Where to Wear! Brunch Date Edition!

I just love the idea of WHERE to WEAR! The whole series is a mix of sewing AND fashion bloggers so we can get wardrobe inspired!! AND there is a giveaway!!!! So keep reading!

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When I think of a brunch date with the my girl friends, I want to look cute, but casual and I forsure want to be comfortable! I also don't want to freeze on the walk over! 

For this look I used the Sisboom Angie hack I did for Topstitchers 2 'seasons' ago and paired it with a new Madge mini with lace overlay (Madge is not out yet... Don't ask when - I don't know...)

A cute fast lace overlay mini shift with the red coat and a pair of tights and some wedges makes for a perfect brunch pairing! Comfy, cute, and totally ready for a fancy drink and some waffles!

Of course, I wished I lived somewhere warm enough to wear a cute dress to brunch these days .... 

My original styling also works for a brunch date though! 

Be sure to head over to Wild+Wanderful or Gardening in High Heels to check out the other brilliant bloggers, sewists and stylistas on the tour, as well as be able to link up your own looks and show us what you would Wear to Where!


Now let's talk giveaway prizes for this tour!!
For the sewists: Choice of 3 patterns from Cole's Creations, Choice of 3 patterns from Made for Mermaids, Pattern of choice from Patterns for Pirates, Pattern of choice from Scientific Seamstress, Sewing-tee of choice from Sewing Stadium, Pattern of choice from Simple Life Pattern Co, Pattern of choice from StitchArt
For the Fashionistas: Set of 6 cards from Designs by Nicolina, 30 minute Social Media/Copy Consult by Gardening in High Heels, Tee of choice from Handmade Escapade, $20 Store Credit from Jenny Penny Designs, Tumbler from Joy+Tren
A big thanks to our amazing sponsors!
Cole's Creations | Designs by Nicolina | Gardening in High Heels
Handmade Escapade | Jenny Penny Designs | Joy+Tren
Made for Mermaids | Patterns for Pirates | Scientific Seamstress
Sewing Stadium | Simple Life Pattern Co | Stitch Art
a Rafflecopter giveaway

TWO ways to put on Face Knee Patches! and FREE face patch patterns

Step one: Print off the Sisboom Katie Pants in the size you need!  

Now measure where the top of the knee should be. on my child it was 7 inches below the crotch point - straight down. Cut your pattern at this line and remember to ad an extra half inch for seam allowance when you cut your pieces. You will cut to bottoms and 2 tops of the front piece - mirror image as per the pattern. 

Cut the back as per the pattern. 

If you want straight legs to your katie's like I did for the pink pair here is how: 

Now grab your knee faces ! There is a kitty, puppy, panda, and bunny face.

To make your ears sew right sides together leaving the ends open. If you do inner ears sew those right sides together and turn and then sew onto outer ears and then put outer ears right sides together and sew around leaving end open.

Now you will decide on face placement. You can free motion applique the face on or you can use buttons and ric-rac, and trims of choice. 

Sew the buttons and face features down.

Then place ears face down - right sides together and baste in place. 

Then finish the edge seam of the front bottoms and tops. and fold over and topstitch

pin the bottom fronts to the bottom tops and stitch in place, you will want to sew 2 lines or use a twin needle. 

Now finish sewing the pants as per the pattern

A quickie alternative is to make square patches and sew on to the pant leg fronts and then sew the pattern as directed.

and as always - join us in our Facebook group for even more sewalong fun and contests like this month's #sscostumes 

drop that waist and wear a tunic!

Time for a woman's tutorial!!! (Although to be honest this will work just as well with the Sisboom Leighanna :) )

So get out your Devon pattern and let's get started!

First measure yourself for how long you want your tunic to be AND where you want the casing line. 

I marked a outtie triangle for where the casing line would be so when I cut I would just know for front and back. No guessing and measuring after cutting.

Once cut, draw a nice straight line from one triangle outtie to the other.

Now I measured my elastic to be the same as my waist where I wanted the cinching to be. 

tack the elastic down at both triangle outties and then stretch and pin in the middle.

You will now sew and stretch the elastic while you sew. 

Then complete your dress! I lowered the front slit a bit and skipped the ties. 

Easy peasy and cute! Time to put on your tunic and tights and grab your pumpkin spice treat!

Yoga waistband Easy Fits Tutorial and a little Nursery Rhyme fun!

This October 2015 we are having some FUN in the LAB group and on facebook! hashtag your costume pics made with Scientific Seamstress or sisboom patterns #sscostumes (so we can search and find) and we will be finding a few people to cheer up :)

So let's start off this month's blog fun with a little inspiration from last year! 

I think I changed my mind a dozen times. But one thing I knew I wanted was something practical and warm and something that could be worn as an outfit or jammies after Halloween!

I used the All the Rage Raglan and the Easy Fits for this outfit. and Nimblephish's ITH mouse.

Cheeks brought me a book of nursery rhymes to read and I KNEW what I had to do!

