Victoria Jones

My son Michael is the one who started me on my search for a great camp shirt pattern.  He, along with his beautiful wife Casey, were going to be taking a trip to Hawaii with their new little one.  After returning home, they knew that they wanted to have a Hawaiian luau to celebrate their little one's first birthday so my hunt began for the right pattern.   My daughter, along with her husband and kids were also going to Hawaii with Michael and Casey, so I was anxious to find the right pattern for all of them.  When I came upon Victoria Jone's patterns, I felt that I had at last found what I was looking for.  I actually made my purchase through an online shop located there in Hawaii.  The shop was helpful, quick, and not as expensive as I thought it would be.  Since Michael is an identical twin, I knew that I couldn't make him a shirt without making his brother and his two sons shirts as well so an easy pattern was a must.  All total, I made 4 adult shirts, 4 kids shirts, and 2 Vintage baby outfits...all out of Hawaiian print fabric...plus a blouse for my daughter.  My sewing machine and I became rather close in those weeks before they left.  I give Victoria Jone's an A for her patterns...the directions make sense, they are  easy to make and trust me... I needed easy!  (Unfortunately, Ms. Jones no longer makes the little boys' pattern.  She said the demand for them has diminished so much that she stopped making them all together...which is too bad.  I'm not sure if the online store where I made my purchases still has some left in stock or not, but it's worth a try.

Here is the mens' pattern number 220:

And here are a few of the shirts that I made using that pattern:

The patterns are nice and roomy with a great fit.  Here's a picture of the kids pattern number 235:

I will be gone a week beach camping with the kids so I will not be posting.  Have a great week! Until next time...

Olive Ann Designs

Today I am sharing Olive Ann Designs with you.  She's another newer designer out there, but her designs are adorable.  My granddaughter loved the little outfit that I made for her along with the one I made for her American Doll.  (Several of OAD's patterns do include an 18" doll size pattern to match.)  I made my granddaughter's outfit first then went to work on making the adult size blouse pattern for two of my daughters.  The adult pattern is a separate purchase and NOT included in the child's pattern.  FYI,  the adult size pattern runs rather small so take that into account if you should decide to make a blouse for yourself.  I have made a total of 5 or 6 of the adult size blouse pattern but had to make  major adjustments for the ones I made for my daughters.  I also made three  adult size blouses for the shop where I used to work.  I made each size according to the pattern directions from the smallest size offered to the largest.  Every woman who tried the blouses on had a hard time finding the right fit.  Even the medium size was a hard fit.  As far as the child size goes, it was a perfect fit for my granddaughter.  All of that being said, I give Olive Ann a B.

Here is the pattern:

The outfit I made for my granddaughter and her American Doll:

And one of the ones I made for my one daughters:

I have also been working on a girlie, girl quilt for the new little one that is heading our way from my son and daughter-in-law...can't wait!  Here is a little  peek.  I just can't find the right minkie for the back of the quilt...but I will!  Once done I'll repost.

And last but definitely not least, I have also been working on an 'I Spy" quilt for my grandson Logan.
This one is taking me a lot longer than I had originally anticipated BUT I am determined to get it done for my little guy:

Until next time.

Janet Pray - Islander Sewing Systems

Familiar with Craftsy?  If not, you should be!  This is probably the best online site out there in regards to online classes.  They offer EVERYTHING.  You will find Janet Pray on Craftsy teaching industry secrets  and more.  I will be honest with you and say that I have made a plethora of shirts, but none have compared to Ms. Pray's classic fit and detail.  I love her patterns.  When I found that hers' was another one of those company's where you run off the pattern on your computer and then tape it together, I was rather leery. I've done that before with other patterns and the end result was disastrous. (Ms' Pray does offer the paper version as well.)   The lines actually matched up on Ms Pray's patterns... and the shirt came out perfect. Like I've already shared, this pattern is more tailored  and includes a collar stand piece which I like....its that narrow piece that the collar 'sits' on to make the collar 'stand' up better.  You can't go wrong when using Ms. Pray's pattern..especially if you are truly looking for that classic, tailored fit.  I give Ms. Pray an A+.

