Paradise Patterns Sommar Camisole

I’ve been meaning to blog about the Sommar Camisole for months, but then I just kept making more of them, so I figured I would wait. But this week is “Sommar Camisole Week” with Paradise Patterns, and the designer, Sanna, is doing a giveaway for everyone who post about theirs on Instagram. So, I figured I would finally write this blog post, even though I will inevitably be making more of these.

I made my first Sommar back in November, and the only reason that I remember is because it was a little bit too tight, so I gave it to a friend who was also having a birthday around the same time. I made it in black cotton jersey, but had plenty leftover, so I made myself another one in the next size up (size G). After sizing up, it was much more comfortable.

The next one I made was out of gray ribbed knit leftover after making my Tabitha Tank Dress couple of year ago. This pattern is a great scrap buster! I used a cotton/spandex on the inside for the built-in bra, and it worked really well. Sanna actually recommends that you use a different fabric for the bra if you are using a ribbed knit, which I don’t think I knew at the time, but it seemed weird to have rib knit stacked on top of each other. It’s definitely my most comfortable Sommar since this ribbed fabric has the most stretch.

Next, I made one out of butterfly print cotton jersey, and I was SO excited about it. I think my inner child was just beaming while I was making it. I saw another person on Instagram wearing a really bold-colored Sommar Camisole with a really cool print, and I just thought, ‘that would be a really fun statement piece’. So, I checked out the cotton jerseys at Style Maker, and this one made me so happy that I couldn’t pass it up. I used a cotton jersey in a similar color for the built-in bra.

The last one I made was repurposed from two white 100% cotton camisoles that I used to wear a lot about 10 years ago. I had brought them to Portugal as a layer to wear under sweaters during the summer, but when I put them on, they were SO uncomfortable; cutting into my armpits and fitting really strangely. They also had some armpit stains, so I used some stain remover and got the fabric really clean. Then I used the Sommar pattern and was able to just barely cut a new camisole using both of them. It turned out really good, and it felt freeing to make something that feels more me now without feeling like I need to wear things that are uncomfortable for no reason.

My final takeaways and observations after making this pattern in a few different kinds of fabric:

My measurements put me at a size F, but I made a size G in all of these. Even in the ribbed knit, sizing up to G was actually okay because the fabric is so stretchy. The tightest one is my butterfly one. If I were to make that again, I would do the next size up. Checking the stretch percentage and comparing it to the other fabrics probably would have been helpful. Because some of them are tighter than others, they tend to ride up when I’m wearing them, so I’m constantly pulling them down. I think maybe sizing up again for cotton jerseys would fix that issue.

I used the large size of the built-in bra, and I still feel like I want a little more coverage sometimes. Sanna shared a Sommar that she made where she raised the neckline in the front by redrawing the curve to not scoop as low. She raised it an inch and I think that would help me a lot, so I’ll definitely be doing that on future versions.

I really love wearing these under button up shirts (like my outfit yesterday, pictured above) and sweaters to layer and be a little bit warmer when it’s chilly out. I have a bunch of smaller pieces of cotton jersey that I want to make more of these. I will probably make a few more this summer to wear to bed, that don’t have the built-in bra, to make it more comfortable to sleep in. The heat waves here are brutal sometimes, and I think this pattern would be great on nights when I can’t stand to wear a full-on t-shirt to bed.

The instructions for this pattern are really clear and easy to follow. I didn’t make any adjustments to the pattern and I’m happy with the length of the bodice and straps. I sewed all of these with just my sewing machine since you can use a zigzag stitch everything, and the knit fabric isn’t going to fray. I’m obviously a huge fan of this pattern, and I’m glad I finally tried it out because I wear all of mine pretty frequently.

Sharing Joy:

Last weekend when I was stuck indoors because of the rain and cold, I decided to reorganize my fabric stash again. I have ordered more things lately and just stacked them on top of everything, so it was making me sad that I couldn’t see the fabrics underneath. So, I refolded and was able to fit everything back into this Ikea box that I keep on the floor of my sewing space. It made me feel so much better and it makes me so happy every time I look at it now!

Thank you for being here and happy camisole sewing! xoxo