craftiness is not optional

Once Upon a Thread

2012-05-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! I am so excited to be a part of Katy's Once Upon a Thread series...like, ecstatic! I chose to work with the book The Story of Ferdinand...have you read it before? It's a really sweet book, and it was one of my favorites growing up. Hop over to No Big Dill to see more pics of the dress I made for Sadie! You won't want to miss the rest of the series!

Vintage May recap

2012-05-28T20:26:00.001-07:00

Well Vintage May has come and gone. Did you have as much fun as I did seeing all the gorgeous vintagey eye candy? I loved each and every guest post, and I want to thank the fabulous ladies who pitched in to make Vintage May fabulous! I also want to thank my awesome co-host Kristin, who stepped in quite a few times to pick up the slack when I wasn't feeling 100% or just was lazy. (I blame the pregnancy...I do that a lot. I don't want to do the dishes...blame the pregnancy! I want french fries! Blame the pregnancy!) Anyways....what was I talking about? Yes...these gals are all so talented and it was so much fun working with each and every one of you! Some of my guests have already gotten their revenge and so I have some fun guest posts in the works on their blogs in the near future. (a few this week!) hehe! Anyways...you know we had to show you all the gorgeous projects all together, so here's the round-up! I so love how some of the posters even matched their counterpart over on Skirt as Top! Great minds think alike, eh?

vintage inspired dress by the cottage home // holly hobbie by nest full of eggs

’60s tent dress by see kate sew // scalloped yoke tutorial by hart & sew

sewing with vintage patterns by simple simon & co. // vintage inspired dress by girl.inspired.

vintage tea dress tutorial by shwin & shwin // bubblegum dress and vintage pattern tips by made by rae

lace overlay dress tutorial by i’m thinking… // boy outfit with bloomer tutorial by cirque du bebe

mod shift dress tutorial by aesthetic nest // modern lederhosen tutorial by running with scissors

fascinator tutorial by no big dill // oliver + s remix with mini tutorial by probably actually

vintage romper by crafterhours // vintage sheet shirt by elsie marley

colorblock leggings tutorial by me sew crazy // suspender skirt tutorial by you & mie

pleated tunic by noodlehead // violet femme dress by my sparkle

Also make sure to check out all the projects that have been put into the Vintage May flickr pool, they are a.ma.zing! Kristin has a little round up on her blog if you want to see her faves!

I had so much fun but I am glad to be back to "normal blogging"....I missed you guys! Things I have been doing in my "downtime" during Vintage May...

-worked on Charlotte's cowgirl party decorations, favors, etc....

-became obsessed with Battlestar Galactica. Yes you read that right...nerd alert.

-worked on some guest posts and pattern reviews, coming soon!

-lazed about surfing Pinterest.

-talked about all the relationships on Battlestar Galactica til Rory's ears fell off.

-made lots of ice cream...and then ate it.

-gained some weight...probably from the ice cream, but again I'll blame the pregnancy.

-took a few outfit pics...yes, those posts will be coming back soon!

Ok..that's enough...thanks again to everyone who participated in Vintage May!

Vintage May guest: Noodlehead

2012-05-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today's Vintage May guest needs practically no introduction! I'm sure you all know the lovely Anna from Noodlehead, and her fabulous sewn creations. We've been blog pals since way back when-seriously since the beginning of blogging, Anna? haha well I always love checking in with her and she is so sweet and sincere. :) You've of course seen some of her tutorials, no doubt one of them being the gathered clutch. Who hasn't made one of those? Besides being the queen of bags, wallets, etc...(plus creating awesome patterns!), she has tutorials for adorable skirts, a car pillow, and this super useful diaper pouch. (I would know, she sent me the pink one when I had Charlotte and I still use it to this day) She's here today with a vintage-modern tunic-that fabric is to die for! Take it away, Anna.

I gave you a little hint earlier this month. I was digging through my brain and wanted something simple, a fun little tunic. It has a retro/vintage vibe to it, especially if you change up the fabrics. I was to make about one hundred of these, they were so fun to make!

I think of little details are what makes garments really stand out. Any opportunity to add a different print or trim really makes it so much more special. I added a hem facing, button placket facing and bias tape trim for this tunic.

The pleats at the front and back of this tunic make it really cute without being frilly or overly girly. And I think the sleeveless option really makes it comfortable to wear as well as making it something you can layer with a long sleeve shirt for colder weather.

These bunnies are to die for! It's an older print by Anna Griffin and I just love it. Those little bunnies make me happy! And the bias trim/placket fabric is by Kokka.

If anyone is interested, I was considering turning this into a pattern perhaps with sizes 12 months - 5/6T Let me know in the comments, I think can be a really versatile pattern with fun options!

Thanks Anna! I hope she does make a pattern-it looks so versatile!

See what Danielle from My Sparkle has made today over on Skirt as Top!

Vintage May guest: Me Sew Crazy

2012-05-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today's Vintage May guest is another Jessica-the Jessica behind the blog Me Sew Crazy! She sews the most fabulous clothes for her little ones-they're always so creative with adorable details and fabrics! She has a ton of tutorials for her creations, including this one that was the first dress I saw of Jessica's-I was smitten! I've used this tutorial of hers, which is great...and I love this wavy tunic! Such a fun way to add detail! She also creates collections for her kiddos each season...-be sure to check them out...they're amazing! She is super sweet on top of all that, too! :D I couldn't wait to see what she had in store for Vintage may!

When Jess asked if I wanted to be a part of their Vintage May Series, I was thrilled. You see, I had just stumbled across this pile of vintage patterns at our local thrift store and I couldn't wait to give one of them a try. I finally settled on the Butterick 2949 Vintage Jumper.

And after falling in love with this gorgeous tribal / geometric patterned linen at our local fabric store, I simply had to work with it. I absolutely adore how the dress came out. There is just something about vintage patterns - the attention to detail, the pleats, pins, and tucks, the classic style - they just always have that little extra something. Whenever I do old fashioned patterns, I always like to mix it up a bit. Either with a funky, more modern print. Or pairing it with something that has an edge, giving the vintage trend a more current feel. By doing that I find my kids get more use out of the items, and I get to stretch my imagination by trying to pair the vintage meets modern look. But for the Vintage Series, I wanted something a bit extra. That's where the color block tights come in... After all, what is more trendy then color block tights? And how fun is it to throw them in the mix with all of these vintage lovelies we are seeing lately?!! Not that I am sticking my tongue out at the Vintage Series or anything - HA! I just cant give you a tutorial for the dress as it came from a pattern :). Making your own pair of color block shape tights is super easy. First, you will need a good tights / leggings tutorial. I found Made by Rae's baby tights a long time ago and have never needed another one. Her tute can be found HERE. Just cut the feet off for leggings. Once you have your own pair of tights for sizing / pattern info, simply... And that's it! Feel free to make the curved edge as wide or thing as you desire. Just imagine how slimming this would be on an adult, hmmm.... Thank you again so much for having me here Jess for your Vintage May Series! And for all of you Craftiness is Not Optional readers...remember that Vintage Pattern pile I mentioned at the beginning of this post? I just happen to be giving some away today. Hop on over to my site for your chance twin! Happy Sewing! Fabulous, right!? Love it, thanks Jessica! Check out what Cherie from You & Mie created over on Skirt as Top!

Vintage May guest: Crafterhours

2012-05-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

Today's Vintage may guest is one part of the team behind Crafterhours-Adrianna and Susan write the awesome blog together, and Adrianna is here today with something perfectly vintage! (and something pretty new, lol) They are the minds behind Skirt Week (which I will be judging-fun!-and doing a guest post for!), and this milkmaid skirt has seriously been on my list for like eva. Did you see they have a grown up tutorial for it now? They also have awesome stuff in their shop, including these fantastic drawer stickers! Make sure to check out all their great tutorials....now take it away Adrianna! (get ready to chuckle...she's seriously funny!)

