Little Kiwi's Closet Bow Back Beauty

So this new pattern is awesome... like totally and completely awesome.  I know I'm a sucker for Little Kiwi's patterns in general... but this one is just amazing... Yes, I tested it, but even bigger YES you need it.

The Bow Back Beauty From Little Kiwi's Closet is fantastic!

This pattern has a ton of options.. let me try to lay them out for you...
Sizes: NB - 12
Bodice options: natural waist, hip length, or onesie (NB-4)
Back options: Bow or plain (AND bow can be layered over plain for modesty or cold weather!)

Skirt options: Peplum, Dresss, High-low
Sleeve options: Sleeveless, Short Sleeve (with or without cuff) and long

This one is the hip length, with peplum and long sleeves.  For the fabric I used a reversible double knit from Joann's.

The binding was done in a nice ribbing that my local sewing shop carries...  Seriously, this store carries like 100 colors of ribbing and I have no idea why, but I love it.

Anyways.. I finished the peplum with a rolled hem and added a pretty crochet flower that I got from  Whimsical Fabric.

I love how elegant this combination looks.  I think the pink and black paired together makes a really darling combination, AND its perfect for cool spring weather in Washington when paired with our favorite Skinny Legs legging pattern.









In fact, she already wore it to school and got tons of compliments!

Next up I made my more "casual" version.  This is the short sleeved, natural waist, with a peplum and longer skirt underneath.  The skirt is the size 4 dress length, because I wanted a less dressy length than the dress version, and I think it worked out perfectly.

For this one I used a shirt to upcycle for the bodice, and did the skirt, peplum and binding in solid cotton lycras from PurpleSeamstress Fabric.  

The pattern specifically says to use good quality knits with nice stretch and recovery, like cotton-lycras.  I'd like to offer an apology for failing to listen to Lydia here... and here is why..  the t-shirt knit doesn't stretch nice like a cotton-lycra blend would, so it ended up a bit more fitted than the other two versions.  It still fits her, but if you're going to go with a less stretchy knit.. I suggest sizing up a little so you get more wear out of it.

And last is my favorite.  It's elegant, dressy, and still comfortable enough that she's picked it out to wear to school tomorrow... (granted its cold and rainy, so she's wearing a Bella Bolero over it, and leggings under).

This is the sleeveless, natural waist, dress version, with an overlay.  I cut the dress at the length written in the pattern and cut the overlay three inches shorter.

The main dress fabric is a stretch panne, and the overlay is in a stretch mesh with glitter embellished hearts.  The binding is a really nice poly-cotton-lycra ribbing.  I think she looks like a princess in this one.

What I love: If you couldn't tell, I really love all of the options this pattern gives, and the various ways to dress it up or down depending on options and fabric combinations.

What I'd change: So far as the pattern goes, the fit is fantastic, and the options are all clearly explained and easy to follow.  As for me, I need to write a note on my pieces to size up when using fabrics that aren't the pattern recommended ones!

So, hopefully you're still reading.. and if you haven't bought the pattern yet... here's the link again: Click Here!  Grab it while it's still on sale - its worth every cent for all of the awesome combinations you can make!

Boys Can Wear Pink Blog Tour

Hi, and welcome to my day of the Boys Can Wear Pink Blog Tour hosted by the awesomely creative Kelly of Handmade Boy.

The whole concept behind this blog series makes me smile.  If you've seen pictures of Connor before, he wears blue and pink Frozen Sneakers that were the only shoes he would pick out after going to three different stores.  He carries his pirate sword and Minecraft toys in a purple princess lunchbox. And likes having his nails painted with blue sparkly polish.   But above all of that, he picks his own clothes and his own fabrics for when I make him stuff.

So this is our first *pink* outfit.  He picked out the My Little Ponies and the blue to go with it.  When we went to pick the piping, I suggested yellow, black, and turquoise.  He picked pink.  In retrospect, its a good thing he did, because it matches rather well.

