Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Essential Greenstyle Wardrobe Blog Tour - Day 2

Hi!  Thank-you for checking out my stop on the tour.  I'm pretty new to this blog tour thing, so let's hope I can live up to the post yesterday by Stephanie of Swoodson Says.  If you haven't checked her post out, please do!  She made some incredible outfits!!

I'm really excited to show off the six pieces I made for the tour, and here they are:
So before I start, I want to say this... I am NOT a skinny girl. I am working on a very slow weight loss journey, since due to injuries when I was active duty, I can't really do much by way of exercise.  Anyways, a lot of the time I get really frustrated and discouraged with clothes.... store bought clothes rarely fit right, and when I find something that does I wear it until it falls apart.  Being part of this tour made me really nervous at first -- did I REALLY want everyone to see my pictures?? And then I realized, that YES, yes I do.  Because we aren't all small, and we are just as beautiful as the smaller sized girls and we deserve to look good in our clothes too -- so a huge thank you to Angelyn of Greenstyle Creations for giving me the chance to feel pretty and show off the awesome plus size fit of Greenstyle!


So let's get started... First up, my Laurel... Done in the dress length, but with the shortest bodice length, so its more like a long tunic - which is just what I was going for...
I did the front and back pleats, because let's face it, my butt is too big to skip the pleats! The pockets were a must as well.  The leggings are store bought from Walmart, and the best part... the fabric used?  A cotton/poly blend knit that I got from the local goodwill for $1.99.  I wore this out to the park today-- and had two different moms ask me where I got it.  Total win.

Next up, The Amy's.  There are two... First, because my waist is a bit smaller than my hips, I wanted to check out the waistband and get the size right before I did the full skirt... so I grabbed this 50% off dress from the Goodwill, folded it in half, and put the pattern on top and moved it till it reached the point of the skirt where it was as wide as the top of the pattern... worked out sort of perfectly length wise... and all I had to do was get the waistband right and add it to the top - I left the skirt hemmed as it was...
So now I had the fit of the waist right, and a really cute skirt as well... I cut the next one from a Joann's Apparel Knit, that was just too pretty to pass up during my shopping day.  The waistband of both skirts is from the poly/cotton blend ribbing that Joann's carries.  I debated this a bit, and decided I didn't want to mess with the flow of the skirt an left it unhemmed.  But with the weight of the fabric and the stretch of the waist, I ended up cutting my skirt at the XL line and the waist from the Med line (yea, that made me feel SO SKINNY!).

Little man said "NO!" when I asked if I could take the picture alone, so wave to Connor.  This skirt... so soft..  I am going to wear it all the time.  And the flared shape makes it flow so nicely and minimizes the hips! It also is a little forgiving size wise -- so the XL skirt fit my size 16 self rather well. 

Next, the Lacy tank..  I actually did a muslin of this one before the original and it has quickly found its way into the PJ rotation, since all I did was finish the neckline on it (the arms and hem are raw and its kind of see through lol)  But I got the size right -- this fits really true to size, like all of the Greenstyle patterns I've sewn, but I knew I had some clingy fabric and was a little worried about it accenting the tummy *too* much, so I ended up cutting it between the XL and 2XL.  The fabric is from The Fabric Fairy, and is a really yummy soft and slinky rayon modal fabric.  I decided I wanted to make it a little different, since I was afraid the all-over print might be a little too much. The black is a jersey knit. 


Color-blocking!  So much fun.  I measured from my underarm to just over one side of my chest, and added an inch to cover the seam allowances.  Then I attached a strip to a bigger piece of the black, folded it and cut the front pattern piece out.  I debated hemming this one, but decided on the rolled hem to to keep the flowy look.

