kids Archives - Page 3 of 12

30 Minute Sundress with Forest Floor Fabrics

June 29, 2016 By Taylor 21 Comments

I’m so excited to be taking part in another one of Bonnie Christine’s blog tours. It is no secret that I am a huge fan of Bonnie’s work and her latest collection, Forest Floor for art Gallery Fabric, might just be my new favorite! Inspired by her experience of living in the forest, Bonnie creates a whimsical world where dreams of a magical place come to life. Forest Floor hopes to ignite the exploration of forest curiosities, and take you on an adventure filled with green and oak flora and delicate berry tinted fauna that inhabits the wondrous depths of the mountains.

I fell in love with this print, Wild Posy Flora, specifically and I just knew that Bee had to have a dress made from this amazing fabric.

I was looking for a simple, summery maxi dress that looked effortless to compliment the gorgeous fabric. I thought about drafting something myself but then I came across this Border Fabric Sundress from Lil Blue Boo and it was perfect! It’s even a free tutorial with no pattern pieces, seriously couldn’t be easier. I obviously didn’t use border fabric so I changed the name to the 30 minute sundress because it literally took me 30 minutes, from start to finish people!! I even had time to add a little Taylor Made tag :)

I love making intricate patterns but sometimes I want the fabric to just speak for itself. I used another fabric from the collection, Fierfly Beam, for the top band and straps.

Then, I had to add some lace trim to the bottom just to make it extra ethereal.

Bee has already requested her new sundress a few times this week, it will definitely be a summer staple!

You can purchase Forest Floor HERE. Be sure to check out Going Home to Roost for all of the other tour details and to check out all of the other amazing designers who got their hands on the pretty fabric. Yesterday, April and Mickey from Sweet Girl Studio shared a gorgeous mini quilt and tomorrow Maureen Cracknell has an amazing project planned just to name a few! Also.. because someone might ask… Bee’s bow is Bloomies Handmade and her adorable shoes are from Amazon HERE. Thanks for having me Bonnie!

Naples Dress Blog Tour

March 25, 2016 By Taylor 1 Comment

Hi Guys! I’m so honored to be taking place in the Naples Dress Blog tour today! Jenn from A Jennuine Life asked me to be a part of this amazing tour and of course I had to say yes! This pattern is so, SO good you guys! I love patterns with a million options because I really feel like I’m getting a big bang for my buck. There are multiple lengths, sleeve options and neck closures (including a free peter pan collar pattern add on that Jenn designed for the tour!) Jenn’s patterns are impeccable, she has definitely found her calling!

What’s even more exciting is that one of my favorite fabric companies, Art Gallery, sponsored the tour and supplied all of the amazing fabric! If you haven’t had a chance to make clothing with Art Gallery Fabrics, I highly recommend it! They are known for their soft, high quality feel. I chose the “Delicate Femme in Gold” by Pat Bravo from her new Essentialss II line. I think this sweet girl looks so good in gold somehow which I think is kind of hard to do haha!

I love long dresses on my sassy little tomboy girl and I loved the idea of the big butterfly sleeves that are still short and flowy. So, I went with the long gathered dress and short butterfly sleeves. I decided to use a metallic bias tape for a little pop and honestly it was pretty hard to work with, I might take it out and just use the pretty fabric from the dress. It flipped around a lot because it was so slippery but I do like the little gold touch that it adds.

Besides the stubborn bias tape that I chose, I absolutely loved this pattern, it was a fun yet simple sew. I loved the neckline closure and I already have a few more in the works!

Chalk and Paint Romper

March 2, 2016 By Taylor 2 Comments

Hi Guys! I’m so excited to be participating in Sew Caroline‘s Chalk and Paint Blog Tour today! Caroline’s 3rd and newest fabric line, Chalk and Paint is full of inspiration with it’s artsy and imaginative brush strokes and whimsical yet soft lines. It’s also no secret how much I love the quality of Art Gallery Fabric, it is always so soft and buttery!

When I saw the line I knew exactly what I wanted to make with it! I have had the City Girl Romper on my to-sew list forever and I felt like it was the perfect match. How adorable are the little sunsuit style shorts on this romper?!

