The Flora dress Blog tour

The Flora dress in stretch velvet

Hello everyone! It has been a while since I last posted something here. I was asked by Heidi from Elegance and Elephants to participate on the blog tour for her newest pattern release, the Flora dress and tunic. I was thrilled to sew another one of her patterns, since I have been a huge fan of her designs since day one.

The Laure Dress by Straight Grain

Guess what?! The talented An, from Straight Grain, has released another wonderful sewing pattern! The Laure dress pattern is based on the classic Qipao dress and it comes with various options such as a slim mandarin collar, bow (pictured), cap sleeve, long sleeve, sleeveless, drop waist and more! 

An invited me to participate in this blog tour and I'm very honored to participate. This dress pattern (as all of the Straight Grain patterns) is pure perfection! <3 Can you tell I'm a huge fan?!!!

Top Knot Tour- Pattern Hack!

When Gabriella invited me to participate on the Top Knot Tour and saw the themes, I knew I had to choose the "pattern hack". It was so fun to use this pattern to make something slightly different, while preserving the same elements. 

The Mori Dress Blog Tour

Today I'm sharing my versions of the gorgeous new pattern by the talented Heidi from Elegance and Elephants, The Mori Dress (there is a 10% discount at the end of this blog post).

I love the flounce style sleeves and the easy fit. I also love the fact that it doesn't have any closures, so it's easy for my little girl to put it on and take off by herself. She's starting to be more independent and enjoys dressing herself. :D

The Eleena Blog Tour

I feel so incredibly lucky to have been one of the testers for Olga Becker's latest pattern, the Eleena dress. This dress patten comes in sizes 2 through 12 and comes with many options, which you can mix and match as you like! You can make this dress sleeveless, with flutter sleeves, short sleeved or long sleeved. I have made all versions, except sleeveless.

Today, I'm exited to share with you my latest Eleena dress with short sleeves.

A modified Luxe Dress

Hello,

Today I'm going to show you my version of the recently released Lil Luxe dress pattern and to give you a mini tutorial on how to sew beads or sequins to any bodice. I love how this dress is so versatile. You can use this pattern to make a really fancy dress or a super cute casual dress. I was lucky enough to be one of the testers, before this pattern was released and I just love the professional finish you get with this pattern. If you don't own it yet, this is your chance to purchase it now that is on sale!

Tinny Returns!!! (slim colar version)

Hello everyone,

I had the privilege to test another pattern from my favorite Belgian designer, An from Straight Grain. The new and improved Tinny dress. 

The Tinny dress has everything  I love on a dress; simplicity, comfort and elegance. For this dress, I used a super soft woven double sided fabric (sorry, I don't know the name of it). It is gold on one side and red on the other. Which is what gifts it the iridescent look.  Pretty cool, huh?! The texture of the fabric looks like the one you would see on dupioni silk fabric, but it's not as stiff. 

My Second Jaanu Dress

Last weekend we went to one of my favorite places. I just love being away from the city and enjoy nature. It is so liberating! Also, I finally got to take some good pictures of the second Jaanu dress I made. 

If you want to see my previous Jaanu dress go here. :D

I just LOVE this dress pattern! I love it's classic look and I'm sure it will be one of my go to patterns for the Fall.

For this dress, I used only one color, a beautiful burgundy. I also chose corduroy because I thought it would make a great version for the colder weather that is coming our way. Ahhhh... I wish Summer lasted for ever, but sadly that's not the case. Fall will be a good change though. This dress would also look great layered with some tights and a coat or an under shirt.

The Jaanu Dress

The Jaanu dress is a sweet new dress pattern by Straight Grain and Tweemmerkeswater blog. I was lucky enough to test this beautiful pattern and ever since I saw the design, I automatically loved it. I'm pretty much a HUGE fan of all of An's patterns! :D

My favorite part are the box pleats and the drop waist, vintage look it has.

This pattern is that it comes in two styles, the Norah (pictured) and the Elena in sizes 1-10y. The Nora dress is the one I made. It has 6 deep box pleats all around the dress. This dress features a drop waist and a yoke bodice. I love how the pleat seams give it a tailored look. 

The Blue Ridge Dress Blog Tour

I was fortunate enough to test the Blue Ridge Dress, which is the first pattern from the talented Holli from Hello Holli. This dress pattern is now one of my favorite patterns. The design is so unique and feminine and the fit is great!

