Purple Riding Pants

Today it's time to show off the purple Riding Pants I made using Me Sew Crazy's latest pattern.

These pants take simple leggings and kick them up a notch by adding inner leg patches, a faux fly, and buttons to the leg openings.  I love details like this!

They are also fashionable yet comfortable enough for the active movement of a 4 year old.

These purple riding pants are made using denim jegging material and quilting cotton for the patches.  I'm fairly new to sewing with knit, and as Jessica mentions in her post about the pattern release, "these pants are perfect for the seamstress just getting familiar with knits!!"  I totally agree!  Following the pattern's easy to read large text and highlighted notes, I had no problems sewing these.  The pattern is also full of detailed photos and lots of tips to help you with each step of the assembly.

According to the pattern's sizing chart, Ella wears something between a 4T and a 5T, so I decided to use the 4T and lengthen the pants by an inch and a half.   This worked out perfectly for a great fit on Ella!

So, there you have it--Purple Riding Pants!  My third installment of Pants Week here on sewVery! Come back tomorrow for more pants inspiration!

And if you like both of the tops that Ella is wearing with these pants, be sure to visit next week to read more about them!

New Lovely Rita's Jeans

Today I'm sharing with you the second pair of Shwin & Shwin Designs Lovely Rita's pants that I've made.

A while back, Shauna made some modifications and added sizes to the original pattern, and she asked me to test it out.  The first pair of Lovely Rita's that I made Ella are still one of my absolute favorite things I have ever sewn for her, so of course I jumped at the chance to make another pair.

First Pair of Lovely Rita's that I made

I made both pair a size 5T, but as you can see in the two pictures, the top pair (made using the revised pattern) has a skinnier fit.  I also omitted the button cuff at the bottom on that pair, giving them a more traditional skinny jeans look.

Obviously, I made these jeans a few months ago and never got around to sharing them on the blog. Today it's already in the 70's outside, so she definitely doesn't need a heavy coat now!

For this blue jean pair of Lovely Rita's, I used some medium weight denim with 2% spandex for a little stretch.  This fabric feels more like traditional store bought blue jeans while the black stretch denim I used for the first pair is a little thinner and softer.

The front pocket design stayed essentially the same and are really more decorative than anything since they aren't very deep.

The front of the jeans is flat with no gathers.  Also, Shauna made some slight changes in the pattern design which resulted in a better fit at the crotch.

For the rear pockets, I cut out a second pocket piece in a different fabric (in this case a pink with white polka dots) and lined the pocket instead of hemming the edges.  I find this to be easier, plus it adds a little decorative interest to the jeans.  I also used baby pink thread to add a pop of color.

The way the back of the pants is cut makes the waistband sit a little higher which helps prevent the jeans from slipping down when she bends over or squats down.

All-in-all, these have been Ella's favorite jeans this year.  She gets compliments on them often, and I've even been told they look store bought.  So if you are looking for a great skinny pants pattern for your daughter, I highly recommend the Lovely Rita's pattern.  I think it even goes up to size 8 now!

See you back here tomorrow for the next installment of Pants Week here at sewVery!

Hosh Pants & Skater Sweater Refashion

I am so behind in posting all the things I've made Ella over the last couple of months, so I hope this little outfit will inspire someone who is having cooler weather right now.  It's already warming up here in the south which really limits the days she has left to wear outfits like this.

Today I'm featuring the Hosh Pants Pattern by Lou Bee Clothing and a ladies' turtleneck refashioned into a girl's turtleneck using the Skater Dress Pattern by Kitschy Coo.

First, the pants are incredibly simple to make using Sarah's Hosh Pants Pattern.  The pattern has one piece for the legs, so there are no side seams.  Plus she shows you in detail in the pattern photos how to make an adjustable waistband using buttonhole elastic.  Since the pants have a flat front and my daughter's waistline measurement hasn't changed much, I opted to keep things even simpler and just make a casing to run regular elastic through the back waistband.

After consulting the pattern's sizing chart, I opted to make Ella the size 4T and added about an inch and a half to the length (she's tall for her age).  The fabric is a polyester/spandex suiting remnant that I bought from Joann's ages ago.  The fabric is so soft and was a breeze to sew.  Another plus is that it does not wrinkle!  I wash them and then hang them up to dry.  They have never needed ironing!