When we went to the store, all I told him was to pick a fabric he liked that had some pink in it.  He actually picked two, but you'll have to wait for our second outfit!

For the shirt I used the Dandelions 'n' Dungarees Old Tyme Baseball Shirt.  This pattern comes in 3 size grouping, but the the bundle is the best deal.. and if you wait until tomorrow to pick it up, you'll get the newly revamped pattern pieces that are being finished up as I type.  The pattern has button instructions (and very awesomely explains male vs female buttoning), but I did the snaps for Connor so he could take it off himself.  Awesome bonus! The code boys30 gets you a discount in the Dandelions 'n' Dungarees Etsy shop through Wednesday night!

For the pants, I used my go-to woven pants pattern:  Little Kiwi's Closet Paneled Pants and Shorts.  I use this pattern for both kids when I need a pants pattern with a cool coordinating detail.  And there is cute bow or pocket options to add as well.   I think of all the patterns I own, this is the one I most often make.

You'd think that the My Little Pony watcher in the house would be Inara, but nope.  She doesn't like MLP anymore and gave her mini-figures to Connor who loves it.  So thankfully they area toy that got happily passed from one kid to the next!

I love the outfit with the pops of pink in it.  I'm also thrilled that his daddy thinks the outfit is cool (whew!), and most of all, I'm happy that he loves it, because that's what its all about... dressing him in clothes that he loves that show him that he can wear anything he wants and colors don't have genders!

Connor says to go enter the giveaway below!  With this awesome list of prizes it's totally worth it!

One yard of Stenzo Pit Stop Poplin in pink from Mabel Madison

$25 gift certificate, plus a surprise fat quarter from Phat Quarter Shop

One yard of solid cotton/lycra & one yard of coordinating fabric from Purple Seamstress

One pattern of choice from Paisley Roots

$20 store credit from Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop

One pattern of choice from Patterns for Pirates

One pattern of choice from Mouse House Creations

Bottoms Up Pants Pattern from If Only They Would Nap

One Pattern of choice from Titchy Threads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for stopping by! And please check out the rest of the talent posting this month and keep tabs at the round up post.

Little Kiwi's Closet Pimp That Pattern Blog Tour: Day 3

Hi! Welcome to Day three of the Little Kiwi's Closet Pimp That Pattern Blog Tour.  I'm very excited to have you!

So let's start with the pattern.  There were two options for patterns for the tour and I decided to sew for Inara, so meet the Flutterby Romper. (On sale at that link for 30% off during the tour).

I tested this pattern as well, and had a lot of fun playing with all of the options during testing...

So let's talk options first.
Available in sizes NB through 12yrs
6 sleeve variations in 4 lengths
4 leg variations in 2 lengths
Crotch snap option
Made for woven fabrics (but that pink one on the left is knit shhhh)

The fit on the pattern is fantastic, and the instructions have tons of pictures to make it easy to follow along.  And if you find yourself confused about anything... there are loads of helpful people in the Little Kiwi's Closet Facebook Group.

I danced around a bit trying to come up with some cool inspiration to pimp the pattern, and finally decided to honor the geekery of this household... Have you heard of Gamergate?  It's causing quite a stir lately, and though I think some of the treatment of females in the industry is awful, I never really considered the character representation, until last week... when after two hours of searching we finally picked a game character that met three conditions... (1) Inara thought they were cool (2) They served a big enough role in the game to be known and (3) they wear enough clothes that I could modify a romper to work.   That last one was rough.   So... here are my fabric choices....

No idea where I'm going with this, huh?  I wasn't totally sure either.  Let's start with the bottom one....

This one was a super pimp... lol.  SO I used the short sleeves with elastic for the top, and instead of attaching the pants or shorts from the pattern, I cut a full circle skirt for the bottom, and attached it the same way the pattern called for.  I also added a little Pokemon ribbon trim to the bottom, in case her outfit wasn't obvious.  Though, with Piplup on her head, I think any fan would get it.  **She's Dawn from Pokemon**

I originally cut three front bodice pieces to make the V in the front, but I didn't consider Inara's seam issues, and she flipped, so I ended up started all over with the front bodice and just taking a solid front and stitching the triangle onto it.

