Wednesday, December 21, 2016

A Fun Wishlist

At a time of year when we often think of gifts and gift-giving, I thought it'd be fun to throw together an 'Amazon wishlist' of sorts!
These are things that I think are cool, seem fun to use, and a couple things I hope to one day buy.
I am using affiliate links so if you do buy through these links, I get a small percentage.


Silhouette Cameo!
This is on sale right now (on Amazon.ca) for $244.99.
(It comes with a starter kit).
I think it'd be such a fun tool to use for making custom shirts/clothes, and various other crafty items.


I love this and am hoping for a Boxing Day deal.
It's supposed to be my Christmas gift, but I didn't want to pay full price, so I'm waiting patiently.
I know--I should have bought it on the Black Friday sale, but I didn't think of it.





3/4" Button-hole Elastic!
This is more of a non-reusable item, but this is one of the elastics I could definitely use in my sewing supply stash. It's one of the only 'missing' ones.





Metric Pattern Cutting!
One day, when I have time, I'd love to learn more about pattern-making for clothing!
I've heard this is a great book for it.


And, while we're onto books:

As an often tired Mama, either of these two books on motherhood (by Gloria Furman) look like a great addition to my library!


Ok, this one is on my husband's wishlist--it's only available as a pre-order yet, but I'm excited to buy it for his late Christmas gift! 


I could go on and on because who doesn't need more sewing notions or books, but I'll leave it at that for now!
What is on your wishlist?

Monday, November 7, 2016

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?



Friday, November 4, 2016

Dashing Vest in French Terry

I had the opportunity to try out some fabric from Water Tower Textiles, a new Canadian fabric shop. 
Now, so you know, I did receive the fabric for free in exchange for a review, be it good or bad. 
This is my own honest opinion of the fabric. 

One of my sons likes to layer his clothes and will often be wearing two shirts. 
I thought it'd be a good time to sew him a vest so he can layer a little more stylishly.
I chose the Dashing Vest (a FREE! pattern) from Love Notions. (affiliate links)


It's a quick sew in a wide range of sizes: 12 months to 14! 
Snaps make it even faster. 
I debated putting buttons or snaps on it and then finally asked my son what he'd prefer...snaps it was. 


The fabric I used is from Water Tower Textiles.
The fabric washes up nice the first wash. I have to see how it holds up to a large number of washings yet, to give it a fair review. 
The ribbing comes in a tube, and I did have to piece the ribbing together in the back to get the right length for the neckline/front for the size 7. 
The French Terry is warm and soft--perfect for a fall day. 




Saturday, October 29, 2016

Uptown Downtown in Brushed Poly

I had the opportunity to try out some fabric from Water Tower Textiles, a new Canadian fabric shop. 
Now, so you know, I did receive the fabric for free in exchange for a review, be it good or bad. 
This is my own honest opinion of the fabric. 


I chose to review the Fuchsia Brushed Poly. 
I had never sewn with brushed poly before and was absolutely thrilled with how soft the brushed side is! 
The fabric is perfect for fall or winter clothes as it's so cozy. 
My daughter was not cold at all when we went out in the chilly morning to take these pictures--she kept telling me how warm this dress was. 
The brushed poly washed up quite well with minimal shrinkage--between 1/2" to an 1" of shrinkage on a piece approximately 62" long. 


A downside to sewing with brushed poly is that you don't want to make mistakes while sewing.
It's so pillowy that the stitches are quite difficult to take out--especially when you use a triple stretch stitch. My poor fingers took the brunt of my seam ripper. 
(I think that is a downside to any thicker, soft fabric, so definitely not limited to the brushed poly!) 
I also do not know how it will hold up as it gets washed over and over again. 

Overall I'm happy with the fabric and would buy brushed poly again--especially for warm clothing.


The pattern is the Girl's Uptown Downtown Dress by Sew Straight and Gather in a maxi length with the cowl add-on and the long sleeves.
I sewed up the size 5 with added length. 
The sleeves are a little more snug than I hoped they'd be, and I may size up to a size 6 overall next time, though that's just personal preference, as the dress is meant to be snug and fitted. 
I also did not hem the sleeves as that would make them even more constraining, especially when putting the dress on. 

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Sew Snappy


A couple of months ago, I had the great opportunity to test and proofread a pattern in the book 'Sew Snappy.'
It is a translation of the Dutch book 'Zo Geknipt' which I've tried getting, but it is out of print. 
So, when the opportunity came to test and proofread the English translation, I was thrilled! 


I only tested one pattern in the book--the Swim Bag, but I'm pretty thrilled with how it turned out.
It has actually become my purse/diaper bag since I don't need a huge diaper bag right now. 


The step by step instructions are clear and where there is any possible confusion, the pictures clear that up. 
I used regular cotton for the lining instead of a water resistant one, as I wasn't going to use it as an actual swim bag. 
The outer fabrics are also a cotton for the top and pocket, and Essex linen for the bottom. 


It's now available at Amazon so make sure to get your copy! 
It comes as a PDF/E-book and as a regular book. 
Both versions have pattern pieces included where needed. 


There are a number of fun, quick projects in the book--great for gift-giving! 

It is available on Amazon (affiliate links):

Canada:


USA: 

Saturday, October 1, 2016

Caroline Dress V.2, a Sale, and a Giveaway!

