Year in Review and Looking Ahead

Hello 2014 and hello everyone! It has been far too long since I popped in here. I have been busy working, spending time with my family, getting ready for Christmas, sewing (of course) and doing all those other life things that happen off the Internet. I wanted to do a quick year-in-review/goals for 2014 type of post, since I still have photos to take and edit of actual sewing projects:)

PATTERN SHOPS

I tried out patterns from a lot of different PDF designers this year, and I've definitely developed some favorites. I like designers who offer clothing with good drafting and proper construction, and details like measurement charts, fabric layouts and sewing tips are a plus.

I shied away from panning designers in the past, because I don't want to hurt anyone's business. After seeing how many new designers have sprung up over the past year and the way that there are a lot of glowing reviews from testers and new seamstresses who might not recognize (or want to recognize) issues, I realized there is a bit of honest perspective missing. So here is my list of designers who make or miss the mark.

Popolok Designs - PICK!

Here is my version of the CeCe, the Nelia and the Lulu

I still love Popolok Designs. I have not gotten around to sewing any of her patterns again (except the Nelia, more on that a different day), but I will. I love her drafting and that her patterns have interesting details and options.  She's not afraid of buttons, zippers, facings, or any of those other things that some consider "hard" but I think are really just part of sewing. I can't wait to see what she has planned for the new year!

Tie Dye Diva - PICK!
A new favorite! Jen shop offers fairly classic patterns, but I love them because I can trust the fit and construction. That was especially important when I made pants for Samuel's dedication at church. I used my husband's old uniform trousers to make them, and I only had enough material for one go. TDD's Snazzy Pants pattern did not let me down! She's got some really cute patterns I can't wait to make in 2014.

(Photo from TDD)

(Photo from TDD)

Ruffle Pop Skirt Pattern

Ruffled Baby Sunsuit

PeekABoo Pattern Shop - PAN
I hate to include Amy's patterns here, because I love that she offers so many RTW styles. I tested several times for her and formed an opinion that makes me not want to pay money for her patterns. Sometimes the cycle seemed a bit rushed, like getting the patterns to the testers was more important than getting the pattern to fit right first. Some of the details made it clear that they were new to her, and yet she was drafting patterns that included them. Also, precedence seems to be given to people who can provide photos for listings and not those who will give honest feedback. All this adds up to a pan from me.

Schwin patterns - PAN
I made the Maggie Mae, dress version, for Danielle and loved the finished result, but not the process. I think there is a lot to be said for paper patterns, as much as they get sneered at. Though the instructions may be sparse, and a bit difficult for new seamstresses to follow, they are at least complete. I don't buy a pattern to figure out how wide or how many pleats to make myself. I have enough skill to cobble together my own patterns--I buy them so I don't waste precious sewing time trying to figure things out myself as I get a thrill from the end result, not the creative process. There are other patterns that are similar that offer better instructions--the Oliver + S Ice Cream Dress, for example. I am also looking forward to trying out this Color Block pattern by Heidi & Finn.

Whimsy Couture - PAN

$7 to make a bow? Total waste of money!

I don't even know what to say. I spent $7 ON SALE for a pattern (the Bodacious Bow Peasant Dress) that came with 5 different files (five! to make a peasant dress!), and only one pattern piece--a hand-drawn armhole cutout. I can draft my own peasant dress (see the indietutes tutorial here)--I wanted a nice pattern and I didn't realize the bow was just tacked on, separately, not part of the construction of the dress.  And the hand-drawn piece? It was sketchy. Like, lines not even smoothed out sketchy. The only salvageable part of the pattern was the bow--you can bet I will not be sending any more of my hard-earned money in this shop's direction, that's for sure.

 

MY 2013 PROJECTS

My New Blog Design - PICK!
This took a bit of time, as my graphic designs skills extend to Microsoft Office, Paint, and a smidge of Photoshop. I'm comfortable with computers, but not so good at creating my own designs. I'm pretty pleased with the way my header turned out, and I can swap out colors if/when I get around to it.


BubbleGum Swing Dress- PICK!

Candy Castle Patterns has been knocking designs out of the park this year! Rebecca's Peppermint Swirl dress stands out as one of the prettiest and most unique dresses I've seen, and the BubbleGum Swing dress that I made during a sew-a-long was one of my most favorite items ever. The options make it really versatile, and though it can be made in knits it is a dream for those who want to use cottons--there are so many options for using coordinating prints.

I don't have any real pans of the year, unless you count my failure to set (or meet) any real sewing goals, and my lack of consistency in blog posts. I did do a lot of pattern testing and some styles were outside my comfort zone. That being said, I don't think there was a single style I really disliked. Just some fabric/pattern combinations that didn't make it into my favorites. Moving on...

2014 GOALS

I was supposed to make a quilt for our queen sized bed. I haven't even washed the fabric yet! Beyond that, I didn't have any defined goals for this past year. I want to stay a bit more focused, so I'm taking the time to set some goals for this new year.

1. Submit a project for Hopeful Threads each quarter.
Kristy was doing monthly projects, but has changed to doing them quarterly this year. That takes away any excuse I have about sewing something in time, so I commit to participating each quarter.

