Daisy Chain Creations: sewing

Showing posts with label sewing. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Moto Jacket by Jennuine Design

First up before I get into the details of the pattern...can I just say how I love this picture of Clara. She looks like she could be a Ralph Lauren model...it's the red, white and blue color scheme that brings him to mind, but it's her face too.

As for the pattern, it's the Moto Jacket by Jennuine Designs.

A great pattern that I had the chance to help test. This was a fun one to test because it challenged me as well, as it has zippers and welt pockets. It's always fun to take on a challenge.

It's meant to be a more light weight jacket, not one to be worn over sweaters, but it is oh so stylish.

I used heavy weight home decor fabric, flannel and rib knit for this jacket. Clara picked out the color scheme and fabric (except for the main one as I already had that in my stash).

I love the bike fabric she chose...it adds a little whimsy.

The pattern itself is well written and easy to follow. If you've never sewn a separating zipper or welt pockets, you will learn something new and Jenn will walk you through the steps.

If I had the ability to get my hands on some leather, I would LOVE to try this pattern out with it. As it is, there is going to be a pattern tour and I have some more ideas for this one.

If you want to check out my other version, head on over the Sew Cool for the Tween Scene.

Monday, June 8, 2015

New Summer Staple--Wrigley Raglan

Are you looking for a great raglan shirt pattern? Well look no further! The newly released Wrigley Raglan from Love Notions is your one stop shop that has the raglan covered.

It comes in a huge range of sizes, has 3 different collar options (crew, split or hooded), has 3 different lengths (shirt, tunic or dress) and has plus sizes as separate sizes. It really does cover it all!

I was part of the testing and believe me, this one is a great final product. Both of my daughters (I couldn't stop at just one) love their shirts. They say they fit super well and are super comfortable. There are more of these in our future. This pattern is also a great one for upcycling those old large t-shirts (some great examples in the pattern pictures). Clara wants one with the Cardinals logo on it to where to school on Card's Day...now to find a shirt at a thrift store.

The other nice thing is the feminine fit of the shirt. This is a shirt for girls and the high/low hem is a nice feature to that.

By adding some length to the shirt, I also made 2 night shirts for my night gown loving daughter.

Our dog Max kept insisting on being in the pictures.

So now we have a new Summer staple, with many more of these to come.

And another great thing is the pattern is on sale until Saturday June 13, so go check it out over at Wrigley Raglan by Love Notions

The pink stripes and polka dots was her choice. The navy is from a stash I inherited from somewhere and it is super soft, so was perfect for pjs.

If you want to see the other version I made, you can check it out over at Sew Cool with the Tween Scene.

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Awesome, Quick and Easy: New Shorts Pattern from Elegance and Elephants!

Heidi over at Elegance and Elephants has just come out with another great pattern. Boho Trousers and Shorts is just what you need for a quick summer sew. And right now there's 15% off this new pattern...you should go check it out!

I had the chance to test the shorts and Clara is love with them...in fact I have 2 more pairs cut out and ready to sew. Just in time too, because this gal of mine was in need of some shorts.

As always, Heidi's instructions are easy to follow with clear pictures and helpful suggestions along the way. You come away with a quality product. And for this pattern it was a very quick sew from start to finish...with the taping of the pattern I think it only took me 1 1/2 hours from beginning to end!

For the grey ones I used a light weight linen blend and some contrasting quilters cotton for the pockets along with some lace on the bottom. This pattern is perfect for those summery airy fabrics.

The purple ones are made out of an upcycled skirt and she just loves these. For this pair I used the existing hem of the skirt for the hem of the shorts. I wish I had had enough to make the pants out of this fabric...it would have been the perfect pair of light weight summer pants.

We do have some plans for making the pants in the future though...just on the hunt for some light weight fabric for them. For the shorts you can get a pair out of 1/2 a yard. All you need is the fabric, elastic and trim if desired. For the pants you'll need a little more fabric and some elastic for the legs as well.

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Pixie Hooded Coat by BigLittle

I got to be part of the test group for the new Pixie Hooded Pattern by Big Little and can I just say what a great experience it was! And the end result were 2 great coats for my girls, that they actually chose to wear! (Check out my other version over here).

The coat is very versatile and will cross over from season to season depending on the fabric choice. For this one I used a home decorator weight fabric for the outside (sorry, no source because it was given to me by my mom a couple of years ago) and a fuzzy blanket found on the Target clearance aisle for the lining. I also added a band of red biased tape around the hood for a little contrast/pop of color.

The pattern comes in a huge range of sizes (1-14 children's), 2 hood options (pixie or rounded) and there is also a pea coat version available as well as a women's pattern in the works.

As for the pattern itself, this would be a great beginners pattern!!! And the result will be something that will have people saying "You sewed that?!?" There are no button holes, zippers or anything else too scary. Lisa has done a great job writing up the directions and giving great visuals as well.

The other great thing about the pattern...it comes together super fast!!! I sewed this coat together in a morning...so there is some instant gratification involved as well. I also like this because I won't feel too bad when they outgrow it so quickly...I only invested a minimal amount of time and materials in it, but I got what I think are stunning results.

So if you are looking for a great versatile coat pattern that goes together quickly your really should check out the Pixie Hooded Coat or the Pea Coat by Big Little.

