a garden party dress + a curious sponsor + a giveaway ((now closed!))

This weekend we had special dress-wearing events for both Passover and Easter. With a birthday in late March and a dress to go along with it, I don’t usually sew something new for Lila to wear for the spring holidays. But I had to make an exception this year after her birthday dress, only a few short days into rotation, was tragically disfigured at the local bounce house joint. Avert your eyes if you wish, this ain’t pretty: I’d never seen a dress rip like this, but Rachel told me she had a voile Rollerskate dress do the same thing. I don’t know if it’s just the lightweight fabric, or maybe a combination of the fabric and the snipped seam allowances in the curve of the armhole creating weak spots? I can’t decide if the dress is salvageable (probably not, right?), so instead of trying to fix it I’ve mostly just been staring at it in disbelief. OH WELL. It’s sad, but in the big scheme of things, a ripped dress is not such a big deal. And at least she got to wear it for her birthday. And for a day and a half after that. So anyway, the point is, the birthday dress was clearly unavailable for this weekend’s festivities. Luckily I like an excuse to sew a new dress, and I happened to have some beautiful Japanese lawn on my hands. So I made her an Oliver + S Garden Party Dress. I made my first Garden Party dress last year around this same time – for some reason it didn’t get a whole lot of wear, but I really like this pattern and I felt like it was worth trying again. This time I used all one fabric instead of a contrast for the waistband and yoke pieces. It changes the look of the pattern a little, but I think I like it. This is a size 5, lengthened to 6. I finished the bias inside the armholes by hand – I tried it by machine when I made the dress last year, and I wasn’t happy with how it looked. It came out much cleaner this way. The fabric is a Sevenberry cotton lawn and came from a new sponsor, Jones & Vandermeer. Have you heard of this shop? I stumbled upon them two years ago when I was on a mad hunt for a specific Nani Iro double gauze print (this one) – they were the only place that had it, and I snatched it up right away (along with a few more yards of double gauze that are still sitting on my shelf – it’s so hard for me to cut into that stuff!). Since then I’ve visited their site often. They offer “100% curious goods” from around the world – it all began with yarn, but the shop now includes lots of unique and gorgeous fabrics, as well as other wonderful things for sewers and crafters. Their collection of fabrics is so beautifully curated – Liberty lawns, lots of Japanese prints from Yuwa, Nani Iro, and Echino (to name just a few), plenty of double gauze, and these super cool French lawns I haven’t seen anywhere else. There’s also a great selection of sewing patterns, tools and notions, and buttons (mother of pearl cloud buttons from France? I die.). And then there’s premade Liberty bias tapes, plus lovely ribbons, twill tapes, and other trims. You get the idea – there’s a little bit of everything, and all of it is thoughtfully hand-picked. Sorry to go crazy with all the links, there’s just so much good stuff. I’ve been a fan of the shop for some time, so when they inquired about sponsorship I knew it would be a good fit – it’s the type of shop I’m happy to share with everyone. And now for the giveaway – Jones & Vandermeer is offering up a $35 gift certificate to spend on anything in the shop! To enter, just leave a comment on this post by Friday, April 10th – any old comment will get your name in the game, but if you need a prompt, you can always tell me what you’d choose if you win. I suspect you’ll have fun browsing there, I always do!

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sewing to sell | review, project, & giveaway ((now closed!))

Anyone with a love for making things has probably fielded the comment “You should sell that!” at least once or twice or a hundred times. In general I just scoff at this suggestion, but the truth is, I’ve thought about it plenty. About what I might sell, how much I’d charge, how I’d set it apart from the handmade masses, whether I could really make it profitable, and so on. So when Virginia (of Gingercake) released her new book, Sewing to Sell, I was eager to read it, and to share it here. Sewing to Sell is an amazing resource if you’ve ever considered turning your sewing hobby into a business and could use a little guidance about how it’s done. Virginia walks you through the entire process – finding your own style, knowing your audience, gathering the right equipment, photographing, packaging, and displaying your work, preparing for a craft show or online sales, pricing your goods, and so much more. She also interviews of some talented crafters about their styles and their businesses. AND, she has generously included 16 patterns (complete with helpful price points) that you have permission to make and sell. I tried the simple iPad sleeve – it’s cute and useful, and took minimal time and fabric – in other words, the perfect type of item to sell. Or to make for yourself, of course! For more details, check out Sewing to Sell and the rest of the tour! If you think this book might be up your alley and want a chance to win a copy (and live in the U.S.), just leave a comment on this post to be entered in the giveaway. It’s open through this Friday, January 16th!

