Laura Jeans

Suco by Susana has put out a great jeans pattern for girls--the Laura Jeans and Shorts.

I had the pleasure of testing the pattern.

I love the details on the pattern--flat felled seams, a very tidy finish inside, clear instructions for a fully functioning fly, a coin pocket, and it even includes 6 templates for the topstitching on the back pockets. I did do my own design but the pattern does have a heart design as well. 

The pattern instructions gives tips on topstitching without topstitching thread so you can topstitch in any colour! 

Before I even signed up to test, I checked with my daughter if she liked the look of the jeans. I didn't want to go through the process of sewing a pair of jeans for her only to have her say she didn't like them. So, not only does she like the look of them, she also enjoys the fit of them. We felt the fit was spot on, using the measurement chart. 

Be sure to pick up a copy of this pattern while it is on sale. 

Regular price is €12.50 but it's on sale for €10.60 until Tuesday, February 25th.

If you want the pattern in Portuguese you can buy that here.

Joggers and a Favorite

Happy New Year!

I've been sewing again! 

Quite a bit actually. 

If you follow my Facebook Page you can see all that I've been up to.

But, I thought I'd share a little on here about one outfit I sewed up recently.

Both fabrics I bought in a destash at the beginning of the year and I finally got a chance to sew them up. 

The pants are the Hudson Pants by True Bias in an athletic knit.

The top is the Favorite Tee by Patterns for Pirates in a double brushed poly. 

I chose the curved hem option and raised the neckline by at least two inches. 

It is such a comfy outfit--perfect for these winter days where I don't want to leave the house! 

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! 

My Favourite Favorite Tee and Skinnies

This is one of my all time favourite outfits so far.

I love the flowy-ness of the top combined with the slimness of the skinny pant. 

Plus, the shoes. 

I picked them up for $5 at the thrift shop.

I used Jocole's Skinny Pants pattern with yoga waistband. 

My fabric has no stretch at all and is a pretty thick/heavy-weight denim so I did have to sew a narrower seam allowance.  

It is from Fabric.com--available here.

I don't have a picture of it, but I added some fun top stitching to the back pockets and actually sandpapered it a little to make it look a little worn. Just a little. 

The top is Patterns for Pirates' Favorite Tee in a lovely rayon/spandex from Water Tower Textiles. It's available here.

One thing I'd take into consideration next time with this type of fabric is that rayon doesn't have as much recovery as some of the other knits I use so the neckband can be pulled down quite easily by little baby hands. 

But. the top is super comfortable and great for summer as it's so airy and light. 

I did raise the neckline a bit but that was the only mod I made. 

I want to try some more of the options on the Favorite Tee such as the curved hem, and I'd love to make some more in this style as well. 

Patterns Used: 

Jocole's Skinny Pants

Patterns for Pirates' Favorite Tee

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

Zebra Hudsons

These have been dubbed 'Zebra Pants' by my family. 

They are actually the Hudson Pants by True Bias.

This is the first time I've sewn with a double brushed poly.

It's super soft, but not quite as warm as the brushed poly I used for my daughter's dress. 

It was bought off a new shop on Facebook--Blended Thread Fabrics.

This shop has a sale every couple of weeks and sells a number of double brushed polys, sweater knits, french terry, and a couple of cotton lycra prints.  

These joggers are super comfy, and I love the details of the drawstring, elastic waistband, and the detail on the pockets. 

I do wonder if they are a little too snug like leggings, though it may be the fabric choice.

I also need to figure out what kind of shoes to pair them with.

The runners I wore for the pictures, I cropped out because they look goofy. 

Thoughts?

Aztec Hudson Pants

It is a rare thing that I do custom sewing. Especially custom clothes. 

But, when my sister-in-law requested these pants, I figured, 'Why not? It'll be a fun challenge!'

First of all, kudos to those who do custom clothes all  the time. I don't think I could. 

I had nightmares that the fabric I ordered wasn't enough--that I wouldn't be able to match stripes. 

The next morning, I laid out the pattern pieces on the fabric to make sure. Whew! 

I used the Hudson Pants by True Bias. 

The fabric is a Ponte De Roma from Girl Charlee.  (Emerald Green Red Ethnic Diamond Rows Ponte De Roma) 

I'm quite pleased with how the pattern went together. 

I did have to add about 5" to the length at the lengthen/shorten line which was an easy adjustment. 

I was a little worried about the waistband--adding the drawstring with button holes. Only because I was afraid to mess up a custom order and I wanted it to be perfect. 

Now, I just need to make myself a pair of Hudsons. 

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!

Polo and Pants x3

My boys all have new Sunday outfits for the spring and summer.

After sewing up the penguin polo, I was inspired to make all three boys somewhat matching outfits.

Polo shirts and linen pants.

 

 

The shirts are all made using Jalie 3137.

I really like how this shirt sews up, at least for the sizes I did.

(I know some people have had some trouble with the fit not accommodating a toddler tummy.)

 

Fabrics used for the two other polo shirts are from my stash--one is from Girl Charlee that I bought quite some time ago. The brown argyle is from a Facebook destash site.

For the pants, I ordered some Essex Linen from Fabric Spot and I used the Butler Britches pattern from Brownie Goose. I opted to leave off the cuffs, and I modified the pants by cutting the pattern in half to insert side pockets in the seam. The boys wanted front pockets, and the pattern doesn't include them, so I had to fiddle with that a bit.

 





 Overall I'm quite happy with how their outfits turned out.

They'll be all dressed in their Sunday best....as long as the pants don't get holes.

 

 

My boys were pretty happy about their new clothes and also quite the bunch to try to photograph.

Tree Climber Trousers and a Raglan

(This post contains affiliate links--if you buy through the links in this post, I get a small commission. Thanks for supporting my blog!) 

My youngest son's Sunday outfit for the winter has been sewn for quite awhile already--he has been wearing it all winter.

Yet, I never blogged about it, so here it is now that winter is almost over (hopefully).

The top is the Rascal Raglan from Ottobre 4/2013.

It has become a bit of a staple in our house (see here and here.)

The front panel is made with a woven fabric I won a long time ago from Monday's Milk (though I don't think it's available anymore) and the black knit is from Canadian National Fabric.

The pants are the Tree Climber Trousers from Go-To Patterns...again. It is also a staple in this house.

The fabric for these comes from my local-ish Fabricland. It's a denim-like fabric, though I don't remember the content of it (if they listed it...)  

I'm not going to link all the versions of these pants I've made--there's a LOT of them...you can do a quick search through my blog and find them if you want to see my other versions.

Yep, that's green grass there--I took this picture
early last fall...

Little Hunter

Good friends of ours recently had a baby boy--their first boy after two girls, so I knew I wanted to make an outfit.

The only thing was I wanted it to be something a little different than just a plain pair of pants and shirt.

It needed something original and fitting.

 

With the last name of 'Hunter' and the dad's moose hunting adventures as inspiration, I came up with a fun freezer paper stencil.

Some fun fonts and a moose head silhouette from Shutterstock and I ended up with this graphic.



The shirt is a pattern from Ottobre (3/2013, Brave Fireman, #9). It originally had short sleeves, but I lengthened them, and omitted the sleeve cuffs.

The pants are from Go-To Patterns--the Tree Climber Trousers. (affiliate link)

I think this is one of my favourite pants patterns--quick to sew up, but the fun topstitching details really make it stand out!

 





 

I think the fabric is a type of suiting--I bought it years ago, and have used it for pants before.

I love the softness of the fabric and how the contrasting topstitching stands out on the fabric.

 

Congrats again G & L!