Hello, all we are finally breaking our virtual silence, the hustle and bustle of the holidays sucked us up and we got out of habit of being here. But don't worry we have some great things coming up in the next month and half. Happy 2015, hope you had a great Christmas!

We are starting the new year by reviewing awesome new pattern, "Bottoms up Pants" by If Only Designs (Pattern is available 25% off through 1/18/2015 no coupon needed). With a new addition growing in my belly I couldn't help but jump at the chance to try out this pattern. The pattern is designed to fit Cloth Diapers which is awesome because I am thinking I might give cloth diapering a go this time around. 
This pattern has a great size range for a baby/toddler pattern going from newborn to size 6T, which I can see as a real asset if your kids are as fast at growing as mine have been. It is designed to have a flat front with light/medium weight woven fabrics and can be used with a full waistband on sturdy knits such as sweatshirt fleece or interlock.
For my version of this pattern I had only a little bit of this fabric leftover from a dress I had made from Boston. I didn't want to have to worry about matching prints on the side seam so I overlapped the front and back pattern pieces and did a full elastic band. Then held my breath that I had enough as I tried to keep the chevrons level across both legs. I was exactly perfect but pretty good for off grain fabric scraps.

I was surprised that the pattern only uses a 1/4" inseam because most woven patterns that I have sewn have at least a 3/8" inseam if not a 1/2". I honestly was a little worried about such a narrow inseam but it ended up working to my advantage because I barely squeaked by with what I had on hand of the fabric. It ended up not being hard at all, I didn't find it difficult to finish the edge with a simple zig zag but it would be just as easy to serge right at the edge not cutting anything off. With the way the pattern is designed there is ample room in the seat that I am not worried about the back seam being stressed and tearing.
Silly Sally even decided to put them to the test by rolling all over the Living Room floor.

I think we better ask Sally what she thinks of her new pants?
I guess she likes them!
We are the last stop on the tour and if your on the fence about this pants pattern just look over all the other awesome pants that have been made on this tour with this pattern.  

It's the most wonderful time of the year when new pajamas and filled stocking are almost a requirement. This year to start off the season, I made these ruffled pj's for Ty using a pattern from Once Upon a Sewing Machine. They are running a sale through Saturday Dec.6 and you can get it for $5.00 (no coupon needed). Ty is crazy about these pajamas. Since I put them on her 2 days ago she has refused to take them off. They are the perfect mix of functional and girly. She loves the ruffles and flowiness.
My only regret in sewing it up is that I didn't make the skirt of the blouse about 3 inches longer. Ty has a fairly long torso and it doesn't quite cover her tummy all the time. It may be the way the flannel lays that adds to making it too short.
That being said, I love these pajamas. My plan is to take this two part pj's and turn it into two sets of pajamas. The top I'm going to add two more layers of flannel and do a solid hombre effect and turn it into a nightgown. Then I'm going to make a knit shirt to go with the pants.
Since they were ruffled pj's. I decided to go with that theme and do a banded ruffle on the bottom of the pants instead of a straight cuff. I'm glad I did the ruffles on the pants because Ty loves them. If you like this pattern, you should know that the fit on these pants are awesome! There's no weird puckers in the crotch and the length is perfect. I can't say the same thing for all pajama pants I've made in the past. It is currently my favorite woven pj pants pattern and I only wish the sizing went past size 6.
Because I'm a symmetrical kind of gal I did the ruffle on both the front and the back of the bodice. This was another small deviation from the original pattern. The back is finished off with a button enclosure. They are the first buttonholes I've done in a year since my Orchid Damask Coat for flip this pattern. Buttonholes on my machine freak me out. Although I have a one step button hole machine, if everything is not just right on it my machine ties knots. I only had to seam rip and redo buttonholes twice on this project.
I did love how the pattern said if buttons were too frightening you could always opt out and just use snaps instead. It seems like KAM snaps have been my saving grace lately, but since there were only three buttons I decided to take my chances.
The pajamas were made with flannel that recently got for 75% off so it definitely didn't break the bank to make. I'm really, really excited about these pajamas. I think they turned out awesome and I'm excited how well they were received by Ty. Lately she has been pretty picky about what she wears so its nice when she loves something enough to never want to take it off. If you don't have a little girls pajama pattern to turn to, this could be a really good option for you. It can either be used as a 2 part set or easily turned into a nightgown. I have another one cut up ready to sew that is going to be a nightgown with the pants shortened so that they are pantaloons underneath.
You should check out the other cute creations from this fun pattern if you like what you see.
With Love,
Al

