Sew-A-Bration of Womanhood

Have you been following the Sew-A-Bration of Womanhood over at the Shaffer Sisters and Call Ajaire's blogs?  Well, they were nice enough to ask me to participate.

The purpose of this series is to celebrate womanhood and our "common threads"....seriously, it's amazing when I read posts from bloggers all around the world, we really do have way more in common than we have differences.  If only sewing bloggers ruled the world....

Since the theme of this is to sew either for yourself or someone you love, I realized that I had the perfect person to sew for.  If you've read my blog, you know I sew for my youngest daughter, Julia.  Well, I do have other children, so today, you get to hear about my older daughter (and former middle child until Julia came along) - Melissa.

Melissa was born at 2 pounds 2 ounces.  Surgery, etc.  Weighed about 1 pound 13 ounces at one point.  But, literally from the get-go, this kid wouldn't give up.  See, Melissa is a fighter.  A competitor.  One of the absolute hardest working people you will ever meet.  And, one of the nicest.

Melissa was a gymnast her entire life.  It really defines who she is.  Now, she's graduated college with a degree in exercise and sports science, works as a certified personal trainer, and a gymnastics coach.  The kid works her butt off.

Melissa is engaged.  Yes, she is.  To a super-nice, just plain old good guy.  Aren't they cute?

So, I decided to take this opportunity to celebrate the day when my child will be starting her own house/home.  And, since she lives currently in my house, she seriously has no "house stuff".  So, I thought I make her some.

I started with the Divided Basket Pattern by Noodlehead.  Really, who doesn't need some containers in their life?  I knew that I wanted to use some very cool fabric - it's called Comfort Words from Yuwa.  It has a whole bunch of very positive expressions and words on it, and I really thought it would be perfect for just about anywhere in their house.

I also wanted to make some things for her kitchen, so I made these as well:

Have you ever made an oven mitt?  Well, I hadn't until this project, and now I'm going to be making a TON - super easy, and now I've got no excuse for having pitiful potholders/mitts in my kitchen.  I just used a tutorial I found somewhere (which I lost the link to...sorry!) - but putting the band on the bottom was an absolute bear, so I think I'd put it together differently next time.  The towel is a purchased one with a strip of fabric sewn on - how ridiculously easy?

To me, there's nothing that celebrates womanhood more than the anticipation of starting a new and exciting chapter of your life, so I'm glad this gave me a little bit of a push to make something for my older daughter!

Thanks to the Shaffer Sisters and Call Ajaire for asking me!

Here's the list of folks participating - definitely, go check out their blogs as well!

The Life Of A Compulsive Crafter | Serger Pepper | House of Estrela | sewVery | Our Busy Little Bunch

Modern Handmade | Golden Rippy | Sew & Tell with Mama Eggo | Shawnta Sews | Fishsticks Designs
Ali Cat & Co | Paisley Roots | Like a mother | Giggles & Beans | Call Ajaire
Shaffer Sisters | I Married Superman | A Jennuine Life | If Only They Would Nap | Once Upon a Sewing Machine

Naptime Creations | Pattern Revolution | Two Many | Rebel & Malice | Simple Simon and Company

SewingSober | Handmade Dress Haven | Daisy Chain Creations | Swoodson Says | I'm Feelin' Crafty So Cal Sewing Mom | Keep Calm and Carrion | DandelionDrift | The Crazy Tailor | Max California 

Falafel and the Bee | Lexi Made | Winter Wonderings | Kid Approved | Scientific Seamstress
Becca DuVal | Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop | The Berry Bunch | Little Kids Grow | leighlee
Feathers Flights | That's-Sew-Kari

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day!!

The Giveaway Is Now Closed!

I'm participating in the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day!

As a teeny bit of an introduction if you've never visited my blog, I sew (mainly) for my youngest daughter and run an on-line fabric shop - all in my spare time while working full time!