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Hi CINO readers! Hi Jess! I'm so stoked to be here today (I can say "stoked" because this is a post about vintage or retro things. That's also why I'm writing this post in neon pink legwarmers, just in case you were wondering.)

CINO falls into the very short list of blogs I'm willing to visit by typing in the url on whatever handheld device I'm holding in a hotel room on vacation. That's how much I love Jess and her blog! When she asked if I wanted to be a part of Vintage May I was excited about the project but thrilled to be visiting her little corner of the internets. It's so nice to be here. Her blog feels very warm and welcoming and smells like cinnamon, in case you were wondering.

Ok, so enough blog crushing and onto my project. The word "vintage" applies to so many styles and eras, as we've seen from the other awesome guest bloggers and their projects already, but to me for some reason it has always conjured up a very specific vision.

Here's what vintage means to me:

Feedsack prints

Pintucks

Rompers

Peter Pan Collars

Ruffled sleeves

And bonnets

In fact, this bonnet in particular is actually vintage since it was worn by me as a baby! It is somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 years old. (but nowhere near 31, ok?)

I had so much fun creating this little romper for my baby girl, and now I'm having even more fun seeing her chubby little body in it. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to create something outside my norm and to share it with your lovely readers, Jess!

Thanks for sharing that adorable romper and yummy baby legs too! :)

Make sure to stop by Skirt as Top to see what the fabulous Meg from Elsie Marley has in store for you!

Vintage May guest: No Big Dill

2012-05-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today's Vintage May guest is the fabulous Katy from No Big Dill! She is an uber-talented super mom who takes gorgeous pictures of her 6 equally gorgeous kids. Not to mention sews up lovely things for them to wear on a regular basis! Such as their super cute swimsuits this year (5 of them!), this adorable ruffled dress, this petal sleeve dress, this awesome bias skirt, and I have been hoarding lace to make a skirt just like this one. (maybe for after I have this baby though) It's no wonder she won the first season of Project Run & Play, eh? She's also the mastermind behind the Once Upon a Thread series, (yours truly is participating this year, can't wait!) I always look forward to this series...Now here's Katy with her vintage project!

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Hello, CINO readers! I'm Katy from no big dill, but I think it's a very big deal to be here today! The first thing that popped into my head when Jess invited me to join Vintage May was hats. I think they're a highly under-utilized accessory this day in age. I wanted an easy hat-like accessory, but that could be worn with a high bun. I named it after the Great Greta Grabo, who wore some pretty fantastic head pieces in her time. You don't need any millenary skills or tools, just things you probably have on hand.

I started with some 3mm thick wool felt. This can be pretty pricey (I lucked out when I went to visit my parents in Korea and found some inexpensively) but this will work with regular wool felt, just double your layers if you want it thicker. Trace 2 circles: 4 1/2" and 3".

If you're using the 3mm felt, bevel the edges on one side by trimming the edge at an angle around both circles.

You can really embellish these any way you want. I used some seed beads, but you can use sequins, hand embroidery, or some fun vintage buttons. I added 2-4 beads at a time to create a mounded look.

Embellish the right side of the small circle and the edges of the wrong side of the large circle, as you'll be folding that one.

Cut a piece of tulle, about 11" x 6" and trim two corners. I like the look of the larger holed netting, but use what you have on hand.

Add sequins by glueing, alternating each row. I used gel super glue and to make sure they stay put, I added a dab of beading glue on the back as well (just make sure you don't glue it to the paper!).

Gather the straight edge, just by hand, pinning in place along the back of the small circle. Bring the two sides in a bit further than the middle. This will create a more spherical shape rather than flat. Stitch in place, without letting your stitches show through on the right side.

Optional: If you'd like, use artificial flower stamens (just google it for sources) to sew in the center.

Fold the edges in like a burrito, but at an angle and stitch in place.

Add a clip on the back with a small circle of felt.

That's it. You have a unique, vintage-like accessory.

Thanks for having me, Jess, it's been fun to get into the vintage vibe with this series!

Thanks Katy! I love the seed beads especially!

Hop over to Skirt as Top to see what Gail from Probably Actually has made!

Vintage May guest: Aesthetic Nest

2012-05-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today's Vintage May guest is definitely a Jane-of-all-trades. Anneliese, from Aesthetic Nest, does just about every creative thing you can think of...and does it well! From crocheting to sewing to painting to her gorgeous parties....yep she's amazing! I've decided that I want to be just like her when I grow up. (not sure when that will be...I'll keep you posted) She has three of the most adorable little girls that she loves sewing coordinating outfits for (girl after my own heart!), and is without a doubt, one of the nicest bloggers around! So here she is with her adorable vintage project!

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As many of you do, I love love love vintage patterns! I don't know what it is exactly, but I often find myself late at night trolling for patterns on Etsy and eBay in a nostalgic haze--a combination of good memories of sewing and visiting pattern shops with my mother, and the more idyllic times the patterns suggest--times when little girls dressed like little girls and their mothers dressed like ladies. The question for me with Vintage May was what sort of vintage clothing to sew...

Vintage Zoo Dress

I have sewn a lot of dresses for my girls from vintage patterns of the 40s and 50s. Lots of smock stylse and full dresses with Peter Pan collars. And it seems much of my sewing from contemporary patterns or those I've designed have a heavy vintage influence. I just love classic styles.

Dog Skirt with Piped Pocket

So for something just a little bit different I decided to go for more mod than classic and chose the 60s as my inspiration: the simple a-line dress with or without sleeves, plain or with applique, or rufflle or inverted pleat. And of course a few inches above the knee! This basic silhouette has a lot of possibilities.

Then I saw a little dress in Mini Boden and decided to do a tipped and rick-racked version of the mod shift dress in a bold print. Reminds me of the bright pop art of that era too. And, even better, I had the right fabric in my stash: Michael Miller Punchy Pique. So here it is, my Mod Shift Dress:

The perfect dress for warm summer weather in cool treat colors!

I like it so much I may have to make two more for a set of three! It just says "play" to me, especially with a pair of shorts underneath. And it would make my girls easy to spot on crowded summer field trips.

Read on for the tutorial!

Want to go mod? I've got a tutorial to show you how to add tipped neck and armholes and rick-rack trim to an a-line dress pattern. You'll need:

A buttoned-back a-line dress or dress pattern to sew
Extra-wide Double Fold seam binding (such as Wright's)
Jumbo rick-rack the length of your dress width with 2" extra for finishing

I started with my own Ruffled Chemise pattern but any simple sheath pattern would work. You could even do this to an existing dress to give it a new look. Before doing anything else, check the length. An above-the-knee length is an important part of this mod look. I make most things for my girls just below the knee, especially since they seem to be growing so quickly, but I took this Ruffled Chemise pattern and shortened it about two inches (just folded the front and back pattern pieces) before cutting.

To make this shift dress mod, sew it as the pattern directs but leave the armholes and neck unfinished (the seam binding will do the finishing). Baste around the neck and armholes on the stitching line (my pattern calls for a .5" inch seam allowance so I basted along that line).

Now to "tip" the neck, open up the seam binding and pin it to the wrong side of the dress with the center fold along your neck basting. You'll need about .5" of the binding extending on both ends of the neck. Stitch along the center fold.

Trim the dress fabric seam allowance to 1/4".

You'll be folding the seam binding to the front of the dress and stitching it down. To make certain this looks as neat as possible (and you don't see the double fold on the binding), trim the top half (the portion in the seam allowance) of the seam binding just inside the outside fold.

This way you can tuck that trimmed portion inside the fold of the other half of the binding and then fold the binding over the neck seam and flat onto the front of the dress.

