by Sherri Sylvester | Feb 15, 2017
It’s extra fun when a random happening turns into something for my youngest and you too. Spoiler alert: There’s a discount code and giveaway in this post!
My youngest kinda gets the short end of the stick with clothing. The girls they have reached a stage where they both wear basically the same size clothing. This means my oldest rarely “grows out” of something while it still fits the little one. Ready-to-wear clothing isn’t the simplest solution, I end up hemming or altering a lot and may as well have made it myself!
This brings us to a happy coincidence, 1) the cutest robe pattern – she’s been wanting one for ages, and 2) yards (and yards) of gray fleece already in my stash!
I found the Pollywoggles Patterns Finley and Quinn robe on my friend Rachelle’s blog, That’s Sew Venice. It was quick to make, I cut it out and sewed it all the same evening. Since I made mine from fleece, the seam allowances don’t fray and don’t need finishing – one less step to do. Plus, I made a size too big, so it would last longer!
I have to say (not a #sponsoredpost) that I was really impressed with the instructions and photos for this pattern. Everything is very clear with lots of notations for how to make your sewing easier. For example, attaching the collar worried me once I saw it was a separate piece set into the front of the robe. I’ve had bad experiences sewing these square corners into clothing and was very relieved to make my way through the steps simply and quickly.
Here are a few other things I like about the Finley and Quinn robe pattern:
- The professional finish. It includes a loop for hanging, belt loops, and the inset collar looks great and lays well. A quick extra step for the loops and belt allows them to be flatter with the seam allowances in the center rather than on the side of the loop.
- You can tell a lot of thought was put into it. Heidi, the designer, talks about sewing the belt onto the back of the robe because her kids would otherwise lose it or use it to tie something up. Hers and mine too! I appreciate her thinking about how it would get used and providing a solution for it.
- The size range. The pattern fits sizes 12-18 months through 10. And it wouldn’t be hard to upsize it yourself since it is a loose fitting garment. And how cute would this be on a 1-year-old!
- There are lots of tips and tricks. This pattern includes a section on how to blend sizes and sew with stretch fabrics, plus notes throughout. It also includes 3 ways to attach the pockets – so you can pick the one that works best for your fabric.
- Pollywoggles Patterns is Canadian! I love writing about the Canadian sewing community!
And two things I didn’t do:
- I totally forgot to sew the sleeve cuffs and just realized that as I’m writing this. I meant to check the length on my daughter and finish it up. (Note to self: You should really do that!)
- I kind of messed up the inset collar a bit by rushing (late night) and not pinning enough. Next time I’ll be more careful. I fixed the sections that the straight stitch didn’t catch with a wide fancy stitch on the Janome Skyline S9 I have on loan.
My little one is very happy with her new robe, and I’m pleased to have found a great pattern designer! In fact, I’ve already planning to use another one of her patterns – but it’s a secret, so you’ll have to wait until the end of April or early May to find out. Eeeek, I’m so excited!
When I was preparing to write about this robe, I emailed Heidi to ask if she would like to provide a discount and giveaway for you and she said “Yes!” So, many thanks to Heidi, you can try out her patterns for yourself at a discount and also take a shot at winning one of them too!
Visit Pollywoggles Patterns and use the discount code “POLLYWOGGLES” to get 15% off store-wide! Valid today through Friday Feb. 17, 2017 at midnight EST.
One lucky winner will receive a Pollywoggles Pattern of their choice!
This giveaway is open to everyone, from today until February 20, 2017, at midnight EST. 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
by Sherri Sylvester | Feb 4, 2017
This post makes my week. Wednesday’s Fat Quarter Skirt pattern release post has everything you need to know (+ some cute pictures), but today I get to truly share my excitement with you!
Getting pattern tester photos in my email is like Christmas! It’s so fun to see what they have created. It reminds me how great our sewing community is. I am so grateful for all of their hard work, double-checking my measurements and finding new and better ways to do things.
