Sweet Caroline Top and Dress by Peek-a-boo Pattern Shop

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UGH, I just can't get over how sweet this new pattern is!  Peek-a-boo Pattern's new release Sweet Caroline is the perfect pattern for spring and summer.  It comes with designs for the tank top, peplum top and a dress with a 3 tiered skirt.  Sleeveless or flutter sleeves, and the cutest bow accent on the back.  I mean, come on!  You can't tell me that bow on the back doesn't make you go "AWWWW!!"

                                     

For the test I made the tank top version with the flutter sleeves added and it worked perfectly to pair with the Skip Along Skort pattern that is Kallie's favorite pattern for bottoms.

And its my favorite too, because this girl is too active to care a single bit about flashing her panties to the world and the Skip Along Skort thankfully has little shorts built in to keep everything covered.  She gets so happy when I tell her I'm making another of these skorts because they're so comfy and she can stash her goodies in the pockets.

I love how fast and easy the whole outfit was.  Both pieces were done in a single morning.  The Sweet Caroline pattern covers sizes 3 months all the way to 12 years old and is on sale for only $6.75 through the end of June 1, 2017 so get it now!

The new Amelia pattern from Bella Sunshine Designs

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 Amelia is finally here!!  This was my first time testing for this particular designer, Bella Sunshine Designs, though not my first of their patterns to sew.  I've loved their designs for a while and I finally got the chance to work with them in the testing process.  Wonderful ladies and I really enjoyed the way they run their tests.  But, on to the important stuff.... Adorable Kallie in the Amelia pattern!

 I, of course, tested the girls version, though it does come in women's, too.  Kallie really loves this top.  It's plenty girly for her while still being comfortable and great for play.  

 I love knit patterns for kids because they're so much more practical than woven that gets so wrinkly and you have to iron....  Sorry, Aunt Linda, I just hate ironing.  I really do.  I love you though!  But even with knit patterns they can sometimes seem like slight variations of the same thing and not very unique.  Not this one. I absolutely love the sweet crossover neckline that's still nicely modest (they are still little girls after all) and the ruched waistband that hits at an empire waist.  So feminine and so sweet.   And with the lined bodice there's no need for neckbands, which some can find difficult.

 Another very important thing I consider when buying patterns is the versatility throughout the year.  I feel so much better when buying a pattern that can be used all year long through all seasons instead of one that's just designed to be used a few months out of the year.  Thankfully Amelia does just what I like.  It comes with options for sleeveless, short sleeves, 3/4 sleeves and long sleeves.  Amelia also has options for top length, as I did, a dress length that hits perfectly at the knee and a full length maxi dress.  Now if my math is correct (fingers crossed), that's 12 different ways you can make adorable tops or dresses out of only 1 pattern.  THAT'S what I'm talking about!  Short sleeved tops to go with leggings, little dresses for play or a sleeveless maxi for church in spring and summer.  Long sleeve tops to pair with jeggings, dresses with tights or a long sleeved maxi dress for fall and winter.  

Now my main concern is I don't think I've bought enough fabric to make them all.  Definitely need to go buy some more..... HAHAHA.  Yeah, it was worth a try. 

Amelia for girls includes sizes 6 months through 12 years. And again, there's also the women's version.  It's on sale for only $5.50 now through Wednesday, May 24th, 2017 at midnight EST.  Now go sew something pretty!!

Peek-a-boo patterns' Junior Joggers

My favorite pattern company, Peek-a-boo Patterns, just released a new pattern and its adorable!  

The Junior Joggers has got to be one of the fastest patterns I've done in a long time.  This pair I made up for Kallie is the very simple version of the pattern and it seriously took MAYBE 20 minutes.  And I'm typically on the slow side.  With a solid Grand Slam tee to layer with, she had a new outfit before breakfast.  Pretty awesome in my book.

The coolest part...she found them so comfy she actually kept the whole outfit on the entire day.  Usually she'll go through 3 to 4 outfits a day so this speaks volumes.

I made Colten a pair with the optional pockets and asked him if they were comfy.  His response..."YES! I wanna wear them every day and every night ALWAYS!"  Alrighty then.  I take that as a solid vote on the comfort factor.

This boy will not take his hands out of these pockets either.  He loves them.  They were so easy too.  I was pleasantly surprised and the tutorial was great.  A good steam iron is definitely your best friend with these.  Wash Away Wonder Tape would help too if you have a machine that likes to make knits wavy.

Pause for some snowflake catching.....