The clock is a simple hand done applique to the front using felt and buttons and ric rac. I was able to complete this entire costume - including making the applique pattern pieces and cutting everything to sewn in one 4hr evening sewing stretch! I consider that a total WIN! 

I added a little dip and bias to the front of the shirt because I used a flannel lining to the hood which took away the stretch and I added arm cuffs and a hem band to help keep Cheeks cozy! For the pants I used the Scientific Seamstress Easy Fits pattern and made them in knit with a yoga waistband

To make a yoga waistband for your easy fits: 

1.Find some knit with a GREAT recovery and stretch (I prefer a nice 4way with some lycra) 

2. Cut a pieces of knit  measuring a few inches smaller than the waist measurement by about 8 inches tall (though height is preference - remember it will be folded in half)

3. Sew the ends together (right sides together)

4. Fold waistband in half wrong sides together. 

5. Place waistband inside pants - right side of pants to waistband. and then pin the waistband in place evenly around.

You will need to stretch the waistband to fit the pant. I generally pin front and back, and then sides. I find it easiest to just pin in quarters and then stretch the waistband as I sew. 

and all done!

MY momiform and it's makeover!

REMEMBER: Scroll to the bottom of this post to enter the two separate Rafflecopters! 50+ winners will be selected! Get 10% off your fabric order from now through October 1 at Michael Levine/LowPriceFabric.com with code: Makeover10

Get 20% off your pattern order now through October 1 at UpCraft Club with code: MOMIFORM Are you MAKE-ing over your Momiform? Join the fun on Instagram with hashtag #momiformmakeover

My usual fall and winter wear is yoga pants with a long sleeve tee layered with a husband's sweater to try and keep warm.... I don't do well with cold ... and I look like a Olsen twin crossed with a cat lady. 

So, my goal this momiform makeover was to make myself a long sleeve tunic to wear with tights and a little something extra to cozy it up!

For the long sleeve tunic I used the Sisboom Devon pattern and did one of the longest lengths and then did an elastic waist.

Tights are the peglegs by Patternsbypirates

I also deepened the slit in the front and skipped the ties. I added some elastic to the sleeves.

For the cozy outer layer I decided to get creative and used the Bowling Shirt pattern and made a tie it up cardi with a collar!

Material girl free motion applique pattern from sewingstadium.com by #stitchART

I did a fun flannel outer and a cozy plain flannel inside. Double layers of flannel should keep me warm all winter long as a layer and a coat this fall.

The cardi is awesome open or tied. The sash helps it have some shape in the back when open and when tied as well.

The tutorials for both of these items will be up on the blog starting next week!

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Be sure to check out all the awesome series participants to get lots of momiform inspiration!

Reyna Lay Designs | Call Ajaire | Golden Rippy | Love Notions Sew Not Perfect | Scientific Seamstress | Rebel & Malice Creative Counselor | Mabey She Made It | If Only They Would Nap | Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy Crafts Shaffer Sisters | FABulous Home Sewn | Fa Sew La | Baste + Gather Lulu & Celeste | Swoodson Says | Phat Quarters | Hey June | Stitch Upon a Time Climbing the Willow | Everything Your Mama Made & More | Näh-Connection | 110 Creations A Jennuine Life | Straight Stitch Designs | Sew Straight & Gather | KZJO'STUDIO Wild & Wanderful | Mae & K | Handmade Frenzy | HattieLu Handmade

 

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Sponsors

 

Special thanks to these major sponsors who generously donated the following items for the giveaway:

(There will a different winner for each line item so we can spread the love around!)

Janome - One Skyline S5 Sewing Machine* Indiesew - Four $50 gift certificates (four separate winners) Michael Levine / Low Price Fabric - Four $25 gift certificates (four separate winners) and 10% discount for readers through October 1 - code: Makeover10 UpCraft Club - Two $25 gift certificates (two separate winners) and 20% discount on patterns through October 1 - code: MOMIFORM

And the following pattern designers who graciously provided patterns for the series participants and/or contributed the following items for the giveaway:

