A Vision To Remember - Addy Mae Blog Tour

Hello everyone!  Welcome to the A Vision To Remember Addy Mae Blog Tour! I have sewn up quite a few patterns now by Bobbie from AVTR and I have more in the works but today I want to show you the Addy Mae!  It is meant to serve as a car seat cover but sadly I have no babies to cover up so I am going to let my daughter use it as a blanket to keep in the car or take on trips. 

This pattern is so quick and easy to assemble, the longest part of construction was by far the cutting!  After that I chain stitched the rectangles and less than an hour later, I was done sewing! Okay maybe cutting took a long time too but I had children and pets disturbing me a lot! 

I decided to use a plain black flannel for both the batting layer and the back of this one.  I used a half yard charm pack from Joann for the entire front and I had a bit left to add to my useable scrap bucket. And my daughter was pretty excited to have somewhere to sit on those rare days in rainy Washington where we get a little sun!

So since I have dived into the world of rag quilts I have been working on different ways to get the "fluff" I want.  This blanket I think I cut a little closer together and washed a few extra times... and I think that it is the "fluffiest" so far. I am still working on it so if you have any secret tips please leave them in the comments for me.  

I think my next step is to attach a few of these together and make a blanket big enough for myself.  Mom loves fuzzy blankets too!  So the moral of this story is you need to make yourself a rag quilt! And you should start with Addy Mae.... or at least with a pattern from A Vision To Remember! Trust me!  But before you head out... check out my company on this blog tour! These ladies amaze me everytime!  

Thank you Bobbie for donating your wonderful pattern to me to sew.  Thank you Larissa for your tireless work and organizational skills, I can't even keep track of my kids!  And thank all of you for reading!   See you soon!

A Vision to Remember Addy Mae is the perfect gift for all those little babies this winter! Be sure to check out the different blankets this week!
Jan 26- Larissa from Connected by a thread
Jan 27- JaNette from Merri Poppins
Jan 28- Patricia from Sew Far North
Jan 29- Essence from Adventures with Bubba and Bug
Jan 30- Jona from Stitches & Spills

Big Little Wild Things Coat Blog Tour!

Hey guys! I am back to show you something I think is so cool!  Recently, I applied to test a pattern for Big Little Patterns, a unisex cape! I knew my unique characters would love this!  And after I was selected, I realized that I was in love with this pattern company.  And I was right about the cape!

I knew that this was obviously the work of a genius! And Lisa never lets me down.  I love working with her and seeing her creations come to life.  But today I am here to show you the newest release from Big Little Patterns, The Wild Things Coat!  This pattern runs up to a size 14 and the choices of animals include: Fox, Unicorn, Lion, Bear, Bunny, Dino, Cat, Mouse, Giraffe, Zebra, Horse, Donkey, Ladybird and Doggie with ideas for more such as Beaver, Panda, Tiger and Dragon too!  There are so many animals to chose from I am not sure how I ever decided!  

But finally Ms Picky decided that she wanted to be.... A Zebra!  

So off I went in search of snuggly zebra fabric... and I hit gold at Walmart.  And it was a soft and warm fleece, perfect for the chilly, rainy, dreary school mornings!

And what is a zebra without a tail?

Nothing is left out of this pattern! The animals come with pattern pieces for ears and tails and even tips for extras like a mane or faux fur!  

In case you aren't totally convinced yet, check out the other bloggers who made the Wild Thing Coat at the Round Up Post. But you probably shouldn't wait since the pattern is only on sale until Sunday at midnight PST! 

Thank you as always to the incomparable Lisa for selecting me to test and creating such great patterns, Miranda for organizing this tour and your tireless work and to all of you for reading my blog time and time again!  Come back soon, I always enjoy seeing you! :)

Anxious to start your own version? Visit the Big Little Pattern shop and purchase your pattern during the launch sale with a 30% discount for only $8.40 (regular price $12) until Sunday.

