Orinoco Designs Australian Bushfire Fundraiser

I spend my sewing time very wisely these days! I don’t say yes to just anyone… Unless your name is Nadia and you design awesome prints for Orinoco Designs! This round is very special! At least 50% of all profits will  be going to help people affected by the Bush fires in the 2019/2020 bushfire season.

What could be better than fabric for a fundraiser! Creating with a conscience! It’s our duty to go mad and buy it ALL! ❤

I was so blessed to be sent 5m of stunning Aussie prints to showcase! I called in some help from our Swozzie (Swiss/Aussie) cousins to show you some great combinations! My girls had already chosen a tank and tee with shorts, so all I asked was wombat or echidna and skirt or cropped joggers?

Miss 12 chose the Clay Echidnas and Pink & Rust Hash. She wanted a cropped dolman tee, so I used the Peach Patterns Pearlie dress, which was created for One Thimble Issue 16. I extended the bodice to get the look she wanted and made her some Striped Swallow Designs Run in the Sun Shorts. She is up in the top end of sizes in both these patterns! I added a little extra length to the shorts for her long legs, I swear I didn’t leave one pattern alone when I created this collection!

Miss 9 chose the Pink Wombats and Pink & Rust Hash for some Made by Jacks Mum Hang Ten Shorts and a Wicked Patterns Wren Tank. I cut the shorts to the length she wanted and added extra seam allowance to the armscye and neckline of the tank, so that I could just turn and hem instead of using bands.

Miss 10 chose a tank and joggers combo. I used the Rust Waratah fabric and the Sofilantjes Solis Dress Bodice for the tank and extended by an inch and just hemmed to finish. Her joggers are the Juniper Joggers by Striped Swallow Designs. I shortened the legs to a cropped length (using my Miss 9 as a guide for her height), then measured my Miss 9’s calf circumference to make cuffs. I spliced in a cute patchy section down one leg to bring together all the prints.

Miss 7 chose a skirt and tank combo. A skirt bless her! Nobody has requested a skirt around here for so long lol!!! Her tank is also the Rust Waratah fabric and the Sofilantjes Solis Dress Bodice hack like her big sisters. Her skirt is based on the free Gracie Skirt by Simple Life Pattern Co. It is made for woven with a knit waistband. I used the waistband, pocket and side panel dimensions, but drastically reduced the width of the skirt front and back panels. I didn’t want a super pouffy skirt that was so gathered that the print was obscured.

I made sure not to use all the Rust Waratah fabric on the kids! I had some minty green cotton lycra and navy ribbing in my stash so I squeezed myself out a tee! I am on the hunt for the perfect relaxed tee pattern, so you will see a few more versions and trials of this popping up! I used the Wardrobe by me Daisy Drop Shoulder Tee. I raised the neckline and drafted my own neckband and wide cuffs. Pretty happy with it I must say…

I’ve saved possibly the best for last! Navy Australian Flora is such a stunning print! I made myself a Chalk & Notch Waterfall Raglan with an extended hem instead of a ruffle. I have a few of these and I love wearing them so much in winter! Sadly my stash is completely lacking in solids and coordinating prints right now! I have been staying home as much as possible and didnt have time to order something in, so I used this great looking striped double knit. Not the best idea… It doesn’t have nearly as much stretch as the gorgeous cotton lycra, but hey, it looks good right?

So have I totally overwhelmed you? You really need to check out the whole collection to appreciate all of it! It is for a good cause and its completely stunning! You really should buy the lot lol!! All prints are available in Cotton Lycra, French Terry, Bamboo Lycra and woven cotton. I think I need a Mustard Wombat Sweater, but what else have you picked as your favourite print in the collection?

Happy Sewing

Brooke x

Sew Family Jammies 2020 Blog Tour

We made it guys! School is out for Summer! We are officially on holidays and heading to the beach for a few weeks. These Un-Christmas jammies will be perfect for waking up Christmas morning at the beach, but also perfect at any time of year!