I'm so excited to share this pattern review with you. It seems I have taken quite the sweatshirt sewing journey this fall to try to make something that will work for Heber. If I include this pattern, I've tried 4 different patterns and I'm happy to say I finally had success. My first challenge was that his head was too big for one pattern. The next two patterns were too fitted for my sway back buddy. He looked like a girl. It wasn't until Scary stumbled upon the Omni Tempore could I actually have a masterpiece.
We didn't have to think twice about getting this pattern and jumped at the chance to join the Omni Tempore Family Tour and knock out two Christmas presents. If you're looking for something special for Christmas, you might take advantage of the fact that for the duration of the tour the Omni Tempore Bundle is 30% off. To buy either the child size or adult size only is 20% off. Only at Sofilantjes.com is no coupon code needed.

To see the full capacity of the pattern you should keep an eye on the tour:
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I think I'm going to use the pattern blocks to make my husband some t-shirts because I love how it fits him especially for a shirt application. He was borderline sizes and I wish I would have gone up a size for his muscular build and slight stretch fabric. I will also probably do just a little less on the cuffs because they were just slightly smaller than the width of the finished sleeves and waist. I'm used to there being a bigger difference in width so that the cuffs are more snug. Since that's what keeps the cold out, that will be an important modification in the future.
Those 15 years of cow milking muscles make the sleeves snug. So if you sew this and you're borderline sizes, go with the smaller size for a super stretchy fabric and the bigger size for something more stable and outwear.
This sweatshirt has been checked for chasing, running, jumping, and flying. The hood also fits great too, we were just so busy playing at the park that I forgot to get any pictures of it actually on his head.
I really love this boy, but I can't seem to keep this 2 1/2 year old boy out of trouble. Just this morning alone he got black eye makeup all over his hands and face, the bedroom floor in the time it took me to help Ty go to the bathroom. Later he took the sewing scissors to some hoarded knit fabric as I was putting ham in the slow cooker. Then as I'm writing this last part he dumped an entire bag of rainbow fruity crisp rice all over the living room and it is now raining rainbow chunks throughout the entire living room. Please tell me this phase doesn't last forever!
With Love,
Al

Today we are reviewing the Issue 5 of the One Thimble. We first were first introduced to One Thimble a few months ago when Al was trying to find a particular style of dress pattern. The debate was on to buy the complete magazine with many different patterns and techniques or to just get the single pattern that had brought her to One Thimble in the first place. The single pattern was $9 and the entire magazine was $25. Given the tight budget she decided to go with the single pattern, but the magazine would have been a worthy investment when possible.

Since then we have been watching One Thimble to see with what they come out with next. When we had an opportunity to review one of their patterns we jumped at the chance and then the opportunity to review a whole magazine, we not only jumped but ran. There are so many great patterns in this magazine, I can't wait to try them all.

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PS. I loved this photo but the colors ended up being a bit off and pretty grainy so I bring you today's episode of photos that couldn't be on the cutting room floor because I loved it so I am changing it to black and white so it is okay.

