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. 

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. 

Caroline Dress V.1

(This post contains affiliate links! Thank-you for using them and supporting my sewing addiction in this way!) 

My youngest daughter was somewhat disgruntled about wearing pants when her older sister got to wear fun dresses that twirled and looked so girly. 

So, I took out Mouse House Creations' Caroline Party Dress and whipped up a couple of dresses for her. 

This is version 1. 

I adjusted the back to throw on some snaps so that I wouldn't have to fiddle with a zipper while trying to dress her. She is not one to sit still for long. I extended the placket by 1/2" and added interfacing to accommodate the snaps. 

A butterfly applique was added to the bodice to tie it in a little better and to add a fun feature. 

Butterfly fabric is from Fabric.com (years ago!) and the star fabric is from Connecting Threads (also quite a while ago--I can't find it there anymore but it was called 'Little Stars'.) 

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!

Easter Blog Tour: Camille Dress

(*This post contains affiliate links (as do most of my posts). Thank-you for supporting my blog by using these links!*)

Welcome to an Easter Blog Tour, where a number of bloggers have come together and sewn up Easter outfits.

I don't usually sew specific Easter dresses--they're usually spring dresses as I'm a rather practical lady. In fact, a spring dress often morphs into a summer dress and then a fall dress and with the right layering, a winter dress.



This is one of those dresses.

It looks great with a sweater or cardigan layered over it for winter, or colder spring and fall days.

It also looks great on its own--as a spring and summer dress.

May I introduce you to the Camille Dress from Lily Bird Studio?

My daughter absolutely loves that it is a longer style dress, and I do too!

The dress also comes with pretty flutter sleeves that add a very feminine touch.

My daughter chose the invisible zipper closure since she didn't have 'any zipper dresses!' but there is also a button closure option.

Also, the amount of fabric that is gathered makes this dress great for spinning and twirling.

There is also an option for a tie at the waist, but I chose not to add that--my daughter likes to climb trees and other things like that and I don't want her getting strung up with the ties.

A contrasting strip of fabric peeks through between the bodice and skirt, tying the colors of the dress together. 

I'm thrilled with how it turned out, and I'll be using this pattern again--I'm already making plans.

And, a surprise! Camille from Lily Bird Studio has offered my readers (that means you!) 20% off your entire purchase using the code: FABULOUSCAMILLE 
It's good for today and tomorrow (March 30th and 31st) on the Lily Bird Studio website only! 

Make sure to stop by all these other blogs for some more Easter sewing!

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: Heather from All Things Katy!

3/31/16: Courtney from the WHOLESOME mama

4/1/16: Patricia from Sew Far North 

4/1/16: Tibeca from Sewing By Ti  

Happy Birthday to Bella Sunshine Designs!

I decided to sew up the Gabriella's Winter Coat but as more of a spring coat.

The fabric recommendations for the coat is wool or wool blends.

I used a linen fabric I found at the second hand shop in the form of a curtain for the main fabric, and a flannel for the lining so there is some warmth and coziness to the coat for those cool spring days. 

I love how the inside is put together--there is a back pleat that provides ease of movement and a bit of give in the lining. And, there is not a raw edge to be seen inside--which I love!

 I decided to unpick a different seam so that I wouldn't have to slip stitch the lining shut. I just had to top-stitch around the outside of the coat to close the small opening I made on one of the front panels.

I also didn't open the three inner button holes--I just sewed the buttons on top of those, so that it looks like they're buttoned up, so that my daughter won't have to button up 6 buttons--only 3. 

Since it's not spring here yet, just somewhat spring-like weather as the temperature hovers around 0 degrees, it looks like a rather wintry back drop for a spring coat, but that's all I had to work with, and no kids were frozen in the picture-taking process. 

Make sure to hop over and buy your copy of the Gabriella's Winter Coat! 

Also, see what else people have sewn up today.

