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Category: Best of the Sew and Tell Project
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.
We put together this special post today with some of our favorite patterns in case you decide to stock up during the Fourth of July Sale!
To take advantage of the sale visit Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop and place your order! All sewing patterns are buy 4, get 1 free! No code necessary!
Need inspiration to fill your cart? Check out what the Sew and Tell Project team has made and loved!
Mariposa Dress and Top. Sewn by Alisha.
Swan Lake Leotard. Sewn by Eleri. (Make sure you also check out our tips and tricks for sewing with swim which features the Sun n Fun Leotard!) This one was made with swim supplies from the Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop! 3. Rocky Mountain Raglan. Sewn by Genie and Eleri. Let’s not forget the MEN in our lives. Stock up on affordable knit solids and the Rocky Mountain Raglan pattern and whip up a pile for your favorite guy!
4. Bahama Mama Swim Wear PAB has a nice range of mama-friendly swimwear to keep you sporty and cool all summer long! See what Alisha and Eleri made below!
5. Sun Kissed Dolman and Little Miss Sunshine. Sewn by Eleri.
6. Bridgeport Jacket. Alisha made the black one using board short fabric from the shop!
7. The Lullaby Line Cardigan bodysuit. Check out Genie’s adorable cover model!
9. Marilyn Swimsuit. Made by Emily10. Dream Land Nightgown made by Emily. Keep it cool on hot summer nights in a breezy nightgown! 11. Lullaby Gown. Perfect for all the babies in your life! Made by Alisha. Check out the entire Lullaby Line for every baby’s need!
12.
Pocketful of Posies.
Happy day, everyone! I am so excited for it to be my stop on The Tallinn Fabrics Blog Tour hosted by Art Gallery Fabrics designer Jessica Swift! I’ve been so lucky that I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the gorgeous Tallinn fabrics since Quilt Market prep last fall. If you check out some of my past posts on Instagram you can see a few of the four garments I made for Jessica’s debut booth.
When Jessica invited me to be a part of her blog tour, I knew I wanted to make a quilt for my big girls. We are preparing to move our older daughters into their own room downstairs this summer, and quilts are a beautiful way to infuse a bedroom with whimsical color. One of my daughters’ favorite activities to do after school is to curl up under a blanket and listen to audiobooks. I love watching them transported to faraway lands through literature and adventure.
For me, having the opportunity to work with the gorgeous prints of Tallinn reminded me of my own trip to Eastern Europe when I was a teenager. To be honest, I don’t remember a lot of the specifics of the trip (in fact I borrowed the above picture from my mom since I couldn’t find my own album)! I remember a whirlwind of color and new experiences. I remember the feeling of unusual adventure. The colors and motifs of Tallinn fabrics brought up many fond memories that I hope to pass down to my own children as they grow.
For the quilt pattern, I chose to use a pattern I found at my LQS: The Villa Rose Designs Movie Star Quilt. It featured enough prints that I was able to use all the prints in the Fairytale colorway. I also used some of the cool Pure Elements turquoise colors I picked up in a bundle at quilt market. I decided to be adventurous and use AGF Pure Elements Smooth Pebble for a rich background so the bold prints of Tallinn would shine. My quilt top finished at 53″ x 68″.
The entire pattern went together quickly and was made with HSTs. I spent probably as much time deciding on color and print placement as I did on piecing the quilt top. I wanted to balance the large scales, the lights and darks, and also play with the direction of two of my favorite prints: Tigris Lollipop and Baltic Swans Sand. I was assisted in making sure I cut my HSTs the correct way by rewatching the Art Gallery Fabric Quilt Block Collection Easter Lily Quilt Block video for tips on cutting my fabrics just right!
I used the large scale print Odessa Dream as my backing for the quilt and had it quilted by a local longarmer with bamboo batting. I love just how much drape the bamboo has for a nice snuggly quilt!
One of the initial reasons I was drawn to this particular quilt pattern was the piano key border. I loved having just one more opportunity to showcase each print. I then binded the quilt in another one of my favorite prints: Lore Cobblestone.
I hope you enjoyed stopping by my corner of the web today. Make sure you visit again soon as I share some more Tallinn projects with you.
