Happy Monday you guys!!! I am unusually excited for a Monday morning because….Today we are kicking off the Plaid and Boots Tour hosted by Laela Jeyne Patterns. The tour is going to be filled with lots of sewing inspiration for the upcoming holiday season along with styled outfits for various themes. There’s a super fun giveaway in the the end with three chances to win amazing prizes that include fabric and patterns from our very generous sponsors. I am thrilled to share that today’s blog post is being sponsored by Art Gallery Fabrics.

So for my date night theme,  I thought it’d be fun to create a few different outfits that would work based on the kind of date night our circumstances would allow us.

Ideally, I would love to dress up in my Plaid Talia mini dress, go out for dinner with my darling husband followed by a Sci-fi movie after. That may or not be a distinct possibility but a girl can dream right?

I used rayon plaid from Jo Ann fabrics for my dress here. It has a nice drape to it, but the grain lines drove me all kinds of crazy and the hem ended up being a bit wonky.

I have made the Talia before and my favorite feature is the neatly fitted bodice which I find quite flattering. You can read all about my love for the Talia Maxi I made here. For this version here, I made the V neck in mini-dress length with no adjustments other than reducing the length in the bodice by about 1″.

 I’m all over tassel necklaces this season and love how the emerald toned necklace pairs with the red plaid. It was quite chilly this week when we shot pictures, so I threw on my favorite black cardigan which pairs really well with the Talia dress!

This is an outfit I’d absolutely wear date night or not 🙂

The few times that we have managed to have these movie-dinner nights have been special and memorable, but they are few and far between. (Have I mentioned we have two adorable young ones?).

So every once in a while, we try to have a date night  day with the toddler in tow while the older one is at school. That means brunch and a movie on netflix/ theatre based on what the toddler will allow. And that calls for a stylish outfit right?

What’s more stylish than a well fitted tee and pants, so here I am showing off my fancy Emily tee made in gorgeous Art Gallery Knit.

The fabric is from the Curiosities collection called Firefly Jar Dark in Knit, with great stretch and recovery perfect for fitted tees like this. I have always loved blues and aquas so when I was browsing the Art Gallery Fabrics, I was immediately drawn to this pretty firefly print. 

To bring out the subtle pink in the fabric, and because blue and pink look perfect together, I added pink accessories like the drop earrings to my outfit.

I didn’t shorten the length of the Emily tee pattern like I do for most patterns ‘coz i prefer the long skinny look of this one. This is a great basic pattern with lots of options including two necklines, cowl, hoodie, elbow patches and triangular side insets, and it also comes in a mini version – the Emmy Children’s tee is a must have for the littles in your life! You can see my daughter’s Emmy tee here.

There are only so many times the husband can take off from work to go on a date with me right? lol! All this to say, one of our favorite things to do is head out together, all four of us to a drive-in movie, park, or even the mall to just chill, shop, eat, watch or play together!

Samantha swing top paired with buttery soft Taylor leggings and ankle boots is the perfect outfit for a day out with the family and also my new favorite outfit.

The fabric I used for the leggings is from the Pastel Thrift Collection and it’s called the Type-Plaid Allusion. I adore this print with it’s colors and the type-written letters. For the Samantha tunic, I used Morse Dot Blue in knit from the Imprint Collection by Katarina Roccella.

I tested the Samantha dress earlier (you can read about it here), I like how its fitted at the top and flows out into a swing silhouette. For this version, I chose to make a cozy full-sleeved tunic with a regular hemline, and extended the tunic length by 2″ so it can be worn over leggings. The Samantha swing dress/tunic comes with several options in length and sleeves including a racerback tunic/dress for the warmer months.

My favorite design feature in the Taylor leggings is the contoured waistband which not only fits neatly with no gaping but also has a flattering effect on the  waist line. The stretch and recovery of this plaid knit was perfect for the leggings.You can get this pattern free when you join the Laela Jeyne Facebook Group.

I am going to be all literal and say that my next outfit is reserved for a date with my sewing machine but honestly have you seen the other versions of the Sydney Slouchy Raglan? I have already made one before and find it perfect for cold mornings like today.

This particular Sydney is special ‘coz the fabric was sponsored by Moon Man Printing that Myrna so graciously offered to send to us. It is unfortunate that you can’t see very clearly what the front reads but it says “In the rythmn of the needle there is music for the soul”

It’s a really soft knit with great drape and perfect for a raglan like this, the blue velvety soft floral from So Sew English fabrics was about the only piece of fabric in my stash that matched with the blue on the panel and also a continuation of my new obsession with floral double brushed polyester.

I made the V-neck raglan in regular silhouette with 3/4th length relaxed style sleeves and a rounded hemline instead of my usual high-low hemline. The Sydney Slouchy Raglan includes several different options including a swing style bodice, an off-shoulder neck style, slouchy style sleeves and also a hooded cowl. I paired them with an earlier tester version of the oh-so-comfy Taylor leggings made in a denim rayon french terry from LA Finch Fabrics. Don’t forget to check out this perfect winter pattern!

Phew!! that was a lot of pictures, I hope you didn’t get tired of seeing my face!

I would love to hear which of these looks you liked best, and tell me how would you dress up for your date night/day?

Don’t forget to enter for the RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY for a chance to win from three fantastic prizes from our wonderful sponsors. There’s also a special sale from Laela Jeyne Patterns for a 20% off your entire cart with the coupon code P&BTOUR20.

Tour Schedule

Monday Kaleidothought – idle sunshine – Allie J.

Tuesday Sew Pinspired – SewSophieLynn – The Wholesome Mama

Wednesday Nini and Ash – Sew and Tell Project – Sweet Red Poppy

Thursday Pear Berry Lane – Paisley Roots – Threadbear Garments – Lace and Pine Designs

Friday Olive Ashby – Sunflower Seams – Elegantine

Happy Sewing! and Happy Holidays!

*If you buy patterns through one of my affiliate links, I get a small percentage of the sale at no additional cost to you and you will help support my blogging adventure. Thank you.