Bella Sunshine Designs Birthday Blog Tour

Featured Bloggers:

House of Estrela | Pattern Revolution | Pleats & Ruffles 

Itch to Stitch | Fabulous Home Sewn | Sew Sophie Lynn 

Sewing by Ti | Made By Sara | Candice Ayala 

Seaside Notions | Pear Berry Lane | Made By Melli

Adventures With Bubbe and Bug | Crazy Crafty Haute Mama | Rebel & Malice

Sponsors:

Prize Number 1:

Bella Sunshine Designs - 2 Patterns of Choice 

Once Upon A Yard / Sew It Seams Facebook Group - Grab Bag of 7 yards of fabric

Prize Number 2 (Just for the USA):

Bella Sunshine Designs - 2 Pattern of Choice

  Bethany Lane - 3 Sets of "Cute as a Button" wooden buttons (30 buttons total)

Prize Number 3:

Bella Sunshine Designs - 2 Patterns of Choice 

Sofilantjes Patterns - 2 Patterns of Choice 

Knot Sew Normal - 1 Pattern of Choice 

Muffin Head Patterns - Any 1 pattern up to $12.00 

Itch To Stitch - 1 Pattern of Choice 

Rachel Rossi - Squared Fashion Wrap Sewing Pattern 

FABulous Home Sewn - 1 Pattern of choice 

Seaside Notions - 1 pattern of choice 

Laela Jeyne Patterns - Pattern of choice (excludes bundles)

  Pickle Toes Patterns - 1 Pattern of choice.

Enter the giveaway:

Hurry, the giveaway ends on Sunday, February 28th at midnight!

  a Rafflecopter giveaway  

Celebration Sales:

Mabel Madison - 10% off their website with coupon code BELLABIRTHDAY until February 29th. Sew It Seams - 15% off their website with coupon code BELLASUN until February 29th. And of course, you can get 40% off all Bella Sunshine Designs patterns on our website until February 29th. No coupon code needed! Ready for one more surprise? Check the Bella Sunshine Designs's website on Friday for a new release or two!

Pink Lizzy

*Edited to update links!*

Another Go-To Patterns Brand Ambassador post!

This month I sewed up the Lizzy Dress by Shwin Designs.

It is available in the Go-To Patterns shop.  Shwin Designs shop. 

She's trying to keep her dress from blowing up--it was super windy!

I had planned a different fabric for this dress....a regular quilting cotton, but when I pulled it out, it was just a yard.

Which, I found out is not enough.

I used 1.5 yards of a pretty eyelet that I bought a number of years ago either at Fabricland or Marshalls (not the dry goods store).

The simple design of the dress should have been a super quick, easy sew.

But, I had to take apart the whole bodice after I had sewed, and clipped the seam allowances of the bodice.

Why? Because I was super blonde and used the wrong side of the fabric as the right side.

Yeah and the only reason I clued in at that point was that my super rough, sand-papery hands kept catching at the threads that were on the front back.

I started thinking, if my hands keep catching that, it'll be a hot mess if my daughter wears it anywhere and rubs against anything.

That was when I realized that I had indeed sewn it backwards--the real front had 'normal' thread, not the quick-to-catch thread that the back side had.

So I spent a good bit of time seam ripping.

I'm glad it got finished since my daughter was in love with the dress, and she was in dire need of some longer dresses. This one is a size 4 width with size 7 length, partly because I want it a certain length, and the length for her chart measurements would have been shorter than I wanted.

I would sew it again, but I think I'd make the skirt part a little less wide/gathered, and maybe add some piping or rick-rack to the tabs.

You can buy the pattern here. 

And, if you buy it (or any patterns in the Go To Pattern shop) before February 9, 11.59 PM EST, you can get 20% off your whole cart using the code WINTERWISHES 

Go To Leggings Again and Again and Again......

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

Go To Leggings are one of my favourite patterns.

A definite staple here for my dress loving girl.

I thought it'd be fun to do a bit of a round-up of all the different versions of Go To Leggings I've made.

From top left, white, purple, turquoise, brown, grey, brown, and the white
are the new ones. 

I whipped three pair up the other day--they are already all in the wash and I got one of them modeled on my daughter before they were rendered too dirty for pictures.

So, the bottom left picture (the white ones) are one of the three pairs I just made. It's one of two white ones and a grey one, so there should be two more in the collage.