Make sure you follow along and visit the other makers on the Tallinn Fabrics Blog Tour!
Thursday April 19 – Mathew Boudreaux | Mister Domestic (Puffer Vest Outfit)
Friday April 20 – Katie Skoog | The Simple Life Company (Girl’s dress, Girl’s romper)
Monday April 23 – Sharon Holland (Kantha-style Duffel Bag)
Tuesday April 24 – Eleri | Sew and Tell Project
Wednesday April 25 – Paola Baker | Love of Fabrics
Thursday April 26 –
Maureen Cracknell
You can buy the baby Saylor here! And you can grab the girls’ Saylor here!
The Saylor is a versatile, sleeveless dress and top with several backview variations and optional cap sleeves. One of my favorite features is the accent bows for the dress with bonus hairbow tutorial.
Alisha and I both sewed the SAME back view! Don’t you love it when you share similar tastes with a friend? It makes helping each other choose fabric and patterns so much more fun!
I love how sweet Miss M looks with her beautiful square back and romper bottom outfit!
I think Miss M likes her outfit, too! Now, let me share what my own Miss M thinks of her Saylor dress!
My little miss has been on a serious growth spurt as we approach her 4th birthday! I made her a straight size 5, so even with the deep 2″ hem in the pattern instructions, her dress hits below the knees. I’m okay with this since it will mean it should fit most of the summer. But if she grows, Saylor is a very quick and enjoyable sew! I think many more of these will be in her closet this summer!
To make her look I used some of the gorgeous new Tallinn Fabrics collection by Jessica Swift! This gorgeous red print is Odessa Traditionale and it is one of my favorite prints from the collection. I actually just backed an entire quilt that I will share with you at the end of the month in the alternate colorway!
Once I made my first Saylor and realized how quick it was, I decided that my big girls needed their own Saylor dresses. I used one of my favorite prints from Maureen Cracknell’s Soulful collection. I realized last week when we had a fancy family dinner outing, that my big girls have grown A LOT over this winter. I made Miss E the size 10 and added 0.5″ to the bodice length and 2″ to the skirt. Saylor is designed to fall just above the knee, but with how quickly the girls are growing these days (and with snow still on the ground) I wanted to make sure this was long enough through the summer.
One of my favorite things about the Saylor is the classic silhouette. It is a wonderful beginner sew that has several details so you can make Saylor many times without making the same design twice! I can’t wait to share more Saylors with you through this summer.
With 144 combinations of necklines, sleeves, sash, and skirts, this truly can be the one and only dress you need.
I used a woven from Hobby Lobby for Miss M’s first dress. I chose the sweetheart neckline, classic back, puff sleeves, and classic with ruffle skirt. The puff sleeves add such a sweet touch, and I just love the extra ruffle.
For my second dress, I used a lovely floral and chose the sweetheart neckline, flutter sleeves, scoop back, and twirl skirt. The twirl skirt is a gathered circle skirt and has such fun “twirability” for the older girls.
I chose to add the sash but I altered the back because I just wanted it as a band instead of with ties. I used metal snaps on both my dresses instead of buttons.
Hemming circle skirts is one of the most challenging part of sewing dresses for me. When I read Becca’s tutorial over at Simple Life Pattern Company about hemming circle skirts with bias tape, I knew this was a technique I needed to use. I used a red storebought bias tape to hem my skirt, and the process was so fast and easy. Make sure to head over and check out her tutorial! Not only is it a faster way to hem, it adds a fun pop of color to the inside of your skirt.
Make sure to head over to Peekaboo Pattern Shop and grab your copy of the Wildflower Dress. It’s a perfect Easter sew, and with 144 combinations, your little girl’s closet can be full of Wildflowers that are as varied as a beautiful field of flowers.
Hello, dear readers! Thank you for joining me on my stop on the book tour celebrating “Utility-Style Quilts for Everyday Living” by Sharon Holland. It is an honor to be included in this line-up of makers with quilting experience ranging from beginner (like yours truly!) to the very experienced such as Cindy Wiens who shared her quilt yesterday at Live a Colorful Life. You can see the entire line-up of bloggers in Sharon’s kick-off post or visit the schedule I include at the bottom of the page. Hint: Read all the way to the end to find out how to WIN your OWN COPY!