Working together has made this pattern better that I could have alone, 2 whole pages longer, and more beginner friendly. The very hardest part of my job was to go through and pick one or two photos from each of them to share. So, especially to the pattern testers… Thank you for helping to make this release a success! And thank you for all your kind words!
Purchase the Fat Quarter Skirt PDF Pattern – $8.50 CDN
Enjoy the cuteness!
Sewn by Barbara. (Find her on Instagram)
Love, Love the twirl! The kittens and sea-foam green are perfect together. Plus, I think I need some of her shoes in my size!
Sewn by Lauren.
Lauren has made 4 skirts already! Including one with a matching bib. It was so hard to pick which ones to show you!
Sewn by Maire.
Mermaids and bright colours, my girls would love this skirt. Also, I’m wishing it was this warm in my part of the world!
Size 2
Sewn by Bev.
Happy Birthday Canada! I’m so glad Bev chose to use this fabric for her skirt. Check out the perfect folding and sewing on the contrast band. Wow!
Sewn by Christina. (Find her at Glengarry Rose Boutique (FB), Instagram)
Tiny skirts on little people! Gah! She’s so cute. Makes me wish my little ones were still little! The little bit of extra width on the smaller sizes makes a nice full twirly skirt.
Sewn by Francesca. (Find her on Instagram.)
The combination of fabrics here looks so Bright and Happy! Great choices Francesca!
Sewn by Mirjam. (Find her on: Dekawear and Facebook)
There’s something about little ones in black and white that is just perfect! I love the upward stripe Mirjam chose to use here. This skirt would go with almost any outfit!
Sewn by Monique.
Monique’s model wasn’t available, but that didn’t stop her – this skirt fits on the life-size doll her daughter’s grandmother gave her. And yes, I am drooling over the amazing machine and sewing box too!
Sewn by Nikki.
I’ve got to get me some of this bird fabric! The contrast band is just perfect with it.
Sewn by Simone.
This little one looks like she’s enjoying her skirt! Seriously – could it get any happier than this?! No questions here!
Size 3
Sewn by Andrea. (Find her on Instagram.)
Is that Tula Pink fabric I spy?! Gorgeous! And I love Andrea’s idea to add a ribbon tag and size marking to the back of the skirt!
Sewn by Jessica.
The Minnie Mouse fabric is fabulous and you can’t go wrong with Swiss Dots! Plus, look at her tiny feet!
Sewn by Julie.
These look like super warm cozy flannel. Great idea Julie! They’re so cute!
Sewn by Liz.
This little super hero is decked out for action! Love that Liz added a row of baby rickrack, it’s so cute!
Sewn by Robin.
This sunny skirt is sure to be loved by its new owner. I hope she likes twirling!
Sewn by Tori. (Find her on: British Farm Wife in Training, Instagram)
Cutest! In her blog post Tori says, “It is also TWIRL-TASTIC!! (Niece S approves!!)” She has written a great review of the pattern, check it out to find out more!
Size 4
Sewn by Alison.
This fabric is great for a little dinosaur-lover! I’m sure they’re going to love it. Thank you Alison!
Sewn by Danielle. (Find her on: Instagram)
Gah! Sloths! This fabric is so fun! And each sister got a skirt, way to go Danielle! In my house new patterns usually “need” to be sewn for both sisters too!
Sewn by Kelly. (Find her at: Kelly Panacci Inc, Instagram, Kelly Pannaci Inc. (FB))
Kelly sewed this skirt from her latest fabric collection – “Road Trip” for Riley Blake Designs. The vertical strip is so fun! I happen to have gotten some of her fabric to play with too, and I can’t wait! I also made some Cargo Duffles with her “Tree Party” collection.
Sewn by Melody.
I love this puzzle piece fabric, makes me want to see if I can put it together! Either way, these prints are great together. And I love Melody’s careful top-stitching.
Sewn by Pam.
This skirt is the perfect shades of lavender to go with everything. I bet she’s loving it!
Sewn by Susan.
Such a cute outfit, way to go Susan! This little one even got a matching bow to go with her new skirt!
Size 5
Sewn by Aurelie.
The embellishments Aurelie added are so good. Can’t go wrong with pompom trim and pockets! The yellow pops right off the print, it’s perfect!
Sewn by Elena. (Find her on Rascando Horas)
This skirt is perfect with tights for winter. Love the cute dog in the photo too! Elena was one of the first testers to blog about this skirt, she provides summer and winter styling for it + a twirly photo!
Sewn by Laura. (Find her on Instagram)
These bold large scale prints look great here! So summery, and still great with leggings for colder weather.
Sewn by Stacey. (Find her on Instagram)
Love yellow and pink together! And this fabric looks extra comfy with its textured pattern.
Size 6
Sewn by Gillian. (Find her at Tall Tales of the Kantor Family)
This grin. How can you resist?! Her mom said her daughter “… would like to add that, as you mentioned in the pattern, the skirt is definitely great for twirling.” They took advantage of the separate casing and used a fun contrasting fabric there too. *Update: Gillian has blogged about the skirt! Find more about her experience sewing with her daughter.*
Sewn by Jen.
Rainboots, Love it! These fabrics are so cute together. I happen to know this little girl in real life and her mom said she was excited to wear her new skirt the very next day.
Sewn by Starly. (Find her at: Sew Starly, Instagram)
I totally need this girl’s style! Love the boots! The mixy-matchy print-on-print skirt is perfect.
Sewn by Tiffany. (Find her on Instagram)
This little girl is ready for Valentine’s Day with the most adorable cozy outfit. Love the tiny envelopes in the fabric!
Purchase the Fat Quarter Skirt PDF Pattern – $8.50 CDN
I’m so glad that so many of you love the Fat Quarter Skirt and I’m excited to keep seeing them popping up around the interwebs. I would love to see your photos! Link over to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram (links below) using the hashtags #fatquarterskirt, #alongforthreadride and/or #threadridinghood. Thank you!
by Sherri Sylvester | Feb 2, 2017
The Fat Quarter Skirt pattern is now available!
This skirt pattern has been a favorite at our house for years. Combine just two fat quarters of fabric (commonly stashed in many sewing rooms!) to fit a child wearing sizes 2-6. My girls love wearing them with sweaters and leggings in the winter and t-shirts in the summer time. I love that it is cost-effective and quick sew.
“The only thing that would have made this pattern better was less choice in my stash so I could decide faster!” ~ Stacey, pattern tester
This “twirl-friendly” skirt has a fun contrast band at the bottom and an easy-to-fit elastic waistband. It is a simple, beginner-friendly pattern with a few tricks to keep it easy and fun. Great for quilters who haven’t had garment sewing experience and would like a simple starter project – it even has a 1/4″ seam allowance! Or, are you teaching your kids to sew? It’s simple enough for them to understand as well.
Make your little girl happy and de-stash some fabric. (Win, Win!)
Purchase the Fat Quarter Skirt PDF Pattern – $8.50 CDN
“… love that my four-year-old could help out a little… she assisted in fabric selection, cutting and a couple of side seams. Great for learning!” ~ Gillian, pattern tester
This skirt features 5 sizes, child’s 2-6, to create a skirt that is 9-11 1/2″ (23-30cm) long. The easily adjusted elastic waistband fits your child perfectly, and it makes dressing easier too! A hidden casing is simple to sew and the hem band eliminates the need to press multiple folds, plus it adds a cute pop of colour!
Expect lots of tips and tricks throughout, a glossary of terms, recommended best practices and instructions geared towards an absolute beginner. This pattern is truly a quick sew – allow yourself just 1-3 hours to finish, including your fabric cutting time. It’s also a great stash-buster, requiring only 2 fat quarters and a length of elastic… things you probably already have in your stash.
“I like your little extras like the “seam allowance icon” and the “check boxes”. Great ideas!” ~ Kelly, pattern tester
Here is what you can expect when you purchase the instant PDF Pattern download:
- An 8 page PDF pattern e-book with clear instructions.
- No pattern pieces to print out! Use the easy-to-follow cutting chart.
