Play Dress Review

Hi! I'm Larissa a homeschooling mom of two. With two kids at very different stages, homeschooling, and working, I am finding it harder and harder to research patterns that my tween will love. I saw this dress pop up for review and immediately thought it would be so cute in my Wee Wander border prints! I pulled my 11 year old over and asked her if she would wear it. I got a yes, and then she started mulling over fabrics......Until I suggested Wee Wander! She was sold. As I started sewing, she had one request...Not to much ruffles. I modified the ruffles by only gathering them how much my machine tension gathered, which was about half the length the pattern called for.

On to the details:

• Size chart included both shoulder to hem and chest size
• There is a chart to tell you exactly the pages you need to print for the front overlay/back facing piece
• easy to follow step by step directions with photos

The Dress came out super cute but unfortunately, we ran into two snags! First, it is too short for both her comfort level and our dress code. Second, the arms are a tad big, even though she fits right into the size 7/8 measurements. Next time, I will alter the arms and add to the length.

It is perfect for those border prints! I can't wait to make another!

Why I sew

A lot of bloggers/designers/seamstresses I follow are doing a "why I sew" Campaign. I am not a part of it, but after reading a couple of their posts, I felt like I need to write it out. It hit home. I SEW because it makes me a better person. It gives me a reprieve after the kids have gone to bed. A way to relax and unwind. I sew because it makes me feel good. I love creating something that is unique and

Made a Valentine's Day skirt for the girl. She loves it and it made me happy!

Made a suit for the baby for my Brother in laws wedding, he looked so grown up! It made me happy!

While working on an upcycle sew a long for work, I sewed the dress on the right for The designer's daughter and she sewed the one on the left for mine. It made me happy to see both girls so happy!

Made a raglan tee for the little man. It made me happy!


SEWING MAKES ME HAPPY. Do I need any other reason? It doesn't matter if I took lessons, or learned at my grandmother's knee, or if I am self taught. I hope fellow seamstresses will support me, just as I support them!

Why do you sew? I will pick a random comment to receive a free yard of fabric (my choice).

BundleUP Ladies Part 1

I have to say, I get to work with some pretty awesome ladies! Not only are they awesome at what they do, they are all super nice! When the BundleUp Ladies came up, I was so excited to get to sew some awesome patterns for myself! I needed some self-care sewing!

 

I, of course, thought I would be able to sew them all up in 4 days. I forgot to factor in kids and that I cannot sew anything when my 13 month old is awake. That meant I could sew from ~8 pm-bedtime! So, I am going to do this in stages as I really want to share these with you!

 

First up, I have Everything Your Mama Made Calla Lily Skirt! This pattern was super quick to sew, with just 1 pattern piece and the waistband to cut out! I did the shorter length since I am already so short! It is super comfortable to wear. I made it out of a rayon blend with a nice drape!

 

 

Next, I paired the EYMM Four Season Cardigan with the Jocole Skinny Pants!

 

Let's start with the Cardi! So fun and flirty! There are so many options, including a hood! I opted for no hood, so I can wear this and still wrap the baby! This was a sweater knit I had in my stash, and I was really hesitant to deal with the stripes, but it all turned out okay!

 

 

 Now! I think my favorite pattern so far has to be these skinnies!!! I have wanted skinny jeans for YEARS but have found that the ones that fit my hips are usually too baggy in the calves, plus they are always way too long! When I found out Jocole was coming out with these (and a yoga waist to boot!), I literally started stalking her page for the testing call! As with all Jocole patterns, you get plenty of options! I did a basic pant out of stretch denim, and used the 26" inseam and they hit right on the ankle bone!

 

I LOVE these two patterns paired together!

 

These, along with 9 other awesome patterns are available HERE

 

Happy Sewing!

 

~~Larissa 

Peek A Boo Pattern Max & Matilda Shirt

Hi! I'm Larissa, owner of Ellie's Trunk. I was searching for a suit for my 1 yr old, and coming up with either cute and really expensive, or just okay and cheap. Since it was for my Brother in law's wedding, I wanted him to look handsome and adorable! Then Robin posted the review for this and I had that "A-HA!" moment! Hello! I sew! I could totally make this!

 

 





SO Handsome!



There are 2 options for the pattern, an oxford and a blouse, each with 2 sleeve lengths. There is also the option to add a pocket. I chose the long sleeve Oxford for his suit.

 

The pattern was easy to put together and cut out. There are quite a few smaller pieces for the collar stand, and the cuffs on the long sleeve option.

The pattern only mentions finishing your seams once in the sewing guidelines, which if you are a seasoned seamstress, you probably overlook, as I did, but I always finish my seams anyway.

There are plenty of detailed pictures on where to place interfacing and step by step directions. 

 



"What does the fox say?"