I have been looking forward to publishing this post since I met Sharon Holland in person at Quilt Market and I received a copy of her beautiful debut quilt book: “Utility-Style Quilts for Everyday Living.” You can also purchase the SIGNED book from Sharon’s blog right here. My own signed copy means a lot to me since Sharon has been instrumental over this past year in inspiring my own passion to quilt. If you want to start piecing your own utility-style quilt today, Sharon has a free pattern available for you! You can download Roman Stripe, a perfect pattern for 2.5″ strips.
When I met Sharon in Houston she invited me to be on this tour. I tried to play it cool but I’m pretty sure I just gushed out a, “Yes, I worship you” or something like that. I spent much of my two flights home reading the tips and tricks for quilting and perusing the patterns. I also had a suitcase FULL of fabric in the overhead bin that I was eager to cut into.
After a few days’ deliberation, I decided that the “Night & Day” pattern was perfect for the Art Gallery fabrics I desired to use. The pattern is written to finish the quilt at 87″ x 87″ and even though I am a beginner I decided I wanted a special quilt for my husband and I to enjoy in our master bedroom.
Sharon encourages makers to reach into their stashes and “experiment with color, print, and block orientation, and embrace the quirkiness that comes from working with scrap and stash materials.” I carried this thought in my creative heart through my entire planning, cutting, piecing, and final layout of my quilt.
Because my extended interest in quilting has only come about in the past 18 months, I actually do not have a very deep quilting cotton stash. I decided nearly immediately that my quilt top would be made entirely from Art Gallery Fabrics both from my scrap bin and from the four half-yard bundles I picked up in Houston.
I chose to feature Indie Folk Fabrics by Pat Bravo Design as the main collection for my quilt. I had picked up half-yard cuts of the entire collection at Quilt Market. Since “Night & Day” requires a decent mix of light and dark prints to create the striking layout. I pulled a few lighter prints from Soulful fabrics by Maureen Cracknell that I also purchased in half-yard bundles at Quilt Market.
One of Sharon’s helpful tips in the book is to take a black & white photo of your fabric pull to ensure enough contrast for your quilt. I initially cut just one test block to make sure I enjoyed the process of piecing this log cabin block, and to check my test block for accuracy. As a new quilter, I always do this to make sure that my blocks are accurate – I would rather catch a mistake on one block than on 49 of them! After my test block, I quickly cut my remaining yardage. Since I had 1/2 yard bundles, I did not have enough yardage of my “light” prints to complete the quilt as written. At several points throughout the book Sharon tells us to abandon the idea of perfection and reach into our stashes for beautiful, one-of-a-kind quilts. I also reached a bit into Katie’s scrap bin, too, since I was set on including this Indie Boheme print that I did not have quite enough of to complete a block!
After I completed several blocks, I laid out my blocks a few times to ruminate on which prints I should pull from my Art Gallery scraps and yardage. Ultimately, while Indie Folk is the feature of this quilt, I also used prints from Pure Elements, AGF Studio Capsules Lower Volume, AGF Studio Le Vintage Chic, Tapestry, and Indie Boheme fabrics. For some of the prints, I only had enough scrap fabric to make one block – this was a benefit and not a detriment to the quilt. Many times throughout the whole process I would catch a glimpse of one block and remember the particular dress I made for a lookbook or appreciate a memory about working with the fabric previously.
If you want to learn to quilt or enjoy a fresh take on quilting projects, you will want to add (affiliate) “Utility-Style Quilts for Everyday Living” to your bookshelf. There were a few points in the project where I had a general quilting question – I found all the information I needed within the pages of this book without being overwhelmed. Everything from color value, to properly cutting your fabric, to binding my quilt. While I did not quilt my top myself due to its size, I have applied the machine quilting tips I learned to other projects as I prepare for Christmas giving in my home.
