Mama Catherine by Made for Mermaids

Nov 22, 2017

I’m on vacation this week but I didn’t want to miss out on the fun of a release with my Mermaids!  I do feel for those girls right now, because their website decided to take a major dump on them and they’ve been working super hard to get it back up and running.  I’m going to be linking the patterns through their main site, but currently they do have them offered on their Etsy site.  So not all is lost!  You can still get your hands on these pretty patterns!

The Catherine is such a FUN pattern!  I have this habit of hoarding alllllll of my scrap fabrics, even when I know they’ll never fit as an actual pattern piece.  But I’m so glad I did that, because now I have a reason to use them!  The yoke accent on the Catherine top is perfect for my scrap hoarding ways.

There are a ton of options packed into this pattern, of course.  Two yoke necklines (scoop and square), three sleeve lengths (short, 3/4 and long), extra flounce options for the sleeve (regular and high-low), and four hem lengths (top, tunic, dress and curved dress).  You can mix-match these options till you drop.

First up for me was the tunic length, scoop neck yoke, in 3/4 length sleeves.  I was sent this delightful burnout velvet fabric (from Sly Fox Fabrics) and I NEEDED to turn it into the yoke on this top.  I used the binding method to finish the neckline and just adore how it turned out.

I think that the yoke adds a little extra flair to the top, and kind of kicks it up a notch from a standard tee.  But the construction of it remains super simple, so it’s like a secret weapon.  We are heading into the holiday season and this is a perfect way to have a “dressier” top, but still in knits.  Plus it’s super forgiving and you can eat allllll the Thanksgiving/Christmas goodies.

My other top was made during pre-testing.  So some teeny changes were made, but the idea still exists so I wanted to take pictures of it anyway.  I believe the yoke was moved in a smidge and the high/low flounce on the sleeve was turned and adjusted a little.  Otherwise it’s pretty close to the finals!

I don’t know why, but I was so excited about the flounce on the sleeve.  How freaking fun is it to have that little extra flair on your sleeve?  Usually little girls get all the extra frills, and I am excited that I get to have it on my top too!  I am totally stealing the flounce and adding it to my other non-Catherine patterns as well.  Game on.

This version has the square neckline on it.  I can’t honestly say that I have a ton of tops with this neckline, and it’s a fun change to have in my closet.  This is a great example of me actually using my random scraps of fabric that I’ve failed to throw out, as the yoke is one from my stash of smaller pieces of knit that has been floating around my sewing space for a while.

I’m not one that is against neckbands or other types of finishing your neckline, but sometimes it’s nice to just do a simple lining on your tops and call it a day.  The yoke provides for small amounts of fabric used, and not having to bind or stitch neckband pieces to finish it.  I self-lined the yoke, gathered the bodice, sewed all the pieces together and was ready to rock.  Easy peasy, right?


Pattern: Mama Catherine by Made for Mermaids (Girls’ Version HERE)


Fabric: Burnout Velvet | Royal Rayon/Spandex | Black Seville Floral Spun Polyester Spandex

**As always, you’ll find some affiliate links scattered within my post, which means I receive a small amount of compensation if you end up purchasing something I’ve recommended.  Thanks for helping to feed my sewing habits!

Disclosure: As always, you’ll find some affiliate links scattered within my post, which means I receive a small amount of compensation if you end up purchasing something I’ve recommended.  Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.  Purchasing from my links does not alter the pricing in any way for you, it simply helps feed my sewing, creating and blogging habits.  Thank you for your support!

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Welcome to Wild+Wanderful!  I’m Katy.
Momma. Wife. West Virginian.
Designer. 
Dreamer. Coffee Consumer.
DIY-er. 
Craft Beer Enthusiast.
Purple Obsessor. Lover of Handmade.

MILDLY WILD. MOSTLY WANDERFUL.

LATEST FREEBIES

My Sudoku Travel Capsule Wardrobe + FREE Interactive Sudoku Capsule Planner!

We are about to embark upon an epic family trip to Scotland and Ireland. I could not be more excited. It's all I can talk about. It's all I can think about. I'm just so fricken pumped. We are being true travelers during our trip, where we are constantly on the move...

The Little Wanderer Skirt | A Free PDF Sewing Pattern from Wild+Wanderful!

I'm excited to share that I've been able to update another pattern for y'all! The Little Wanderer skirt is the youth version of my beloved Wanderer Skirt pattern (which is also free). It's an adorable high/low half circle skirt with two hem lengths and optional...

Irish I Were Sewing :: FREE St. Patrick’s Day Themed Silhouette + Cricut Cut Files!

I've been super missing making fun themed outfits to wear. And I've been missing sharing fun cut files on here like I used to. So I remedied both of these things by creating a super fun St. Patrick's Day themed sewing design AND am giving it to you as a freebie on...

The Wanderer Skirt | A Free PDF Sewing Pattern from Wild+Wanderful!

I know, I know. You might be thinking: "Katy, didn't you release The Wanderer Skirt back in 2017?" Yes. I did. But it's been six years of learning how to draft and design and I really wanted to go back and give it a little facelift. So here we are! On the surface,...

The Snuggler Sweater | A Free PDF Sewing Pattern from Wild+Wanderful!

A sewing friend of mine sent me a photo of this adorable sweater, with no sleeve seam, a cross-over front and back, and a "batwing" style dolman sleeve. And I was obsessed with the idea of turning that rtw sweater into a sewing pattern. And that's what I did! Meet:...

Elffire Club :: FREE Stranger Things Inspired Silhouette + Cricut Cut Files!

I saw someone use my free Elf on the Shelf Clothing Pattern the other day for a Stranger Things Eddie / Hellfire Club outfit and immediately was struck by a Christmas pun.  It had to be made.  I couldn't resist. If you need a little refresher on what I was...

RECENT POSTS

Hale Half Zip by Patterns for Pirates

Oh boy, do I have some fun sewing to share with you today! Patterns for Pirates has officially launched the latest lineup of patterns and they are SO. FREAKING. GOOD. Cannot wait to share with y'all what I made! Judy didn't just release one pattern, she released THREE...

Fabric for Pirates :: September 2023 Reveal

It's the 15th of the month, and you know what that means! It's the fabric shipment reveal day! WOOOOOO!! This month's fabric is a total Katy Pick. Not only is it in the prettiest purple (plum...

Ruched Top & Dress by Patterns for Pirates

Listen. LISTEN. I would have shared this new sew of mine last week when we officially launched it over at Patterns for Pirates but I've had a lot of things going on around here. After we returned from our whirlwind Ireland/Scotland trip, I had barely enough time to...

Fabric for Pirates :: August 2023 Reveal

Hey Fabric Lovers! Long time no talk...in fact, it's been a whole month since we've talked about the subscription. It's so uncool that I have to wait until the 15th of every month to share what...

AFFILIATES