To make these pants look a little dressier, I added a pocket flap to the back.

All I did was take two rectangles of fabric, place them right sides together, and sew around the edges leaving an opening for turning.  Turn right side out, press, and then topstitch all the way around the rectangle closing the opening in the process.  I then stitched it on the back of the pants and sewed a button on it to keep it down.  No buttonhole required!

Since the legs are tapered and narrow at the bottom, these are perfect to wear inside tall boots.  The whole outfit looks like she is ready for a horse riding lesson!

I have a lot of sweaters that were once my mom's, but they are too big for me.  I've been holding on to them for so long and just can't seem to part with any, so I decided I would take some and try to refashion them into things for Ella.  

The sweater started out as a Land's End Fine Gauge Turtleneck Sweater in a women's size medium.

I thought about using the Bimaa Sweater Pattern from Lou Bee Clothing for the refashion, but I didn't have enough fabric from the sweater to make it.  It's a great pattern, too.  You can see the first one I made here, and I'll be blogging about a second one I made later this week.

Instead, I decided to use the Skater Dress Pattern from Kitschy Coo for the turtleneck refashion.  The Skater Dress is an awesome pattern that I got to try out as part of the pattern blog tour earlier this month.  Here is the link to the Skater Dress I made for Ella.

Sorry I didn't take pictures of the process, but it was really simple to do.  First, I cut off the sleeves along the armhole seam.  Then I used the bodice pattern piece and matched up the existing shoulder seam to the top of the shoulder on the pattern while positioning the pattern fold line along the center of the sweater.  This allowed me to keep the original turtleneck.

Next, I used the Skater Dress skirt pattern piece to determine the top and bottom width of the skirt and estimated the length needed.  Ella had tried the sweater on before I began cutting, so I knew roughly how much of the length I needed to remove.

I then cut the seam of the sleeves open so to give me flat pieces of fabric.  I then used the sleeve pattern piece by cut out the sleeves that fit Ella.  I made sure to use the hemmed edge so I wouldn't have to do any hemming!

Sewing the sweater together was quick (like maybe 30 minutes) and all on the serger.  When I finished the ensemble, Ella exclaimed that she now had a Moma outfit!  She was so giddy!

I just love the fit and overall look of this entire outfit.  It quickly became one of Ella's favorite things to wear, so I hope it will all still fit in the Fall.  She loves the softness of the pants fabric, and the fit is so good that she does not constantly tug at the back to pull up the pants after she squats down to play.

I'll definitely use both of these patterns--the Hosh Pants and the Skater Dress--again in the near future.  In fact, I might just make a pair of Hosh Shorts and a Skater Tank Sweater for this Spring/Summer.

I hope you'll come back all this week to see other pants I've made Ella recently.  At the end of the week, I'll post a round-up of all of the pants posts I've done on sewVery!  See you tomorrow!

My Casual Lady Dress

Just another quick post to share with you My Casual Lady Dress.  I can't say enough great things about this pattern.  It is just so easy and quick to sew up!  Don't ask me what I'm doing in this picture because I'm not really sure!  But hey, at least I look happy!  Oh, and casual, too!

In case you didn't see my post earlier this week, I made a Casual Lady Top a couple of weeks ago that I have been wearing constantly!  I've enjoyed it so much that I snatched up a bunch of fashion knit remnants (that I got for a steal at Joann's) this past weekend so I can make more.

For the dress, I had already purchased this 95% polyester 5% spandex jersey knit.  It is so soft and silky feeling, plus it has just the right amount of stretch to it.  After thinking about this dress for almost a week but not having time to cut it out and sew it up, I finally did just that yesterday.

I'm still learning to sew with knits, and this was my first attempt to sew with this type of poly/spandex knit.  Everything went smoothly when sewing up the seams on the serger (I used a scrap to test my stitch settings first), but when I went to hem the sleeves on my regular sewing machine, I ran into a snag or two.

First, I decided to use my walking foot right off the bat.  I wanted to make sure the fabric didn't slip or slide so that the chevrons would match up along the side seams.  I had used a universal needle for all my other knit sewing to date, but on this fabric, the needle caused stitches to be skipped.  Luckily, I did have a pack of stretch needles (I have no idea where they came from) in my sewing supplies, and that solved one problem--no more skipped stitches.