So the fold of the seam binding should be laying down flat along the neck line and the seam between the dress and the binding should be folded in half so that the wrong side of the fabric stays on this inside of the dress. Pin this generously in place!

To finish the ends of the seam binding, open out the folds in the binding and fold the raw end under wrong sides together so the binding is the same length as the neck opening with this fold you've just created aligned with the back edge of the dress.

Now re-fold the binding...

...and finish pinning it to the front of the dress along the neckline.

After all your folding and pinning the seam binding should look like this along the neckline:

Now carefully top stitch as close as possible to the bottom edge of the seam binding to hold it all in place. (I used thread the same color as the binding.)

Now you will follow the same steps to "tip" or add color to the armholes. Pin the center fold of the seam binding along the basting stitch you created around the armhole. To finish the binding around the armhole fold it back on itself (wrong sides together) to start and line up this fold with the side seam of the dress.

Then overlap the other end by about .5". This raw edge will be folded inside the binding so it won't show.

Stitch down the center fold of the seam binding.

Trim the dress fabric seam allowance to about 1/4". Trim the seam binding as you did on the neckline so the half in the seam allowance can be folded neatly inside the other half. Fold it over so it is laying flat on the right side of the dress around the armhole. Generous pinning is key here to avoid puckers in your dress fabric! Top stitch very close to the bottom fold on the seam binding.

The last touch is some jumbo rick rack. Before working with it zigzag stitch along the raw edge, fold it back on itself and zigzag stitch again. This should stop any fraying.

Pin the rick rack to the right side of the dress so it sits about two inches above the hemline. (Note that you may want to sew your buttonholes and buttons first so you don't have rickrack interfering.)

For a neat finish wrap the ends of the rickrack around to the inside of the dress. If you do this at the top of a peak or a valley it will line up with the peaks and valleys on the right side of the dress and your top stitching will catch this trim on the wrong side to keep it in place.

When I've used rick-rack in the past I've simply stitched down the center of it to hold it in place, but with rick-rack this size I recommend top-stitching along both sides of the curves. It's a bit more time-consuming but it looks great!

You've done it. You've add a bit of bunch to a simple sheath dress and now you have 60s-inspired mod!

Thanks so much for hosting this great series, Jessica! It makes me excited to keep sewing vintage.

Thanks Anneliese! Isn't that fabric awesome? Love it.

Check out what Jessica from Running with Scissors has in store for you over on Skirt as Top!

Vintage May guest: I'm Thinking...

2012-05-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today's Vintage May guest is a friend from real life (yes I have those), Jessie, from I'm Thinking...

Yes we have the same name...and she's married to Cory....(I'm married to Rory in case any of you forgot or didn't know) She has some adorable girls that she loves to sew for...sound familiar? hehe yeah we get along really well since we're so much alike! When we met, it was at a party for a mutual friend, and I was giving the Lucky dress to the birthday girl. Jessie commented that she'd seen that dress on a blog, and I was like, yeah that's my blog! So ever since then we've bonded over sewing and craft blogs. She has made some amazing stuff, like these flower girl dresses...(take a closer look here). She is also a circle quilt lover and re-used the insides of the circle skirts from those dresses...smart! She has a really fun backpack tutorial, and I've got to make one of these for the new baby! Ok, and one more...check out this amazing robot costume she made her youngest last year! Awesome, right? Alright, I'll let Jessie take over now!

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So when Jessica asked me a while back if I would be at all interested in doing a guest post for her Vintage May series, I don't think I could say "YES!" fast enough. In fact, I'm pretty sure I said it before she even finished asking me. Whoops. :) I've been an admirer of her blog for a long while now, and am so thankful for the chance we've had to become real life friends, too. She's pretty darn awesome.

That being said, when she told me this was a vintage inspired theme, I was far from sure about what I wanted to make. I love vintage-y stuff, but my own personal sewing style doesn't reflect that very often. So, of course, I did what any normal crafty person does--searched "vintage" on Pinterest.

This beautiful dress was one of the first results that caught my eye, and the more I looked at it, the more I loved it.

(I'd give you the source for it, but it was a dress for sale on Etsy, and the post has since been taken down, as it was sold).

After a bit more searching, I decided that this was the dress I wanted to recreate for my daughter(s).

Not too terrible an attempt, right? I decided to go with a silk fabric I found at JoAnn's (it's cheater silk, though--the kind that can be washed! Score!), and a more youthful lace for the overlay--this is for my 2, 4, and 6 year olds, after all. I also added a small lace flutter sleeve for the same reason.

Want to make one? I don't have pattern pieces for you (I'm not that tech-savvy yet), but I can show you my basic techniques.

See below for the tutorial!

To get started, you need to create a pattern piece for the bodice--I used a shirt that fits my daughter fairly well, and then adjusted the neckline to be a little wider, and added an extra inch to each piece on the back (to accommodate for the zipper).

You'll want to cut one of each lace piece (front, each back side), and two of everything in silk (two fronts, two of each back piece), so you have a lining/facing to give you a nice smooth neckline.

One of my favorite parts about this dress (and all the dresses I found from the 50's, let's be honest) was the circle skirt. I've sewn them for my girls many times before, always using Dana's tutorial to help with the measurements. Just be sure to measure the length from where you want the skirt to start, which is a little higher up than their natural waist.

You'll also want some flutter sleeves--I used the circle I cut out of the middle of the skirt to make mine--I just cut it in half, and shaped them a little bit.

Because I couldn't see the back of the dress, I decided to use an invisible zipper as the closure. These are actually really easy to put in (promise!!), and I prefer them to buttons, as my machine is a vintage piece itself, and doesn't have a buttonhole feature. :)

So this should be all your pieces at this point. You should also cut out a sash, which I forgot to photograph. Mine was 8" wide, by 2x the length of the fabric.

Now, you're ready to piece it all together. I started with my skirt. Since I knew I wanted the lace to be a little longer than the silk underneath it, I just serged the edge of my silk about an inch shorter than the lace. The serged edge is hidden in the white of the lace. You could also do a regular hem or a rolled hem if you're less lazy than me. :) For the lace, I cheated again, and just left it unhemmed, as this particular one doesn't fray. Again, feel free to hem how you'd like. Then I just serged the two skirts together at the waist. You could also zig-zag, if you don't have a serger. Skirts: done!

Next up comes the bodice. Start by sewing your pieces at the shoulder seams. Just sandwich your lace on top of the coordinating silk pieces, and treat as one piece of fabric. They may slide around a little bit, adjust as necessary. Be sure to iron the seams after they're sewn.

Add your flutter sleeves here. My grandma has told me many many times that the key to beautiful hand sewn items is basting (vintage advice!), so that's what I did here--I just pinned the sleeves to the outer fabric, then basted them in place.

Next, when you're ready to add the lining, you just need to pin the sleeve out of the way, as you can see here:

Then stack your lining on top of your outer fabric (right sides together), pin like crazy, and sew them together, making sure not to catch your sleeves in your neckline. You just want to sew your armholes, and your neckline. Don't sew the side-seams, or the back closure.

Turn it all right side out (turn it through the shoulder area, if that makes sense? it's a little tricky because it's a small area, but thankfully the silk is slippery), and iron it all flat. You should now have a pretty little not-quite-finished bodice, like this:

Now for the invisible zipper. Your back pieces may have slipped around enough to be uneven, like mine:

Feel free to trim off the excess now, if you'd like. Time for putting in the zipper. You do this basically like the packaging for it says, but you have to adjust for the lining. This is how I do this--I am no pro, and it may not be perfect, or at all the right way, but it has worked on at least 8 dresses I've made now, so I thought I'd pass it on to you.