Tuesday: Big Little Tales and Miss Castelinhos and So Popo sew

Wednesday: Sew a Little Seam and Life With a Milk Monster and Inspinration

Thursday: Max California and Small Steps Big Noises and Sew Shelly sew

Friday: Kate and Crew and Squishy Face Collection and Tea Dust and Stitches

Saturday: Adventures with Bubba and Bug and Blessed x Five

You can find the daily blog tour overview link here, there you will also find several non-blog tour tester pics.

Winter Wear Designs Blog Tour - Henley Madness!

Hello everyone! Welcome to my contribution to the Winter Wear Designs blog tour!  I test for the amazing Suzanne all the time and so I will admit to some bias but I wouldn't actually promote something I didn't love so my bias speaks volumes!  I always feel so wonderful in her patterns and my kids love them too.

For this tour, I chose to sew up Henley's for myself and the kids.  I know it seems that everyone in the world has a henley pattern but I think WWD has one of the best and here is a few reasons why:

Everything But The Kitchen Sink Henley: this is the kids version of the henley pattern but it runs a wide range of sizing.  It is a unisex pattern (since you will see it on my son and my daughter) that runs from sizes 1 - 14 and has 3 sleeve options, 4 "henley" options (functional, faux, v neck and faux v necK), welt pockets and detailed easy to follow instructions that will make you feel like a professional by the time you are finished.

Hepburn Henley: This is the women's version of the henley pattern and it ranges from size 00 - 22 which is a gigantic range.  This is not a fitted top but not baggy either.  Reads as: feel like a woman without being uncomfortable about jiggly bits. This one also has three sleeve options, a wonderful welt pocket and 4 henley options.

So because we are so different in personalities, I decided not to make matching shirts for us.  We all have the faux henley neckline (well my son has another EBTKS Henley from the testing period that is functional....) and I did not use the welt pocket because I personally don't like shirt pockets.

The First EBTKS Henley

So this time I gave him another subject he loved and used the last of my How To Train Your Dragon custom for him and my Once Upon a Time custom for Bug.  

Then I got the great idea to try and grab some "together photos". I think these might be the best of the bunch!

I swear they love each other at least half of the time.  And then my Henley covered by my favorite characters in the world, the Looney Tunes!!!

I am not even going to lie, I feel fabulous and fun in this shirt. I can't wait to make myself more henleys and I am secretly hoping that there is a WWD men's henley pattern somewhere in the future so when my son grows I can keep sewing for him!  

So I will be kind and give you the link to the Henley bundle because now you need both patterns!  And leave me a comment and let me know which WWD pattern is your favorite, or what coveted fabric do you want to make a Henley from?  

WAIT! Before you leave, check out my fabulous blog tour companions and read all the way to the bottom for a special coupon code to save you a bit.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart to Suzanne for sharing her creative visions and to Larissa for organizing this blog tour, I know we are stressful and annoying and you are so patient!  Check back in soon for another blog post!  

Be sure to follow along all week and check out the fabulous bloggers!

1/17/16: Larissa from Connected By A Thread

1/18/16: Ula from Lulu & Celeste

1/19/16: Tibeca from Sewing By Ti

1/20/16: Kelly from Handmade Boy & Tameka from Savannah & Co

1/21/16: Essence from Adventures with Bubba & Bug & Teronia from Crazy Crafty Haute Mama

1/22/16: Cindy from Cindy Parrett & Patricia from Sew Far North

1/23/16: Sharon from Sweet Pea & Pumkins & Fenna from Fabulous Home Sewn

Don't forget to pick up your own copy of the patterns featured this week from Winter Wear Designs and save 20% off any purchase of $5 or more through the 25th of Jan with the code BLOGIT20!

5 out of 4 Pullovers for the Whole Family!