The pattern:

The shirt from this pattern:

I included a close up of the collar so that you could see the collar 'stand'.

Her plackets are beautiful and so well designed...I have never sewn anything like it.  Please click on images if you want larger view of them.

Until next time......

Gooseberry Hill

If you want a great, little jacket pattern, here's one  that I have made countless times over the years. The fit is spot on and it has been a winner on every child that I have ever made it for.  There are various ways that you can change up the look of this jacket, so let your creative genes simply take over.

I must confess, this was another one of those purchases that I felt I absolutely 'needed' to make when visiting Zoelee's  years ago.  She had made a sample using this pattern and  had it hanging in her shop...it's still there today in fact.  Once I laid eyes on that little jacket  it instantly captured my heart and sent my mind whirling as to what I could do with it!  You know when you see a pattern and you just intuitively  know what you are going  do with it  and even if you don't right then, you know you eventually will??  That's the affect that that pattern had on me...I just had to have it!   Zoelee, at the time, also carried this beautiful lace that was perfect to sew on the bottom of the jacket.  Unfortunately, she ran out due to its popularity and  I was forced to go online to find more.  I did find some beautiful lace in the UK as a replacement until Zoelee was able to get more lace in.  Trust me when I say that the lace enhances the jacket  big time so it is imperative that you get the right one.   I give Gooseberry Hill and overall A for fit, design, and directions.

I wish I had better pictures to share with you, but I will share what I have.

First up,  the pattern:

And here are the pictures that I do have of some of the jackets that I have made.  What's nice about these jackets is that you can dress them up...or down.  They look adorable with a cute pair of jeans or over an outfit, your choice.

Instead of hand embroidery, which I dearly love to do, I used my embroidery machine and embroidered on the backs of some jackets especially when using denim fabric.  My fabric of choice however will always be 100% cotton, waffle weave fabric.  Sadly though, this fabric is difficult to find anymore...and when I have found it, it has a blend of polyester in it which I don't care for.  The look, feel, and use is so different than the 100% cotton only fabric.  Should you ever find the cotton, it is also superb in making kitchen towels as gifts for Christmas ...or for yourself.  I have made lots of these kitchen towels using the cotton version of the waffle weave due to its ability to actually dry dishes with ...and as a bonus, it looks great hanging in your kitchen with an embroidery design on it along with a ruffle gracing the bottom.  So cute!! Just make sure that you always pre-wash that cotton before embroidering on or sewing with it as it does tend to shrink.

Until the next post...have fun creating!

Kwik Sew

Remember Stretch and Sew?  I can't even begin to tell you all of the t'shirts, underwear, bathing suits, etc. that I made for my children while they were growing up!  Oh my goodness!  Those of you who remember that company. didn't you just love their fabric?  Nothing even came close to the quality of their fabric, their lace, their patterns...you name it.  When making my girl's t-shirts, I would always purchase enough fabric to make underwear to match. ;-)  They had this wonderful elastic that looked like lace and no one could tell the difference!  When you have seven kids, you made as much as you could, whenever you had the time...but I admit, I did enjoy  making those panties for my girls!  Those were the days when it paid to sew...no more.   Kwik Sew patterns are just like those old Stretch and Sew patterns and just as popular...just ask Zoelee from Zoelee's. They are still easy to make, giving you a fit that is perfect and they always seem to be in style.

With that being said, whenever I go to Lee Summit, Kansas, I ALWAYS go to Zoelee's.  Zoelee is an amazing, as well as talented, woman.  I have never visited her shop without feeling  this need to purchase something new and wondrous...and there's the dilemma...there's always something new and wondrous. She carries a wonderful assortment of Kwik Sew patterns and has a continual flow of clothes that she has not only made for herself but to also put on display in her store...which is located downstairs in her fabulous home.  Truly, it's a must see shop!  The last time I was there, there was a darling pair of children's slippers on display that Zoelee had just made using a Kwik Sew pattern.  Having used Kwik Sew patterns in the past, I knew that the directions and fit would be perfect and that my grandkids would LOVE the finished product.  How can I give anything but an A to Kwik Sew patterns?  These patterns are great for any beginner, but I must add, owning a serger makes these patterns even easier to make.  Since I obviously don't have any pictures of past projects that I made for my kids, you'll just have to trust me when I say that you can't go wrong when using Kwik Sew.