Start by pinning the zipper to just your outer fabric (again, we're treating the lace and silk as the same fabric, so just don't pin it to the lining, and you're good). You'll note that my zipper is insanely longer than my bodice--that's ok, we'll just cut it at the end. No worries. Also, I am not putting the zip into the skirt--I haven't worked out how to do that in my head yet. I've found just sewing it into the bodice gives my girls plenty of room to wiggle out, though, so I don't worry about that.

Sew that in place (nope, no zipper foot here. I live on the edge... or, I'm too cheap to buy a Bernina zipper foot. Maybe someday?). Do this for both sides, and then check to make sure it's even, so you don't end up with a wonky top of the zipper. We want it all to match up here.

Now, the slightly tricky party, you're going to turn your bodice back--just the back--inside out. This is why the side-seams aren't finished yet--it makes this step much easier. So when it is inside out, you should be able to stack the lining back on top of your outer piece, right sides together. Then you just sew down that same zipper line you sewed before (the white stitching under my hand), only this time you catch the lining as well.

Again, do this on both sides.

Turn it back right-side out, and your zipper is done! Good job!

The last part of assembling the bodice is sewing up the side seams. Jess gave a great description of how to do this here, but here's my brief version of how to do it--you're going to open up the side seams on both the front and the back of the bodice, then put them right sides together (so the front bodice piece will be right sides together with the back, and the outer fabric should be sandwiched against outer fabric, the lining against the lining), and then simply sew straight down the edge. Seriously, if you don't understand at all what I just said, go look at Jess's explanation. So much better. :)

And your bodice is done!

Next step is adding the sash. For this, like I said, I just used 2x the width of the fabric by 8 inches. I joined the two strips together, folded them in half longways, and sewed down the edge, tapering the ends to a gentle point. I then turned it right side out, and wallah, a sash! I would recommend leaving your turning hole right in the middle of the sash, so you can cover it without having to handsew it in the next step.

To add the sash to your bodice, you just pin it along the front of the dress (NOT the back!) like so:

This will allow your sash to be pretty and straight in the front, and enable you to pull it as tight as you like in the back. Sew it on, again, only to the front of the dress.

Last step!! You are finally going to join your skirt to your bodice and sash. I shoved my bodice and sash down inside the skirt, and pinned it all together. Make sure your sash pieces hang out away from the edge here, so you don't accidentally catch them in the seam. If you look closely, you can see that I ended up with a little extra room in my bodice, which I turned into two matching pleats on the back, because I knew I wanted the dress to be the width of the skirt. It's barely noticeable in real life. After it's all pinned and pretty, sew that thing together! I serged the edge at the end, just to make the inside look pretty. Again, you could also zig zag that. Once you've sewn across the zipper (I go over it a couple times just to be safe), you can cut it off. Don't be afraid to sew on it or cut it, because it's a soft plastic. You can do it!

And now, your dress is done! Now, go make 2 more for your other daughters who want beautiful twirly dresses! (Oh wait, that's just me? Well... lucky me. :))

Now take your girls out in the bright sunlight, and take some pictures.

They twirl up so nicely, no?

A dress any little girly-girl is sure to love. I know mine do. :)

Thanks so much for having me, Jess! Feel free to shoot any questions you have my way. :)

Thanks Jessie! Can you believe she did three of those? I love them in the different colors. If this next one's a girl I'm definitely doing a color theme next year!

Don't miss Sophie from Cirque du Bebe's project today over on Skirt as Top!

Vintage May guest: Shwin & Shwin

2012-05-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today's Vintage May guest is one amazing seamstress...she seriously can churn out clothes for her adorable kiddos like no other! I've also had the chance to meet Shauna, from Shwin & Shwin, in real life, and she is just as nice and awesome in real life as she is on her blog! (honestly we had way too much fun talking sewing, fabric, and blogging when we met up last month!) She has such a huge collection of tutorials, and patterns also, including this one I REALLY want to use when/if we have a boy. She has such a knack for adding just the right touch to make an outfit go from adorable....to fantastic. Such as the belt on this cute top...adorable! I "helped" her pick out that flower while we were chatting away last month, btw. So I'll take 1% of the credit for it. lol just kidding! Anyways, onto her adorable project!

Hi CINO readers! I am so excited to be here today! Jess is just the sweetest and I was so excited when she invited me to be a part of Vintage May! I typically gravitate towards modern and clean lines but honestly what's not to love about something vintage? Old treasures tell stories and a history, and I love finding the simple and clean lines that are so often found in vintage styles.

I decided to use "vintage feel" fabrics and trim and create a dress that was perfect for our backyard vintage tea party. (Jude's pants will be shared over on my blog today)

See below for the tutorial!

So for the dress I started with a bodice piece really simple. You can use a trusted pattern or make your own by drafting from kids clothes. Make it about 2 inches wider in the middle than you want since there will be pleats.

Then make a box pleat in the middle of the bodice piece. A box pleat is just two pleats that go out to either side. Press the pleats.

Next I added some vintage like trim in both pleats and stitched it down in place to secure.

Next using the bodice piece as my guide I made the back pieces but I split them down the middle since there would be buttons down the back. At this point I also used the front and back pieces as my guide for the lining. (I used the same fabric as the front for my lining)

Then sew the front and back together at the shoulders. (do the same for the lining)

Place the lining and front right sides together. Then sew along the black lines in the picture.

Clip the curves

Then with right sides together line up the underarm (lining and front) and sew together the front and back so you have a nice little underarm seam.

Next I added buttons down the back. I had these three little cream vintage buttons in my stash which were perfect and add that nice little vintage element.

Now for the skirt piece I made used a natural linen, and cut a rectangle that was 2.5 times the waist measurement across and was the length that I wanted. Then I folded it in half and sewed down the side to create a wide skirt.

I added extra large box pleats around the skirt so it fit the bodice. Then with right sides together sew them together.

Then hem the bottom and that's it. A simple and easy vintage inspired dress.

I love the clean lines of the pleats although it has a vintage feel.

Perfect for those sunny afternoon tea party's we even used my baby blanket as the table cloth (which makes in "vintage" right? and some other vintage treasures from grandparents)

I had one pleased little girl, with the dress... and the proper party.

Thanks Jess for having me! I can't wait to see all the other vintage goodness in store!

Thanks, Shauna! I loove that polka dot bodice...paired with that linen...sigh. So perfect!

Make sure to hop over to Kristin's blog today to see what the fabulous Rae from Made by Rae has whipped up!

Vintage May guest-Simple Simon & Co.

2012-05-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today's Vintage May guest is a two-for-one deal! Not only do these two ladies write the lovely blog Simple Simon and Co, but they share a name! Elizabeth....and Liz...lol! That must get a little confusing. They also run Project Run and Play, which is always so inspiring! I got the chance to meet them in person at SNAP, but sadly we didn't get to chat for very long. They are super sweet and always have the best projects up their sleeves. I've got to make one of these hoop skirts someday, and I adore this cape. I adore their Starboard skirt, and they have lots of great tips about patterns! (and some more in this post, woot woot!) I also am enjoying their Art of Homemaking series-there are some really good tips in these posts, plus they remind me to enjoy the small tasks, boring as they may be sometimes! Anyways...on to the gorgeously adorable outfits they made! swoon!

Hi all! We are Elizabeth and Liz from Simple Simon and Co. Two girls who married brothers and ended up with the exact same name. Confusing? Yes, very!

I think we are most excited about Vintage May because we LOVE vintage. Like, really love. Like, we have been ~~hoarding~~ collecting vintage patterns since we both began to seriously sew again (going on 4+ years) and our stashes are pretty hefty. Hefty enough that a new shelf had to be purchased in the last couple of months to hold them all. And vintage fabric.....well, don't even get us started on that addiction. It is a hoarding problem too!

Ok, back to vintage patterns---that's why we are here, right?

