Raspberry Creek Favorite Things Blog Tour

I feel very lucky to be included in this years’ Favorite Things Blog Tour sponsored by Raspberry Creek Fabrics. My all-time favorite source for fabrics is RCF and I am so excited to see all the new things they have coming their way.

I began sewing a long time ago, but the hobby really took off when I found the online sewing community. The biggest player in that was Raspberry Creek and their amazing Facebook group. Back then, they had just a small lobby for picking up and they sold strictly on Etsy.

I still remember the first cuts of fabric I purchased from RCF; a few yards of a striped palm print on board short fabric, a grey shark fin and a darling large tropical leaf print both on jersey. After lots of research in the group on how to use the boardshort fabric, I was introduced to the Linden Shorts by Sew a Little Seam with the free board short add-on pack . This was one of the first pdf patterns I ever used, and to be honest, it was a bit of an undertaking for my skill level. The easy-to-follow instructions led me through the whole pattern though, and I finished 2 pairs in 3 days! Now, years later, I have used this children’s pattern for numerous pairs of board shorts, chambray shorts, simple pull-on woven shorts and even a couple cozy French Terry knit pairs.

In preparation for the new custom printing, I was given the opportunity to choose from the entire Raspberry Creek library and have any design printed on some of almost 20 different bases. The choices seemed endless, but as a throwback to my first RCF orders, I decided on another palm leaf print on two different substrates. I wanted to show the versatility of the print as well as the Linden Shorts pattern.

This pair for my 4-year-old is made with the squishy RCF French Terry. You can find a simple hack to use knits, rather than than a woven fabric, on the Sew a Little Seam blog here. I used the slant pockets and an easy rolled hem. I cut the full elastic waistband the same length as if I were using woven (as described in the tutorial) so the fabric stays flat rather than gathered. Before sewing the waistband, I added my favorite eyelets to the front center for a cute braided drawstring.

I have had great success with the Dritz 2-part Eyelet Kit. I always grab the pack of 72 sets because with 3 boys in the house, I make a lot of “cozy pants” and hoodies. I like this set because it comes with a small plastic disc that stabilizes the eyelet even when used on very thin fabrics. (Don’t forget to enter the giveaway in the RCF Facebook group to win a set of your own plus all the other favorite notions from the tour.)

When attaching the eyelets, I always add one or two layers of woven interfacing to the wrong side of my fabric. I cut down interfacing scraps to 1″ squares and keep a small container of them with my eyelets. I then cut a slightly smaller hole than the post of the front eyelet piece and work the fabric down around it. I like it to just barely fit so it is nice and snug. Then, place the eyelet right side down onto the circle anvil, add your plastic ring to the wrong side followed by the washer (back piece of eyelet) with the dome side up. Place your tool into the center of the back eyelet and use a straight, solid strike two or three times with a heavy hammer. I then slightly tilt the tool in different directions making sure it forces the sides down as well.

I am a sucker for Mommy & Me outfits, so I chose the same palm print as my son but had it printed on a fabulous Essex Cotton/Linen blend. This linen was absolutely fantastic to sew with. It had very little fraying as I constructed each pattern piece, lots of structure and it held a press perfectly.

I’ve loved the kids version so much, I was excited to finally try out the Women’s Linden pattern for my first time. I love how this linen paired with the pattern! The structure of this fabric is perfect for a pair of shorts. I chose to add the back darts for shaping and dressed them up a bit by omitting back pockets and using a hook and eye front closure.

Many thanks to Raspberry Creek for allowing me to participate in the 2020-21 Promo Team. It has truly been an honor to have a front row seat to all the changes the company has seen and I can’t wait to see what is to come next!