Summer Surprise Anniversary Tour

Hi! And welcome to Day two of the Summer Surprise Anniversary Tour for Sofilantjes.

Let me start with a huge thank you to Deb of Sprouting Jube Jube and Anne, the designer behind Sofilantjes for letting me participate.

 
One year ago I applied for a pattern pre-test for a new designer.  The designer seemed really friendly, and I was excited to see something new.  I even wrote a review on my blog about it.  And right then I was hooked on Anne and her way of testing.  She was sweet, involved, friendly, and over the top to make sure that the pattern fit just right.  I've loved spending the last year sewing more of her patterns and watching her style and shop grow.

So here we are, one year later, and I'm excited to tell you that Anne has revamped and updated the pattern a bit and here's what you get:
The pattern comes either bundled or in two size ranges 6mo-7 or 7-12, and the pattern has skinny sizing from 12mo - 12 that is included.
The pattern comes with three lengths - top, tunic and dress
The pattern is made for knits and has a pretty inverted pleat on the front and bow detail on the back.
Layered print option.

So elegant lol

Since this is a blog tour and Deb said to be creative... and she has 5 traditional Summer Surprises that she wears all the time (we really like this pattern lol), I decided to fancy it up a bit.  Using the pattern pieces for the top, I took a few inches off the bottom of it and added a circle skirt.

Quick interlude to tell you about the fabrics... I used the Art Gallery Petal and Plume knits from Whimsical Fabric for the dress.

 As soon as I applied for the tour, I ordered these fabrics, even though I wasn't sure yet how I planned on *hacking* the pattern. 


If you've never used Art Gallery knits before -- they are ah-mazing.  So soft and nice to work with.

 The twirl is just fantastic.  An Inara fancies herself a princess with her elegant summer dress.... which I think explains her choice of head-wear.

Seriously, the epitome of elegance.

In order to celebrate the Sofilantjes anniversary, this pattern is on sale.  The code "Anniversary" will get you 25% off on the pattern on the Sofilantjes website.  AND to make the celebration even more awesome, there is a giveaway every day for the duration of the blog tour.  Here's today's giveaway:

 Day 2 giveaway

-Serger Pepper Designs, winner's choice
-Lily Bird Studio, winner's choice
-Cole's Corner and Creations, winner's choice
-Paisley Roots, All Spice
-Kelly J Designs, winner's choice
-Laela Jeyne Patterns, winner's choice
-KB Stitch Design, winner's choice
-Sofilantjes, winner's choice


a Rafflecopter giveaway

And don't forget to check out all the other awesome bloggers for more ideas on how to be creative with this pattern AND to enter all the giveaways for the week!

Congrats to Anne for such an awesome first year, and I wish you many more!

Inspinration - The Craftiness in Me - Van Je Veel - Boutique Birdie - Tory Frail Designs - Wining Wife - Keep Calm and Carrion - Moon Star - Circle Meets Line - Amazing Adventures with Bubba and Bug - Manning the Machine - Sugarplum Cuties - House of Estrela - Create 3.5 - Handcrafted by RED - Lulu & Celeste - Rebel & Malice - Two Novembers - From a Box - Sprouting JubeJube - Maryall Made - Phat Quarters - Knot Sew Normal - Sew Happily Ever After - All Things Katy

Women's Bundle Up Blog Tour: MODKid Women's Malibu

Good morning!  Welcome to Day Three of the Pattern Revolution Women's Bundle Up Blog Tour!

I'll be posting a bit this week to show off the patterns I've sewn from the bundle, but let's start here with the gorgeous MODKid Malibu.  

*Disclaimer, I am totally and completely awkward when it comes to photos, so enjoy my attempting to follow Inara's instructions to "pose pretty."  