You can find the rest of my review here: http://patternrevolution.com/pattern-reviews/2014/6/24/bw608na4wjuq6gvu2tnu1i3v21dl0r

The Insulated Lunch Bag

Hey there! I'm Larissa, owner of and WAHM of an 11 year old girl and a 1 year old boy. Probably 2 of the hardest categories to sew for, tweens and boys! When I saw this come up for review, I jumped at the chance! We always need bags or lunch pails for running to playgroup or homeschool activities. Well, then came the hard part. Who to make it for? I decided to go with the boy, as my girl has gotten quite a bit of stuff made for her lately. Then it came time to pick fabrics! I stopped off at our Local Joann Fabrics to look at what Laminated cotton they had....only to find out that they only sell it online, not in store! Back to the drawing board! I discovered Pellon Vinyl Fuse! I made my own laminated cotton!

How cute did this turn out?

See my full review here:

http://patternrevolution.com/pattern-reviews/2014/5/31/lunch-bag-tote

Astra review

Hi! I'm Larissa, owner of Ellie's Trunk and mom to a 10.5 year old and a 4 month old! I pretty much only sew for my own kids and the occasional custom order these days while we figure out this whole infant in the house thing again!

Excuse the crazy hair, she spent all day running around a farm!

 

One of the most difficult aspects of sewing for a tween is finding patterns that do not look too babyish or grown up. Anyone who has tried to sew for a tween girl lately can agree that they are picky about every detail -- from the pattern to the fabric! When I saw this dress, the first thing I did was call over my 10.5 year old and ask her if she would wear it. I was so happy when she got very excited about it! Then it came to fabric selection......She wanted a short sleeve dress and I needed a long sleeve version! We compromised that we would do both,  the long sleeve one in a nice fall theme and then she could pick a "fun" fabric for her short sleeve version.  I am absolutely in love with this pattern!  There are a few different ways to place the fabric in this dress that will make it a fun staple in my daughters wardrobe!



Love the ribbon bow! She actually asked for it to be tied in a "Cinderella bow!"



Adding some sass!



I really love how quick this pattern came together and how different it can look with different fabrics!

 

 

Some quick Details:

1. Skill Level - Beginner- the casing is different, but is explained very clearly (with pictures too!)
2. Printing: The pattern Pieces print in black and white on 12 pages. The sizes are all nested together, and there is a key telling you which dash dot line to cut for each size.
3. Size Range:  12 months - 12
4. Instructions - Clear and easy to follow with step by step written instructions and clear photographs to walk you through each stage of construction. The instructions are only 11 pages and is broken  up into 9 steps!
5. Fit - I made the size 8 for my daughter (She is in 8-10/12 in RTW stuff) and I love the fit... a little bit of growing room to last through the fall and winter. 
6. Options: Short or long sleeves and elastic in the wrist for the long sleeve. This can also be made into a top (directions are included) 

Trying to look so sweet!

I love this fabric that she chose!

Overall, this was a very quick sew. If I took out all the distractions, it took me about 2 hours to cut and sew both dresses!

PDF Pattern organization

To say that I have a few PDF patterns would be an understatement. In July of 2012, I discovered Create Kids Couture. I started out buying just six patterns and within months, I had dozens more! Now, I own all but the most recent releases, and will be purchasing them soon! After discovering the PDF patterns and the ease of use, I branched out to other designers, and it quickly became apparent that I needed some sort of system to keep them organized and so I would be able to find the pattern I was looking for. After mulling over ideas for a few days, I finally came up with a system of folders. I did a rough organization of the patterns and have been fine tuning it for a couple months now. I feel that I have it set up in a way that will keep me organized and I can add new folders as needed.



Here you can see the PDF Pattern folder is highlighted in my Google Drive. I use Google Drive because I can also access them from my phone (great when you find that awesome fabric and need to know how much to buy to make a dress in a certain size!) or any computer by logging into my Google account.
 

Here you can see all the different folders for each company I have purchased patterns from. The ones that are not in folders are either tutorials I have downloaded or I only have one pattern from them. Since I have the most patterns from CKC, that is who I am going to use as an example.



Here I have the CKC patterns folder open and inside are even more folders.

 

As you can see, I have the patterns broken down into sub folders based on what they are. This makes it easier to find what I am looking for when deciding what I will make or if someone is ordering something and they tell me that they want a skirt, I can open the bottoms folder, which is broken down further into shorts, skirts, and pants/capris, open the skirt folder and they can see what is available without having to scroll through all the dresses and such.

 

I should also mention that I have patterns overlapped in the folders. There are quite a few that can be made into a top or a dress. They can be found in both the dress folder and the top folder.

 

Hope this helps you get a jump on organizing your patterns or gives you ideas for what will work for you!

 

If you stop by the Create Kids Couture Facebook Page, let them know I sent you!

 

 

Happy Sewing!