*Beanie is the For All the Family Beanie from Filles a Maman
Best part?  She picked it out to wear to school today! So its inspired enough that she loves it, without being too costume-y for daily wear.

And... now we move on to our video game character... are you ready?

Meet my little girl appropriate, not quite so skin tight, perfect for fighting off bad guys Lilith inspired Romper.  (from Borderlands if you are staring blankly at the picture).

I did the same V on the front as I did on the first one.  I narrowed the legs on the pants a little from the crotch point down, and then pieced the legs using a faux-distressed jegging fabric paired with a distressed (fake?) suede like fabric.  I was going for a more girl appropriate version of the outfit Lilith wears in the game.  Inara was totally excited about it.  Though her Lilith smirk needs some work...

Lilith is up there in her favorite characters, so she is totally thrilled with her outfit. And I am excited that she gets to play as a cool, strong female character... because she never wants to be rescued, she wants to be the hero.  I'm actually really grateful for this blog tour, because it gave me a chance to help her highlight qualities she admires in the females she sees on TV and in games.

The pattern itself is a fast sew, no matter which options you choose.  The pattern pieces print in color, but if you are a black and white only printer, they are laid out so it's easy to just highlight the size you want before cutting.  The pieces go together easily, and the only measurements on the pattern are the elastic for the neck/waist and arms/legs if you choose those options.  The pattern takes about 90 mins - 2 hours to sew (I think I am just really slow at pressing casings because I am paranoid they will end up crooked).

So here are the links to BOTH of the patterns you will see on the tour (grab them during the tour while they are on sale:
Flutterby Romper
Flutterby Playsuit

AND please take a few minutes to check out the rest of the posts for the week, and the awesome creation from Bethany posting today as well.

3rd November

2girls1orca1pukeko.blogspot.com

www.gingerbear.wordpress.com

4th November

www.sewoutofcontrol.wordpress.com

http://dribblepotsandtots.wordpress.com

5th November

www.calmandcarrion.blogspot.com

Sew-not-perfect.blogspot.com

6th November

www.conversasdehermanas.com

fairykissesboutique.blogspot.com

7th November

http://anapprenticehousewife.blogspot.com/?m=1

www.mendandmakenew.co.nz

8th November

Www.rebekahsews.com

https://www.diy-crush.com/blog/

Thanks for stopping by!!  And check out the linky too!

An InLinkz Link-up

Sewing Off some October Sews

Happy Wednesday.  Posts should go up in the morning, huh? Well I decided that I've been doing quite a bit of sewing lately, and I really just wanted to do a post to show off some of my favorites from the last month... tester and otherwise.

Inara's birthday was earlier in the month and she wanted a new dress to wear... I made these the night before (yay for mom fail procrastination moments).  The pink is the Playhouse Dress from Fishsticks Designs.  I modified the sleeves a little bit (no gather and no cuff).  The top is a yummy cotton lycra custom print knit from Sweet n' Charmed and the bottom is a cotton woven Skelanimals print.  I promise my neckline isn't wonkerdoodle... it just need to be pressed (so embarssing, but the dress was way cute).

This second one was just a simple tee pattern with the remnants of my Frozen fabric gathered and attached. But she loved it... I never know with her sometimes...

Then little man was feeling left out and asked for a Mario shirt, so I pulled out this fabric that has sat on my shelf for way too long and made him the Rockstar Raglan from Little Kiwi's Closet, with layered sleeves, so I felt like I out more effort into it lol.  He put it on as soon as he saw it and proceeded to spill his drink from dinner all over it. This resulted in a meltdown of sobbing *my mario shirt noooooo,* which was kind of funny... but it's washed and all better now.

And while showing my love for Little Kiwi's Closet... for Picture day Inara wore this Flutterby Top that I made in knit the night before pictures because we had an issue with the first picture outfit... 