We have patterns from the 1940's through some super fabulous ones from the 80's and 90's--but we love them all and have sewn with quite a few of them. Vintage patterns were the key to both Liz and I becoming better sew-ers....they really have some great techniques in them!

And today's outfits are no exception, both are made from vintage patterns and some awesome vintage curtain panels that we found on a recent trip to Savers (cue the Sound of Music here!).

See one of the curtain panels in all it's glory.

We splurged and bought all three panels, and still have one left over.

Yippee!!!

(It is even more awesome in real-life. It is textured and pink with a coral color woven into it.)

Let's start with Grace's dress.....

It was made from this gem of an early 50's pattern.....complete with a fitted-bodice

and matching bloomers underneath.

And Hannah's mini-secretary outfit....

came from this sized-down 1958 pattern.

And although sometimes the girls are not-too-thrilled with what we make them wear for pictures...

this is how they felt about these outfits!

(and we didn't even have to bribe them)

Ok, onto the real reason that we are here.

Our Advice for Sewing with Vintage Patterns.

1. DON'T JUDGE A PATTERN BY ITS COVER! (Especially by the fabric choices that they used to make the sample.) In the beginning, I would never buy a pattern that had a hideous cover. But then one day I took a second look at a pattern that I was going to put back and realized that it had an awesome HUGE 70's peter-pan collar on it. And thought, "Wow. That might be so cute on a different dress." Light-bulb moment! Just because the pattern is ugly (and I won't lie---there are some ugly patterns out there) it might just have a great collar, or a great sleeve, or even a great neckline that you could use with a different pattern.

2. MAKE SURE YOU MEASURE! This was also an early mistake that both Liz and I made. We just assumed sizes (both for us and our kids) and were severely disappointed when the clothes didn't fit. Because most vintage patterns (up through the 70's) are sold in only one size---measuring is key.

I will give you a quick example. Hannah, who is almost 7, still wears a size 3/4 in most 1950's and 1960's vintage patterns, so making her a size 6 is not good. (And I have done it....and I cried the first time. So heed my mistake.) And well, as for women's-- let's just say you are not the same size as you think you are. In women's patterns, a size 12 bust measurement in the 1954 pattern I am holding is 32 inches around. So, buy patterns to your measurements!

In children's vintage patterns you will most likely need two measurements to fit the pattern properly--a chest measurement (high on the chest with the measuring tape tucked in the top of the armpits) and a waist measurement (where your body bends) and you should be good to go.

3. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ALL YOUR PATTERN PIECES! We both have also made this mistake. And wasting fabric to find out you are short one facing or one bodice piece is more than a little bit frustrating....so our advice it to check BEFORE you start.

4. TRUST VINTAGE PATTERNS (most of the time!) Both Liz and I have learned some great new sewing techniques that we would have never learned any other way. One quick example, early patterns (especially wartime) are all about saving and using every scrap of fabric. And sometimes the techniques on those patterns really are ingenious! What a treasure to add some of them to your sewing repertoire. On the outfit above, the jacket is meant to be an unlined-lightweight jacket. If I were drafting that, I would have just hemmed the bottom.....but the pattern called for a bottom facing that fit perfectly and made the bottom-edge much prettier! I would have never thought of that, but I assure you that I will be using that technique again....

And although there are some duds (I have had 1 or 2) we have both found far more success in the fit with vintage patterns than most modern ones....as long as we have measured correctly.

5. KNOW THE ERA OF THE PATTERNS! If you are looking for a sheath dress, then vintage 60's patterns are for you. Or if you are looking for a full-gathered skirt or a circle skirts, then the 50's are for you! So, look for those style or specifics when you are buying patterns.

Another thing about 1940's patterns is that most of them are not marked (except for little circles that look like hole-punches for markings)....so if you are a beginner...I probably wouldn't start with a 1940's pattern.

6. BUY A VINTAGE SEWING TECHNIQUE BOOK! I think some sew-ers are afraid of patterns, especially vintage patterns because they can't read the sewing language or drawings. I have a couple of different sewing books that I have found at garage sales or thrift stores that have helped me over the years to explain things. Or, if you don't have a book, call a sewing friend! For me that is my mom. I remember years ago when I first started sewing again, reading and then re-reading the first step of a pattern over and over again because it told me to "stay-stitch" and I had NO CLUE what that meant. So, I called my mom....who explained it over the phone and life was good again.

7. STICK WITH THEM! I think this is probably the best advice we can give. If at first you are frustrated, just keep going. And you will get it! Even if it takes a sewing friend (or mom) or just re-reading, unpicking and struggling through it---you will learn through the process. And the next time, it will be much easier.

Thanks, Jess, for having us here today!!! We absolutely can't wait to see all of the other vintage goodness that is coming.....as we have said before.....VINTAGE...is our cup of tea! {And our choice of patterns.}

Thanks to you! I adore those cute outfits, and such awesome tips for sewing with vintage patterns! I think I'll pick some more up soon!

Head over to Skirt as Top to see what Girl. Inspired has in store for you...hint...it's adorable.

Vintage May guest: See Kate Sew

2012-05-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today's Vintage May guest is one of my closest bloggy friends! We met in person last month at SNAP and totally bonded over blogging, sewing, chocolate, non-dancing, and Zac Efron. lol just kidding on that last one. Or am I?... haha. Anyways, Kate from See Kate Sew is so awesome it's almost hard to look straight at her. Kind of like the sun. She was so popular at SNAP, everyone knew who she was! Go Kate! She makes the cutest clothes for herself, too, and has tutorials for TONS of projects. This slip has been on my to-make list for ages. If we have a boy this time, I am totally making one of these! This awesome felt camera was the first project of hers I found, and I've been smitten with her and her lovely blog ever since.

If I could choose a fashion decade to live in, it would definitely be the sixties! I love the boxy silhouettes, the fabrics and color combinations and Twiggy is one of my favorite fashion icons! For Vintage May I made this tent style dress with a front pleat feature. I thought the fabric I chose was very 60s, too, with an all-over floral and a yellow/orange/coral palette.

To make this dress I used a basic bodice with an empire waistline. I added fullness to the skirt by sewing in two wide gores on the side seams and pleating more fullness at the center front and center back. An orange exposed zipper acts as the closure in the back. I interfaced the bodice to give it more structure. I'm really happy with how it turned out, so carefree and easy to wear!

Thanks for having me Jess and Kristin!

Thanks, Kate! Love that print!

**I picked winners for the Fat Quarter Shop giveaway-see them here!**

Check out the adorable scalloped yoke tutorial by Hart & Sew over on Skirt as Top!

Vintage May guest: The Cottage Home

2012-05-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure our first Vintage May guest doesn't need much introduction! Lindsay writes The Cottage Home blog, and she is one skilled lady! She is always designing the most lovely clothing for her two adorable daughters and son! She has put out some fantastic patterns (I so respect people who can do pattern since I can't!! yet...), and I just can't wait to see what she comes up with next. On top of all of that, she has lots of yummy recipes on her blog (I've tried a few-delish!), and she is one of the sweetest bloggers around! Without further ado, here's Lindsay!

Hi, my name is Lindsay and I am visiting today from my blog, The Cottage Home. I'm so excited to be here kicking off the 'Vintage May' series! Jess and I have a lot in common when it comes to our love of vintage styles for little girls. Most of the designs that I create on my blog as well as for my sewing patterns and shop have little touches of vintage inspiration here and there. I often wonder if I was born during the right era? I feel like I would have fit in just right during the 1940's. But I digress.....

My collection of vintage children's patterns is constantly growing. I am always on the hunt at flea markets, antique stores and thrift stores for new patterns to add to my collection. I don't think you can ever have too many! I just love holding and touching the patterns imagining the women of the 30's, 40's and 50's sewing these sweet garments for their little ones.

