Darling Daisy by Sew Like My Mom

Part 3 of the summer testing! I had the chance to test the Darling Daisy pattern for Sew Like My Mom. This was one of her first patterns, so this test was a redo test. She updated the pattern a bit, added some options, and added layers. I don't know what this pattern was like originally, but I love the redo!

This pattern is for woven fabrics, and is fun and twirly. This dress comes in different options; knee length includes solid fabric dress and 1/2/3 tiered dress choices, and maxi length includes a 3 tiered option. I chose the 3 tiered maxi version, because my girl doesn't sit very lady like, and loves to twirl and spin! It has an elastic neckline and is easy to get on and off. This dress comes in sizes 12m-8.


I've been holding onto this bird fabric for the last 3 years until I found the best pattern to use it for, and it was perfect for this dress! It's also a great pattern to use those coordinating fabrics.

Once again, you start with the height on this dress and adjust the width from the height if necessary. I used my 5 year old again so I wouldn't need to remeasure, and because I knew the maxi length would be perfect for her height. I tested size 5.

The dress was very easy to assemble. I was nervous doing the bias tape around the sleeves, but it went very smoothly. I chose to use store bought bias tape because I don't have the patience to make bias tape myself, and I haven't purchased a bias tape maker yet.

I have to tell you, there was so much fabric on the last tier! I can't even imagine doing all that fabric on a bigger size! But the final product was so worth it. I also have to say, I love that you start sewing the bottom tiers together first, then move up towards the bodice. I'm sure that's the best way to do it, but I loved it because I don't think I would have ever finished the last tier if I'd worked my way down. Yes, I know, it's all in the head! But knowing that I had less to do on each consecutive tier made it easier to go on.

When the dress was done, my girl started twirling around and had a blast. Then my toddler saw the dress, looked down at her shorts and shirt, held her shirt, and started spinning around like big sister. So I knew I needed to make her a matching one. But since we don't often wear sleeveless, and this dress has a lot of shoulder exposure, I had to make a few modifications before making one for little miss.

So here's the final product on both girls! Not the greatest picture of my girls since it was very sunny on that Sunday morning, but you get the idea. I added a strip of fabric to each side to add a little sleeve to the dress. I added this fabric before attaching the neckline to the dress and slid the rectangle inside the neckline, and made the width the same size as the gap between front and back bodice pieces. The length is personal preference. It worked out wonderfully and added just enough coverage to wear these to church.

You can find Sew Like My Mom on facebook and on etsy. I can see many more of these dresses in the future. Can't you just picture a dress made out of western fabric for a rodeo? That's what I'm picturing at least!

Dogwood Dress by Sew Like My Mom

Part 2 of my summer testing! I had the chance to test the Dogwood Dress by Sew Like My Mom. This is a knit dress that is perfect for summer weather, so perfect for Arizona. This dress comes in 3 versions - straight hem, a curved hem, and a hi-lo hem. All 3 versions come in either knee length or maxi length. The only sleeve option for this is sleeveless with bands, so we used this as a cover up by the pool and just for fun. (Yes, we live at the pool in the summer, so my little girl is VERY VERY tan! Normally she's as white as can be.) But it can be modified and made with the sleeves from the Posey Tunic from the same designer if you wish. This dress is available sizes 12m-8, and 6-16.

When testing, I chose to do the hi-lo maxi version of this dress, because my girl loves long dresses and this version is so fun! Recommended fabrics are lighter weight knits with at least 30% stretch. Lighter weight fabric is recommended because of the weight of the dress. I chose a heavier jersey fabric which was perfect for my model because she's not super tall, but if I were making this in a size 8+, the heavier fabric would have been too heavy. But I'm so glad this fabric worked for my 5 year old because she LOVES this pink Jack dress!

