Guest Post: Easy Summer Casual Wear

Note: This post was first published on the Cali & Co blog, where a more detailed review of the fabric is included. Don’t forget to check it out after you read this post!

Hi friends! I’m excited to share that I’ve joined the Cali & Co. team of bloggers, and I’m debuting my first look with their fabrics today!

Cali Fabrics is one of my favorite places to shop when I’m in San Francisco (know as the “big city” to us country folks!) and they have an amazing online shop as well. Choosing my first set of fabrics actually took me waaaayyy longer than the actual sewing- I kept adding things to my cart, thinking of new project ideas, editing my cart…you know how it goes!

In the end, comfort won out over high fashion (as it often does around here!), and I decided to create a casual summer look using their striped shirting and lightweight jersey fabrics. The shirting is from Tori Richards and has a delightful boho vibe, which I emphasized by cutting the stripes so they would run vertically, rather than horizontally, as they were designed. I’ve been seeing alot of this look lately, and I think it serves to elongate the legs- a visual illusion I can certainly use (in case you didn’t know, I’m a card-carrying member of the #shortlegsclub).

Since I wanted something easy to wear, I went with the Coco Wide Legs pants pattern from Pattern Emporium. I have a little confession here- I’m the worst kind of PE stalker, purchasing almost every new release they share, but then forgetting to make them! I decided that had to end with the Coco’s- and I used the extra incentive of the sponsored post to make sure I got them done this time!

The Coco’s feature several waistband and pocket options, but since I was going for a breezy, beachy vibe I chose the smocked waistband and the inseam pockets. I absolutely loved the pocket instructions included in this pattern- I’ve made my share of inseam pockets, and they aren’t complicated, but the instructions share several tips and tricks that are genius, and really make for a pocket that sits really well, with no gaping.

I used my coverstitch machine for the waistband, which I cut a size smaller than the pants, since my hips and waist fall into different PE sizes. If you have a coverstitch machine and haven’t used the chain stitch before, I show a bit of how to do the technique in my video on creating pintucks here– it’s the same mechanism, just over the top of elastic! No adjustments to my tension, presser foot pressure, etc were needed. If you don’t have a coverstitch, you can certainly create the same look using the pattern tutorial and a standard sewing machine.

A nice laid-back pair of pants definitely needed an effortless summer top to match, so I whipped up another DayBreak cami  since the pattern was still  fresh in my mind from testing, and a great option for this lightweight heathered jersey. I’m far from done making DayBreaks (did you see the tankini hack Striped Swallow posted?!), so this one will have plenty of company (see my other DayBreak tops from testing here).

I chose to do the halter hack for this pattern- which is really easy to do- just tie the straps instead of sewing them down onto the back! I know I mentioned it in my original review of the DayBreak, but the binding method on this tank is really beginner (and standard sewing machine) friendly.

That cute little tie front has my heart too…

When I first finished this outfit, I worried it looked to much like PJs….and I still think it’s a little reminiscent of lounge-wear, but in a very good way. I’d love to hear your thoughts though- do you think this is suitable for wearing out (ie to a summer movie or concert in the park?). Or would you stick to those lazy coffee-at-11 mornings? Either way, I’m sure I’ll wear it quite a bit over the next few months!

As a final note, if you’ve been following my adventures on Instagram, you’ll know that we are currently in the middle of a two month RV adventure exploring the American Southwest. We are loving it, and I have lots of projects to show and share from the trip that I’ll get to soon. We have had far less internet access than anticipated (so many places that have yet to be invaded by Amazon, wifi, and Costco, I had NO idea!), so its been a busy season of sewing, and I need to catch up on my blogging, so stay tuned!