Author Archives for sewmarymac

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About sewmarymac

Hi, Im Mary Anne and I’m so exited to share my blog with all of you! I hope you find it inspiring no matter where you are on your sewing journey. I live on the East Coast of the US(at the beach in NJ). I’m a retired FACS teacher(Home Ec), where I taught sewing, foods and child development for 32 years. I started sewing when I was about 10- learning from my mom, grandmother and older sister. I studied Textiles in college and worked in NYC for a Big 4 pattern company for several years before I decided life at the beach was better and more conducive to raising a family. I retired in 2017, and now I have all the time to sew! I found the online sewing community while recuperating from foot surgery. I am so glad I did! Since then I have been sewing up my casual retirement wardrobe. I like simple comfortable clothing that fits! As a full busted 5 foot tall woman in her 60’s, it’s very hard to buy clothing that fits, is trendy and I love.

Sloane Season Is Here!

…….The Perfect Basic Sweater from Love Notions

NOTE: The Sloane Sweater is the $6 Feature Friday pattern at Love Notions today 11/14/2025. Be sure to use my code 10MACSEWS for an additional 10% off. The Sloane Sweater for Girls is also just $6 today!

GET READY FOR FALL WITH THE LOVE NOTIONS SLOANE SWEATER

Every fall I can’t wait to make a few new Love Notions Sloane Sweaters. Why should you want some Sloanes? Well, it’s a fast sew, beginner friendly, cute, flattering, and the options are endless, need I go on? Oh yeah, and it is such a fun pattern to hack! Did you know I’ve been called the “Sloane Queen”? Well believe me, I’m not the only one that loves this pattern- and soon I’m sure you’re going to love it too!

View A- Crew Neck
Sweater Knit- Olga’s Closet
View B
French Terry-RCF
Worn with RTW Vest
View A with hood
Sweater Knit- Mily Mae Fabrics
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In Perfect Harmony

THE LOVE NOTIONS HARMONY BLOUSE

I discovered the Harmony Blouse years ago when I retired and had plenty of time to sew! It was my first Love Notions pattern and it was instant love for me! I have a closet full of them and they get worn year round! It can be dressed up for work with a pencil skirt or dress slacks. But since I don’t do that thing called “work” anymore- it looks just as great with a pair of jeans, casual linen pants or capris!

I like to think of the Harmony as the LDT for woven!!**

The Harmony is perfect underneath cardigans too! Grab yours today 9/13/24 for just $5!! You can use my code 10SEWMARY for an additional 10% off.

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A Sundress for Summer….the Tempo Sundress from Love Notions

New for 2024..An add on Puff Sleeve!!!

As a Love Notions Brand Ambassador, I had the privilege of testing the new sundress, the TEMPO!

Edited: Scroll down to see my newest version of the Tempo and details for my wider ruffled strap 🙂

Edited June 24, 2021: Exciting news! The Tempo is now available in kids sizing!!!!

The Tempo Sundress now has a free add on for a Puff Sleeve! Just look how pretty that is!! (It’s available on the girls pattern as well!). How adorable does this look on Tami (the owner and designer behind Love Notions) look in this Tempo!

Today, May 31, 2024 the Temop (Ladies and Girls) is on sale for $5. Remember to use my code 10LOVEMARY for an extra 10% off.

Rayon Challis- Raspberry Creek Fabrics

I don’t own anything like this. To be honest, it was totally out of my comfort zone. I made my first fit test dress, and I wasn’t sure I even wanted to continue and make the final garment! After Tami addressed the few fitting issues that most of the testers had- I thought why not? I am so glad I made a final version!!!

One of the great things about Love Notions patterns is that testers of all sizes are part of the testing team. Fitting issues for ALL sizes are taken into consideration. When buying and making a LN pattern you can be assured that someone close to your shape/size has made this.

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My Favorite Things Blog Tour with Raspberry Creek Fabrics

I am so excited to be back on the Raspberry Creek Fabrics “My Favorite Things” Blog Tour this year! This tour is where members of the 2020/2021 RCF Promo Team get to share their favorite Raspberry Creek fabrics, patterns and sewing notions.