Today is the second pattern of the Sew Straight & Gather  a month and a half ago I tested the Etage Top/Dress pattern for Terri. Even though we were right in the throngs of Project Run and Play, I knew I wanted to get in on this test. I love unique designs and I love the challenge of helping test them.
My first tester version didn't really work out, it will fit Boston next year probably but we both loved the style so much that I knew I wanted to sew it up again (really it was the only way I could get her to stop wearing the one that was too big). Out of this testing experience I really gained a lot of respect for Terri, I have seen designers that have an idea of what they want but stop short of getting it perfect because they are so set on a deadline. Terri is the type of designer tweaked and step back and re-tweaked every element of the pattern until it was perfect. I am so impressed by her work I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.
Let me tell you about this pattern:
Size Range from 12 M-12Y (Chest from 19 3/5"-30 7/8")
Print by Size Option
Fully illustrated instructions *They are beautiful illustrations, I really feel like in the example of this  pattern illustrations are much more helpful than pictures
Dress or Top Option
Half Sleeve, Short Sleeve and Sleeveless Instructions
I am going to admit something before I continue, I had every intention of running a rolled hem on the bottom of each layer but my serger is being silly right now and I was feeling lazy. So I decided to run with the knit does fray crowd on this one.
The way this pattern designed you end up with a beautiful neckline no matter how crazy your knits are. The stacking order is mind altering but with following her instructions you end up with a beautiful garment. I would warn this isn't a pattern that you should sew late at night or when you are too tired to focus on detail.
The movement on this pattern is really stunning. It is so stylish but a design that you aren't going to find among RTW garments. It is one of those that when your friends ask you where you got it and you answer that you made it their jaws will drop. A lot of the ladies in the tester group did prints which were stunning but I love how it looks with just a basic solid.
My favorite pattern is watching Boston move and dance in it. She just can't help do everything she can to make it move. It is classy while being still being child appropriate. You can pick up this darling design or the Uptown/Downtown dress that we showed you yesterday for 25% off this week with the coupon code UPTOWNEXPANSION25 (etsy or her shop).
Fill out the Rafflecopter below to win a copy of this pattern.
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First off thank you for all the support and love during our Betty Skirt Tour.
This week we will be sharing work from other amazing designers from around the world. Today and Tomorrow you get to see the talented design work of Terri from Sew Straight Pattern Co. This summer Terri released the Uptown/Downtown Dress Pattern and she recently added 6 free add-on's to this pattern making this absolutely perfect for every season. She has all of her patterns 25% off through Saturday Nov. 22nd, by using the code UPTOWNEXPANSION25 which can be purchased on etsy or her shop.

Before I get started, this photoshoot had to be done in a prenap/post nap situation. Boston end up being so tired the first time that she just ran around and picked up leaves. She wouldn't let me take more than a few shots unless it was her sitting on the ground, examining her finds. Which doesn't work so well for showing the fit of a maxi dress. When we came in from pictures she crashed on the couch 5 minutes later. That is the reason that half of these have either fresh or fuzzy hair. 
We are heading into winter here quickly so I knew I wanted to make Boston a nice warm dress that she could wear to church. I used four of the add-ons for this dress; long sleeves, maxi skirt length, cowl neck and pockets. We both are so happy with the results.
Let me tell you a little bit about this pattern:
- It offers a print by size option (even for the add-on's)
- You can add as many add-on's as you would like, without adding much time to your sewing
- Size range is from 2-10 yrs. (Chest 21 1/4-28)
- Straight forward instructions that are easy for even a tired pregnant momma to follow
- Clear Pictures for the original dress pattern, easy to view illustrations for the add-on's
Boston is going into the imitating stage, which has been weird for me. I remember when Ryder did it with Slim Jim, but it feels a little silly but flattering. One of her favorite things in my wardrobe is my maxi dress, every time she tells me I am a pretty princess. When she saw her dress I asked her what she thought and with a huge grin as she hugged it she said, "It is a mommy dress." I even let her wear some "mommy lips" (lip gloss) for this photo shoot, I could tell with the air she walked out for pictures that she felt very grown up. Really I am not sure that I am ready for her to grow up but I guess if it will help her keep her dress down I might just go for it.
According to the sizing chart I sewed up the size 2 width (her chest measurement is 20 1/2") with the 3 length. The fit on the chest tighter end of the ease spectrum (it reminds me of the fit of the bimma) so if that is something that concerns you, I would suggest sizing up one. The way pattern is stacked this is easy to use the width of one size and the height of another. I did have to add a little extra paper to my maxi skirt add-on pattern piece, but Terri covers even this in the add-on instructions. 
This dress was made from fabric I had on hand. The dress fabric was left over from Jo's dress and the cowl fabric was made from a skirt I made for Al a decade ago. I think the weight of both made them perfect for the cold temperatures that we have on top of us now. Last time I struggled with hemming this fabric so this time I basted the fold line then stitched the hem and then pulled out the basting stitches when I was done hemming. This worked much better than last time when I tried serging and then hemming.
There are a bunch of awesome bloggers on the Pattern Expansion Tour, make sure to catch all their darling creations. I know that after you see them you won't be able to resist purchasing this pattern.


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We were given this Uptown/Downtown Dress Pattern in exchange for a review. We only work with companies & products that we personally believe in and agree with their quality standards. I had shown this pattern to my husband and I had every intention of purchasing this pattern, I was just waiting for pay day to make it happen when the invitation came from Terri.

PS. If your little girl is a Swifty like Miss B. just know that this is pattern perfect for shaking it off.