The Juliette Dress and Top Tour

The Juliette Dress and Top is the latest pattern from Sewpony Patterns. It was designed in collaboration with Jill from Kneesocks and Goldilocks. I have always admired both of these talented ladies for their sewing skills and good taste in clothing design.  When Jill asked me if I wanted to be in the pattern tour, I didn't think twice about saying yes! 

The Center Stage Ensemble dance wear patterns from Lil Luxe Collection

I had the pleasure to test the new dance wear patterns from Lil Luxe Collection, which includes The Leotard Etoile and Demi wrap skirt (skirt not picture), The Deux leggings and The petite sweater. I've always been a fan of Jessica's designs, but these are by far some of my favorites!

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?!!!

The Women's Waterfall Raglan Blog Tour

Hello,

 It has been a while since I last wrote a blog post. Life has been super busy lately and a lot has happened. Luckily, I have still found the time to sew a few things here and there. Also, I've starting sewing for myself, which is a huge change for me. This time I had the pleasure to test for one of my favorite designers, Gabriella Longfish from Chalk and Notch. Her clothing designs and pattern drafting skill are impecable. It is always an enjoyable experience to sew one of her designs!

Here are a few of the Waterfall tops I've made. 

The Berlin Coat Tour

I was invited by An from Straight Grain to participate in the Berlin coat blog tour. I love this pattern so much! It's classic design and options, make it the perfect coat pattern to customize for your little boy or girl. It comes in sizes 1 to 12y and you can choose from two different front designs, a hood or a standing collar and patch pockets or mock pocket flaps. 

Hoppe - Blog Tour

Have you heard about the awesome new pattern form An of Straight Grain?! If not, then you are missing out. Hoppe is a jumsuit pattern that was designed in collaboration with Fabienne from the blog 128. It comes in two styles (with or without a front pleat) and you can choose to make it with halter straps or shoulder straps. It is sold in PDF format or in paper form and it's designed for sizes 18 months to 12 years (what a great size range, right?). 

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 Moiano Blog Tour

When An from Straight Grain asked me to join the blog tour for her new sewing pattern, The Moiano coat , I was super thrilled! This pattern is very well drafted and the instructions will take you step by step until you complete your gorgeous new coat. 

The Top Knot Romper -Pants and Shorts Versions

I had the opportunity to test pattern from Chalk and Notch, the Top Knot Romper. This pattern is seriously so well drafted and illustrated. I can tell Gabriella Longfish poured her heart into this pattern. It is very detailed and well explained, with easy step by step instructions and an interactive table of contents! If you decide to buy it, you will not be disappointed. 

The pattern comes with many variations including, short sleeve, long sleeve, shorts, pants and dress version (maxi and knee length), making it perfect for every season and any personal preference your little one might have. It comes in sizes 18-24 months to 12 years. 

The Trophy Jacket and the Jogger pants by Cali Faye

I was one of the lucky testers for the new patterns from Cali Faye Collection, The Trophy Jacket and the Jogger pants. Both of these patterns are now for sale on the Cali Faye Collection store and come in sizes 2T to size 10.

I made the drape option on the Trophy Jacket. There is also a zipper option, which is super cute! I will make the zipper version next. The style is a cropped jacket style and it has a fitted look. 

For the jacket, I used a black pleather  and I lined it with a beautiful red satin fabric. 

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. 

Made It Fashion Week!

Guess what everyone? It's Made it Fashion Week!!!

I'm exited to show you what I've been working on, behind the scenes for the Made It Fashion Week! It's been fun planing all the outfits and I only wish I had more time to sew all the things I had planned in my head. I wanted to sew a balloon dress and accessories such as scarves and hats to go with the outfits, but I'm pretty happy with what I did get to sew.

All these patterns are part of the second pattern collection released by Made It patterns, called Fold 2, which is inspired by the Japanese art of Origami.


The first garment I sewed for this event, was the Petal Fold Playsuit. I used a light weight super soft wool fabric. Perfect for Fall and Winter! For the front panel, I created a folds and pleats in a random and free style manner. I just love being spontaneous and creative when sewing, so I thought this would be a good addition to the playsuit.

Here is my daughter wearing the playsuit. Oh, and of course I had some fun making origami cranes, specially for this photo shoot. This was my first time at trying origami, so I searched for origami tutorials on Youtube and found a good one on making a crane. I liked it so much, that I want to learn to make other shapes. Ahhh, maybe next time I have some free time (like that ever happens, ha!).

The back of the playsuit is pretty awesome! It features an invisible zipper and a tailored style, which gives it a great look. 

And of course, a close-up of my origami crane was necessary.   ;)

Up next is the Matrix Polo. This polo features a classic, yet modern trendy look for both boys and girls. The fit is great and the best part is that you can use knit fabric to make it! My kids just love the feel and comfort of wearing knit fabric. 

The polo has a short zipper in the front, which is a nice variation from the buttons. The instruction in the pattern make it super easy to install the zipper, so don't stress about it. 

Next is the Pocket fold skirt. I made two of these and will make more for the Fall. They are super trendy and comfortable! They will be a staple in my daughter's wardrobe for sure. 

On the above picture, you can see the other (much bigger) crane I made following the instructions on the tutorial I found on Youtube (will post link later). 

Here is a closeup of the skirt. I used heavy duty snaps for this skirt, since the corduroy was a little too thick for the smaller snaps I had. 

Side view of the skirt:

This is the first skirt I made with quilting cotton fabric: 

Back view:

These are all the pieces I had prepared for today, I wish I had made more but there is just not enough time in the day, right? :D

After seeing the pieces that me and the other talented bloggers have sewn for this event, I'm sure you'll want to buy your own copy of these patterns, so here is a special treat for you. Use the code MFW20 this week to save 20% your Made It patterns. Woo hoo!!!

Also, check out the other blogger/seamstresses participating in this fun event! Here is the schedule for the Made It Fashion Week:

Monday 31 August

Kid Approved Girl Like the Sea Huisje Boompje Boefjes Our Chez Nous

Tuesday 1 September

Kimme Sew Crazy Pienkel East and Eden Chi Chi Romeo and Me

Wednesday 2 September

Neil and Nikki In a manner of Sewing Glitter + Wit Creative Needles and Threads As it Seams

thursday 3 September

Climbing the Willow Fliegfederfrei Fairies and Bubbles Co Sew Thrifty

Friday 4 September

Just Add Fabric So-Cal Sewing Mom Sansahash Miss Castelinhos Sewing Sober

Saturday 5 September

Made by Toya My Cosy Co Paisley Roots Diorella Fruits de Mère

Sunday 6 September

Round Up and Reviews: Needle and Ted Climbing the Willow Swoodson says

Maria <3

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 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).

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

The City Girl Romper and Sunsuit

The new pattern by Lil'Luxe Collection was release today! The City Girl romper and sunsuit comes in sizes 18month through 8 years and it features a variety of options, so you can customize it however you want.

You can make it trouser length, capri, cuffed shorts or sunsuit length. It has a tie in the back, elasticized waist and optional pockets (which my daughter loves).

So far I have made 3 of this sunsuits! It's the perfect Spring/Summer pattern.