Alex Sweatshirt

Another pattern test for SUCO by Susana!

This time it is the Alex Sweatshirt that I sewed for one of my boys. 

The pattern is a unisex pattern with some great options.

Some of the options include color blocked or solid front and sleeves, a hood or neckband, kangaroo pocket, waistband or elastic waist, cropped or regular length, lined or unlined hood. 

Wow! Even writing that I get excited about all the options available and the ability to mix and match those options. 

The pattern includes instructions for finishing the neckband/hood seam so that there is no exposed seam in the back for the neckband and all around for the hood option. 

There is also separate pattern pieces for using ribbing or regular knit for the neckband and waistband so you don't have to go searching high and low for ribbing that will match. 

I used a bamboo sweatshirt fleece for the main and a thin jersey for the lining, cuffs, waistband, and drawstrings.

My son is thrilled with the sweatshirt and I'm excited to have a pattern with so many options that I can sew for both my boys and girls in sizes 12 months to 14 years. 

I think I could even fit into the size 14 so this pattern covers almost the whole family here. 

You can buy the pattern here! 

Blast Off!

I was excited to get a chance to sew up these Rockets in Dusty Mint from Threadsmitten! 

My 2 year old was also very excited when I showed him the fabric and told him I'd make him a shirt.

I decided to use an old pattern found in the Sewing for Boys book!

I've sewn a lot of patterns from that book--it's one of my most used sewing books. 

One modification I made to the pattern is that I used cuffs and a band to finish it off. 

I wanted to add a pop of black and this way the shirt will last a while longer for my growing boy! 

The quality of the fabric is very nice. It is an organic cotton lycra jersey and is quite wide at 65". It is printed in Europe by Elvelyckan Designs and is GOTS certified! 

You'd best run and get some of these Rockets in Dusty Mint from Threadsmitten today! 

Lauren Top

Sinclair Patterns has come out with another amazing pattern--the Lauren Top and Dress.

I chose to sew up a top with 3/4 sleeves in a drapey sweater knit.
I made the error of using more of a 2-way stretch than a 4-way--this fabric has minimal vertical stretch. It would definitely work better in 4-way but is definitely still wearable in what I'll call 2-way!

The drapes fall so nicely and the neckline is done so that I can bend over without any modesty issues.

It looks great either with jeans or a skirt, hemmed or banded.

 The asymmetrical neckline is what drew me to the pattern at first--it is different from any of the other patterns I have in my big stash of patterns.

Be sure to pick up your copy of the pattern 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! 

Boys in Summer Blog Tour

 

Welcome to my stop on the Boys in Summer Blog Tour!
Having 4 boys, I tend to do a fair bit of sewing for boys, and this was another perfect opportunity to sew up a great boy shirt again.

I used the Discoverer Tee  by Ellie and Mac (affiliate links) and let my son choose the fabric.

He chose pretty basic fabrics--solid cotton lycra knits, but the design of the pattern definitely adds some interest with such basic fabrics. 

I will confess this shirt has been worn and washed before I could grab pictures of it, and I forgot to iron it after the washing. He's pretty thrilled with it and was very eager to wear it. 

I really like this pattern as it's a looser fit and my boys really enjoy that as they do not like tight fitting shirts. Plus as I said before, it's not just a basic tee--it has a cool design element that takes it up a notch.
If you don't have this pattern yet or are looking for a cool boys pattern (even my older boys like this shirt!) be sure to go buy the Discoverer Tee  by Ellie and Mac (affiliate links) 

Looking for more summer boy inspiration? 

Follow along on the Boys in Summer Blog Tour hosted by Made by Little Gents by clicking through the links below. 

  Fri. May 4 Made for Little Gents (Intro to Boys in Summer Blog Tour)

Mon. May 7 Elli & Nels in Stitches 

Tues. May 8 Our Play Palace | Made by Laura! | Beri Bee Designs 

Wed. May 9 Made for Little Gents | Momma Newey's Makes 

Thurs. May 10 Phat Quarters | Dreams & Stitches 

Fri. May 11 Stylin' Stacy | Tenille's Thread

Mon. May 14 Paisley Roots | Fabulous Home Sewn 

Tues. May 15 Seams Like Style | Kathy's Kwilts and More 

Wed. May 16 Sewing with D | Auschick Sews | Seams Sew Lo 

Thurs. May 17 My Sewing Roots | Sewing à la Carte | Middle River Studio 

Fri. May 18 Lunatiek | Needles to Say | Manning The Machine

Suburban Stripes

I think I've fallen in love with bamboo cotton jersey.

It is so soft and the drape is amazing. 

It is perfect for spring or summer tops.

When I saw that Sew Lovely Fabrics had in some bamboo cotton jersey stripes, I knew I needed to try them out. 

I chose to try out the Charcoal Mix & Everglade and I'll admit I ordered a few more to try out on my own as well! 

