Pattern Review: Waterfall Raglan

I’ve been in a bit of a slow sewing journey lately. busy cutting orders and finding fabrics for the shop, plus regular life has left little time for me to actually sew (and enjoy it). I, obviously, love to sew, but if I’m honest, once I start putting pressure on myself to ‘do more/sew more/produce more’, things start to spiral downhill pretty quickly.

So I’ve taken a slower and more thoughtful approach to my sewing these days. After all, time is the one commodity that isn’t replaceable and the act of sewing is meant to not only be fulfilling but enjoyable as well. So I’ve cut out projects and started sewing them in small pieces. One day I’ll cut. Another day I might just attach the sleeves of a tee, and so on and so forth. It’s actually turned my sewing into a much more enjoyable process and it’s really made me put the effort towards pieces that I know I’ll want to wear. Since they get me excited to sew them up and pull me into my sewing space.

That being said, I’ve also been focusing on pieces that I know I’ll be wearing on a regular basis. I have a relatively small wardrobe (I like to think anyways) and jeans and a good tee are my go to daily pieces. I’ve noticed lately that a few of my tees that go into heavy rotation are starting to look pretty thread bare so I thought it was time to start thinking about sewing up some new tees to replace these.

In comes the Waterfall Raglan by Chalk and Notch! I’ve actually sewn this up a few times previously for both myself and my girls and every time it’s a joy to sew with. The instructions are clear and concise. This is a great pattern for both beginners and experts alike since you get a great basic pattern that can be easily customized if need be.

The Waterfall Raglan is a raglan sleeve tee pattern that has a nice range of options, including a cropped tee, a ruffle tee or a dress length, and 3 sleeve length options. For this make, I opted for the ruffle top since I knew my existing ruffle top was one of my thread bare tees that needed replacing and the short sleeve since I gravitate towards those pieces the most in my closet (and I find them easier to layer).

Now that I’d decided on which pattern I was going to sew up, I had to decide on which fabric to use! There are so many options but I really wanted a good solid to start with. So I had a look through the Hudson knits to start my search. These medium weight knits have a more moderate drape so would give the Waterfall Raglan a more structured look to it and really give it more of an A line/flared look. They’re also soft to the touch which make this a dream to wear.

Another thing I was thinking about as I was while I was choosing fabric was that I wanted to have something that I didn’t have much of colour wise. I’ve recently started adding yellows and oranges in my wardrobe, after only wearing blues, greens and purples for a long time. I opted to go for Hudson in Mango. This orange/yellow colour is fun, a little bit bold compared to what I usually have, but not too crazy!

I love the way this turned out together! Paired together this fabric and pattern make a great combo and are really great for some easy sewing! I’ve actually been wearing this top a lot since I’ve made it and it’s been great to pair it with pieces I already have in my closet.

For me, this is probably the biggest win. Thoughtfully creating a wardrobe that goes well together. I’m not one that gravitates towards the capsule wardrobe, but when you sew for yourself, looking at what you were and what you have and being thoughtful about your pieces, I guess the whole capsule wardrobe naturally happens. ❤️