Some Selfish Sewing in the Midst of KCW: Blank Slate Rose Tee

From time to time, I get to test patterns for Blank Slate Patterns.  Melissa is one of my favorite designers and is so generous with her talents.  She has  a bunch of freebies on her blog, including this blazer that I plan to make one of these days. 

This is the Rose Tee in women's sizes.  You can read about the little girl's version, the Pristine Swing dress, that I made here.  I actually bought this pattern a while ago, but when the opportunity to test the new and improved version came along, I had to jump at the chance. 

This is really an excellently written and drafted pattern.  The fit is perfect and flattering for a lot of body shapes and sizes.  It's basically a comfy dressed-up t-shirt and fits right in with my mommy wardrobe. 

Ok, back to kid's clothes, maybe.  

Fall KCW 2013 day 1: Brownie Goose and the Mean Princess knit dress

I am so behind on blogging my creations.  Technically, These dresses were finished in early October, but I'm still gonna count it as part of KCW.  I followed the directions for Amy's (of Brownie-Goose) sewalong almost to the t.  The only thing that is different is that I cut the normal waist instead of the drop waist.  The dresses are a mash-up of the lazy susan by Brownie-Goose for the bodice and the Taylor Dress by the Mean Princess for the paperbag skirt. 

  I had a little bit of trouble with the ruffles on the neck staying upright.  Someone suggested on the B-G fb page that a little bit of elastic would hold up the ruffles, which worked like  a charm.  Although the ruffles were a bit of a PIA, I love how these dresses turned out and the 50's ladylike vibe.

    

By the way, S's leggings are the Fancypants Leggings by Titchy Threads, the best-fitting leggings out there, in my opinion.

So hopefully I will post again tomorrow!

Catching Up: Kikoi Patterns

 

Have you heard of Kikoi Patterns?  Susan, the designer, has some really cute patterns on her etsy shop, simple and really sweet.  This particular dress is called the Red Dress. 

This is a really quick and easy sew.  The wrap can go in the front or the back of the dress.  Personally, I love it in the back.

These pictures are a couple of months old.  I miss the sunshine already.   Below is a more recent sew from the same designer. This one is a winter coat, made of wool suiting in a lovely lavender herringbone and faux fur trim on the collar and cuffs.

If you are  a visual person, you will love her patterns.  All the steps are accompanied by a picture.   

My goal this year is to transition S's wardrobe into all handmade.  I've been collecting patterns for all seasons.  So far this school year, she has worn at least one handmade item everyday. 

I'll keep you posted as the year goes on.  Happy fall sewing!

Shwin & Shwin's Fall Patterns



 Now that both girls are in school, I have 3 days a week to myself.  This first week was occupied with sewing up Shwin Designs' new fall releases, which I was lucky enough to test. 

First up, the Madonna Ruffle Top.  This is the short sleeve option using a light-weight floral knit I found at Girl Charlee, part of a birthday shopping spree from last spring.  I love the flowy, fluttery look created by the dolman sleeves.  And of course S loves the layered ruffles on the bottom.  The top is meant to be worn with bottoms, but, lengthened a couple of inches, could easily work as a dress too.

There is also a three-quarter sleeve option, which is my favorite.  I think I might have worn something similar back in the 80's!  The full gathered sleeves strike a perfect and totally unique silhouette.  I really, really love this look.

Next is the Paperback Cardi.  I made mine using a white double knit which is on the heavy side.  The contrast shawl collar is a jersey knit from Heather Ross's new Briar Rose line that I found at Lima Sews.

This looks equally stylish unbuttoned!  It's the perfect transition piece between fall and summer, when the mornings are crisp and cool and the afternoons are in the 80's.

Like Shauna, I thought that the cardi paired with the ruffled top is just perfect.  The whole outfit called for a side pony.

And finally, the Apple Loungewear.  I found a really soft and cozy boucle knit at JoAnn's and paired it with this purple and gray leopard print for the leggings.  There is a little metallic sparkle in the sweater that I knew would appeal to S.    

There are peekaboo pockets on the side that matches the leggings.  I love that both pieces are so comfortable and casual, but stylish all at once.

All these pieces are great for mixing and matching and layering.  Stylish, comfy and versatile; I find myself jealous of S's fall wardrobe. 

So that's it!  Hope your weekend is lovely.

First Days of School

It's been a big week for our family.  Both girls started new schools:  B in preschool and S in Kindergarten.    And of course I had to make them something new for that first day of school.

 

 First up is B.  After waiting for two years, she was incredibly happy and excited that it was finally her turn to go to preschool.   The dress that she is wearing is from a pattern by Dandelions n' Dungarees, the Classic Ruffle Dress in size 3t.  I had the pleasure of testing this sweet pattern.  I love how the ruffles frame her face and the gigantic bow in the front.  I wanted to keep the vintage feel of this pattern and opted for the red calico print and the white on white trim.    We jazzed it up though, by going with the diamond buttons.  She looks like a doll in this outfit, don't you think?   

 

My busy little B settled right in and got to work straight away.  Honestly, everything with her is so much easier.  Maybe it's a second child thing?

 

I actually made S's First Day of School dress in July,   She is wearing Peek-a-boo Patternshop's Jackie Dress.  I left off the piping detail on the collar and went with a pre-pleated fabric.  The houndstooth is a quilting cotton weight by Riley Blake.  I found it in my sister's online etsy shop, LiMa Sews. 

 

 

 

The hem of the dress hit her right above the knees in July when I made this dress.  She must have grown a couple of inches since then. 

I made B the same dress in a different colorway.  I did have the forethought to make this in a 4t, so now it fits her perfectly.

 

 

They both came home tired, but excited about school.  Hoping your first days were successes too!