Sewing

Boo Designs Dynamite Activewear!

This was a fun assignment! Kristie Gilbert (Spandex Queen and Pattern Designer from Boo Designs), asked if I’d like to test her new pattern? Let’s be honest, she had me at “Activewear”!

My girls are completely OBSESSED with activewear so it was a no brainer! The new Boo Designs Dynamite Activewear pattern will blow your mind, just take a look at the options it has!

I have a few thousand photos to share, so I compiled a few collages to save you some scrolling. First up is a Cutout Racerback Flared Tank in the February Pattern of the Month Club Fabric, trimmed with Solid Black Spandex. Her leggings are Solid Black Spandex Sports length, with a Snake Leg Splice in Black Power Mesh.

Her little sister wears an Infinity Back Crop in the February Pattern of the Month Club Fabric, trimmed with Solid New Royal Spandex. Her Leggings are Full length Dynamite Spliced with the February Pattern of the Month Club Fabric, Solid New Royal Spandex, Solid Desire Spandex and Solid Aqua Marine Spandex.

I love how these outfits turned out and am honoured to have my girls as cover models for the pattern!

Next up are these bright sets I made earlier in testing. The marled, supplex-type fabric for each set was cut from a couple of pairs of ladies size 26 leggings I found on a $3 rack at Best & Less! I’d had them in my stash for so long, that my littlest model was starting to get cranky with me! I told you activewear was high on their demand list!

Her Infinity Crop and Dynamite Spliced Leggings set is teamed with some crazy colourful dance spandex and solid black spandex.

The Big Sister’s Cutout Racerback Crop and Dynamite Spliced Leggings set is teamed with some Boo Designs Purple Bubbles fabric from the Pins Sewalong (that I never quite got around to joining) and some solid pink spandex.

To show a little versatility, I made this next set from cotton lycra. Both of these pretty fabrics came from Wicked Fabrics, from a scrap bag I nabbed. This simple Racerback Crop and Jazz length Shorts could be cut from around 35cm length of fabric (full width of fabric) for a size 6. How great is that!

I decided to switch up the waistband facing and waistband pieces to get this peekaboo waist band feature. She loves it!

I also made a simple plain white cotton lycra Racerback Crop and black Jazz Shorts, which she loves to wear under her school uniform. So simple and no photos of that one, but I’m sure you’ve seen enough for today!

I’d love to hear what you think! Are you as pumped as I am about this new release? I have another set stuck in my head that I have to make ASAP, so I will add that one too (as soon as I can)! This pattern leaves you feeling like a sewing superstar! It really isn’t as difficult as it looks, so give it a go!

Warmest wishes,

Brooke x

Little Lizard King Bellevue Dress

I’m excited to show you all this gorgeous dress, made from a new pattern by Little Lizard King! It’s called the Bellevue and the exciting part is that it is the first design by the lovely and talented Natasha Chrismas of Ellie’s Handmade! I’ve been a long time fan of Natasha’s work (if you are a handmade enthusiast I’m sure you are too), so I was thrilled when she asked me to take a look at her first release!

The Bellevue was a double release available in a dress and romper version. The dress includes sizes 12 months – 14 years, the romper in sizes 0-3 months – 4 years.

Screen Shot 2018-03-02 at 11.40.13 pm.png — Photo credit – Natasha Chrismas

It has these gorgeous cross back straps with the option of single or double ruffles. You might have noticed my girls don’t wear many dresses these days, but Miss 6 is turning 7 next week and she decided she wanted a birthday dress. Seeing as though I was sewing for my little firecracker, I decided to experiment and leave the ruffles out of the equation. She loves it and I am happy knowing it will be worn more than once! Why, oh why must they grow up and ditch the dresses and frills?

I could have moved the straps over to meet the edge of the bodice, but that might have left them too wide on her shoulders. I could also have trimmed down the bodice to meet the straps, but I quite liked the idea of this modern look.

The straps cross over and tie in the back through two loops, it also has an elastic casing across the back. Both these features allow for a comfortable and adjustable fit, that will grow with your child.

