I am still catching up on 2022 makes – there are a few more to go.  I sewed up the Saguaro Set, by Friday Pattern Company, back in winter/spring, so the weather was still cold and Clare didn’t get the opportunity to wear it.  Fiji provided us with a perfect location to get some blog photos!

This is the sort of outfit that I love the look of, but wouldn’t wear myself (I feel too self-conscious in anything that exposes my waist/belly). I really enjoy getting to sew these styles for my daughters, who are keen for waist definition and don’t mind exposing some belly!

From the website: The Saguaro Set is a two piece woven set made up of elastic waistband pants and a pullover top. This is the perfect outfit for road trips through the desert, sunset walks on the beach, or dancing the night away. The pants feature roomy pockets and a waistband with a drawstring. The top has a plunging V neckline that includes an optional tie closure. You can wear the top backwards or forwards. This flowy set is easy to sew and fun to wear with endless options for customization.

The fabric is cotton madras woven check from Super Cheap Fabrics (no longer available on their website). The colour combination was right up Clare’s alley, and the light weight makes for a very cool summer outfit.

I didn’t have enough fabric to cut the whole outfit out in a ‘with nap’ layout, so the checks don’t match up in the pants. I did a pretty good job across the front seams, but the pants back stripes are in the reverse of the front so don’t match along the side seams. The pants hems are still green checks, so it doesn’t jump out at you. Still better than lots of what I see in the shops!  You really do need to take some time and care when cutting out checked garments so ensure that things are centred and colours flow nicely.

The pants drawstring is functional, not just a decorative tie, although the pants have an elastic waist. There are also pockets set into the side seams.

I did a narrow shoulder and small bust alteration on the top, as per this YouTube tutorial by Paige Joanna. There is a wealth of sewing information and tutorials on YouTube, but usually I don’t have the patience to sit through a full tutorial to find the information I want! I much prefer to go to written material. That said, this was a very helpful tutorial that saved me from having to think. I am trying to remember to check if there are tutorials out there for patterns that I want to sew when they are ones I think could be tricky or require alterations. As it turns out, Friday Pattern Company have sew-along tutorials on YouTube for a few of their patterns!

The topstitching on the wide waist elastic on both the top and the pants gives a really nice finish, and the optional tie on the top – which we included – provides a little cleavage coverage. Clare has worn the pieces together and separately with other wardrobe items. Definitely a successful sew!