Back to School Tour

This post contains affiliate links--they help support my sewing addiction so if you are inspired to buy a pattern because of what you see on my blog, please buy through my links. Thank-you! 

Or, the Not-Back-To-School stop on the tour...

We're not heading back to school as we homeschool, but each fall the kids are in dire need of some new, well fitting, un-torn, un-stained clothes. 

We do often leave the house for swimming lessons, co-ops, and other functions after all. 

So, first up is the Nivalis Dress from Sofilantjes and the Caramel Leggings from Filles a Maman. 

My daughter is thrilled with this outfit! 

I love the style of the Nivalis--I'm a sucker for European style. 

And the Caramel Leggings.

What I love about these is that they are not just plain leggings. 

They actually have design features, and the fit is great.

Next up is the Dax Trousers from Gracious Threads, the Military Messenger Bag from FABulous Home Sewn, and Rascal Raglan from Ottobre 4/2013.

So for this one, the Dax Trousers are such a classic pant style. 

The functioning fly, adjustable waist, and welt pockets make it so you can have play pants with a sturdy denim or you can have Sunday pants with a fancier fabric. 

My son uses the Military Messenger Bag for taking his Bible, pen, notebook, and other 'necessities' to Church. 

It makes a great book bag! 

(You can read more about this pattern and bag here!)

The shirt is a staple in this house. I keep turning back to this pattern for my kids. 

I do put a different cuff on this shirt than is provided in the magazine.

They have you put a cuff on single-layered and then still hem that. I do a folded over cuff so I don't need to hem the sleeves. It makes it a bit of a quicker sew and I prefer the look. 

Be sure to stop by all the other great stops on the tour!

Monday, September 25, 2017

Host: Sprouting JubeJube

Sewing by Ti  *  mahlicadesigns  *  Momma You Can Make It  *  Kutti Couture  *  MoonStar - Wondermirakel  *  Call Ajaire

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Host: Lulu & Celeste

Sew and Tell Project  *  From-a-Box  *  Ronda B. Handmade  *  MeMade  *  House of Estrela  *  My Heart Will Sew On  *  Tales From A Southern Mom

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Host: Sprouting JubeJube

mahlicadesigns  *  Gracious Threads  *  Adventures With Bubba and Bug  *  Elli & Nels  *  Bellevi  *  Little Heart Threads  *  Sewing By Ti  *  Lulu & Celeste

Thursday, September 28, 2017

Host: Lulu & Celeste

Paisley Roots  *  The Crafting Fiend  *  Sewstarly  *  It's Liesel  *  Tales of a Tester  *  Kaleidothought  *  auschick sews

Friday, September 29, 2017

Host: Sprouting JubeJube

SewSophieLynn  *  Sew Haute Blog  *  mahlicadesigns  *  Sew and Tell Project  *  RP Custom Fabrics Blog  *  FABulous Home Sewn  *  Sewing By Ti  *  Phat Quarters

And, check out the amazing sponsors over at Sprouting JubeJube! 

Duchess and Hare Blog Tour

It is sometimes a little 'scary' using fabric for a pattern that comes from a new-to-me designer.

I'm pleased with the results of this one.

I sewed up Duchess and Hare's 'Who's Got the Button.'

I sized up for length as I like my girls' dresses a little longer than a lot of dresses are designed.

They out-grow them slower and it's a little more modest.

Overall I'm happy with how this pattern turned out--I've had a number of adults saying they would wear a dress like this!

The only thing that was new to me on this pattern was the method of sewing the bias trim around the bodice. It is a method that needs to be done with care so you have no raw edges poking out.

But, the end result is pretty sweet!

I love how the lace pops out and breaks up the print.

The pattern has the option to do a solid skirt and one with lace/bias binding trim.

The bodice runs a little wide at the shoulders but my daughter is petite and is on the low end of the size range.

Fabric was a thrift store find a number of years ago.

This was the perfect vintage-esque pattern to use it for.

Be sure to enter to win the giveaway for

5 Duchess and Hare Patterns and a $25 gift certificate to Threads and Stitches Fabric. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to stop by the other blogs on this tour to see some more of Duchess and Hare's patterns sewn up!

Monday July 24 Neva Couture Curtiepie

Tuesday July 25 Seams Sew Lo Auschick Sews

Wednesday July 26 Sewing by Ti Tales From a Southern Mom

Thursday July 27 FABulous Home Sewn Lilla Gumma Ondinneke van Hoof

Friday July 28 Sew and Tell Project Bellevi

Modest Swimwear! A Blog Tour

I have always hated swimming suits on myself. 