One of the things that really attracts me to vintage children's fashions is the fact that during the 30's, 40's and 50's women really dressed their little girls like little girls. I kind of feel the same way with my little ladies, there is plenty of time for them to dress like adults, but I want to preserve their girlhood for as long as I possibly can. And vintage inspired children's fashion is a great place to start!

Today I'm sharing a little dress I created that I like to call 'Classic Vintage May'. When I think of a classic vintage girls dress, this is what comes to mind.........

My interpretation of a classic vintage-inspired girls dress is an a-line dress with puff sleeves, a peter pan collar, an inverted front pleat with fabric covered buttons up the back.

For a little vintage detail I used a fabric yo-yo that was reclaimed from an old vintage yo-yo quilt and placed a vintage button in the center. I always think it's really fun to mix a little new with the old, so this was my little piece of 'old' that I paired with this more bold fabric choice.

To me, one of the special things about vintage fashion is the attention to details. Women in generations past took lots of time and care in the details of their children's clothing. One of my favorite vintage details is piping and I truly believe it can take an ordinary garment to extraordinary.

I added a classic puff sleeve to the a-line style dress, but inserted some deep plum piping into the seam between the sleeve and the binding.

I echoed the same plum colored piping from the sleeves and inserted into the peter pan collar. Is there anything sweeter on a little girl than a peter pan collar? I don't think so and adding piping is an easy detail that can add a lot of wow factor to your vintage inspired children's fashion.

And finally, let's talk a little bit about fabric. A great way to update a vintage look is to use more modern patterned fabric. I've certainly see some absolutely adorable reproduction vintage fabrics on the market, but my style is a little more bold. I chose this larger print for the main dress and a slightly smaller scale accent fabric for the sleeve binding and collar. The only real vintage fabric I included was the fabric yo-yo in the center of dress.

Some people shy away from using large prints in children's garments, but I think you can make it work if you use these fabrics strategically. Also the modern fabric that I chose had vintage influences in its design as well, so I think it pairs well with this style dress. Using modern fabrics helps bring the classic silhouette into modern day. Fabric is from Tula Pink's 'Parisville' line.

So I leave you with some pictures of this sweet 'Classic Vintage May' dress that were taken out by the well in front of our house. The well no longer works, but back when our cottage home was built in 1934 it was visited and used daily. I can just see a little girl wearing this style dress running around our front yard playing while her mommy and daddy gathered water from the well. Those were simpler times, but it sure is fun to bring a little of that vintage back!

I cannot wait to see what these other amazingly talented bloggers share with us for the rest of the 'Vintage May' series. I know they will be incredible as the talent in blog-land is out of this world!

Thank you so much to Jess for including me as part of this series.

And a big giant congratulations to her and her family on baby #3 due in November!!

For free patterns, tutorials, recipes and craft ideas, please stop on by The Cottage Home: www.thecottagehome.blogspot.com and to purchase sewing patterns as well as finished garments, please visit my shop, The Cottage Mama: www.thecottagemama.com.

New in November

2012-05-12T14:38:00.000-07:00

Before all the Vintage May fun begins... I wanted to let you know we're expecting a bundle of (crying pooping) joy in early November! Sadie keeps asking the baby (ie my tummy) if it's a brother or a sister...and when he/she will come out and play with her. :D We're really excited! (and yes, crossing our fingers for a boy, but we will be happy if we get another princess too!)

Happy Mother's Day!

Fat Quarter Shop fabric giveaway

2012-05-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

***This giveaway is now closed. See the winners below!***

I'm here today with a fabulous giveaway from my sponsor, Fat Quarter Shop! They have a seriously astounding selection of fabric-especially if you're looking for jelly rolls or charm packs, they have a TON! Together we selected the gorgeous California Girl line by Moda, for the prize-it's a bit vintage, a bit modern, and hey it's named after the awesome state I live in so how could I not like it? I hope you do too! Here are just a sampling of the fabrics in the line! (click image to see more info!)

And a teeny preview of the whole line...gorgeous colors right?

They are giving away 4 yards from this gorgeous line to two lucky winners! (your choice, of course!)

To enter: (two possible chances!)

1. (Mandatory Entry) Visit the shop (specifically the California Girl line...that link will take you there!) and take a look around....then come back and leave a comment telling me your favorites!

2. (Optional Entry) "Like" their Facebook page and then come back and leave a comment telling me you did so.

Please leave an email address with each of your comments!

I'll choose a winner Sunday evening, the 13th.

Good luck!

The winners are....Mary.....and Ashley Crouch!

Vintage notions

2012-05-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

I love using vintage sewing supplies. Notions, patterns, buttons, zippers...Oops forgot to take pictures of my zippers.

I love vintage trims because they are so unique compared to most trims these days. I mean you can buy reproductions and such, but I love stumbling upon a gorgeous trim at a garage sale or thrift store. (a lot of these in the picture were gifted to me also...I guess my friends know what I like! lol)

You can also find them on Etsy for decent prices-though you may have to search through a lot of listings to find what you want.

BUTTONS! Who doesn't love a cute button, especially if you like to sew? They can add the perfect touch to an outfit or hairpiece, and I've even used them to make rings-so easy! I actually don't have a huge button collection (wish it was bigger) but every now and then I'll buy a big lot on Etsy and see what I get!

Patterns. Love me a good vintage pattern, I'll admit sometimes mainly for the gorgeous artwork on the front, am I right? When and why did they do away with that? I bought the one on the bottom left and top right specifically for framing the cover and hanging on the walls of my sewing room. Guess I should hop on that sometime. ;)

One thing: make sure if you really plan on using the pattern to sew with, that it includes all the pieces. Also in the vintage days (lol), the patterns only come in one size most of the time. So make sure it's the size you want. Unless you're planning on framing the art! I've also seen people wrap up handmade gifts with vintage patterns-so creative and cute!

One more creative use for another vintage notion: thread. Kristin sent me a link to this awesome project that creatively uses up any vintage thread you might have stumbled across. (it's not good to actually sew seams with though!)

Or you could just store them in a big glass jar for some fun sewing room decor like Rachel did! Next time I come across a bunch of vintage spools, I'm doing this! I say next time like I ever have...lol.

Are you excited for our first guest post next Monday? I am! Come back tomorrow for a fabulous fabric giveaway! It's big, people!

Vintage May dress

2012-05-09T00:00:00.000-07:00

Are you excited for all the vintagey goodness on it's way? I am! To kick us off a bit, I made a simple dress using some vintage curtains I got at a swap at church. So they cost me free thirty free. (har har, I know) That hairpiece is a bit ridiculously huge and floppy, I know, but I figured I should go all out for this fun little photo shoot. Which by the way was done on the side of a country road on the way to the grandparents house.

The gorgeous coral fabric is Free Spirit Designer Solid in Dark Coral from my sponsor Modern Fabric Studios (looks like it's not in stock though).

I made it a little bigger around...not remembering, apparently, that Sadie always grows up but not out. So it's a little big on her.

Since this is a very simple dress, I just have a tutorial for the bodice-and inserting some little lace cap sleeves. :)

See below for the tutorial!

So this is a simple lined bodice...first I made a pattern by tracing a t-shirt that fits Sadie. I cut two of them on the fold, with the front neckline. The back pieces I did not cut on the fold, with a higher neckline, and extended where the fold should be about 1", to overlap for the buttons.

Then place two back pieces on top of 1 front piece, right sides together, then sew together at the shoulder seams.

Press the seams open like so.

Now I figured out the sizing for my little lace cap sleeves. You could easy make some by cutting a curved shapex2, then sewing right sides together, turning, and pressing. I happened to have a scalloped edge on my curtains so I used that!

First baste them in place and cut off extra.

Next lay the other piece on top of that one and pin around the armholes, neckline, and back of bodice.

