by Sherri Sylvester | May 4, 2015
I’m so excited to be part of another Bundle Up Tour. Pattern Revolution has put together a Women’s Bundle Up grouping this time and these brand new patterns cover everything from jeans to bathing suits, with dresses and tops in-between! When I was trying to decide which pattern to make as part of this tour, I went a bit out of my comfort zone and chose to make another Violette Field Threads pattern – Ginger, in the Misses Version.
Originally I was going to make the peplum top version, but, honestly – if you are going to do something out of the ordinary you may as well go all out, right? So I chose a crazy multi-coloured floral, cut into my hoarded teal chambray scraps and sewed myself a proper party dress! Now all I need is a party to wear it too… or a fancy summer date with my husband!
I’m generally intimidated by fitted patterns, but I am trying to learn how to tailor patterns to fit properly, so I forged ahead. I would really recommend this pattern as a good place to start making some simple alterations. Since the proper fit is created using two darts on bottom of the front bodice, it is simpler to move them around without causing extra trouble!
When I made my bodice muslin, I found that there was quite a bit of extra space all around, due to my needing a size 2 at the top and size 8 at the waist! The darts were a bit off as well – so I put the muslin on inside out and pinned in the extra fabric so it fit properly. I found taking in an inch on the centre front also moved the darts in so they pointed in the correct direction – perfect!
Thoughts on the pattern:
- PDF pattern, easy to print, put together, and reprint when necessary.
- If you choose to make the peplum top you can save quite a bit of paper by choosing to print only the peplum skirt pieces. Super helpful!
- Violette Field Threads cannot be faulted in their instructions in any way. The steps are well photographed and explained.
- There are good size and alteration tips to help you along.
Here are a few things I love about it:
- They rigged the circle skirt to take the fullness out of the hip area. Thank you VFT!
- Pockets. Pockets! LOVE the pockets. It’s so comfortable to be able to have a pocket to hold a few things. Or a place to put your hand in photographs!
- Despite it using quite a bit of fabric, it comes together quickly once you start sewing.
- It’s cute and out of the ordinary! (and, did I mention it has pockets?!)
- Two versions – you can also make a peplum top.
- If you are small-busted it works quite well as a strapless top. You don’t even need to add the halter portion!
- The circle skirt adds fullness without gathers! (Gathers are not my favorite.)
Thoughts on the fit:
- A woven fabric garment does not generally fit without any alterations. However, everything was properly placed and true to the measurements. My body just doesn’t agree with “average” sizing!
- It includes sizes 0-16 – quite a good range.
- There are 3 length options – super helpful.
Things I changed from the original pattern:
- There is supposed to be an exposed zipper on the back. Since I couldn’t find one, I opted for another super matchy invisible zipper. I installed it using my favorite invisible-zip instructions from the Oliver and S Fairy Tale Dress pattern.
Things I might change next time:
- I might take a bit of the fullness of the skirt out of the pattern, since it requires a lot of yardage and if there is any kind of wind at all you are left grasping for many, many yards of fabric in order to stay modest!
Don’t miss out on the Bundle – it’s only here for a limited time! Check out the other stops on the blog tour for more real-life inspiration.
Disclosure: I have used my own fabric and supplies to make this dress. However, I was given the Violette Field Threads, Ginger pattern for free as part of the Bundle Up blog tour. My opinions are always my own. Thanks for reading!
by Sherri Sylvester | May 1, 2015
I got to meet so many amazing people at this year’s Creativ Festival. I was so much more involved this year – and I met a ton of new creative people and shops! Instead of featuring each shop individually like I have in the past, I’ve assembled photos from quite a few and linked them to their shop. So, if you are looking for something you can find it! (If there isn’t a corresponding website, I’ve captioned the photo with the shop name.)
The spring Creativ Festival is definitely smaller than the Fall show. There are less booths in a smaller overall space – however, I think that the modern fabric presence was only slightly less than the last Fall show. Many traditional shops are buying more modern fabrics, so there is generally something I want to pick up from each shop. Dangerous, yes?!
I think my focus and view on fabric has changed as well – slowly over time – to involve more types of fabrics and more lines. Not so much “all modern, all the time” and now more “use the fabric that’s right for the job”. Apparel fabric for apparel, quilting cotton for quilting (and kids clothes!).
In the vein of trying not to be “all modern, all the time”, I was so happy to find a lovely use of batik fabric that surprised me! The amazing quilt pattern (above, ) from Border Creek Station Pattern Company, incorporates a lot of white for a modern look and the colour is added with batiks. It gives it a lovely watery look that I really love – softer than the solids against white.
I also found an online Canadian source for shot cotton that I’ll be taking full advantage of. I’ve got lots of apparel projects lined up in the next few months and it’s a lovely summery option to work with. I’ve got Flare Fabrics to thank for that! You should see all the colours she stocks!
It was interesting to see a change in the way each booth decided to show their products. Many sellers are not bringing all of their bolts. Instead they are replacing them with 2 yard cuts and some bolts, and lots of fat quarters and 1/2 metre cuts. Even some super cute scrappy bundles. The jars from Country Clothesline below were so cute!
One of the things I really love is to see all of the projects shop owners have created. I got a chance to work on a few projects this year, and it was fun to see a lot of others too. The feather quilt below that Daryl from Fabric Spark made from Echino fabrics is AMAZING! So, so gorgeous, and my favorite piece at the show. The added texture in the Echino lends so much more depth to the colours.
Seems quite a few of the online shops are now also stocking Aurifil as well. I was happy to find that and some knits at the show! Lovely Monaluna knits from Fabric Please. They feel amazing and my youngest has claimed the yard I bought for herself. I think I’ll have some left over, to use for a yoke on something for me. I hope!
Hopefully this post didn’t sound too sales-driven. It’s tricky writing a review without sounding like a sales person, especially when you are writing about lots of shops! I talked to a few new stores as well and am hoping to be able to team up with lots of them to bring you more Canadian online shop interviews and giveaways – yippee! Maybe we’ll see you at the Fall show?
Ruby Pearl Quilts
by Sherri Sylvester | Apr 28, 2015
I’m tired y’all! I had an amazing weekend at Creativ Festival – but I think the amount of time and energy I put into getting everything ready is now showing – I haven’t even unpacked or pre-washed any stash yet! I’m going to post a review of the weekend, but first I’ve got a quilt for you. (And, if you are expecting an email from me about the weekend I’ll hopefully get it out tomorrow!)
This is one of the projects I made in collaboration with my sponsor, Fabric Spark – for use at Creativ Festival. It’s a blanket/play mat made using the Wee Gallery collection from Dear Stella. I’d already fallen in love with the front “Dress Me” fabric when Daryl suggested making this quilt for the show. (I’ve got a yard stashed away from when Daryl first listed it!)
After I got the kit I was totally smitten with the backing fabric – Wild – Alphabet! Would you believe it’s even got a “N is for Narwhal” on there? (If you are looking for the “Dress Me” fabric, this little quilt did its job and now Fabric Spark is sold out of the “Dress Me” print. You can still get Wild – Alphabet here. *EDIT: Apparently Daryl is all sold out of the Alphabet as well.)
The quilt is made using the free “Dress Me Up!” Tutorial by Modern Handcraft on the Dear Stella blog. It’s such a cute idea! The only thing I changed is to use coloured thread for the quilting. In an effort to make it unisex, I used pink, blue, orange, yellow, gray and cream – generally matching the colours on the Alphabet backing – but lighter. I had a false start with a few quilted lines in bright pink and darkish blue that “showed up” too much for my liking.
Using wool felt for the character’s clothing is such a great idea. My oldest has already been designing clothes for them with the left-over felt. I’ve never used wool felt before, and I was so pleased with the quality and feel of the pieces provided in the kit. You can get wool felt from Fabric Spark as well – they have wonderful names like “Pea Soup”, “Vanilla Latte”, “Fresh Linen” and “Bluer than Blue”!
I learned a good lesson from this quilt as well – a quilt does not have to be hard, or even pieced! This whole-cloth quilt was so simple to make – and the end result is so cute! My favorite part is the coloured quilting. I didn’t even use any fancy quilting thread.
My new motto more often needs to be “Simplify Your Projects” and “Done is better than Perfect”!
Your Turn! What is your favorite sewing motto?
Disclaimer: I received this quilt kit at no cost in exchange for it’s use at the Fabric Spark booth during Creativ Festival. All of my opinions are my own and I won’t take on projects I don’t believe in. Thanks for reading!
by Sherri Sylvester | Apr 25, 2015
I’m super excited to be part of the Spring Bloom Blog Hop today! When Amanda from Bella Caronia sent me a photo of her fabrics early last month to see if I’d like to be one of the #springbloommakers it took me all of 30 seconds to reply back – “Yes, please!” Spring Bloom is Amanda’s first collection with Windham Fabrics and I am honored that she has let me play with it! (P.S. Scroll down for the giveaway so you can play with it too! Thanks Windham!)
This Bella Caronia collection seemed to me like I should create a project where several prints were mixed. A quilt would have been great, but since it’s not my strong suit I went with dresses. Dresses with lots of bright pretty colours and mix-matchy prints all in one place – just like a garden!
I decided to make the Ruffled Plaid Madness dress I drafted a few years back – only not in plaid this time. I’ve always wanted to make this dress again and I’m so pleased with how they show off Amanda’s collection! Thankfully our semi-rainy day photoshoot turned out ok too. Just like in spring, flowers bloom with the rainy weather – and apparently flowery fabric too!
Windham Fabrics kindly offered to send me whatever yardage I’d need for this project, but when I sat down to choose I got a bit stuck – so many options! So I let the girls choose their favorites (which happen to be in their favorite colours) and I think they did a great job. It also ensures that they extra-love the finished product. Though, thinking back, I don’t think I’d have a hard time selling layers of ruffles, puffed sleeves and a super-twirly skirt to these girls!
Making this dress turned out to be an exercise in “not forgetting something” that involved this crazy chart and lots of highlighting. With so many ruffles, each skirt front requires 4 or 5 tiers, each one with a ruffle and an under layer to hold it all together. That means lots of pieces, and LOTS of tiny 1/8″ rolled hems. I have never been more grateful that my Janome came with a rolled hem foot. And now I really, really know how to use it. Practice = Perfect – or at least very close!
Since I am a glutton for punishment I made my design based on looks, not “ease of creation“! These dresses curve down to the centre on the back bodice and up on the front bodice I remember going a bit cray-cray drafting the front ruffle the first time. Thankfully everything was already drafted so I could stitch the eight curves per dress so much faster this time around!
These dresses needed to be fully lined, so I also got to work with the new-to-me collection from Marsha Derse called Palette. I love her previous fabrics and the “not-so-solid” batik-like look of these fabrics really soften the colours.
Can I just say that I am super proud and a bit ecstatic over the invisible zipper fabric matching! When I cut matching fabric for the backs of the dresses I was super nervous I couldn’t match it properly – especially with the zipper right in the middle of the back seam! I felt a tad like MacGyver and with some “fabric, a glue stick and an iron” I managed to match it so amazingly well. It’s even a really simple process – really. I know you probably don’t believe me, so I’ll be writing a tutorial about it for sure! (Hint: It’s all in the glue stick!) *edit: I wrote a tutorial that is now available here.
A huge shout-out and congratulations to Bella Caronia on their first collection! And thanks so much to Amanda and Windham for including me on this hop. I’m sew lucky! (pun intended!) There’s still a week of amazing projects in this blog hop! Check out the schedule below:
April 20 Windham Fabrics Snip-its, Bella Caronia Blog ~ April 21 Leah and Bea Koch – Wintergreen and the Bee ~ April 22 Nell Timmer – Nell’s Notions ~ April 23 Jessica Darling ~ April 24 Kristy Daum – St. Louis Folk Victorian ~ April 25 Sherri Sylvester – Thread Riding Hood ~ April 26 Cindy Wiens – Live a Colorful Life ~ April 27 Krista Hennebury – Poppyprint ~ April 28 Felicity Ronaghan – Felicity Quilts ~ April 29 Casey York – The Studiolo ~ April 30 Janice Ryan – Better Off Thread ~ May 1 Deborah Moebes – Whipstitch ~ May 2 Bella Caronia Blog That’s a Wrap
Windham Fabrics is generously giving away the above amazing fat quarter bundle of Bella Caronia’s Spring Bloom Collection! This giveaway will run from April 25 – May 1, 2015. Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter – and if you don’t have Facebook to sign in with, just use your name and email address. There’s a “click to enter” no social media login entry too!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclaimer: Windham Fabrics sent me this fabric free of charge in exchange for this blog post. I always give you my own, uninfluenced opinion, and would not accept a project I didn’t love! Thanks for reading.