My son needed a new shirt for Church for Spring/ Summer so I chose to sew up the Suburban Basic Tee from New Horizons Designs. I did do the sleeves a little different--I added enough at the bottom to hem it instead of cuffing it. 

The fabric is available now from Sew Lovely Fabrics so be sure to check it out! 

Get Ready for Spring Blog Tour

Welcome to the 'Ellie and Mac Get Ready for Spring Blog Tour' hosted by 'Seams Sew Lo.'

Spring is around the corner. Or we'd like to think so.
Here in Alberta we can expect frost as late as the May Long Weekend, so it definitely feels like Spring is still a ways a way. But, we can be hopeful for an early spring.
So we're sewing for Spring!
I chose to use the Boy's Sunday Morning Sweats and the Discoverer Tee from Ellie and Mac.

 For the Discoverer Tee, I chose a lightweight jersey knit for the bottom portion and a slightly heavier weight cotton-lycra for the top and sleeves. The pattern comes with a long sleeve and a short sleeve option so you can make this year-round.

The Sunday Morning Sweats are basically shorts over a narrower almost legging-like pant. I only used the shorts part of the pattern for these shorts, but again they could be a good year-round pattern. They have a yoga waistband with no elastic so they're pretty comfy. 

Even though we're having a snow storm today and it's -30C with windchill my son decided to keep wearing this after pictures--he loves a good pair of shorts. 

Shirt fabric is from Girl Charlee (an old print) and Water Tower Textiles (solid).
The fabric for the shorts is from Zenith and Quasar (jegging).

Enjoy 35% off all Ellie and Mac patterns the month of February!

Please visit all the stops on the 'Get Ready for Spring Blog Tour' featuring Ellie and Mac spring sewing patterns, hosted by Seams Sew Lo. 

 Do not forget to enter the giveaway below too! 

February 3rd: Seams Sew Lo (Intro)

February 4th: Seams Sew Lo

February 5th: Violets and Jewels

February 6th: Threadistry

February 7th: Mama Can Make it

February 8th: My Crazy Crafty Beautiful Life

February 9th: Aurora Designs

February 10th: Flaxfield Sewing

February 11th: Floral and Flannel

February 12th: FABulous Home Sewn

February 13th: Minns Things

February 14th: Our Play Place

February 15th: Tenille's Thread

February 16th: Seams Like Style

February 17th: Hutsepruts

February 18th: Candi Couture Designs

February 19th: My Sewing Roots

February 20th: Manning the Machine

February 21st: Stitched by Jennie

February 22nd: Kathy's Kwilts and More

February 23rd: Sewjourns

February 24th: Mermaid Mama Designs

February 25th: Fee Bricolo

February 26th: Oak Blue Designs

February 27th: Big Fly Notions

February 28th: Sewing Blue

   a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sewing Something Sew Lovely

Sew Lovely Fabrics--a brand new fabric shop in Alberta, Canada that offers cotton jersey fabrics that are milled, printed and/or dyed in North America.

The fabrics I used are both bamboo cotton jerseys--chili and charcoal mix. 

(Just to clarify--the bamboo fabrics are from overseas but are part of their sustainability fabrics and pass all required tests.)

First of all, the packaging!
It was like receiving a present, it was so nicely wrapped.

A couple of samples were included--I think I'm in love with the Bamboo Fleece--I may have to try that one out as well.

And, to top it off, candy and a coupon! 

Last but not least, the fabric. 

The bamboo jersey is so soft! 

 I decided to sew up Ellie and Mac's Dicoverer Tee.

My son chose which fabric would go where and his one request for the pattern was that it wasn't too tight--either in the arms or the fit. I think we accomplished that.

This fabric was a dream to work with--I would LOVE to sew myself all the bamboo tops. 

Also, February is Heart Month at Sew Lovely Fabrics: 

Be sure to join the group and follow/like their page!

Maggie Tunic--One Day Sale!

I'm quite excited that one of my favourite shops will be having Sunshine Sunday Sales!

First up in the sales is the Maggie Top Tunic and Dress

This pattern comes together very nicely. It has three length options (top, tunic, and dress) and three sleeve options (short, 3/4, and long).

I chose to sew up the tunic length with short sleeves. 

It is a slimmer fitting top/tunic/dress so as a tunic it's perfect over skinny jeans or if your daughter is the legging wearing type over a decent pair of leggings. 

I'm sure I'll be using this pattern over and over to make tops for my daughters. 

The size range is 6 months to 12 years, so it's a pattern you can use for years and with all the options it works for all seasons.  

Sale price with the coupon code is $5 for the girls, $6 for the ladies, and $10 bundled! 

You can find the code in the Facebook Group!

Find the pattern here: Maggie Top Tunic and Dress from Bella Sunshine Designs.

Code is valid only from midnight to midnight EST the 28th of January. 

Tao Raglan for Men

I have a new favourite t-shirt pattern for men.

The Tao Raglan by Sinclair Patterns.

