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Category: Sew and Tell Project
Summer is finally here in the Upper Midwest! Here in the area where I live, the highlight of summer is the 4th of July rodeos and huge parade that the next town over throws. My boys love a good parade, and when I saw Katy’s call for an Americana blog tour, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to whip up some matching outfits for my boys! I’m taking advantage of the fact that they love to match for as long as I can. My oldest is almost 9 so I know my days are limited 🙂 Make sure you come back on Friday to see Eleri’s awesome post featuring some outfits for the girls!
I love trying new things, don’t you? Today I am going to share a new-to-me pattern company, Blaverry. Christie Archer has excellent designs that appeal particularly to the fashion needs of tweens and their moms who want to sew for them. I recommend getting to know more about Christie, the force behind Blaverry, here.
The Ollie top and Nina skirt are Blaverry patterns that have been reformatted and updated. The patterns come in a wide size range (2T-16y) which is nice since my older daughters are approaching sizing out some of my other go-to companies that end at 10 or 12. The patterns feature layers which make it very easy for me to print only the sizes I need to save me precious ink, and keep me from going cross-eyed while blending. Blaverry patterns also feature some neat little upgrades such as a cute printable measurement chart to keep track of my growing girls, and detailed instructions for blending. As with many PDF pattern designers, excellent customer service support is available via e-mail and in the Blaverry Facebook Group.
I have been trying in vain to take a short break from testing so we can enjoy the glorious June weather that is to be had in the Upper Midwest. However, when I saw the Felicity from PAB I had to put a stop to those plans because I knew it would be perfect for my baby’s 2nd birthday outfit! And the only way to get my hands on a copy of it in time would be to test it!
The Felicity Dress is a sleeveless, button (or snap) front collared dress featuring woven fabrics. It can be made with a fully-covered back, or with the cute shirred, halter collar option. I did not test the shirred back version so my thoughts and review are based entirely on the full back version.
Thanks for stopping by Sew and Tell Project today for our first ever blog tour post! We are proudly participating in the Make Laundry, Don’t Do Laundry Tour featuring fabric generously provided for us by The Fabric Fairy and their Fairy Care services.
The Fabric Fairy carries an extensive line of Riley Blake knits as well as other trendy knits, organic fabrics, and performance knits and notions. I selected to use two colorways from some of her newest Riley Blake arrivals : The Desert Bloom Collection. I chose the blue floral for my main print, and the blue stripe for the coordinate. As in my previous Fabric Fairy experiences, shipping was prompt and well-packaged with a friendly customer service experience. Thank you, Meg!
Welcome back to the Sew and Tell Project! We’ve been so busy testing and getting ready for our first blog tour that we have been quiet over here on the blog. Make sure you check out Eleri’s post today and Alisha’s tomorrow as part of the Make Laundry, Don’t Do Laundry blog tour!
Patterns for Pirates has been one of my favorite pattern companies for almost as long as I’ve been using PDF patterns. When Judy was looking for testers for her new Essential Tank, I was super excited because this style of tank is what I live in during the summer! Eleri, Genie, and I were all chosen to test this new release. Are you ready for all the versions we made?
Do I have a treat for you today! The PDF sewing world went wild for the release of the Rocky Mountain Raglan a short while ago. I know that my husband was thrilled with his new set of shirts that I shared with you here.
If your husband now can’t get enough of your sewing, or you are just in need of a fun Father’s Day gift like I am, the Long Beach Board Shorts are the perfect answer! I made my husband’s board shorts with affordable boardshort material from the Peek-a-Boo Fabric Shop. You can shop their wide range of boardshort swim fabrics here.
A handmade veil adds such a special touch to momentous occasions such weddings and first communions. In addition to creating a special memento of the day, making a veil can also be much more cost-effective while allowing the lucky lady to have exactly what she envisioned.
For this project, I created a wrist length veil for a petite bride who wanted to wear it more towards the back of her head, as opposed to on top. We started with a 29″ length of tulle to achieve the right length for her hairstyle and stature. Before actually making the real veil, I made up a quick veil, minus the comb, with a very visible rolled hem edge so she could see the exact cut of the tulle, for her to try on and play around with. When working with brides, especially from a distance, this added step can be well worth it. Tulle is relatively cheap so it is easy to play around with, but making the actual veil is a bit more time consuming. Keep in mind that a bulky wedding up-do can make a veil appear a lot shorter.
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!
If you’re anything like me, May is driving you a bit crazy, right? End-of-year parties, finding or making those well-earned teacher gifts, First Communions, Confirmations, Graduations, recitals, field days, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, etc. All of these awesome holidays and milestones are crammed together right when it is warming up and looking pretty where I live. I’ve had to work hard to stay focused on the things that take priority in our house even though I often just want to curl up in my sewing room while the kids play in the back yard now that our cold spring seems to be disappearing. While I haven’t had time to do some of the more labor intensive sewing projects I enjoy, I have been able to squeeze in a couple hours here and there to sew some simple projects to keep me sane (and well-dressed) through the upcoming weeks.
I love mix and match patterns. When Amy over at Peek a Boo Pattern Shop put up a testing call for another new swimsuit top called the Blouson to add to her Bahama Mama line, I jumped at the chance to test it. I had never sewn a swimsuit or athletic material before, but I wanted to challenge my sewing skills. Plus us ladies here at Sew and Tell Project have challenged each other to a swimsuit sewing challenge this summer.