The New and Improved BLAVERRY Upton Dress

I finally get to share one of my BLAVERRY tests, and I am so excited! I had the chance to test the Upton redo last month, and my little girl wears it all the time! I've now tested three different BLAVERRY patterns, and I really love them. BLAVERRY patterns are very trendy, and at the same time, perfect for girls to wear and have fun in.

This pattern comes in multiple sleeve length options, and it's a wonderful dress pattern! The pattern comes with the option to print in layers, and is very quick and easy to put together. The pattern comes in sizes 2-16, covering toddlers, little girls, and tweens.

I tested the short sleeve option, but there are also half- and long-sleeve options. The pieces assemble very easily and I hardly had any trouble with it. My main trouble? Yep, it came from using a twin needle! I'm certainly getting a lot better, but my neckline had some issues because of the neckline. But it's certainly better than my first attempt.

What's my favorite part of this dress? The hidden pop of color on the back of the dress! Check it out! The neckline did get a little bulky in the back from the pleat on the back of the dress, but it's worth it.

The back of my dress ended up longer than the front of the dress, but I think it was all fabric and user error. The turquoise fabric I used was a knit I purchased at a yard sale and is very very stretchy. I really think it stretched every which way imaginable. But my little girl loves it the way it is so I left it.


My girl is so not a girly girl! She loves dresses and skirts, but also loves to jump and play. She's our little rough and tumble girl. Since the dress front comes right above her knees, she wears this dress with pants as a tunic, but it works. Especially since she's grown since testing time. This next picture shows another reason this little girl will be wearing pants with her dress... :)

The pattern also comes with an easy way to extend the dress out to the right length for your girl's height. The designer has done a great job of making it easy for everyone to make the perfect dress. Since testing was completed, the designer went through the pattern and made updates to the neckline and some pattern pieces, to make sure the dress fits all the specified measurements. I haven't had a chance to make a new one since the updated pattern was sent out, but I can't wait to make another one with all the adjustments.

Make sure you go check out Blaverry designs on the website. And if you're a little like me, and gun shy about pattern cost, give the Zozo dress a try first. The Zozo is $1 and a great price to try a designer you've never tried before. The three patterns I've tested are fantastic, and I plan on buying many of these patterns.

I can't remember where all the fabric is from, but the summer/ice cream fabric is definitely from Purpleseamstress Fabric and can be found on facebook. She always has wonderful quality knits, a huge selection, and incredibly fast shipping. I love all my fabrics from here.

Peek-a-Boo's Lullaby Gown

I've been busy these last couple weeks transitioning leadership roles in cub scouts, so I've been a little overwhelmed. But...I still managed to sew my items to reach my goal. I just didn't get them posted on time! :)

I have had the Lullaby Gown pattern from Peek-a-Boo Patterns since I found out I was pregnant with twins, and they're 2 now. Yes, I had every intention of making some adorable ones for my littles while they were they cooking...but it never happened! So I finally made 2 gowns for my friend's baby shower, and I love them! I never bought the hat pattern, and right now we're tight on funds so my gowns are hat less! Oh well, I really never use hats very often anyway.

So this may not be the best picture, but it's all I got before I packaged them up for my friend. Since I don't have infants myself, I can't try them on a beautiful model! And our dolls are well...let's just say they remind me of Sid's toys from the movie Toy Story.

Anyway, on to business! I made these in the 6 month size. The designer recommends making the 3 month size for gifts I believe, but I know my friend has larger babies, so I went big!

My first try was the train fabric. I was going along, following all the instructions, and wondering why so many people had trouble with it the first time because everything was going so well...or so I thought! Everything really did go together really well and easily...my only problem - I missed the very important step telling me to put the cuffs on the back of the gown when attaching the sleeves to the bodice. Yep, that's right! The cuffs are on backwards. So I decided to make another one, but I'm still giving her both and she can choose if she wants to use the backwards one. 

The pattern is very easy to follow and all the pieces fit great! I had no problem with the pattern, as long as I read ALL the steps. The elastic is super easy to attach at the bottom and I loved how these turned out. It calls for 1/2" knit elastic, but those are the only extras you need. This PDF pattern does not have a layering feature, but it's very easy to assemble.

This pattern is for infants through 6 month sizes, and the designer has an entire line of infant products, which I'm sure are just as easy to make! Please check out her website here, her etsy shop here, or facebook here. The designer also sells fabric now as well, so you can find fabric from her as well!

Get ready to raglan again!

Now that I got my first raglan and pencil skirt out of the way, I decided I was ready to make myself something else! When I went to my SAS store a couple weeks ago, I kept eyeing the feather fabric from my last post, and this pretty rose fabric. Still really inexpensive fabric, and not very thick, but I love how this shirt turned out!

I went to a women's meeting at my church last Thursday night, one where we were to share our favorite thing with the other women there. I had forgotten about this until about an hour prior, and really wanted to take something I had made to share my love for sewing.

I used the same size (3xl), but used the short sleeve option instead. I added the relaxed waistband, although I probably should have made the band a little tighter. The stripe fabric I used is super thin though, so I am not sure how much recovery it will have, and if it will look great tighter around the hips. I guess we'll see how it hangs on me after washing it the first time.

Since the stripe fabric was so thin, it shifted a lot while cutting my fabric. It's true that better quality fabric sews up better. But I still really love this shirt!

After I got my fabric home, I realized that the rose fabric was actually a border print, and I only bought one yard, so I couldn't use it as a border print. I also realized I didn't have enough to make my back look the same as the front. I considered color blocking the back, but really wanted to finish this in time for the meeting. I had one hour, and almost made it. Another 5-10 minutes, I would have been able to wear this. Instead, I just took some beautiful corduroy fabric I've been holding onto for years...maybe I'll get around to using it sometime! :)

Anyway...instead of color blocking the back, I decided to make it fun and different with the border print on the side of the shirt! It just makes it a fun design piece! The roses even look like they're peeking through on the side!

The best part about this shirt? I ended up wearing it Saturday on a Pokemon hunt with my kids. We took all 5 kids down to Tempe Town Lake, walked around for about 3 km (Pokemon Go is in km), sweat a ton, but this shirt is so thin and breathable, that it wasn't nearly as bad as normal. And when I say sweat, I mean it! It was only a little over 100 during our walk, but would have been much worse with a different shirt.

If you're still on the fence about the relaxed raglan pattern by Patterns for Pirates, jump on over and get it! It's wonderfully easy and flattering. Or the etsy shop here.

Body Image Issues? Patterns for Pirates to the rescue!

My bronchitis is finally over, and I was able to finish my first ever pencil skirt and a relaxed raglan for myself, both patterns are from Patterns for Pirates.

Now, before I dig into this, how many of us have body issues? Whether we are a size 8 or 20, very few people are truly 100% content with how they look. I know right now I sure don't! 5 babies in 7 years, 4 c-sections, and the last being twins 2 years ago, my body has taken a hit! I hate shopping at the store for so many reasons...sizing is never consistent, many shirts shrink (vertically usually!) after the first wash, and I hate seeing the "stuffed sausage look" as I try on shirts I think would look great on me, but really don't!

And in reality, so many of us deal with insecurities about our shape. I will always remember a lesson a dear friend taught me years ago. We were talking about our legs, thighs, rolls...you know the drill! But I never once imagined her to be anything other than perfectly thin. But she had her insecurities too. Just because we don't look like it, doesn't mean that there aren't things that we want to improve.

So on that note...yes there are some great store bought clothes that a lot of people love, but they just don't work for everyone. I have been collecting P4P patterns for a little while now, for this reason alone. She has very wide size ranges, and you can tailor them to fit your body size and style. Not everybody has the same waist style, hip size, and P4P is great at helping you make a shirt, skirt, dress, or outfit tailored to your size!

I've made myself one shirt in the past from another designer, but it was more just practice sewing and I didn't really care what it looked like after. For my first time using these patterns, I decided to use very inexpensive fabric (yes, $2.99/yd) in case I screwed up! Now that I finished, I can't wait to make whatever I want!

I measured at the largest size on all measurements, and even a little wider at the hips and waist on the shirt, but was able to grade out just enough to make it work. I used the P4P Pencil skirt pattern, and the Relaxed Raglan pattern. Both of these patterns, and from what I've seen all of her women's patterns, go all the way to Plus 3XL. And yes, that's where I fell! I honestly shed a few tears. But until I get back to a healthy size, I'm going to make clothes to fit and make me feel as great and beautiful as I can!

I got dressed this morning for church, did my hair, put makeup and jewelry on, and a nice slip, and felt so sassy! Then I looked at my pictures, and didn't feel the same way. But that will come with time. As long as I see a happy woman in the mirror while I work on my imperfections, I'm ok! And these patterns will help me get to the happy point!

This takes a lot of courage posting this online for the world to see, but I wanted you to see! These are great patterns! And I can only imagine how much better thick, quality fabric will look in a finished product. AND, the best part? I received soo many compliments today, most from people who didn't have any idea I had sewn this. I'm sure it wasn't just the outfit, but the smile too! I even had someone ask me if these were from Lualaroe.

For the skirt, I used the hi-waist option, ending at knee length. The pattern has an option for hi- or low- waist, as well as above knee, knee length, or midi option. It also gives directions for a vent in the back of the skirt as well. I used rayon combo for the skirt, and it's really not great quality. But even despite that, the skirt turned out good. The waistband is a knit waistband, and the fit was right on.

For the shirt I used a thin sweater knit, and a really thin mystery knit that I found out a local SAS store. But I kept seeing the leaves and couldn't get away from them at the store...fall's calling to me, even though we live in AZ and there really is no such thing as fall!

So I finally got up the nerve to make the shirt, and finished it last night at midnight. My chest measurement was right on, but my hips and waist were just a little outside the range. It was easy enough to add on and make it fit ME! That's the important part! I made something to fit ME! I didn't squeeze into many things before quitting. After following these patterns, I'm ready to break into my fabric stash and add to my wardrobe. The raglan also comes with neck triangle and elbow patch options, as well as an add-on pack to buy with pocket features, hood features, and thumb holes. Can't wait to try those myself!

These patterns both come in layer format, and are easy to assemble. No trim pages make it very easy to line up, even if you don't use the layers feature. These patterns are extensively tested by ladies of all shapes and sizes, and are tried and true. I have followed their sewing support FB page for a while, and all the posts have given me the courage to get started for myself.

In the meantime, I'll continue to work on my insecurities, hopefully getting healthy, but dressing great at the same time!

You can find Patterns for Pirates online at their site, facebook, or etsy. Give these patterns a shot. I'm sure you'll feel flirty and sassy too!

BLAVERRY and P4P Projects in the Works!

So I don't have anything to officially post, but I've been busy! I tested 2 patterns for BLAVERRY patterns, but can't share anything until they are officially updated and released. This company has some very trendy patterns, perfect for small and tween girls! I can't wait to share my test projects with you! The designer is currently improving some existing patterns, as well as coming out with new patterns as well. I can tell you...because of testing for BLAVERRY, I've learned how to use a twin needle, although I'm still working out the kinks of it! They are finicky things aren't they? Normally, I just use a zig zag stitch when sewing with knits, but I wanted to follow the patterns to a "T," and boy did I learn a lot about that needle. Now hoping the walking foot makes it a little easier.

In the meantime, go check out their site to see their amazing and wide range of girls' patterns. If you're new to BLAVERRY, the ZOZO Dress is one of their very simple and currently inexpensive patterns to get your feet wet and give these patterns a try! I can honestly say I haven't made this dress because it's not a staple we would wear in our home, but it's a great place to start and check out the designer's style!

What else can I tell you? Oh! I got bronchitis, but thanks to my Prednisone medicine, I'm completely wired and starting to breathe better again. That medicine sure messes up my sleep habits! But I definitely owe a lot to the steroid, because tonight I finished my P4P Pencil Skirt I started last week! As soon as I get pictures, I'll post them on a separate post. I purposely made my first one out of crummy knit material (imagine the worst case rayon to use), because I was so afraid of making anything for my lower half! But I did it, and now feel more confident making one out of great fabric!

Boxwood Joggers by Sew Like My Mom

It's time for another new pattern by Sew Like My Mom! And guess what? I absolutely love it! The designer's patterns are always very simple to follow, but having great design details that
make them amazing. I can honestly tell you I felt so accomplished when I finished these. I've sewn many garments, blankets, quilts, etc... but when I saw my finished pockets looking so great, I felt like a million bucks! However, the fact that I totally screwed up the back seam took some of that excitement away.

The Boxwood Joggers pattern comes in sizes 12m-8, and 6-16. These are unisex joggers, come in 3 lengths, and the pattern has been thoroughly tested and undergone revisions for the little sizes and the tween sizes; the middle sizes were pretty on target. It comes with the layering feature, making it easy to print just what you need. The best way to make sure these fit perfectly is to go off height, and adjust the elastic waist down if needed. I tested these on my 5 year old, who has a 22" waist, 26" hips, and 44" height. I ended up using a size 6 with a 5 elastic, since size 5 height only goes to 43.5". And as you can tell from the pictures, they fit her perfectly.

This pattern is meant to be used with french terry or sweatshirt material for added stability, but other testers used fleece and knit, and they turned out great as well. For me, the flower fabric is french terry, and the green is knit. I look forward to making many more of these. She has already worn these 2 times, and wants me to wash them again tonight so she can wear them to school again tomorrow. And yes, I just finished sewing these up late Thursday night! That's how much she loves these. You will also need 2" elastic.

Of course, to get some fun pictures, she wanted to go to the park and play in them. She has played so much in these, and the fit is wonderful and they are holding up wonderfully.

 She's done the splits, climbed every playground equipment imaginable, rolled down hills, and even fell off the monkey bars to a perfect crouch...and they are still so comfortable. :)

 These will be releasing in the next few days at the etsy page, and I strongly suggest you make them. They are trendy, versatile, and very comfortable!

Sew Like My Mom facebook page can be found here.

COMPLETE OUTFIT DETAILS

Late Thursday night, I finished the Boxwood Joggers capris up, and couldn't wait for my girl to see them the next day. Then I remembered, her only plain white shirt was dirty and in the wash. So what did I do? While I waited for laundry to finish up, I decided to make her a shirt to match. I didn't have time to try a new pattern, even though I really want to try one of Sew Like My Mom's knit shirt patterns. So I resorted to my trusty Jolly Roger Raglan by Patterns For Pirates, and made her a fun shirt pretty quickly.

I've made this shirt many times, but the fit isn't always consistent. I don't blame P4P though; I'm pretty sure I don't pay enough attention to measurements or seam allowances. But this time, I was very on target and the shirt fits her perfectly and looks great! Wouldn't you agree? And the best part? There is no pink anywhere in this outfit! Anyone else have this problem? :)

Updated to add: Green solid and orange stripe fabric are from Purpleseamstress Fabric found on facebook. She has such a great selection and quality of fabric, with incredibly fast shipping. I can't wait until my next shipment comes in. Unfortunately, I can't remember where I got the flowers. :)

Jolly Roger Raglan by P4P

I forgot, I have sewed a little more recently, and want to share.

One of the first knit patterns I ever made was the Jolly Roger Raglan, by Patterns For Pirates, or P4P. They started out designing a lot of patterns for boys, but recently have designed more patterns for women. And as great as those patterns look, I'm just too afraid to make things for myself right now. So even though I've bought several of the women's patterns, I haven't ventured there yet. But I still love using the Jolly Roger Raglan as a basic for my kid's shirts. It comes together very quickly, and the instructions are detailed and easy to follow.

I have used this pattern for all of my kids, boy and girl, but the shirt seems to look better on the boys than the girls. Not sure if it's the neckline, or I need to make the shirts a little slimmer for my girls, but I prefer it on my boys. Nevertheless, I still love this pattern. It uses knit fabric with good recovery, especially for the binding. It has many options, including straight hem, baseball hem, and a band. It also comes in long sleeves, 3/4 sleeves, and short sleeves, with extra options such as an elbow patch and triangle patch at the neckline.

Recently, I won that amazing penguin fabric in the picture above, and really wanted to use it. I can't even tell you where it came from because the website has been closed down, but it's truly great fabric. The store is called Sew Much Fabric, but all the related websites say they are under construction or not loading up. I won this by winning a Nightgown sew along last winter.

This summer I finally got around to using this fabric, and made a pair of PJs for my twin boy. But of course, I had to make my girl something as well. So I ended up making 2 PJ sets for my boy and 1 set for my twin girl, and I love them. I used the Jolly Roger Raglan for the shirts, color blocked them because my panels weren't large enough, and used existing 3t shorts for a pattern for the PJ bottoms. I've sewn for the twins a few times since they were born, but this was the first time they were aware they were getting new clothes from mom. It was very exciting for them.

I have to say, I love it when I match up my stripes! Anyone else get that happy feeling when you realize what an awesome job you did? When all the time spent lining up the fabric really pays off?

P4P has recently been updating their patterns, and adding layering to their older patterns. I'm sure this one will be done soon. I only wish the original pattern had the PDF layers. I spent hours tracing all 16 sizes, but glad I did. I have used many of them over the last couple years.

You can find P4P at their website, on etsy, and on facebook. They have so many new releases for women, I think you'll fall in love! I love looking at them, buying them, and I'm sure one day I'll love making them for me as well!