The Ishi Dress - A sweet shift dress by Straight Grain Patterns

The Ishi dress is a the new super cute dress pattern designed by An of Straight Grain. It comes in sizes 1 to 10 years, in English and Dutch. This is the first time I use one of her patterns and I'm in love with her professionally drafted pattern, graphics and instructions. I found this pattern easy to follow, with clear illustrations and wording. 

The Verona Dress Blog Tour

This past month, I had the opportunity to test the Verona dress pattern from Jennuine Design.
This dress is so cool! I mean, it has a fully lined bodice, enclosed elastic on the back, 3 variations for the sleeve, a double layer skirt and an awesome retro-looking collar. Oh, and not to mention the HUGE size range it includes (newborn to 12 years).

The Ziggy Top Challenge

The Ziggy top is a really cool and simple pattern from Made It Patterns, which features a boxy silhouette and an oversized relaxed fit. 

The pattern is beautifully drafted and it comes with clear step-by-step pictures and even includes a tutorial for painting the design on the cover photo. The pattern comes in sizes 2y-10y, so you would be able to get plenty of use from it!

This pattern was originally designed for jersey knit fabrics, but since Spring is here, I wanted to make a top that was more appropriate for warmer weather. Maybe later, I will make another Ziggy top with Jersey knit fabric.

Anyway, Olu, from Needle and Ted and Made It Patterns, invited me and a few other talented bloggers, to participate on a challenge in which we had to add unique detail to the Ziggy top. Whoever wins gets 2 of their awesome patterns (fingers crossed!).

For this challenge, I decided not to make one, but 2 Ziggy tops! Since this pattern is appropriate for both boys and girls, it was the perfect opportunity to make one for my son too. It is hard to find patterns that my son likes, and this one is just perfect for him.

For my son's Ziggy top, I downsized to size 7 (he usually wears 8) to have a less oversized look. I also choses Kona cotton fabric for his top. I wanted it to have a cool Spring retro look, so I chose to use solid colors. At first I was just thinking of making it in solid light blue, but then I decided to add some white accents to the top. I'm in love with the end look!

Project Run and Play March Challenge -The Knot dress

This year, Project Run and Play is doing a monthly sew-along challenge and this month, the sew along pattern they chose is The Knot Dress. This pattern was designed by Jessica from Me Sew Crazy and is offered as a free download here.

Jessica is on one of the talented ladies behind the super cool magazine STYLO. I've always liked the general aesthetic of that magazine and I enjoy the projects and other fun stuff they include in their magazine. If you haven't checked out the magazine yet, make sure you do it here :)

Anyway, this is what my final version of the dress looks like. I just love it and now I want one for myself ;D

If you would like to know how I made it, keep reading.

At first, I was planning on sewing the pattern just how it is, but I remembered my daughter doesn't like to wear dresses that have big knots or bows on the shoulders or on the back. For that reason, I decided to modify the bodice of the pattern quiet a bit, so that it would a dress she would love to wear. 

My daughter usually wears size 5, but since the fit of this specific pattern is more relaxed, I downsized to size 4 and based my design on that. 

Modifications:
The first thing I did was to lower the neckline just a little bit, so that it would have more of a scoop shape. I also narrowed the bodice, where the shoulder ties would go and cut it at the shoulder. I also added a separate strap on each side. The straps are attached at the shoulder seam and I added enclosed ruffles from the mid arm cycle to the middle of the white shoulder strap. I wanted the two straps to cross at the back, so I made them long enough to cross at the back.

On the back bodice pattern, I cut it straight across (like a rectangle) right before the arm cycle line starts. I also added a 1" elastic at the top back bodice to give it a more fitted look. On the back bodice, I also made two button wholes 2" from the side seams, so the straps would cross on the back, go in the button wholes and tie in a bow at the middle.

For the skirt, I just cut 2 skirt pieces twice as wide as the bodice, gathered it and sewed it to the bodice. The skirt turned out to be full and more of a maxi length, which is the style my daughter loves!

My daughter really loved how the dress turned out and has not taken it off since then. 

I hope you enjoyed my blog post. Thank you for visiting and come back soon, as I have I few other projects I will be sharing within the next couple of weeks. 

-Maria <3

Desert Rose Dress - A Review and Tutorial on How to Make it High-Low

Last year, I was chosen to test the Desert Rose dress for Caila Made . This dress has a beautiful scooped neckline with optional ruffles , empire waist and button closure in the front. You can either make it in a top/tunic length or dress length. It is offered in sizes 3mo though size 8, so it's a really good buy!

