Pattern Review: Flyaway Cardigan and Saucy Skirt from Dandelions 'n' Dungarees

Okay, so I went to bed last night planning on finishing up a smaller set this morning and then adding some quick pictures and posting, BUT then I got to looking at the smaller size range of this pattern and decide I would be doing a huge disservice to everyone with littles if I didn't show you how awesome the tiny size was too.  So here are the two newest releases from Dandelions n' Dungarees.

There are two patterns being shown here in size 6: Flyaway Ruffle Cardigan and the Saucy Skirt.

These patterns are available in three size groupings
Baby: NB - 18mo
Girls: 2 - 7
Tween: 8- 16

Can you tell how much she loves it??  As soon as photos were over it went right into her little pile of clothes to wear the next day.  Perfect for fall in the Pacific Northwest... just add leggings!  How great is it that this coordinates with her hair too?

It's such a lovely pattern, and here was the kicker for us... even with making the ruffles, the entire outfit was done in under 3 hours.  And, another equally cool aspect is that the skirt has multiple options included that make it so versatile.  During testing we had a Princess Party to go to and Inara wanted a frozen themed skirt to wear, so I grabbed the flannel lined satin from Joann's and some pink costume satin I had laying around and whipped up a woven one with a simple yoga waistband... (yes I left the serger edges sewing.. we were leaving in 45 minutes and I was in a bit of a rush lol)

The pattern is just so sweet, and we know how much Inara loves twirl, right? So how perfect is this:  

She may have twirled until she fell over...  I may have laughed a little.  

I also wanted to show you another way to to the ruffles... so here is the cardigan and skirt in a size 3 (for Connor's little girlfriend)... the tie on the skirt is done in grosgrain ribbon instead of the tie AND the ruffles on the back are done with ruffle fabric... so if you're in a big hurry for a super cute outfit, this saved even more time..

The skirt on this one is done with a semi-sheer shimmey slub knit, as are the sleeves on the cardigan... I was hoping they gave up a sort of shimmery fairy quality... we'll see what Evie thinks when she gets them!

AND, here is what decided to buy last night and cut out and sew this morning... (yes, I liked this pattern so much that I went out and bought another size grouping)  because I really wanted to show one more way to do the ruffles... and my friend has a new baby that NEEDS this outfit.  This is the Newborn size (HOW CUTE AND TINY) and the ruffles are made from an eyelet lace that I had in my stash.  It was already slightly gathered, so I just sewed the strips on as they were.  

So there are lots of great options for embellishing the back of this sweater, and they each give it a unique look.  

ALSO, you can do different neck closures... which is a cool way to personalize the pattern as well.  For Inara's a did a button and loop as the pattern is written.  A couple of testers extended the neck binding and used it to make ties at the neck.  And for Evies I did a pom-pom to look like the one's on Tink's shoes and for the baby one, I extended the binding to make a tab on on side and used KAM snaps. 

I just cant gush enough over this pattern, and I really wanted to show off the tiny size BECAUSE right now there are some awesome sale bundles going on in the Dandelions n' Dungarees Craftsy Store.  For only $9.00 you can get 2 size groups of the Flyaway Ruffle Cardigan and for $13.00 you get from NB through size 16.  And the same sale is on for the Saucy Skirt as well.  So while they are on sale for the release, you should definitely grab the bundles as the savings are HUGE.  (Sale ends Sunday!)

And after you grab your patterns, please come join the Dandelions n' Dungarees Facebook Group to show off your sews!  

Thanks for stopping by to see what I made!  

Happy Day & Boho Beauty Pattern Review and Giveaway

Okay, so let me start with I AM SO HAPPY TODAY!  <yup, totally yelled that>  Last month my darling little Angel...

(Don't let the sweet smile fool you) had an epic tantrum during which he pushed my laptop onto the floor and shattered the screen.  After staring in confusion at what had just happened, I swore under my breath and sighed loudly.  For the last month Justin has been graciously letting me use his as laptop to print patterns/edit pictures/send in feedback/etc.  BUT the *man cave* is not very conducive for blogging success.  So I've been going through a bit of withdrawal.. get ready for lots of posts... and I'll try to work some giveaways in there as well!

