Save the Date! Handmade Designers Group Spring Showcase on February 9, 2016!

I belong in the Handmade Designers' Group, which features several other talented clothing & accessory designers. Every season, we design a few limited edition pieces for pre-order. For example, this past winter, I designed this classic red, black, & ivory dress with a burnout lace layering top.

Alba dress pattern by Violette Field Threads.
Bella's bubble sleeve layering top pattern by Greenstyle Creations.

Close-up of the layering top.

With pre-order items, I tend to use patterns I am very familiar with, AKA, my girls' favorites. For this spring showcase, I opted to use the Simple Life Pattern Co.'s Ayda & Bella patterns in pretty pastel colors.

My first dress is the Pretty in Pink Ayda dress. Isn't this pattern just lovely? Since my Tanya Whelan pink floral fabric was so beautiful, I opted not to do anything that would be overwhelming. I chose to make the sleeveless, modest back bodice, circle skirt version of the dress, but added some eyelet lace to the back bodice & hemline. Now, that was some fun math there! You get so much bang for your buck with this pattern. There are many other options--a top length, sleeve options (ruffled flutter sleeves, short, 3/4, or long), a gathered skirt, as well as a tutorial on how to add a sash & double skirt.

I just love how the circle skirt flares out so beautifully! Check out all that lace!

Close-up of the modest v-back bodice with the eyelet lace trim.

And of course, a TWIRL shot of the circle skirt!

Next up, is the Spring Bouquet Bella dress. I finally cut into one of my favorite fabric lines of all time, Bari J.'s Emmy Grace. I've been hoarding this fabric for a while waiting for the perfect pattern! Bella comes in a dress & maxi length. There is a simple version (no ruffle) & several unique strap options (straight spaghetti straps, v-back straps, & a combination of the two). An elasticized back bodice ensures a perfect fit.

For the spring showcase, I chose the ruffle dress version with the combo straps. Like my Ayda dress, I wanted to highlight the fabric & just add a few embellishments to make it stand-out.

One feature I did was use floral lace for the straps instead of bias cut fabric.

I added some 1/2" pintucks to the front of my bodice & a little button accent. Again, that took some finagling with math since it's not an option provided in the pattern. 

As a side note, I took this picture, which is why it looks different from the other ones!

Hope to see you at the showcase on Sunday, February 9th! If you love the matching floral halos featured with the Ayda & Bella dresses, please check out Little Lady Accessories! Mandy makes the most gorgeous hair accessories & can match anything. Thank you also to my wonderful models & their moms for the beautiful photos!

XOXO, Jenny

Pattern Test: JillyAtlanta's Charlotte Top/Dress

Back around Thanksgiving, a new-to-me designer, Jill of JillyAtlanta invited me to check out her new FB group. I joined her page & saw that she had some beautiful designs using some gorgeous fabrics. She asked if I could test a new top/dress she was working on, & of course, I jumped at the chance. I love testing new patterns!

Here is the JillyAtlanta Charlotte Top/Dress pattern! Isn't it adorable?

In addition to being either a top/dress, you can pick several sleeve lengths including sleeveless (as pictured above), short sleeves, or long sleeves. There's also an optional cinched waist. Sizes range from 2T to 8. I went with the sleeveless version since my girls have an inexplicable disdain for sleeves. We leave in Minne-SNOW-ta, so you'd think their arms would be freezing, but apparently their blood runs hot.

The pattern also called for using shot cotton or a fabric with a great drape. A pattern test is always an excuse to go fabric shopping, so I went to my local fabric store & found this great lightweight shirting material. I'm not exactly sure what it is; the fabric content said cotton, but it feels kind of silky & there's a bit of a sheen to it as well so I suspect that there's some synthetic material blended in as well.

This is actually my second version of the dress. Testing doesn't always go smoothly. I made the mistake of picking a size 6 without making any adjustments for B during my first go around. I knew the chest measurement was just slightly larger than her actual chest size, but I figured it would give us some room to grow. WRONG!

Ignore the bed head. I literally ripped her out of bed  & threw the dress on her to take a quick fit picture.

Eeks--lots of gaping. :(

You can see that the neck & arm openings are too big for my petite monkey. Also, the instructions in the pattern call for a homemade bias tape. I thought a pop of color would be a nice touch on the dress, but the pre-made, crochet edged bias tape may have been too heavy to use with the light dress fabric causing my neckline to sag. Whoops! After discussing it with Jill, we decided a 5T width with 6 length would be a much better fit for B.