Then sew around all those places (ie where you just pinned!), and clip any curves you might need to.

Then turn right side out and press.

I always make my button holes at this stage since it's way easier than when the bodice is fully constructed!

Next open the side seams like so...

..then match up right sides together with the other side seam.

Repeat for other side of bodice...then sew them together, turn right side out and press!

Then I baste the back pieces together at the bottom, and gather my skirt to fit the bodice. Easy peasy!

Vintage pattern with modern fabric

2012-05-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

I love to sew vintage styles with modern fabric-the fresh colors and patterns update a dated pattern instantly! Wouldn't you agree? I wish I'd done that waistband in a different fabric but nothing matched that red. I mean, nothing. That's why I stuck some green buttons on it!

Sadie wasn't a big fan of this dress-so I don't know if it will get worn at all. Maybe it will get gifted or listed in the Etsy shop. Ya win some, ya lose some. Either way, it was fun using this vintage pattern I'd thrifted awhile back!

Aren't those little kids groovy!? Sadie said she wanted the pink overalls. lol. Might have to-shortened of course since summer's coming.

It also comes with a creepy clown doll pattern. Score. Tossed that right in the trash.

Anyways, guess this is kind of a pattern review-I had to make things up a few times-the way the front skirt and bib are attached isn't well explained so I winged it...it came out fine so no biggie. I do love the fabric but I wish I'd used some coordinating fabrics instead to make the waistband and pockets pop a bit more.

What have you made with vintage patterns? Link up in your comments so we can check all them out, or add them to the Vintage May flickr group!

Wondering about this Vintage May hullabaloo? Check out the deets right HERE!

Vintage May countdown

2012-05-07T12:00:00.000-07:00

***Check out the winner of the Tie Dye Diva Pattern giveaway here! ***

It's no secret: the sewing world loves vintage sheets. Right?

As I am one of the sewing world (and maybe the underworld...sewing fight club anyone? Who can unpick a seam the fastest or somethin?), my heart jumps a bit whenever I see a gorgeous vintage sheet while thrifting. Then my body follows and snags it before someone else can! I know some of you might not want to wear sheets, but trust me I wash them a BUNCH in hot water, so they're pretty darn clean by the time I sew with them. The thing I love most about them is you get SO much yardage for cheap! (usually) Once I bought a sheet with some paint splatters on it that I didn't see before I bought. (sad day! Who would use such a pretty sheet as a drop cloth? a crazy person, that's who) Anyways, I ended up using it as scrap fabric, mostly to try out sizing on a new pattern before cutting it out of "real" fabric. So there's a few tips for ya if you've never thought about using vintage sheets!

Here are some of my projects I've used vintage sheets as material!

Vintage sheet to Maxi dress

C's Easter dress

Ruffled wrap dress

Pretty. Easy. Sundress

Sheets are fabulous for quilts too since they're super soft already.

I loove vintage patterns too! Make sure to check out Kristin's blog today...she has a fab round up of great modern patterns with a vintage vibe!

I definitely need to use my vintage pattern collection more! (read: hopefully will have finished something later in the week for you to see!)

I'm sure if you take a quick look around blog land you would find TONS more inspiration for using those vintage sheets in your projects!

Check out Kristin's post here!

Wondering about this Vintage May hullabaloo? Check out the deets right HERE!

Tie Dye Diva Patterns giveaway!

2012-05-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

***This giveaway is now closed. See the winner below!***

Hooray! More patterns to giveaway! This week it's from the ultra cute store, Tie Dye Diva Patterns.
I mean seriously...just take a look below to see some of their adorable patterns. (they have boy stuff too!) I really want to try that navy and red one with the tied bow...love that!

(click on the pictures to see more details!)

They are giving away a $25 credit to their shop!

To enter: (two possible chances!)

1. (Mandatory Entry) Visit their shop and take a look around....then come back and leave a comment telling me a few of your favorite patterns!

2. (Optional Entry) "Like" their Facebook page and then come back and leave a comment telling me you did so.

Please leave an email address with each of your comments!

They would also like to add that if one of makes a purchase from them during the week and ends up the lucky winner, they will refund their purchase up to the prize amount!

All entrants worldwide are welcome.

I'll choose a winner Sunday evening, the 6th.

Good luck!

The winner is....Christie!

Surveys by Sadie

2012-05-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hey people who read our mommy's blog!

Charlotte and I are wondering if you wouldn't mind doing a quick survey for my mom? She just wants to know your opinions on a few things related to the blog. Wow I didn't know I knew some of those words! hahahehehe. ...*momentarily distracted by my Little Pony*

Ok anyways...thanks for helping my mom out. She's pretty cool even if she does put me in time out for the silliest reasons and sometimes doesn't let me have fruit snacks.

Now I'm off to tackle Charlotte and hug her way too tightly!

***Thanks for your feedback everyone! Unfortunately, Survey Monkey is ridiculous and only lets me see the first 100 responses since so many of you were nice enough to fill it out! So dumb, but oh well. Thanks again though!***

the Olivia top

2012-05-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

Tutorial time!

Muwahahaaaa!

See the tutorial below!

You'll need:

3/4-1 yard of fabric

thread

buttons

1/4" elastic

First I created a simple bodice pattern by tracing a tee folded in half.

Then I drew a line across right above the bottom of the armhole.

Make sure to add notes to add seam allowance to the top of the shirt panel and the bottom of the bodice. Add 2" to the fold of the panel.

Cut the pieces apart and draw out a sleeve pattern like so.

Cut out one back bodice piece on the fold, and one of the front bodice pieces on the fold, then cut in half on the fold. Cut out two sleeves on the fold, and 2 shirt panels on the fold, make sure to add seam allowances.

Then I cut and made a piece of bias tape for the neckline, and two pieces of fabric 2.5"x the width of the front bodice. I ironed in the edges of those pieces 1/4", then in half (just like in this tutorial)

Then I sewed on the button tabs to the edges of the front bodice piece.

Then I laid out my buttons and made buttonholes on one button tab.

Then baste the bottom together, overlapping the tabs.

Then sew on the bias tape around the collar using this tutorial.

Then gather the tops of the shirt panels and sew them to the bottom of the bodice pieces.

Top stitch across the front of the bodice seam you just made on the right side.

Then trim around the armholes if needed.

Next for the sleeves, I folded the bottom up about n inch and ironed it. Repeat for other sleeve.

Gather the top of the sleeve to fit the armhole.

Pin it in right sides together, sew, and finish the seams.

Then I decided my shirt wasn't long enough, and cut two pieces of fabric on the bias, 2 inches wide, and the length of the bottom of the shirt panel, plus a little for seam allowance.

I sewed the short ends right sides together, then pressed the seam open, and press the edges in 1/4" like so, then in half again.

Then sew one side of the shirt right sides together like so.

Next sandwich the raw edge of the bottom of the shirt in the bias tape and pin like so, lining up the seams.

Pin all the way around the bottom...then top stitch around the hem.

Next sew the other side of the shirt together.

Fold down where we pressed the bottom of the sleeve earlier like so.

Then I sewed around the edge, creating a casing, inset about 1/4" to create a little ruffly effect. Sew all the way around the outside all the way, but the inside stitches, leave a opening for the elastic.

Insert elastic into the casing, and sew the ends together, then sew the casing shut. Oh, and don't forget to sew on the buttons!

Vintage May series!

2012-05-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Do you all know Kristin, from Skirt as Top? Well let me tell you how we met. She was on the last season of Project Run and Play, and I absolutely loved her Junebug dress remix, so I emailed her and told her so. We pretty much hit it off and have been emailing constantly ever since! (we almost were able to meet up last month when she flew out to San Francisco, but I was at SNAP...oh well, someday!) We bonded over sewing, The Hunger Games, and blogging. I had been wanting to put together a sewing series and so I asked Kristin if she wanted to join in-and that's where Vintage May was born! We are both enamored with vintage clothing, especially for children...the lovely details, cute fabrics, and precious little ones in them of course, are irresistible! The photo below, I believe, is hard evidence to that fact.