The pattern that I took home that day:





And here are the slippers..aren't they cute?  Making these plus personalized, flannel, pillowcases for the grandkids was not only different, but FUN!!  A thought for you to consider, I made  all of my grandkids  pillowcases using Christmas fabric before Christmas had arrived last year.  It's funny how making something as simple as holiday themed pillowcases, would excite those kids,,,,but it did!   Whether it's Halloween, Christmas, Patriotic,  Thanksgiving, Easter, it doesn't matter! Kids  LOVE having their own pillowcases.   AND, when you make them pillowcases using themed fabric and then embroider their names on the cuff...I'm just sayin'... it's a sure hit.  Like I said...just a thought.

Do I hear the purring of those machines working away out there? ;-)

Until next time....

Fiona Bell- Sewn With Love

When I first saw this book on Amazon, I knew right away that I had to get it. Fiona is located in England and her beautiful designs captured my interest due to her grasp of of the vintage look that I so desired.  There had been no customer comments or reviews left on Amazon as yet....something that I make a point of always reading...but I forged ahead hoping this would be the book I had been longing for.  When the book arrived I was on pins and needles to make my first project...the dress that adorned the cover of the book.  After looking at all of the pictures, I ran off that first project.  Can I just say that I was disappointed beyond words!  None of the lines on the pattern seemed to match up...and the directions?  Unbelievable...actually nonsensical.  The book is gorgeous, the ideas are inspiring but ladies, that's as far as it goes.  I did end up making the dress that I started with on the book's cover and a shirt for my grandson as well, but Oh My..I struggled making both. I give Fiona an A for her wonderful inspiration, but a D for the patterns and directions themselves.  Definitely not for a beginner or the intermediate sewer out there.  Let's just say, you must WANT to get your project done or you may just give up and quit!  I am so sorry for this rough review.

Here's the book:

And here are the two projects that I did make from this book:

This actually ended up being one of my grandsons favorite shirts..pretty funny.  I loved the fabric and the little tucks in the back.  (Notice how I tried hard to match up my pocket? Is that what you call OCD?)

The dress that started it all..and I must say that my granddaughter loved this dress and wore it to death...it needed a nice burial, but was sweetly passed on for more to enjoy. ;-)  (Ties added to the back of course.)

Ladies, I'm sure you already know this, but if you ever see anything highlighted on my blogs it is for your benefit to click on and take you to those I am writing about.  ALSO, if you want a closer view of any of the projects, simply click on the picture with your cursor and there they are!  Now go out there and become 'one' with that machine of yours and get busy on those projects!  Happy sewing!  Until next time. ;-)

Back to Martha....Just For A Moment.

As I shared in my first post in critquing patterns, I recently returned from another round of Martha Pullen Licensing's,  this one being Children's Garment Construction.  I wanted to share with my fellow students that I have indeed finished another project!! YEAH!!!!  I did add some ties to the back due to the fact that some of my granddaughters are rather on the thin side.  This dress would have just hung on those girls!  Sometimes you have to do what you have to do.  ;-)  But here is my completed dress.  And for you beginners out there, wait a bit on this one.

I'll be back tomorrow with more patterns and what I learned from using them.  Enjoy your time on that machine of yours!  Until next time....