Which was this... It's the Airy Ruffled A-line from Monkeysbug Patterns.  Now, the pattern itself was lovely... easy to follow. I ignored the size chart, which was dumb (it's totally accurate, you should follow it) and should have done the size the chart said, but it was easily fixed.

So here was the problem that I didn't consider and really felt like an idiot for... there is a seam at the top front where you flip the ruffle create the channel for the elastic.  For some absurd reason, once this part was gathered she found it to be insanely itchy.  Like freaking out, jumping around and crying because she picked the fabric and the pattern and was now heart broken that she couldn't wear it.

I've gotten a couple of suggestions about backing it in flannel/fleece, but i don't know if that will totally take care of it.  I was considering covering the front seam with FOE?  I don't know.. if anyone has any suggestions to save this dress for my randomly sensitive child, I will take any of them! The fit was great and it was just SO CUTE on, that I can understand why she was so sad that she  couldn't wear it. :(

And one last project, just because I want to tell people I won something... Whimsical Fabric does these cool sewalongs in their group, and I decided to jump in on the last one because it was for E+M Pants Pattern No. 2, which Inara has finally outgrown her size 5s, so she needed a new pair.  Anyways, in the sewalong group they post a daily album to upload your progress pics and you get entered for a prize each day that you keep up.  Well I won a $15 gift card to their shop and picked up some really cute fabric to use for another dress for Inara!

Here are my pants!  Aren't they cute? (Nar's top is the Elisa from Filles a Maman)

I did make Halloween costumes too, but I don't have modeled shots yet, so those will have to wait till another post!  Thanks for checking out all my pics!  ... and a funny one to end it:

Pattern Review: Little Kiwi's Closet Flutterby Peasant Dress/Top

So I have to start this post by admitting something that may sound kind of silly:  I have never made Inara a peasant dress before.  I made a modified one for myself last year, but I hadn't found a pattern I loved for Inara.  Then Lydia of Little Kiwi's Closet posted her teaser pics and I jumped on the chance to test.  

The Flutterby Peasant Dress/Top

Sizes Newborn to 12 years
4 style variations: dress with ruffle, dress with no ruffle, top with ruffle, and top with no ruffle. 
7 sleeve options: flutter, short, long and various elastic options
Designed for wovens, but works nicely in knit!

The first thing I want to highlight about this pattern is the body shape.  The body piece is slightly a-lined and it gives the pattern a nice flattering shape when worn.  

 

The second thing I want to point out is that this pattern is AMAZING with border prints!  I decided to go with the top with no ruffle and the short sleeves with elastic to highlight this gorgeous fall border print that has sat unused for over a year now!  

 

 

Can you tell Inara loves it?  She was so excited to pose in it.  I was actually kind of worried that the arm elastic would bother my sensitive princess, but I think its just the right length to look cute without irritating her.... Win-win.

After whipping out the top in under an hour, I decided to make the dress version.  I wanted to bring out the whimsical look of the fabric and went with the ruffled style with flutter sleeves.  I think she makes a cute little fairy .  :)

THEN, one of the other testers mentioned knits... And off I went back into my sewing room.  

I decided to  make the top version with flutter sleeves and I did a rolled hem on the ends of the sleeves and the ruffle.  

The result was a super cute and comfortable knit top... And moment of silence for using up the rest of my Finn and Jake fabric *sniff sniff*

 So, if you're looking for a cute and versatile peasant dress pattern - this is definitely the one to grab.  The instructions are clear and easy to follow.  The pattern pieces are easy to assemble.  I think that the wide size range and the multiple style options make this pattern a great value as well.  

And after you've picked it up, come on over and join the Little Kiwi's Closet Facebook Group  where you can ask any questions you have AND see lots and lots of pictures of all of the LKC patterns that people are making so you can add more of them to your library!  

OH! And very importantly... It's listed at 20% off for the next few hours!  Grab it here while its still on sale! 