We are focusing the series on children's clothing, vintage-inspired: a vintage pattern remix, refashion of a vintage item, sewing a modern pattern with vintage fabric....so there should be lots of gorgeous eye candy in the weeks to come! Our goal is to get ideas and inspiration out there to let everyone know how wonderful sewing vintage can be.

We also started a Vintage May Flickr group for anyone that wants to share their vintage-y sewing inspiration. We'd love for you all to join and add your past vintage/retro/vintage fabric projects to it now, if you'd like!

We will each have a guest blogger on our own blogs every day of the series, (and links to each other's blogs to make it easy for you to see the vintage goodness, of course!) and seriously, these are some rock star sewing gals. I cannot wait!

My fabulous guests include:

I know, right? ;)

Check out Kristin's guests here!

the one where I post about all the other stuff we did on our trip

2012-04-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

So we started off Friday morning for Vegas-stayed the night with Rory's sister who lives there. The girls did really good in the car that day. Rory is a champ and drove the whole time. Go honey, go honey....it's yo birthday! okey....

Read this in about 5 hours...it was really good, can't wait for the second one to come out this week!

The second day we hit a bad snowstorm in Utah and ended up stuck in traffic, not moving, for about 2 hours. Add a flat tire a little while later and we were all super cranky! We finally got to Orem (3 hours later than planned!) and had a nice dinner with my sister, brother, and their spouses and kiddo.

We then spent the rest of the week stuffing out faces with delicious food....Cafe Rio, Chick Fil-A, Tucanos, sushi.....

I made some pretty darn amazing cupcakes for my sister's birthday! (the recipe) WOW these were good, and quite the show stoppers.

I was able to meet up with the awesome Shauna from Shwin and Shwin, at Hobby Lobby, and we chatted for a long time about sewing, blogging, kids, and random stuff. I had so much fun, Shauna!

After the SNAP conference was over, we got ready to drive back to Vegas for the night...and then onto.....DISNEYLAND!

We kept it a secret from the girls...well, Sadie, and she had no clue up until we walked in and told her. lol! We kept asking...do you know where we are?...and she'd shake her head.

She was very very excited and insisted we go on the teacups and dumbo-PRONTO. (this was a daily occurence)

Charlotte was happy to go along with anything-except holding our hands and walking next to us. Grr. We forgot our stroller, also, so we had to rent one. They're not too bad, but sheesh...I missed my double wide jogger!

She was on cloud 9!

As you can see, sitting on the Mickey ears was one of her favorite things to do. ;)

Rory said she was driving this all by herself-pressing on the gas included! I'm impressed.

Day two: Sadie had a mini meltdown and so C and I went on the Casey Jr. train. She loves trains but I'm not sure she figured out she was on one. lol. Every time the monorail went by she yelled at it though. "BYE BYE TRAIN!"

These girls are such good little friends. Until Sadie gets too affectionate, if you know what I mean, and it ends up in a stranglehold.

We had great weather! the crowds weren't too bad either, though they were the best Wednesday morning of course...when we were leaving. :(

Sadie was a trooper and walked a lot, but when she got tired she hopped on the front of the stroller and it worked quite well with two!

I was really excited to wear my Minnie Mouse dress I'd thrifted awhile ago...the darn wind kept blowing it around though...wish I'd brought a slip.

I think we went on this carousel 3 times in a row. One of the sweet employees kept making a big deal out of Sadie, calling her princess, and such...and Sadie was eating it up!

We also went on the Ferris Wheel, which we weren't sure the kids would like, but it turns out Sadie is a little crazy...and loves heights. (agh, she did not get that from me!) She LOVED seeing the park! or as she put it, "THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD, MOM!"

And thank goodness for these awesome Mickey stickers they gave us while we waited in line. The girls did really well waiting, but these definitely helped.

I had to get a pic of my favorite window on Main Street!

Bye bye Disneyland! See you in September!

Before we got on the road, we hit up Cafe Rio once more and I got my favorite, the steak salad. You better believe I ate it all. yum yum. I get to scarf it down it again this week when we head back down to Long Beach for Time Out For Women! Anyone going?

Fabric Warehouse Direct discount code!

2012-04-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, let me introduce you to Fabric Warehouse Direct! They have a HUGE selection of quality Designer closeout fabric and wallpaper at big savings to you, the customer. Many of their fabrics range from $100-$200 at retail but they themselves sell for $10-$30 a yard on average. Nice discount if you love those designer brands! They have some really unique prints, too!

Wallpaper:

This would be adorable lining the back of a bookshelf!

Ditto for this one, maybe in a dining room hutch?

And I would LOVE this in a bathroom, hung above some bead board.

and some of their Fabric:

This would look so classy on an armless chair..

and actually I could definitely use this for Charlotte's cowgirl party in June!

I LOVE this adorable airport fabric-this would look awesome in an aviation themed bedroom....maybe around a lampshade or on a quilt or pillowcase. So many ideas!

Their tagline is "Designer Fabrics Below Wholesale Prices" and I can tell it's true. We're talking deep discounts, folks. :)

They've set up a discount code for you lovely readers!

Use the code Crafty25OFF at checkout for 25% off your order! (minimum $25 purchase)

It is valid from 4/30 to May 6!

Tidy Crafts/Ribbon Retreat review and giveaway!

2012-04-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

***This giveaway is now closed!***

Hey there! I've got a great review/giveaway for you today! Two of my sponsors merged together to create a fabulous, customized giveaway just for one of you lucky readers. :D

Tidy Crafts and The Ribbon Retreat!

(I met Shirley from Ribbon Retreat in person last week at SNAP-she is so, so nice! It was fun to put a face to someone I'd spoken with so much via email! We had fun browsing the Queen Bee market together!)

Tidy Crafts is located near the Snake River in beautiful Shelley, Idaho. They are known for their fabulous craft storage supplies at great prices!

For reals, guys...they have got it down pat. They sent me this awesome spinning organizer-which fits most of my jewelry making stuff. Can I tell you how nice it is to get it all out of those tiny plastic bags? It's nice. The little containers are super easy to pop out also, and I love that it spins.

Makes it uber easy to get to the bead you need...with speed. (oh yes I did.)

They also sent over one of their wooden spool racks-now I have two-sah-weet! Time to fill 'er up. A lot of their products come with free add-on storage pieces which is fab. Freebies rock!

Tidy Crafts also sell a ton of LED lamps for your lighting needs! I can tell these would be really useful for those dark nights when you just can't stop crafting!

So, onto the goodies!

Tidy Crafts and The Ribbon Retreat have partnered up to bring you some must-have craft supplies in a fab spinning craft organizer giveaway!

INCLUDED: ($30 value)

Black 24 cup Stow-n-Go Spinning Organizer
•3/4" White Felt Circles
•Flip Flop w/ Sunflower Resins
•Cupcake Resin
•Minuet Flowers in Orange, White, Shocking Pink & Red
•Single Prong Clips
•Antique Silver Bottle Caps
•1" Paci Clips
•20mm Pink Rhinestones
•14mm Red Pearlies
•Various 3/8" Ribbons -- perfect for scrapbooking, hair bows, etc.

To enter: (two chances!)

1. Subscribe to the Ribbon Retreat Blog.

2. Subscribe to Tidycrafts newsletter on their website.

Then come back and leave a comment on this post letting me know you did so! (one for each entry)

Please leave an email address with at least one of your comments!

I'll choose a winner Sunday evening, the 29th.

Good luck!

The winner is....Ashley Reece!