Because the quilt finishes at 87″ x 87″ I wanted some extra width to it to serve as a coverlet on our California king bed. I wanted to celebrate the asymmetry of Sharon’s design as well as feature one of my favorite prints so I did break the rules and ordered yardage from Hawthorne Threads . I then added a modern asymmetrical border to bring my quilt to 98″ x 98.” This allowed me to back my quilt with 108″ wideback fabric.
I brought my quilt top to Quilter’s Eden to be long-armed with a modern poppy pantograph. I was able to see my quilt get set-up on the machine and learn more about that process as well! I chose wool batting for extra warmth since it can be quite chilly here in the winter. I also enjoyed working with Amy from Quilter’s Eden who showed me thread options and spacing/repeat options to get the look I wanted with my quilt.
I spent a few nights binding my quilt by hand after I got it back. I can’t even sum up the internal wow that climbed up my throat when I finally unfolded my finished quilt onto our bed. Just two years ago if you asked me if I was a quilter I would say, “No, I just sew.” I can’t believe I’ve now made a quilt large enough for our bed! 2018 will surely feature more finished projects from Utility-Style Quilts for Everyday Living for me here at Sew and Tell Project.
Thank you for coming by and taking a peek at my finished quilt. I hope you are inspired to reach into your stashes and make something that brings you as much joy as this project has brought me.
Do you feel lucky? Head on over to my Instagram feed and enter the giveaway to win your own copy of the book from Landauer Publishing! (Contest open to U.S. Residents Only).
Don’t forget to visit all the other makers on the tour! I can’t wait to see what Anjeannette shares with us tomorrow!
Monday 12/4 Heidi Staples – Fabric Mutt
Tuesday 12/5 Amy Friend – During Quiet Time
Can you believe Halloween is just around the corner? It sneaks up on me every year. This year, I am headed to International Quilt Market in Houston (in 10 days!!!) so I want to be sure my kids have their costumes ready before I go so I can just enjoy the festivities when I get home.
If you have children, you have probably now seen the hit Disney movie “Moana” a few or a dozen times. I LOVE so much about the Moana movie so making my 3-year-old a Moana dress was super-fun for me.
I have a few rules about sewing costumes for children:
I have sewn tons of garments. Pants, shirts, dresses, hats, swimsuits, mermaid tails….lots of variety. But I have never attempted a quiet book! When I saw the pattern sneaks of this darling doll house, I was hooked and I knew I had to sew one up for my baby boy. See how cute he is? <3
The preview images I saw were decidedly girly, and I decided right away that Baby Mac needed a Cabin in the Woods because I knew that this pattern had so many options for so much fun! I also decided to upcycle some of my husband’s old clothing as part of this book. The pattern and tutorial include pieces and instructions to make a front door, a bedroom, a living room, a swimming hole, a tent, and/or a campfire. All of them are just darling and include all kinds of fun details. I’ll warn you; while this pattern is certainly not difficult, it is very time consuming. It’s also a great scrap buster! If you cut on the bias, as suggested, you won’t have to worry as much about fraying fabrics. However, I didn’t have large enough pieces of some of the fabrics I wanted to use, so I did a lot of tight zig zag stitching on my pieces.
This cover uses a pair of old corduroy pants for the house, and the roof is made from an old button down shirt. The button that makes up the door knob is from the shirt! While these patterns come with the book, I added a bit of flare here; the bushes were free-handed, and our cabin in the woods NEEDED a Michigan State University spirit flag. 😉 I also added some of the button flowers detailed in the tutorial (they are detachable and reversible, so little hands can practice buttoning), and my hedge opens to show a little surprise.
My next page is a tent. The pattern calls for a button closure at the bottom, but I decided to add a zipper for my guy to play with. I also split the background so I could use starry flannel for the sky. When you unzip the tent…
Kitty is sleeping in his sleeping bag! The pattern includes 3 dolls–kitty, bear, and mouse. I made my kitty with soft grey fleece and upcycled button eyes.
In the next page, baby can play with the fishies jumping between waves, or Kitty can take a swim in the pond. I added a sun just for an extra pop of color.
The back page of the Dolls House Quiet Book was left up to the imagination; you could make a garden of button flowers of different colors and textures. I decided to make a path into the woods. The treetops and path are freehanded, and the tree trunks are based on the piece included to make the camp fire.