The details:
Sizes XS to XXL (30"-42" Bust and 32-44" Hip)
Made for knit fabrics
Two back options (crossover or solid)
Two lengths (mini or maxi)

I did the mini-length with the crossover back.  I am kind of at the top end of the fit for this pattern, and I feel like I could have taken it in a little, so there is definitely some give room if you're worried that it won't be big enough, don't worry!  In fact, my hips are definitely outside the measurements and I was a little worried that I might have to adjust the skirt, but it didn't need it.

This is me attempting to listen to Inara's constant critiques of me posing.  She was standing off camera on her play set yelling down at me.  She goes "Mom, your dress is pretty, how about you pose pretty too? AND take that frumpy sweater off."

Apparently, she doesn't love my cardigan... but it was a bit chilly, and I wanted to show that it layers up nicely for cool summer nights!

The pattern gives instructions for either using FOE for the binding or doing a knit binding.  I thought a pretty lace edged bias would look cute.

What I loved: I love that the back shows off my tattoo, while still allowing me to wear a bra.  I also like the A-line skirt shape, which I find to be much more flattering to my body type than a straight or gathered skirt. I also like that it has a solid back option for more modesty, if that's what you're looking for.  Also, this I thought was cool, the pattern gives 3 cutting lengths for the skirts: petite, average, or tall.  Which meant that I wasn't cutting a skirt that would end up being 3" too long, because I'm kind of short.

What I'd change: This one comes down to body type, I think, but when you add the elastic at the waistline, it gives the dress a better shape, but if you're like me and have a natural waist that is significantly smaller than your hips, it almost pulls the bodice up a little too far.  So I think for the next one I will shorten the bodice a little bit, so the crossover in the back sits more flat when worn.

This is my first MODKid Women's pattern, and I'm really happy with it.  I found the instructions to be easy to follow and understand, and the dress came together in about two hours from print to hem, which is amazing for a dress for me!

If you're still deciding which patterns to bundle up, this one is a yes from me!

And if you need more opinions and to see more options on all the patterns included (which come on, we all need to see more inspiration!), make sure you check out the rest of the bloggers on the tour

I've found that the best way to see all the posts, is to make sure you're following the Pattern Revolution Facebook Page!  

**Last disclaimer... this pattern was provided free to me in exchange for blogging about it, but all opinions are my own, and I picked it because I loved the teaser pics!

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!

Pattern Review: Adeline Dress and Tunic from Boho Banjo

Well, I've been doing some sewing for me... so don't laugh at my awkward modeling... I even tried one of the poses that my photo editing software said was one of the most flattering poses for women...  I ended up looking rather awkward.  BUT I really liked this pattern, so awkward posing aside, I need to show it off.

This is my first time sewing for this designer, who is part of the Aspriring Designers' Challenge on Pattern Revolution.  Meet the Adeline Tunic from Boho Banjo Art To Wear.

I really enjoyed making this tunic, and I really like how flattering it ended up.  When I first saw the sketches I thought that maybe it wasn't going flatter my *wide* hips, but once its on, it flows and drapes so nicely I just love it.   The pattern fits a range of sizes - the large fits US sizes 14-24 (bust sizes 36-52.   The small fits US 6-10.  It also works in knit or woven fabrics, and I think you could get away with a combination of the two as well.  

This is the pose that my photo editor said to use... do I look weird?

The blue and black one is done in a cotton/rayon blend knit with the side panels done in a black interlock.  It's super comfortable and I'm actually wearing it tomorrow to see some friends from where I used to live.  The longest part of the pattern is cutting and taping the pieces... BUT *woohoo* the pattern comes with a print-shop option as well, so if you don't want to sit and cut and tape all the pages, just run it to the print shop!

What I love:  I really like how it fits... loose but still flattering and gives a nice shape line.  The instructions were easy to follow and well written, and are detailed for all the various options.

What I'd change:  I didn't consider the weight of my fabric on the knit one, so the weight of the fabric pulls it down a little in length.  Since I used  stripe, I didn't want to do the stripes horizontally, which would have alleviated my pull issue, but In the future I think I'll want to take 1" or so off the bodice before adding the skirt pieces.  