And up last, but certainly not least, the Aspen Pants and the Centerfield Raglan T-Shirt.   The Aspens are made from Stretch Demin from Joann's with a really fun *pop* of Happy Raindrops cotton/lycra from the Bamboo, Hemp and Reprints custom fabric group for the yoga waistband.   So as I said above, my hips are a bit wider than my waist.  I wasn't sure how the fit was going to work with just the small stretch that the pants had, so I went with my hip measurement and cut the whole pants out on that line... heehee
Not so flattering... but, the hip was great. So I laid them down, right sides together, on my cutting mat, and took some measurements... length from ankle to knee, length from ankle to mid calf, and length from knee to mid thigh.  Then I winged it.. (sort of).  I knew the general shape I was going for (basically the picture on the pattern cover), so I started at the hip, went in a little down to above the knee, straight through the knee, and flared back out at the calf. I'm really excited with how they came out.  Finding pants that fit right when you're shaped like this is horrible.  I am so happy with how these look on, that I already cut out another pair to make this weekend. 
And I paired them with my Centerfield Raglan, which I saved for the end for two reasons.  One, I made it with my second yard that was graciously donated by The Fabric Fairy.  It is a gorgeous light pink with lavendar toile, cotton rib knit and it's sitting in my wishlist now so I can get more to make Inara a dress with it once I get to the next 50 item splurge day.  I did this one with  the curved hemline and short sleeves using this *awful* purple knit that I had left over from a shirt for Inara.  Okay, so its not awful really, but it has these shiny sequin-stud things on it and both my sewing machine and serger were unhappy sewing it.  But it just went so perfectly, that I had to do it.

This is at the end also because last month when I tested the raglan, I really loved the fit, but I had just started this weight-loss journey, and decided that this shirt was going to be my "progress pattern."  So I am making one each month until I get to where I want to be.  So here is the exciting thing... this one is a size XL, last month's was a 2XL.  And it fits great.  Now to get my lower half to catch up, lol. Though, I do think these pants fit well across the back too. 


So there it is... 5 patterns, 6 awesome wardrobe pieces... and me, I haven't bought new clothes for myself in over a year... possibly longer, so on a thrifty budget (did you notice that?), I now have new pants, two new skirts, a tank, a t-shirt, and a tunic, all of which I will wear regularly, and make all my friends jealous with.

So stay tuned for tomorrow's post from Shwanta, who is considerably more stylish than I am.   And another huge thank you to Angelyn... I feel pretty in these well fitting, well written, easy to sew patterns.. Thanks for thinking of us larger gals with your patterns!

Before you go... enter the giveaway courtesy of the lovely ladies at Greenstyle Creations, PurpleSeamstress Fabrics, and The Fabric Fairy!




Thank you to all of the sponsors of the Essential Greenstyle Wardrobe Blog Tour:

And our wonderful bloggers!  Please visit their blogs this week to see their Greenstyle Creations:
April 7, 2014 Swoodson Says
April 8, 2014 Keep Calm and Carrion
 April 9, 2014 Shawnta Sews
April 10, 2014 Becca Duval Photography
April 11, 2014 Blogs Like A Mother

52 comments:

  1. I'm loving this blog tour and seeing all these greenstyle creations. It's inspiring! I think my favorites are the floral maxi and the lacy tank. Great work!

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  2. Great job! Everything looks awesome. Love the color blocking you did on the tank and your Laurel is beautiful!

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    1. This was actually my first venture into color blocking, and I'm thrilled with the outcome.

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  3. These are lovely and your modeling helper is adorable!

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    1. Thank you. He loooooves being in front of the camera.

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  4. Why would we only want to see skinny people in clothes they made??? Seeing something on a variety of lovely shapes and sizes gives a better idea of how it will look on different people. :) Your creations look lovely on you! Thank you for sharing!

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  5. DUDE!!! I LOVE your color-blocking on the Lacy Tank!!!! And what an awesome yoga waistband - how can one NOT be happy, wearing those pants?!?!?! You rock - totally feelin' your style!!!! So happy you were a part of this blog tour!

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    1. Thanks!! I stared at the boring grey I had picked for the band originally and was like ....nahhhhh, lets be silly and make them fun :p

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  6. You look great in all of your makes. I can't really choose a favorite, they all look so good!

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  7. Okay....
    Laurel = NEED!
    Colorblocked tank = awesome!
    Raglan in a size smaller than last month = way to go!
    Skirts are great!
    You look awesome!

    Now... help me find some knits for this obsession you're creating! ;-)

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  8. LOVE your Laurel and the maxi is soooo pretty! I am inspired to get making for me!

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  9. Awesome job! I love the laurel & color blocked tank the most!

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  10. Everything you made looks wonderful on you and all your fabric choices are wonderful. I gotta get to sewing me up something.

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  11. fun! I like how they all fit so well--good job on them!

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  12. these look great and I'm so glad you made the pants! I've been wanting to try them but haven't seen anyone with hips make them. I think I might need them.