Unblogged Projects of 2014 -The Crop Top Dress-

I realized that I didn't get to blog about many projects that I worked on last year. Sometimes life gets busy and it's hard to find time for everything. Ahhhh, I wish I could hire someone to blog for me. Hahah!

Anyway, I will be blogging about the projects I made on 2014 and for one reason or another, I didn't blog about them. Yay!

Today, I'll share with you crop top dress. It is a design by Jessica Bustos from Lilluxe Collection. I absolutely love this pattern, because you can sew it for casual wear or party wear, depending on the fabric you use.

Pattern Testing the Starlight City Dress, Modern Belle Dress and the Socialite Peplum Bubble Dress by Lil Luxe Collection

I had the pleasure to test more of Lil Luxe Collection's new patterns. The three new patterns that were recently released are the "Starligh City Dress", the "Modern Belle Dress" and the "Socialite Peplum Bubble Dress and Top." The three patterns are available as PDF downloads here (affiliate link), and are in sizes 18 mo to size 8. 

If you want to know more about other Lil Luxe patters I've tested, you can go here and here. 

The Alley Cat Romper Tester Blog Tour and Giveaway

Guess what?! I'm doing more testing, and this time it's a super cool and different pattern. This pattern is called "The Alley Cat Romper" and it's from Lil Luxe Collection (affiliate link).

The Lil Luxe Collection is  from a new and talented designer named Jessica Bustos. I have written about this talented designer on my previous post. You can also go here if you want to know more about this new pattern company. 

 I'm in love with this new pattern, because its design is super trendy and comfortable! My daughter also likes this romper and is so comfortable in it, that she doesn't want to take it off all day and I pretty much have to hide it so that I can wash it. He he!

This romper is made of medium weight stretch knit fabric, which is super comfortable to  wear.

This is a PDF pattern and comes in sizes 18mo - 8 years. It features a drop crotch seam, an overall baggy look on the pants and a more fitted look on the bodice and the ankle cuffs.

This romper was also really fast to sew and the instructions are clear and easy to follow. This project is perfect for a confident beginner and preferably someone who has sewn with knit fabric before. But even if you have never sewn knit fabric before, this pattern walks you through everything you need, in order for you project to be successful!

Here is the back of the romper. As you can see, it has a beautiful back neckline which every little girl will love.

Here are more pictures of the romper in action! As you can see, my daughter is really happy with the romper :D

Jessica is also hosting a giveaway to win her pattern and free fabric! 

Enter the giveaway below: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Do you want to turn your romper into a dress? Well check her blog on Saturday for the tutorial!

Thank you for visiting my blog.

See you soon,

Maria.

KCW- Day 3 1920's Inspired Dress

Today I decided to sew something a little bit different. I have always been a fan of 1920's fashion and I wanted to sew something like this for my little girl.

I'm so exited about this dress, because I actually created the pattern for this dress. I used one of my daughter's shirts as reference and created the pattern. 

This dress is made of cream colored silk fabric, which is very light weight and soft. The bodice is fully lined. I added a front bib on the bodice, which is outlined with vintage ric-rac. The two black buttons on the front of the bib are also vintage (bought all this at thrift stores). 

The also features a drop waist, cap sleeves and a 2-tier ruffled skirt.

Front

The modern "Little Red Ridding Hood" dress

This is one of my favorite dresses I have made for my daughter lately.

 A few months ago, I bought 1 yard of the Little Red Riding Hood Little Scallops Green fabric and 1 yard of the Little Red Riding Hood Little Stripe Grey fabric by Riley Blake.  

  I'm in love withe the illustrations from Tasha Noel featured on the fabric. That is the main reason why I bought the fabric in the first place, haha!

The other day I just wanted to sew something and I wanted to use some of the Little Red fabric, so I just got some of other fabricfrom my stash and got to work.

I also made coordinating, fabric covered buttons, for the dress. They look so cute. Don't they???

I  also made coordinating buttons, to go with the dress. 

Here is my baby girl wearing her dress:

I made a halter style dress, with a shirred back and a gathered skirt. I also added an oversized pocket on the front of the dress, which is embellished with scalloped lace trim. The hem of the skirt is also adorned with a really cute heart trim I bought on sale at Joann's Fabrics (for only 50 cents a yard!).

I also made a matching headband for her. I always like to make something for her hair :)

I really liked how this dress turned out and my daughter likes it too.

Thanks for visiting my blog and come back soon to check out the other things I make for my kids. This next week I will be participating in the Kids Clothes Week Summer 2013, so I will be posting new stuff for sure.

Until next time,

Maria <3