It has a nice full gathered skirt, with the option of a double ruffle hem or a contrast band. I made a simple skirt, but made it for a size 9 (the bodice I made for their chest measurement which was a size 6). It is designed to be a retro above knee length, but I made it so it would fit both my girls, and being an adjustable fit bodice it will fit them both for a while with this added length.

I bought this quilting cotton fabric to make myself a dress, I loved the birds and flowers in the print. I think I might have enough still left for me… I hope! It was printed off grain a touch, which made cutting tricky for this OCD pattern matcher, but I got there in the end. It would have been really obvious if I hadn’t gotten that hem straight in this print!

We gave it the twirl test, even though it is a gathered skirt, it still passes!

I said to her as she was running down the stairs before we left to “Slow down”. It’s something I say a thousand times a day to her, usually right before she falls over… I kid you not, her response was – “Life wasn’t meant to be slow Mum”!!!

Miss almost 7 is clearly growing up… #mouthfullofmissingteeth ❤

Have you made a Bellevue Dress or Romper yet? You know if my girls weren’t almost 7 and 10 already (with opinions and long legs), I’d be squeezing them into that romper with ruffle sleeves and a ruffle butt!!! IT IS ADORABLE!!!

Some of those awesome features that might get you over the finish line:

PDF Printing Layers
Measurement Chart for Rectangle Pieces
Line Drawings
Recommended Fabrics
Table of Contents
Glossary of Terms
Printing Layout
Print Guide
Fabric Requirements
Size Chart and Finished Measurements
Cutting Chart
Cutting Instructions

Congratulations Natasha on your new position as a designer with Little Lizard King and your first pattern releases! They are absolutely gorgeous, with clear and comprehensive instructions. Highly recommended.

Warmest wishes,

Brooke x

March 2, 2018 2

Simple Life Pattern Co – Special Occasion Tour

Welcome to my stop on the Simple Life Pattern Co Special Occasion Blog Tour. The calendar keeps creeping closer and closer to Christmas and the party season, so this is perfect timing to get some beautiful inspiration for the holidays, especially when you can shop all the patterns for 20% off! (Use code: SLPcoSpecial)

When my friend Becca from Sunflower Seams asked me to join in the tour, we were on a 3 week trip travelling thousands of kilometres in our caravan. I had blown out the data allowance on my mobile phone, but I said yes, stole my husband’s phone and started scrolling immediately through the SLPCo Pattern shop!

I picked out my favourite patterns that I thought were right for the theme, then I let Miss 9 choose her favourite from the snapshots (that are most likely still sitting on the camera roll on my husband’s phone).

She chose the Lexi Strappy Back Maxi Dress which I love! It has a V-neck bodice at the front, a cutaway side with no side seam and 3 straps on each side at the back.

I raised the front a little and created a curved front neckline, then used some vintage silver braid I had in my stash for the straps. They were wider than the straps in the pattern and I didn’t have enough of the braid to do 6 straps so I chose to do 2 each side instead.

I was covering a snap with fabric to match at the back, and the dress was all but finished, when I noticed that one of the straps was starting to fray! When I looked a little closer, all the straps were pulling out of the bodice… I was devastated!

I had zig zagged back and forth over all the ends and thought I was clever for thinking to do that, but I think the zig zag was too wide to be effective enough.

I unpicked the bodice just in the parts where the straps attached and created some new straps with the chiffon I used for the skirt. Then I hand stitched them into place, closing the bodice at the same time. I actually love how they turned out.

I found it a little scary working with these delicate fabrics. I like to iron the heck out of everything I make in each step to get a great finish, so I was scared I was going to melt this dress every step along the way!

I am trying hard to sew from my stash (which is beyond ridiculous by the way) and when digging through bags and tubs of fabric, my eyes went to this crinkle chiffon straight away. It came from some bags of remnants that my Mum bought from a lady who worked in a fabric store. When looking for options for a coordinating fabric, I found this shantung and lining which was actually left over from when Mum made my bridesmaids dresses around 12 years ago! So I guess that makes this dress extra special ❤ .

