Tag: Art Gallery

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Bring on the Blouse (and the self love)!

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The ‘Bring on the Blouse Blog Tour’ is a celebration of the Omega* and Classic Shell Patterns*.  These are both patterns designed for woven apparel fabrics and they are divine in rayon blends and other drapey woven fabrications.  So strap in because this week will be filled with inspiration for both patterns.  Don’t own these beauties???  Save 20% and grab the Omega* for just $7.95 this week during the tour.  And get the Classic Shell* for just $5!!!
I have been sewing consistently for quite a few years now, and for myself for the past 3 or 4 years. I started out with simple things like skirts. Mostly things that didn’t need too many alterations to fit okay. Then I started making dresses and tops, not because I planned on wearing them often, but because it was what was being tested by my favorite designers, or they needed a review for a new pattern. I love the designs, they just weren’t practical for my daily life. They were also ill fitting because I didn’t know HOW to tailor them to MY body. They were wearable, cute, and exactly what the pattern told me to make. Where did they end up? They all went to hang in the “handmade” section of my closet. I couldn’t toss or donate because “I made that!” I even moved then from out apartment to our new house, and lovely rehung them in my closet. All the while, knowing that I would likely never wear most of it.
Then, Suzanne and I started talking patterns…A LOT! During these talks, we realized we both had a lot in our closets that just wasn’t practical to our daily lives. This gave me the push to clear out my stuff. It also made my sewing mission this year to sew items that I not only love, but that are tailor fit for me! Enter Winter Wear Designs Wardrobe Essentials Collection! The Classic Shell was one of the first releases in this awesome collection!
It is made for woven apparel fabrics, but I didn’t have any in my gigantic stash of fabrics that was love-so I couldn’t sew one…or could I?!?!
YES! I made a few alterations and made one out of knit! it is so comfortable and I know it will be worn a lot! I used a waffle knit that I received in a mystery box from Sincerely Riley. I added a fun trim to the hem for a little pop.
The only alterations I did to this one were to size down and a narrow shoulder adjustment (directions are in the patterns!). I chose to size down in the knit, just because I knew I would want more negative ease than the woven and that the knit would likely stretch a but while wearing.
On to my other two tops! I made both a woven and a knit Omega. The woven was again from a mystery box from Sincerely Riley. I made it towards the end of last year, but it never got blogged or really shared much, as the holiday season took over! It is a well loved shirt in my rotation of “wear every week” shirts! I didn’t make any alterations to the woven version, but the next ones will have the narrow shoulder adjustment for a more tailored fit.
For the knit, I did a lace overlay on the front yoke, along with a narrow shoulder adjustment. This Art Gallery fabric, that I have been hoarding, was bought from Whimsical fabrics a couple years ago!  After sewing it, I put it on and had these weird “wings” in the armpit area. I ended up turning it right side out and pinning it to fit how I wanted, then took it back to the sewing machine and tool off a triangle of fabric starting at the sleeve seam and tapering down into the side seam. It fits so much better!
So, do you sew a tailored wardrobe or do you just “sew to sew”? I am working hard to make sure that I check my measurements every month (I take new ones for the kids, why not myself?), learning about more personal alterations, learning how I like my clothes to fit, and learning to SEW myself some Self Love. I hope this inspires you to sew clothes that you love and that fit you well, whether you need s FBA/SBA, narrow shoulder adjustment, or just need to lengthen or shorten something to fit YOU!
To kick your sewing off right, Boho Fabrics has teamed up with me to give away an awesome prize bundle.  We’ve got a mystery bundle of fabric from Boho paired up with two sets of the Classic Shell and Omega patterns (one for you and one for a friend – because it is always more fun to share the love!)  This prize is open to everyone!!!!  International entrants will need to pay shipping for fabric.
ENTER HERE
Happy Sewing!
Check out each stop on the tour:
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Wacky Wednesday 5/25

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 bundle is titled Geometric Bliss. You can see what I made with the other colorway HERE.

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The first item I made with this fabric is a Reese Party Dress by Modkid. I shipped it off to one of my best friends for her little girl. She took some wonderful pictures of her little girl in it. You can read more about the dress pattern and see more pics on the Pattern Revolution blog.