They are also on sale for $7 instead of $10 as well right now, along with a number of other Go To Patterns, so be sure to check it out!



Dungaree Dress, a Raglan, and a Sale!

Merry Christmas yet!

 

 It feels like it's been a while since I've posted any new outfits.

I have been busy with some, but it has been rather slow in my sewing area!

I thought I'd share this dress--I made it a little while back now, but never blogged about it yet.



 

It is the Cassidy Dungaree Dress by Modkid.

I used a denim I had in my stash, and since I had no purple topstitching thread, I used regular thread.

It is a lot lighter than it would have been with topstitching thread, but it does the trick in a pinch.

 

I love the details on the dress, the pockets, the front seam, and the topstitching.

I did not like the buckles I bought. They keep slipping open, even though I've tried bending them in a little tighter.

 

The top is a raglan from an Ottobre--the Rascal Raglan which I've also used here.

The fabric is from Girl Charlee a while back now--they have it in a different color way but I haven't seen this purple for quite a while now. The grey is also from Girl Charlee.

 

 

My daughter loves this outfit, even with the unhitching straps.

And, it's a sturdy denim so it should outlast her time of wearing it!

(Many of her dresses have been patched, either because they get caught on barbed wire, a tree, or in her coat zipper, even!)

 

Oh, and have you heard of the sale yet?

It ends on the 28th (and I don't know if it ends in the AM at 12 or in the PM at 12) but in my Etsy shop, you can get 25% off using the code BD2015 for Boxing Day.

Enjoy!!!

Coffee Shop Lace Dress--Make that a Double-Double

(Contains affiliate links--I get a small percentage of the purchase price if you purchase through my links! Thanks for using them!)

When I saw the Coffee Shop Lace Dress from Bella Sunshine Designs, I knew I wanted to make one. 

No, I knew I wanted to make two.

Two dresses--one for each of my girls.

I figured that they'd make perfect Fall/Winter Sunday dresses, especially since the pattern has a long sleeve option.

 

My girls were both pretty thrilled with them--even the youngest!

I think I'll be lengthening my older daughters dress a bit yet by cutting the bottom of the skirt off, adding a contrasting strip of fabric and sewing the bottom back onto that. I feel it's a little too short, and that is my own fault since the pattern has finished dress measurements--I just didn't look closely enough at those.

 

The dark fabric is from Art Gallery's Tule line that I bought a couple of months ago at Canadian National Fabric. The other fabrics are a Ty Pennington line that I picked up at Stay Home Fabrics some time ago as well.

 

You can pick up a copy of this pattern here.

 

Jocole Blog Tour--Skinnies and Skorts and a Giveaway!

First up, my baby girl's skorts.

It's funny how excited a 15 month old can get over new clothes. 

Must be her older sister's influence....ha! 

I used Jocole's Faux-Wrap Skort pattern. 

No adjustments were made to the pattern--they were sewn in a quilting cotton that I had in my stash from a couple years back. 

They're perfect for a little girl on the move, and even though it's heading into Fall here, I think we'll get enough wear out of these, even in the house, or with tights underneath to make it look even more skirt-ish. 

If you follow me on Facebook at all, you may have heard about my hot pink skinny pants. 

Well, here they are, and I'm thrilled with how they turned out! 

I used Jocole's Skinny Pants pattern, and did have to make a few adjustments.

The waist was too big and the hips were perfect (even though I had blended sizes according to my measurements.) 

So, I took it in a bit at the side seams, tapering into the regular seam at the hips. 

I also added darts on the back, just above the pockets, to take in any gaping so that it wouldn't look bunched and saggy while on. 

The fabric is a slightly stretchy twill that I bought off a destash site on Facebook. 

They are super comfy with the yoga waistband! 

I now want to make many more in different fabrics...we'll see if I ever get to it, but I'm super happy with them.

Hop on over to the Jocole blog to visit all the other bloggers! 

Enter the Rafflecopter below to win one Jocole Pattern of choice! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Save up to 25% with Jocole's Fall Blog Tour.

Your entire shopping cart, no restrictions.

Starts: October 15th 12:01amEnds: October 26th 11:59pm PST. 

Use the code "FallBlogTour" during checkout.