Grainline Studio - Two patterns of your choice True Bias - Hudson Pants & Southport Dress patterns Colette -Two patterns of your choice Closet Case Files -Two patterns of your choice Sew Much Ado -Two patterns of your choice Sew Straight & Gather - Three patterns of your choice Golden Rippy - Two patterns of your choice 110 Creations: A Sewist's Notebook Patterns for Pirates - Two patterns of your choice Itch to Stitch - Two patterns of your choice Mouse House Creations - Two patterns of your choice Hey June Handmade -Two patterns of your choice Peekaboo Pattern Shop - Three patterns of your choice Go-to Patterns - One women's pattern of your choice GreenStyleCreations -Two patterns of your choice Puperita - One pattern of your choice Sofilantjes - Two patterns of your choice Charlotte Kan - One pattern of your choice So Sew Easy - Two patterns or one bundle of your choice OUSM Designs - Women's Thumbs-Up Tee pattern E-Beth Designs - Two patterns of your choice Muffin Head Patterns - Any pattern of your choice up to $10 GrayDay Patterns - Sandpoint Top or Athena Top pattern (your choice) Scientific Seamstress - One pattern of your choice Stitch Upon a Time - $20 gift card 5 out of 4 - Two patterns of your choice Frianki Patterns - Two patterns of your choice KZ Jo Studio - Two patterns of your choice Straight Stitch Designs - Full collection of patterns Sewing Patterns by Aivilo Charlotte - Two patterns of your choice Striped Swallow Designs - Two patterns of your choice Rose and Lee Designs - Two patterns of your choice Sewing Geek Patterns - One pattern of your choice Filles a Maman - One pattern of your choice Bella Sunshine Designs - One pattern of your choice Liola Designs - One pattern of your choice Cali Faye Collection - One pattern of your choice Tinman Patterns - Orbit Skirt pattern Felicity Sewing Patterns - Two patterns of your choice Winter Wear Designs - Two patterns of your choice Ellie Inspired - Three patterns of your choice Love Notions - One pattern of your choice a Sparkly Baby - Two patterns of your choice Terra's Treasures Designs - Two patterns of your choice

*Janome giveaway winner must be located in U.S.A. and is therefore on a separate Rafflecopter below. Machine must be picked up at a local dealer; it cannot be shipped.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This second Rafflecopter includes all the other sponsor items since they can be awarded internationally! You must enter both Rafflecopters in order to be entered to win both the sewing machine and the rest of the giveaway items. All patterns awarded will be in PDF format. Enjoy!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Does it work in knit? A little guide.

Let's talk about making woven patterns with knit fabrics! It is a question I see a lot of. So here are a few basics! 

When deciding on a pattern to make with knits you are going to need to decide whether to downsize or if it will work AS IS. 

Patterns like the Sisboom Devon/Leighanna and the Meghan and Molly and Scientific seamstress Portrait Peasant work as is.  They are all peasants and so you don;t have to adjust. The fit of the main will be a bit more flowy than woven.

 but because the elastic in the neckline is what gives a peasant the stay on and shape nothing needs to change. As . you will want to be certain the most stretch direction is across the body though. if you have the stretch go up and down you will get a very wonky hemline.

The marlo is another option where you can do AS IS - but if you want to lengthen the ruffle or size down a bit you can for a closer fit 

Here is Leah modelling her knit Marlo with lengthened ruffle, which means the kids version, Cathy would work as well in knit. 

Some patterns work FAB in knit as the main part. but because of the design still need the stability of some woven and so if you keep the collar/ top bands in woven you can do the rest in woven! 

An example of this would be the Sisboom Shana which you also saw on the blog back in january

Which means the kids version, Emily would work as well.

Another pattern that follows this principle would be the Sisboom Dana and Maddie. and the Sisboom Vanessa and Bettyann as well as the Scientific Seamstress Bebop 

The arrows point to the pieces you can cut out in knits. just leave the armbands,straps,top bands woven. These patterns NEED the stability of woven in those places to hold shap and stay on!

The Easy fits also work GREAT in knit and so do the Sisboom Judy/Katies. For the Judy and Katie's use woven for the waistband facing.

and Tortola and Tobago are great in knit as long as you use woven facing, again it needs the stability to hold shape. You do NOT need to size down or cut on the bias to do the tanks in knit.

pic from AliCat&co - Thanks Brianne!

And remember that this knowledge is transferrable. So have a look at the pattern and how it is constructed to decide whether to proceed with making it knit or not. 

and as always check out our super amazing facebook group! 

and if you like SALES check out the September newsletter - and be sure to subscribe so you don;t miss out on any amazing deals and challenges in the future! 

Ready to Learn with a Collar and Straight Shirt!

So we all know and love the original Precious Dress Pattern with it's nice full skirt!

BUT.... I wanted a nice classic top with the collar and puff sleeves like the Precious has, only straight. and perfect to put under dresses - or for school uniforms if we had that. 

AND so this leads into the latest tutorial. A nice crisp clean straight shirt with classic details!

This is sooooo easy to do as well! Everything just gets extended!! So measure you child from shoulder to where you want the hem to be! (and don't be like me and forget that belly... I had to add length to mine after the fact - hence the piping "detail")

You can do the button back as per the pattern - just extended OR you can follow these pics and add a zipper back and skip the buttons!

Mark the zipper above the metal stop (that is NOT fun to try and sew through!) The lining was cut at the natural waistline cutting line if you want an idea of zipper length.

Sew up from the bottom to just above the line.

Put a little gluestick on that zipper and pin in place. Sew the top last so don;t worry about those top ends right now.

all pinned in place and perfectly hidden

Start at the bottom and sew about 2 inches from the top on both sides and then sew across the bottom. Then you will tuck the top ends under and unzip and sew the top of the zipper.

and VOILA perfect zipper! 

and a perfectly cute and perfect back to school look!

Fabric is Sisboom Caravelle Arcade !