The hardest part of preparing for this blogpost was selecting my fabric! I had the opportunity to select any past or present RCF print and have it printed on any base! There were so many possible combinations! I think I changed my mind about 20 times. I finally settled on this floral print from 2018 that was available on rayon challis only. I chose to have it printed on the Essex Cotton/Linen blend. This substrate is perfect for the Farrow dress- more on that later.

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Every Day is Laundry Day…

with the Love Notions Laundry Day Tee Dress

And by that, I don’t mean I “do” laundry everyday! What I do mean, is that I have a Laundry Day Tee dress for every day of the week(plus some extra)!

If you have never sewn this pattern from Love Notions– you must! I thought I would share my love for this pattern and just how versatile it is! Not only is this dress a fast sew (you can sew a new one faster than doing a load of laundry- hence the name) it is easy to fit and can be made in a variety of fabrics. Oops and did I mention this pattern is always just $5? Read to the end to get a discount code!

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Seersucker Summer with Raspberry Creek Fabrics

There are a lot of reasons to love seersucker. One of the best things about the preppy puckered fabric is that it doesn’t wrinkle. It doesn’t need to be ironed, which makes it great for traveling.

Seersucker is cool and crisp, making it the perfect fabric to wear on hot humid summer days! Seersucker’s stripes are raised, which offers air circulation between the fabric and your skin thus keeping you cooler. Did you know the term “seersucker”comes from the Hindi word “sirsakar” that was borrowed from the Persian compound “shiroshakar” meaning “milk and sugar”. If you want to read the complete history of Seersucker and why it became so popular in the US- head over to this blog post from Country Club Prep. Click here.

By now everyone knows how much I love Raspberry Creek Fabrics! They have their own line of fabrics they call “club fabrics”- cotton jersey, French Terry and double brushed poly, in addition to swim, Ponte and challis- which are custom printed and eco-friendly. But the shop is also stocked with some very high quality woven fabrics. Seersucker just happens to be one of them.

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Three Fabrics – Three Leschi Blouses

Hi Friends!!

Looking for a cute blouse, without buttons and buttonholes, flowy and perfect for all those drapey rayons in your stash? Well, I think this is the perfect pattern for you!

I recently tested the Leschi from Straight Stitch Designs for it’s rerelease with extended sizing and B or D cup sizes! This blouse frequently caught my eye over on Instagram the past few years. It was on my list to try, then Kimberly from SSD put out a call for testers for the expanded size/cup sizes and I jumped at the opportunity.

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Raspberry Creek Fabrics Swimsuit Tour 2021

Hi friends! I’m so excited to be back for the Raspberry Creek Fabrics Swim Tour Of 2021!

DISCLAIMER: If you’re looking to see cute swimsuits sewn up in beautiful RCF swim fabrics- you won’t find them here. BUT– you will see lots of cute dresses!

First and foremost— swim fabric is not just for swimsuits! The fact that Raspberry Creek Swim fabric is UPF 50+ makes it great for any day/activity out in the sun.

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Ready To Wear CopyCats with Raspberry Creek Fabrics Club Basics

Hi friends! I’m so happy I got to work with some great Raspberry Creek Fabrics again for this blog post!

This time of year we are all so excited to see the new Spring releases, we often overlook the great Club Basics Collection. You know, the stripes, ginghams and dots that coordinate so nicely with them. Well these coordinates are great when used on their own too! Keep reading to find out what I created with some of the beautiful French terry and Double Brushed Poly ginghams!

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My Sweater of the Season: The Nora Sweater

Hi friends!

Back in December I saw the cutest sweater knit fabric on Instagram (thanks @eloise.ezra). I HAD to have it! I immediately ordered it- 5 minutes within seeing it!

While waiting for my fabric to arrive from Fabmere Fabrics, I searched for the perfect pattern. I was in the middle of holiday baking, decorating, and preparations— and I just didn’t feel like hacking a pattern I already had to get what I wanted. And then – I found it!!! The Nora sweater from Diby.club was perfect!

The one that started it all!

It has a perfect funnel neck – not as tight as a turtleneck and not as fussy as a cowl neck. I LOVED this sweater from the moment I put it on! It’s a comfy and trendy oversized sweater, but not too slouchy. I wore it over and over that first week- so I did what any sewist would do- I made a second one!

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