It is really warm here at the moment and being spring the Jacarandas are just beautiful. If it is cold where you are, a maxi is great for hiding tights underneath, and a faux fur Juliet cape (which is a free pattern) would look beautiful over the top.

I thought it made a beautiful flower girl dress and so we made a posy to take along for our pictures. I took the pink and purple blooms from a beautiful bunch of flowers my friends gave me for my birthday last week. They were the flowers from the bouquet that lasted the longest, as well as matching the dress best! Isn’t it funny how those things work out…

To see all the special makes my friends have been making on this tour please make your self a cup of coffee and click through the links below. Or if you would like to hire out this cute little flower girl, we can arrange that too!

November 13 – Kainara Stitches – Ammon Lane

November 14 – Sew and Tell Project – Lace and Pine

November 15 – Sunflower Seams – SewSophieLynn

November 16 – Wonderfully Handmade – Idle Sunshine – I am Mami de Sofiona

November 17 – Pear Berry Lane – It’s Liesel

Now for the fun part!

There are TWO ways to win in this giveaway!

While both giveaways are open to everyone, contestants outside of the U.S. will be responsible for any excess shipping and fees and subject to the sponsors’ shipping guidelines.

Enter the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win the following.

One winner will be chosen at random after the Rafflecopter closes.

1 winner of the Rafflecopter will receive:

5 Patterns of choice from Simple Life Pattern Co.

$50 Gift Card from Cotton Coterie with FREE shipping

$50 Gift Card from Little Feather

Click here for a Rafflecopter giveaway

Already sewing for the holidays with Simple Life Pattern Company? Share what you make for a chance to win the Link-Up prize!

One winner will be chosen at random after the link-up closes.

1 Winner of the Link up will receive:

5 Patterns of choice from Simple Life Pattern Co.

$50 Gift Card to Harts Fabric

$50 Gift Card to Sincerely Rylee

$30 Gift Card to Punkin Head Threads

Enter the Linkup HERE!

November 16, 2017 15

One Thimble Issue 17 – HOLA!

“Hola!” and welcome to my stop in the One Thimble Issue 17 Blog Tour! One Thimble Issue 17 (Summer 2017) is available now and I can’t wait to show you what you’ll find inside!

One Thimble is a Digital Sewing Magazine produced in Australia. Each One Thimble E-zine features 10+ patterns, applique/embroidery files and sewing/creative articles from contributors from all over the globe. The theme for issue 17 is, “Hola!” and it happens to celebrate One Thimble’s 4th Birthday!

Here’s a list of the patterns included in the latest edition:

Big Day Out Denim Jacket– Ainslee Fox – size 3-12
Give Piece a Chance – crop top and skirt set – Duchess & Hare – size 2-12
Nori Dress – Paisley Roots – size 2-12
Port Street Shorts – Ainslee Fox – size 3-12
Embroidery – Molly & Mama – hand stitched
Taco Time Applique – One Thimble – interactive applique
Sol Dress – Tadah – XS (8) – XL (16)
Festival Clutch – Little Moo Designs – two sizes
Posse Cadet Cap and Visor – Apple + Fig – baby to adult
Overall Winner- Katy’s Lotus pincushion
Winner of People’s Choice- Sarah’s Fabric Wrap Bracelet
Winner of the Scrap buster Category- Kellie’s Teacher gift pack
Winner of Something Special- Kira’s Miss Blossom Bunny clutch
Winner of the Quick Sew Category- Megan’s fruit bags

I happened to test and promote 2 patterns already in the lead up to the Issue 17’s release, so I’ll show you some pictures of those in a minute, but the feature of today’s post is the Nori Dress by Paisley Roots.

It is getting rarer and rarer to catch my girls wearing a dress (other than for special occasions when I put my foot down lol), but this was an absolute hit!

Obviously if you have a fussy customer like me, then fabric is going to be the toughest choice. All the other hard work is done. Your girls will love this trendy look, with side cut outs, halter neck and swingy circle skirt!