Kari Mecca of Kari Me Away

Where do I start?  I have made so many of Kari's dresses, as well as taught them, that I feel I could make them blindfolded.  They are just so girlie!  And my granddaughters LOVE how full they are!  The dresses in her first book, I could teach over and over...and even sell...which I have,  with Kari's permission of course.  I will only show a 'few' of the dresses that I have made out of that first book as there are too many outfits to count.  If I have any complaint at all it's that the armholes on some of those dresses were a little big.  To compensate for the larger openings, I simply made a couple of 'dickies' and sewed them just inside the armhole .  No one ever noticed.  Kari is a genius at creativity.  Between her use of bullion stitches, whimsy sticks and ideas when using rick rack, she never ceases to amaze me with the things that she comes up with.  Embellishment is definitely Kari's strong point and THAT is what I love!  I can't help but give Kari an A for her passion for creativity....BUT not for beginners.  Thanks for your constant inspiration Kari!

Kari's first book:

Her second book.  This doesn't even include all of her singe patterns.  Incredible!

Just a few of the many, many dresses that I have made from that first book!
Take a little creative license and change the dresses up a bit for a different look!

It's difficult to see, but I embroidered a pair of sunglasses on the bodice of the dress down below... I knew the family spent a lot of time at the beach.

This is one of the first dresses in the book and I loved making it.  Take note, I rarely make any pattern exactly like the directions tell you to.  I always have to make each project 'mine' so I change it up just a bit. I added embroidery to these dresses below...and to all of the other ones I made using this design as well.

The one above needed a purse!

This is the dress that had the larger armhole,  I don't think by adding the 'dickie' or even the ties in the back compromised the design of the dress whatsoever.  I also cut a large piece of the brown silk, gathered it up and tacked it down like a cumber bun.  Once the piece was securely tacked down,  I glued crystals on top of those two stitching lines.  It was beautiful.  I'm thinking my granddaughter liked her dress don't you?  She danced the night away....pretty cute.

A few pictures of projects from Kari's second book:

I LOVE the shorts.  Until we meet again...;-)

Cottage Mama

While in Kansas, I enjoy visiting a wonderful quilt shop by the name of Prairie Point.  Not only does it have lovely fabric, but the people who work there are extremely kind and incredibly helpful.  One person who teaches there you might be familiar with if you are a quilter, Kathy Delaney.  She specializes in appliqué and is the author of some very fascinating and beautiful books that are published by Kansas City Star.  Her work is exquisite and I was honored to have her take the time to share her appliqué technique with me one afternoon.

On one of my last visits, I noticed an adorable romper on display and found that it was a Cottage Mama design.  After hearing that it was one of their more popular patterns, I decided to try it out for myself and was pleasantly surprised by her simple directions and how well the outfit came out.  This may be my first Cottage Mama pattern, but I can tell you now it won't be my last.  Another A...great for beginners!

I love that it is not only a reversible romper, but it looks incredibly sweet on.

And here's the little darlin':

A final note, please pray for Anne Graham Lotz, Billy Graham's daughter,  over the loss of her husband this past week.  I received an email this morning that I  now share with you.  Simply click onto Anne's name.  Thank you.

The Old Fashioned Baby

The Old Fashioned Baby is one of my favorite pattern companies.  I love the detail on her designs and it was probably one of the first of many heirloom patterns that I purchased years ago.  One of her patterns that I used over and over again, is the one pictured below.  Making those dresses was like stepping back in time.  I used Liberty of London fabric,  a *lawn fabric.... making it delightful to sew with, and giving each dress the vintage look that I was desiring.  If you have not worked with Liberty of London fabric, spoil yourself...it's wonderful...and you'll probably want to make a blouse for yourself!  Handwork ideas, along with their patterns, are always included with each pattern packet and making piping by using contrast fabric sets these patterns apart.  I give The Old Fashioned Baby an A and great patterns to start with for heirloom sewing.

Forgive my one and only picture of this pattern but back in the day I didn't take pictures of all of the outfits that I made except for this one.  ;-)

The pattern: Now known as Maddie's Toddler Dress.



One of the many dresses that I made using this delightful pattern:

*cotton

2. Lawn cloth or lawn is a plain weave textile, originally of linen but now chiefly cotton. Lawn is designed using fine, high count yarns, which results in a silky, untextured feel. The fabric is made using either combed or carded yarns.
   Google lawn fabric for more ideas.  ;-)  Happy sewing!