The one above is my woven version.  I this one in a chiffon print that I picked up specifically for this pattern and I just love how it looks.  It's light and flowy, and I just stuck a plain tank top underneath, and I think it will be perfect for the beach this summer as well.  The pattern has two options for binding the neck and arms as well, but I did knit binding on both of mine, as I wasn't sure I could battle chiffon on the bias to make the bias-bound option.  

All in all sewing time took about 2 hours, maybe a little less, as I was a bit paranoid about messing up the front pleat, so I kept rechecking my lines.  I really love how the pleat brings in the front area and then it spreads back out for the lower half... Creates a nice waistline illusion.

The back has the same figure flattering pleat as the front, which I do think works well even with a tush the size of mine.  The pattern uses illustrations along with detailed instructions on how to create your tunic (or dress... it has a dress length as well, but I made both of mine in the tunic length.  I think I want a dress length one for the summer though).

The pattern is available in the Boho Banjo shop and you should definitely grab this as an awesome wardrobe add on!  And make sure you take a moment to read more about the designer Pearl, on her Aspiring Designer Challenge Post on the Pattern Revolution Blog.  And check out some of the made to order dresses in her shop... she prints her own original artwork on them and they are so cool!

Thanks for checking out my post... and not giggling too hard at my attempts at modeling this fantastic new pattern!

Pattern Review: Love Notions Miss Mary Mack

I think this pattern is going to be a year round wardrobe staple here.  Lots of options, fast to sew, and really cute...

The Love Notions Miss Mary Mack Tunic is here.

The options:
Sizes 12mo - 14
Two bodice styles: curved and straight
Four sleeve options: gathered cap, short sleeve, flutter sleeve, and long sleeve (five if you combine the flutter and long which looks awesome)
Made for knits

This is Inara trying to look artistic while keeping the sun out of her eyes.  For this one the Fancy Nancy Fabric is a tight rib knit, and I did the bottom of the bodice in a stretch velvet to keep the "fancy" theme going.  The pants she's wearing are the Maxx-ine pants (also from Love Notions, and they have these crazy cute zippers on the sides)

Between sewing and cutting the pattern took less about 1 -1.5 hours to make.  The Short sleeves went a little quicker than than the long sleeve with flutter.  And on the purple one, I used clear elastic to gather, and that was much faster than using gathering threads like I did on the teal one.

What I loved: The flowy fit is great, without looking too wide on my slim kid.  And I love all the sleeve options - it makes it perfect for all year.

What I'd Change: I wish I had more clear elastic to gather the second top that same way.  It makes the knit gathers look so nice and even and I don't have to mess with gathering threads AND it stabilizes the seam.

Since Inara won't wear jeans, we have a rule that if she wears leggings to school her tush needs to be covered. So shirts like this are awesome, because they are long enough to cover her tush with leggings without having to add a skirt.  The shirt is great for highlighting prints and you could even fancy it up with a lace overlay on the skirt part.

Here's my best endorsement too... The teal fabric is from Peru.  My parents brought me back a meter from their last trip and I can't get anymore until they go again.... This fabric has sat on my shelf getting picked up and put back for a year... and I cut into it for this pattern because I love it and Inara loved the pattern and the fabric!

So... its on sale through Saturday and is available here.   I totally recommend getting the Maxx-ine pants and skirt to go with it if you don't have that pattern yet!

**Note: links to Love Notions site are using my affiliate link, but all opinions are totally my own! If I didn't love it, I wouldn't promote it!

Pattern Review: Sweet Slumber Pajamas from Monkeysbug Patterns

We live in a kind of weird climate.  To one side I have the ocean and Canada and to the other we have mountains.  It results in a pretty temperate climate, but at this time of year we go from 30s and raining to 60s and sunny on a daily basis.

This means its time for some summer PJs for those warmer nights... and this is the perfect pattern for it...  The Monkeysbug Patterns Sweet Slumber PJs and Nightgown.