As part of our Sew Jammies 2020 Blog Tour – Get your free ticket here (so you can get discount codes and be eligible for prizes)! Read all about Sew Family Jammies with Sew Altered Style (Mac and Katie) and Maker Mountain Fabrics (Grace) and Blog Tour Coordinator Extraordinaire (Teri aka FaSewLa) here.

I am only sewing what my kids request these days. I am short on time and hate to waste it sewing something that sits in the closet unloved. They all love simple summer jammies. Boxer shirts and tanks and tees are perfect for our summer Christmas.

I actually thought they’d all request a tank, so luckily I asked before I got too far into the project. I used the Ainslee Fox Triton Tank to make the tank and the Jalie Mimosa for the tees and just straightened the hem.

I didn’t have any red knit fabric so I bought some large tees and upcycled them (which was actually much cheaper lol). I was able to keep the necklines on all the tops from the original shirts!

I tried to convince them to let me applique a star or something on each top to match the shorts, but I got a hard and fast NO. #boring

I used the Made by Jacks Mum Hang Ten shorts for all the boxers. It’s a great pattern, I’ve used it a hundred times. I just made them the length they all like ( the girls like theirs a little shorter than my son).

The only thing I did differently was use 2.5cm elastic in the waist instead of 3cm (as that’s what I had on hand), and I also attached the elastic to the fabric instead of making a casing. Who likes their elastic flipping in their waistband? Not me…

As you can see they’re a hit! I bought the shorts fabric from an opshop, but it’s currently in store at Spotlight. I got a few metres of it, so Mum & Dad will have shorts to match too when we get home from holidays! It’s really light weight and they love how it feels like their are wearing “air” haha!

As you can see the “Silly Season” is in full swing here! We wish you and all your families a wonderful Christmas, or whatever holiday you choose to celebrate!

If you would like to see more Christmas Jammies from around the worl, stop by these blogs to check them out!

December 2 Teri // Fa Sew La
December 4 Sierra // Seams Like Sierra
December 6 Emily // Replicate then Deviate
December 10 Heidi // Handmade Frenzy
December 11 Sharon // Sweet Mama Life
December 12 Carrie // Beri Bee Designs
December 13 Katie // KatieKortman.com
December 16 Melissa // A HAPPY STITCH
December 17 Taish // Blooming Skies
December 18 Leanne // Thready For It
December 19 Laurie // Make It Sew with The Bear And Pea Atelier
December 20 Brooke // Idle Sunshine
December 21 Marissa // Sew Help Me
December 23 Lara // Handmade by Lara Liz
December 24 Kelly // Petite Stitchery
December 25 Jess // Broad In The Seams
December 26 Victoria // Victoria Beppler
December 27 Heather // Heather Handmade
December 28 Sylvia // The Ravel Out
December 30 Victoria // Victoria Lucille Anne
December 31 Teronia // Sew Haute Blog

 

Much love and sunshine!
Brooke x

Idlesunshine

Simple Life Pattern Company Holiday Blog Tour 2019

Welcome to the Simple Life Pattern Company Holiday Blog Tour! This is my third time on the tour and I feel so honoured to be asked each year. Stick around because we have giveaways all week long as well as a discount code to give you 40% off all SLPCo patterns!

When the invitation comes, I always seem to be on holidays #sorrynotsorry! We love travelling in our caravan. This year we were travelling 8,500km around central Australia to see Uluru which was amazing. The service out there was worse than I imagined which made choosing fabric & patterns difficult, so I had to wait until I got home to get started.

We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving here in Australia and Christmas is in the heat of our summer, so my pattern choices may be a little different to my Northern Hemmisphere friends. I think that adds to the fun and you get to see many interpretations of the holidays!

Christmas is very relaxed in Australia, so we dress for comfort. Being Summer, I chose Maggie’s High Waisted Shorts and the Autumn Knit Shift Top to wear underneath. Both patterns have many options included.