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a first day of kindergarten dress + a giveaway ((now closed!))

So, Kindergarten. In two days. I can’t decide exactly how to feel about it, but like all milestones, it makes me want to sew. The first day of Kindergarten seemed like a good excuse to break out my favorite Oliver + S pattern, the Jump Rope Dress. I made it here and here, but I especially love this pattern for a back-to-school dress. It’s the same one I used two years ago for Lila’s first day of preschool dress, which she wore the first day and then pretty much never again. Maybe we’ll have more luck with this one.

I’ve already publicly declared my love for this pattern, so I won’t go into the full spiel here. But I will confirm that even after a two year hiatus, I’m still completely enamored with the Jump Rope Dress – it’s all those great little details, and Liesl makes it so easy to execute them. This is view A in a size 5 – it came out just a little big, but after three nights of work, I think I’d prefer to err on that side.

I’m always on the look-out for good Jump Rope Dress fabric, and this one (Amy Butler’s Quarter Moon in Mist from her new line, Glow) fit the bill for me. It came from Chio of Llama Fabrics, which brings me to the giveaway – who’d like to win three yards of fabric from Llama Fabrics?

The shop has grown by leaps and bounds since last year (and has a great new logo!) – if you take a look around, you’ll most definitely find something (probably many somethings) to your liking. The selection includes lots of Art Gallery fabrics, which are some of my favorites. Chio ships quickly and her prices are among the best – it’s a great place to shop!

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this post. (Speaking of comments, if anyone needs a comment prompt and has ideas for teacher gifts for a male teacher, I’d love to hear!) The giveaway will be open until the end of the day Sunday, September 7th, and I’ll randomly select a winner next week. And if you want to keep up with Chio’s sales and new additions to her shop, you can follow @llamafabrics on Instagram for a second giveaway entry. Just leave another comment here letting me know you’re following. The giveaway is open to everyone, everywhere!

Happy back-to-school!

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make it perfect pattern parade :: a mini poppy + a giveaway ((now closed))

As you may (or may not) have noticed, I have a long-time affinity for Make it Perfect Patterns. Over the past several years I’ve made the Uptown Girl Jacket, the Serendipity Coat, the Frothy Skirt, the Mini Shearwater Kaftan, the Zip-It, and now the Mini Poppy. See? I’m a fan! When Toni asked me to join her pattern parade, I knew I wanted to make the Mini Poppy – I’ve had the pattern traced and ready to sew for over a year, so this was the perfect opportunity. Of course now I had to trace the next size up, but luckily it’s just four pattern pieces!

As the “mini” suggests, this pattern is based on Toni’s Poppy Tunic pattern for women. And if I ever sewed for myself I’d make one of those, too.

Once again I used Andover Chambray, in Navy this time. I’ve now sampled four of the 25 colors and have no plans to stop there. The contrast fabric is Sprinkles in Indigo from Dear Stella’s Oh Happy Day line, purchased at Bolt. I love those sprinkles – Lila still wears her Sprinkles Swingset skirt and I had no idea this print came in another color until I saw it on the shelf. Pretty much any fabric covered in colorful spots is right up my alley, so I had to have some.

This is a size 5, and it’s pretty roomy, but I think it will make a nice fall dress with a shirt and leggings underneath. Unfortunately I mixed up my tracings and cut a size 4 skirt, so I moved the hems around a little to add some length, but it will certainly work as a tunic as she gets taller. Like most of Toni’s girls’ patterns, this pattern is available in two size ranges: 0-5 and 6-10.