Next, I wasn't pleased with the final look of a straight stitch for the sleeve hem.  I again used a scrap to test the tension and the stretch of the stitch, and finally I used a very narrow (almost straight) zig zag stitch based on the recommendation of some very smart sewing friends I have.  This narrow zig zag stitch gave the hem just a little bit of stretch with a nice overall finished look.

Before I hemmed the bottom, I tried the dress on and found that it was way below my knee, so I chopped off about 3.5" and then sewed that into a sash to wear around my waist.  I'll make a note on the pattern about the length for the next time I make one.

I promise I'm not mad!  The sun was just so bright!

I love the fit of this dress, especially with the sash tied around my waist.  Again, my talented sewing friends offered up some suggestions on how to make the dress more form fitting which I might try to do on the next one.  In case you are interested, Andrea, the pattern designer of the Casual Lady Pattern and the creative genius behind The Train to Crazy and Go To Patterns, recommended using 1 to 2 sizes smaller than you normally would for a form fitting, curve hugging dress!  Justine from Sew Country Chick suggested trying on the dress inside out and pinning the side seams to make the dress narrow just under the bust.  Then you contour the side seams to cinch in that area under the bust creating a more flattering silhouette.

What else can I say to convince you that this pattern is definitely worth the money?  How about that all the proceeds go to a great cause--the She's Worth It campaign which helps women and girls around the world who are victims of sex trafficking.  You can purchase your copy of The Casual Lady Pattern here.

Oh, and I have to add, my son even complimented my new dress!  That just made my day!

My Boyd St. Bowling Bag + Giveaway!

If you follow my blog regularly, you probably already know that I am a HUGE fan of the bag patterns from Emmaline Bag and Patterns.  Janelle does the most amazing job from conceptualizing a bag design, to creating the pattern pieces, to photographing and explaining in detail each step of construction.  In other words, she's very talented!

Well, Janelle's latest pattern for the Boyd St. Bowling Bag does not disappoint.  She teased everyone about a month ago with a picture of her test bag, and I knew immediately that I had to have it!

At some point this past year, Janelle and I started exchanging emails about bag hardware, fabrics, and other sewing related things.  So when I saw a message in my inbox from Janelle a few weeks ago, I wasn't surprised to hear from her, but I was surprised that she wanted ME to test out her pattern for the Boyd St. Bowling Bag!  I was so excited!

Immediately, I knew I wanted to the handles out of faux leather or vinyl.  I had never sewn with that material before--until now!  I was also drawn to the shape and style of bag which is a departure from all the other bags I have ever made.  I'll discuss my experience with sewing vinyl a little later in the post, but first, let's go over more of the actual bag details.

After making the Teardrop Bag, another pattern I purchased from Emmaline Bag & Patterns months ago, I knew I wanted to use canvas or duck cloth again for the lining.  I really like the way the duck cloth holds up without adding any interfacing to it, and it's not difficult to sew with even when layered with the outer bag fabric.

The inside also has a slip pocket and a zipper pocket both made from quilting cotton lined with a medium weight fusible interfacing.  I sewed down the middle of the slip pocket turning it into two smaller pockets perfect for holding my cell phone on one side and mints and lipstick on the other.

For the exterior of the bag, I used two different printed duck cloth fabrics in shades of off white, yellow, and gray that I purchased at Hobby Lobby.  This duck cloth is considerably thinner and softer feeling than the utility grade duck cloth I used for the lining.  I did apply interfacing (Pellon SF101) and fusible fleece to the wrong side of the exterior fabric to help give it more shape and support.

Construction of the bag itself was not difficult and would definitely be suitable for someone who has prior bag sewing skills or an intermediate seamstress.   The design of the bag includes two small pleats on the front plus the curved top piece which is ideal for using a coordinating fabric to match the bottom half of the purse.

Another feature of the Boyd St. Bowling bag that I love is the zipper closure across the curved top with a zipper pull on both ends to make opening and closing easier.  Janelle even shows you a super easy way to cut the fabric for the gusset so that your fabric pattern matches up.  See how the chevrons are all lined up properly in the photo below?

The pattern provides an option and instructions on how to construct a detachable adjustable strap that would hook onto the zipper pulls on either end using a swivel hook and D-rings.  I didn't think I would ever use the strap, so I chose not to make one.