I adjusted ours to tie in a bow at the back rather than slider rings at the neck. I am making an effort to sew from my stash and if I’d driven the 40 minutes to spotlight just for sliders it would have cost me a hundred or so $$$ in fabric that I would have “needed” while I was there. I just cannot be trusted 😉

I have had all of these fabrics in my stash for a couple of years. I have used them all before for different projects, but never together. Planning fabric combinations is my favourite part of the process, laying out options and switching coordinating fabrics led me to this combo that I knew my girl would love.

We spent this morning at a local event at a park to welcome Santa to the shopping centre. We met some friends and the kids enjoyed the dancing, singing and rides on show! We got a bit more sun, than I was planning on, then we went for lunch with friends afterwards. It was one of those beautiful unplanned days that totally go off the schedule you had in your head. I was starting to worry, but I still managed to get the dress made and photographed well before the sun went down that evening, so it is pretty quick. I used snaps instead of buttons and button holes which saved me a good amount of time too.

My favourite way to hem a circle skirt is to use bias tape. I didn’t have enough mustard yellow in my stash, so I had to be happy with over locking and turning it up this time. If I’m being completely honest I will probably go back and do it with bias when I get some, because I am a details person and it hurts my eyes!

Here’s a pic of what your dress could look like if you follow the instructions with the sliders on the straps, just for comparison. It looks so fabulous in stripes!

I’ll leave you with some pics of the Ainslee Fox Port Street Shorts and the One Thimble Taco Time Interactive Applique I made in testing before the Issue was released. My boy loves when I sew for him and he seriously loves this outfit!

I used a spider web printed canvas for the shorts with a black drill waistband. Then I finally did some form of applique like I have been promising (still havent attempted FMA haha)!

I had fun putting together all the colours for this project and even dyed some calico with tumeric to get closer to the colour I wanted for the taco shell. I love to dye with natural colours like tumeric, tea and coffee. It’s another way to avoid going shopping too (when you can’t be trusted like me)!

I have so many more items on my to sew list! I can’t wait to make some fruit bags and some visors for starters. Now I know I have some hand sewing projects for Christmas holidays sorted when we are camping with the hand stitched embroidery project and the lotus pin cushion! Not to mention the Jacket, clutch, ahhh everything!!! It is another amazing issue.

Now if you are a One Thimble fan or have been enjoying my One Thimble posts, you will want to check out the OT Sewing Enthusiasts Facebook Group, as the 4th Birthday Celebration prize is ALL 17 ISSUES!!!! I kid you not…

For all the stops on the One Thimble Issue 17 Blog Tour Celebration, be sure to click the links below!

Warmest Wishes,

Brooke x

11/9/2017

Pattern Revolution

max california

Once Upon a Sewing Machine

11/10/2017

11/11/2017

11/12/2017

11/13/2017

11/14/2017

11/15/2017

Kathys Kwilts and More

November 13, 2017 8

Flit & Bloom by Patty Young for Riley Blake Designs

I’m so thrilled to be showcasing the latest fabric designs by Patty Young for Riley Blake Designs! This is Patty’s 20th fabric collection, so it feels a little extra special! The collection is called Flit & Bloom by Patty Young for Riley Blake Designs.

I made these two sweet Harper dresses by Modkid Designs. Modkid is Patty’s pattern design company, and I thought that was a nice fit!

We’ve just been travelling for 3 weeks in our caravan around some beautiful parts of Australia, which I will have to share some pictures of soon. I took my sewing machine with me to make these dresses! I had visions of beautiful scenic photos and I had them all finished apart from the buttons and button holes, but I decided to use snaps. I didn’t have snaps and pliers with me, so I had to wait till we got home to actually finish and photograph them.

Then of course when we got home it rained…. So those beautiful photos had to head undercover! I snapped a couple in the wind in between showers, but as you can see it was just too miserable, cold and blowy.

I chose Bloom Blossom Henna Pink with Bloom Oh-Gee Teal as trim for this dress.

and Bloom Blossom Henna Teal for the second dress with Bloom Oh-Gee Pink for trim.

