Pancakes & Pearls Party Inspiration

In less than a month Avery with turn 5. Five!!!! I can’t believe it. Party prep mode has begun, and as usual I try to fit in a project here and there to make it all come together in the end. I’ll try to share a few along the way.

Almost every Saturday we hear the request for pancakes from Avery. We even have them for dinner on occasion. She jumped at the idea of including them in her party. Instead of a pancakes and pajamas party, we decided to channel her girly side and make it a Pancakes and Pearls party. Here’s a little eye candy to feed the brain storming.

Huge stacks of pancakes.

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Mini stacks of pancakes.

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Here is our color scheme: pink, jade, gold, and of course pearly white.

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Feel free to send any pearls of wisdom my way!! (pun intended)

Her First Maxi

In all honesty the shorts I made Avery here and here have yet to be worn beyond the photo shoot. I know they will get worn during the summer months, but this girl craves dresses. The more twirl the better. I knew she would love a maxi dress, but I wasn’t going to invest in another pattern when I have so many yet to sew. The day after thinking these very thoughts, I received Pink Fig’s pattern of the month in my inbox. To my delight it was a gorgeous maxi, the Bloomshine Maxi. I immediately set to sorting through fabrics to find the perfect mix and quantities. It may have been a bit embarrassing if anyone had walked in the door with the little piles of fabric I had strewn about. I ended up with a fun mix of Riley Blake and Sis Boom.

Like I said, I jumped right into cutting fabrics for this one. Well, part way in to sewing that bottom tier, I realized it ends up being 15 feet of fabric. I almost abandoned ship, but I couldn’t waste the fabric or face the disappointment on Avery’s face. I carried on so thankful for a ruffler foot on my sewing machine.

Boy does it twirl!!

Avery thinks it is “long like a princess dress.” She tends to sway and sing if she ever stands still long enough.

The only change I made to the pattern was for the straps. I ended up criss-crossing and weaving them together at the back. Love it!!

This size 5 fit perfect on Avery. By the way, the size range is awesome for this pattern from 2T to Missy 16. Just to make things easier on myself, I think I would make that bottom tier the same width as the middle tier next time. I still think there would be plenty of twirl factor!

Flip This Pattern Announced

At the beginning of the week, I posted a knock-off, and today I’m announcing a pattern flip. Two of my favorite things! Can you tell how excited I am to be a part of them!!!

This is all of the work of two super sewing sisters over at francessuzanne. They have been working to pair up different bloggers with patterns to flip (re-mix, embellish, make it your own.) It gets better! It’s part competition, part sew-along, and guaranteed to be filled with inspiration. So, head over to francessuznne for all the details and schedules, because I have a feeling you’ll want to follow along even if you don’t sew along. Oh, and check out the talent listed in this group. Awesome!!

Mommy's Apron Strings | Winter Wonderings | doguincho | SoCalSewingMom | nest full of eggs

cathgrace | Welcome to the Mouse House | S is for Sewing | Sewing Like Mad | Elegance & Elephants | Call ajaireLittle Kids Grow | Daisy Chain Creations | Once Upon a Notion | Handmade Martini | iCandy handmade | you & mieIf only they would Nap |  Foster Ramblings | Designs by Sessa | Shaffer Sisters {Jo} | greendoodle | Shaffer Sisters {Al}Siestas & Sewing | mama says sew | Sewing Mama RaeAnna | sewVery | Nap Time Crafters | {lbg studio}Shaffer Sisters {Scary} | Sweeter Than Cupcakes | Once Upon a Sewing Machine | Crafty Cupboard | The Powell Family

And, here are the patterns. See, twelve months of awesome!! I won’t be hitting the scene until April which gives me plenty of time to get inspired (or wavier with indecision, get nervous, reconsider options, etc.)

| Pattern Anthology Figgy's | Peek-A-Boo Pattern Shop | Shwin Designs | Clever Charlotte Violette Field Threads | Blank Slate Patterns | Heidi & Finn | The Cottage Mama

Mini Boden Spotty Chambray Skirt Knock It Off–Tutorial

If you’ve been following my blog for a while you know I love a good knock off. I was so excited to be included in Heidi’s Knock It Off series. The hardest thing about it was narrowing down what to sew. I finally decided on the Spotty Chambray Skirt because I knew I could share a little tutorial with you as well. Here is theirs vs. mine.

The extra stitching and cute pocket design make this skirt unique. I chose to use Michael Miller’s Petit Point in denim, but I certainly wouldn’t limit this design to just dots.

This tutorial is for a size 5 skirt. The finished length is 14”. You will need 1 yard of fabric. All seam allowances are 1/2” unless noted otherwise.
Materials:

• 3/4” elastic – 9.5”
• 7 – 5/8” buttons
• front waistband interfacing – 3” x 12.5”
• front waistband fabric – 3” x 12.5”
• back waistband fabric – 3” x 16.5”
• button placket fabric – 1 7/8” x 16”
• front skirt panel fabric – 15” x 24”
• back skirt panel fabric – 15” x 16.5”
• Pocket fabric – See photo below. You will need two rectangles 4.5” x 7”. You will also need two pocket pieces with a trapezoidal shape at the bottom. The pocket piece widens to 5.5” at the base.

1. Apply interfacing to the front waist band on the wrong side.

2. Stitch the short ends of the waist band right sides together at each end to form a tube. Press the waistband in 1/2 long way wrong sides together. Edge stitch along the folded edge of the band.

3. On the backside of the waist band, stitch a casing 3/4” from the edgestitch (about 7/8” from the fold). Stitch from side seam to side seam along the back only.

