Hello fabric friends!
I am thrilled to be included in another one of Sharon Holland’s fabulous blog tours. I promise you that you are in for a textile treat if you stop and visit the other makers. I love the fabulous banner tutorial Dritz shared with us last Friday, and I’m happy to be the first maker on the tour this week.
Make sure you visit Sharon Holland on Instagram as she is hosting very cool weekly giveaways featuring the tour’s sponsors: Dritz Sewing, BlocLoc Rulers, and Fat Quarter Shop. She is also hosting a similar giveaway on the weekly recap blog post.
Hello quilting friends!
I’ve slowly been trying to get back into the swing of sharing more completed projects. As I mentioned in my last post, I had my sixth baby during the pandemic. While he is just the sweetest and easiest little guy, I really had to let a few things go to focus on my teens all the way down to my little ones.
Isn’t he a doll? He’s 17 months now.
I never stopped sewing or quilting though – I just haven’t taken the extra time to photograph and share my finished projects and I am hoping to be better about showing my current projects as well as some past finished quilts.
Hello, friends! I know it’s been a bit since I’ve shown my face here at Sew and Tell Project. Our family was blessed with our sixth baby last year and our family life has been bustling.
I couldn’t resist, however, when one of my favorite Catholic publishers, Holy Heroes, reached out to see if I would like an advanced copy of Blessed Carlo Acutis: The Amazing Discovery of a Teenager in Heaven by Sabrina Arena Ferrisi. I wanted to share my review of the book today as well as a coupon code to get your own copy!
I recently had the pleasure of testing a new pattern for Love Notions, the Octave Coat. This coat is so versatile! It can be dressed up or down so easily with fabric choice, offers a shawl or hooded collar, includes generous pockets in a clever design, and the choice of a belt or button closure. The option of a lined or unlined coat also gives all kinds of options for looks and added warmth.
I made a shawl collar coat with a button closure in a thick, cozy fleece from JoAnn Fabrics. Instead of trying to make a buttonhole through those thick layers, I sewed a snap under the button.
My daughters and I are SO excited to be sharing new looks today featuring Simple Life Patterns. We are ready to dazzle and shine for our holiday season. If you haven’t started sewing yet (or still need to shop for patterns), SLPco is having it’s last sitewide sale of the year. Sale runs from 11/11-11/25 and EXCLUDES svg cut files.
For my tour makes I decided to showcase that SLPco now offers women’s patterns. I’ve made so many for myself so far (Sapphire is my favorite right now for our cold weather)! My gorgeous 11-year-old daughter is now 5’8″ and measures into the size 00 on the SLPco women’s size chart. I decided to make her a glittery stretch velvet Samantha dress. I wanted something that she could feel comfortable and stylish in for Christmas Mass and relaxing at various relatives’ houses throughout the holidays.
Who doesn’t love a cute patriotic table runner this time of year? Better yet, I have a free pattern from our friends at Fat Quarter Shop to share with you today!
Would you like to add a pop of USA to your dining room table today?
Here are the supplies I used!
Wave Your Flag FREE Pattern from Fat Quarter Shop (available as a kit featuring Moda fabrics here).
NEW Everlasting Fabrics by Sharon Holland Designs. I used Flutter Buds (red), Crossed Paths (navy), and From the Heart (binding). I also used Pure Elements White Linen and Nature Elements in Blue Light both by Art Gallery Fabrics.
One of my favorite parts of quilting is trying out new blocks. When I was invited to participate in the latest Classic and Vintage quiltalong with Fat Quarter Shop, I was a little hesitant since I knew some of the skills required would challenge me. However, my quilty word for the year is build as in skillbuilding.
As soon as I saw the gorgeous sample quilt pictured below I decided that I needed to participate!
Hello world! Can you believe that for those of us in the northern hemisphere, SUMMER is almost here! We’ve had a “kick your butt” winter here. I’ve lived in the Upper Midwest now for almost 13 years and this was by far the longest and most brutal winter I’ve experienced. We had record-setting snow days, record-setting subzero temperatures, and over six months of snow on the ground. It was nuts. I told my family on the west coast that it was actually as bad as everyone imagines what winter in the Midwest is like.
To top it off, I had a baby about six weeks before our first snowfall so I’ve been quiet over here on the blog. I’ve been enjoying the baby snuggles, lots of activities for my big kids, and occasionally the quiet moments of sewing while she naps. We’ve also been working on various projects around my home (including a lovely new sewing set-up for me) that were put off during my difficult pregnancy.
I discovered during my little break from the blog though how good a creative rest can be! Now that I’m working on summer wardrobes for the kids and cheery quilts for our homes, I’ve found that I have more energy and fresh ideas.
Today, I’m excited to share with you 3 new releases from my friends at Simple Life Pattern Company! SLPco is releasing FOUR new swim patterns today and I helped to test the Baby Elise, girls’ Elise, and the baby Cordelia! If Cordelia looks familiar to you it’s because Simple Life released a girls’ version in 2017 and it is one of our favorites here!
I tested the size 6-9 months using Growing Beautiful quilting cotton from Moda Fabrics designed by Crystal Manning. You’re going to get to see a lot more of this fabric on this blog in the coming weeks since I’m also using this collection to participate in the Quilty Love Expanding Stars Quiltalong! Check back on the blog next week to see my progress on my Growing Beautiful quilt and hear more about Crystal’s newest fabric collection. You can also follow along on my Instagram.
In my eagerness to bring on some warmer weather, I also helped test two of the new SLPco Swim Patterns! This is my 4.5 year old in the Elise’s One Shoulder Swimsuit. I chose the flounce option with the additional shoulder strap. I chose UV 50 fabric from my stash from Peek-a-Boo Fabric Shop. Swimsuits might be intimidating but they really are simple! The Elise is a very good sew for someone who wants to give swimsuit sewing a try. You can check out our post on swimsuit tricks and tips to guide you. I’ve made several more suits since I wrote that post and hope to update it soon.
I chose the lined option due to the white stripes but with a darker swim knit, you don’t even necessarily need to line the suit. There are instructions included for a crotch gusset option so the seams are comfortable, too!
I’ve been into matching my two youngest little girls so of course baby had to get her own swimsuit! At this age, she doesn’t spend much time in the water, so I skipped the snap-crotch option but I’m looking forward to making that option when she is a bit older and we spend a whole day at the beach.
You can grab your own copy of Baby Elise right here!
Thanks for stopping by!
The Navigator Pullover is an on trend, half-zip pullover with a front kangaroo pocket, and options for a collar or hood in sizes 2T through 16. It’s designed for stable knits, and perfect for boys and girls. I chose a cotton lycra French Terry with 4 way stretch from Raspberry Creek Fabrics, but many of the testers used less stretchy ponte or fleece with great results.
As always, Love Notion’s finishing is spot on, making it easy for your projects to look professional. The tutorial includes links to videos for the tricky parts. Look at how nicely that collar and zipper line up!
Stay tuned, I’ve heard rumors that this will be coming soon in adult sizes! I can hardly wait! But…one more photo of the boy because he is so stinkin’ cute!