Sneak peek of the new Clemence Shorts from Filles a Maman!

Spring is still a few weeks away, but my heart has been crying out for warmer weather. It is my pleasure to show you a few sneak peeks of the new Clemence shorts from Filles a Maman!

The pattern will be available on UpCraftClub ONLY from 18th to 22th of February, 2015. If you are a member, you can buy the pattern with your credits for $6.95. After that, it will be available on the designer's website, Fillesamaman.net (affiliate link) from the 23rd of February 2015 onward.

Clemence Shorts are a fun, easy pattern with scalloped panels down the front.

With clear instructions and well notated pattern pieces, this pattern is great for beginners. 

Mel Henry is a warm, wonderfully receptive designer who took every tester's suggestion and continually updated the pattern throughout testing. We went through several iterations until everyone was happy with the fit and instructions.

The full view of the outfit is still a little while away, since the top is still secret. It's an amazing combination, well worth the wait!

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Testing for Sofilantjes, an amazing experience!

Anne Jacobs, of Sofilantjes Patterns, is a talented PDF pattern designer. I was lucky to be chosen to test the Iridis Dress add-on pattern, which is a circle skirt complement to the original Iridis wrap dress with a paneled skirt. The Iridis circle skirt add-on will be on SALE from Sunday, 15th February 2015, to Wednesday, 18th February for $2.50 (normal price $4.50) The Iridis wrap dress + circle skirt add-on BUNDLE will be on sale for $10 (normal bundle price $11.95).

The best thing about her as a designer was that she took everyone's feedback seriously, and always had a helpful word for each tester. We had a wonderful group of testers, and all of us shared videos of our kiddos twirling in this twirltastic dress! (I *had* to use the word twirltastic for this dress, it's a given!) Miki even learned to twirl in this dress! She's really growing up too fast.

And the best part? The add-on skirt piece works perfectly with the original bodice. The new skirt piece fits the original bodice piece exactly, and looks great sewn on. The pattern has so much information - fabric choices, layered printing, printing layout and guide to print only the pages you need for your chosen size, child's actual measurements, finished garment measurements, fabric chart, how to put on binding, and an awesome summary of the instructions both in words and in pictures. This much information I have seldom seen from any pattern designer, if ever.

 The fabrics I used were a cotton interlock from Joann (green flowers), a mystery pink and white stripe that I had in my scrap basket that had over 100% stretch, and 95/5 cotton lycra jersey from Purpleseamstress on Facebook.

The Circle Skirt option is great for a clean look, and since it's a wrap dress, it flares out beautifully when Miki walks. The only gathering needed is at the sleeves, and the most time consuming part of the pattern is applying the binding, which takes ten minutes at the most. This was definitely a nap-time dress for me, going from start to finish in under two hours. I mostly used my serger, and finished the hem and binding topstitching using my trusty double needle. Easy as pie! 

The Iridis is designed for both knits and wovens, and has options like short or long sleeves, a tiered/paneled skirt or simple or circle skirt. It's a must-have in my opinion, since most wrap dress patterns don't have such good coverage and tend to gape when walking. It's easy to get on a wriggly toddler, and is great in a collection of classic looks. You could add a ruffle along the bodice neckline before doing the binding, and it would turn romantic and vintage-looking. Use lace in strategic areas, or mix and match fabrics, or even make a tulle skirt with a lining and attach it to this bodice to make it amazingly poofy! There have been a few patterns I have sewn up that just don't look as nice as the tester pics do. The original Iridis dress, though, I must say, has so many possibilities that every iteration looks beautiful and unique.

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The Opal dress by Tie Dye Diva!

Tie Dye Diva, or TDD, is a very well-loved pattern designer. I bought the Opal pattern on Black Friday during her sale, and now wish I had bought more. It's a knit pattern that's right up my alley.  

The stylish curved bodice is so on trend right now, and has plenty of room to layer a t-shirt underneath. I love the little flutter sleeves, especially with Miki's slender arms. 

The fabric I used was a half yard of my treasured and jealously guarded Night Foxes, by Lillestoff. I had bought it when it was completely out of print, from someone that was destashing her entire collection. I was so lucky to get it for a decent price, because I know I would have paid at least double the retail price had I not scored right then. 