There I said it. 

I dislike how they show most of my body, I dislike how uncomfortable I feel in them.

So....why did I join in on this blog tour?

Because I'm excited to share a modest swimming suit that does not make me feel uncomfortable.

After years of trying different swimming suits--all of them failing in the comfortable-ness (is that even a word?!) department, I decided to make my own.
And, not with an actual swimsuit pattern.
So...that is what I did!
I can now post a picture of myself in a swimsuit on the internet.

Patterns used:

Greenstyle's Lille Racerback Tank and Dress

Patterns for Pirate's Layer Me Up Shirt

Jocole's Basic Leggings and Yoga A-line Skirt

Fabric is from Marshalls Fabrics in Edmonton.

The Lille I used the sports bra version and then the Layer Me Up is the top shirt. 

For the bottom, I attached both the Leggings and the A-Line Skirt to the yoga waistband. 

I did modify the skirt a little with side panels as the fabric has less stretch than the recommended fabric and it was hard to move in it.

But, I'm thrilled with how it turned out....I can now go swimming in comfort! 

Grand Prize:

Two ways to enter: Enter the Grand Prize Rafflecopter, and/or post a swimwear item you’ve sewn on Instagram. Readers can enter more than once on Instagram but must use a different photo/different sewn swim item per entry. (Ie. multiple photos of the same outfit only count as one entry).

Items allowed: swimsuits and swim coverups for the entire family (women, men, children).

To enter on IG: Post your photo and use the hashtag #SwimsuitEditionTour and tag @luluandceleste and @debzaleski in your post.

Items can only have been sewn since the beginning of June 2017. Closes July 2nd 11:59 pm EDT.

More details here: Instagram Contest

Prize: Phat Quarters $25 (USD) gift card + Boo Designs $100 (AUD) gift card + Sewing by Ti -$20 (USD) gift card + Made by Jack's Mum - swim pdf pattern bundle

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

And, to win today's giveaway,  5 out of 4 - 1 pattern of choice + Fabric Fairy $30 (USD) gift card enter the rafflecopter below!

Giveaway closes at 11:59 pm EST Wednesday night.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to check out all the other amazing swimsuits that have been sewn for this tour!

Monday, June 26

Sprouting JubeJube - Call Ajaire - Kutti Couture - Tales of A Tester - Bellevi

Tuesday, June 27

Sprouting JubeJube - FABulous Home Sewn - Sew and Tell Project - Tales From A Southern Mom - My Heart Will Sew On

Wednesday, June 28

Lulu & Celeste - Adventures With Bubba and Bug - Momma You Can Make It - Marvelous Auntie M - Phat Quarters

Thursday, June 29

Lulu & Celeste - Filles à Maman & Jalie - Crazy Crafty Haute Mama - MeMade - 5 out of 4 Patterns - RikiPrints Custom Knit Fabrics

Friday, June 30

Lulu & Celeste - Little Heart Threads - Bellevi - sewingbyti - Sprouting JubeJube

Show Your Stoff Blog Tour

(This post contains affiliate links! Clicking and then buying through these links gives me a percentage of the sale. Thank-you for using them!) 

Welcome to my stop on the Show Your Stoff Blog Tour! 

I'm excited to be sharing what I sewed up from the Zierstoff Sewing Patterns.

This is a new to me pattern shop, and it's always fun to try a new designer--especially a European one. 

These patterns are all translated from German. 

One thing that is different than other patterns I've tried is with taping these together. 

You have to tape the pages edge-to-edge...no overlapping. 

I'm not sure I like it as much as overlapping as it's harder to fold the master copy of the pattern. 

But, that is a minor--the pieces all fit nicely together and the end result fits nicely. 

I chose the Nicki Capris.

They come in two versions--knit and woven. 

I made the woven version with woven cuffs and waistband. 

The fun thing is that they actually fit under my 35 week pregnant belly! 

I'd only recommend these for maternity if you don't mind wearing your pants under your belly rather than over. Or if you generally can--I know every woman has a different pregnant belly.

I'm really looking forward to Spring and Summer when I can actually wear these outside. 

They are very comfy and I'm sure the knit ones would be even more so just because of the softness of a knit fabric. 

Zierstoff Sewing Patterns

Nicki Capris

Make sure to check out all the other stops on the Show Your Stoff Blog Tour! 