Hey y'all! Welcome back for another awesome blog tour! I cannot explain how much I love doing these! It makes me try designers I never really tried and challenge myself to sew more and different things.  So today I am here to show you 3 different patterns! (Disclaimer: I received these patterns in exchange for my participation in this blog tour and I will be using my affliate link throughout the post so click and show me some love!)

I have tested once for 5 out of 4 patterns and they were shorties for a friend's daughter.  I was super excited to sew up another pattern from this designer.  So when we were discussing the pullovers I couldn't decide who would be the lucky recipient of the sweater. 5 out of 4 patterns has 3 different patterns:

• The Women's Ascent Pullover (sizes XXS-3XL)
• The Men's Sierra Fleece Pullover (sizes XXS-3XL)
• The Kids K2 Fleece Pullover (sizes 2-18)

Between the 3 patterns, anyone can get a pullover! So no excuses!  All the patterns come with pockets that are hidden with an invisible zipper and cool color blocking that makes it perfect for matching, but not matchy, sweaters.

So I just decided to make pullovers for everyone! And I used the last of my Star Wars fleece to make the big guy in my house a little happier about the fleece storm in the living room.  And in cleaning up everything I even found the random long lost Darth Vader applique I bought when I first started sewing! May the force be with me! (See what I did there?)

And then I made my poor kids model theirs...

And now for your viewing pleasure, some attempts at family photos! And if you don't scroll too fast you can catch one of me.  Hey, the big guy tries but he is no photographer... *sigh*

Thanks for stopping in and seeing my creations! I appreciate you all and hope to see you again soon on the blog! Drop me a comment about which you want to make first, what you loved/hated, or maybe some tips on family photography? :) Don't leave without giving a click to the other talented ladies on this tour with me! ( And scroll through for a coupon code)

5 out of 4 Blog tour schedule:
1/10/16: Larissa from Connected by a Thread
1/11/16: JaNette from Merri Poppins
1/12/16: Ula from Lulu and Celeste
1/13/16: Tibeca from Sewing by Ti
1/14/16: Melissa from Rebel and Malice
1/15/16: Heather from All things Katy and Patricia from Sew Far North
1/16/16: Essence from Adventures with Bubba and Bug

You can purchase your own copy of any of the 5 out of 4 patterns here for 30% using the code "fleeceforall" now through Jan 17th as they celebrate their 1 year anniversary!

My Review of the Take Flight Dolman by Little Kiwis Closet

Hello everyone!  Welcome to my humble blog home!  Today, I am reviewing the Take Flight Dolman by Little Kiwis Closet.  (Disclosure: I received this pattern in exchange for my honest review!)  So before I show you my dolman and bombard you with my opinions of the pattern I will give you all of the particulars about it.

The Take Flight Dolman ranges from size NB to 12 years. There are 3 sleeve options (short, short with cuff and long with cuff) and three different hem options (hi-lo, curved and banded).  From cutting the paper to wearing the shirt, I would estimate that this pattern took about 1 hour. Assembly was super easy and I was making two at one time.  

I chose the short sleeve with cuff and the banded hem.  I knew Bug would love the banded hem but she generally does not tolerate long sleeves or cuffs well so I was stepping into the unknown.  I choose a reddish orange and black aztec print I scored from Girl Charlee. I was honestly not sure about this top after I had it sewn.  But as soon as my diva tried it on we were both sold.  The look is so comfy and trendy and it gave her enough of a "grown up" feel while being long enough to pair with leggings and boots.

Isn't she feeling fabulous? LOL. Admittedly, I was feeling a little jealous of my little fashionista so I had to figure something out... then the amazingly talented Lydia of Little Kiwis Closet let me in on a secret.... There will soon be a women's version!  So of course I sewed up one of those really quick and I have a new go to top!  I love the oversized slouchy feel and I can also throw on a pair of leggings.  And a little mommy/daughter modeling fun!  

So head over and grab a copy of the Take Flight Dolman.  And then keep a watchful eye on the LKC facebook group for the women's dolman!  And let me know what you think!  Thanks for reading and come back soon!