So I saw the tester call for the Boho Beauty Swing Top from Monkeysbug Patterns.  I had never tested for them, but Inara has a stack of underwear I made her from their hipster/bikini pattern, so I showed the tester to Inara.  I wasn't sure how she would react, since she wears a lot of knits lately, but she saw it and loved it, and ran off to pick fabric.  Then I sat here for a day anxiously hoping to hear from Kate, and I was very excited when she emailed.

Why is she always turning her head like that lately???

The details:
Sizes 2-14
2 Sleeve lengths
2 sleeve hemline widths
2 shirt hemlines
Made for woven fabrics
Tutorial for making your own bias tape included!

After a bit of discussion about these fabrics being kind of dark, here is what Inara picked for her first top.
This one is the long sleeves, hi-low hem and gathered long sleeves.

I also took the few minutes to make my own bias tape for this one... here's why.... store bought bias tape always seems so scratchy, and this pattern calls for three pieces of bias tape... In Inara's size they are all under 20", so there was no sewing together of strips required.  I just cut my three bias strips, and ironed them and I was ready to go.

Seriously, I brushed her hair RIGHT before we walked out the door.  After this first one, we discussed some minor changes... I'm pointing this out, because when I show you the second one, you will notice the neckline isn't quite as wide.  Either way, this one stayed on for the rest of the day while she declared herself to be a flower fairy.  (weird kid)

When I told her we were going to make another one, I sent her off to pick fabric again, and I think she is getting really good at this.  This print was a red tag from Joann's a few months ago that has sat on the shelf waiting for a project... this one was perfect...

This one also has the long gathered sleeves, but I did the traditional curved hemline on the shirt.  I was a little iffy on the button choice, but It really pulled in the colors in the bias I think.

The pattern itself is a very straightforward sew.  It took me about 90 minutes, including making the bias and cutting out the fabric.

If you are new to bias tape, this one shouldn't worry you! The bias tape is attached sort of differently than normal so as long as you are good with pins it will have a very nicely finished look at the end!  For us, this is great, as less small seams to itch means she is super happy to wear it!

Can we not discuss that my pretty fence needs to be painted?  It's rainy season here and if I could just get 48 hours of dry, I would do it, but its like a lost cause in the PNW until May or June!

I totally love how the fade out looks on this top.  AND she is currently wearing it in school as I sit here typing, which is a definite sign of how much she likes it, as she dresses herself for school... I would show you pictures to prove it, but some of them are a bit embarrassing (last week she wore a Minecraft shirt, Powerpuff Girls skirt and cheetah leggings...). 

This entire testing experience was really a great one.  Kate was receptive and friendly.  She asked opinions and was fun to work with!

So this top is out today, AND you should run off and grab it now from the Monkeysbug Patterns Shop while it is ON SALE!!

AND, after you've bought it, please enter my giveaway for your own copy of the pattern!  If you purchase the pattern now (because, well its ON SALE and you should get it now), and then win the pattern, I will send you the cost of your pattern OR purchase a different Monkeysbug pattern for you!  So entering is worth it!

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Pattern Review and Giveaway: Sofilantjes Omni Tempore Shirt *NEW ADD ON*

Happy Monday!  Okay, I can't stand Monday's... Everyone drags a little slower getting ready in the morning.  Inara is usually a fuss from not wanting to go to bed the night before.  Connor will crawl back under the covers and go back to sleep at least once.  And me? I required at least 3 cups of coffee to get through Mondays.

I'm sure that a lot of you feel the same way, so I'm here to sweeten the day a little bit.  Last month I tested an awesome pattern...  

I wrote a post about it, and made four of the shirts during testing... three for Connor and one for Inara.  It even worked awesome for upcycles 



The shirt has this cool crossover collar with two sleeve options and fits sizes 12mo through 14. 











And during testing we all started harping on Annemieke how cool the shirt would be with more options...  and because she is so fantastic, she listened patiently and started drafting away.






This month I got to test the updated version of the Omni Tempore Shirt.  So if you didn't already get the original version, here is what you are getting with this pattern:

Sizes 12mo through 14yrs
Cross front collar or hood options
Short or long sleeves
cuff option for both sleeve lengths
Hem band option
Kangaroo Pocket option

 Say hi to little man, who is currently obsessed with Jack-Jack Attacks... the 5 minutes cartoon short that goes with The Incredibles.  So he was REALLY excited to put on his Jack-jack shirt to help with the gardening.  Let's just ignore the fact that it was 75 and I told him he was going to get too hot.

