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Do you ever see a trend in a magazine or in a store and think, “nah… that’s not for me,” but you try it on anyway and fall in love?

That’s what happened to me with the Kelly Panties Pattern.

I have to admit, I almost released these as a bit of a joke back in 2016 when I first made the pattern. It was definitely a style that I remember seeing growing up and the moment anyone mentions “high cut” I immediately think of the 20 Minute Workout show.

I realized though that if you take away the bad perm, it’s kind of a great look. I was very surprised at how much I LOVED the look of these on my body.

So, I gave the pattern a huge update. I’ve included a thong variation, ruffles, scoop or high waist, fabric band waist and a belt detail. I added a little charm to mine!

This weekend, I’ve reduced the price by 30%, no coupon needed! You can pick up the digital pattern HERE or on Etsy.

This pattern was a lot of fun to work on because it was a little out of my comfort zone style-wise, but I loved being able to play with that. I absolutely love how the ruffles add a little sweetness to these.

I’m not sure how it happened, but suddenly it is Thanksgiving (here in Canada, anyway).

Thanksgiving is my favourite holiday. Maybe it’s partially because I don’t have to cook… in “normal” times we would have my husbands family over for dinner. My mother in law brings the turkey and stuffing and I fix up some vegetables. This year we are having an outdoor gathering with them, which will be different but still nice.

We are able to have a more normal Thanksgiving dinner with my parents this year which will be so, so, so nice. My mom is an amazing cook, and turkey with cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes and gravy and pumpkin pie are all my favourites.

It’s been a bit of a rough two weeks with colds circulating. My poor little Lila has spent more days at home with me than in daycare. It’s always scary when she get sick, even with just a cold. Any illness that prevents her from eating an be super dangerous for her due to her VLCAD. We are so fortunate to have been able to manage everything at home so far.. She is on the mend now and hopefully… hopefully I will be back to regular working hours next week (after the holiday). The cooler, cozier weather seems to have given me a burst of inspiration. It always seems to!

Maybe you feel inspired by the season as well? If so, I’m running a 30% off Pattern Sale! Use coupon code PumpkinPie, or if you’re shopping on Etsy the discounts are already applied.

I’m also running 20% off in my lingerie shop. I did a bit of a fabric inventory recently and have relisted a bunch of sold out styles. Now is a great time to grab them while you can.

If you’re celebrating Thanksgiving here in Canada, I hope you get yourself an extra serving of pumpkin pie. I know I will be shamelessly indulging! I also hope you get to spend some time with your loved ones… and maybe sneak in some sewing!

I’m super excited to show you some of the photos from the wonderful people who shared their time, skill and expertise with me!

Kelly sewed this long sleeve Lilith in a bamboo jersey (which is my favourite fabric for everything). I absolutely love the natural tones and print. Back in the olden days (like a year ago ha!) of the Blended Threads Facebook Group I used to see Kelly’s makes come up a lot, so I was excited to have her offer to help me out.

I often look at all of your makes and am blown away by the skill you all have. Scrolling through the Instagram feeds of these ladies is inspiring and… sometimes a little intimidating, even for me!

I love this detail shot from Brittnay. Her black lace shrug is a classic.

Petra also sewed a lace variation, but hers featured berry tones which I absolutely love!

Alice sewed this super sultry sheer/opaque stripe long sleeve Lilith. Also, her Instagram is amazing. You will love it.

The lovely Poppy sewed two Liliths! A long sleeve and short sleeve variation! I love how the back of the lace variation looks on her especially. This woman does trapeze AND sews her own lingerie! You absolutely need to check out her Insta.

I wish I could give all of my testers a standing ovation! I honestly appreciate that people offer their time and skill to help me through this process.

I’m working on a couple new pattern updates. Kelly is almost done and I am very excited about some of the variations I am including (ruffles + thong). After that I am hoping to update my Evelyn Romper. I want to add more sizes, longer shorts variations, and possibly a two-piece option…

I keep thinking about the future of my little business and what I want to come of it. I don’t know how long my hands can keep making lingerie at the pace I have been… I toy with the idea of limiting the amount of orders I take in my lingerie shop and shifting my focus more to sewing patterns, custom fabrics, and sewing education on YouTube… But making is my passion.

I spoke to a business advisor recently who suggested taking on staff, which I think is the next step. My biggest issue is my location. I live in a rural area and the amount of candidates who would be applying for a lingerie sewing position would be fairly small… I feel like I’m in a tricky situation due to the niche nature of my business and my location, and I can’t quite figure out the best way to grow. I sometimes wish a grown-up would just come along and tell me what to do! HA!

