Abby's Birthday Tunic

Some time ago, in a nearby Jo-Ann Fabric Store, my little fabric-shopping sidekick fell in love with a cute and very sweet doll fabric. While I loved the print, the soft blue and pink together weren't my very favorite. Kind of reminded me of baby shower colors. Thus the internal debate began. My daughter's the one that *gets* to wear the clothes I make but I have to stare at it for the duration of an entire project. What to do? Keep shopping. I found another fabric to throw into the mix that pulled out the purple in the print, making both of us happy. A trip to Michael Levine's provided the fun dotted trim and then . . . it sat in my stash for a very, very long time waiting to be turned into something. So long, in fact, that I had to ask my daughter if she still liked the fabric. 

She did and it became a Maggie Mae Tunic just in time for her birthday. I love this pattern. It fits her perfectly and the piping between the skirt and the bottom band gives it very pretty volume. Not too much, just enough. Also, this is my first time making the tunic length and, in combination with a pair of leggings, it was a playground-friendly alternative to the dress. Some tiny bunny buttons are an adorable surprise on the back closure.

 

Make [Believe] Imagine Jacket

Quick Note: Pattern Anthology's Make [Believe] Collection is only available at a special discount for a couple more days! Check out the details here.

The first item I made for Pattern Anthology's Make [Believe] collection is the Imagine Jacket. When I enthusiastically signed up to test the patterns, I did so blindly with no idea what I would be asked to make. So, if you guessed that a fully lined jacked with welt pockets and a separating zipper incited a mild panic in me . . . well, you'd be right! 

But once I'd calmed down (and recovered from an excruciating trip to the fabric store with all three of my children) I started putting the jacket together, step by step, following the many photos included in the directions. It worked! At the end of the project, the result was a nicely finished jacket, custom made in the fabrics and colors that my son proudly selected. The only hiccup in the process seemed to stem from my unfortunate combo of outer fabric with stretch and lining without stretch but I channeled lessons learned from Project Runway and made. it. work! Overall the lining, that I had been so afraid of, actually saved me from tedious hemming and other sewing steps that I hate and made a nice accent to the collar of the coat.

So, the bottom line is that, despite my anxiety beforehand, I really love this pattern. (Check out some of the special options for girls too - so great!) If I'm going to spend time on a project (as opposed to buying ready-made), I want it to be something special . . . something worth the investment of time, money and energy and this jacket fits the bill. 

Maggie Mae Dress

I really love this pretty, tailored dress (and the very pretty girl modeling it). The pattern I used is Shwin Design's Maggie Mae Dress and I wrote all about it in my first Contributor Post for GoToPatterns.com. Check it out here!