Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Christmas Footie Pajamas and Traditions

About 4pm Christmas Eve I finally finished the girls' Christmas PJ's. They are the Classic Footie Pajamas from the Peek-a-boo pattern shop. I made a few mistakes and used the seam ripper more times than I would like to admit, but I love how they turned out. 

The girls had a ton of fun posing though I think they were just trying to put off going to bed.

Here they are.
 Ta-Da!!
 Silly faces!
 Surprise!
 This was supposed to be sad. 
 Big punch. (Abby's choice)
Lounging by the tree (Maddie's choice)
Playing dead..lol
Our Biggers family tradition. We leave Santa our family as gingerbread cookies. :)

From our family to yours. 

Merry Christmas

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Charming Doodle Pattern Review - Knight Hoodie

Last week I signed up to test a pattern by the adorable Elisa Clark from Charming Doodle. I recently found her blog and I can't get enough. She has some talent! Her newest pattern is the Knight Hoodie and it for sizes 2T-10 (but there are rumors that a tween/adult pattern will be released soon).

The awesome thing about this this pattern is it's not just for little boys. I made one for my 6 1/2 year old daughter Maddie. She is pretty big for her ago so I made her the size 10. I took her to Joann with me to pick out her fabric and this is the combination she came up with. At first I was curious about how it would turn out but now that it is done I couldn't be happier. Maddie's in love with it too as you can see.

This was my very first hoodie and my first time working with sweatshirt fleece. This pattern came together so easily. It took a bit to get all the different pieces cut out but once it was cut I was able to sew it together start to finish in about 2 hours. The next one I make will probably take even less time.
This Knight Hoodie comes with very unique detail and "armor pieces" as well as buttons for accent. I didn't change anything about the pattern but by changing the color and making contrasting pieces it has a completely different look.
The fit on this pattern is loose but not baggy which I really like. It zips all the way up to the chin to give the look of armor. 
Some of the testers put appliques on the back of the Hoodie and it looks great. I left my plain because I think that the color is busy enough as is. :)

Maddie was excited to get to play with Daddy's toy sword from last years Halloween costume during our photos.
Here are some up close pics of the details on the Hoodie. I could not find ribbed knit or a zipper that matched our neon fabric so I just picked up some solid white and used Fabric Spray Paint to give it a graffiti vibe and coordinate with the fabric better.
I am scared to death to paint things like furniture but I have this weird obsession with fabric paint. As you can see below I used the same Fabric Spray Paint to make Maddie's birthday shirt for her birthday earlier this year.
Just for fun, here's Maddie trying to be an 'evil knight'. My silly girl is just too sweet to pull it off.

If you love this pattern and want to pick it up, go here and use the code DECEMBERKNIGHT before Christmas to get the pattern for $3 off. I know this will be a well loved pattern in our house. My younger daughter is already bugging me to make her one.

Monday, November 18, 2013

EYMM Pattern Review - Kenzie's Party Dress and Skirt

I recently had the opportunity to test the new Kenzie's Party Dress and Skirt  pattern by Kymy Johnson over at Everything Your Mama Made & More (EYMM) and I absolutely LOVE how it turned out. This is the the size 10 signature dress with sleeves. There are a couple of different options for this pattern. there is this dress, a skirt with the same bottom, then there is a simple dress and skirt option that has the same top and a simplified bottom. The dress is offered in 2 different sizes. Newborn to 4T and 5-18. There is also a discounted bundle if you want to have the entire range of sizes.

Maddie was feeling extra sassy during our shoot so I let her do her thing and I tried to keep up. The dress is a bit of a fabric hog, especially in the bigger sizes. but I think that it is SO worth it in the end result. There are 8 different fabrics used in this dress (including 2 OSU buckeyes fabrics). 3 of the plain broadcloth pieces are covered in a grey lace to make them pop more. I was determined to only use what I had in my stash so I had to get a little creative. (:
The one thing that was mentioned during testing was that that arm holes were a little large on the bigger sizes but that has since been corrected for the final version.
I had never done a rolled hem with my serger before and I was terrified to take parts out of my machine because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get it back together the same. 

I used this awesome tutorial from LBG Studio and I was able to make my first rolled hem. Warning though, rolled hems use a TON of thread. Especially when you have this much to do.
I am in love with the way the back is put together. The low back is darling and who doesn't love a good bow? I even sewed my very first dress placket with this dress as well as the first time I have ever used snaps. I decided to try snaps instead of buttons because I HATE sewing button holes. The snaps were so easy I have no idea why I didn't try them sooner.
Here is little miss saying," what do you want me to do now mom?"
And get ready for it, the TWIRL!!!! The dress has the right amount of twirl and is super fun with all the layers according to my 6.5 yr old. 
As you can see we had to set up pictures in the garage because by the time it stopped raining at 5PM Saturday night it was already pitch black outside. A couple of thumb tacks and a piece of white fleece and we were good to go.
Aside from myself, my girls are my biggest critics (in a loving way of course). Here's Maddie telling me she knows where I messed up on the dress. Can you find it?

**Hint, something may or may not have been sewn on inside out. No, I am not going to fix it. It adds character, right? **

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Monday, November 4, 2013

Go To Patterns, Pattern Review - Holly Trousers and Shorts

If you have been around this blog for a while you know that I test a lot of patterns. There are a couple designers that I have tested for several times, but I was beyond giddy and excited when I reviewed an email from Andrea over at Go To Patterns with an opportunity to test the Holly Trousers and Shorts pattern that is part of the newest Pattern Anthology
I tested the size 5 shorts for my soon to be 4 year old. She wears a 4/5 in RTW clothes and the fit was perfect with just a little bit of growing room which was what I expected for the sizing chart. The shorts are made from a twill/wool type material that I've had forever. I got it for $1 a yard at Walmart about 6 years ago and I still love it and have used it a couple times before. 
There is a zipper in the side, pleats in the front, a cuff on the shorts, and a wide waistband with the option of belt loops that I omitted because the material was so thick and Abby rarely if ever wears a belt.  
It was chilly and windy when we went out to take pictures but Abby was a trooper and actually let me get all of 3 shots before she started posing herself "like the fake people at the store" as she says. 
I don't know about you, but I think she might spend a little too much time shopping. She has the poses down. haha

You can go here and check out the entire Pattern Anthology. They always have the best designers collaborating on these.

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Thursday, October 31, 2013

Halloween 2013 - Wizard of Oz style

This summer my girls discovered the awesome-ness that is the original Wizard of Oz. The have been talking about what they wanted to be for Halloween ever since.My oldest, Maddie, always goes got the "good" character while my youngest, Abby, always chooses the "bad" character. Go figure. lol

For Dorothy I started with the Whimsy Couture Ruffled Circle Skirt for the bottom of the dress without the ruffle. I made an all white circle skirt with the ruffle for under the dress. The gingham that I used for the dress was pretty thin and I wanted it to have some weight for the 'twirl' factor.   
For the top of the dress I took her waist measurement, added about 3 inches for room and seam allowance and sewed it up the back. I made straps that start at the front waistband and go all the way to the back waistband. I tacked down the straps in the front and back of the bodice and the added the bodice to the circle skirt.
Once she tried it on I realized that the top of the bodice was super baggy because she is rounder in the middle than she is in the chest area. I didn't want it to be super fitted or have a zipper because I wanted her to be able to use it for dress up so I decided to shirr up both sides. Now the fit is PERFECT and she can slip it on and off easily.

We added some glittery red shoes from Target, pig tail braids, a basked from my Grandma, and one of Maddie's many stuffed dogs. I had a button up for her to wear but it is just too darn cold around here so a turtleneck and tights just had to do.
For my (not-so) Wicked Witch, I started with the Whimsy Couture Empire Dress as the top and just made a tube 2.5 times her waist for the bottom. Added about 8 yards of black tulle with my ruffler foot then attached it to the top. Black glittery shoes (because she just HAD to have new shoes like Maddie), a black turtleneck, tights and a witch hat headband completed the look. 
She was insistent that she had to have a green face and red lips like the Wicked Witch in the movie. All I could see was green face paint EVERYWHERE so we came to a compromise. I painted on a witch "mask" and then gave her the red lips that she wanted.
The day we took pictures was very chilly and super windy but they were troopers with the promise of hot chocolate.
I love that these girls wanted to go with an old movie as their costumes. Hopefully they will continue to go with a matching theme next year as well because it's just so darn cute!
The pictures above were after the Harvest party at the YMCA so I'll share what they looked like before the snacks and the wind took over. :)
My Dorothy.
My Wicked Witch. :)

Happy Halloween!!!

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Mouse House Creations Pattern Review - Norah Dress

Hayley Crouse blogs over at Welcome to the Mouse House and she will be releasing her first on Monday. The pattern is called the Norah Dress and Tunic pattern. Was lucky enough to be among the group of testers for this pattern. The pattern is classic and adorable and extremely versatile. It starts at a size 12 months and goes all the way up to a size 12 in girls. That was a huge plus for me. It can be really difficult to find cute girls clothes that are bigger than a 6 or 8 in girls. 

My oldest daughter Madeline is 6 1/2 but she is very tall and a little big for her age. She is currently wearing RTW sizes 8-10. I still like for her to dress like a little girl instead of a tween so I make a lot of her clothes. That and I love to sew for my girls. ;)

As soon as I saw the sketches for the pattern I immediately though of the character Madeline. She is a favorite of my Madeline. I thought it would be super cute to make my Madeline a dress inspired my her favorite storybook character Madeline. 

I am still stuck in Auto mode with my new to me DSLR camera but I'm really excited about how well these pictures came out. 
The dress has a bit of a A-line to it, a cute peter pan collar and ties. There are options for sleeveless, short sleeve, or long sleeves as well as with or without the collar and ties. There were even testers that made their versions out of knit. This is such a versatile pattern that it will definitely be a staple in both of my girls' wardrobe. I made a different version for my youngest that I will post about as soon as the weather clears up around here. 
The bodice is partially lines and their is a button closure in the back. The length hits just above the knees and has an adorable vintage feel about it. 
When I was pregnant with Madeline I was determined to have a little girl named Madeline. We didn't find out her gender until the day after Christmas, but that Christmas my husband bought me this set of Madeline books because he believed I was really sure I was having a girl. 
Madeline is in the first grade and is all about reading......constantly. She sat and read this book cover to cover right in the middle of our mini shoot so I just took pictures while she read. 
At the end Madeline asked if she could choose some poses of her own so I went with it. She was so cute and serious about it. This one is my favorite that she came up with. 
And what is a photo shoot without my youngest saying, "what about a picture of me?" How could I resist right? 

I was given a free copy of this pattern in exchange for testing it. I am not compensated for my opinion. They are all my own. 

**Update: the pattern has been released and can be found here on Etsy or here on Craftys it is on sale through Tuesday night October 22, 2013 for only $7. Go! Run! Go get your copy!** 


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