I was a little unsure if my guy would like this; he’s at that age where toys are interesting for about 10 minutes before he tosses them aside to climb onto my desk and try to press all of the buttons on my sewing machines while simultaneously throwing all of my wonder clips on the floor and trying to eat my pins. 😉 But…he likes it a lot! One of his favorite activities right now is putting something in something else, and then taking it out again, so he LOVES putting Kitty in his sleeping bag and pond.
Be sure to visit the Rebecca Page PDF Pattern Group on Facebook to see all of the other darling Quiet Books, and be sure to join in the Dolls House Quiet Book Sewalong! The pattern is available at its introductory price of $5 through the end of the sewalong, August 13, 2017. After, it will be priced at $6.50.
A couple months ago the fabulous Caroline Hulse of Sew Caroline invited me to participate in her Weekend Style blog tour! Of course I agreed! I had already received my pre-ordered book and fallen in love with the projects! The book is just beautiful to spend an afternoon reading through and planning. Within a few hours of receiving my copy I had my first pattern printed, taped, and sewn.
Because I ordered a copy, I am giving away the copy I received for participating in the tour to one lucky reader! Make sure you read my post and enter.
Did you catch my first two projects from the book in this post and this post? I didn’t think making a pile of Tilly Tees would do the book justice although it is one of my favorite patterns in the book. Katie loved hers, too!
For the blog tour, beautiful Caroline sent me some of her gorgeous Art Gallery voile print from Happy Home. Big confession: I am very picky about woven tops. I prefer knits most days. Trying the Larchmont was stretching my style preferences in a VERY awesome way.
The Larchmont is a relaxed fit woven tee with dolman flutter sleeves and a locket closure in the back. It is a VERY simple sew with flattering results. I added 1.5″ of length to the pattern for my height but I probably didn’t need to if I choose to style it with a skirt or shorts.
I had my supplies out to make the simple locket closure in the back, but before I attached the bias neckbinding, I slipped it on over my head. Because I had no difficulty getting it over my head, I skipped the locket closure making this a lightning fast sew! Don’t you just love the subtle shape of the sleeves?
Next confession: Sewing bags has always been intimidating for me. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to use some of Art Gallery Fabrics gorgeous canvas though to make a Pool Tote. I will definitely be making more of these totes in the future. The technique for making this bag was fully-finished with minimal fuss. I consider myself a beginner at bag making. Because we usually just swim at home and live about as far away from the beach as you can and still live in North America…. I skipped the clear vinyl pocket and mesh interior pockets and made this an every day tote. A girl needs a cute bag to take to Quilt Market right?
My only suggestion for this project is to lengthen the straps 6-10″ depending on how big of a handle drop you want. As you can see, I can still wear it over my shoulder. I might pick apart the lining at the side seams and insert tabs and D-rings to make a removable cross body strap before my trip. I also did not purchase enough interfacing for this bag so it only has 1 layer of interfacing which is why it is a little slouchier than the sample in the book.
Finally, I loved my Larchmont SO much that I just had to experiment to see if I could make it in knit as well. I sized down one size and gave it a go. I think it turned out pretty well and will look great this summer for hanging out and transition well to fall with cozy leggings and a sweater.
I used a beautiful print from Katarina Roccella’s Lavish that has been in my stash for about a year.
I definitely recommend this book. With 15 beautiful patterns that you can print and sew as many times as you want, it is an excellent value for both beginner and experienced sewists. I had a lot of fun choosing and sewing patterns to fit my style and my figure.
Make sure you enter below to win your own copy OR head right on over to Amazon here to buy one today!
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When the Spellbound released a few months ago, I noticed that it had the perfect silhouette and options that I was looking for to make everyday dresses for summer. I live in knit dresses – and as a taller women with a fluctuating bust and waistline, I have a very difficult time finding dresses that fit me correctly in all the places. I want my dresses to be modern and flirty, but provide enough coverage so I’m not flashing cleavage or back side every time I bend over to pick up my three-year-old.
Spellbound Features: