Month: March 2016

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Easter Sewing Tour

We had such a laid back Easter, we stayed in our PJ’s all day! It was nice to have a relaxed holiday, where we didn’t have to be anywhere or do anything on anyone’s schedule but our own! This also meant that  didn’t sew anything for my kids this year! I did sew up a dress for my friend’s little girl though! We went fabric shopping back in January, and I let Miss B pick some fancy fabric for a dress. I waited for the right pattern to come to me and was really getting stuck on what dress to make, as I have been using the bateau from Winter Wear Designs, but knew she already had at least 2 of them!  Then Jessica from Izzy & Ivy posted about her sew a long for the Emory dress! Perfect!


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The pattern is designed for cotton woven, so I had to make a few adjustments like leaving the adorable pockets off the skirt! They are super cute, but wouldnt have looked right with the pattern of the skirt! The second thing I did was line the skirt with the same fabric from the bodice.

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I also did a much narrower hem for the bottom of the skirts, this was more of a personal preference as I don’t like a wider hem on this fabric. The sleeves are a super cute gathered band, and in the satin fabric, I love the way the light bounces off of it! For the back, I needed two buttons. I didn’t have any in my stash that would match this dress, so I opted to make my own covered buttons. they came out so sweet and are the perfect touch to finish this dress!

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A word of advice if you attempt this type of dress, I would take a few inched off the width of the skirt, and put a heavy duty needle in your machine for attaching the skirt to the bodice, I broke 4 needles before it dawned on me to use a heavy duty one!

I have been told that Miss B loves her new dress and even tried to wear it to some Easter festivities on Sat (mom was saving it for Easter Sunday!). I love sewing for her becasue no matter what I make her, she always wants to wear it!

I hope you had a wonderful Easter! Check out what some of my favorite bloggers sewed up for the holiday!

3/28/16: Larissa from Connected By A Thread
3/28/16: Linda from Sew Happily Ever After
3/28/16: Amy from Wally and Grace
3/29/16: Cindy from Cindy Parrett
3/30/16: Ula from Lulu & Celeste
3/30/16: Fenna from FABulous Home Sewn
3/31/16: Courtney from the WHOLESOME mama
4/1/16: Patricia from Sew Far North
4/1/16: Tibeca from Sewing By Ti

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Whimsical Fabric Wacky Wednesday

Every other Wednesday, Danielle from Whimsical Fabrics puts a bundle of fabrics on sale in her group for a special price. I have been purchasing mine ahead of time. We have had a blast picking out patterns and brainstorming what can be done with these bundles. This weeks is Dreamy Vintage in the Berry color line by Art Gallery Fabrics . It just screams spring and summer!

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I loved this line the moment I saw it, and knew I would be sewing up something sweet with it…I just didn’t know what that would be just yet… I started looking through patterns, nothing was jumping out at me and screaming “This is the pattern!!!” I rarely buy a new pattern anymore since I have so many already, but when Denise from Whimsy Couture  posted about her apron pattern, I knew I had my pattern!

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How sweet are these? and I love that they are totally reversible if you want then to be!

PATTERN DETAILS:

-Pictured tutorial with easy to follow steps

-4 full sized apron templates for S-XL

-Elasticized neck for Easy on and off

-Velcro waist strap (I am putting snaps on mine as soon as my next order arrives!)

– Full instructions on how to make a cute bow to add on for girls

-perfect for embroidery, monograms, FMA..any add-ons you can think of!

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I chose to sew up the size small (12 months to a 2T and Medium (up to a 5T) in a simple version to really showcase these beautiful fabrics! There are 6 in this bundle, and I was able to get 8 aprons out of a 1 yard bundle, this scraps left over. The pattern sews up super fast! I made 2 aprons in about 20 min from cut to top stitch.I already have a bunch more planned in my head, including a few scrappy ones that will make perfect art aprons!

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If you haven’t shopped the Wacky Wednesday deal before, here is how it works: At 12 noon CST (1 pm EST, 10 AM PST), Danielle will post the fabric for todays deal.

You will receive each of these 6 fabrics in your bundle.
If you would like multiple bundles the fabric is still on the bolt and will be cut in continuous yardage.

• FULL YARD Bundle (6 total yards)
• HALF YARD Bundle (3 total yards)

Be sure to be in the Whimsical Fabric & me Facebook group so you don’t miss out! These deals are usually good for 24 hours, but has been selling out quick lately!