Little Kiwi's Closet Scalloped Princess Dress Blog Tour: Day 1

Hi!  Welcome to day one of the Little Kiwi's Closet Scalloped Princess Dress Blog Tour.   Being on day one always makes me so nervous (shhh, don't tell Lydia).

I'm actually really excited to be part of this tour.  I do a lot of testing for Lydia, but when it was testing time for this dress, I was getting ready to visit my parents in New York and I wasn't sure I would have time to get it done, so I very reluctantly sat it out.  When Lydia announced the Blog Tour, I may have squealed a little, because I LOVE having a chance to show off her patterns.

Little Kiwi's Closet is one of the first designers I tested for, so she kind of holds a special place in my heart.  When I started testing, I wasn't very good at photos (at the time all I had was my cell phone), but I had bought one of her patterns and really loved how it was written, and when she posted a tester call, I crossed my fingers and applied.  Lydia is so sweet to test for.   She's receptive to suggestions, always has a positive attitude, and her patterns have this distinct feel to them that is just so *her* that I find myself really getting into each pattern.

This dress has a LOT of options, so I want to start with the details:
Sizes 12mo - 9yrs
4 Neckline options
2 Bodice Styles
3 skirt styles (below knee, high-low and long)
3 Hem styles
Instructions for button or snap closure on back

Sewing time: 1.5 - 2.5hrs depending on the options you choose, how many distractions you have and how fast you sew!




For my first dress, I knew exactly what I wanted to to.  I'm still in New York right now and we decided to take the kids to Sesame Place while I was here.  I don't usually go all out with the outfits like this, but the dress was just too perfect to not.

So here is Inara's Abby Ca-dabby inspired Scalloped Princess Dress.  I used the scalloped bodice with scoop neckline and the scalloped knee length skirt with hidden facing.  And then came the interesting part.  I decided I wanted the skirt to look like Abby's fairy skirt in blue and purple, so I sat down and stared at the skirt pattern piece for a bit and used the back seam side to create a template for a single scallop (if you do this, just remember you need to have a seam allowance on both sides of the scallop, and you need to make sure that you taper it correctly to the top so that the finished width of the skirt is the same as it would be if you used one fabric).  I will say, it was a little nerve-wracking when I got to the step to sew the hem facing on, because I was suddenly worried that my scallops weren't perfect and the facing wouldn't line up and I'd have been very sad.  But it fit!

How cute does she look posing with Abby?! I even made Connor an outfit for the day... I used the LKC Panelled Pants/Shorts Pattern and just appliqued some blocks on a store bought shirt... 

Okay, so the first dress, total hit at the park and with Inara.  She twirled around all day and proudly announced to everyone who asked that they could not have a dress like hers because her mommy made it with Miss Lydia's pattern.  After doing that dress, I decided I really wanted to do a second one that would help showcase just how diverse the options on this pattern are... and thus the second dress was born...

For this dress I used the sweetheart neckline, princess bodice, and hi-low hemline.  The hi-low is designed to be worn with leggings, but I wanted to go for a more dressy version.  And Lydia as always came through with this nicely placed tip on lengthening the pattern.  So I decided to do two layers to the skirt.  The bodice is the size 5, the pink sheer skirt is also the size 5, and then I did the underskirt in a sparkly purple satin with a size 5 waist and size 7 length.

The difference in length of the two layers gives the dress a really elegant look, and the longer bottom layer falls right at Inara's ankles.  I sort of wish I could make this in my size now, though, where would I wear it?  The supermarket?

The fit on the dress is perfectly in line with the sizing chart, as I've gotten used to with Lydia's patterns.  The sizing is very accurate, so measure your child and go off the chart and you will get a perfectly fitted garment.  The instructions are fantastic as well.  Each step is clearly explained with pictures, and should you have any questions her Facebook Group is active and full of friendly people who will help.  If this is your first LKC pattern, I really think it will hook you on her patterns.

Thank you for stopping by for my stop on the tour... make sure you check out the other awesome bloggers this week and also So Mama Sew who is posting today as well.  

And last, but very importantly... the giveaway!!! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you enjoyed my creations!