Easter with The Handmaidens cottage blog tour

Today is my day on the Easter with The Handmaidens Cottage blog tour. I am so excited   to be here. Thank you to Lo at www.seamssewlo.com for hosting this tour and to www.handmaidenscottage.com for providing us with the patterns for this blog tour.

I have 3 Easter dresses to make this year. Well, let's reword that. I get to make 3 Easter dresses this year. So when Lo posted about this tour, I knew I had to apply for it. I immediately went to The Handmaidens Cottage website, and let me tell you, I had a tough time deciding which pattern to make. So many cute choices. I chose the Tea Party Dress.

Years ago I was making dresses to sell and I made one that was similar to this. I had loved those dresses and they sold well. So, when I saw this, I just had to do it.
I knew this dress would be loved by my granddaughters.  I only had time to get 1 done for this blog tour.  So, I sent 1 daughter to buy my fabric. She took 1 of her girls with her, not the one this dress is for, but she knew her big sister would like this fabric. She was right, they got it home, and my oldest granddaughter loved it.

My granddaughter was so excited when she saw the picture of the dress I had sent my daughter.

Because Easter can still be a bit chilly in our neck of the woods, I am going to add the eden blouse to wear under this. And then, I have decided that to really make it stand out, we need a full slip underneath.  So, I need to sit down and gather more layers of ruffles. But, you know, it is worth it. When they are excited over what you make.

Just a short recap:
 The pattern is the Tea Party Dress  (sizes 6 months - 8) from www.handmaidenscottage.com Use the coupon code: EasterTour2018 for 30% off all patterns and bundles. It would be greatly appreciated if you would use my affiliate link http://handmaidens-cottage.myshopify.com?aff=24

The fabric is from www.joannstores.com

Don't forget to enter the giveaway below!

Please visit all of the Easter Sewing Pattern Inspirations on the Handmaiden's Cottage Easter Dress Blog Tour hosted by Seams Sew Lo!

1. March 1st: Seams Sew Lo
2. March 2nd: Miinoma Studio
3. March 3rd: Momma You Can Make It
4. March 4th: Kate Will Knit
5. March 5th: Kathy's Kwilts and More
6. March 6th: Granma Texas Sews
7. March 7th: Our Play Place
8. March 8th: Aurora Designs
9. March 9th: Frullemieke
10. March 10th: My Sewing Roots
11. March 11th: Manning the Machine
12. March 12th: Seams Sew Lo (Round Up)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Primary Tee and Dress - easy to sew pattern

Do you love patterns that sew up fast? I sure do, and this is one of them. It probably took me less than 30 minutes to stitch up this dress.

This pattern is the newest release from Chelsea over at www.gyctdesigns.com. I tested the dress, so that is what I have pictures of, but you can make a t shirt as well. It is a unisex pattern.  It starts at 12 months and goes up to size 12.

When I gave it to my sweet little granddaughter she was excited.  She loves clothes that grandma makes.

I hope that you will try this pattern. It is on sale for 4.95 through Friday, March 2nd.  I would love you to use my affiliate link https://gyctdesignsshop.com/products/primary-tee-dress-pdf-pattern?aff=17. I have been doing a lot of sewing lately and have some fun things to share with you. I will be back on Monday with a gorgeous Easter dress.

TGIFF-February 23rd

Hi, and welcome to TGIFF, Thank Goodness it is finished Friday.  I have gone back to my roots a bit of when I started sewing and I have been having fun making clothing. 

I started sewing in 4h and then in home economics. I had some great teachers. I have always enjoyed sewing and it is a skill that has come in handy in almost 35 years of marriage. 

There are a lot of reasons that I enjoy sewing. I can customize the fit. I have some grandchildren who are tall and skinny. To buy clothes that fit is almost impossible.  

I also enjoy seeing the happy smiles and faces when I give them a special outfit or even a quilt.  

Today, I thought I would share a few of my finishes with you.

This is the Discoverer Tee and I blogged about it here, if you would like to read about it.

 This is the ragtag raglan from petite Stitchery that releases on Friday, Feb. 23rd.

This is the Taylor Tee by Pickle Toes Patterns. It is a fun tee for color blocking.

This is the color blocked version of the Taylor Tee. 

This is the Henley Tee and I blogged about it here. 

I would love to see what your recent finishes are. Please link up below and share them with us.  I also love to read your comments. What are some of your favorite finishes?

Get Ready for Spring blog tour

Hi and welcome,

Today is my day on the Get Ready for Spring Blog Tour with Ellie and Mac. This blog tour is hosted  by Lo at www.seamssewlo.com.  I want to thank Ellie and Mac for sponsoring the tour and for providing me with the pattern used for todays project.

The pattern I chose to make is the Discoverer Tee. This is a very quick sew and goes from 12 month - 14.  I found the instructions to be well written and easy to follow.

My choice of fabrics included DBP Aztec from www.elevatedfashionfabrics.com which is the top half of the bodice in front and back and the sleeves. The red is a cotton spandex that I picked up at a local store called The Cotton Shop www.thecottonshops.com.

I asked my friend if her daughter would be willing to model for me, in exchange for the t shirt. She was more than happy to oblige.

I love this pattern. Through the end of the month, all patterns are 35% off.  You can use my affiliate link and I earn a small commission.  Http://Ellieandmac.com?Aff=183.


I hope you have enjoyed today's blog and I hope you will follow me. I have some great projects that I want to be able to share with you.

Please visit all the stops on the Get Ready for Spring Blog Tour featuring Ellie and Mac spring sewing patterns (35% of right now), hosted by Seams Sew Lo. Do no forget to enter the giveaway below too!  

1. February 3rd: Seams Sew Lo (Intro)
2. February 4th: Seams Sew Lo
3. February 5th: Violets and Jewels
4. February 6th: Threadistry
5. February 7th: Mama Can Make it
6. February 8th: My Crazy Crafty Beautiful Life
7. February 9th: Aurora Designs
8. February 10th: Flaxfield Sewing
9. February 11th: Floral and Flannel
10. February 12th: FABulous Home Sewn
11. February 13th: Minns Things
12. February 14th: Our Play Place
13. February 15th: Tenille's Thread
14. February 16th: Seams Like Style
15. February 17th: Hutsepruts
16. February 18th: Candi Couture Designs
17. February 19th: My Sewing Roots
18. February 20th: Manning the Machine
19. February 21st: Stitched by Jennie
20. February 22nd: Kathy's Kwilts and More
21. February 23rd: Sewjourns
22. February 24th: Mermaid Mama Designs
23. February 25th: Fee Bricolo
24. February 26th: Oak Blue Designs
25. February 27th: Big Fly Notions
26. February 28th: Sewing Blue

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Tilley Dress

I got the great opportunity you be a part of the testing of this fun dress for Linda over at www.themerrychurchmouse.com.  it went through a lot of revisions to get it perfect, but now it is ready.

 My granddaughter loves it. When I gave it to her she was so excited. She asked her mom if she could wear it all day. I think it has become a favorite.

There are no zippers or buttons, so it makes it great for a beginner. And it has great twirl factor which is something that all little girls seem to love.

I need to make a full slip for her to wear under this dress. Just haven't gotten it done yet.

I love the flounce on the sleeves. There are two versions you can do with this dress. 1 is the single skirt that I did and the other one has a double skirt with a ruffle on it. Both versions are very cute.

If you want a dress that is not hard to make, then you need to try this pattern.

Hint on gathering this dress.  I had heard of this before, but with as many things as I have gathered I have never tried it. I took a long length of crochet cotton, size 10, and did a zigzag over it. I lengthened the stitch length and width as far as I could. Then I was able to pull the thread out, and it had gathered for me.

What great tips do you have for sewing?  I would love to hear from you. I would also love for you to follow me. I have more projects coming up that I can't wait to share with you.

One Thimble blog Tour. Issue 18

The Henley by Orange Daisy designs and Footloose leggings by Thread Faction for the One Thimble issue 18 blog tour.

I am so excited to be a part of this tour. Thank you One Thimble and Sarah for hosting this tour.

Both of these were fun to do. I was part of the testing for the Henley by Orange Daisy designs but could not find the pictures I took. Oh well, make a new one, right.

For this one I used Nautical Flag in Yellow cotton  jersey from www.girlcharlee.com.  I had never tried their fabric, but have seen some friends use it so I tried it. I love it.

Now onto the pattern.  I love the Henley. I love having the placket as part of the design elements to this. Jill of www.orangedaisypatterns.com did a great job with this pattern. I have a bit of an issue making the plackets, but that is one thing I will be working on. The pattern is easy to understand and easy to follow.  I can't wait to make more of these. I did forget to lengthen for my long bodied granddaughter. But she loves it.

The footloose leggings.

These are a fun pattern to make. It comes in 2 lengths with the long length having leg warmers attached. I chose to do the capri length. The fabric that I used for these is a cotton spandex that I got from my local www.thecottonshops.com. This fabric was great to use and easy to work with.

When my granddaughter got this outfit, she was extremely excited. She asked if she could wear it the rest of the day.

I love these 2 projects from One Thimble magazine. I need to order a copy, as I have seen lots of great things I would like to make.

Thank you One Thimble for providing the patterns.  So, I would love to hear what you would like to make. Leave a comment, please. And I would love you to follow me, as I have more Posts coming this week and in the next few weeks to share with you.

2/15

Inspinration

Call Ajaire

2/16

House of Estrela

Beri Bee Designs

Katewillknit

2/17

Seams Sew Lo

Once Upon a Sewing Machine

Lily Shine Creates

2/18

GAAFmachine

That's-Sew Kari

2/19

Kathy's kwilts and more

Stitches by Laura

Sprouting JubeJube

2/20

Elli & Nels

Candice Ayala

Pear Berry Lane

2/21

Made by Sara

The Crafting Fiend

Stitched by Jennie

52 week sewing challenge - Week 7 - sew something with hearts

Dear readers,

I am trying to blog more about the things I sew. I am doing a fun challenge this year, the 52 week sewing challenge. Each week we are given a theme that we can accept or decline and go rogue and do our own thing.

I accepted week 7's challenge which was to sew something with hearts. I have had this knit fabric in my stash for quite a while. What a perfect time to use it. I made this t shirt, from the pickle toes patterns Taylor Tee pattern. This is a fun pattern to make. The color blocking is so fun to do.

 The heart fabric came from the now closed Hancock fabrics. I have a habit of finding fabric that I like and buying it without a project in mind.   The pink fabric came from the flatfold table at my local Nuttals Bernina. 

This tee shirt is for my newest granddaughter. I figured she needed some cute little outfits. I made it in newborn size, but am thinking of another one in a 3 month size.

This is another of the Taylor Tee that I made for my granddaughter. 

So, why do I sew instead of buy?  Quite frankly I enjoy it. It is not always less expensive, but I know what the quality really is. It is enjoyable for me to sew. I can also use the fabrics that I like. I can customize the fit. Have you ever bought a clothing item and wish it fit better? Either you need a longer length or you wish it fit your figure just a bit better?  That is what I can do when I sew.  I can also personalize the patterns a bit more.

This year, you will see me blogging a lot more of my makes. Yes, I still quilt and I will blog about both clothing and quilts that I make. I enjoy what I do, and I hope that I can inspire you in some way.

Want your own copy of the Taylor Tee?  You can get it as a pdf download fromWww.pickletoespatterns.com.  you can get it in babies, kids 2 -16, and ladies.  I would love if you would use my affiliate link http://pickletoespatterns.com?aff=71. It just gives me a small commission.

I would love to hear from you as to what you like to sew or what kind of craft you like to do.