A blog of Sewing Sweetness. Pattern Reviews, Tutorials, and More.
Hey friends! I’m joining in to celebrate the kick off of a designer collaboration between Simple Life Pattern Co. and Sew Caroline. I won’t bore you with all the collaboration details because if you have been following, you already know them. I’m just going …
It has been a LONG time since I’ve tested for Little Lizard King, but I’m glad I was able to join in on the Amsterdam test. You can read about my last one here. I think this pattern features some great things that some of …
It is time for the newest issue of the One Thimble Magazine! It’s been a few issues since I’ve joined in on the release tour and I’m happy to be back on board. For my feature post I’ve stitched up the Josephine Dress from Bella Sunshine Designs. After you check out this post, be sure to check out the other posts featuring all the other patterns in the newly released Issue 15.
Josephine is a drop-waist dress with princess seams and a boat-neck . It also includes cap sleeves, (which I omitted for my version.) If you have never sewn a pattern from Bella Sunshine Designs, you should know that Melissa does a great job being sure everything is finished with great techniques and your final project will look very clean on the inside and out. This pattern isn’t missing any of these features.
There were a few things I enjoyed about this make. First, I’m usually the quick sew girl. I don’t usually take on projects with a ton of details. I have to say I enjoyed spending the little bit of extra effort putting in the princess seams and giving this dress a little extra attention. Of course, if you are a simple sew kind of girl you can sew this without the princess seams to speed up the process. I really wanted to include piping on the princess seams too, but I couldn’t find a piping that coordinated with my zipper so I had to let that dream pass. It should be said though, it really doesn’t add a ton of additional time. When I look at the finished product I know it is totally worth spending the time on these little details.
Second, I usually stay clear of zippers for similar reasons. I’m just too busy to commit the extra time. This pattern includes great instructions and I sewed a fantastic zipper. #proudsewistmoment This pattern is listed as an Intermediate level, but I really think an adventurous beginner that can follow directions could tackle it.
The fit on this dress is great. I love that this pattern provides great coverage and keeps my daughters looking as young and innocent as they are. Another feature to this pattern is that hem of the skirt is two inches. This is fantastic for letting out and extending the life of your garment. I’ve been thinking about how I can make get more out of my pieces and this is a great feature.
Patty Young has a recent line out and I for Riley Blake, Primavera, and was asked to stitch it up to show it off. I loved this line at first sight. It’s screams SPRING TIME! I decided to use it for one of my Easter …
Woot Woot! I’m back with a second post for this week! Today I’m joining in with a plethora of bloggers showing off makes from Coffee + Threads patterns. There is so much awesome going on with this group of ladies. Be sure that you catch …
Welcome back to Week 3 for Project Run and Play! This week the theme was Boho Chic. I did a lot of debating and changing up plans throughout this week before settling on these final looks. I ended up with a plan that focused on the Chic part of Boho. I wanted something that had some fashionable vibes and not to much of the “excess” that we sometimes see in boho styling. Be sure to check out my looks and then hope back over to Project Run and Play to place your vote for this week.
First this first look I started with the Fishtail Kimono and modified it by removing the gathered portion from the back and blending the two back pieces together. I wanted to be able to feature the print on this fabric and I felt removing the gathered pieces would be the perfect way to do that. This kimono features french seams and facings that make the inside look just as amazing as the outside. Check out the inside of the kimono below.
I love the longer back of this kimono and kept this as a feature after modifying the back. It’s a perfect length for the shorts. Covers the bum, but leaves the shorts visible. I’m not a huge fan of your shorts being covered by a top. It makes you look like you aren’t wearing bottoms. 😉
For the denim shorts I started with the Lily Shorts from Violette Field Threads. I blended sizes to because I have a string bean that has shot up a few inches. She’s really starting to grow! These shorts are screaming boho with this fringe accent. I’m loving the look.
For the green knit dolman t-shirt I started with a t-shirt and traced the top to make a pattern piece. I added a very slight curved in the front and back. I cut the neckband on the bias to give the neckline a break from the horizontal stripes in the front. I finished off the look with a tassel necklace made from the remaining trim from the shorts and a suede tie.
For my little dress lover I wanted to feature a handkerchief hemline. It’s fun like a circle skirt but adds a definite boho vibe. I started with the Boheme Sky in midi length (mini dress) from Striped Swallow Designs. The designer there has a taste for bohemian fashion and it’s visible with all her patterns. For this make I selected a fun fabric from JoAnn’s. It had the same gold and navy tones as the kimono fabric so it coordinates well without being overwhelming. The fabric was perfect for giving the bodice a look of having trims without the need to actually adding any. I fussy cut the bodice and sleeves to give a the dress its own design.