Monday April 10- 

Anne-Mari Sews, Inspinration, Tenille’s Thread, Sew Cucio, Embrace Everyday 

 Tuesday April 11- 

Musings of A Seamstress, mahlicadesigns, Anna's Heirloom Boutique, Rhonda B Handmade, FABulous Home Sewn 

 Wednesday April 12-

  Sprouting Jube Jube, Glitter in my Coffee, Thread and Scissors, Kaleidothought, Idle Sunshine Thursday April 13-

mahlicadesigns, Very Blissful, Sew A Piece of Joy, Zowie Zo, Nina Makes, Lulu & Celeste Friday Friday April 14- 

Tales of a Tester; Anne-Mari Sews; Bless, by Tone; Nap Time Creations; Needles to Say, Adventures with Bubba and Bug

Saturday April 15- 

Sprouting Jube Jube, Musings of A Seamstress, Stitches by Laura; Tea, Dust and Stitches, Anna's Heirloom Boutique

Pattern Parade

Hop on over to the Swhetty Bettie's blog to see which pattern I have on parade! 

There's a huge discount on this pattern (45%) and there's a giveaway that includes every pattern that is on parade!!!

Desert Island Sew

One pattern. All the fabric and notions you may need. 

What a question. 

But, I came up with one because it is so versatile!

Mouse House Creations' Caroline Party Dress! (affiliate link) 

Now, this dress is meant to have a zipper closure but I switched it to snaps so it'd be easier to dress little babies, as these were baby gifts. 

To do this, I added 1/2" to the center back on each piece, added interfacing for the snaps, and sewed the whole bodice shut. 

An easy modification and that is what I love about this pattern--it is so easy to adapt, to add all sorts of fun features without needing another pattern. 

I could sew a whole wardrobe for my girls with this dress. I have in fact sewn up a couple more, but those will come in a later post...

Sew 20 Desert Island Sew Tour

7/18/16 to 7/22/16

Use #desertislandsew on social media to play along!

7/18 Sew 20 Tour Launch | Very Blissful | Lulu & Celeste | The Wholesome Mama   7/19 House of Estrela | FABulous Home Sewn | create3.5   7/20 Beri Bee Designs | mahlicadesigns   7/21 Rebel & Malice | Sew Starly | The Berry Bunch | Sewing By Ti   7/22 Candice Ayala | PenSeb&Rox | Mae & K | Sew 20 Social Media Round-up 7/25 Sew 20 Tour Wrap-up

Real Life Real Sewing

1. What do you look for when choosing a sewing project?

I look for practicality and *usually* if it fits into a need. I do sew some fun projects that don't fill an immediate need or are not practical per se, but for the most part, the items I sew need to be wearable, usable, sell-able, or pretty enough to hang up. 

2.  Is there anything you would like to (or wish you could) do differently when selecting projects?

I sometimes wish I could plan better so that I'd have more of an interchangeable wardrobe for each person instead of certain items that can only be worn with certain other items. 

In other words, I need to do more fabric shopping! Ha! 

3. What is your most used/worn sewing project? This either could be of all time or currently.

I think right now it is my daughter's blue Camille dress. 

She'll take it off the rack even if it's damp, and I have to tell her to wait until it is completely dry again before wearing it.
I actually had to mend it last week...she had snagged it on something and made a huge tear in it.
For myself, it would have to be my Seena Dolman top that I made out of a super comfy Girl Charlee knit.
I've worn holes into it!

All time most used/worn, I think it'd have to be the rag blankets I made for the kids' beds. 

They use them every night, and they're great for making forts as well! 

4. Do you have a project that you thought would be used/worn frequently but just did not end up working out?

A dungaree dress I made for my daughter.
She loved it, I loved it, but the closures I bought were junk.
They didn't stay shut, so if my daughter wasn't careful, she'd lose her dress while playing.
And, then the buttons for the closures kept falling off as well, no matter how tightly I sewed them on, the thread holding them on would wear through after a couple of wears.
If you have any tips on how to keep those types of closures from ruining an outfit, please let me in on it! 
I also sewed up a pair of boxers for my husband (which never got blogged about for obvious reasons) from the Thread Theory Comox Trunks pattern, but he didn't like the fit on them and only wore them once. 
They lie dejected in his closet. 

5. What is your favorite tip or quote that applies to sewing for real life?

-Make it wearable, make it practical.-

-Make/wear what you like and are comfortable in--not necessarily what is the latest fashion.-

Do you have any examples of Real Life, Real Sewing to show off? You can play along by using the #realliferealsewing on social media. 