The details:
Sizes 2 - 14
Tank top style top and nightgown
Two short lengths: clam digger and shorty shorts
Made for knits

These have both gone through the wash multiple times since wearing, and Inara totally loves them.  The fit is fantastic, and the gathered front of the tank gives these a really feminine look without making them too baggy.

What I love:  If you've never made a Monkeysbug pattern - there is no trimming the pattern pieces, you just lay the pages next to each other and tape (yay!! No trimming!).  I really love how the straps and bodice trim are made - there is elastic in the trim so you can use pretty much any knit and not have to worry about them stretching out and losing their shape over time.

What I'd change: I actually didn't change anything on the pattern when I tested, and the fit was pretty fantastic I think.  On my nightgown, though, I decided to try clear elastic instead of regular 1/4" elastic, and I did find the clear elastic was a little easier to sew through the trim/straps on the last step since it is a little thinner (though it took way more clips for the first step of sewing it in since it slips more!)

For my nightgown I used a really pretty pink and brown poly cotton blend knit (I think it's actually pajama knit) that I won playing games in a sewing group.  For the straps and trim I used a dark brown interlock.  Normally, I wouldn't use interlock for straps because it stretches out and loses shape over time, but with the elastic added in the strap pieces it will hold its shape awesomely.  This knit was kind of thin so I used hem tape to stabilize the hem before stitching it (great recommendation Kate put in the pattern!)

For the PJ set I used a pretty cotton-lycra rose print from NR Fabrics and the solid is the lilac cotton-lycra from Purple Seamstress.  I used the rose print for the waistband of the shorts too, so they'd coordinate nicely.    She's not actually sleeping, but she pretends well, right??

I had a terrible time trying to get a good picture where the pretty gathers show, so here is our silly outtake pic... which also shows how nicely the straps cover without sitting too high under the arm too.

I have to say, there will be many more of these made. I know they are PJs, but I think the tank and shorts will be perfect for summers at the beach here as well.

The pattern is on sale for $5.95 today only, so run over to the Monkeysbug Pattern Shop and grab it!

Pattern Review: Bluezette Dress from Love Notions Patterns

I love this dress.  Love love love love.

Okay, now that I've gotten that out of the way... let me tell you what I'm talking about...

Meet the Bluezette Dress from Love Notions.

The details:
Sizes 2 - 16
Three Sleeve lengths: tank, cap, and elbow.
Three skirt options: tulip, high low, and gathered
Knit bodice and underskirt with multiple fabric options for the over skirt.

I did view A - the tulip skirt, with elbow length sleeves.  For my bodice and under skirt I used a sparkly stretch panne and my tulip over skirt is in a pretty floral chiffon.  **I did receive this pattern for free in exchange for testing, but all opinions are my own**

The construction in this pattern is fantastic... the bodice is fully lined and the pattern has a great step-by-step explanation of how to properly hem chiffon and imagine my glee at the use of under-stitching!

Inara actually squealed when she saw the dress finished.  She insisted on wearing it to school the next day.  It's not quite that warm here yet, so she ended up having to wear leggings under it, but she got so many compliments on it.. and rocked it at the park after school too.

Yup, we wear our fancy dresses on the monkey bars around here!  Actually, I was impressed at how it worked with some random leggings and sneakers too... perfect for school or a fancy event!

The dress took me about two hours total to sew, and I think about 45 minutes of that was slowly cursing my way through hemming the chiffon properly.  I bet some lace or knit would have been a bit simpler, but man does that chiffon flow so nicely.

The instructions are well written and easy to understand.  The fit matches nicely with the size chart, and the construction of the dress as a whole is nice.  You can make this dress as casual or dressy as you like depending on the options and the fabrics you use.

The dress is available here for 20% off using the code "bluezette" through the 28th. **This is my affiliate link**  

Thanks for checking out my post, and you'll LOVE this dress!!