4. Insert the elastic in the casing & secure at both ends at the seams. Set the waistband aside.

5. I like to press my hems before I sew the pieces together. Press the hem under 1/4” then 1” to the wrong side on both skirt panel pieces. Crease the front panel in half to mark the middle for placing the button placket later.

6. Unfold the hem and sew the front and back panels together along the short sides. Finish the seams and press the seam allowance to the back side.

7. Sew gathering stitches at the bottom center of the tapazoidal pocket piece. Gather the bottom to match the rectangular pocket piece. Draw a rounded corner at each of the four corners of the pocket piece. (Tip: I did not do this, but if there is a next time I would probably add interfacing to the top portion of the pocket piece that gets folded over.)

8. Sew the trapezoidal pocket piece to the rectangular pocket piece right sides together with a 1/4” seam allowance leaving a 2” opening on one side to turn. Trim the corners to 1/8” seam allowance and turn right sides out. Tuck the seam allowances in at the opening and press the pocket well.

9. Press the top of the pocket piece own 1.5” along the top and mark at each edge. Top stitch between the marks around the top of the pocket.

10. Mark the front of the skirt for the pocket corner location 3.5” from the center crease each way and 3.5” from the top of the panel. Align the folded top corner of pocket at the mark.

11. Unfold the pocket. Stitch the pocket to the front of the skirt ONLY, make sure the back is pulled out of the way. Stitch from the previous topstitching around the bottom of the pocket to the other side of topstitching.

12. Repeat for the other pocket.

13. Sew two rows of gathering stitches at the top front panel from side seam to side seam. Gather the front panel to match the waistband front, but leave the center 1” ungathered.

14. Sew the skirt panel to the waist band aligning the fronts, backs and side seams. Finish the seam and press it toward the waistband. Set aside.

15. Press the long edges of the button placket under 1/4”. Also, press one short end under 1/4”

16. Pin the placket centered over the crease in the front skirt panel starting at the bottom of the skirt. Align the raw edge at the bottom. At the top fold the pressed end over the waistband tucking under the raw edge.

17. Edge stitch along both long sides of the placket. Stitch another line 1/4” from both edges for a total of 4 rows of stitching.

18. Top stitch the front waistband along the bottom edge catching the seam allowance underneath.

19. Repress the hem folds as needed and stitch the hem.

20. Sew buttons on the placket and pocket fronts.

21. Done!

If you want to check out a few more knock offs you can find shorts here, a suspender skirt here, and a typewriter tee here.

Happy Mother’s Day

I am so very grateful to be a mother to these crazy girls! And, many thanks to my mom who makes me a better mother.

Todd rescued a turtle from the middle of the road and gave Avery and Tandy a few hours of delight.

Book Review–Girls Style Book

Have you been intrigued by the Japanese sewing book world, but a little too intimidated to invest in a book in a foreign language? I’ve got great news! A few books have recently been released in English!! I purchased this one, Girls Style Book by Yoshiko Tsukiori. Right now it is listed for $11.79. You get 24 patterns in sizes 2 to 10. That’s a steal ya’ll!!

Here’s a little peek inside. I made this simple tie neck tank. You can find my photos at the bottom of this post.

Each pattern includes instructions, cutting diagrams, and illustrations. The instructions are a bit minimal, but the diagrams are super helpful. You will need to add the seam allowance when you trace the pattern pieces.

Each step is numbered on an illustration. They have also used English units as the primary measurements with Metric conversions in parentheses.

This bubble dress with pom-pom details is another one on my list to sew.

Now, on to my sample. This is such a simple but sweet design. It has gathers on either side of the tie and along the back neckline. It came together very quickly, and I have no complaints about the pattern instructions or illustrations. However, I did run into one issue. This is a size 2 tunic meant for Tandy. As you can see, it is currently fitting my oldest who is a size 5/6. I’ll let you know how the sizing runs with anything else I sew from this book. I guarantee there will be a next time!

The fabric for this top is Dream On by Urban Chicks.

Vintage Sewing Jiffy Top

I was tempted to sew this up when Simple Simon & Co. was doing their “ugly-duckling” pattern series, but the problem was that I thought it was too darn cute! But, look at that hat ya’ll. Seriously, what kid needs to run around in a shower cap. I did some research and found this pattern was published in 1969.

I’ve been sewing so much for Avery lately that I knew it was time for something for Tandy. I had a few hours the other night, and I figured anything that claims to be “jiffy” would fit the bill. I really do love this style. I’ve seen so many similar variations on Pinterest (here and here.)

I’m just in love with these sleeves! I used some oldie but goodie prints from Heather Bailey. I had purchased these for a particular pattern, but never felt motivated to sew it up. I think deciding to move on to something else was good move.

While I’m in love with this top, there is a downside. It’s huge on Tandy. I know she’s not quite 2 yet, but this size 2 probably won’t fit until she’s 3. I guess it will be hanging out on my mannequin for a while. I have some ideas for other variations, so I hope to come back to this pattern when it starts fitting a bit better.

Project Run & Play Sew Along – Glam Shorts

It’s the final week of Project Run & Play, and the theme of the week is spring formal wear. Can shorts ever be considered formal wear? Well, how about if you add a little shiny gold into the mix? When I saw these gold trimmed shorts, I pinned them wondering where in the world I could get gold bias tape. Not having a local Jo Ann's, I had no idea it was readily available. My mom came to my rescue and sent along both single and double fold gold bias tape.

Now, I personally think gold trimmings kick everything up a notch. I started with a basic shorts outline and drafted rounded edges, pockets and a new waistband. I referred back to this shorts tutorial for sewing up the shorts legs.

Just for a bit more sparkle, I painted on some gold glitter dots to a basic white tank around the neckline.

Linking up to Train to Crazy and Girl.Inspired.