Here's some of my latest sewing creations:

I'm giving away a $40 gift certificate to my on-line fabric shop - www.the-fabric-stash.com - open to international entries - and is a random giveaway.  The only mandatory entry is to leave a blog comment, but feel free to get the additional entries listed in the Rafflecopter widget!

PLEASE NOTE!  I'm having an issue with the widget to follow on Instagram - on Instagram, I'm at:
the_fabric_stash_boss - so if you search by user, you should find me!  

Here's a random sampling of what you'll see in our shop...

Good luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I Finally Got to Sew....

I finally got to sew the Oliver + S Garden Party Dress.

These patterns have been out for a couple of months.  Since I have a shop, I immediately ordered them for the shop.  But, the minute they were released, I immediately downloaded the Garden Party Dress.  I loved it that much!  But, I haven't had time....

Finally, I took the time.

I've got work, housework, another blog post due for Sew-A-Bration of Womanhood.  But, I really just had to sew this pattern.

I had the fabric - a really great cotton lawn from Robert Kaufman's London Calling line.  It wasn't crazy expensive or anything, but I really loved it and wanted it to be used for the perfect project.

This is how reliable the Oliver + S patterns are - you can use the good stuff without worry.  I had never made this pattern before, but I knew it would fit the kid, and go together perfectly.  I was right.

A great pattern, yes?

Thanks for reading!  Stop back tomorrow because I'm going to be participating in the Sew Mama Sew giveaway day - I'll be giving away a $40 gift certificate to the shop!

A Retro-Funky Alder Skirt

Several weeks ago, I got an email from Rachael from Imagine Gnats asking if I was available to test her newest pattern, the Alder Skirt.

Of course I was!  I had seen pictures of it on Instagram, so I already knew how cute it was.

Since I live on the edge, I let the 4 year old pick the fabric.  She  chose a very funky cotton from Jenean Morrison's Grand Hotel line:

Funky, right?

I had three colors of interlock knit to make a top - I had a light peach, an orange, and yellow.  I voted for the peach, my husband voted for the orange, but Julia chose yellow.  As it turned out, a good choice!

First of all, the Alder Skirt - it's a really cute design.  The pockets lie slightly away from the skirt which is a detail the kid really likes.  There's a flat front, which I prefer, and an elasticized back.  Since taking these photos, Julia has worn this outfit 3 times already, so a definite success.  As far as the sewing, for some reason, I had to get my head around the pocket construction, but the directions are really clear, so just follow them, and they work perfectly.  Once I figured them out, they lined up perfectly when I attached the waistband.  I have another cut out from a plain fabric which I'm hoping to make soon, so the details of this adorable skirt will show better.  Oh, and the sizing is spot on - this is a size 4, and I actually hemmed it a bit shorter than the pattern called for (which is unusual for me as Julia's on the tall side) because I thought the shorter length went better with the retro vibe of the pattern/fabric combo.

And, the shirt - it's my second Oliver + S School Bus T-Shirt.  I added the absolute perfect and simple embroidery design from Urban Threads - really, adding this little touch of embroidery really makes the outfit, in my opinion.  Urban Threads is a seriously dangerous site, if you have an embroidery machine....

A cute outfit, eh? 

Thanks much to Rachael for asking me to test!!

A Comfy Set for the Kid.....

So, I bought this.

Seriously, it's $22.50 for patterns for your entire family.  If you're like my family, that $22.50 will go a very long way. I'm thinking everyone will be getting t-shirts for Christmas this year....

And, so then, I made this:

The top is a modified size 4 t-shirt.  I added a peplum and a little bow.  No big deal, but they definitely made my kid love the outfit.  The leggings are the Oliver + S Playtime leggings in a size 4.  I think, next time, I may make the legs skinnier, and add 2 or 3 inches to the length.  But, for now, these fit just fine.