With the contrast blue flutters in a solid cotton-lycra from Purpleseamstress Fabrics on Facebook, I was able to squeeze out the dress and get two bum circles for Maxaloones down the line. But that's for another post. 

I only wish I had successfully pulled out her pacifier before these photos, but my little stubborn girl just howled and kept popping it back in. Some battles you just don't win!

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Everything Your Mama Made - Flashback Harem Pants! Tester pics

I was chosen to test EYMM's new Flashback Harem Pants, and look how adorable they are!

Cute with a variety of options. I love these pants! Just baggy enough for cloth or sposies.

I made this pair in a rayon-spandex blend, but the pattern is suitable for knits and wovens with a bit of drape.

The pants are pleated, which in my opinion makes the front sit neatly without adding bulk. The back is elasticized,with the option of shirring or elastic. 

I feel that these pants could last a child a lot longer than store-bought pants, which is great for a home sewer. The cuffed option would be great for a kid that grows vertically faster than horizontally. Ha! Like this one!

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A Day at the Park! And a Riding Cape from Stitch Upon a Time.

We had a wonderful day at the park this weekend. We played around, although the grass was wet and the breeze was freezing. Miki wore her Riding Hood cape that I made, and she looked absolutely adorable.

The pattern is by Stitch Upon a Time, the Riding Hood Poncho, and was very easy to sew up. It's double layer fleece, and a full zipper that I had to figure out, since it was a regular zipper, not the separating kind.

I had both fleece fabrics, the zipper and the snaps in my stash. It's not shocking, though. My stash is well stocked. 

I can't believe how confidently she walks. She just started walking a couple of months ago, and she's already striding around like she owns the place!

I absolutely love how excited this baby gets when she sees a dog. She stares at it, completely unafraid, and runs all out at it. The problem? Her shoes. She's so fast, we had to get her those squeaky shoes, and while people may judge, I'd rather know exactly where my little houdini is. Those shoes are hard for dogs to figure out, since they sound like their favorite squeaky toys. So while Miki doesn't look like a squeaky toy, she sure sounds like one!

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An Elke for Miki!

Since I made the Elke dress for my niece in fleece, I have been obsessed with the pattern. I didn't like the look of the first Elke I made, which was a ponte knit. It turned out too big in the neck and the drapey fabric made Miki look too skinny. I really wanted to make her one in fleece, which I knew would look really nice since I found many wonderful examples on Facebook.

I had made a run to Joann on Thursday for some other fabric, and fell in love with this not-too-girly combination. I have always felt that Miki looks great in navy, and this feminine design makes the boyish colors look super cool.

Again, taking advantage of the awesome properties of fleece, I left the edges raw, and pleated the frill on the sleeve instead of gathering it. I prefer pleats.

Here's the bow! It's big, and cute, and tacked down at the shoulder as per the designer's recommendations. The collar looks nice and appropriately stiff, and fit Miki so well that I need to make her an Elke every winter. It's a must-do on my list now. The whole dress took me just one hour to make, from cut to finish.

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AddieK Designs' Canny Tunic - Tester Pics!

AddieK Designs is a great, fun designer. She is a college professor, and has taught hundreds of students to sew. How awesome is that? Her patterns are aimed at allowing you to fit sewing into your busy schedule, which I really appreciate. I was fortunate enough to get to test her Canny Tunic for women, and OMG, it's absolutely my favorite tunic this season. It's even got POCKETS!!

My first iteration was in an ITY poly print. Lightweight and swirly, this tunic makes me feel confident even on days that are not so happy. I'm carrying a lot of mommy weight still, and I could use every ego boost I can get.

An added bonus to the length of the tunic is that I can carry Miki on my hip without exposing skin.

Plus, pockets! 

This is my second iteration in a sweater knit. It's so nice and warm that I don't usually need a coat to keep me warm. This one is slightly more fitted.

The stripes don't actually line up, I did goof up that bit slightly, but it really doesn't bother me.

The pockets on this tunic are a lovely bright red! Makes me so happy to cuddle in this tunic. I wear these two every week. First pick from the laundry hamper!

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