I was concerned when starting this pattern, because measuring was different from other patterns I've used. Normally I've always started with chest/waist/hips and adjusted height, but for this pattern you start with height, and adjust from there to chest if needed. Thankfully, my girl's measurements were right on the chart, so no blending for me. But the directions were very clear and it would have been easy to do. This pattern is in layer format so you can print all or only the one you need. This pattern is also written with paper saving in mind. You print out the bodice and different skirt options, and mix and match as desired. No need to have one full dress printed out for every option available. Definitely a great option to include.

The bodice is put together similar to the Posey Tunic and is a snap. The entire dress was very quick to cut and assemble. The bottom of the dress has lining on the inside, and as you can see on the dress I made, looks fantastic with coordinating/contrasting fabric on the hi-lo version.

The first day my girl wore this dress, I received so many compliments and everybody fell in love. This doesn't scream homemade to me, but the fact that the ladies at the pool know I love sewing, and this doesn't scream store bought, they all asked if I made it and fell in love! And my girl? Well, let's just say that she can't stay out of it! I didn't use a stretch stitch on the lining seam because I honestly figured the bottom was big enough I didn't need to worry about it. Well, let's just say it's in my sewing room right now waiting for me to use my new twin needle to fix it since my girl lives in it. And when she wears it, she also curls up entirely inside the dress. Great that she loves it, but not great that apparently I really needed a stretch stitch. :)

Once again, Sew Like My Mom has pages on facebook and on etsy. I'm sure you'll love this and will be just as hooked once you try it!

Posey Tunic and Peony Leggings by Sew Like My Mom

This summer, a designer I love, Sew Like My Mom, came out with a couple new patterns, and I couldn't resist testing for her. I'd tested for her before and love the fit of the pattern I had tried. Now, all 5 kids were with me all summer, so I wasn't sure I could actually test, but I made it happen, and I'm so glad I did!

So my first posts of finished items are going to be the 3 patterns I tested over the summer. So first off, the Posey Tunic and Peony Leggings. I tested this for my twin girl, using a size 3. Her measurements were spot on with the chart, so it was super easy to construct.

The tunic and leggings are very well constructed and the pattern is very easy to follow. One of my favorite things about Sew Like My Mom is the many choices she offers with her patterns! She is currently updating her older patterns to include layers and better instructions, and she always has great options! These patterns call for knits with good recovery. Sizes 12m-8.

So let's start with the Posey Tunic! The tunic comes in 4 different sleeve lengths, sleeveless, short sleeve, elbow sleeve, and long sleeve, all with cuffs as you can see in my picture. The pattern instructions are great and easy to follow. It has plenty of pictures and great tips to help with sewing with knits.

I tested the short sleeve version. We are a sleeve wearing family, so I'll rarely make things that are sleeveless! But I may still test them, and alter them later. We also live in beautiful Arizona, so it is always hot, especially during the summer, so who knows?

My only dislike on the pattern is that the back piece to the tunic is actually 2 pieces, but the designer did this to save on fabric. In the future I might just adjust the pattern pieces so I only need to cut out one piece, but it's still great regardless!

Now, on to the Peony Leggings. These are wonderful, and can be made in a variety of ways and styles. The pattern includes full-length leggings, capri length, and biker short length. The leggings have a contrast panel down the side, which can be regular or ruched. I chose the regular contrast band because I didn't have enough of the pink/white polka dots to do the ruching method. I've also never done that, so I might be a tad bit intimidated. :) I'm fairly confident with my sewing machine and serger, but I'm still intimidated by things I haven't done before.

These come together very quickly and fit great! My little miss is in disposable diapers, and they fit great over it. My little miss sure loves posing for the camera and loves saying "Gees!" So she's my little ham right now and you'll be seeing many more pictures like this one on the right!

I am going to tell you right now, I have NO idea what is considered correct technique when sewing, so please don't hold that against me. Most everything I have learned has been from pdf patterns or blogs, so I'm still learning proper techniques.

You can check out Sew Like My Mom on facebook, or at her etsy page.

Hope you enjoy these patterns as much as I do!