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Once you buy your bundle, be sure to come back and tell me what you are going to make with yours!

 

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It’s a Spring Break Pajama Party!

*Denotes affiliate links

When I saw this tour, I had all these big plans to sew PJ’s for everyone in the house. Then the husband said he wouldn’t be in pictures. So I decided to just sew for the kids.

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Picking a pattern for the teen was easy! She fell in love with my Comfy Cozy Pj’s from Laela Jeyne*. You can read more about the pair I sewed myself during the testing in this post. For hers, I chose the shorts and short sleeves since spring is on its way. I have had both flannels in my stash for a while, with the plan to make the toddler a Star Wars rag quilt. She decided she really liked the combo though, so I went with it. She has worn them to bed twice this week already and keeps telling me she loves them and that they are the best PJ’s ever. I only modified them to have snaps rather than buttons since I didn’t have any buttons that would match!

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For the toddler, I knew I would make him some sort of cotton pants, but I really wanted to push myself to use one of the (many) patterns I own but have never sewn. I ended up choosing the Tie Dye Diva Snazzy Pants. I should have sewn a size up for him, the 3T was a little short in the rise for him. He is not too fond of his new pants, so trying to get pictures proved near impossible. A few M&M’s and he gives me a little bit of a smile. I paired his pants with a RTW thermal since we took pictures outside. Over all, the pattern was super quick to sew, and it went together really quick!

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Of course, they can never take a nice picture together, but they really do love each other!

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Hopefully, you are ready to sew up some PJ’s for yourself or your kids! Be sure to comment with what patterns you want to use and enter the giveaways below!

Happy Sewing!
~~Larissa

There are 24 shops sponsoring prizes for this tour!
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Along with today’s daily giveaway (see below!) there is also larger giveaway and a link up happening. Go to today’s post over at Create 3.5 to get the full details on how to link up and to enter the giveaway!

We are also lucky to have four fabric shops offering readers discount codes:
Fabric Sponsors

Mabel Madison is offering 20% off with the code JAMMIES. Code expires March 31st!

PhatQuarters is offering 10% off OR FREE shipping to US addresses on orders over 40$ US (with an equivalent discount for international shoppers). Use the code PHAT10 for 10% off OR FREE40 for free shipping to US.

Raspberry Creek Fabrics is offering 15% off with the code PJPARTYTOUR. Good through March 26th!

Tangled Blossoms Designs is offering 10% off with the code PJPARTY. Code expires March 25th!

And now for today’s giveaway!

Today’s prize is sponsored by Serger Pepper and Pollywoggles. You could win 1 pattern of your choice from both shops! Visit Serger Pepper and Pollywoggles to see what they have to offer. The giveaway ends March 23rd at 11:59pm EST. See the Rafflecopter on how to enter! You have up to 8 chances to win! The winner will be chosen March 24th and will have 48 hours to respond to the email before a new winner is chosen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook.

Want to win more prizes? Visit Lulu & Celeste tomorrow to see what new prizes will be up for grabs as well as see the previews for tomorrow’s bloggers. You still have time to enter yesterday’s giveaway! Go to Sprouting JubeJube’s post from yesterday to enter the giveaway that ends at 11:59pm EST tonight (March 22nd)!

Missed a stop on the tour? The full schedule is below!

Monday, March 21st

Sew Far North | The Wholesome Mama | From-a-Box | Pattern Revolution
Inspinration | Paisley Roots

Tuesday, March 22nd

Sprouting JubeJube | 5 Out Of 4 | Sew Happily Ever After | Beri Bee Designs
Phat Quarters | Connected by A Thread

Wednesday, March 23rd

Create 3.5 | Handmade Boy | HattieLu Handmade | Made by Melli
The Crafting Fiend | Sweeter Than Cupcakes

Thursday, March 24th

Lulu & Celeste | Sew Starly | Phat Quarters | Pear Berry Lane
Rebel & Malice | Creative Counselor

Friday, March 25th

Made By Jaime | Mae & K | Mabel Madison | SewSophiLynn
Amazing Adventures of Bubba & Bug | MahlicaDesigns

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A Vision to Remember Houndstooth quilt

Time for another A Vision to Remember Pattern!! This time, we are using the Houndstooth Quilt pattern. I absolutely love this finished quilt!