- Simple, detailed instructions to help you complete each step.
- Clearly marked colour photos to illustrate the step-by-step process.
- Both metric and imperial measurements throughout.
- This e-book is viewable on your mobile device, or print to letter size or A4 paper.
- Granny’s Sewing Basket – highlights Notes and Tips to make your project faster and easier! (introduction to Granny)
- Large seam allowance icons throughout, no more searching when you forget.
- Check boxes in all lists and for each step, for those of you who love to keep track of your progress.
- This pattern includes a limited production seller’s license.
“It was a lovely, quick project that was nice to do in between other projects. And who doesn’t love a quick, cute, easy to complete project?” ~ Monique, pattern tester
Supplies needed to complete any size of Fat Quarter Skirt:
- 1 fat quarter for the main skirt
- 1 fat quarter for the contrast band and casing
- thread (for sewing and edge-stitching)
- 1 yard (metre) of 3/4″ (20 mm) elastic (non-roll recommended)
- safety pin, bodkin for threading elastic
- scissors, sewing machine, pins, ruler, iron, pressing surface etc.
More inspiration and tester photos will be posted this week. It will be a fun photo-bomb of twirly happy children!
“I love it! What a great stash buster.” ~ Liz, pattern tester
Sew a skirt (or seven) for your favorite twirl-loving child!
Purchase the Fat Quarter Skirt PDF Pattern – $8.50 CDN
If you need any more information or help throughout the pattern I am always available – please email sherri@threadridinghood.com
by Sherri Sylvester | Sep 17, 2016
Whew – time flies when you are turning your house upside down and moving everyone around! I want to make sure I squeeze a post into this week though, and I’m excited to share a throw quilt with you today.
Waaaaay back at the Creativ Festival in April, Rita from Fabric Please gave my youngest the cutest bundle of Kate and Birdie fabric. Four fat quarters to use for her very own sewing project! We decided that it should be a quilt and off we went one weekend, her and I sharing the task of piecing it together on her Janome New Home 3/4 size machine.
I have to admit, when we got the bundle I was not sure how we could create something large enough to cuddle under. But with some thought and a brilliant 4-at-a-time-HST sewing tutorial, we succeeded! I added a bit of fabric from my stash to the ends,some stripey red for the binding and we were good to go.
What about the backing you say? Ummm yes – the un-matchy backing fabric… (insert blushing embarrassed emoji here) She chose the blue ice cream flannel on her last trip to the fabric store. I almost couldn’t go through with it… I mean it DOESN’T MATCH! And it’s permanent… argh – in a quilt no less! But she was five and it was “perfect” to her – so that’s what it needed to be. Don’t argue with the child that wants to learn to sew! (She was also adamant that the middle striped block should be vertical – and not horizontal…. *sigh*)
In the end, I did quite a bit of the sewing, we worked together on the fat quarter HST’s and she decided on the final layout. We sewed them together and then it was up to me to finish the borders, binding and quilting. Which, I LOVE! It is a simple diamond pattern and it turned out great! I made them as large as I could and used the HST diagonals as a guide for the stitching. I’m definitely going to do more diagonal quilting like this in the future.
By the way there’s a #momfail video of her opening her “surprise” (finished quilt) and not giving me quite the reaction I was expecting. Ooops! She’s a good sport about it anyhow 🙂
Do your kids like to sew? What do they like to make best?
Oh – and she sewed wearing my second most favorite dress make – ever! That she just outgrew…. argh. I may never, ever get rid of this one!
by Sherri Sylvester | Aug 25, 2016
This blog post is brought to you today by the letters “L” and “B” and by the number 2! Kudos to everyone who remembers where that reference is from. Ah, the days of childhood!
When I worked with my sponsor Fabric Spark to make my daughter’s isogram mini-quilt earlier this year, I wanted to make sure I used up the other letters in the alphabet panel. Enter two quick and easy projects with the letters “L” and “B”. Fabric Spark is sold out of this Tamara Kate panel – but has the Joie de Vivre – Joyeax Alphabet from Bari J in stock – it’s just as pretty!
