pattern review

A Floral Penelope Peplum

September 28, 2014 by Jessica Leave a Comment

The other day I had to run into Hancock Fabrics real quick and this beautiful floral fabric caught my eye. After walking around to get what I wanted, I decided to splurge a little and buy some to make something for me. It’s a very sturdy fabric with good stretch and would be fabulous for pants or a dress, but I really wanted a top. I looked through my piles and chose to use the Penelope Peplum pattern here. I have made a shirt with it before and decided this fabric had enough stretch in it to be used.

I made a few little changes to the pattern like the keyhole back and the way I finished the neckline in general. I also added two layers for the bottom instead of just one. I had to go and alter the pattern for the bottom layer of floral fabric because the original circle bottom was too much. It stuck out a lot because the drape on it isn’t the best. But, I’m happy with how it turned out. As usual, the more I sew for myself, the more I figure out how to tweak things to fit me the best. That’s one of the great things about sewing for yourself. You can learn to make things fit you how you like them. Oh, and that beautiful lavender color fabric was another find at Hancocks. It doesn’t really fray a lot, so I left the edges raw. Now that fabric is super flowy and has a wonderful drape.

For these pictures, I found a great tutorial for doing this dutch braid here. I need to practice it a bit, but I learned a new braiding technique. Have you sewn anything for yourself lately? I’m looking for some new patterns to try out.

-Jess

A New Summer Dress

July 9, 2014 by Jessica 3 Comments

We have had a wonderful summer so far. I was beyond blessed to go up to Virginia and North Carolina to visit family and friends for almost the whole month of June. It was such a lovely time. I even got to sneak in a few projects! That’s part of the fun with driving. I can bring a lot more stuff with me than I could on a plane lol. While there, I also visited some fabric shops. I found this lovely fabric and felt it was very Ace & Jig – esque. I wanted a dress made from it. A nice breezy summery dress. I saw a cute easy pattern from See & Sew (B5837) and decided to give it a try. Now that pattern is meant for knits, and my fabric was definitely not a knit. I’m such a pattern rebel I tell ya 😉 I figured from the cut and the elastic in the waist that I could make it work. And guess what? I did!

I was tempted to try a size higher to account for the loss in stretch by using a non knit fabric, but didn’t. I can’t exactly go sprinting in this dress due to that fact, but have no problems with regular walking as it has enough room for that. I did cut the top on the bias though to help give it some added stretch. The fabrics backside was neat, so I used one side for the top and the striped side on the bottom. It was a really fast pattern to sew and I might make another one. It does have that “makes me look like I’m pregnant look”, but maybe using a fabric with a better drape would help take that away. I would also make the top longer as it barely made it under my chest. That would probably help too. It is super comfy and I like the little detail of the back tie. This is a really great dress to sew if you are a beginner sewer as well. Simple with no buttons or zippers.

Have you tried any new patterns this summer?

-Jess

Violette Field Threads Piper Misses Review & Giveaway

June 9, 2014 by Jessica 25 Comments

After making some things for my girls, I was very excited to make something for myself! I received the Piper Misses pattern from Violette Field Threads and was immediately smitten with the design. How seriously adorable is this back bow? Swoon. This pattern is available for sizes xxs-xxl and can be made into a dress or a top. Check out some more pics here for how it looks like as a dress. I decided on a top for this first go round to see how it went.

The pattern is made with sleeves as well (short and 3/4 long sleeves are included in the pattern), but I made mine sleeveless since our Louisiana weather is super hot. I chose some fabric I found at JoAnn’s. It’s a cotton fabric and while I love the the print, it’s not my favorite type of material for clothing for myself. I tried to find some apparel fabric I liked, but I couldn’t so I made this work. The collar was really easy to add and so was the bow! It looks like a lot more work goes into it than really does (which is a super plus!). I was able to make this in about an hour and half. And that is with two little girls constantly needing something 😉

I would say this is a great pattern for even a beginner sewer to take on as it isn’t super complicated. And that back is surely a wow factor! If you even have a hard time with fit, make sure to make the basic pattern real quick from a muslin fabric and see if you need to make any changes. If you were to make this with a knit fabric though, you wouldn’t need to worry about that as much. They provide lots of tips to help you create the Piper Miss as fabulous as possible.