I fell in love with this fabric because I love the use of mint with the bright pink and the sienna color, super unexpected but such a fun combo. The back calls for rope/ribbon and last summer I bought a pair of shorts for myself and the tassels drove me crazy so I cut them off and threw them in my ribbon box. They were not only the perfect shade but when I measured them they were the perfect length to the inch!! SEW meant to be! I love it when stuff like that happens.

The romper. I LOVE rompers on babies, I mean is there anything cuter? Here in Texas it is definitely a must for spring and summer. It was a pretty easy sew and only took me a few hours. The top is fully lined and I love the bias tape binding on the inside of the legs. I had never used that technique before and I want to use it all the time now haha! You can kind of see it peeking out in some spots and I love that. Also… pleats and pockets… do I really need to say anymore? There are a few different lengths and size options but I obviously had to choose the little shorties for this little shorty :)

And it looks like Little Miss Sassy is really getting the hang of modeling for my blog pictures haha! Work it girl. She is actually so busy that it is getting harder and harder to even get a still image of her. Hopefully one day she understands how lucky she is to have the worlds most amazing one-of-a-kind wardrobe!

Thanks so much to Caroline for including me in the Chalk and Paint Blog Tour! Be sure to check out all of the other amazing sewists and check out what they made!

Easy Legging Tutorial

February 26, 2016 By Taylor 1 Comment

Leggings are one of the the easiest things that I keep in my sewing arsenal! I’ve been using this method for years, first with my boys and now with my girl. The best part is you don’t need a pattern, you just need an existing pair of leggings that currently fit! Knits can be a little intimidating but all you really need is the right needle and some good quality fabric.

I had the pleasure of trying out some Charley Harper Birch Organic Knit and I can’t even explain how good this stuff is! It doesn’t even sew like a knit because it’s so soft and has such a nice rich thickness to it! Knit fabric sometimes has the tendency to slip around while you’re sewing but not this. I highly, highly recommend it… and especially this line, Maritime. You had me with clouds, fish and these amazing flamingos :) I have to get my hands on the octopus and sandling fabric to make my boys some shorts! Let’s get started on some leggings…

You will need: knit fabric (about a yard give or take depending on the size you are making), elastic, a knit needle (ballpoint needle) for your sewing machine, thread and pins, and an existing pair of leggings that fit your kiddo.

Start with your existing leggings, I like to size up when I’m making handmade clothes so they can wear it for a really long time :)

Fold the leggings and your fabric in half longways and place the leg seam of the leggings on the fold of your knit making sure to line that up.

Using a pencil or a water soluble marker, add in your seam allowance and trace. I add in about 1 1/2″ for both the waistband and the bottom of the legs, and about 3/4″- 1″ on the inner seam depending on what kind of seam allowance you like. Cut out your knit.

You will need to make two cuts just like this so do this same thing twice so that you have two pieces that look like this:

I like to hem up the bottom of the leggings at this point because I find the opening to be too tiny for me to make them as pretty once everything is assembled. Fold the bottom of the pants (the more narrow side) up 1/2″ then press and another 1/2″ and press down. Pin that and sew it down for both legs. I like to hem with double lines but that’s not necessary, a zig zag stitch also works well if your fabric is really tight. DON’T FORGET YOUR BALL POINT NEEDLE… PSA of the day!

Next, lay the knit pieces on top of each other, right sides together. You want to sew starting at the top where the waist is and down the curve then stop once you get to the legs.

Then turn them and lay the legs together, right sides together. Now you want to sew from one inner leg all the way around to the other inner leg matching up seams and the ends of the legs.

Next, fold the waistband part under by 1 1/2″. Sew all the way around but make sure to leave a 1″-2″ opening for your elastic. I like to mark my opening so I don’t forget.

Almost done! Time to cut your elastic, measure your baby’s waist and cut the elastic to that measurement. If you add anything it will be too loose so I always cut it to the exact measurement. Once you have sewn all the way around, insert your elastic with a safety pin making sure it stays flat. Bring it out and around the other side.