I love making matching dresses that don’t quite match. My littlest loves to twin with her big sister, but her big sister isn’t quite as keen on the idea. This is a happy medium for them, and I love to see them coordinate!

Make sure you head to the Modkid Blog Tour Post very quickly for your chance to win one of 3 half yard bundles from the Flit & Bloom range.

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Thank you to Patty & to Riley Blake for supplying these gorgeously soft anf beautiful fabrics! My girls wore their dresses all day and they looked stunning. After a full days wear and driving in the car they were suprising not creased much at all!

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Below are the other participants from the tour, so for more beautiful insiration head over to see their posts!

Monday, Oct. 9th – Coffee + Thread

Tuesday, Oct. 10th – Lily Shine Creates

Wednesday, Oct. 11th – The Eli Monster

Thursday, Oct. 12th – Tye Dye Diva Patterns

Friday, Oct. 13th – Pattern Revolution

Saturday, Oct. 14th – Idle Sunshine

October 14, 2017 2

My Favourite Things

So the theme this month on the Sewing With Ti Blog Tour is “My Favourite Things”! This category is so hard for someone like me that just loves EVERYTHING! So I decided to make myself one of my favourite patterns and get my bum moving on my kids favourites, for their summer sewing too!

This is the Little Kiwis Closet Women’s Cuffed Dolman! It is a great relaxed dolman tee in a longer tunic length with a curved hem. It also comes in a dress length option which I chose to make here. I was sent this gorgeous Pink Aztec Rayon Spandex by Orinoco Designs to showcase for a current fabric pre-order and I knew it would be a perfect match!

The drape is perfect for this pattern and it is a great print for young and old. My girls loved it, but I had to (very unselfishly) show you all how great it was made up as a grown up piece!

I wasn’t a complete monster though… I saved the girls a few scraps and I used some straight away to run up this cute top! It’s the Little Kiwis Closet Choose Your Adventure Tee & Dress. I created this cute cap sleeve and pocket and added it to this royal blue cotton lycra I had in my stash. I think this is perfect for the theme – as one of my favourite things to do is mash and tweak patterns!

I used the flutter sleeve pattern piece from the Poppet Peplum pattern and added an inch or 2 to the centre so that it would fit the armscye perfectly. I lined the “flutter/cap” with some white cotton lycra to give it some body before attaching it. I absolutely love how this turned out and it just covers the shoulders nicely to protect them from our harsh summer sun!

Then we of course had to have some pics together, because – matching!

It was so cold! You have to remember it’s winter here at the moment and it was 7:30am before school! We are so lucky to have such mild winters, but boy was it fresh and frosty this morning!

I have a few more scraps left, so I used a tiny bit to jazz up this plain tank as well, but I will not waste a bit – it’s too cute!

Next up I want to show you a sneak peek of the girls version of the Cuffed Dolman! It’s in testing right now and is looking just as awesome as the women’s version!!!

This one I upcycled from a women’s large tshirt we found (stripes are her favourite) and I made the regular cuffed sleeves.

There is a long sleeve version too that I’ll share with you soon and you can also opt to leave the cuffs off altogether and just hem!

You can see from my upcycle that the back of the shirt has a centre seam. I hope this means that the manufacturer is being frugal with fabric! I love to upcycle as a way to reduce landfill and to get awesome cheap fabric.

This length is perfect with tights and I will make her some dolman dresses for summer as well. I know I live in them, so I am betting my girls will too!

Here’s an essential shot of my stripe matching – I’m sorry but if you are sewing stripes, they just have to match 😉 ! It also shows the cool curved hem.

Next up are some more great basics! I love to make pretty dresses, but my girls just want to wear shorts and tees! So while I never thought I’d make basics when you can get them cheap from Kmart, I love that they get something amazing and unique from me, with great quality fabrics and no exploited labour. Except for me of course… They fully exploit me!

This is the Pearlie Peplum and Scuttle Shorts from One Thimble Issue 16! This issue has only recently released and I am sewing my way through it! These patterns will be on high rotation! I used another Orinoco Designs print from a previous round for the bodice and the front panel of a tshirt I upcycled did the peplum skirt front and back.

