O my Ogden cami… I love this pattern just as the rest of the sewing community does. I’ve seen thousands of them online already, but for some reason, I can’t get enough of it. Once I see another one in a fabric I didn’t think of, my first reaction is: I need this! I do that a lot by the way: making multiple times the same pattern but in different fabrics and finishes.  

The cami is such a wardrobe staple that you can never go wrong and you can never have enough. I wear them on their own, with a suit jacket and jeans, under a leather jacket, tucked into high waisted jeans, under a cardigan, casual with shorts, tucked into skirts, on the beach over a bikini… There are no limits. At least, in my mind!

The fabric

Pink is my all-time favorite color, soft pink, bright pink, all prints with pink. But this time I fell in love with this beautiful Tencel linen Slub by meetMILK. This linen is light but still has a bit of structure in it that gives the Ogden just a little bit more luxurious and ‘dressed’ vibe. Other suggested fabrics you can use are crepe, rayon, voile and actually any lightweight fabric.

What I like about the pattern

The pattern is very easy to sew and it took me around 2 hours to finish it. One of the things I like is that it looks so professional and high end. You can make the straps as long or short as you’d like, to have a lower or higher neckline depending on what you feel most comfortable with. I even made a previous version with ties on the shoulders which looks really cute. But wearing it under a jacket makes that a bit more difficult so this time I chose to create the straps as provided in the pattern. If you want to wear a bra with straps under the cami, it is also really easy to make the straps a bit wider. So that the straps don’t show.

The front and back have a soft V shape which is very flattering to all bodies and shapes. It’s easy to create with the partial lining that finishes off the neckline and armholes perfectly. Once you understand the trick of this lining, it’s easy and turns out great every time!

Pattern hacks

Next to widening the straps or using ties on the shoulders for a playful effect, I also saw some hacks online to make the cami into a dress. Which I think is gorgeous and it made me plan yet another one in my head even before I finished this one. Maybe adding a frill on the bottom would be nice and give it just that bit extra… So many ideas, not enough time!

Sizing

Regarding sizing, I made the cami already in a couple of different sizes. For this pink version, I chose to make it 1 size smaller than suggested on the pattern. I sometimes gravitate towards a looser fit and sometimes I feel like wearing something a bit more fitted. This fabric works perfectly for that. The only thing you need to keep in mind with this cami is that if you make it too large and oversized, it can gape a bit on the top part so that you can accidentally show your (strapless) bra. Now I never really mind if that happens, but for example, I won’t wear that to the office ;) I wouldn’t feel comfortable.

Styling

I wore the cami on our honeymoon recently and it was perfect. Because linen, as well as Tencel, are breathable materials, it was great to wear in warmer temperatures. Here I am pairing it with high waisted Levi’s but I wear it actually with anything and everything. Are you interested in seeing how I put my outfits together with my me-made items? Let me know and I’ll show some pics and write a blog about it!