I had the privilege of testing this pattern and was impressed by the quality of the drafting and how well the pieces fit together. 

Plus, the final result is well worth the amount of fabric needed for men's clothing. 

The pattern comes in short, regular, and tall and it is a multi-sized pattern so all the tall sizes are nested. As are the short and regular--each in a separate file. This makes blending sizes easy. 

(This is a newer feature for Sinclair patterns, so if you were turned off by the individual sizing in the past, do check this one out!)

There is a regular length and a tucked in length, long and short sleeves. 

I chose to make the regular, tucked in length with short sleeves. 

The fabric used is a lighter weight, drapey athletic jersey for the body and another unknown content fabric--both of which I got off a destash. 

This pattern will be getting more use--I think it'll be my go-to for shirts for my husband. 

Get it on sale for $6.99 until January 18th 2018. 

Holiday Blog Tour

I am not a winter person.
At all.
Up here in Alberta the weather gets cold. And it is a long winter often starting in October and ending with a final burst of snowfall or frost on the May long weekend. We don't plant gardens until after the May long weekend for that reason, though the weather can be decent for two months before that weekend.
But, I do love the coziness of having Christmas decorations up and all the yummy baking.
Add in cozy blankets, warm drinks, books, and friends and I'm all set.
It is a 'gezellig' time of year!

When I finally decided on how I wanted to sew up the Nancy Raglan from 5 Out Of 4, I decided to add long sleeves to combat the cold. 

I color blocked the sleeves to give a bit of a layered look and then tied the black back in with the neckband. 

The sleeves are the extra long length so I can warm up my hands as well. 

 The raglan is sewn up as the tunic length because I love long shirts. 

Nancy Raglan from 5 Out Of 4 

One of our traditions is to fry Oliebollen for New Years! 

It is a Dutch treat that I grew up with--I remember helping my mom fry Oliebollen in the shop every year. Our neighbours would come over and we'd have pails of batter to fry.

They were always the best straight out of the fryer after they cooled enough to bite into. 

But, they're delicious for days after with a bit of icing sugar sprinkled over them or a pile to dip them in as you eat it. 

You can even freeze them and reheat them in the microwave. 

This is the recipe I've started to use--it's not the same as my mom's as she used the boxes from the Dutch store...

I like the ease of that but I don't get out to the Dutch store often enough. 

So I searched and searched and finally found a recipe which I've tweaked a little and translated. 

Oliebollen

Ingredients:

• 150 gr. Currants
• 200 gr. Raisins
• 200 gr. Apples cut into small chunks
• 6 tbsp lemon juice (or juice from 2 lemons) 
• 80 gr. butter, softened
• 1 litre milk, scalded and cooled to luke-warm

• 1 kg flour
• 80 gr. yeast (about 8 tsp)
• 3 tbsp white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• Oil for deep frying
• Icing sugar for dipping! 

Directions:

1. Soak raisins and currants in hot water for a couple of hours. 
2. Sprinkle the lemon juice over the apple chunks to keep them from turning brown. 
3. Place raisins, currants, and apples in a bowl. 
4. Let the yeast 'soften' in the warm milk.
5. Put the flour in a large bowl (it will need to have room to rise!) and make a dip in the middle. 
6. Add the eggs and the butter. Mix well. 
7. Add the sugar. 
8. Now, slowly add the milk/yeast mixture, stirring as you add.
9. Make sure there are no clumps in the dough. None. 
10. Add the raisin/currant/apple mixture.
11. Now, add just a dash of lemon juice. Mix.
12. Add the salt and mix again. 
13. Let it rise in a warm place with a tea towel covering it until it is risen 1/3 or so--about 45 minutes.  
14. Now, comes the fun part! Deep frying them. Heat the oil in your deep fryer and take a scoop (about an ice cream scoop at a time) of the dough and drop it in the oil. Fry and flip halfway through until it is a nice golden brown color. 
15. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and place them in a paper towel-lined bowl. 
16. To serve, serve warm with icing sugar to dip or sprinkled over. Delicious! 

(Recipe is modified and translated from this Dutch recipe!) 

Giveaway *CLOSED*

For a chance to win a pattern of choice from 5 Out Of 4, leave a comment letting me know your favourite holiday tradition! 

**Please leave an email address to contact in case you win!** 

***WINNER: CarrieAnn13***

Be sure to stop by the other stops on the tour to see what they sewed up out of 5 Out Of 4 patterns and for more favourite recipes, and giveaways!

Blog Tour Schedule

December 1 - Marvelous Auntie M | ah baby! Custom Design

December 2 - Elli & Nels in Stitches | Sewn at Seams

December 3 - Pattern Revolution

December 4 - My Heart Will Sew On | Fabulous Home Sewn

December 5 - Wonderfully Handmade | Randoms by Rydz

December 6 - Sewing with D | Octaves of Color

December 7 - Turtle Birdies