Violette Field Threads is offering a chance for three people to win this pattern. It would be a great way to create some additions to your summer wardrobe. Simply enter with rafflecopter below. There are a few ways to enter, so multiple chances to win! Winners will be chosen June 17,2014. Be sure to check out their other patterns for women and children and see what new things they are doing and creating on their blog.
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Grits & Giggles Pattern Review and Giveaway

June 4, 2014 by Jessica 20 Comments

Summer is in full swing and I have been trying to do a bit of summer clothes sewing. Jenilyn of Grits & Giggles was kind enough to send me her American Girl pattern bundle so I could create something for my girls and she also offered a pattern set to give away. I first made the Aprile Knot Dress for miss E. We went to a semi local fabric shop and found some prints that were very summery. Bees, strawberries, and bright colors are all a part of our summers here.

The strawberry fabric and bee fabric is from the Briar Rose Collection by Heather Ross. The straps are made with fabric from the Garden Party Tango set by Iza Pearl Designs and the bottom band was made with some Hobby Lobby fabric. And for her headband, I simply cut up a rectangular piece of fabric from my stash and tied it on her head. This pattern was a really fast sew with a spot on fit. I foresee whipping up a few more for her and making some presents with it.

And since whenever miss E sees a bee she exclaims, “Look! A busy buzzing bee!”, I just had to embroider that on.

Miss J wasn’t with me for the fabric choosing, but when I saw this horse print by Sarah Jane (Summer Ride from the Wee Wonder Sunrise Collection), I knew it was meant for her. I sewed up the Abigail Tunic with it. I added an extra little layer of knit from an old shirt to the bottom and used some leather scraps as a belt. This pattern was a bit more labor intensive as you have to gather the neck and the arm holes area and then add a binding. But, you get a really professional look and the outcome is very pretty. I think adding a bow or a flower to the front would be a cute accent as well. The final fit was good, but I liked adding the belt to help bring in the middle some. Miss J is rather slim and sometimes things really billow on her.

Now for more fun, giveaway time! Jenilyn is giving one winner the chance to pick out four patterns from her shop to have! They are pdf format and will be delivered via email, so anyone can win! She has many girl patterns, but also a good deal of boy patterns like this one:

I am using rafflecopter for entries. Winner will be randomly chosen on July 12, 2014.

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The Praire Rose Pattern Tour

February 3, 2014 by Jessica 5 Comments

It’s my turn to share some outfits I made for the Prairie Rose Set Pattern Tour. Anneliese of Aesthetic Nest created an adorable set of patterns consisting of a top, pants, dress, and skirt. She gave the outfits she made a vintage feel and I wanted to do that but was having a hard time finding the right type of fabric. So I took a trip to Hobby Lobby and determined to pick fabric from there. I hate dragging miss E around, so I try to be as concise as possible when shopping.

I found the pretty pink aztec print first. Then to coordinate a bit, I used a lightweight stretchy “jean” like polka dot fabric and a breezy aqua fabric. I was nervous about sewing with that breezy fabric, but it went really well. I just made sure to take my time.

I ended up making pants and a top for miss E. I left out the elastic waist and arms because it just looked so pretty all flowy like that. The pants are just fabulous. I want to use this fabric to make some pants for myself, although no ruffles for me! haha

Miss J has become a little more picky about her clothes as she has gotten older. She still likes things I make, but likes pieces that are more simple. So I went with the skirt for her. The fabric is a bit thin, so I added a half lining underneath. It fits well and is just her style.

You can see more specifics about the pattern here and it can be purchased here. It’s a good addition to have and can also be a good foundation pattern to add your own additions too. Thanks Anneliese for creating the pattern. It’s been fun sewing up some new clothes for my girls.
-Jess