The fabric in the top is interlock from the Modern Workshop line from Oliver + S.  We just got some of the last bolts that Moda had in the shop.  It's everything I've read about it on other sewing blogs; absolutely butter-soft interlock.  If you're hesitant about sewing with knits, interlock is great to sew with as it's a bit heavier than t-shirt weight, so less slipping.

S

Seriously, she loves this outfit.  And, she took a 3 hour nap in it right before these pictures were taken - I think it looks pretty darn good post-nap.  I did wipe the drool off her face though.....

A funny aside - I was telling my oldest son that I had this pattern group and that I was going to make him a shirt.  I told him that part of the deal, however, was that he had to model for photos.  Julia proceeded to show him exactly how to do the model poses....I don't think you'll be seeing any modeled shots of my eldest son any time soon, but it would really be hysterical to see him model.....

Bohemian Babydoll Dress - Made From Scraps!

I was lucky enough to be selected to test the newest pattern from Elegance and Elephants - the Bohemian Babydoll Dress.  I first saw pictures on Instagram and knew that this was one that would be a hit with my kid.

The pattern is a no-closure, breezy, over-the-head, tunic or dress.  All features my kid loves.

The sewing took maybe a couple of hours.  The fabric and embroidery selection - well, that took WAY too long!

When I saw the pattern, it just reminded me of summer.  I wanted to use something that reminded me of summer on Cape Cod....well, this plaid that I had in my stash from long ago totally worked.  I believe I used it to make a shirt from my son back in the day.  I had a teeny bit of lightweight denim leftover from the first dress I made Julia when I finally got a new sewing machine - I think she was about 18 months old.  Then, the embroidery choosing.....I went back to the Urban Threads website - my new absolute favorite source for designs (now that I've figured out how to download to my machine). 

This is a size 4 with 5 length.  According to the pattern release, she made some tweaks to the bodice size and neckline size.  My kid loves the way it fits, but I may try it again with a size 3 bodice (and the same length).

 
A seriously cute pattern - I can also see this in corduroy, with a turtleneck under it in the fall.....thanks to Heidi for letting me test!

Perfect Pattern Parcel #2 - The Caroline Party Dress

So this is the last day to purchase from Perfect Pattern Parcel #2.

Here's the scoop on The Caroline Party Dress.  Now, this is a dress pattern that I had never seen before.  When I received the patterns, I knew it was one that my kid would like.  She's definitely a girly-girl in spite of my best efforts to make her less girly-girly.

I had a great border print in the shop from the Grand Hotel line from Jenean Morrison.  Check out her art sometime - very cool stuff!  I knew the border print would work well for this dress, but I didn't want to use up a ton of fabric, so I cut carefully.  I made sure to line up my pattern pieces so that the horizontal patterns would line up. 

The pattern has several options, and I opted for the easiest version.  There are options for a fully lined dress with a tulle underlay, and although my kid would have loved that, I went with the simpler version as this was my first go with the pattern.  There's also an invisible zip in the back, and I wasn't really confident with my ability to insert that in a fully lined dress.

I made the dress up really quickly.  The zipper instructions were great, and the pattern went together beautifully.  I had left the hem/border very long, and tried it on the child.  Big mistake.  She then got crazy attached to the dress that was almost down to the ground.

So, here's the dress-drama....

I ran out to the store.  When I got back, the kid was in tears.  My husband said there had been a problem....apparently, Julia was running around the house in delight wearing the dress.  As it was a 90 degree day, she got sweaty.  Well, she doesn't like to be sweaty.  So, apparently, she actually tried to remove the dress by tearing at the neckline, and she tore a 5" hole in the dress.  The poor kid - she realized what she had done, and melted down in tears.

I of course told the kid that I'd fix it - not a problem.  So, there's the story of the neckline cutout added to the Caroline Party Dress....not a design feature at all!

I'll be making this pattern again for sure!  This is a size 4 on my 4 year old - the fit was perfect!

We even have color coordinated finger nails courtesy of Julia's big sister....