made a few additional changes, letting out the side seam a bit at the hip and thinning the sleeves by one inch. Then I was ready to sew!


I had the opportunity to try two new-to-me sewing techniques with this pattern, sewing sleeve plackets and flat felled seams. I can't say enough good things about the instructions in this pattern, which led me to gorgeous results and I was thrilled to add a few new sewing skills to my repertoire. One additional thing I really appreciated about this pattern was the additional pattern piece to help aid with button placement - no more wonky button placement! I know this will become a tried-and-true pattern in my collection. If you've been thinking about purchasing this pattern, or own it but haven't made it yet, I can't encourage you enough to give it a try!

The fitting and pattern matching took as much or more time than actually sewing the shirt. I have been practicing slower and more intentional makes and found this one extremely rewarding. Thankfully Paul loves it too!



Time estimate: 20 hours
Size: 38
Fabric used: 1 7/8 yards, Italian cotton
Care instructions: machine wash, tumble dry low

Cost to make
Pattern: $15
Fabric: $16
*used thread from my stash and buttons from my mother's stash
TOTAL: $31

P.S. Check out my Insta stories, @Sew_Help_Me, to see the fitting process step-by-step!

Photos by K.Willerick Photography

You know how much I love replicating royal looks, and this time I had the company of a sewing friend! When I saw Shannon, from Indoor Shannon, also recreating royal looks I reached out and asked her if she would like to work on a project together and she said yes!

We soon landed on recreating the Scanlan Theodore Garnet Crepe Knit Wrap Jacket Meghan wore to the 2018 Invictus Games. We each chose our own pattern and fabric. You can read all about Shannon's make on her blog here.



The bones of this wrap top pattern were a great starting point for the look I wanted to recreate. The main things I needed to tweak were adding some fullness to the skirt front and shaping the front to slightly curve upward. I started by tracing the original pattern piece off, cutting the new pattern piece at the waistline, and slicing and spreading the bottom portion in a few pieces making sure to avoid the dart. In each place where I cut the pattern I left about a millimeter attached so I could spread the pattern while keeping the seam length the same.

I rounded the right, front skirt of the wrap, while leaving the left side full length to more accurately copy the original garment. I also needed to shorten one of the ties and add a few hidden snaps for the final look. I really like how my replica turned out, but wish I had added a few more inches in width to the skirt portion of the top.

I used a stretch knit crepe from JoAnn to create this look. I hadn't sewn with a stretch crepe before and wasn't sure what to expect. It was easy to work with, had a fair amount of structure, and formed to my body well. It had the texture of a crepe fabric and a slight stretch like a sturdy knit.

I finished this top just in time for the holidays and enjoyed wearing it for a number of occasions. Shannon and I would love to see your royal replicas so make sure to join us in tagging your pieces #replicateroyalty #sewmeghan and #sewkate!




Time estimate: 8 hours
Size: 10
Fabric used: stretch knit crepe, pomegranate; 95% polyester, 5% spandex
Care instructions: machine wash gentle cold, nonchroline bleach, line dry, cool iron

Cost to Make
Pattern: borrowed
Fabric: $23
*used thread and snaps from my stash
TOTAL: $23

P.S. I also made the shirt he wore in our family photos. Stay tuned for that post coming soon!

Photos by K.Willerick Photography