So I think the reason I sat on this pattern for so long is that I have a bit of an aversion to making bias tape, and there’s quite a bit to be made. It always ends up being worth the effort, but I kind of hate the whole process – I find it tedious and time consuming and it just fills me with all-around dread. Those Clover bias tape makers do expedite things, though – I have them in two different sizes, but not the size I needed for this project. So I made it the old fashioned way, with burned fingertips, and in 90 degree heat. But I really do love how it looks – it frames the yoke so nicely, and the front ties are awfully cute as well. Don’t be scared off. 🙂

Would you like to try a Make it Perfect pattern? One lucky winner can choose any PDF pattern from Toni’s vast collection. To be entered in the giveaway, just leave a comment on this post (you can tell me which pattern you’d choose, or whatever). The giveaway is open through this Friday, July 11th, and I’ll pick a winner sometime next week.

((Giveaway is now closed!))

For lots of great Make it Perfect pattern inspiration, check out the rest of the tour, which is going on through the month of July.

The Make It Perfect Pattern Parade Virtual Catwalk introduces…

A Happy Stitch // A Lemon Squeezy Home // Behind the Hedgerow

Craftiness is not Optional // Craftstorming // Cut Cut Sew

DoGuincho // Film in the Fridge // Girl Like the Sea

Horris & Deedle // Glitter + Wit // Imagine Gnats

Janelle Wind // Made with Moxie // Miss Matatabi

No Big Dill // Noodlehead // Probably Actually

Sanae Ishida // Sew Charleston // Sewing in No Man’s Land

Skirt as Top // Stitched Together // The Drapery 

Things for Boys // Zaaberry

 

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on the go organizers + (another!) giveaway ((now closed))

Today I’m joining in on the Gingercake Holiday Gifts Sewing Series with a couple of On the Go Organizers! I’d already sewn two great Gingercake patterns (Love Your Lunchbox the Traveling Changing Pad) – both are well used and loved around here, so I was happy to be part of this series and choose another Gingercake pattern to try.

I went with the organizer thinking it might make a nice teacher gift, and I must say, the thought of actually having a Christmas gift sewn in mid-November was both novel and appealing.

The design is simple and clean, and I especially love how the front cover is pieced with linen to look like a bound book. Heavyweight interfacing and batting give it a sturdy, substantial feel, and after you get everything interfaced it’s quick and straightforward to put together. The multiple layers do get thick, so I used my walking foot in the final stages.

It’s fun to choose fabric for projects like this because they just take little bits and pieces – it’s perfect for fat quarters and scraps, and so much fun to choose coordinating prints.

I picked up some fat quarters of Leah Duncan’s Tule line from Lima Sews specifically with this project in mind, but then I couldn’t wait to dive into them, so some of these (the two cover prints – Mojave Illuminated and Windmarks Arid) might already look familiar from recent posts. Lately I’ve become a little bit obsessed with Leah Duncan and her beautiful designs – I love the entire Tule line (as well as her upcoming line, Meadow), and especially how the prints work together. It’s some of the most beautiful stuff out there, in my humble opinion.

The inside pockets are just right for filling with notepads (here’s the one I’d want in mine, just FYI), cards, stamps, a pen, and anything else you can think of. And if you’re giving it away and wanted to add a little something extra, those small front pockets would be a perfect home for a gift card.

If you’d like to win a copy of the On the Go Organizer pattern and knock out a few holiday gifts of your own, just leave a comment on this post. The giveaway will be open through Friday, November 22nd, and Virginia will email the pattern off to the winner shortly thereafter. Good luck!

((giveaway is now closed!))

And speaking of winners, one’s been chosen for the Llama Fabrics fabric giveaway! Max (#79), enjoy your four-yard bounty!

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a highchair cushion + a really good giveaway

This weekend I completed a super simple project that’s been sitting on my desk since I printed out the pattern six months ago – right around the time Oscar started eating solids like they were going out of style. He was really scrawny back then, so a little extra cushioning seemed like a good idea. I never got around to it though, and at this point I’d characterize him as semi-plump…but I like to finish what I start, so here it is, just half-his-life late – a quilted Antilop highchair cushion. I know it’s a pretty ubiquitous highchair, so I wanted to share in case anyone wants to pretty-up their Ikea Antilop, too.