It's been snowing for the last 2 days but refuses to stick, boo.  But with snow on my mind, I plan to whip up plenty more of these for layering under other pants in the cold Minnesota winter we have headed our way.  The speed in which these come together and band at the ankle make this the perfect pattern for winter layering even if its not the original intention of the pattern.  But patterns that can multi task are by far my favorite.

The Junior Joggers comes in sizes Newborn - 6.  Make sure you grab the pattern today while its still on sale!

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New comfy jammies for ME!

Most of the sewing I do is for Kallie.  And if I do sew for myself its usually a test pattern that may not actually be may own style. It's just not that often that I sew something all for myself.  Yesterday I finally sewed up some new jammies that I actually cut out a month or so ago but never got around to finishing.  I'm so glad I did.  There's just something so satisfying about wearing items you've made yourself.

The top pattern I used is the Boston Boatneck by Peek-a-Boo Patterns.  The perfect combo of a raglan with the boat neckline that is my absolute favorite.  The neck is a breeze when you use Wash Away Wonder Tape to stabilize the fabric and it keeps the fabric from going wavy on you.  .

With a gentle curve at the bottom hem its perfect

For the bottoms I used the Yoga Mom Pants also by Peek-a-Boo Patterns.  UGH, they are seriously just so stinking comfy!  I swear I could live in them!!  Yeah, I don't even know what else to say about them...Comfy just completely 100% describes them...

I wear the typical baggy PJ pants sometimes but I greatly prefer yoga pants.  Not that I do a single bit of yoga.  I tried it a couple years ago and it lasted a whopping 1 week I believe.  I just feel so much frumpier in baggy pants and nobody likes feeling frumpy.  These are fitted at the top but no where near as tight as leggings that make the nervous about every single flaw that they're screaming to the world and the hubby likes me in yoga pants. Who doesn't like getting compliments even when their completely comfy in their jammies.  That's a Win-Win in my book.

The fabrics are both Cotton/Lycra knits form Raspberry Creeks CLUB line.  They are so soft and a dream to sew with!  And their prices are their custom designs can NOT be beat.

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Introducing.....Petite Stitchery & Co

Three lovely ladies have joined together to create a new pattern company and man did they start off with a bang!  They've just released 7 patterns in the first ever Fall Collection of Petite Stitchery & Co.  Every piece can be mixed, matched and layered to create endless possibilities and two of them, the Maize and the Ruby can even be mashed together to create an additional look as well.  I actually got to test 2 of these goodies myself, much to Kallie's delight, and we loved both of them.

I made the Maize for starters.  This pattern has so much you can do with it.  It starts as simple as you would like, but for fun you can choose from 2 extra hem designs beyond the basic straight hem as well as dress length or tunic length.  There's a fun curved hem that is longer in the front and back, but curves up on the sides.  The hem I chose to do is the very popular Hi-Lo hem in the tunic length.

CHEESE...

Oh, that sweet face!....Sorry, getting distracted.

I was so excited that the pattern offers a pocket option.  To be honest, I had never sewn pockets before but I was ready to face my fear and take on the challenge.

To my great relief and Kallie's joy, they were a piece of cake.  The tutorial is easy to follow and they come together almost effortlessly.  And what kid doesn't love picking up rocks and treasures everywhere they go and taking them home.  This way the rocks are in her pockets not mine!!  Major bonus!

Maize has two closure options for the back.  A tie back or, as I chose, an adorable button.  It also has three sleeve lengths, short, 3/4 and long.

Come on, are these sleeves not the CUTEST sleeves you've ever seen?!?!  Ugh, I can't get enough of them!  They have the sweetest puff to them without being overwhelming at all.  Just the right touch of little girl sweetness.

Adding the extra details is where your personal style can really shine with this pattern.  Ribbons, lace, appliques, embroidery, buttons.... anything and everything you want.  I chose some really cool wooden buttons and this beautiful crocheted lace I found to add to the bodice and then I couldn't resist adding it all along the bottom hem.  It adds such a lovely finish to the edge.

Last, but most certainly not least, is the Fawn leggings....

I've made my decent share of leggings during my time sewing and I absolutely must say...This is the best fitting legging pattern I have ever made Kallie.  I've tried patterns that have the hem around the ankle so tight that it is a full on struggle to get them over her heel.  Others that are baggy in the legs or so tight they look like they're cutting off her circulation.  And my least favorite...where the crotch was poorly designed with so much pull on the fabric and the crotch of every one of that pattern I made ended up with a whole in the crotch during the first time they were worn.  So frustrating and a total waste of fabric and time.