This is version is long sleeved w/cuffs, hem band, hood and pocket.  And Connor loves it.  He totally loves pockets in general, so he kept stuffing his hands in his pockets.  The fit is great... it's just loose enough that I can stick a t-shirt under it if it's cooler, and not so big that it can't be worn on its own.

He could only find one opening on the pocket so he's using his pants pocket too!

 The hood is lined, which I love, and all combined, the shirt takes maybe 90 minutes or less, including cutting.  So, as we move into fall, this is right at the top of my must sew list for both kiddos. With all the options, it perfect for year round wear, so totally worth it.

Here's the best part... the pattern is on sale for a few more days here in the Sofilantjes Etsy Shop
or in her Craftsy Shop.  AND the really exciting part.... Annemieke is very graciously allowing me to do a giveaway... so please enter below!  AND once you've entered my giveaway, check out the release party round up so you can enter the giveaways that all the blogger testers are doing!


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Perfect Pattern Parcel #5 Blog Tour!

Hi! I am really excited to tell you about Perfect Pattern Parcel #5. 

Last round was super successful, raising $1000 for classrooms in need!  This brings the total that the Perfect Pattern Parcel bundles have raised to over $11,000!  How amazing is that?  So not only are you getting great patterns, but you are supporting children's education.

This round here are the awesome patterns you get from the parcel:

Lily Knit Blazer by Peek-a-Boo Patterns

Everyday Yoga Pant for Girls by Greenstyle

Asymmetrical Drape Top by EYMM

Playhouse Dress by Fishstick Designs

Mimi Dress and Shirt by Filles a Maman 

BONUS PATTERN: Sunki Dress by Figgy’s

If this is your first intro to the Perfect Pattern Parcel, here is how it works.  You get to name your price for the patterns included in this bundle.  If you name your price OVER $28, you get the BONUS PATTERN... which is actually a double bonus this round, because it includes both size ranges.  So you get the Sunki dress in sizes 18mo through girl's 16!  After expenses, all remaining proceeds from sales go back into donorschoose.org to support classrooms in need. 

This bundle was super exciting for me, because I actually owned three of the patterns already, and all of the designers on the list are ones that I love showing off my creations from.  For this post, I want to talk about two of the patterns... mostly because they made the cutest outfit together....

Check out my wild child rocking the Asymmetrical Drape top and Everyday Yoga Pants..... entire outfit... cutting included -- under 90 minutes.  Awesome.

Asymmetrical Drape Top from EYMM
Sizes: NB through 18 teen
Two shirt asymmetry options
Two bottom finishing options
Clear, simple instructions that are easy for even a knit newbie to follow.

 The knit I used on the top was the slinkiest, slippiest, staticy-est (I know those aren't words, but you get my point...) fabric that I've ever sewn.  Inara found it in the clearance bin at Walmart, and said it was *so soft* she just *had* to have it.  So we got it, and she just loves the shirt.  I dreaded the idea of hemming it, so we went with the banded bottom and used a nice black ribbing to match the neck binding.

And the pants...
Everyday Yoga Pants from Greenstyle Creations
Sizes: XS-XL (approximately girls 4 through girls 14)
Multiple length options: short, capri, or pant
Fast sew, with yoga waistband
Easy to follow instructions

 It's still relatively warm out here, so I went with the capri version.  They are meant to be made with fabrics that have some good stretch and recovery on them, and as I attempted to explain this to Inara, she was already pulling this dance wear lycra print off the shelf.  So I think she understood the lesson at least.  They are a little bright, but they totally fit her personality, AND they match her hair.  The fit on these is perfect without any adjustments, and Inara loves the comfort of the yoga waistband.

If you're on the fence, you will not regret grabbing this Pattern Parcel.  It's a great collection for those mostly knit lovers, with a great bonus sophisticated pattern too!  I'll be back later in the week to show off some more sewing from this bundle as well!