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Whenever I see a houndstooth print or pattern, I think of the old Atari game Space invaders. Something about it makes me think of that game!

Bobbi (the designer) was so kind to send me the fabric for this quilt.  I am always up to sew whatever the designer wants to see, so when she asked if black and red were okay to send, I said sure! It is not my usual choice of pastels or neutral colors, but I love the contrast of the red and black!

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the red flannel has a bit of a marbled look to it, which was hard to capture in the pictures. My two year old has already tried to lay claim to this blanket, even though it will go in my shop this week!

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Even the back looks awesome!

Lets talk pattern details:

Finished quilt: 46″ x 46″ (that is with the optional border added)
Easy to follow step by step directions with pictures and diagrams to help those that are a bit more visual.
a final layout diagram is included to help with placing the pieces in the correct order to achieve the houndtooth print.

Honestly, the sewing of the pattern was quick. cutting and prepping everything took the longest for me. Of course clipping all the seams takes a while as well. this one has been through the wash once, but once it is washed a few more times, the rag quilt effect will be much better.  I am already thinking up the next color combinations for my next houndstooth quilt!

What colors do you want to see? Leave me a comment and I might just make one (or three!)

 

Be sure to check out all the amazing blankets on tour this week!

Be sure to check out the other amazing bloggers and their quilts on tour this week!

 3/21/16
 Larissa from Connected by a Thread
3/22/16
Bethany from Sew Not Perfect
3/23/16
Rebecca from Finn’s Door
3/24/16
Denita from HattieLu Handmade
JaNette from Merri Poppins
3/25/16
Kelly from Handmade Boy
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Whimsical Fabric Voile Blog tour

I’m so excited to be the first stop on the Whimsical Fabric Voile tour! I have just recently started playing with voile and venturing to use it for garments.  I think what held me back so long was I really didn’t know what voile was! It is really hard to tell from a picture and a description what something feels like or what it sews like. a simple search turned up this: Voile is a soft, sheer fabric, usually made of 100% cotton or cotton blends including linen or polyester.

Doesn’t really tell you much right? Well, let me tell you about it! It is silky soft, perfect for tops that don’t need a knit. I have seen some awesome dresses for little girls, and I bet it would make a wonderful maxi skirt (ohh…might have to use the coupon to get some to try that!). For this project, I picked a beautiful light blue with flowers (found HERE). I also picked Winter Wear Designs Button up as my pattern (found HERE).

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This sewed up so nice! I modified the pattern just a little. I used a smaller seam allowance as I was between sizes. I also turned my sleeves under 1/4″ and hemmed than that way rather than using bias tape (personal preference). I haven’t decided if I want to put buttons on this one or leave it this way to wear over my tank tops this summer!

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Pattern Details:

Long sleeve with tab
Long sleeve with cuff and placket
3/4 sleeve plain
3/4 sleeve with tab
Short sleeve
Sleeveless
Front pockets with optional pocket flaps
Directions for sewing the shirt with french seams for really sheer fabrics

Ok, back to the voile! This was the 3rd shirt I have sewn in voile for myself, and I are starting to wish all my shirts were this soft! The fabric has a beautiful drape. My first thought was it would make a beautiful infinity scarf, but I never wear scarves! It sews very nice with a universal needle. My last shirt, I forgot that I had a microtex needle in my machine, and it kept snagging and pulling the fabric. If that happens when you start sewing yours, check your needle! I really flew through the machine like butter! If you find your machine wants to eat the fabric, try putting some tissue paper under it.

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Things we all want to know:

Fabric width: 54″
100% cotton
Fabric washes beautifully but tends to wrinkle easily. This was the only downside I found, as I never iron things, but with this fabric, I need to iron it before I can wear it!

I also made the  Gallery tunic by liesl+Co (found HERE). This is one of my favorites to wear! I will share more about this top on Saturday!

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I hope I have inspired you to pick up some voile and give it a try!

Be sure to check out all the posts this week! So many different uses for Voile!

3/14: Larissa from Connected by a Thread
3/15: Denita from Hattielu Handmade
3/16: JaNette from Merri Poppins
3/17: Sharon from Sweet Pea & Pumpkins
3/18: Stacey from From a Box

You can shop voile fabrics on the Whimsical Fabric website and be sure to use VOILE for 10% off your voile order! Coupon expires Thursday, March 24th at midnight CST.