I chose the low waistband option on the shorts and left off the pockets as I thought the checked fabric I had chosen might get a little busy. I chose a simple hem, because I knew my girls would like that, but there is also an elastic bubble hem or cuffs.

I made the simple unlined Autumn top, which is a great staple t-shirt pattern. I made it using a rayon spandex which has great drape. As you can see though, the Autumn can go from simple to WOW with inserted ruffles and can also be made in a dress length, sleeveless and with long sleeves.

The only change I made to the pattern was to use 38mm (1.5 inch) elastic in the back waistband instead of narrow elastic, as I thought I would prefer that look.

We are counting down the weeks till Christmas here! It’s our favourite time of year. We spend a few weeks at the beach in our caravan and even wake up Christmas morning there. 

The summer heat has come early and we are in the middle of a catastrophic bushfire event. Pics were tricky to get in this weather, so we had to settle for full sun (which I hate for taking pics). We were on our way to a party and the girls decided to keep their outfits on instead of getting changed which was cute!

I can see my girls wearing these outfits and both pieces seperately quite a few times over the next few months.

I made them a matching headband each because I love a put together outfit! They look sooo cute. Maybe in your part of the world you could make a long sleeved Autumn shirt and team your outfit with thick stockings and boots?

Keep your eye out in the Simple Life Pattern Fan Group on Facebook for these great giveaways all week long!

To see all the beautiful makes from our team of amazing bloggers, click through the links below.

11/11 Boo + Lu — Idle Sunshine

11/12 Kutti Couture — Pear Berry Lane

11/13 Candice Ayala.com — It’s Liesel

11/14 Kainara Stitches — SewSophieLynn

11/15 Sunflower Seams — Sew and Tell Project

If you’d like to recreate one of our looks be sure to grab your patterns while they are on sale for 40% off!!! This is not a typo lol!

Use the code: slpcorocks

Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will add value to my readers.

One Thimble Is Back!

Issue 21 – Spring 2019

Our favourite sewing e-zine is back from a little hiatus! The buzz has been so positive and it’s been lovely to see everyone was as excited as I was about its return. I am thrilled to have brought together some of my blogging friends to share their favourite patterns from the new Issue! It’s the first time I have coordinated the One Thimble Blog Tour and we are excited to share everything we have made.

One Thimble is back with a new format and a broader appeal. A new more affordable version with so many great features. The new patterns list has changed from 10 for a sale price of $25, to 4 new patterns & 4 hacks for the new low price of $12. It’s great value and also gives confidence to sewists out there that are not quite sure about tweaking the fabulous patterns they already own.

New patterns included in Issue 21

#131 Drop Crotch Trackpants by Thread Faction (2-14)

Cinnamon Tote by Salt & Pepper Patterns

Camden Dress by Jilly Atlanta (2-14)

Elliot Romper by Tadah Patterns (0000-4)

Pattern Hacks based on existing

One Thimble patterns

Miss Olivia Dress Dolman sleeve and knee length hem hack

Piccolo beach mat with new carrier added

Archie shirt pocket hack

Monster Mash Pinny hacked to childs apron

I was excited to be asked to be a stylist for this issue, showing my take on some of the patterns and talking about how I approach sewing as a busy Mum. I made my girls the new Camden dress by Jilly Atlanta, myself the Miss Olivia by 1 Puddle Lane and the new Cinnamon Tote by Peppa n Salt Patterns!

The Miss Olivia was originally in Issue 16 of One Thimble, but it features in the current issue as a dolman sleeve and knee-length hem hack. I love a good pattern hack and am a big fan of flying by the seat of my pants (let’s call it a mix of experience, mathematics and no fear), but it was nice to follow instructions to get the perfect result.

So next on my list I think I will make the #131 Drop Crotch Trackpants by Thread Faction and the Archie Shirt by Ainslee Fox with the pocket hack… What’s on your list?

For your chance to win a copy of the new One Thimble Issue 21 – Spring 2019 please enter the rafflecopter prize draw here – Open until 12am Friday September 6th AEST

a Rafflecopter giveaway

We have some amazing bloggers joining in to share their makes this week. We were excited to celebrate the release and relaunch of One Thimble. Be sure to check each one out on the tour and show them some love.

August 30

Idle Sunshine

Rebel & Malice

Marvelous Auntie M

August 31

Sprouting JubeJube

{Spools+Oodles} of Fun

September 1

Needles to Say

September 2

Max California

Lily Shine Creates

September 3

Candice Ayala

Stitched by Jennie

September 4

GAAFMachine

September 5

Beri Bee Designs

Idle Sunshine Tour Wrap Up!

Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will add value to my readers.

Fabric From Utopia in the Week From Hell

This picture really sums up our week! I received a package of really beautiful fabrics from Utopian Threads to create to my hearts content, and then a few things didn’t quite go to plan…

The short version is that my girls got sick, I sewed through my finger making this dress (snapped the needle off straight through the nail and out the other side), we had a car accident on our way to take some pics and then when we finally got to take pictures, this kid (who still had a temperature), stepped straight in a mud puddle!!! I’m not kidding! BUT like I said, I had these really beautiful fabrics to play with, so it wasn’t all bad 😉

The first fabric I have to share is a gorgeous pastel Mermaid Scales in Swim 220gsm SPF50+. I first thought I’d make some swimmers, but little Miss decided it needed to be activewear. We met in the middle and I made this cute Kyra crop hack by Simple Life Pattern Company, some Boo Pins and some Boo Swimmer Bottoms. 2 in 1! That made us both happy! I am the master of fabric tetris (takes a curtsy)…

We found a beautiful wall for pictures right near where my kids play basketball! It was a fantastic match for this print, I couldn’t believe it! It was a PCYC and it had lots of figures painted on it, but with some creative cropping and framing when photographing, it looks pretty amazing.

Next up was a gorgeous Whitewash Roses in Lime printed on cotton lycra 220gsm. My girls were scrolling through my instagram page and decided it had to be a Tadah Vetur Dress! They love the cowl neckline and thumb cuffs! It’s such a comfortable and cosy dress, but so cute too.

My third project was made in a Cotton Sateen 150gsm in a Mod Floral Print. It would have made a beautiful skirt or a stunning dress with pleats! My big girl could see it as overalls, so I suggested the new Tadah Mykonos Romper! I tested this pattern recently, but I haven’t shared any photos yet. Mostly because I spilled a full cup of coffee on it before I could sew the button holes and hem… What is going on with me lately?

I made this version in a generous size, as I do with a lot of my sewing, because I don’t like my kids growing out of my handmade too quickly! It will work well in winter with a long sleeve tee, long socks and boots, then hopefully when spring and summer roll around again it might still fit! I love a matching headwrap, it’s an awesome finishing touch to an outfit.

Finally I decided on the Simple Life Pattern Company Norah Dress for this Funky Cotton Poplin 140gsm in Neon Sorbet! I wanted a fun design to go with this fabric. My girls don’t really like pretty dresses, but give it a bit of edge and you’ll win them over.

SLPCo Norah has a round or square neck option, integrated cap sleeves and various back strap configurations. I chose to use black grossgrain ribbon instead of making straps and ties. It was a great shortcut. It wasn’t enough to save me from sewing right through my finger though! That’s the first time I’ve done that and it’s quite a shock when it happens lol! I’ll spare you the details but I was lucky to avoid getting any blood on the dress, only for my girl to cover it in mud right when we were taking pics haha!

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Preorders are open now for all these gorgeous prints and more! All designs are offered on the following bases … Cotton Poplin 140gsm, Cotton Sateen 130gsm, Cotton Sateen 150gsm, Cotton Lycra 220gsm, Bamboo Lycra 200gsm, Swim Lycra 220gsm, SPF50+ Rating.

Pre-Orders close on the 5th April. Afterpay, Zip, Paypal, Bank Deposit, and Layby are all avialable! PRE-ORDER LINK

I hope you like what I came up with for these fabrics! It’s so fun to decide what you can make when a fun fabric suprise arrives. I love to make something to show off the awesomeness of the fabric, while making sure it is something my girls will love to wear ❤

Warmest wishes,

Brooke x

Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will add value to my readers.

One of a Kind!

Wow! It’s week 4 of Project Run & Play – The Aussie Edition. I’m so incredibly proud of the 4 competition entries I’ve created over the month, and very excited to be in the Grand Final with such talented designers. This weeks theme is ‘Signature Style’ and I knew from the beginning this would be the hardest theme yet. This is so hard for me to pin down and put in a bottle – I am such a style chameleon! I call myself a style ‘appreciator’. If I like it, I like it, but don’t ask me to explain what my style is. Every item I make is really One of a Kind…

Let’s talk about the things I can list about my style! I like clean lines, colour and contrast, angles and stripes, fancy backs, easy to wear modern, yet timeless style & I LOVE upcycling. I don’t really like ruffles, characters, pink or anything really girly. Is it any wonder my girls are the same! Their tastes and style really come through in everything I’ve made in this competition, or why would I bother to make something that wouldn’t get worn again? I guess you could add practical and wearable to that list.

So I decided to create my signature style from completely upcycled fabrics! This is something I do all the time and it is a challenge I love. There is not often an outfit I make that doesn’t have at least an element of upcycling to it! This is the ultimate One of a Kind! It’s very hard to replicate, especially when I don’t often leave a pattern alone as it is intended. I can’t help but make a tweak, because I just love to create something that nobody else will have in their wardrobe!

It took me such a long time to settle on this combination, because I keep everything as an opportunity to be upcycled! I started with a ladies dress that I purchased for myself for $10 on a sale rack, (but I’ve recently lost 16.5kg so it was headed to the thrift store/upcycle pile). I used a pillow slip for the watercolour stripes, which was gifted to me as a queen quilt cover set from a friend (who knows I love upcycling and free fabric). Then I put it together with this sunny vintage yellow sheet I purchased from a thrift store that I’ve been saving for a dress for myself! It is my absolute favourite vintage sheet in my stash & I am praying I still have enough for a dress of my own!

 I absolutely love this combination all together and the patterns I created! I started with the Simple Life Pattern Company Lucy dress when I drafted the yellow dress. I widened the shoulders and reshaped absolutely everything to get started! I took out the side seams to maximise the stripe effect, then I did some crazy colourblocking and added an exposed zip! I was pretty proud just to work out how to construct this dress for starters!

 

 

I drafted the dolman dress using the neckline and armhole measurements from the Little Lizard King Bristol tunic as a guide so that I knew they would be wide enough to wear in a woven fabric. I scooped the back out to make it interesting and added some ties to keep it in place. I ran up some cute headbands to pull the look together. That is another part of my style – a put together look.

 

You can see how windy it is on the hill by the ocean in King Edward Park. The dresses were blowing around wildly in the breeze, but it was worth it to shoot the blue and yellow alongside the red in these flowers! 

 

Thank you all for your support throughout the competition, I’m thrilled to have made it this far as a humble hobby sewist! It’s been an honour to have competed against such amazing Aussie pattern designers and friends, and it has inspired me to learn and grow in the future. Now make sure you head over to the Project Run & Play Blog to cast your votes! It’s the very last week, so it’s our last chance to make it count! Thanks so much!

Brooke xx 

Salty Hair & Sandy Toes

Welcome to Week 2 of Project Run & Play – Surf & Sand! My babies love the beach! We spend most of summer there. We pack our caravan and set up beachside for 3 weeks over Christmas. Swimming, fishing, exploring, riding skateboards and bikes all day long. We hang out with friends from home and friends that we have met over the years there. The days are long, lazy & hot!

My girls are all about comfort on holidays, so shorts are a must! I drafted this pair starting with the Little Lizard King Newport Shorts. I changed the waistband height, added length and hemmed them without adding the cuffs. These are exactly the kind of shorts my girls love (I was actually inspired by some RTW pairs they have) and so I will be making plenty more! They are beautifully comfortable to wear, made from a soft, drapey rayon.

To make this sweet cropped top, I used my dress pattern from last week as a starting point. I created a narrow centre placket, curved the bodice to a sweetheart shape, made longer skinny straps and added a wider, flounce layer to the front for some visual interest. I made it from a lovely soft chambray. I drafted this so she can pop this on and off over her head, without fiddling with buttons, which she loves. This is just like the outfits my girls drool over on the online surf stores.

I love how casual, comfortable and cool this outfit is. It’s perfect for summer and cute enough to be worn for any occasion.

I couldn’t take you to the beach without some swimwear could I? I started with the Boo Designs classic swimmer briefs and gave them a retro feel with a little extra height, a slightly lower leg cut and some fabric splicing. I lined the front of both the top and the bottoms (and I love that part when you work out which order to put them in to enclose all the seams neatly). The halter top I drafted myself using the width of the Boo Designs swimmers as a starting point. Once I was happy with the shape and pattern I spliced a V into the front and added a ruffle by cutting a V shaped ruffle! I am thrilled with how these turned out.

Next she requested a beach cover up, “just like yours Mum”. I used my favourite ladies tshirt pattern, the Little Kiwis Closet Cuffed Dolman as my starting point! I cut a much narrower neckline, changed the shoulder angle and lengthened the sleeves. Then I cut down the centre front and cut from the front neckline down to the centre front to create the smooth cardigan shape. I added some fringing I’d taken off a store bought ladies tank (loved the tank, did not love the fringing on it)! It was the perfect finishing touch for this!

They were so patient to have their pictures take, when all they wanted to do was rip off their clothes and jump in! So that’s what they did! They swam for an hour in the baths before I dragged them out to get some burgers for tea! It was a perfect balmy summer Sunday evening. ❤

Now the girls are arguing over both outfits, so I have to make them another set each! I’d love you to check out all the entries this week, so head over to the Project Run and Play blog to vote for your favourite!

Simple Life Pattern Company Holiday Blog Tour

I am thrilled to be returning on the Simple Life Pattern Company Holidays Blog Tour! I love the challenge of creating something special, and this amazing group of makers always push me to challenge myself!

As with all the best blog tours, we have a discount code to give you 30% off all patterns, as well as a giveaway! Read through to the end to get all the important details!

Oh my stars, where do I start ? If you love to hack and mash patterns with a little bit of problem solving thrown in, you will love this project!

My personal challenge for this year’s post was to make something amazing enough to take its place in the SLPCo Holiday Tour, while at the same time making something really wearable for my girls.

That sounds pretty easy surely? You see most little girls love dresses and feeling like a princess! Not my girls… They like denim shorts and Mickey Mouse T-shirt’s! Oh and tie-dye, if it’s tie-dyed they will wear it! #eyeroll

Simple Life Pattern Company Holiday Blog Tour – 2017

I made the most amazing special occasion dress last year for the tour. It was such a rewarding and sentimental project, but it has stayed hanging lonely in the wardrobe pretty much ever since! This year I decided something a little less formal was the go…

I always get some input from my girls when I’m sewing for them, so I set out to lose myself on the Art Gallery Fabrics website to give them a few options to choose from! I love when AGF sponsors my blog posts with fabric, there are so many amazing collections to choose from!

I decided on a two fabric combination to make matching, but not quite matching dresses. I love a pop of contrast! I wanted to make a combination that looked bright and festive without pigeon holing it as a “Christmas dress”.

I gave the girls a few options and I’m so glad we all agreed on this combination as our favourite! It is from the Trinket Fusion Collection and the WHOLE collection really spoke to me! Those earthy autumnal colours are my happy place.

My eldest loved the “Flower Glory Trinkets”, she is a retro/vintage loving girl after my own heart! This print was originally designed by Bonnie Christine. My youngest chose the gorgeous red geometric print called “Wallpaper Trinkets”, originally designed by April Rhodes. Together they are a match made in heaven!

To create these dresses I used the bodice from the Simple Life Patterns Laguna Dress and teamed it with the skirt and pockets from the Newport Dress! Easy right? Then I decided to make things a little more complicated…

I decided to remove the partial placket opening from the back of the dress and add a full placket down the centre front! I wanted to use my contrasting fabrics and I thought this would be a great feature.

So step one was to calculate the centre of the back bodice and cut it as one piece on the fold. Then I cut the front bodice main & lining as 2 pieces each, instead of on the fold. I also added 1″ in length to all the bodice pieces, just because I felt like it would work…

I decided I wanted my finished placket to be 3cm wide, and then calculated the width of my placket pattern piece by doubling my 3cm and adding 2 seam allowances of 1cm each. So I cut my placket pieces 8cm wide and roughly estimated the length by adding the bodice and skirt heights together and leaving myself a few inches extra, just in case.

I had to recalculate shoulder strap position taking into account the changes I had made, and started construction by sewing up my bodice quite like the Laguna pattern instructions, leaving the centre front unsewn.

I then cut the skirt front piece down the centre and added the pockets as per the Newport pattern instructions. Then I sewed the side seams and gathered my skirt to fit the bodice using 2 rows of gathering stitches. Once the skirt was attached to the bodice I interfaced the centre 6cm width (and full length) of my placket pieces. I then folded and ironed 1cm seam allowances along both long edges and then pressed it in half lengthways, wrong sides together.

To attach the placket I lined up the long raw edge of the placket to the centre front of the dress, right side of placket laying on top of the wrong side of the dress, making sure to leave an inch or 2 overhang for both the top and bottom. I stitched in the first ironed fold (1cm from the edge). Then wrapped the placket around to the front, folding over the top and bottom and wrapping it inside the placket. The seam allowance stays folded under and you topstitch from the front to finish it. If you pin it carefully, those stitches on the back should stitch in the ditch and look pretty neat from the back as well as the front.

Now is about the time you discover you have lost your snap pliers!! Oh my gosh I spent days looking and they have obviously gone on vacation somewhere! Then after you panic and search for a couple of days, you remember you actually have a big snap press you’ve never even tried! So I got that together and got both dresses done, but only one would snap up! I have no idea why!! They were both Kam branded snaps… but those tan/mossy ones were a complete failure! I then made such a mess removing the snaps in the press, I really just wanted my pliers 😦

In the end I didn’t have quite enough red ones to finish it off, but a couple of maroon ones on the back will never be seen! Shhhh!

After the snaps were complete I hemmed the dresses by folding under the overlocked edge and then doing a 3cm hem. I figured I had a little extra length after I lengthened the bodice, and I like a deep hem.

Photos were then put back day after day… The KAM snap stuff up… dance rehearsal day, a reunion catch up at the beach (but the beach had washed away so that didn’t work as a location either)… Early morning was super foggy before school… Stress levels were rising!

FINALLY! These smiling faces braved a swarm of mosquitoes which required a quick location change before we got the shots we needed. I told you this project really tested us!!!

They insisted props were necessary for a Christmas themed shoot! It was just the fun we needed to finish off ❤

Patterns provided by Simple Life Pattern Company:

Simple Life Pattern Company Newport Pocket Top & Dress

Simple Life Pattern Company Laguna Double Flutter Panel Pocket Dress

Fabric provided by Art Gallery Fabrics:

Trinket Fusion Collection – Flower Glory Trinkets & Wallpaper Trinkets

 

If you’ve found some inspiration here, or from the other ladies on this tour, head over to Simple Life Pattern Co for their winter sale!! All patterns (minus the brand new Betty) are on sale for 30% using code FALLINTOSLPCO. Sale ends the 12th at midnight so get shopping!

 

 

Blog Tour Schedule

November 5 – Kutti Couture – SLPCO Team

November 6 – Wonderfully Handmade – Ammon Lane

November 7 – Kainara Stitches – Idle Sunshine – Pearberry Lane

November 8 – Sew Twirly – Sew Sophie Lynn – Bonnie and Blithe

November 9 – It’s Liesel – Candice Ayala

For your chance to win a

$30 Harts Fabric Voucher

and a $50 SLPCo Pattern Voucher,

don’t forget to enter the

Rafflecopter giveaway!

Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will add value to my readers.

Back To School With Made For Mermaids

Hey Guys,

I joined the Made for Mermaids Back To School Blog Tour! We are mid-school-year here in Australia and our children actually wear compulsary uniforms, but I thought – why let that stop me? I have 3 children in school, but Miss 10 here is the trickiest to sew for (Master 9 and Miss 7 wear  a tee and shorts pretty much year round outside of school). So I thought why not take on a challenge that might help you all with your tricky customers too?

I gave her the M4M website to browse the patterns and I already had this fabric set aside for an Isabel Wrap Dress, so when she pointed Isabel out as her favourite I was pretty happy.

Let me give you a basic run down on how school works here in Oz. I know it’s different in many parts of the world and it is interesting to see how we all operate…

Preschool is for children 3 – 5 years old, with lots of play based learning and social skills in preparation for Primary School.

Primary School starts with Kindergarten, which starts at around 5 – 6 years of age, and also includes Years 1 – 6.

High School includes Years 7 – 12, for ages approximately 12 – 18.

So Miss 10 is in Year 5 in Primary School here. She actually had an out of uniform day this day, as a reward from her teacher for achieving her silver award in class. She so badly wanted to wear this outfit, she was swishing around everywhere, but I sized up a little and made this Isabel a little longer than the pattern and so I suggested she keep it for another day. So mean I know!

Isabel is a fantastic versatile pattern. You can make it tunic length, dress length or Maxi length. I thought it was great as a back to school pattern with all those options. You can even wear it open like this (with the ties tied inside the dress behind your back), which makes a super cool duster cardigan.

It would work in all lengths for this look. We agreed on the maxi with the tulip skirt, she loved the dress on the cover. You also have options for sleeves. You can make it sleeveless, short sleeves, 3/4 sleeved or long sleeved. Again we agreed that 3/4 looked awesome! I must be getting the hang of tween fashion, I’m all over this…

And doesnt it look stunning as a maxi dress with tulip skirt! I used a rayon spandex from Wicked Fabrics I had been saving for this very dress for quite some time! It is super drapey and soft to wear. She looooves it! The drape probably added a fair bit to the length when I think about it! I should have left it per the pattern!

It’s winter here and it was pretty cold and windy for these early morning pics! She had a red nose and squinty eyes pretty quickly from the cold wind!

The pattern itself was really easy to follow and faster than I expected to make! I like that it includes sizes 1/2 through to 14, because I think this pattern will be used again and again here!

You can picture this as tunic length worn over shorts, jeans or tights can’t you?

Or here you can imagine it as a knee length dress, it works beautifully too.

There is that show stopper Maxi dress though! Look at that rayon spandex in the breeze! Isn’t it stunning!

I can tell this dress will be her new favourite! She absolutely loved it. The only question I have is – should I re-hem it or make her wait to grow into it? Ok I’m kidding, that would be torture, I’ll re-hem it, I promise I’m not that mean!!

What’s on your back to school sew list?

Perhaps these blogs might give you some inspiration! Go check them out!

Remember f you are doing some back to school sewing, post a pic in the Made for Mermaids Facebook group with the hashtag #m4mback2school2018. You may just win a prize ❤

Warmest wishes,

Brooke x

Idle Sunshine