Cali Faye Basics

Let's pretend for a minute that it's summer. I just cranked up the A/C to prevent the sweat from beading, and it's hot as hell outside. Let's forget about the winter that just won't end, and the snow we've recently been shoveling. Imagine we're so far into summer that you've got tan lines, and have already lost one pair of sunglasses. Okay, now this outfit makes a little more sense. This little number is part of the Cali Faye Collection that I pattern tested the last week in February. This is exactly the sort of thing I like to wear, so I jumped at the chance to test, even though I couldn't actually imagine putting on a tank top (unless it was way under something else) at the time.

PATTERN: Basic Pocket Skirt and Basic Tank from the Cali Faye Collection. The Tank is a very basic A-line sleeveless top without darts and a scooped hemline. It is very similar to other tanks I've made, but I think I'm going to go ahead and say this one is my favorite. The narrow shoulder and swoopy neck makes me feel thin and pretty. The Pocket Skirt is a basic gathered skirt with generous patch pockets,  an elastic waist back, and a hidden side zipper that keeps the bunchiness to a minimum.

FABRIC: For the tank I used a light weight cotton voile from my stash. The drape is pretty perfect for this tank, but it is kind of see through (next time I'll do better!). The skirt fabric is linen from Joann. Joann can be a tricky place to come up a winner, but I like the linen selection (granted in mid-February it can lack diversity).  This is the Sew Classic Slub Linen in Black Papyrus.

SIZE/FIT: Fit was true to measurements, and that's all I'm going to say until I sew the final version of the pattern.

I'm not going to do the full pattern review because this garment was sewn from the test pattern. But I will say, this is one of the most impressively formatted pattern layouts I've seen lately. There is a 1" grid over the whole print out, giving you plenty of points to align the pieces with certainty. The hierarchy of line weights makes the cut lines for various sizes very clear, while secondary information is clearly marked but of a secondary size and weight. All of the pertinent information for cutting (i.e. size chart, fabric layout, symbol key) is printed right on the pattern pieces so you don't have to do any cross checking with information in a different computer file. The whole pattern fit nicely on my kitchen table when completely assembled. These may seem like odd criteria to judge a pattern against, but we all know there are plenty of beautiful designs in less than user friendly formats. A thoughtful layout makes cutting, and tracing convenient and fast.

I guess the whole point of separates is that they go with more than one thing, and these babies certainly do. The barest summer look is a long way off for me, but I suspect far-right will be seasonally appropriate in a few short weeks.

I was going to ask you all to weigh in but I've already vetoed these shoes. Ten years ago I would have loved them to the point of proposing marriage. Now, I'm just wishing they were navy.

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Pertinent Info:
Top Pattern: Basic Tank from Cali Faye Collection
Skirt Pattern: Basic Pocket Skirt from Cali Faye Collection
Top Fabric: Cotton Voile from India Beautiful Art
Skirt Fabric: Sew Classic Slub Linen in Black Papyrus from Joann

Psst...there's a discount code, go find Cali Faye on your social media of choice for more info.