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.
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.
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.
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.
Good morning, sewing friends!
This morning, I want to introduce you to my favorite person in the world, my husband. My husband is a great guy and has been super supportive of this blogging adventure, the big boxes of fabric, and the bursts of sewing. He has also been behind the camera for me when I’ve been modeling my women’s articles of clothing and I am so grateful for his willingness to learn some photography skills alongside me.
Hey Dudes and Kids,
Did you wait yet another day and STILL forget to order a special gift for Mom? Don’t worry. You still have time to check out Monday’s post and choose Prime shipping and be golden.
But let’s say your wife is just like me and FABRIC is her love language? I have a few independent retailers to hook you up with! I have personally purchased custom fabric, specialty fabric, and designer fabric from each of these retailers.
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!
While looking through my spring and summer wardrobe, I realized one piece I was missing was a lovely sweater to layer over my tops and tanks for those cool spring and summer mornings and evenings. To my delight, Itch to Stitch, a designer I recently discovered, released a testing call for the Lisbon Cardigan right after I noticed this gap in my wardrobe!
The Lisbon Cardigan is available in a full or cropped length as well as with full or 3/4 length sleeves. As testers we were allowed to select which options we wanted to try. After great deliberation, I chose the cropped length and 3/4 length sleeves. I found a beautiful lightweight gray cotton lycra in my stash to use for a nice, neutral layering piece.
Do you celebrate Mother’s Day with a favorite sewist? Maybe your mom likes to quilt, or maybe your wife makes adorable clothes for your sweet kids. Alisha, Emily, Genie, and I have been chatting up a storm about what we use the most in our home sewing studios and what we most wish for to make our favorite hobbies easier!
If you are looking for last minute gift ideas for your favorite fabric junkie, the Sew and Tell Project has compiled a list for you! Many of these items are available with Free 2-Day shipping on Amazon Prime to make it easier for you to get your gift in time for Mother’s Day, May 8th. (*This post contains affiliate links which support operation of our site so we can share our creations with you).
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.