The Pearlie Dress & Peplum is by Peach Patterns and I have lengthened the bodice here by 2 inches to bring the peplum down closer to her natural waist. This is just a personal preference. When I made the dress previously I used the size 7 length skirt, but because I added length to the bodice here, I used the size 5 peplum skirt length.

I teamed it with the Scuttle Shorts by Ainslee Fox Boutique Patterns. I made the basic version here without any pockets or colour blocking and they were soooo fast! This girl looooves her knit shorts so I am going to make a full rainbow of these! This was a knit my Mum grabbed from Spotlight for me. As a bonus, they don’t take very much fabric at all!

Check ’em out – they’re adorable!

Ok so let’s recap a few of my favourite things…

The LKC Cuffed Dolman
Awesome custom print fabric
Pattern hacking
Matching my minis
Upcycling
Stripe matching
Little Kiwis Closet
One Thimble
Sewing things my kids will actually wear

Did I miss anything? I’m sure my girls have their own list to add!

If you’d like to see what everyone else on board has chosen to share this month, you can view their posts here! Each post will go live on it’s date in August.

Tuesday, August 1st: Intro ***You are here. 😀, Tenille’s Thread

2nd: Stitching At Night

3rd: Sewing By Ti

4th: Needles To Say

5th: Very Blissful

Sunday, August 6th: The Fairy Dust Bin

7th: Anne-Mari Sews

8th: Sewing With Sarah

9th: Thats Sew Lily

10th: Stitching at Night

11th: EYMM

12th: Sew Sew Ilse

Sunday, August 13th: Lulu & Celeste

14th: Seams Sew Lo

15th: Tales From a Southern Stitching Mom

16th: Stitching and Making

17th: Creative Counselor

18th: Ma Moose

19th: Kainara Stitches

Sunday, August 20th: Embrace Everyday

21st: She Who Sews

22nd: Idle Sunshine

23rd: My Heart Will Sew On

24th: Lovely For Life

25th: Margarita On the Ross

26th: Anne-Mari Sews

Sunday, August 27th: Made By Melli

28th: Adventures with Bubba and Bug

29th: Auschick Sews

30th: Me Made

31st: Living in Twinado Alley

Warmest Wishes,

Brooke x

Idlesunshine

August 22, 2017 8

One Thimble Issue 16 – Under The Sea

Oh my gosh! Where do I even start? One thimble Issue 16 is here and it is bigger, brighter and more beautiful than ever!

Included in this issue are 11 awesome PDF patterns for the ridiculous price of AUS$25:

High Tide Trousers (NB-12)

Triton Tank (1-12)

Scuttle Shorts (3-12)

Hally Dress (1-12)

Miss Olivia Dress (Ladies AU 6-20)

Pearlie Dress (1-12)

Makana Mermaid Skirt (2-4, 5-7, 8-10)

Melody Mermaid Tail (3-8)

Mermaid Pocket Doll & Shell (handsewn)

Murray is a Merman (Free Motion Applique)

Meg is a Mermaid (Free Motion Applique)

What a steal! It’s a gorgeous collection that will fill your wardrobes full of practical warmer weather staples! The Under The Sea theme is designed with comfort and fun in mind for our upcoming Australian Spring. Don’t think that if you are headed into Fall that this magazine is not for you though, One Thimble is very versatile and has something for everyone.

I have absolutely jumped on the One Thimble Fan-wagon this year and with each Issue I have sewn more and more! So far in testing this issue I have made 2 Triton tanks, 2 pairs of Scuttle shorts, 2 Hally dresses, a Pearlie dress and 2 Makana Mermaid skirts! I am proud to say that I have contributed another article to this issue as well, looking at mashing sizes in PDF patterns for the right fit! So grab your coffee and vanilla slice, we could be here for a while with all the pics I have taken!

First let’s take a look at the Hally Casual Dress! These dresses were such a fun project! They were designed by Jen of Ainslee Fox Boutique Patterns in sizes 1-12, who also happens to be the Editor and Creator of One Thimble.

