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Category: Kids

Welcome Summer with the Bella Sunshine Designs Felicity Top and Dress!

I’m sure where most of you live, it is starting to feel like summer. Here in the upper Midwest, our days are getting longer, school is almost out, and it’s getting hot! This week I had the joy of testing for a new-to-me designer, Bella Sunshine Designs. You may remember Emily’s gorgeous Vintage Grace Flutter Dress from a few weeks ago. That was my first introduction to Bella Sunshine Designs, and I fell in love with their beautiful girly style. When the designers put up a testing call for the Felicity Top and Dress, I jumped at the chance to test the dress for my goddaughter who just turned one. Having 4 boys myself, it’s fun to sew something with ruffles and gathers once in a while! Continue Reading

Tide Pool Tank Release Day!

I had a baby on February 26. In addition to all my feelings of joy (I am so blessed in my husband and three children), another thought soon began racing through my head:

I can test for boys now!! SEW ALL THE BOY BABY CLOTHES!!

So when Peek a Boo Pattern Shop put out a testing call for the Tide Pool Tank, I was all in.

The Tide Pool Tank is a sweet and simple slim-fit tank top with a hood option. I made the 6 month size for my not-quite-three-month-old-chunk, and the fit is spot on. It is on sale today, for Thrifty Thursday, for $6.75. The top is suitable for boys or girls and is sized from 3 months to 12 years. Continue Reading

Seaside Notions Pensacola Beach Petal Top

I came across this Pensacola Beach Petal Top by Seaside Notions in a pattern group a few weeks ago and immediately fell in love with it. It’s got that combination of vintage charm and sweet little girl that I just love! Seaside Notions is having a Mother’s Day special through May 12, and this pattern can be purchased for $5.59 (regularly $7.99). All patterns are 30% off!

It was still chilly up here in Michigan at the time, but I knew this was going to be a spring/summer hit with my little girl, and I had some wovens from Hobby Lobby stashed that I was excited to use for it. Continue Reading

Sewing as necessity… sewing with love.

I’m going to go off the beaten sewing blog path a bit with this post.

I want to talk a little bit about one of the reasons I sew.

If you’ve read this post, you know that sometimes I sew to preserve a legacy. If you read this post, I also sew to create a special childhood memory. And sometimes I sew just for the joy of creating something for myself.

For the most part, modern day sewing is a luxury that I engage in frequently. I want to be honest here. For the most part, I don’t need to sew many things that I don’t actually want to sew. While about 50% of my sewing is related to pattern testing or blogging, ultimately every project is the result of me trying to push the idea from inside my mind into a reality that benefits and somehow meets the needs of various members of my family. Continue Reading

Vintage Grace Flutter Dress by Bella Sunshine Designs

Today I’m delighted to share with you the newest pattern from Bella Sunshine Designs – the Vintage Grace Flutter Dress! This darling dress is the perfect summer dress for girls. It features little flutter sleeves, a sweet  scooped back, and a simple bodice front that is perfect for embellishments!

I think my favorite part of this dress is the back of the bodice. It is sweet, simple, and really defines the dress.  The three buttons add to the charm. It is the perfect place to add a pop of color or use special buttons.  For this project, I used vintage buttons from the collection that my grandma gave me.  Vintage buttons have so much character – I love incorporating them into almost every project that I can as my own little signature touch. Continue Reading

Adding Applique to a Knit Shirt {How to Jazz up Your Kid’s Wardrobe}

Hello! Welcome to part 1 of my {How to Jazz up Your Kid’s Wardrobe} series! I’ll be posting periodically this summer and sharing some fun ways I’ve found to add some excitement to my boys’ clothes. My boys love characters from Star Wars to Ninja Turtles to Paw Patrol, but as you may know, finding character knit is expensive! Frankly, it’s out of my budget. Character woven is much more affordable; however, instead of just using it to make shirts like the Classic Oxford from Peekaboo Pattern Shop, I needed to think of ways to add it to the knit shirts my boys love. I love sewing with the solid cotton/lycra knits from Peekaboo Pattern Shop, but my kids get tired of just plain solid shirts. I’ve had to get creative! Continue Reading

Mother + Daughter Summer Caye Shorts from Love Notions

On Friday, Eleri shared the Love Notions’ Summer Caye shorts and split-hem pants she made for her darling toddler.  You can see pictures and her pattern review here.  Today, I’d like to share with you the Summer Caye shorts from Love Notions that I sewed up for me and my mini-me!

 

I made the longer cuffed version of the shorts for both of us – 9″ inseam for me, 6″ inseam for my daughter. The flat front waistband adds a nice polish while the back elastic makes them super comfy. The particular fabric that I used had the feel of linen and had a nice drape and flow to it. This pattern is perfect for all those fun flowy summer fabrics – lightweight wovens and knits alike. Continue Reading

Meet the Summer Caye Pants and Shorts by Love Notions!

Hi guys! This is a bit of a different post for me. This is my first post as a member of the Love Notions Promo team which means that I do receive a small payment for testing and shooting this pattern test. This was also my first time testing for Love Notions. Awesome Emily tested the Vanguard Kit that was released a short while ago.

Today I want to talk about the Summer Caye Pants, Capris, and Shorts released today (4/29) and on sale for $6. I asked to test the girls’ 4″ hem shorts in a size 3T. I often request to test for my big girls as they are more in need of clothing than the baby. Continue Reading

Ready for Sunshine with the Sofilantjes Solis Dress and Tunic!

Hey guys!

Have you ever taken a risk on a pattern and been thrilled with the results? We love Sofilantjes patterns in our house, but when I saw the tester previews of the new Solis Dress and Tunic I was a bit worried that this would be a style I wouldn’t be able to make work for my slender girls.

The Solis is an ontrend racerback sundress with two skirt options (pleated tunic or dress length and a circle skirt). It has a lovely and unique racerback style. However, when I go shopping for my daughters and see these styles I immediately know that we will have peekaboo gaping, saggy necklines, and a skirt that is too short. Continue Reading

The Molly and The Sophie by SLPco

Hey guys!

I have something new to share today! I took a short break from sewing to celebrate my daughter’s First Communion and it feels so good to be back in my sewing room – and even shooting outside on a night like yesterday’s!

Today, I’m going to share the newest releases from the Simple Life Pattern Company,  Molly and Sophie.

As soon as the Molly and Sophie bundle released, I purchased it, and I made a muslin. I have some gorgeous Art Gallery denim that I want to use, but before I cut into it, I wanted to be sure on how I would blend sizes for my oldest. She has a very tall and slender build and I really like to pay attention to getting the best fit possible especially with woven designs. Continue Reading