The bottom of the bag is reinforced with a piece of Pellon Peltex 71.  This was my first time to use this type of interfacing, and I was quite pleased with the results.  Again, Janelle's instructions made sewing the bottom together a breeze!  The bottom of the bag is firm and sturdy and has six metal purse feet to not only help protect the bottom from wear and tear, but to also give it that more professional look.

To construct just the bag portion of this purse, I sewed on and off over the course of a day and a half.  Not bad considering I had lots of interruptions from Ella and had to run errands and get my son at school!

Now onto the vinyl handles and tabs.  As I mentioned above, this was my first time to ever sew with vinyl, and I was so excited to try it on this bag!  I found some really nice marine vinyl in the remnant bin at Joann's.  This type of vinyl is so soft and supple compared to the normal utility vinyl  that I think of when I hear the word vinyl.

I love how my vinyl handles eventually turned out!  They really make the bag look store bought and professional!  Don't you agree?

Anyway, Janelle gives very detailed instructions with lots of photographs on how to construct the strap tabs and handles--in both fabric and leather/vinyl!  Again, she taught me several new things and introduced me to some new sewing notions (like double sided wonder tape, upholstery thread, and a sewing needle for leather) that I had not tried before.  I always know that after I finish one of Janelle's patterns, not only am I going to have a terrific new bag to use, but I'm also going to be a much more experienced and knowledgeable sewer!

In order to sew the vinyl on my machine, I sometimes used my walking foot, my regular sewing machine foot, and my regular sewing machine foot with scotch tape on the bottom.  I also used a long stitch length of at least 4.  This part of my bag construction was definitely a challenge, but only because my old Bernina Record 830 from 1974 just doesn't have the power needed to sew through multiple layers of the vinyl.  I had to hand turn the wheel often just to get the needle to sew especially when I sewed the strap tabs to the bag body.  I also had to put a piece of stabilizer on the underside of the bag because the fleece was tangling the bobbin thread and not advancing the stitches properly.

After some lengthy email discussions with Janelle, I believe she decided to rate the Boyd St. Bowling Bag Pattern as suitable for an intermediate to advanced sewer with a note stating that prior experience and knowledge of sewing with vinyl or leather is recommended for those who want to make vinyl handles.   If you have a heavy duty or commercial grade sewing machine, then I would think sewing multiple layers of vinyl would be no problem for you!

Of course, her pattern gives full details on how to make the exact same strap tabs and handles using regular fabric which I know I will use the next time!  My machine should have no problem tackling multiple layers of regular fabric and interfacing.

I'm so looking forward to using my new Boyd St. Bowling bag.  It's gonna hold a lot of stuff since it's so big (roughly 16" L x 10"H x 5"W)!

So, what do you think?  Do you want to make a Boyd St. Bowling Bag for yourself?  Well, as of Monday, it's officially for sale at Emmaline Bags and Patterns along with hardware kits to make the bag in case you don't want to run all over town (like me) to find the supplies!

Janelle is also hosting a contest and offering up a copy of the Boyd St. Bowling Bag Pattern and hardware kit to two winners!  How awesome is that?!  You can enter the contest below and the winners will be announced on Wednesday, April 17th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Oh, and in case you'd like to see all the other bags I've made using patterns from Emmaline Bags and Patterns, just click the links below.  And Janelle just released another cool pattern for the Necessary Wallet Clutch that I purchased immediately!  Can't wait to try it out, too!

The Emmaline Bag

The Steph in the City Bag

The Teardrop Bag

My Boyd St. Bowling Bag has been featured over at The Train to Crazy today!  Thanks, Andrea!

The Casual Lady Pattern

Have you purchased your copy of The Casual Lady Top and Dress Pattern yet?  If you haven't, then you should right away!

My friend, Andrea from The Train to Crazy and Go To Patterns, designed this pattern specifically to help raise money for the She's Worth It campaign.  When you purchase The Casual Lady Pattern, all the proceeds go to She's Worth It to help women and young girls around the world who are victims of sex trafficking.  

I am blessed to have a safe home and environment in which to raise my two children, and I cannot imagine the pain and abuse that so many women and young girls are forced to endure as they are sold and traded.  I hope you'll count your blessings as well and consider purchasing The Casual Lady Pattern to help this worthy cause.

As you can see, I am really working the casual look here!  