And, TADA!!! A much happier girl with a better fitting dress. I would definitely pre-measure your child's chest & add length as necessary to make the Charlotte work for you. There is plenty of ease built in to the chest.

Another goofy pose. We were in a silly mood. :)

Close-up of the ruffly bib. Isn't it amazing? I was impressed that I actually made it! I used a white eyelet lace & doubled up in the middle to make the bib. I also made the bias tape myself, which was a first for me. It looks so much nicer than my pre-made bias tape.

Much better fit! Armscye & neckline was perfect. While this is an A-line pattern, I love that it doesn't flare out as much as most tend to do. With my slim girl, flared A-line styles tend to overwhelm her frame. This slim A-line looks flattering on her & I didn't even have to add the cinched waistband to give her shape.

The pattern is extremely well-written & easy to follow. The pattern pieces fit together nicely & was easy to assemble. Jill walks you through everything & has tons of pictures for the steps, so a confident beginner would be able to sew up this pattern with minimal problems. She even shows you how to do a French seam, so if you don't have a serger, you can still make this outfit. Bonus! I also learned several new techniques, particularly on how to encase bias tape around the armholes & neckline. Whohoo!

Thank you Jill--it was a pleasure!

XOXO,
Jenny

Save the Date! Create Kids Couture Spring Fling Expo 2016

It's not often I make ready-to-wear pieces, but I made an exception for the Create Kids Couture's Virtual Stitch Spring Fling Expo. I was flattered to be one of eighteen designers picked to be in the showcase. The only criteria was all outfits had to be Create Kids Couture patterns, 3-7 outfits per designer, use flatlays/mannequins to show off the outfit, & all be "one of a kind."

I went with some of my best seller styles, but to make them unique, I opted to pick fabrics that were either limited edition or out-of-print & I added trims to give them a special extra touch.

Knit bodice/woven skirt dresses are a top seller in my Etsy store. With it being spring themed, I opted to go with the sleeveless Tabitha dress pattern. I used Art Gallery's limited edition Paperie line to make this dress. I added some lace between the dress skirt & ruffle to give it some dimension.

Size 5T

Close-up of the bodice

Next up is my Bethany/Dahlia/Mia mash-up in an out-of-print Verna Mosquera Rosewater fabric. This just screams spring to me with the beautiful jade green & floral print. I used a pop of pink/white pinstripe fabric for the sash & ruffle. Some lace along the bodice to create a faux bib & lace along the flutter sleeves to finish the dress. So sweet!

Size 4T. Can't have a flatlay without some cute shoes! These are Joyfolie Maya shoes in almond.

Close-up of the bodice

My third look uses another rare fabric with ballet dancers. I was trying to mimic the bodice on the ballet dancers in the fabric, so I decided to keep this dress relatively simple. I mashed the Amber dress bodice & skirt length with Hattie straps to create this look. I added a pre-made crochet bias trim as the straps, some lace to the the top of the bodice, & scallop lace trim at the bottom of the skirt. This set also includes a matching version for an 18" doll!

Last, but not least, I made a shabby chic modified Nova/Dahlia dress! Nova usually has flutters that run up the side of the bodice, but I knew I wanted to embellish the center of the bodice with the floral print & add some lace eyelet, so I subtracted the length of the bodice off the Nova straps & used the flutter length in Dahlia to make this work. Again, this is an out of print floral I found at Joann fabrics a few years back. Instead of doing three skirt panels, I kept the skirt all one fabric by doubling the back of skirt pieces.

The Spring Fling Expo will be held on Sunday, February 2, 2016. Please check out the work of all my talented designer friends as well!

Pattern Test: The Simple Life Pattern Co.'s Braxton's Blazer!

It's been a year since The Simple Life Pattern Company (SLPCo) released it's first set of patterns! I've been testing with them from day one, & have enjoyed seeing each new design they come up with. Katie & Laura, the two main designers, do a wonderful job creating classic, modern designs that my girls love. I'd say at least half our current wardrobe is SLPCo.

My first pattern test of 2016 for SLPCo was Braxton's Blazer. When Katie gave us a sneak peek of the pattern back around the holidays, I fell in love with the narrow, tulip back design. It was such a unique opening & I had not seen anything else like it. The pattern also has an open back option as well, which would look lovely for the older tween set. The sleeves come in 3/4 length, regular length, & a longer cuffed length & there is also an optional ruffle to jazz up the front of the blazer if you'd like. Bonus part is that it is completely reversible!