(This post contains affiliate links! Thank-you for using them and supporting my sewing addiction in this way!) 
 
Quite some time ago, I posted about V. 1 of the Caroline Dress.
I had good intentions of following that post up rather quickly with this post.
But, with my lack of energy this pregnancy, I've had little desire to write up a post.
You should see how many drafts and pictures I have yet for other posts.
 
 
Either way, here is my second version of Mouse House Creations' Caroline Party Dress.
I made it the same time as V.1. My daughter was growing out of her clothes and was somewhat jealous of her older sister's twirly dresses.
So, I quickly whipped up these two dresses.
 
 
The fabric for this dress I received from a friend. It's an older quilting cotton but it has stood up very well to the wear and tear of a toddler.
I again did the modification for snaps on the back, just because I figured it'd be easier to quickly dress her with snaps rather than trying to zip it up without getting her hair or skin caught.
 
 
Oh, and have you heard about the sale and giveaway happening over on my Facebook page?
Use the code JUSTBECAUSE in my Etsy shop for 30% off.
 



Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Inspired by Gracious Threads

This outfit is in large part thanks to Jess from Gracious Threads.
First of all, the Maple Skirt is her pattern, and I was extra tempted to sew it when there was a great prize to be won in her sew along
The grey fabric is from Fabricland that I bought over a year ago--it's been in my stash waiting for a pattern like this. It has a slight stretch to it. 
The buttons are from the thrift shop. 
For the top stitching, I used two threads in my needle to really make it stand out, and I love the results. I will be using that technique again! 


Second, the fabric for the shirt I received from Jess when she was destashing.
It's a cotton knit--not great recovery but I couldn't resist making a shirt out of it--neckband included. 
The pattern for the shirt is from Greenstyle--the Easy Options T-shirt.
I find the sleeves a little short on my daughter, so I think I'd lengthen them a bit next time, but I love the slight flare of the sleeve. 




Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Pink Origami

I liked my previous Origami tunic so much, that I had to make another one!
It is again the Origami Tunic by Love Notions.  

Don't you love my photo bombing dogs?
 
I got the fabric from a destash site on Facebook just for this reason.
It's pretty sheer so it does need layering, but I really like the drape and feel of the fabric.

 
This pattern has definitely become a favourite!


Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Horses, Shirts, and Skirts

(This post contains affiliate links! Thanks for using them and supporting my sewing habit in this way!) 

Quite a while back now, I won a gift certificate to JoyFits.
The horse print was one of the fabrics I my kids chose. 
I bought a half meter of it, and was able to squeeze a whole shirt and the front panel of a second out of it. 

First up is a Greenstyle Creation's Easy Options T-shirt.
My daughter requested the cap sleeve option.
It's a very easy, quick pattern to sew. 
And it has a ton of options. 

I also made the skirt she is wearing.
It's a basic tiered skirt using her measurements and using fabric that my friend was destashing that screamed 'tiered skirt!' at me when I was looking through her destash. 


The next shirt is New Horizon's Suburban Basic Tee. 
It's also a quick sew, and I've used it quite often for my boys as well. 
The contrasting fabric is a regular cotton/lycra in charcoal. 

Now, the skirt. 
Ha.
Well, I wanted to make something she could wear with the shirt.
And, I thought I could whip one up when I was tired, late at night. 
So, I picked a fabric (of which there was not enough for a skirt) and made a skirt out of it. 
It is more like a pencil skirt than an easy-to-run, play skirt as envisioned.
But, she loves it anyway, and keeps wanting to wear the whole outfit. 







Monday, August 8, 2016

Bella Sunshine Designs Sale!

(This post contains affiliate links. Thank-you for using them and helping support my sewing addiction habit)

Bella Sunshine Designs is having a Back to School sale this week. 
Every day two different patterns will be listed at $5 for 24 hours. 
Today, two patterns that I have sewn are up! 

First up is the Coffee Shop Lace Dress. 
This dress is super cute--I love the lace detail.
It goes from size 12 months to size 12 girls. 


More details of these dresses can be found here.


Next up is the Gabriella's Winter Coat
The shape of this coat is adorable. 
It's not a straight a-line pea coat. 
It has flare. 
It has twirl. 
It has style. 
It goes from sizes 6 months to size 12 girls, so a huge size range. 


More details of the dress can be found here

Make sure you pick these two patterns up today if you don't have them already! 


Thursday, August 4, 2016

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. 

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Suburban Tees in Fox and Tiger

This was a fun project! 


I had won a gift certificate to LanaLotta  and my boys helped me pick out some fun iron on vinyl appliques. 


When the appliques arrived in the mail, the boys picked the fabric they wanted for their shirts. 
They also picked where that fabric would go on the shirt. 
I think they fed off each other a little here. Ha! 
Both the red and the orange are not ideal for the neck band. 
The orange I had to cut a longer neckband because of lack of stretch. 
The red doesn't have super recovery. 
But, they are happy with their shirts, and I'm happy that they are happy. 
It can't last too long--them being thrilled with getting to wear 'mom-made' clothes. 


I used the Suburban Basic Tee pattern from New Horizons Designs (previously Terra's Treasures).
The black fabric is from Black Rabbit Fabric and the orange and red fabrics are old fabrics from Fabric.com that were added to my stash years ago. 
The iron on transfers are from LanaLotta.