It’s always exciting to get invited to join a sewcial tour. And I can’t think of a better kind of tour than one that centers on fresh new fabric and offers full creative liberty.

Style Maker Fabrics’ spring collection is a rainbow of fun prints (florals, mostly, if you can believe it?!?), cozy sweater knits (I’m looking at you mini cable rib), and classic ginghams. You can get a detailed review of ALL the new fabrics in Lindsey’s swatch review. (Grab a snack. It’s over two hours of fabric swatch porn!)

As a tour participant, I was gifted a bundle of coordinating fabrics of my choosing as well as matching buttons and thread. The ready to wear pieces below inspired the fabric selections that follow.

Reversible Plaid Double Gauze

Slub Texture Linen Blend

Cotton Modal Jersey

Distressed Swirl Shirt Button

I chuckled a little bit when I opened my package.

Well, first I gasped.

The double gauze is a delightful medley of coral and blue shades with plaid on one side and a pale mint grid on the other. It simply is just one of those fabrics whose beauty is quite elusive to a camera. There’s a bit of subtle richness and depth to it, like a sunset. I took my time deciding exactly what I’d create with the double gauze. The obvious choice is a button up, but with two faces, it’s tempting to make a reversible garment.

In the meantime, and back to the reason I chuckled, I focussed on the linen blend. I love linen blended with rayon. The rayon lends such a nice bit of softness to the linen. I’ve purchased and sewn up several colors for various garments and stash padding purposes. The chuckling was me realizing I already had a cut of the exact same fabric in my stash. NOW I HAD MOAR. (Insert evil gluttonous laugh.)

I’m quite happy to see joggers don't seem to be going anywhere soon. Fact is I’m a little obsessed with woven joggers because they offer maximum comfort but appear a bit more put together than yoga pants.

I used the Seaforth pants pattern in my usual size. (Pattern tester post.) I added fly extensions (optional) to the front pieces when cutting to create a faux fly with top stitching. I subbed in my favorite patch pocket (from the Fiona Sundress) as I often do since coordinating zippers were not in the cards.

The waistband is rolled on the pants here. I have adjusted the elastic, removing 3”, since.

I’ve been told I should sew more solids. Getting more self-sewn basics into my closet and drawers takes a conscious effort. As such, I requested some knit for a simple tee or tank… AND then I proceeded to choose a pattern with princess seams. Two steps forward, one step back, Loni.

I modified my tank (Taos Top by Threadbear Patterns) by dropping the shoulder about an inch and adding a simple band for a crew neck in place of the mock neck. The overall vibe is a boxy muscle tank that's fitted at the bust.

Back to the plaid. The pièce de résistance!

I decided to make a spring version of this flannel shirt I made last fall. I love how my new version ended up being distinctly different.

The base pattern is the top from the Vero Beach set by Hey June with these modifications:

Added 3” to the length of the front and back
- deep hem, turned 2” twice for a casing
- inside buttonhole at placket edge
- added drawstring (wide twill ribbon)
Cut 2 mirrored pairs of the front, 1 1/2” from the fold line
- 1” wide strip of interfacing fused
- edge overlocked
- folded 1” to the wrong side
Removed the hem allowance from the sleeve
- Added an elongated tower placket and simple cuff