I picked the 5T, my youngest's size to test. She is my no-frills child, so I opted to go with the narrow, tulip back, regular sleeve length, & no ruffle. The pattern featured woven fabric, but since it is winter here in MN, I wanted to pick a little heavier fabric to keep us warmer. I ended up going with a tribal print corduroy that I found on clearance at Hobby Lobby (SCORE!) & lined it inside with flannel. Both fabrics worked wonderfully!

The pattern sews up super fast! I probably spent more time cutting out the pattern pieces & fussy cutting the blazer pieces than I did sewing. Overall time spent working on this version was probably 2-3 hours.

So yes, I haven't figured out how to take indoor pictures. Our house get such poor light in the winter! I did get a new lens for Christmas, the 35mm f/1.8, which has helped a little. Much better than the lens kit that came with my Nikon.

But this is the fit on my youngest. Sleeve length is perfect--hits right at the waist as is the overall length, which hits just below the hip. There's enough room to layer as well.

Re-took pics another day when we had some sunlight! My original model was not being so cooperative, so I had to employ big sis as her substitute. ;) Thankfully, they are close to the same size (B's about 2" taller) so I can usually get away with her modeling a smaller size. But, you can see here what I mean about fussy cutting the pieces. I had to line up the back just right with the tribal print so it looked continuous vs. staggered & uneven!

Looks great layered over a dress too! My youngest is obsessed with this blazer. She attempts to wear it every day & I have to hide it just so I can throw it in the wash. I guess this means I have to make a few more for her & perhaps a matching one for big sis. :)

New beginnings

Wow. It's been nearly 3 years since I attempted to blog & not so successfully I might add! On the flip side, I have continued to sew almost on a daily basis & have added in the mix some photography (see below), which is an entirely different beast. Exposure, composition, shutter speed....eeks! This doesn't even tackle the post-editing aspect. But hey, at least I live in MN where it's winter half the year & I can justify spending my time on my "hobbies."

So what can you expect to see on my blog? My pattern tests (I current test for a handful of awesome PDF pattern companies), my photography journey, & maybe some food pictures because I also love to cook & bake. :)

Enjoy!

First time using my camera. This little diva claimed her feet were "too tired to walk" & that she needed to lay down & rest. Snapped a pic & it took honorable mention in our local magazine. Beginner's luck!
Serena Stripwork Dress by Create Kids Couture & fabrics by Jennifer Paganelli for JoAnn Fabrics.

My sweet, oldest daughter with the typical first born tendencies. I can almost always get her to try on a pattern test with some bribing. ;)
Adelaide dress by Violette Field Threads & fabric by Pat Bravo.

My sassy girl modeling her Back to School Dress. Bella Dress Pattern by Simple Life Company & fabrics by Michael Miller & Moda. Photo taken by me.

The Reese Dress--Reversible Corset Tiered Ruffle Dress

Earlier in the month, I stumbled on a blog, The Fashion Business Mentor, who was putting together a free workshop to help out small businesses. Essentially, it would be a collaboration of designers & photographers to showcase all our work. I was teamed up with two talented ladies--Bella Blossoms, who makes darling girls' accessories & Candace Rock Photography for pictures. The results of our collaboration are below. I think they're pretty amazing, but of course, I'm a bit biased. :)

I love the headband & bubblegum necklace Bella Blossoms created to match our dress! I used Create Kids' Couture's Primrose pattern to make the dress featured in the picture. It has an elongated sweetheart bodice, shirred back to a snug fit, & four layers of ruffles. I found some Annette Tatum Soliel fabric & thought the aqua/lemon combo was perfect for spring & summer. The last two tiers are Michael Miller fabrics, but I think it coordinates pretty well.

Check out a close-up of the ruffly goodness.

The corset can be tied either in the front or the back, so the dress can be worn in two different styles.

My favorite shot--a girl wearing the dress on a skateboard! Love it!

I do believe in fairies

I've been making my girls their Halloween costumes for the last 3 years. Most of it has to do with me being frugal. Why spend $20+ on an outfit they wear for one night? B was a very angry bumblebee her first Halloween. This was her first & last costume I have ever bought. :)

Fast forward five years. Livy, my younger daughter, insisted on being Tinkerbell. I was going to do the standard route of a green leotard & tutu & pair it with wings until this pattern came out--the Fairy Double Layer Princess Dress by Create Kids Couture. The angular strips of the skirt immediately reminded me of Tinkerbell. Lo & behold...

Photo by Emily Thurman Photography

One very happy three year old. And no, she's not that angelic usually. :)