I made my Casual Lady Top in about an hour (which is not bad for me since I am still learning to sew with knits).  This top has quickly become my favorite!  I've worn it three times in the past week already!  You'd think I'd have more/better pictures of it, but sadly, I don't!  

My Casual Lady Top is made from a pique knit that I purchased at Joann's.  It has a little bit of stretch in both directions and is very soft and supple.  The only problem I had with this fabric was that it curled or rolled up along the cut edges.  Andrea offers some tips in the pattern on how to combat rolling knits which did help make it easier to sew.

The Casual Lady Pattern includes sizes XXXS - XXL (I didn't even know there was such a size as XXXS), so it's a perfect pattern for everyone!  After looking over the measurement chart, I chose to make a Small, and I'm very pleased with the fit.  The only change I plan to make on the next top I make is to shorten the length by a couple of inches.  

Here's a better shot of the neckline and the cap sleeves.  

I've already purchased fabric to make myself a Casual Lady Dress, too.  Maybe I'll cut it out tonight and sew it up to wear this weekend!  Spring is here and I really do need some new clothes.  Plus, it's about time I sew something for myself!  

Oh, and I also made four zipper pouches for the She's Worth It Campaign.  You can see them here.  

As always, thanks for stopping by!  And if you already own The Casual Lady Pattern or plan to purchase it, please let me know!  I'd love to hear what you think of it.  

The Skater Dress

I think it's pretty cool!

Have you seen this pattern yet? It's the Skater Dress pattern from Kitschy Coo, and it's definitely one that you'll use again and again!

Today I'm participating in Kitschy Coo's Skater Dress Blog Tour along with a slew of other very talented bloggers.  You'll want to go through and visit each one to see how they customized the Skater Dress for their own special little girl.

As some of you may have read recently, I'm exploring new fabrics and sewing with some knits now.  I had such great success with the Bimaa Sweater a few weeks ago, that I jumped at the chance to make my first ever knit dress (the Skater Dress) for little Ella.

I meant to buy some new fabric to make this dress, but my family was anxiously impatiently waiting in the car when I had a chance to go to the fabric store.  I couldn't make up my mind under pressure, so I ended up using the only yardage of knit I had at home.  I have no idea where this fabric came from.  I think it just magically appeared!  Anyway, it's a cotton interlock knit of decent quality, and I had some left over ribbed knit from the second Bimaa Sweater I made that was perfect for the neck and wrist bands.

What I ended up with was a very purplicious dress!  My daughter loves it!

But I didn't stop there.  My friend, Lindsay, from Lindsay Sews had posted a picture on Facebook of this skate fabric, and the colorway was a perfect match to Ella's new Skater Dress!  Lindsay graciously provided me with her scraps of the Melody Miller Ruby Star Sparkle Rollerskates Go With Me fabric, and I was able to piece together one entire skate to then applique to the front of her dress.  Thanks, Lindsay!

I know it's very literal, but I just couldn't get this fabric graphic out of my head!  And since the colors were a perfect match to the dress, I had to do it.  Plus, this skate reminds me of all the nights I spent hanging out and skating with my friends in high school.  It makes me smile to look at it!

After I finished piecing the skate print together, I used a piece of heat and bond lite to fuse it to the dress.  Then I secured it by sewing a zigzag stitch in the dark purple thread all the way around the rectangle.  Super simple!

So here are some more details about the Skater Dress Pattern.  It comes in sizes 18 month to 8 youth and offers you three sleeve options--sleeveless, short, and long--so you can make dresses from it all year round for years and years!

Ella's dress was made using the 5/6 youth, and as you can see, it might be just a little long at the moment.  I think it fits well in the bodice particularly at the shoulder, but she just turned 4, so I expected it to be a slightly on the large side.  With washing and drying, I suspect it will draw up a little bit.  Plus, she'll have this to wear again in the fall!

The pattern instructions were very simple to understand and accompanied by tons of photos and helpful tips for sewing with knits including how to hem the knit dress on your regular machine using a single or double needle.  Following Amanda's instructions, I was able to hem Ella's dress with no stretching or ugly rippling of the fabric.

All in all, this pattern was a joy to sew.  Now that it is starting to warm up, I better make Ella a short-sleeved version, too.

Don't forget to follow along on Kitschy Coo's Skater Dress Pattern Tour.  I know I will! Thanks, Amanda, for inviting me!