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EYMM Frestyle Harems

*Denotes Affiliate links

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I am so excited to be apart of this EYMM blog tour! I will be honest, when I first saw this tour, I was going to pass. Harems are not my style, nor something my kids would wear often. Then it dawned on me! I have a sweet little nephew on the way! These are prefect for diapered bottoms! So, I decided to sew up the  size 0-3 months size.

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When I picked fabrics, I didn’t know if baby would be a boy or a girl yet, so I tried to pick gender neutral prints. I chose to go with knits since I sewed such a tiny size! The zoo print and blue dots are from Whimsical fabrics. I bought some a while back when she had it on clearance. The other two, I got in a fabric swap with a friend. The toothless custom knit, both my kids have items from it, and now my nephew will too!
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These came together really quick, all 4 pair took me about 2 1/2 hours to cut and sew (with distractions).

When it came time to take pictures, I started laying them out and my toddler asked what I was doing. I told him I was making baby pants and asked if I could borrow Kevin (his doll) to model them for me. He let me borrow him, but he was right on the edge of the blanket to make sure nothing happened to his baby (like any good daddy would do!)

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He had to make sure his arm was okay when “Kevin is trying to crawl”

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I guess I need to make Kevin some new pants! He is a 20″ lots o love doll, and I think the newborn size will fit him perfect!

Side note, before you ask, yes, I knit the blanket in the background!

The children’s pattern offers:
3 length options
2 front waistbands
3 hem options
19 children’s sizes, newborn-18 tween.

*BONUS* includes doll pattern that fits most 18″ dolls and can be shortened for 15″ dolls.

The women’s Pattern offers:
2 length options
2 front waistbands
3 hem options
10 women’s sizes, XS-5X

I hope you find someone (or yourself!) to sew some harems for!

Make sure to check out the rest of the Freestyle Harems Blog Tour during the next week. (Note: The links below won’t be live until their scheduled date.)

March 9 – Joelle at EYMM

March 10 – Patricia from Sew Far North

March 11 – Tami from Sew Sophie Lynn

March12 – Kelly from Analog Bytes

March 13 – Lore from Blessed x Five

March 14 – Larissa from Connected by a Thread

March 15 – Aimee from Capture, Craft, and Cook

During the blog tour, you can get the Freestyle Harem Pants on sale! Use code FREESTYLE to save 25% on the women’s* or youth* sizing or on the bundle*, expires at 11:59pm PST on 3/15/2016.

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Laela Jeyne Dakota Blazer

*denotes affiliate links

One of my new favorite designers is  Marissa from Laela Jeyne! Her latest pattern is the Dakota Blazer. This is definitely a staple piece that you will want in your wardrobe!

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Being a stay/work at home mom, I rarely wear dressier clothes, and don’t keep them in my closet. I needed to Skype with a client a while back and realized that I didn’t have anything other than tees and a few sweaters. This blazer will be the perfect addition to my casual, need to dress up once in a while wardrobe!

You can get your copy HERE* for $6.50 today to Monday 11:59PM EST. The price will go up to $9 after that. All the other single patterns are also 30% off during that time.

Pattern details:
Sizes XS-XXL
High-Low or Straight Hem
Easy Construction with Clear Photos
Short, 3/4, and Long Sleeve Lengths
Straight or Scalloped Sleeve Hem
Suitable for Maternity Wear
Layered Pattern

I sewed a straight size Medium with the long sleeves. I love that the pattern has layers, making it super easy to print, tape, and cut out my size. This also helps if you need to combine sizes to get the right fit.

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I love the high-low hem, as it provides that extra coverage especially when I sit down!

I used a stretch denim for the exterior and a heavy costume satin for the lining, and this is a perfect weight for  the cooler mornings and evenings we tend to have in the spring! I am thinking another in a linen or heavy cotton with a think lining will be perfect for the summer!

I opted to use a brooch rather than a button to close my blazer and I love that this gold elephant worked so well! The ellie was given to me as a gift one year from my mother in law, as she always found new ellies for me (i was an avid collector for years!)

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I hope you have found some inspiration to sew up a blazer for yourself!

Leave me a comment and let me know what you want to make yours out of!

~~Larissa