The pattern for the cover is a free download from the BurdaStyle website. It was fairly straightforward to put together, even though there wasn’t much guidance to do so. I had to muddle through a bit to figure out how to piece the pattern together, and you have to add seam allowances (why don’t patterns just come with seam allowances? I’m sure there’s some reason I’m missing, right?). But I like how it turned out. And it’s free. So I guess it was worth the extra little bit of brainpower it soaked up.

Yes, this is going to get food all over it and have to go through the wash every now and then, but I love to see pretty fabric everywhere I look, and this fulfills that love for the dining room.

I used Joel Dewberry’s Herringbone in Pond – I wanted something simple that I wouldn’t grow tired of looking at after a few months, and this fit the bill. You need between 3/4 and 1 yard of fabric (in length) to make this, and I only had a 1/2 yard, so I cut my 1/2 yard width-wise and pieced it back together the long way. Luckily his little tush will hide the seam.

The Herringbone came from my sponsor, Llama Fabrics, and that brings me to the really good giveaway. Chio is offering up FOUR yards of fabric to one lucky winner! You can break it up any way you like – one four-yard cut, four one-yard cuts, five different 1/2 yards and a 1.5-yard cut – you get the idea….no equation is too complicated 🙂

You should look around for yourself, but these are a few of my new favorites from Llama Fabrics – Bike Path by Alison Glass:

Anna Maria Horner’s Dowry:

And of course, these brand new Herringbone True Colors by Joel Dewberry:

She’s also ordered some beautiful fabric that’ll be coming in down the line, like Pat Bravo’s Rapture and Sarah Jane’s Wee Wander. And there’s much more – I’m pretty sure you’ll have no trouble finding four yards worth of good stuff if you’re the winner, and if you’re not, it’s not a bad place to do some shopping – great selection, great prices, and as I’ve come to learn over the past several months, a very kind and generous shop owner.

So browse if you like, and leave a comment here to be entered in the giveaway. International entries are welcome, and I’ll choose a random winner on Friday, November 15th!

And for no reason at all, I leave you with one gratuitous photo of Oscar on his birthday bee…

Oh, and one last order of business – the winner of the Compagnie-M Swing Skirt pattern giveaway is Erin A. Keith! Erin, you should have already received your copy of the pattern – happy sewing!

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compagnie-m swing skirt :: pattern tour + giveaway

I only recently discovered the talented Marte of Compagnie-M – it was this spectacular version of her Mara blouse (made by Laura of Behind the Hedgerow) that first caught my eye – and while it was that crazy-amazing Liberty animal print that drew me in, I was really excited to uncover Marte’s blog and pattern shop as a result. Not long after I visited her blog, she emailed and asked if I’d like to make her new Swing Skirt – and I definitely did. I loved the skirt the minute I saw it.

There are so many great details – the big wrap-around pockets, the piping, the box pleat, the invisible zipper. I’ll admit I was a little nervous about sewing it – there was that zipper (my first! and it was no big deal, though tragically mine came out a little uneven at the top), and just the fact I’d never sewn one of Marte’s patterns, which meant I was going to have to think a little more than usual. I also knew I’d be sewing it very last minute because the past week has been a whirlwind first birthday around here.

And last minute it was – I woke up the other morning at 2:45am and decided to capitalize on a few quiet hours and sew this skirt. It’s never really a great idea to sew at that hour, and a few mistakes were made, but I’m happy to report that Marte’s directions are solid – she even goes into extra detail (should you need it) with tutorials on her blog for the piping and the zipper and the optional adjustable waistband. I had a little trouble printing out the pattern – a couple pages printed with the very top cut off, but I was still able to piece them together just fine by leaving a little gap between the connecting circles.

Also, my waistband ended up a tad too small for the skirt, which caused a little puckering and seam ripping, but it all came right in the end. And while there was really nothing too tricky going on, I will admit that I longed for a few notches while sewing this up – I know not all pattern makers use them, but they really take the guess work out of putting pattern pieces together, and I do love it when they’re there.

That said, it was really fun sewing from a new pattern maker – everyone does things differently, and while I’m accustomed to a certain style of sewing, picking up something new is always a good thing. Marte has you finish all the raw edges of the pattern pieces first – which, admittedly, I thought was insane as I was doing it, but once I started sewing and had zero seams to finish? Well then it seemed completely brilliant.