Thankfully, the Fawn leggings are a perfect fit.  They stay up, actually fit her legs and she can get them on by herself without a two man team to force them over her heels. And the crotch doesn't tear a hole when actually worn!!!!! This is seriously the only legging pattern I plan on ever using from this point on.

Now, I chose to make the plain leggings for this outfit, but the pattern comes with a really fun tuxedo stripe version as well.  A lot of the testers made them and I loved them!  Such and great way to use up some extra fabric scraps you have laying around.

All 7 of the patterns in the Fall 2016 Collection are on sale through Sunday and they are absolute must haves for your pattern hoarding.  Do Not Miss Out on these! You can even join their Facebook group to get a look at even more of the amazing outfits put together by the testing group. I already have Kallie's Christmas outfit planned using these same patterns.  I'm so excited for it.  The fabric is going to be a beautiful pain in my butt, oh but it'll be so worth it!

Hello Barcelona!!!

This past month a personal dream came true.  I got to test a pattern for Peek-a-boo Patterns!  I can't believe it.  I've admired her patterns for so long and love making them but to actually get to test for her was amazing!  You can tell that she truly cares as a designer and wants everything perfect.  She was there sewing shirts right along with us and pushed the release out because it wasn't up to her high standards yet.  As a sewer, I appreciate that so much!  I hate buying a pattern and then finding design problems right off the bat.  Your money is hard earned and Peek-a-boo Patterns really seems to care about making sure what you buy is perfect.

Now on to the glory that is the Barcelona Blouse...  Isn't she lovely?  Its designed for lightweight apparel fabrics with the option to use lightweight knits on the bottom part.  I chose Swiss Dots fabric on both of mine and love them.  They're so light and airy in this miserable summer heat.

With the gathering in the front, this top is so forgiving to our hard earned mom bellies, squishy hips and that pint of chocolate ice cream that I may or may not have finished off all by myself last night.  It magically is loose and airy while still having a great shape that is far from feeling like a potato sack like some tops.

The tulip sleeves are such a nice touch and really make the whole top in my opinion but there is also a sleeveless option for those that prefer it.

The lovely Miss. Barcelona will be on sale through Friday evening so don't miss out on this wonderful pattern!

Bishy Barnababes FM Appliques

One of the things I love about sewing is that it challenges me.  There are so many techniques to do so many things and there's always something new to learn.  It's absolutely nerve-wracking for me when I decide to tackle something new but so very exciting and rewarding when I succeed.  I've done plenty of appliques, but they have always been very basic, nothing fancy or unique.  I've known of Free-Motion Applique for a while, but was admittedly terrified and avoided it.  When the opportunity to test for Bishy Barnababes came I decided to just take the plunge.  Boy, am I glad I did.  I first tested her adorable Ballerina Briony.

 It was a little tricky to get the hang of but Vicki's instructions are great and helped so much.  In the end, I really enjoyed it and it really wasn't hard. The patterns also have the option to have the head and face, but I wasn't THAT brave, haha.  The stitching of the eyes and mouth still scare me a little so I did the faceless one.  Kallie's got such a cute face anyways so...

My little ballerina was in love with it.  She wanted to wear it all day, which is huge coming from a girl who changes her clothes about 5 times a day.  Next, Vicki presented the chance to help with one of her next patterns and since I was hooked after the ballerina, I quickly agreed.  This time I chose to try Mermaid Millie since Kallie, like every little girl, loves mermaids.

Can anyone guess which mermaid I was going for......green tail, purple shells.......Ariel, of course.  Just a very blonde version, haha.  Yes, I chickened out of doing the head again...don't judge me!  Isn't it so cute, though?!?! Absolutely perfect for summer and trips to the beach.

I just love all the details you can add with Free-motion applique!  Mermaid Millie was just released  long with, Fairy Fiona, Princess Paige, and Cool As Ice.  The possibilities are endless! I see Tinker Bell from the fairy, Cinderella and Belle from the princess and the ice cream cone can be stacked as high as your little ice cream loving heart desires!! Dresses, shirts, skirts, pillows, tote bags, even a backpack!  They can go on anything! They're available on the Bishy Barnababes Etsy page and there some great coupon codes available to get them at a great deal.

APPLIQUE saves you 20%
3BUNDLE saves you 30% when you buy any 3 patterns
5BUNDLE saves you 35% when you buy any 5 patterns