If you're decided already... hop over and grab the bundle:

But, if you're waffling, make sure you check out the rest of the tour, it will definitely convince you to get it!
Parcel #5 Inspiration Tour Schedule:

Friday, September 19 Pienkel || Cookin' and Craftin'

Saturday, September 20 Sew Busy Lizzy || The Life Of A Compulsive Crafter

Sunday, September 21 Keep Calm and Carrion || Felt With Love Designs

Monday, September 22 Radiant Home Studio || Sewing Sober

Tuesday, September 23 Sew Fishsticks || La Pantigana || Amanda Rose

Wednesday,September 24 Shawnta Sews || Sprouting JubeJube || Knot Sew Normal

Thursday, September 25 Make It Perfect || Mimi's Mom || Climbing the Willow

Friday, September 26 Needle and Ted || Our Family Four

Saturday, September 27 Froo & Boo

Sunday, September 28 Stitches by Laura || Vicky Myers creations

Monday, September 29 Cookin' and Craftin' || The Crazy Tailor

Tuesday, September 30 mama says sew || FABulous Home Sewn || The Inspired Wren

Wednesday, October 1 lady and the gents || That's-Sew-Kari || Sewing Sober

Thursday,October 2 Gracious Threads || Blogs Like A Mother || SewsNBows

Friday, October 3 sew chibi || Lulu & Celeste || Made by Sara  

 

Pattern Review: Laurelette Dress and Tunic From Greenstyle Creations

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll know that Greenstyle Creations is one of my go to designers for patterns for me.  In fact, I made a whole bunch of things for me as part of the Greenstyle Essential Wardrobe Blog Tour.  

One of the items I made was the Laurel, which has this awesome cowl neck, and is just so perfect for moving into fall.  So when Angelyn started talking about doing a girl's version, I was so excited.  And the girls version is pretty spectacular....

Meet The Laurelette

The Details...
Sizes 12/18mo through 13/14
4 sleeve lengths + sleeveless options
Dress or Tunic length (with high-low option available in both lengths)
Cowl neck or binding
Pleated or Flat back options
Pockets!!

This is our Tunic length version.  I used an interlock for the bodice and jersey for the cowl and "skirt" portion.  I love the varying sleeve lengths with this pattern.  This is the "elbow" length option, with the pleated back skirt.  The pattern includes a pleated front for all options, but if you want a little extra fullness, use the pleated back as well.  Inara of course insisted on pockets... because, well POCKETS!!!

After we finished our tunic, I realized how much I just love this pattern, so I decided to whip up a dress version as well to show off. 

  My child isn't always cooperative, as you know... but this is the 3/4 length sleeves, binding on the neck, dress length, flat back with pockets.  The bodice is in a jersey, and the rest of the dress is done in my awesome Rudolph print cotton/lycra.  Its not too early for a Christmas dress right??

Here... now pretend it's snowing...

Perfect!  Merry Christmas!!  Okay, so maybe it's a little early for a Christmas dress, but the Misfit Toys are cool year round.  And she loves it, so its a win in my book.

For all of the options that you get with this pattern, it is totally worth it.  Like all of the Greenstyle Patterns, it is easy to assemble the pattern pieces.  The pieces are clearly labeled and the pattern itself is easy to follow along.  This pattern took me about  90 minutes to make, including cutting.  Which is great for us, because I tend to spend about that long just picking out fabric! 

Greenstyle patterns are really reasonably priced AND while you're there getting your Laurelette, check out her discount codes for multiple purchases... I have loved every Greenstyle pattern that I've sewn and their Facebook Group is really friendly if you have any questions! 

You should also check out her Facebook group for awesome details on the upcoming Laurel and Laurelette Sewalong!! 

Thanks for stopping by! 

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! 

Perfect Pattern Parcel Blog Tour, Post #2: Maxwell Top from Shwin Designs

This is my second post about Perfect Pattern Parcel #4, and I will jump right in there by saying that you really should buy this bundle if you haven't yet!   If you missed my first post, check it out here to see Connor rockin' his Zippy Jacket. 


Pattern Parcel #4 is all about boys... Included in this parcel are the following patterns:

Maxwell Top by Shwin Designs

Zippy Jacket by Blank Slate Patterns

Schoolboy Vest by Sew Much Ado

Small Fry Jeans by Titchy Threads

Jet Pack Bag by Betz White

Bonus Pattern:  Knight Hoodie by Charming Doodle.