2. Sew for myself.
Have you seen the Mouse House cardigan? It's too cute, and shouldn't involve too much fit. I plan to lose weight this year, but a cardigan should still fit even if I do shed some pounds. I'd also like to sew myself at least 2 dresses and 2 other tops this year. Total: 5 garments for myself. I can do it!

Image from MouseHouseCreations Etsy Shop
Pattern: Julia Women's Cardigan (how cute is this?!)

3. Finish my UFOs (UnFinished Objects).
I am not sure how many partially done sewing projects I have laying around, but I do know that it's time to finish them up. There are clothes that my kids have grown past the point of being able to wear (that I will finish and find a home for), Christmas presents that never got finished and mailed, toys that my nieces are going to be too old for soon--they all will get sewn! Okay, maybe not all of them, but a good bit of them. I feel motivated for 2014!

Whew! Are you tired of reading yet? I think that's a long enough list. I hope you all had a safe and happy holiday, and look forward to seeing what you create in this new year. What are you going to sew first?

Twin Minnies (Twinnies?)

My sister and her husband's family headed to Disney World recently and she asked me to make some Minnie Mouse themed dresses for her girls with fabric she supplied.

I used the Fair & Square Dress pattern by Tie Dye Diva because I wanted the dresses to fit well and I needed a pattern for two fabrics. The red polka dot was some sort of synthetic blend and kind of yucky to work with, but I thought it looked pretty Minnie-esque. My sister also supplied some heat & bond and some yellow rick rack for embellishements.

I'm not normally a rick rack girl, but I think it definitely suited the look and was very much needed to spruce up the dress a bit. For the applique, I found a silhouette with just the right proportions (and learned about Hidden Mickeys) here.  I printed it out at the size I wanted, fused some Heat 'n' Bond to some plain black fabric, pinned the mouse head to the fabric, cut it out, ironed it to the dress and then zig-zagged around it with my sewing machine. This blog post on Sew Like My Mom does a great job of explaining how to do applique neatly.

I also added a little surprise in the package for the girls:

I ordered these bracelets from Kinsley River Designs (whom I discovered through a mutual friend). The necklace Danielle wore with her birthday dress was made by Alana as well and I've ordered several custom items that will show up on my blog with future outfits. She's super talented and is competitively priced and it is too easy to get addicted to what she makes!

Until my sister sends me pictures of the girls in their dress (hint, hint Shawna!), here's proof that I made two of these dresses (my twin body forms aren't nearly as cute as my nieces...)

Astra Peasant Dress

5Berries recently released the Astra Dress, which I had the pleasure to test a couple weeks ago. It's a tiered peasant dress, similar to Simplicity 2377 which I've blogged about here and that I show in my Ruffler Foot Tutorials.

The biggest differences are that this pattern includes long sleeves and has a casing on the outside waistline to cinch in some of the fullness. My husband thought the sleeves were a bit poofy, but I think they look wonderfully comfortable.

I think they're just right :)

Danielle has been wearing uniforms to pre-K, so we haven't really purchased "regular" clothes for her for the fall. So I'm super excited that I've had the chance to make some long-sleeve dresses for church. I normally am behind in my sewing, not ahead of the seasons!

Let's pretend this picture is her looking
proud of me for sewing ahead, mkay?

I never intended these two fabrics to go together, since they are the same scale, but I think it really works for this dress since the tiers are all the same height.  I am pretty pleased with how this turned out.

You can see the fullness (though it's
not really shorter in the front like it looks)

I will definitely be making this one again, though I may mash it up with another pattern so that I can skip the waistline casing. Or I could just slim the bodice down and take a little width off the top tier. We'll see. I use patterns so I don't have to do the figuring myself :)

South Carolina Rose

A couple weeks back I got an email asking if I'd like to be a pattern tester for Ellie Inspired's new shirtdress--um, yes! I had filled out a form to be a pattern tester but didn't expect to get a chance as so many people have caught on that pattern testing is fun. The dress is the Texas Rose Shirt Dress and it is beautifully drafted. The size 4 fit perfectly with no adjustments or pattern revisions

.

I used a print I originally bought to make myself a dress before Danielle was born. It's cream with little dark green scissors all over it. It is SO much better suited for her coloring than mine, so I'm glad I chose it for this project. I used a dark green broadcloth as contrast for the sash, sleeve tabs and covered buttons. This was actually the first time I have ever made covered buttons and it was pretty easy. I used these that were from my mom who probably got them from her mother or grandmother:

35 cents? I wish they still only cost this much!

I love the amount of detail in this outfit. There is just enough to be interesting, but it's not so fussy that it would be cumbersome to sew again. I even went a step further than my normal and used cream thread for topstitching.

You should be able to see the contrasting topstitching in this picture

Besides that cute double ruffle skirt, I LOVE the ruffles down the front. I might just add some to every pattern I sew from here on :)

Forgive the face--this picture shows the sleeve tab
and those cute, cute ruffles down the front

I am really quite pleased with how this turned out, and it's going on my favorites list. I will warn you, Laura's instructions are very concise and include illustrations instead of pictures. I found them to be refreshing, though! If you are worried about it being difficult, Pattern Revolution hosted a sewalong that has tons of information and pictures that should make it easier. It's too late to join the sewalong, but the information is still super helpful and there is an alternate sleeve and Peter Pan collar available in the post for Day 1.