by Sherri Sylvester | Apr 23, 2015
Today I get to be part of the “Time to Travel eBook Blog Tour” put together by Sewing with Boys. And yes – I know, I don’t have any boys! I was surprised to get an email from them last month asking if me (with my 2 girls) wanted to be part of this tour. Though their eBook is written with boys in mind, it’s totally appropriate for girls too. I can see them using each of the patterns included in this just-released book. (Scroll down for your chance to enter to win some great prizes!)
As part of the tour I was given a copy of the Swansea Bag pattern written by Stitch Blue Designs. It’s one of the 4 full patterns included in the eBook, along with lots of tips and printables you can use when traveling with kids. The design is modeled after a military-style round duffle bag. And let me tell you – you need this bag! (As usual, despite getting the pattern for free in exchange for this review, my opinion is my always honest and my own. Thanks for reading!)
The girls just started their pre-summer swimming lessons and use a great wet bag for my youngest every week. However, when I saw this pattern I thought it would be perfect to use as a wet bag for my oldest so they could both have their own. Never mind that beach/pool weather is coming soon (I hope!) and we’ll need a carry-all then as well.
The finished Swansea turned out even more perfect than I could have asked for, and it’s huge! We almost don’t need a second bag since the child sized version I made holds both kids’ pajamas, shampoo/soap/hairbrush, large water bottle, snack AND two beach-sized towels. Whew!
Here are a few things I love about it:
- It’s really large – we’re going to use it SO much this summer.
- French seams throughout (and the instructions for them are very well explained). This allows the bag to be made super-quickly because it is completely finished inside without the need for a lining!
- The optional pocket is just the right size for so many things! And I love how it looks with the pocket flap.
Alterations to the original pattern:
- Added a french-seamed clear plastic liner to make it semi-waterproof.
- Used two lengths of natural clothesline instead of 1.
- Buttonholes instead of grommets. Because it’s a wet-bag I didn’t know what the metal would do if continually exposed to water.
- Dark-coloured contrasting bottom band – because my daughter fell in love with the white-background fabric and I could see it getting instantly dirty!
Thoughts on the pattern:
- Clearly written, illustrated instructions.
- Confident beginner friendly pattern.
- Variations: Two sizes: Child and Youth/Adult. Two closure options. Optional outer pocket.
- Printed pattern pieces for all pieces – even the large rectangle needed for the body of the bag. That means no measuring and squaring up!
Things I might change next time:
- I would definitely use a lighter gauge plastic if I lined it again. Making french seams in plastic is not easy on my machine and a lighter gauge would be just as waterproof.
- I’d love to try one with grommets. It would make a great Christmas gift for my nephews.
I’m so happy I got to be a part of this Sewing with Boys tour. Even if I don’t have any boys! I truly love the Swansea bag, and its quick construction makes it even better. I can see making a lot more of these!
The Time to Travel eBook is on sale until the end of this blog tour (May 1) for only $9.95 – The Swansea bag alone is well worth that cost! Check out the official Sewing with Boys Tour Page for more information, blog tour daily links and to see each of the other patterns in action.
Grand prize: $50 gift certificate to FabricWorm and a copy of Time to Travel* ~ 2nd Prize: 1 yard of fabric from Mabel Madison and a copy of Time to Travel* ~ 3rd Prize: a copy of Time to Travel* ~ But that’s not all! If you buy the eBook during the tour, you’ll be automatically entered to win a $30 gift certificate to Fat Quarter Shop!
Enter this giveaway through the Raffelcopter widget below. If you buy the eBook and win the giveaway, Sewing with Boys will either refund your money, or send the copy on to a friend of your choice.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