I made a size 3 lengthened to a 4 based on Lila’s measurements, and the fit is really good. A little big maybe, but she likes to wear her skirts low, so it’s just about right. With the invisible zipper there isn’t much room for error in sizing, but there’s also an option to make the waistband adjustable with elastic, so that’s another way to go. One thing though – if you end up lengthening the skirt, make sure you also lengthen your pockets and pocket facings. When you hem the skirt those are supposed to be tucked inside and sewn down with the hem, but mine weren’t long enough.

And last, the fabric…you probably recognize the blue as Essex yarn-dyed denim (again, yes), and the pocket fabric is Windmarks from Leah Duncan’s beautiful Tule line. I picked up some fat quarters from Lima Sews awhile back, and had hoped to squeeze the box pleat and the pockets out of one of them, but it wasn’t quite enough. So I settled for just the pockets. But not before cutting the rectangle for the box pleat…then sewing it back to the fat quarter so I could cut out two pockets. These are the things that transpire at 2:45am.

And there’s my wonky zipper for the all world to see. I don’t care, I still love this skirt 🙂

Would you like a chance to win a copy of the Swing Skirt pattern? Just click on the link below and you’ll be directed to Rafflecopter, where you can enter the giveaway. It’s open through the 9th, and a winner will be chosen on the 10th!

Swing Skirt giveaway!

That’s all, folks. Visit Marte at Compagnie-M if you haven’t before, it’s worth a trip. And if you’d like more Swing Skirt inspiration, here’s the pattern tour line up – lots of great skirts to behold!

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ice cream, come and get it :: a giveaway! ((now closed!))

Remember this Briar Rose Ice Cream blouse from a few weeks ago?

I originally labeled the fit as “not all that roomy”, but when Lila went to wear it for the first time after the photos, I realized that a more accurate description would’ve been plain old “too small”. What was I thinking, making a size 3?? It’s too bad because the crickets are one of my favorite Briar Rose prints, and I used up my whole yard, but hey, these things happens. At least it was my mistake rather than Lila’s stubbornness this time, but she isn’t gonna wear it.

So instead of letting it languish in the closet, I thought I’d try to find it a new home. Would anyone be interested in taking it off our hands? If you know a little girl who might look sweet in this top, I’d be happy to mail it off to you.

It’s a size 3 with about an inch of added length – the style is loose-fitting and pretty forgiving, so the 3 is probably just right for an average 2.5 or 3 year old, or maybe a super scrawny 4 year old. Here’s a link to the Ice Cream Dress pattern if you want to look at any of the exact measurements.

To enter the giveaway just leave a comment on this post by next Thursday, August 22nd, and I’ll choose a winner after that. And if you need a prompt for the comment, you could tell me the name the little girl who might end up wearing this top, or just tell me a name you like – I’ve always been obsessed with names and I love to hear what other people choose. Or whatever else you want to say, I’m not picky. The giveaway is open to anyone, anywhere.

Thanks for stopping by! Oh and thanks for all your kind comments about the jacket, too!

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a fabric bowl, a sponsor, + a giveaway, in that order.

Before I get to the sponsor and the giveaway, I’m going to show you what I made. You know, just trying to live up to my tagline.

I’m totally hooked on the Nesting Fabric Bowls pattern from A Cuppa and a Catch Up. This is my fourth bowl (the others can be found here) and most definitely not my last.

I love the look of Nova’s pieced center panels and wanted to try that, so I made a bowl to store Lila’s doll clothes and diapers and things – something I’ve been meaning to do for oh, say, two years now.

This is the 7-inch bowl and it accommodates all of Baby Girl’s accessories quite nicely.

The baby dolls don’t get quite the attention they used to (she’s much more interested in the real baby in the house!), but the new storage bowl brought on an afternoon of very serious doll play, so it was 100% worth it.

The fabrics are a random assortment (a Munki Munki nightgown that I decided to cut into, some faux bois, some polka dots, some crosshatch) plus Essex yarn-dyed linen in Flax.

