Sofiona Anniversary Fun Railway Hack

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Welcome!!! Today is my turn on the Sofiona Designs Anniversary blog tour and I have something really awesome to share!!

Before I forget (as I am very easily distracted) I want to let everyone know that one of the event sponsors, Fabric Snob is giving 10% off orders from her entire shop Nov 4-10. The code is SOFIONA. Be sure to check them out- it literally took me months to choose from their wide selection!

Sofiona Designs Anniversary Event!

Now, back to the blog tour details…

You know I am going to start with some sentimental, sappy stuff, right?

Last year I signed up to do some pattern testing with a new company, Sofiona Designs. I actually hadn’t done much pattern testing, but I knew Sherri from Project Run and Play and was excited that she was taking the leap into pattern design with her friend, Trisha. I hardly even used patterns most of the time, preferring to draft things myself because I am stubborn and also love math.

Clearly I am a fan of their patterns, though.

When they began to plan an anniversary event I eagerly jumped on board! They assigned me the Railway Joggers hack and it was definitely appropriate! That was the first pattern I tested for them and it became an instant hit in this house. My tweens (usually very picky) wear their joggers all the time.

I sketched out several ideas and finally narrowed it down to this one…

Sofiona Designs Aurora raglan and Balsam bag with a Railway joggers skirt hack!

I made a stretch corduroy railway skirt! (My 15yo daughter is jealous so you know this has to be on trend!)

I redrafted every piece except the back yoke (which I trimmed before adding the waistband anyway). I added the side panel to the front, straightened the centers, flared out the sides just a bit, and shortened it to a skirt length. It really wasn’t that hard.

Sofiona Railway joggers pattern hacked into a stretch corduroy girls skirt!

Everything went together pretty much the same way, but I wanted a faux button placket in the front. I just sandwiched a folded strip of fabric between the front center seams, ironed it flat, and topstitched it down on both sides.

I also topstitched around the pockets. A double needle might have been nice, but I wanted the spacing to be wider than either of the needles I own so I actually stitched around it twice.

The hardest adjustment for this hack was the waistband- to reduce bulk I shortened it and stretched it to fit the skirt, using the stretch of the corduroy to hold the skirt up instead of elastic. I DID topstitch that with my double needle.

Stretch corduroy girls skirt hacked from the Sofiona Designs railway joggers pattern

The top is a mustard color Aurora raglan (true to pattern).

To complement the outfit, I ordered some Rifle Paper Co canvas from Fabric Snob (a BIG thank you to them for sponsoring this blog tour!!!) and made a Balsam bag!

The new Balsam bag pattern for Sofiona Designs benefits the A21 charity.

I chose the angled, small version of the bag, but I still fully plan on keeping it for myself! For an added detail, I embroidered the pocket to coordinate with the floral canvas.

Embroidery to match Rifle Paper Company Wildwood canvas fabric

The Balsam bag is special because this pattern was designed with the intention that the proceeds would benefit A21. Sofiona Designs has donated a portion of all sales to A21 from the very beginning, but this bag further benefits and highlights the cause. A21 rescues and rehabilitates victims of human trafficking. You can get your copy of this pattern HERE.

My blog tour partner, Jennie, has an awesome, true to pattern, Railway outfit that you can see HERE. Also, don’t forget to join the Sofiona Designs Fan Group to stay in the loop. They have codes for free patterns and you can see what is being released next! (I am super excited about it!!!)

Thanks for an amazing year, Sofiona Designs! I can’t wait to see what you release next!

Girls mustard raglan and stretch corduroy skirt with floral bag

Each day this week, two bloggers will pair up to showcase one Sofiona pattern. Follow along to see your favorite Sofiona patterns sewn "as is" by one blogger and a clever "hack" by the other.

Some of our favorite Instagrammers will also be sharing their Sofiona makes this week and they'll be doing the same pairing up to showcase one pattern. Follow them for more inspiration:

Join us in the Sofiona Designs Fan Group on Facebook for more fun and to share your favorite Sofiona makes!

Finally, a huge thank you to ALL the sponsors for joining in our Anniversary Celebration! Please participate in the Rafflecopter below for an opportunity to one of the two prize packages listed below valued at over $150 each and join us in the fan group for daily giveaways next week.

Prize Pack #1

Prize Pack #2