Sew, Mama, Sew! is having their huge Giveaway Day and you should go check out all the amazing sites and see if you can’t win some great fabric and/or patterns.
There’s a LOT there, so take your time, enjoy it, and bookmark for future link reference!
Also, I noticed among my favorites is Kate of See Kate Sew! I’ve been really busy lately and haven’t posted about these, but when I get a chance to test for Kate, I take it. So, you should definitely sign up for those, and here are two more recent patterns I’ve tested: The Daydream Ruffle Dress and the Penelope Peplum. If you win, you might want to pick those. Oh, or the Aztec Vest. Or the Recess Raglan (I’ve used this one a LOT). Or…
Ok, you can’t really go wrong, you can really only have fun!
Here is some cute and me holding some cute.
Zoe and Lucy herding the hens in the Daydream Ruffle Dress #1 – We call this the Dorothy. It’s the cheapest light blue gingham you can get on Fabric.com – it’s a super airy cotton/poly blend.
zoe and lucyzoe and the girls
This one I de-ruffled the the ruffles and how cute is that Riley Blake Cinderberry print? She was a bit tired of modeling at this point so I didn’t get a good shot of the fussy cut button, but take my word for it – it’s darling. This is called the Hans Wegner’s Daughter.
Hans Wegner’s Daughter
And here’s me doing my best impression of modeling-not-modeling on my Penelope Peplum (baby accessory not included). This is a nice black knit from Girl Charlee – it’s just the basic cotton jersey but has a really good weight and quality to it.
Modeling-Not-ModelingAffectedx2
Good luck winning – unless it’s something I’m hoping to win.
I know I said I wouldn’t get more fabric except solids, but….I had to get the last of this fox fabric, and I’ve been wanting this Birch fois bois…and I happened to have a sewmamasew.com gift card.
sew mama sew fabrics – washed but pre-ironing
I feel so lame writing “fois bois.”
I may have went a little over my gift card, and got this orange plaid to go WITH my mushroom fabric.
bag combo
But this time, you see, the fabric has plans before it was purchased. I’m addicted to these farmer’s market bags. And I’ve really been wanting an infinity scarf that’s sweeping the interwebs, but all I could find tutorials on was knit instructions….and that fox fabric was just begging me to be worn…by me…
AND….I had to go to Cool Cottons because they had the Star Wars fabric in stock that I need….and walking to the front door, there was a sale rack. I walked right past it. Just right past it. Then….went right back out and grabbed the bicycle fabric…and matching Kona….but I was really good and didn’t buy any of the shot cottons…yet…
Octavia combo
Doesn’t this fabric just make you feel spring?
Octavia Fabric
Excuse the wrinkles, I took photos after washing them but before ironing. I was too excited. It could be worse. I’ve been looking at Jukis and cover stitch machines….
Here’s some shots of the first infinity scarf. I experimented on myself….before I made more…so much more. Photos below are by my dear man. He takes great photos….then puts up animated gifs of me making dinner. That’s True Love….the part where I let him do that.
Scarf 1scarf 2scarf 3
OK, I have ALL of that to show you coming up AND AND AND
I signed up for some classes at Modern Domestic, one at Montavilla and a Jenny Doan lecture. Normally, I’m not a fan of classes, only because I’m too impatient and when I want to learn something I just go find it….but I have my reasons for these particular classes which I’ll expand on later.
That, and most of my lessons in sewing have either been my mom or self-taught, and while that’s great, it’s such a HUGE subject…I know a couple different ways of putting pants together, for example, but I prefer one particular way over the other. That’s barely scratching the surface of techniques, habits and tricks. In fact, I’ve got a trick to share with you right after I post this that I haven’t read anywhere.
Sewing, quilting and embroidery are truly humbling in that I will never know it all….and I love that.
I was reading this sewing blog I quasi-follow and read the opinion by the owner that she likes to sew because her kids then don’t have to wear ‘commercial prints’……uh, ok. That’s cool. Whatevs. To each their own.
I’m not sure if ‘commercial prints’ meant not mass production, because then…you have to turn down those Moda fat quarter prints that you got comped, hon. Yeah. Does it mean not advertising for Disney? Pshaw. I’m the first person to say I’ll never carry a Coach bag – it’s just not my thing….but this is for kids and fun and…well, it’s about them and not imposing some false sense of anti-establishment BS. I remember my mom making Teen Age Mutant Ninja Turtle sets for my brothers’ beds and I still have somewhere these photos of them just beaming with joy on those beds. I’ll post it some day to be a horrible big sister.
AND I have this nephew…. in Seattle…. that looks at me with these giant eyes, calls me Aunt B, and LOVES the Disney Cars movies. He asked for some Cars pants.
So I bought all the Disney Cars fabric. I didn’t leave any for you.
Cars Fabric
OKOKOK, just one of those is fleece for pj pants. The others are cottons for a quilt. I’m thinking a chunky chevron pattern (these prints are huge) with a solid to break up the crazy print. We shall see how it goes, but I just know I can’t deny the boy.
And you know what? Star Wars is rad. And so is Star Trek. Especially in fabric form.
Star Wars Schematic Fabric
I love this green Star Wars fabric so hard. I need it. I KNOW I’m not the only one that takes photos of fabric that needs to be bought….and I may need some of the old school Star Trek fleece.
There’s also 2 Seattle family babies due this spring. I’m thinking a trip to the local Cool Cottons quilt store is in order for that one. This is one of my most favorite baby sets for my friend Rose: blanket for baby, skirt for big sister…I’m thinking I can make something like that before we head up. It’s super simple, clean and not-fussy. I FMQ’ed the zig-zag instead of pivoting on the needle…it’s a bit more wiggly but I dig it. We’ll see how much time I can squeeze in sewing.
Elliott’s Blanket
And a few MORE things still. I still have more Cheap Baby Clothes (and Big Kids) on the horizon. I have a kimono blouse to do a pattern trace and recreate with. There’s a top secret post coming out this month someplace else that I’m super excited about.
I’m hoping to do some salt dough crafts this spring….that keeps on moving on to the next month’s list…as does the kimono shirt.
And finally, I’ve been tinkering with this pattern.
Burda 9562
While it is an ‘easy’ pattern, I’d say it’s more on the top end of easy. It shouldn’t be anyone’s beginner pattern. The front cover must have been created before final pattern adjustments because it doesn’t show the top is lined. Which is awesome, just not super beginner if that’s what you need.
To test it I used a fabric I have a LOT of just in case I needed to tweak it.
Jumper 1st Set
It got a little squirrelly when I sewed the bodice to the pants and was blind-sewing….no, of course I didn’t pin it. Yes, I realize that’s my problem. I’m thinking some cute ribbon to cover it up and also break up the dots? Or even lace ribbon?
Squirrelly Seam
Here it sits….still on a hanger. I think it’s cute and I want to make more….but….
Burda Jumper
The pattern has 2 snaps for the top of each strap. I can’t decide if I like that or not. Or if I want to invest in the whole snap-punch thing. Do I just put on cute buttons instead? There’s barely enough length for that….I would alter that for future patterns to have more strap-double up for buttons. Definitely NOT ties or anything complicated as this is still in diaper-wearing age range but does not have an open-crotch area. This pattern is roomy enough for cloth diaper users and is versatile enough for alterations into a dress or a boy version.