I think I first shared a photo of the Cabin Shorties on my Instagram Feed way way back in December 2019. Ahh. 2019. Life was easier then.

Anyway, the point I’m trying to make is that it has taken me forever to get here!

I’m obsessed with these, especially during these warmer summer months. They are perfect for under skirts and dresses. I’ve even made some with a bit of a longer leg to prevent my thighs from rubbing together.

But my favourite way to wear these is with a cozy, soft tank top to bed.

I will be releasing a kids sized variation of this pattern, but for now you can grab the adult version Here or on Etsy.

A couple of things have changed about my pattern formatting. First, my sizes are no longer XS-XL. I’ve decided to colour code my sizes based on some great feedback from the Ohhh Lulu Pattern Group on Facebook. Secondly, my new patterns will all have No-Trim Pages. If you’re not sure what I mean by that, I’ve made a short video to show you.

There are two variations you can make: a plain front or mock-fly front. Both sew up super quick!

Hands down, my favourite fabric for this style is a bamboo lycra jersey. I recommend something lightweight with a lot of 4-way stretch. More stable fabrics may require a bit of adjustment to the rise.

I’ve also included instructions on a few different ways to finish the waist with different types of elastic. I really try to provide methods as opposed to instructions so that you can customize the look and finish of your garments.

I hope you enjoy this pattern as much as I do!

So… It’s been a while!

I’d be lying if I said the last year was ok. It hasn’t been… and yet I’m still one of the lucky ones, having not been directly effected my Covid.

I say not “directly” effected because the pandemic HAS effected myself and my family. In March 2020, the government here closed schools… the reopened in September for a bit… but we experienced frequent disruptions whenever Isabel or another family member got a cold. In December schools closed again, and then again they closed in April and our kids haven’t returned. They won’t return until September 2021. Instead, we’ve been doing “online learning,” which is a challenge when you have younger children. Isabel is 6. She needs someone to help manage her 3-4 meetings a day, motivate and help her do school work, and also organize fun activities. Daycares also have been closed so I’ve been chasing around my soon-to-be 2 year old.

As a mechanic, my partner is an “essential worker” so he has been out of the home 5-days a week. He has managed to take an extra day off so I can stay on top of basic operations and have some sort of an income, but the lack of working, the lack of socializing, the lack of anything NEW has really effected me. It’s been depressing, frustrating, monotonous… creativity crushing.

Dan and I have now both received the first dose of our vaccines as have pretty much all of our grown-up loved ones. I’ve finally been able to comfortably visit with my parents. My kids and I have missed them so much.

I’ve definitely been in survival mode over the past year and a bit, making sure my kids are happy and healthy. Staying on top of education and playtime, which is so important at their ages. At this point, I’m pretty tired. Because of Lila’s VLCAD I still need to get her up during the night to eat so I haven’t had an 8 hour sleep in 2 years. I’m experiencing parenting burnout. I haven’t been away from my kids in such a long time. There is so much truth in the saying “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

I hate even saying “it’s been tough,” because I know we’ve been in a better situation than most, but we’ve still taken our hits financially, mentally, and even physically over the past year.

So now I’m trying to come back, and THAT is scary. When you’ve had to involuntarily drop off the radar for such a long time, it feels so intimidating to jump back in. But here I am.

I’ve quietly posted a couple new videos on YouTube, and some new sleep masks. I have great plans for a brand new lingerie collection featuring some exclusive and unique prints that I have designed and sourced… But it will take time. I am not a patient person, so that is hard for me.

Where do I even begin?

It feels like I’ve been on the longest maternity leave in the history of maternity leaves. What started as a maternity leave morphed into an extended march break, total lock down, and eternal summer break. Although technically I have been working for the past year, I’ve basically been in “survival” mode – trying desperately to just stay on top of the necessities! So many things have fallen to the wayside, but still I am feeling grateful to be where I am. We are all healthy. We are all safe. And slowly, our lives are beginning to return to a relative state of normalcy.

As things fell to the wayside – replying to emails, updating my blog… it became like this unsurmountable obstacle. Every time I would open my computer the thought of checking my emails or my social media sent me into a tailspin of anxiety. If I missed you, I am sorry. All of our lives have been so hectic.