And see that little scrap of Joel Dewberry Herringbone? Well I’m using that as a clumsy segue into introducing you to my very first sponsor, Llama Fabrics.

It feels really funny to say I have a sponsor! I never thought about seeking advertising for this blog (I honestly never imagined anyone would stop in to look, let alone want to advertise here). But last week I got an email from a reader named Chio saying she’d recently opened a fabric shop on Etsy, and she asked if I might be interested in advertising. She’s a stay at home mom with two young children, loves to sew, and has taken the plunge to start a family business – she sounds like someone I’d feel good about supporting, so I said yes.

They’re still building up inventory, but you’ll already find a lovely selection of fabric to choose from. These are some of my favorites – I’m always drawn to the blues and greens.

top row :: riley blake | patty young | lotta jansdotter

bottom row :: dena fishbein | joel dewberry | amy butler

See? There’s that Joel Dewberry Herringbone. And to its left is Dena Fishbein’s Tarika in Moss, which I used to make my very first Oliver + S Ice Cream blouse over two years ago. This little shirt is still hanging in Lila’s closet despite the fact she outgrew it ages ago. That print remains a favorite of mine, and seeing it hang there still makes me happy.

Anyhow, take a look around Llama Fabrics if you like, and then enter the giveaway!

Chio has generously offered up a fat quarter bundle of Lotta Jansdotter’s Glimma line – all 20 prints, valued at $52 – pretty nice, eh? Think of all the fabric bowls you could make with those! Leave a comment here and I’ll pick a winner at random at the end of the day on Friday, June 21st. Good luck!

***UPDATE*** The giveaway is indeed open to international readers, so wherever you live, enter away!

***giveaway is now closed!***

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fancy pants leggings pattern tour + a giveaway

I’m excited to be the next stop on Laura’s Fancy Pants Leggings pattern tour!

I first discovered Laura last spring during KCW when she made these wonderful pajamas for her boys, and I’ve been hooked ever since. Her blog, Craftstorming, is full of sewing and crafting and baking inspiration, and she’s recently started selling patterns at Titchy Threads. The Fancy Pants Leggings are her first pattern, though you’d never know it – it’s one of the most thorough, professional patterns I’ve ever used. The leggings are so quick and easy to sew, and come together so nicely – I highly recommend this pattern!

The size range is 0-3 months to 4T, and I tested a size 3-6 months for Oscar. He’s a tall, skinny 5 month old in these photos, and the fit is perfect (and still is today at almost 7 months). This was my first attempt at sewing a bum panel – it’s such a cute feature and allows for some extra diaper room, as well as an opportunity to use a contrast fabric, which I’d love to try next time. For these I used a thrifted gray and white striped knit (subconsiously trying to channel Laura’s striped jammies, I think!) with an aqua cotton/lycra blend for the leg and waist bands.

In the final version of the pattern the waistband for this size is one inch wide rather than the two inches you see here, but it would be super easy to customize the size of both the waist and leg bands should you choose. You can also hem the legs instead of adding bands, or use exposed elastic for the waistband. And there’s a shorts version, too. Lots of options, and they’re all explained very clearly, with plenty of photos and detailed instructions. And if you’re new to sewing with knits you’ll find lots of helpful tips within the pattern. It’s rated “Confident Beginner” – even if you’ve never sewn with knits, you can make these leggings!

You can get your copy of the pattern here, and check out all the stops on the pattern tour below – lots of fabulous Fancy Pants Leggings to be seen!

20th – Abby from Things for Boys
21st – Rachael from Imagine Gnats
22nd – Celina from Petit à Petit and Family
23rd – Jane from Buzzmills
24th – Heather from Feather’s Flight

27th – Stacey from Boy, oh Boy, oh Boy
28th – Gail from Probably Actually
29th – Jenny from The Southern Institute
30th – Ros from Sew Delicious
31st – Carla from Small + Friendly

Oh, and you can win a copy of the pattern by liking Craftstorming and/or Titchy Threads on Facebook and leaving a comment here that you did! The giveaway will be open through Friday, May 31st – just make sure your comment is linked to an email address so that I can contact you if it’s your lucky day 🙂

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