I especially love the look down the arms. I also modified by making a 3/4 length sleeve. If you follow me, you probably already know 3/4 sleeves are how I roll. This pattern includes short, elbow and long, so I made a simple mod to make it what I really wanted. I also prefer a wider hem allowance, so I modified that too.
This little lady was really working for her money. She had a pay out in mind, and wanted to be sure she got it. Don’t you love her sassy poses?
I loved putting my cover-stitch machine to work with this dress. I used a yellow thread to add a little pop of color. You can scope that on the sleeve hem above, and some on the skirt as well.
I do love getting to shoot photos together. One day I’ll get all three of the girls to cooperate and end up with some fabulous moments. This shoot was a fun one for these two and I can’t wait to take more with the next project. Don’t forget to swing by and vote for your favorite Boho Chic look!
We are back for Week 2 of Project Run and Play (click link to go vote) with a theme of Greenery. Greenery happens to be Pantone’s color of the year. Green is my favorite color so I was completely happy with this theme. For my …
Welcome, Welcome! I’m so glad you have stopped in to see my creation for the first week of Project Run and Play. Let me tell you, I spent way more hours putting together this first look than I ever imagined. I can’t really go any …
It’s a two year celebration over at Simple Life Pattern Company! I was lucky enough to be in on several of the recent tests for releases during the anniversary celebration and to get to share with you one of my most recent creations to help celebrate the fun. Be sure to make it to the end of this post for details on sales and a bundle giveaway. After you enter, be sure to hop to the rest of the blogs to see some amazing SLPco creations. *This post does contain affiliate links.
I didn’t really start sewing up Simple Life Patterns until about a year ago. I confess.. I was more of a stalker than a buyer. I just don’t buy a ton of patterns in general. I do more fabric hoarding really. I’m not really sure what started my string of makes, but as I look back on the year I do have several that I have ended up making, testing, and/or blogging. Along the way I’ve made some great friends too! I’ve enjoyed the patterns that I’ve sewn and almost every Simple Life creation I have made has been in the “most loved” category with my little girls. I know there were tears shed when several of the dresses were passed on to other homes. I’m going to share a collection of a few makes to reminisce at then end of the post. But for now, let’s check out my latest make!
I don’t know if you saw my Dolly and Me Ayda dress creations or not, but my girls really loved those dresses. So what is better than a great dress pattern? It’s a great dress pattern created for knits! My girls love comfy cozy knits and they will never turn down a new dress. The Ayda Top and Dress pattern is so popular, I know people are going to eat up the fact that they can now make it in knit fabrics.
The crossover back on Ayda helps to make it such a quick sew. Throw in a circle skirt that doesn’t need to be gathered and it is a match made in heaven. I could crank several of these out at any given moment if needed.
Let’s talk twirl factor!! Do you need this in a dress? My girls are growing more and more fond of twirling now that they have started ballet. The circle skirt is a perfect match for the twirler inside every little lady. The fit is great and I love that there are options for both with and without sleeves.
There are so many possible combinations on the site for Ayda when you look at baby sizes, girl sizes, romper add-ons, bundles, and get the look kits. Here is a quick link to scope out all the options.
To celebrate the 2 year anniversary there is an awesome sale happening right now that is almost over. You have just a few days left to jump on board and get the tiered pricing as that will end soon. All 10 new releases are 25% off, all other patterns are 40% off!!!! All the get the look kits are 30% – that’s like $8.40 per yard for Art Gallery fabric! And to top it off, tiered pricing is in effect right now… (Discounts appear once items are added to your cart…add them in to see your savings.)
Congrats to Amy Y. for winning the pattern bundle!!
Enter Below to Win a Dolly and Me Pattern Bundle
As a random side note… Did you notice this fabric is the same that I used for my post here? I just love that it looks so great for all ages.
Thanks to Katie for bringing little bits of happy along with a lot of style to these little ladies of mine! Here are a few of my SLPco makes I could find from the past year.
The Bella in the right hand corner… That is what it’s all about. Seriously… I’m kinda tearing up on that one.
Favorite moments in your favorite dress.
Ah!!! I’m so excited about this little dolly creation! My very good bloggy buddy Becca of Sunflower Seams released her very first patterns with Simple Life Pattern Company this week! She designed patterns for several of the most popular girls dress designs so that we …