First, I sewed up a quick quilted pillow for my daughter’s friend as a birthday gift. I really, really loved making this pillow. Using up scraps and piecing them log-cabin-style made a quick and easy finish. (My husband had just bought me the perfect tulip bouquet for the photo shoot – super extra bonus points for him!) I always love the quilting, it’s just so satisfying – and always looks amazing. I even dug out my rusty free-motion skills to make a few loops as well. The automatic settings on my Janome Skyline S7 are really helpful – they set everything up for you!
The second project I made was a monogrammed hand towel for my mom’s birthday this July – though she may never use it for fear of dirt! Their last name begins with “B”. I used a simple hand-towel, turned under the edges of the fabric and stitched the letter on. If I had more time I would have loved to embroider some texture into the block. But since I was finishing it the morning we were leaving to take it to her – I wasn’t able to! #procraftinators #unite!
Since I think I have an “M” and a “P” in my alpha-stash (it’s a thing!) I am excited to make my kids some monogrammed pillows too. We are playing “musical rooms” in our house this summer. Moving the sewing room to the (much larger) basement space (yay!) so the kids will each have their own space. We’ve got a “Red Riding Hood” room on tap for the little one and a “pink/teal-blue/yellow” design up for the oldest. Kids are fun and I can’t wait to see how their rooms turn out!
by Sherri Sylvester | Jun 10, 2016
Thank you so much everyone for all of your kind words on my last post. I have found that rest is helping so, so much, and I am doing my very best to not overbook myself going forward. It’s so easy to feel overwhelmed by the number of creative things available for doing – but I am learning that it is ok not to be “doing” all of the time. Also, I was relieve to find that the number of people visiting this blog did not go down while I was away – good news for sure!
I’ve pulled an oldie-but-goodie project today (read: made last year and sat in the mending pile until last month!). This also happens to be Thread Riding Hood’s 499th post – wow! I think I will do a little pdf pattern giveaway next week for the 500th. Crazy that I’ve written that much! I am so grateful for each and every one of you for coming back post after post.
Last year around this time, my youngest had an end-of-the-year school presentation for her junior-kindergarten class. Her teacher had chosen to act out Eric Carle’s book The Very Hungry Caterpillar – and worked for months on the project I’m sure. It was so cute! Little 4 and 5 year old’s each being one of the foods in the story, while a “caterpillar” ate them up. My daughter was chosen to be a narrator (ie. “read” some of the book) and she was SO proud! How could I not sew something for her to wear? Of course this happened the night before the presentation, as usual!
I’ve always loved No Big Dill’s Once Upon a Thread series, so making clothing based on a book seemed natural. Eric Carle’s design style is amazing. I love the illustrations in his books. He paints onto paper and then cuts it out to create each shape. I figured I could sew up another Potato Chip Skirt and do something with random fabric piecing. Turns out it works great!
I left all of the edges raw to make my life easier – but since they are fused to the skirt they haven’t frayed too much so far. The button caterpillar was based on this idea for a onesie that I found. Instead of embroidering the antennae I used a paint pen for them.
I tried to photographed the skirt while my daughter was on her way out the door to school. (Explaining the different photos in this post.) Here begins the adventure that has lasted a year. Sending a 4 year old to kindergarten in a white skirt required a trip through the wash. In the wash one of the sun’s rays fell off. The skirt then landed in the middle of a giant mending pile.
I finally found my embroidery floss a month or so ago and stitched each fabric piece onto the skirt. Now she can wear it whenever she wants – thank goodness. Turns out she’s talking about bugs right now in school – it’s perfect, like I might have planned it even. (Our little secret, right?!)
I am still so happy with the results – despite being terrified to let her wear a white skirt. Really, if I could I would love to frame it – but she wants to wear it, so that will have to wait. Kinda makes me want to sew up a giant one as a baby quilt though…. The only thing I was a bit sad about was not piecing in the smiling sun face – but that would have been a bit over the top for a “the night before” project!
What crazy last-minute (or not!) projects have you made lately?