Now for a couple more pictures of my not so little Nordic Pixie (the fabric reminds me of the Norwegian/Swedish prints):

Friday, February 13, 2015

Free For All Flip--Pleated Kick Pleat Skirt

The lovely ladies over at Frances Suzanne are changing up their FLIP Series a little this month. All month long they are spotlighting FLIPs of free patterns/tutorials.

So here is my most popular post...all time, my tutorial for a Kick Pleat Skirt (it's also one of my favorite things I've made). So if you need a reminder here is a picture of the original finished skirt.

For my FLIP I turned it into a dress and changed up the kick pleats.

It's really hard to tell in the pictures, but I pleated the small panel used in the kick pleat. I did this by using the stripes in the fabric as a guide and just kept pleating so that only the maroon shows. It also gives the kick pleat more of a...kick so to say. Even though the skirt is kind of fitted she has no problem walking in it.

As for the top, I just used the Ethan Shirt pattern again (other versions here and here), so you could say this is a double flip:)

I kind of like how she can dress this up or down. My original vision was more flapper girl/20's style...but it turned out a little different after consulting Sophia.

Here's a picture where you can see the pleats a little better. We also went sans bow because it just didn't go well with the style of the dress or with the busyness of the stripes...running down the middle of the white stripes is also a silver stripe that doesn't show up in the pictures. It really is a pretty fabric (JoAnn's in the red tag fabric section) and is kind of a nod to the Pantone Color of the Year--Marsala. The stripes aren't quite maroon (I know that because I couldn't really find buttons to match), but more of a wine color, just like Marsala.

Make sure you check out the Kick Pleat Skirt Tutorial if you want to make a fun yet little more 'grown up' looking skirt! And make sure you check out the other fun creations and look at the crazy/amazing list of FREE!!! tutorials and patterns over at Frances Suzanne!

Friday, January 9, 2015

In Black and White

So it's been a while...with the holidays (can you say 3 different concerts?!), camera not working, sick kids, life...and...and...it's been a while. But I am going to be better...

I thought I'd share what is on my mind at the moment though...it's cold here and I still haven't put up window coverings of any kind. While we have fairly good windows, I wonder if having some sort of curtain up would help in the whole heating department. Not sure if it would or not, but it sure would help in feeling that the rooms were "completed".

That's what I have on my mind...curtains.

I've ventured into curtains before and plan to reuse those, but I need some new ideas as well.

These I made from some vintage handkerchiefs...still love how they turned out!

These are from Ikea fabric with black trim.

I find that I'm still drawn to the simple white with black lined details, like this one from Ikea

Or this one from Ikea:

And not only am I drawn to black and white, but to the more organic looking designs verses the actual patterns. This is probably why I'm drawn to doodling like this:

My Christmas present to myself, found on Amazon.

So my thinking is going down this road: I wonder if I could design/draw my own fabric. I have a bunch of white (same fabric used in the handkerchief curtains actually) and I'm thinking with a sharpie I could come up with something that is not only really cool, but really unique.

The question is, is it doable?

Saturday, November 29, 2014

Omni Family Blog Tour

It was a family affair with the making of the Omni Tempore by Sofilantjes Patterns.
I went a little crazy in the making of them. Not only did I get these 4 done (sizes Adult Medium, Adult Small, size 10 and size 12), but I managed to get 2 12 month sized ones done as well and shipped off as baby presents for my newest niece and nephew.

This pattern is an amazingly quick and easy sew...from start to finish of the sewing less than an hour (especially by my 6th one:)

These are just some cute pants that I made to go with the boy version, following this tutorial.

So here are my finished versions...they all really love them and they are quite comfy.
I said more about them over at Sew Cool for the Tween Scene as well.

Sophia's is a size 12, shawl collar, with kangaroo pocket, cuffs and waistband all made from purple micro fleece.

Clara's is a size 10, with shawl collar, kangaroo pocket and cuffs made out of super soft and comfy micro fleece...I loved her fabric.

Ethan's is an Adult Small, hooded with cuffs...he said he kind of wished his was roomier. The fit is more like that of a thick shirt than a sports sweatshirt.

For mine, I used some of my 'winnings' ( a nice textured knit from Nosh Fabrics) and made an Adult medium with a hood. I agree that the fit is kind of snug. If you want to layer I would go with a size up. But it really is a great pattern and very comfortable...I wore mine all day long.

So now go and check out some of the other stops on the tour for some great inspiration, pick up the pattern for yourself at a discount (such a great bargain as you are getting size 12 months all the way up to adult XXXL) and then try your hand at the amazing prize packages put together!

Prize Pack #1

1.5 meters of fabric from Joy Fits Fabrics

Omni Tempore Pattern Bundle by Sofilantjes

Bustle Skirt Pattern by Koda Baby Boutique

1 Pattern of choice by Filles a Maman

1 Pattern of choice by Serger Pepper

1 Pattern of choice by E+M Patterns

1 Pattern of choice by Striped Swallow Designs

Prize Pack #2

1.5 meters of fabric from Joy Fits Fabrics

Omni Tempore Pattern Bundle by Sofilantjes

Grace Pattern by Rose & Lee Designs