Susie in Stitches

It's the Christmas sewing season and if you are like me you have a lot of people on your gift list and not enough time to make them all something.  If you are looking for an adorable quick sew that is also perfect for cold weather I highly recommend the new Kid's Metro Pullover by Sew Straight and Gather.  I was a tester for the new pattern (I received my copy for free in exchange for testing), it's well drafted and very easy to sew since it's a pullover with raglan style sleeves (no fussing with a zipper or set in sleeves).  I think I spent more time taping, tracing and cutting than I did sewing. I signed up as a tester for the 9/10 size, but I ended up sewing four versions during the testing period.  I loved it so much I wanted all of the kids to have one.  To give you an idea of how quick this pattern is and how little time it takes, I'm a mother of 4 who works casually at Williams-Sonoma (17 hours the week that I tested this) and I could se

  I finished Susie's skirt for the Fourth of July, but I put off the top, because it is a long sleeved pattern, and lets face it Texas is hot ( old post with the skirt ).  Since we have had a few cooler mornings I cut out several warmer tops for Susie. Last week I cut the Oliver +S Sailboat Top, Patterns for Pirates Jolly Roger Raglan, The Cottage Mama Double Dutch Cardigan, and a Titchy Threads Rowan Tee. Cut out patterns waiting to be sewn. I'd asked about sizing the sailboat set before making the skirt and had been told to size up the top if I wasn't using knit. I opted to make it in a size 3, because my knit has very little stretch. I must say I'm thrilled with the quality of this pattern and simplicity. The Sailboat Top, Skirt and Pants  pattern is rated one scissors out of four for difficulty and I agree that though it has lots of pieces it is a very simple sew.  There are facing pieces for the front and back top and the front and back hem, so the

Front of the Puperita Hula Hoop Dress  Back of the Puperita Hula Hoop Dress My niece turns three this weekend and I wanted to make her something special.  I've learned to ask for measurements after I made a birthday gift for another niece that was huge and ended up being altered to fit better, but in the end it was given away to a friend.  I also asked if she had any favorite colors or clothing preferences, but it turns out she isn't too picky about colors.  She does like girly things though, so I decided to make her a dress.  I considered sewing the Made for Mermaids Molly dress and  Lucy shorts , but I'm dreaming of cooler days and decided it made more sense to make something with sleeves.  Puperita recently released the Hula Hoop dress that is both cute and a quick sew, so it was perfect.  A couple of fabrics I considered. I tend to spend a long time trying to decide what fabric to use for my creations.  I generally end up picking one and then I don

I made the black and blue  Rowan Tee months ago and I had intended to sew her matching leggings, but then it got hot out and I just never made them.  I don't know why leggings were so intimidating, but I was very hesitant to try and sew any for Susie.  I had several patterns, from reputable pattern designers, but just didn't really know which one to pick.  In the end I decided to choose the cutest.  The Filles a Maman Poppy's Peplum Pants have an optional peplum at the waist that is just terribly fun.  Susan loves purple, so I decided to start with a simple purple cotton lycra knit that I got from NR Fabrics on Facebook.  It's a bit thinner than I could wear, but it was perfect for her.  It was my test run for the shiny blue pair that would complete her outfit.  It would have been a very quick sew if I had paid attention and sewed the front and back pieces together but I was on auto pilot from another pattern and attached everything wrong.  After searching every

I made my first Oliver + S pattern for Susie and I loved how beautifully the skirt came together.  I had the pattern printed for months, but I was intimidated by all of the pieces that I sat it aside.  When I found this gorgeous sailboat fabric at Joann's Fabric I knew I had to overcome my fear and sew the sailboat skirt .  Turned out when they said it was an easy pattern they were not kidding.  The facing pieces allow for fool proof assemble and a beautiful finished product inside and out. The hardest part was choosing her size.  She is 2 years old, 37" tall, 20" chest, 19" waist, and 21" hip.  I thought about cutting a 18-24m width and 2T length, but the way the pattern was nested that just wasn't possible.  I ended up choosing the 2T thinking that if it was too big at least she would be able to wear it longer. I'm really glad that I cut a size 2T since I'm very happy with how it fits.  If I make another one soon I may add a bit of length s