Isabel started back to school last Thursday. School looks a little different this year, and she is no longer taking the bus, but she is so excited every day to go and see her friends. Lila started daycare and is adjusting so well! Having a kid with VLCAD, or any other disorder that requires a specialized diet adds a layer of complexity to daycare, but we are managing pretty well!

We have been so fortunate where we live to have very view Covid cases, but it has still upended our lives. When schools were first closed, there was a panic, stores were empty and we were all pretty much confined to our houses. It was a big adjustment for us (as I’m sure almost all of you can relate), not being able to see our parents/grandparents and friends.

On the flip side, one of the positives of the pandemic is that we’ve made great friends with some neighbours. When we were able to expand our social circles a little, we paired up and now are kids are pretty obsessed with one another. These little things, like hearing kids play, is like music to my ears after such a long time. We were able to spend SO much time outside this summer. A favourite activity was to walk down to the lake and try to catch fish with a net – of course the fish were way too fast for my 5 year old but it still provided hours of fun. We live near a river and we watched the turtles and snakes, herons and swans. We dressed up in costumes and walked around outside to cheer people up. We made a fairy garden and painted rocks. We played A LOT of video games. As hard as it was, I think we also made a lot of good memories and for that I feel grateful.

I sincerely hope that all of you are safe. I hope that your loved ones are safe. And, I hope that you are able to return to some normal activities again. This whole thing has been so complex. The virus obviously has some dire consequences, but I also know personally, the fear and isolation also has its own consequences. Honestly, I’m just grateful I am a lingerie maker and I don’t have to make the difficult decisions the people in charge have to make. After experiencing what my dad went through with the flu two years ago, I never want anyone to experience longterm ventilation. I mean, it saved his life, so I am eternally grateful… but the recovery was so hard.

If you follow me on social media, you may have noticed that I’ve been making cloth masks. In Ontario, masks are mandatory in public spaces for people 2+, and I know it is similar in many other areas. I’m trying to do mask drops every 2 weeks or so. They tend to sell out fast. Going forward, I’ll try to let you know here as well when I have masks ready. They tend to sell out quite quickly.

This is my first full week with the kids in school and daycare. I’m not going to lie. It feels good. I have some silence to think and I can reclaim my house a little bit from the blanket forts and slime-factories. My husband is home this week too which is so nice. For the last 6 months, every moment he has been off of work, I have been working, so to have some time to just quietly hang out together will be so nice.

I have so many things I need to start working on that I hardly know where to start. I know once I get over this overwhelmed feeling that my creative energy will start flowing again. This is a good time to practice some self-compassion. We’ve all been through a lot the last few months.

I’ve accomplished something!

It’s been a challenging few months. In many ways, Lila is an easy baby. She’s not usually too fussy, eats great, and is generally a pretty happy little nugget. However, her VLCAD diagnosis has required a lot of mental and emotional energy. I felt like I spent the first two months of her life just planning my days around feeding her and anxiously watching for any sign of metabolic crisis.

These days though we’ve settled into a more comfortable routine… well, as much of a routine as you can expect with a 3 month old, and I’ve just started to get back to work.

You know when you have a project in mind, but first in order to even start on that project, you have to complete 10 other tasks first? That’s how I’ve felt lately. So I finally decided to just pick one and complete it. This is a struggle I have. I often get “All the ideas!” and then have a hard time organizing my thoughts…

One of the issues I’ve always had with soft bras is that, well… they don’t fit my big boobs! I generally wear about a 30FF cup in ready to wear sizing. Over my decade of bra making I’ve adapted all of my patterns to fit me, and my customers who are out of a standard B/C cup. I decided I would update my Jasmine Bra pattern to include a larger cup size variation.

When you compare the standard and large cup Jasmine pattern pieces, you may notice the large cup doesn’t have a lot more cup depth than the original Jasmine Pattern. In my experience with this pattern additional vertical coverage is the real challenge when sewing DD+ soft bras. In my latest update, I’ve also included an update to the pattern instructions to include more in depth fitting and pattern alteration notes. In reality, the size variations are endless when it comes to bra making, so giving you a starting point that you can tweak is the best option.

You can purchase the Jasmine Pattern in both standard and large cup variations HERE or on Etsy. On Etsy, for a limited time I’m offering access to either the standard or large cup variations for a small discount as well.

PS. Canadian customers may notice a sale going on this Thanksgiving weekend (October 11-14) in my Etsy shop! Enjoy and happy Thanksgiving!