AND, if you're like me, you probably need an explanation of how this works...

You have until September 5th to purchase these patterns while supporting both the awesome indie designers who made them AND children's education equality, as after expenses are paid the remaining profit is donated to Donorschoose.org.  So there are 5 patterns included in the bundle and you kind of get to name your own price on this bundle (retail value is over $60).  If you pick a price over $26, then you get the bonus pattern.   It's back to school time, and if you're like this house, money is tight, but if you can, the Perfect Pattern Parcel people (say that one ten times fast?) would love it if you choose  to pay as much as you can so that they are able to donate as much as possible to Donorschoose.org, and organization that helps support children's education.

Connor LOOK AT THE CAMERA!!

For this second post, I've chosen the Maxwell Top by Shwin Designs to show you.  This pattern is pretty awesome, in fact, I like it so much, that I actually already owned it prior to signing up to blog about the Pattern Parcel.   

The details:
Sizes 12mo - 8yrs
made for woven fabrics
short sleeves
back yoke, lined collar, pockets and tab all make this perfect for a pop of contrast

I made my shirt in size 2 on Connor - he's really on the border of 18mo/size 2, and I think it could have gone either way,  but he'll get more wear out of the larger size.  I used some of his favorite Olaf fabric and paired it with a nice orange solid (I really wanted the Olaf to *pop*, so I changed to orange after originally picking blue).   The tabs on the sides are done using some cool twill tape that I had in my stash, and attached with two blue checkered buttons that I also had in my stash.  I waffled a bit with the front closure and ended up going with snaps, because i really liked the sort of urban look that they gave it.

Okay, silly show off close up here - check out how awesome that one pocket came out??? I totally nailed my fussy cutting!!  (dances happily)

I love the finished look this pattern has - from the facings to the decorative top stitching (I waffled here too, and I am really glad I went with the contrast instead of an orange) .  The instructions are easy to follow along, and the diagrams are clear and easy to undersand.  At one point I misunderstood something, I emailed the designer and heard back from her within minutes, AND she was very nice and sweet, even when responding to my ridiculous question.  In retrospect, it was a pretty silly question, so I'm really glad she didn't respond with "umm... are you sure you know what you're doing??" 

Total time spent on the pattern was about 2 hours including cutting.  I may have been a little slow, because I kept waffling on the details, and fussy cutting, but it still came together much faster than I actually expected!

So all in all, this pattern has actually sold me on Shwin patterns in general, not just for the great pattern, but when a designer takes time to answer and is happy and informative, it just wins me over.  And, its the second pattern I've sewn up from the Perfect Pattern Parcel #4 and I am just as happy with this one as I was with the Zippy Jacket.  I own the Knight Hoodie too, and that one is also a must have ... so really ... click my link!! <I don't get paid if you use my link, but I do get entered in a drawing to thank the bloggers>


And, if you're still on the fence...  Check out the posts from these other amazing bloggers (but hurry and buy it, because Parcel #4 ends on the 5th!):

Friday, August 22 casa crafty || Lulu & Celeste || Keep Calm and Carrion
Saturday, August 23 Max California || Amanda Rose
Sunday, August 24 little betty sews
Monday, August 25 Kadiddlehopper || Radiant Home Studio
Tuesday, August 26 La Pantigana || Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy Crafts || Friends Stitched Together
Wednesday, August 27 Make It Perfect || Modern Handmade || GYCT Designs
Thursday, August 28 Needle and Ted || Mae & K || Mimi's Mom
Friday, August 29 Pienkel || Once Upon a Sewing Machine || Friends Stitched Together
Saturday, August 30 FABulous Home Sewn || Gray Skies || The Crazy Tailor
Sunday, August 31 Nine Stitches || Max California || Oliver's Fancy || Friends Stitched Together
Monday, September 1 a happy stitch || lady and the gents || Our Family Four || Swoodson Says
Tuesday, September 2 verypurpleperson || Things for Boys || The Crazy Tailor
Wednesday, September 3 Our Family Four || Rebekah Sews || a happy stitch
Thursday, September 4 Sew a Straight Line || la inglesita || Made by Sara || Knot Sew Normal
Friday, September 5 Knot Sew Normal || Gracious Threads || Sofilantjes || Max California