Updated to add: ice cream/summer fabric is from Purpleseamstress Fabric on facebook. Mel has such a great selection of fabric choices, and I love her quality!

Love of Sewing!

I thought I'd start by introducing myself! I'm Amber, 35 years old, graduated from Ricks and BYU, so many years ago, and I love crafting, scrapbooking, but right now, mostly sewing! It's my stress reliever, my emotional stabilizer (besides chocolate of course), and my motivation to accomplish more. However, with my crazy family, I haven't done as much as I'd like recently. So I'm starting this blog to help me stay active with my sewing...but before we go there, a little more intro is needed. I decided I want to sew at least one thing per week during the 2016-2017 school year. How realistic is this goal? Much more realistic than sewing during the summer that's for sure! :) It won't always be easy, but I really think I can do it. And if I miss, it better be for a darn good reason. So on to the rest of the intros...since you will be seeing a lot of my family throughout the year!

I have a wonderful hubs, who works hard and is a great help for our family. He's an apprentice pipe fitter and has a little over a year before he becomes a journeyman. He's been working towards this goal for almost 5 years now, and really does a great job! He's a wonderful and loving man, husband, and dad, and I couldn't do any of this without him. Together, we have 5 wonderful, crazy, amazing, and did I mention crazy kids!

My oldest is 9, and he's a mini version of my hubs physically, but mentally and emotionally, he's all me! He just started 4th grade this week, loves to read, draw (getting darn good too), swim, dance, and eat, eat, eat! He's definitely a crazy kid, and keeps us busy and on our toes. He's currently a 9 year old in a teenager's body. He started last school year in a 10/12 size, but is now in men's sizes for everything but his feet! But he's only 1 size away from that!

My next is my 7.5 year old son who started 2nd grade this week. He's a tall, skinny boy, and has amazing speed and endurance. I don't even know if it's really endurance, since when he runs, he doesn't have to endure tiredness at all, and just runs without getting tired, sweating, or having shortness of breath! He doesn't love running, but he's really quite good at it. He enjoys reading, swimming, copying anything his brother does, and cuddling with this mama! He's currently wears a size 8, or 10s in jeans, and seems to be getting skinnier as he gets taller, so he's going to be the one to give me altering practice that's for sure!

Next is our first girl, age 5. She just started kindergarten this week and loves so many things! I can't say she's a girly girl, because she's not; but she sure does love ruffles, pink, dresses, and everything girly. I also can't say she's a tom boy, because she's not; but she sure loves superheroes like her brothers, and loves taking her ruffles, pink, and dresses out to the dirt and mud. She also loves wearing cowgirl boots, and has her own style. She usually picks out her own fabric choices, though sometimes I veto them because they're a little too much for my eyes. But usually she gets what she wants! She's wearing a 6 RTW most of the time, but her legs are always a little shorter than her upper body.

Finally, we end with our 2 year old b/g twins! They are cuties and so much fun, but they definitely increased the crazy factor in our family. Some days are wonderful, peaceful, and fun; others are loud, messy, and filled with tears. But they are definitely a great addition to our family and I wouldn't change a thing about them. Lucky for me, they are pretty much the same measurements right now, even though they have completely different body styles. They're wearing 3t right now, but little man has a long torso with short legs, and little miss has longer legs and a shorter torso. Pretty cute though!

I started sewing 6 years ago, and most everything I have learned has been from blogs or a dear friend. I started by making things for my sons' birthday parties, turned to bibs, hair products, and a little dabble in clothes when my girl was born, and now love sewing with knits and wovens, but mostly with knits! I was very active with an etsy shop years ago, but I couldn't balance life, kids, family, the shop, and obstacles at the time, so I've been taking a break, improving my skills, and will go back someday when my twins are in school!

So on to my first post about sewing! I hope you enjoy my posts throughout this school year and after! Sometimes I will be making things from patterns I already own, and other times, I'll be making patterns I'm testing and may not be able to post right away. But I'll definitely post them up as soon as I can, and try to do at least one post per week!