I should confess, I don't normally care for drop-waisted styles, but I didn't see that in the description at first because I was so excited to test. Then, when I got the dress finished, I saw the shape and absolutely love it. I don't know if it's the fullness of the skirt or that the waist isn't dropped too low, or what, but I really love how this turned out. Almost forgot, here's a shot of the back:

BubbleGum Dress

I participated in my first ever sew-a-long earlier this month and had a great time. It was through the Candy Castle group on Facebook, and there was a pretty generous deadline (it was a few weeks total to sew the dress). I didn't post as much as I would have liked to and I got behind a few times (even though we had several days for each step), but I finished on time and LOVED seeing all the beautiful dresses that others made.

I'm not normally a big mixed print kind of girl, but I had so much fun with the bright colors and all of the ways that prints can be used for this dress. I have to admit, though, I was a bit jealous of some of  the bias trims the other ladies used. There was one with lace edges and a lot with crocheted edges and they were so pretty.

I really like the effect of the blue I used but I realized after the photoshoot (of course) that I had tied it wrong--the tie should go around the back and I ran it across the front. Oh well. Next time Danielle wears it I'll get it right.

I really like this pattern. Actually, for the sewalong there was a modification--the skirt was made much fuller than the original (and the contrast band at the bottom may have been added for the sewalong as well). I like the poofed sleeves, the bias trim, the contrast band, the full skirt. I think I made the wrap cross a little higher so it would have a bit more modesty. The sizing had two sizes as one (3/4, etc), which I'm not a fan of, but because this is a wrap style it works for the bodice (and I have to adjust for length all the time anyways). And I need to adjust where the loop and tie are attached so it sits right at the waist seam, but I will definitely be making this dress again.

Haha, I pretended I was a real photographer and staged props!

The fabric combinations are endless, the original pattern has a slimmer skirt that would be fun to try, there's a ruffled neckline option, it can be made in a knit--this is seriously a solid investment.

Knit Ruffle Dress

I sure have been making a lot of dresses lately! One of them was this knit ruffle dress I tested for 5Berries. It's just long enough to be worn as a dress but if Danielle grows anymore before it gets cool here it will definitely need to be worn with leggings.

I forgot to put the bow on before taking these pictures--it goes in the center of the ribbon and is a cute touch. The dress is pretty straightforward, though there is only one ruffle (the bottom one) on the back, which I thought was a nice detail.

The sleeves are a nice length, and I'm happy to already have some long-sleeved dresses in Danielle's wardrobe for church this fall/winter..

Once the ruffles are attached, this dress goes together fairly quickly. I'd like to make more for Danielle, but I have so many other projects going on that I think it will have to wait until next year. Besides, I don't have many knits in my stash appropriate for kids--this one was intended as a shirt for me, but I think she wears it better than I could :) Here she is dancing in it:

Oh, almost forgot. Here's what it looks like from the side. I don't think the ruffles really poof out like this--I think this is ruffled up from her impromptu dance break.  I think this is such a cute, girlie look and who doesn't love a pattern for knits?.

5Berries Testing

I'm so ashamed! One of the shops I test the most for happens to be the one I blog the least about, for no good reason. Anna, the designer for 5Berries and Dress Patterns 4 Girls has created some really cute designs, including the Eva peasant dress I blogged about here and the Gatsby dress that I haven't shared pictures of yet. The Juliet dress (pictured above) is her newest pattern. It's hard to tell with my crazy prints (which look good together in natural light but not with my camera flash), but this dress has a poofier upper sleeve and a slimmer lower sleeve, reminiscent of Juliet (from the famous play).

A lot of her dresses do tend to be variations of the peasant dress, but she offers some cute details and her sloper for this style is my favorite. There is just the right amount of flare in the A-line and the neckline is lower in the front than it is in the back. I've used her basic peasant dress with some length added to make nightgowns for Danielle the past two summers. The dress shown below was a test that turned out a little short, so that ended up as a nightgown as well, just one that has a cute flutter sleeve detail :)

Besides dresses, she also has some patterns for rompers, skirts, pants, etc. I tested the Emily capris back in April (I think?) and the bow detail is really darling. Make sure you secure the bow in the loop though, or you will lose one and never get around to making a new one and then the pants won't do much good, mkay?  Sigh, these pants went with everything my pink-loving daughter owns.

 

Anna was a tailor who made custom women's clothes before moving to the United States, so some of her methods in her earlier patterns didn't make sense to me (like hand basting where to hem).  When I emailed her to ask about some of her construction "oddities", she asked for more feedback like that! I'm impressed with her commitment to make her patterns the best they can be, and easy for anyone to understand.

If you haven't tried a 5Berries (or Dress Patterns 4 Girls) pattern yet, you really should! They are easy enough for a beginner, while still having some unique styles (isn't this Ava dress pattern darling?) Oh, and she's started making some patterns with knits too. Bonus!