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The second Item I made with this week’s bundle is this adorable Sunny Day Suit by Whimsy Couture. She just released this pattern and it is on sale for $5 through the 26th of May. You can get your pattern here. This is a fairly quick sew, it took me about 2 1/2 hours from start to finish, this includes multiple 3 yr old interruptions.

This one is a size Newborn, and it is to tiny it wouldn’t fit on my infant mannequin! I tried putting it on my toddler’s 20″ doll, but the proportion are completely wrong on the doll for the straps.

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Here are all the pattern details:

Sizes: Newborn though a girls size 6. Pattern can be made for boys as well, but recommended for 2t and under.

Multiple strap options (Snaps are NOT included as an option, but I don’t like putting buttons on infant and toddler items)

A snap tape tutorial is included.

 2 pages to print.

Clear pictures and directions making this a fairly quick sew.

 

 

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 today’s deal.

You will receive each of these 5 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 (5 total yards)
• HALF YARD Bundle (2.5 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 have been selling out quick lately!

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Wacky Wednesday!

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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 Drift by Art Gallery Fabrics. It really screams ocean to me. I already have plans to make some fun stuff with it!

For this week’s bundle, I really wanted to share what you could do with only a 1/2 yard bundle. I generally use a full 1 yard bundle in my posts. I think it was more of a challenge for myself though. I rarely buy less than a yard of any fabric!

It has been a while since I posted a bag, so I jumped in to think about what bag I could make, I’m sure there are a lot! I settled on the Swoon Coraline* for some cute make-up or pencil pouches. I left off all handle options for this. That is the only modification I made! These are prefect for keeping your Jamberry’s safe too!

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I made 3 and still had enough scraps to make at least 3 more!

The fabric sews up so nice! I am always so happy with AGF wovens and knits! I have plans to pick up more today during the sale (if it doesn’t sell out before I can get on!)

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 today’s 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 have been selling out quick lately!

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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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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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Swooning for Whimsical Fabric

If you follow me at all, you know I love Whimsical Fabric. I have been buying my fabric from her for a while now. Twice a month, she has “Wacky Wednesday”. On these days, she has a set of fabrics from a line, usually 1 main print and 2-4 coordinates, that she posts in her group for a great deal. The catch? you have to buy the bundle, no picking and choosing what fabrics you want from it. Today is a Wacky Wednesday and I LOVE the fabric she chose for today! I had the chance to purchase my bundle earlier and sew it up to share.  The pictures don’t come close to how gorgeous this fabric is in real life!

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You might have seen this sneak I posted in the group last night, we love to tease you, don’t we? The Fabric is Nordika by Art Gallery Fabrics. This cotton is so soft! it is almost silky to the touch! As soon as I saw it, I knew it needed to be a bag! Of course, I turned to my favorite bag maker Swoon*! I decided to step out of my comfort zone and make a bag I hadn’t made before, and landed on the Swoon Vivian*. I also made the Have it All wallet from Straight Stitch to match.

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This fabric sewed up so nice! The colors are perfect! I cannot wait to buy more of this!

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I just love the colors together and the prints are not so busy that you get lost in them!

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I used the grey inside the purse and I just love how it counters the bright red!

Now, lets talk the patterns!

The Straight Stitch Have it All Wallet was intimidating-UNTIL I Started sewing it! Once I started sewing, it took me a total of about 2 hours to sew up! The directions are clear and concise. The only thing I haven’t done yet is add a snap closure! I think a certain 2 year old hid my snap pliers! I have a new set coming tomorrow to finish it up! I also used a fusible stabilizer rather than a sew in since that is what I had on hand!

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Swoon Vivian. I am in love with the final result! I made a few mistakes while sewing her up, but since this one is for me, I am okay with these little imperfections! As always Swoon directions are easy to follow and everything is broke down into steps, making it easy to stop when needed for a break (or to tend to the kids!) and come back and pick it up again! Total time put into this bag is close to 8 hours but it was my first run with it, so I’m sure the next one will be quicker!

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Be sure to head over to the Whimsical Fabric Group today at noon Central (10 am PST!) to grab your bundle!

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Happy Sewing!

Larissa