SewBaby News

I bought this Vogue designer Alice + Olivia pattern for a top and leggings when it first came out- I think in August.  I thought it was cute, and made it up, but never really felt comfortable with the back godets or with wearing the top/vest as a top without another top underneath it.   I've been struggling with this one for a couple of months now!  About the time that I made it, there was a thread on Patternreview.com about "Tights are not Pants", with a plethora of venting about people wearing this type of legging without a top long enough to cover up the rear end area.  This pattern combination was definitely in the grey area.  If I was 20 years younger, I would have worn it, no problem, but to be on the safe side, I decided to remove the flaps in the back, and to not wear the leggings with the vest. This is the version of this pattern that I ended up with after a few modifications: What I really liked about the pattern was the curved lines...

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  While my daughters and husband braved the Black Friday shopping crowds, I opted to stay in and sew!  I'm not much of a clothes shopper these days- just prefer to the challenge of making my own.  It has turned cold here in Illinois, down to 21 degrees this morning, so I wanted something warm.  I had 2-1/2 yards of this brushed microfiber knit in a pretty cranberry, that I thought would be fun for the upcoming holiday season.  I liked Vogue 1197 from Sandra Betzina for the long large cowled tunic version. Vogue 1197 cover I also like the short sleeve top in this pattern, but will have to save that for next summer.  The leggings are just one pattern piece, and I definitely will be giving them a try too. I like the huge drapey cowl collar.  But, I would be careful with the fabric choice.  My fabric is very thin, and I think that is good for this style.  This pattern is perfect for...

One of the Patternreview members, GlobalMom, picked up a new pattern magazine when she was in Germany, and got several copies to share.  I was lucky enough to get one of her copies.  I fell in love with it as soon as I got it. The magazine name is My Image , and it is from the Netherlands, but includes instructions in German, English, Dutch and French.  The format is similar to Burda, where you need to trace your design from a pattern map, but this map is much less dense, as there are fewer designs.  This issue has 16 designs- 11 of them are for women and 5 for girls.  What is really neat about this magazine though, is that they show each of the designs made up several times in lots of different fabric choices, so you can really get a good feel for what is possible for the design.  Their fabrics are gorgeous!  I can see making up every one of the 11 women's designs,and that is a whole lot more than I would ever make up from a Burda.  Usually...

Ready for a day at Hogwarts. The Real Ginny Weasley Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 , premieres tonight! My youngest daughter is completely crazy for Harry Potter, and has gotten so crazy that she wants to be a Weasley- Ginny Weasley, to be specific, and go to Hogwarts School.  She's got the whole ginger haired, freckled look going on, and could be a dead ringer for the actress in the movie- if she only had the Hogwart's Uniform!! So, she ordered a sweater and tie in the Gryffindor House colors from an online site for an outrageous amount of money.  At first they sent her the Slytherin House colors, which just was a horrendous affront to her sensibilities, but they exchanged it at no charge, next day air.  They know you don't want to tick off Ginny Weasley! The price of this get-up was so high that they should have included a skirt and blouse, but they didn't.  We checked every major store for a pleated grey skirt, and just couldn't find any...

I wanted to make a unstructured jacket out of this gorgeous boucle to go with my Plum Tencel dress.  The problem I've had with boucle in the past though is that it that the more seams the garment has, the more likely the boucle will unravel, so I wanted a pattern that had a minimum of seams.  I found Vogue 8522 in my pattern stash, that I thought looked like it could fit the bill.  I decided to make View B which is cropped with a shawl collar. The jacket was super easy to make.  The button in the front is just for show.  It really closes with a snap.  It is lined edge to edge, so you there is no fussing with hemming both the lining and the outer layers. It's really comfy, but alas, it doesn't do ANYTHING for my figure type.  I think you need a waspy waist to show off this short jacket.  It just looks kind of big and baggy and makes my shoulders just slope.    But lesson learned.  If I had ONLY made View C- the longer one...

Pattern Description: Simplicity 2305 includes Misses Dresses and Skirts in two lengths and purse by Cynthia Rowley. I made the dress which includes a waistband and a side zipper that you can't really see in the picture. Pattern Sizing: Misses sizes 4-20. Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? I made view A with the higher neckline, and it does look like the illustration. The one on the model has a much more open neckline, and I wish that I had made that view instead. Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes, this is a really easy pattern to make. The neckline is bound with a self bias binding. What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I was intrigued by the quilted sleeves. The sleeve band has a layer of flannel in the middle that you machine quilt to give it more dimension. This sleeve hits me right where the elbow bends. I thought that it might be uncomfortable, but it isn...

One of our most popular patterns at SewBaby is our Double Duty Bag .  When designing this pattern, we wanted a pattern that could function as a diaper bag, but still be usable later on for any reason.  It is completely reversible, has pockets, and is very easy to sew.  One of our customers, Cathy from Washington State, shared these photos of her Double Duty bags and said this: I have also attached some photos of the Double Duty Bags that I made. I love that they squish into just about anywhere, unlike the hard-sided kind. Everybody I have given one to just loves them. I have made them for all kinds of gifts, not just as diaper bags. Thanks for such great patterns. Keep them coming!  The bags with the school/alphabet theme went to the staff at my daughter's auditory therapy unit as a "ThankYou" for all of their hard work. These also work great as a tote for groceries. Grandma uses hers for her laptop and my sister fills it up with all of her knitting. ...

I started running last May using the Couch Potato to 5K plan .  If you have any desire at all to run, try this plan- it works!  I really look forward to running, and I never, EVER thought I would say that! But going into my first winter running has me a bit scared about staying warm. I live on the edge of town, and the winds can get pretty strong.  Ready to wear running jackets for winter are really pricey if you get high tech fabrics.  So, when I saw this hooded jacket (named Ginger) in the latest Ottobre Pattern magazine I thought that with the right fabric choice, this could be a great running jacket for winter. Then, with luck, I found some high tech wind block fleece for $2/yard.  This fabric was light blue on one side and plum on the other.  Kind of a weird color combo, but I was only planning on using one side on the outside, so it didn't matter.  You also need 4 zippers, and a lightweight poplin fabric for the inside pocket. The jacket h...

Wow, it's been almost a month since my last blog post!  I have been sewing, just not posting, so I'll have lots of posts coming up.  I've had a couple of sheer knits in my stash for a few years, and never knew what to do with them, so when I saw this double layer top pattern from McCalls, I couldn't wait to sew it up with my sheer knits!  This is McCalls 6244 , and it includes 4 different tops and two vests that you can mix and match to wear however you want.  I really want to make the vest too, but I haven't decided on a fabric for it. My first try was a dark brown matte jersey for the underlayer long sleeve top, with a snakeskin sheer layer tank over it.  I made the medium straight from the envelope and only lengthened the sleeves by about an inch.  Otherwise, no changes to the pattern, and it fits great.  The tops are finished by narrow hemming all of the raw edges.  This sounds simple, but you really do need a couple of things to make it...