As I wrap up another school year, I find that I have once again forgotten just how insanely busy June is. I feel like I have an event every other day (and that isn’t far from the truth – I have one tomorrow, Friday and Tuesday, and – added bonus! – I need to take my car in to have the air conditioner repaired on Saturday). Add to that the fact that I need to move classrooms this year, and overhaul the costume room and I am completely spent most of the time.

Being this tired also means I sew less. I want to, but the motivation to start a project just isn’t in me at the moment. I’m using all I’ve got to get to work, come home and keep the apartment relatively clean until I have a chance to really spruce up the place.

But I didn’t start this post to complain. Despite the lack of sewing time, I have plenty of thinking about sewing time, and have been plotting projects for summer in my head all the time.

One pattern that I have been excited to try is the Louis Antoinette Simone Dress. I was not familiar with the brand until recently, and I love their simple designs. Thus far, Simone is the only pattern from their collection that I have (I want to make it before purchasing more). I love the little sleeve detail (which you can see by visiting their site), and how it’s title little ruffle but not really a ruffle. It looks light and loose and flowy and perfect for summer. As I have said before, I am a sucker for a shirt dress!

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Believe it or not, there are some Sew Over It patterns that I haven’t tried yet, and above you see the Isla Dress and the Meredith Dress. Both were released this year, but came out at other times when I was having a sewing lull. By the time I was ready to tackle some projects, Kitty was released and that one took precedence (it may still, truth be told, because my obsession continues). I’ve been wanting to try a version of Isla with piping instead of ruffles. I’ve seen a few people who have done this, and I think I like it better. As for Meredith, I need to find a lovely fabric for it first before I get to it.

The Seamwork Aurora Top is another one I have been eyeing for a long time without making a purchase. However, I have recently been on a quest for patterns for fitted knit tops (I find that many are so loose and boxy they don’t flatter me), and decided it was time to commit to it. It’s a perfect summer top as is, and then it can be easily layered with cardigans for the fall. I already have a lovely black and white polka dot fabric that I want to make this one out of! This may very well be my first project when I return to sewing. It looks like a simple sew, but with nice little details that make it interesting.

While we’re on the subject of fitted knit tops, I came across LAVItaly, an Etsy shop today, and bought one of their shirt patterns. It’s another really simple design, with enough detail to take it beyond a basic t-shirt. For this one, I have a floral jersey that I think would make a fantastic summer top. Finding this one makes me want to scour all of Etsy for some other top patterns – I don’t know why I have such trouble finding ones that I like! I’m very picky when it comes to the “flow” of a shirt. I like it to be slightly fitted, and not at all boxy. The fit needs to be in the waist, rather than the bust or otherwise this contributes to the boxy look and makes me look ten times wider than I really am! But that’s the beauty of sewing, isn’t it? You can make your own fashion rules and wear what you like.

Finally, we have the Sirocco Jumpsuit from Deer and Doe. This is another company that I am very familiar with, but have only tried one pattern (the Givre shirt). One of their recent releases was this adorable jumpsuit. I recently bought some pineapple print fabric that I think would be an amazing combination with this pattern. Jumpsuits are a little bit out of my wheelhouse and comfort zone, but I am excited to give it a try and see what happens. I’ve always WANTED to be one of those people that can pull off a jumpsuit, so I suppose we’ll find out this summer if I am.

I know that before the summer is over there will be so many more new releases and new discoveries that I will want to make. I’m excited to discuss and show off each and every one of them as they happen! This is going to be a productive summer!