Willow Kimono by Designer Stitch in Sheer Mint Green

Thank you to Designer Stitch for giving me the opportunity to try out the beautiful Willow Kimono sewing pattern for their 1st Birthday Anniversary Blog Tour!!!  Happy Birthday! (PSST!!  Its 50% off until Monday June 12th- Buy It Now!!)  I absolutely loved the kimono pattern and it was well used on my recent trip to the New England area.  My original plan was to add some navy or hot pink trim to the bottom of my Willow Kimono, however once I finished sewing the kimono, I just could not bring myself to add the trim, as I loved it as it was.

I love solid colors.   If you take a peek inside my closet (which don’t right now as I am in the middle of painting it), you will see lots of fun colors, however most of them will be solid colors.  It was not until I started making Mommy and Me Leggings that I start to add more patterns to my wardrobe.  I knew I wanted to wear the Willow Kimono several times on our trip and without trim helped it pair with several outfits.  I first pulled out the Sheer Mint Willow Kimono on the beaches of Barrington, RI. I paired it with a mash up of the Free Spirit Tank with Layer Me up Sleeves by Patterns for Pirates and some store bought shorts.

I used a sheer mint green chiffon for the kimono.  Chiffon is not the easiest fabric to work with, however a few tips can make it a lot easier.  I place my chiffon on my large cutting mat.  I make sure the folded edges are matched along one of the lines along the cutting board.  I place my pattern on top and triple check everything is flat.  Then I add heavy pattern weights on top of the pattern piece.  I am a big fan of using large items from my pantry, candles, kids toys, whatever you have laying around.  I use a rotary cutter, rather than scissors.  Almost everything I read on how to sew with chiffon recommended using glass pins, however I used Wonder Clips.  They worked wonders!!  If you don’t have wonder clips buy some now, they are a life changer!  I rarely use pins anymore.  I also like to serge all the edges of my chiffon before sewing, make sure to mark your pieces sew they line up.

The next stop for the Willow Kimono was the beaches of Plymouth, MA.  It was a little bit chilly and a lot bit windy.  Little Dude took my pictures on the beach, he’s 5!  He loves photography and I think he might be a natural.  This time, I paired the Willow Kimono with a navy Drama Dress by George and Ginger Pattern Co.  I lowered the neckline and shortened the hem (I’m only 5′ tall). I love the contrast in colors of the mint and navy.  Notice, I am wearing solid colors again.

Although the mint chiffon was sheer it did add a layer of warmth, which was needed during our time in New England.  I did not make any modifications to the pattern as it was my first time trying it and I wanted to see how the pattern fit.  Being short, I thought the kimono would be too long, however I chose the curved hem and found it to be the perfect length.

I liked how the Willow Kimono was slightly longer than the dress I was wearing.  You can see the force of the wind in this picture.  It was really starting to get chilly.  Although I did not get a picture, I also used the Willow Kimono as a swimsuit cover up at the hotel pool.  It was also used by my son as a toy thrown in the air and also he pretended it was attacking him.

He is riot!!  It is never a dull moment with Little Dude around.  He is wearing the Classic Pants by Seamingly Smitten.  We spent several hours on the beach that day and it wore Baby Girl out.  She needed a nap on the beach.  She was a little chilly in her Bubbla Shorts by The Eli Monster, so I offered up my Willow Kimono for her nap.

When she woke I also used the Willow Kimono as a nursing cover.  The Willow Kimono was my most used item on our trip.  I will definitely make more, next time maybe even with a trim.  All photos were edited with Summer Sea Actions by Family Photo Treasures.

Thank you again Designer Stitch for the wonderful Willow Kimono!  Happy Birthday! Hurry to buy your Willow Kimono today before the 50% off sale ends on Monday July 12th (Australian Time)!  PLEASE check out the rest of the Designer Stitch Anniversary Blog Tour.