You can also win one of two $25 gift cards. 

More details at Sew 20.

Be sure to visit the other participants on the tour!

6/20 | Sew 20 Tour Kick-off | The Wholesome Mama | Wild & Wanderful | Randoms by Rydz

6/21 | Daydream Believers | Sugarplum Cuties | Friends Stitched Together | The Inspired Wren | PenSeb&Rox

6/22 | Sewstarly | Very Blissful | House of Estrela | The Berry Bunch | Musings of a Seamstress

6/23 | mahlicadesigns | sewingbyti | Candice Ayala | Call Ajaire | Sunflower Seams

6/24 | Beri Bee Designs | Lulu & Celeste | FABulous Home Sewn | Mae & K | Sew 20 Social Media Round-up

6/25 | Sew 20 Tour Wrap-up

Make Laundry, Don't Do Laundry Blog Tour

(This post contains affiliate links. Thank-you for clicking through and buying using my affiliate links--it helps pay for my sewing!) 

When I had the opportunity to join in on this tour, I had to. 

I had to because it is a bit of a joke around here about my Mount Washmore. 

You know--the mountain of laundry that is clean, but is waiting to be folded, and that everyone digs through to get the clothes they need. 

It makes it even more ironic that since I was a kid, my laundry folding skills were abysmal and my mom often made me refold the laundry I had folded rather haphazardly. 

I still fold it that way, when I get to it.

 Sorry Mom! 

It is true that instead of folding the laundry at night when I could sit down and do that in peace, I'd rather sit behind my sewing machine and ironically make even more laundry! 

(Nevermind the prewashing of the fabrics that go into my sewing hobby...) 

My first project that is a go-to sew that adds to my lovely mountain that continually grows, are the Go-To Leggings. 

This is my favorite legging pattern for my girls, and is a super quick sew...especially when you make them assembly-line style. About 20 minutes each.

I made four pairs. I only got pictures of two of them since the other two have already joined my laundry mountain.

Next up, I made a pair of shorts from the Tree Climber Trousers pattern.

From start to finish, I'd say it took me about two hours, and that included cutting the fabric, and all the fun top stitching.

Don't mind the wrinkled shorts...they had gone through the laundry a couple of times before I had a chance to actually photograph them, and they're from a very wrinkle-prone fabric. 

Who has time for ironing clothes?

Now, I have a child who is very petite, and getting him enough clothes that fit without having to dig through the laundry pile daily is an important thing for me.

So, when his pants became too short, and wore through the knees, I thought I'd transition them into shorts. 

I didn't want to just leave them as cut-offs, so after cutting, I hemmed them and reattached a button that had fallen off a long time ago.

A quick 10 minute fix! 

Thanks for reading this far--now the exciting part--a giveaway!

Make sure to enter the giveaway featuring the above designers (Yes, you can even win a pattern of choice from my shop!) 

We have some great prize packages to be won and there's a link up too, so come join in the fun!

Mabel Madison Boys Blog Tour

Welcome to my stop on the Mabel Madison's Boy Blog Tour--Duds for Dudes! 

My boys don't get nearly as much as my girls. It's often more fun to sew for the girls as the fabric is pretty, the dresses are pretty, and they just look so pretty when they dance around in their new dresses. 

But, boys need clothes too, and how much more fun is it to sew boy's clothes when the fabric is cool!

I was super excited to try out some Birch Organics knit from Mabel Madison.

I had heard great things about them and I'm not disappointed with the Murre Grey (looks like it's all sold out) that I received--it definitely fits into the cool category. 

(Yes, I received the fabric for free, but all opinions are my own.) 

I chose to make a polo shirt from the Jalie 3137 pattern. 

It'll be perfect as a Sunday shirt for summer, along with some navy linen pants I plan to make yet.

This fabric is so soft and cozy in the inside, and yet, because it's a cotton it's breathable.
Plus, the print is gorgeous--I didn't want to cut into it.
I used some snaps instead of buttons as I did not want to mess up the lovely placket, and my son voted for snaps as well.  

Unfortunately for my son, the snow is all melted, so he couldn't pose in something that resembled the penguins natural habitat. 

Make sure to stop by all the other amazing stops on the tour! 

Mabel Madison is really thrilled to host a week-long blog tour focused on sewing for BOYS! Every day this week, you'll have a chance to visit with a few of our friends and see what they have made for their boys. Here are today's stops:

FABulous Home Sewn

PenSeb&Rox

BeriBee Designs

Mabel Madison