I love the loose comfortable fit and the combinations are endless with fabric mixing here!

I made one using the magical first binding method and then we also decided to try a traditional bias method, so you can see both versions here.

It has a simple elastic back with no buttons and zips!

If I’d had enough 1 inch gingham, that would have been my pick for this dress, so don’t be suprised if you see that version pop up soon!

I’m putting a little grid of pics in here, because you’ll be scrolling for days if I add all our pictures individually 😉

Next up is the Pearlie Dress & Peplum in sizes 1-12 by Peach Patterns.

It is a dolman style tshirt dress with a gathered skirt. There are 2 fit options to choose from and we chose the slim fit. It includes 3 pocket styles, but we chose to leave the pocket off for this version.

It is a super comfortable dress and a nice fast sew. This is my girls’ favourite style, they are into simple design and it lets you mix fabrics to change up the look. I can see a million combinations for this dress.

I love the high-low hem which curves up to the side seams. I also love her styling, and she loves her new tie dye socks with a cause from Help Astrid!

Every outfit needs matching bows, so I fussy cut these from the same gorgeous pastel rainbow leopard cotton lycra I used for the bodice!

Next up is the Triton Tank! It’s a casual knit pattern also by Ainslee Fox Boutique Patterns. It works best with fabrics that have a fluid drape (which you can actually read all about in the article on page 64)!

It can be made in sizes 1-12 and I love the roomy fit. This outfit made my kids so happy, they are all about the t-shirts and shorts! It doesn’t matter how many pretty dresses I make, they will always go straight for the basics! Can you blame them – look how comfortable they look!

That is definitely my new mission… Sew all the basics!

The Scuttle Shorts are also by Ainslee Fox Boutique Patterns and team perfectly with the tank. They can be made in sizes 3-12 in knit fabric. As you can see here, they are a unisex pattern in 2 lengths (Shorty & Jamaica lengths). I made both of mine with the panels and pockets, because they are so cute for colour blocking, but there is a simple plain option too, that would be a super fast sew.

My guy loves both this tank and shorts, I had to keep hiding them until we got a chance to take photos or he would have worn them out!

I’m sure you can spot sand and bark all over them from their little adventures this afternoon! This spot on the bay is just gorgeous and full of old trees to climb on.

We happened to hit this spot right on low tide on the most beautiful winters day! It was 4:30pm and it was so warm (25C)!

If you happen to visit us in the near future, you may find us back at that spot, with some deck chairs and drinks next time I think!

I have to show you our Makana Mermaid Skirts from testing too! They totally deserved their own blog post, because I took so many cute pics of them in testing! This particular weekend we happened to experience some horrendous weather associated with an event known as an East Coast Low. Think Winter on steroids – RAIN, WIND, COLD! I also happened to be sick as a dog to match the weather! I dragged myself out to get the pics and we jagged a tiny bit of sunshine! My husband couldn’t believe we were going to the beach, but I knew we would sneak them in.

Now I know you’ve seen a lot, but every Issue I have said that Free Motion Applique is on my to-do list, so if we roll around to the Issue 17 tour and it hasn’t happened, give me a virtual tap on the shoulder and maybe a bit of a glare or something… I’m saying it – I will be FMA-ing that damn gorgeous Meg the Mermaid come hell or high water! So keep me honest and make sure it happens!

We are very lucky (and SUPER EXCITED as you can see below…) to be giving away a copy of Issue 16! So click the Raffle copter link below for your chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I hope you like the fun things I’ve made to celebrate this issue!

Make sure to stop by the other bloggers to see what they have made!

Blog Tour Kickoff

8/11/2017

8/12/2017

8/13/2017

8/14/2017

8/15/2017

Once Upon a Sewing Machine

8/16/2017

8/17/2017

Adventures with Bubba and Bug

Curtiepie

August 12, 2017 93

Laela Jeyne Patterns Summer Collection Tour

Main Blog tour graphic

Welcome to the last day on the Laela Jeyne Patterns Summer Collection Tour! I’m so happy to be joining my lovely sewing friends to promote their Summer Collection Release! There are 6 new patterns now available and I was lucky enough to test the Lily Blouse.