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    1. I was really nervous about making them because of the hips.. but they are shaped to fit nicely over the hip, and just needed some shaping through the leg to be more flattering.. I'm really happy with them.

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  13. every item looks wonderful & thanks for the chance to WIN!

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  14. I love all of these, and what a great motivation tool to sew yourself down in sizes!

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  15. Thanks for being willing to show these creations in larger sizes! I too am on a weight-loss journey, but I need to make some clothes to wear before I get to the end!

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    1. Good luck on your journey! It's definitely motivating to sew myself smaller sizes as I go!

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  16. Isn't it great to be able to sew something for yourself that is unique and looks so wonderful? I love your outfits!

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  17. Congrats on the great new wardrobe!

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  18. This is so fun, to see these wardrobe blog posts. I like the Laurel on you best but everything is very cool.

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  19. Great job with all your pieces! I love the Laurel dress the best!

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  20. "Being part of this tour made me really nervous at first -- did I REALLY want everyone to see my pictures?? And then I realized, that YES, yes I do. Because we aren't all small, and we are just as beautiful as the smaller sized girls and we deserve to look good in our clothes too"

    YES! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!!! We aren't all skinny girls. I am for sure not. But to me, it feels like whenever I am looking for a pattern, all I see are the skinnier girls modelling, and I think "but, what will that look like on someone like me." Nothing wrong with skinny girls. I'm not skinny girl bashing at all. But, as a non-skinny girl, it can be frustrating not seeing patterns being reviewed and showed off on girls like me. So. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for being part of the tour. You're awesome Alyssa.

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  21. So, so inspiring - I'm not a small girl myself, and I've been wanting many of these patterns! After seeing Stephanie's post and now yours, I'm even more convinced that I need to buy them already, and take some time to sew for ME.

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  22. I'm a bit rounded too (at the moment, working on it slowly), so it's great to see these patterns on someone with curves. Thanks for being brave and sharing your photos :)

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  23. Mail me some matching pants bestie!

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  24. Wow, I love seeing your pics! The Laurel looks fab! I can see why 2 others asked you about it! Love the tank too. It's all great. :)

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  25. Yay on going down some sizes and you are far too kind!!! Love all of your makes, but the floral Amy and Laurel are my favs.

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  26. Not only do I think you did wonderful on your sewing and fabric choices, but I Love the way you wrote this... from pleats to little models. thanks for sharing :)

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  27. Love the Aspen pants and raglan tee! Great job!

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  28. You have been busy! I love that Laurel. I think you have convinced me I need it! Great job!

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  29. I tried comments on the blogs but kept getting this page not available, will try again from computer

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  30. Congrats on sewing some great pieces and for the progress on your weight loss journey! I love your Laurel especially!

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  31. you look great! love the Laurel and the Aspens!

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  32. Looks GREAT!! You are so brave to share - thanks!

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  33. Looks great! Believe me you aren't alone in the "not skinny" department and I really love and appreciate seeing all different sizes. I am not skinny myself and really love seeing designers not forgetting about us larger ladies.

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  34. I love that colour-blocked tank! Such a fabulous idea! And rock on, seeing different size and shaped women in these patterns just makes me want to buy them all more!

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  35. Oh, what a great blog post. I loved all your looks. You look so comfortable in them and I could totally see myself wearing each piece. I too am on a slow weight loss journey due to health reasons. I am vowing to get busy on my summer wardrobe. BTW, I LOVE the Laurel on you. Fantastic! I must have that pattern! Thanks so much for inspiring me Alyssa.

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  36. Colorblocking the tank--CLEVER!!! Your purple raglan is so cute. Love the sleeve length

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  37. LOVELY!!! I especially love the Aspen's on you! I haven't really wanted to make any, but I think now I do! Great job <3

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  38. Loved your color locked tank! Definitely going to try that out myself. :)

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  39. how beautiful... I, too, am not a small girl, but I love beautiful clothes. And you totally made these look amazing! Love your long hair as well. jealous. thanks so much for the opportunity

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  40. I was so excited to here from the sponsors of the giveaway that I had actually won! Now to make that big decision, as to what pattern and what fabric as well as how to spend my etsy gift card! I have not sewn with knits and so many years....but I just want to say Thank You Alyssa for having this tour! Paula Lewis Bray

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