It is winter here currently, and as much as I wish I was in my swimmers, I love that this pattern included a long sleeve version! This pattern is exactly my style, I had been on the look out for a while for something just like it!

You’ll have to excuse my windy photoshoot, my hair and blouse were blowing around everywhere! I used a polyester that I purchased to make a Laela Jeyne Tula! So it was funny it got used for another LJ pattern instead!

I love the simple shape, the relaxed fit and the exposed zipper! With sizes 0-26 and bust sizes A-E you are set! Silly me was on my way to work – so I styled as I normally would and went on my way, without considering that my necklace might be hiding those neckline darts, so I’ll pop in a line drawing too. That will show you the short sleeve version, the sleeveless with a collar version and the gathered front option! I love a pattern with options!

Screen Shot 2017-06-30 at 10.03.31 pm

The fit is great and I can’t wait to make some more! I ordered some gorgeous red floral rayon to run up a second one with a modified hem for the tour, but it took 2.5 weeks to get here, which was way too late for me to be able to use it! Also in that package was some dance fabrics I needed for a costume for an eisteddfod on Monday! Needless to say, we are now borrowing a costume, but that’s another story! I will get onto that second Lily blouse and post those pics soon, but that fabric company wont be getting a plug here! 😉

Thank you for dropping by today! Here are all the posts included in the tour this week!

Also be sure to head to the Laela Jeyne Blog for a RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY!!!

Monday

Anna’s Heirloom Boutique – Swimming in a Sea of Estrogen – Olive Ashby

Tuesday

Mahlica Designs – Pear Berry Lane – Sewing with Sarah

Wednesday

Sewn at Seams – Nini and Ash – The Crafting Fiend – Sew a Piece of Joy

Thursday

I am Mami de Sofiona – Sew and Tell Project – My Heart Will Sew On

Friday

LoveThings – Idle Sunshine – Lovely for Life – Neva Couture

June 30, 2017 28

Simple Life Pattern Co – Sew Caroline Collaboration

Sew Caroline and Simple Life Pattern Company are thrilled to be announcing an amazing new collaboration of Mommy and Me sewing patterns!
They teamed up to bring you six awesome new patterns! SLPCo took the Sugar Pop Top, Magnolia Shorts and Waterfall Tank and downsized them to fit the little girls in your life. In return, Sew Caroline took the Ayda Top + Dress, Molly Top, Dress + Maxi and Tammy’s Tulip Shorts and upsized them to fit women. It’s a match made in heaven!

I’ve always loved the simple design of the girls Ayda so I jumped at the chance to try out the women’s version! I love an interesting back design, it is my favourite feature.

I decided to make the sleeveless version from this awesome green floral rayon woven. I bought a truck load of it because I just loved it! It is super slippery and floaty and and amazing! You can also make a cap sleeve or flutter sleeve version.

You can see this fabric drapes a little in the back (especially with my posture in this shot) because of the nature of the rayon and it being cut on the bias. It was quite a cowl when I first pinned it, so instead of sewing the back pieces dead flat across the bottom, I angled the corners downward slightly to flatten the fit of the back V before attaching it to the skirt.

I took a tiny bit of length off the bodice which is an adjustment I always make for my super high waist (but it didn’t need much at all) and otherwise I made up the size M without any changes.

I made the circle skirt rather than the gathered skirt because

a) I had plenty of fabric

b) I love the twirl and silouette AND…

c) I really dislike gathering skirts to attach to bodices haha!

What sewing technique is your least favourite? I love the look of gathers, but I put them in the same category as button holes… Not my favourite things to do, probably because they take time and patience – 2 things I am kinda short on 😉

I hemmed the skirt with yellow bias tape which you can see peeking out here. It is my favourite way to hem a circle skirt and it gave me a little extra length because I raised the waist and I am fairly tall. The fabric width wouldnt allow me to make it any longer than the exact pattern piece and the fabric is directional.