Match with Me

Hello friends! I am so happy to be part of the Match with Me: Mother - Son sewing series today. It is a totally awesome idea from the mastermind, and super cool sewing mama of boys, Stacey from Boy, Oh Boy, Oh boy Crafts. You guessed it, the series is all about sewing mother and son coordinated outfits.

When the idea of this series came about the questions were asked "How old are your boys and do they still like you to sew for them?" My boys are now 9 and 10 years old and I consider myself very lucky to answer "Yes, they still love it when I sew for them."

 

So when the invitation to the series came I knew I had to say yes. It is so much easier to sew for my daughter; girl patterns are quite abundant. Participating in this series was a great reminder of how rewarding it is to sew for my boys... and myself.

 

But... what would a mother-son photo shoot be without an adequate photo bomb from my daughter. LOL!

Though anytime I try to get my boys together for a photo shoot we tend to have some sibling rivalry (hence the grumpy face you see on Ethan) we still have fun! And that is the best part.

It was actually Ethan's idea that i make hats for all of us. And what perfect timing with the weather changing and all. But, instead of making us all the same thing, I made us all coordinating hats and scarves that fit each of our personalities. 

 

I drafted all the patterns myself and I am quite pleased with the results. The boys' hats each have hidden pockets too. Its the little features like that that make sewing for boys so much fun.

For my hat I was aiming for something cloche-ish. It didn't quite turn out the way I envisioned but I still like it very much and will get lots of use out of it this winter. 

 We went out after the photo shoot and my boys wore their hats and scarves the whole time. I had to check to make sure they didn't try to wear them to bed; seriously. Then today they even wore them to school.  :) It makes my heart swell to see them wear their mama made items so happily! <3

 Thank you so much, Stacey, for inviting me to sew along with this series. It is an idea much overdue and I am honored to be able to participate.

Happy (BOY) sewing!

Another Triforce Tee

I know that I said I wasn't going to keep he name "Triforce Tee" for this pattern, but its kinda growing on me. *Disclaimer: Opinions are subject to change without notice* :) 

Here is a quick little show off of my latest Triforce Tee.

If you follow me on Facebook you may be wondering if this is the shirt my serger ate. Yes, it is. I was able to save it from the carnage without losing much more than some length. Hooray! ...Now if only I was so apt at posting on time. Haha, procrastination comes to me naturally. 

The exciting thing about this version is that the center panel is made with woven fabric. So I think it is safe to say the Triforce Tee can be knits or a combination of knits and woven. Of course, I am also dreaming up a version made with all wovens, but that one has yet to be tested. 

You may have also noticed the sleeve length. This one has a 3/4 length sleeve, because you know I love them so...and winter is coming! Forgive me for channeling House Stark, but the longer sleeves are just sensible this time of year in the northern hemisphere. However, the tee can also be made with short or long sleeves. 

So many possibilities here! Are you excited yet?

Mid-night Mishaps + upcoming pattern preview

You ever start sewing late at night and you just cant stop? You think to yourself, "Just let me finish the cuffs; just let me sew the hem real fast". Hahaha! The truth is every "real fast" statements often require an hour to three to complete (at least for me it seems that way). LOL. Why do we do this to ourselves? Sewing is an addiction, and it is a long road to recovery. Does anyone have the number for Sewing Addicts Anonymous?

Well I am no saint when it involves sewing. Just last week I started working on a new shirt pattern. Sewing it together was the easy part...or so I thought. I had only planned on getting it started, next thing I know it is four in the morning and I haven't slept yet, Oh my! But I pretty much finished the shirt. Let's just say it is less than perfect.

I am loving this new pattern I am working on. For now I am geekily calling it The Triforce Tee. Nerds unite! (You may be the only ones who will appreciate the name, so I am likely going to change it. Sorry!). I thought about ripping my stitches and fixing all my mistakes, but I just couldn't wait any longer to show it to you all.

Keilana hasn't been feeling well - you can see it in her eyes. I was just taking pictures of the shirt on a hanger so that she could rest, but she wasn't having any of that! "I want to put it on!... Can I wear it the rest of the day?!" I love this girl. I hope she never stops loving mama made clothes.

The most striking feature of this pattern is the triangular center; thus the name "Triforce" Tee. It is the perfect spot for some color-blocking. 

Something you may not have noticed, though, is that there are no side seams. "Say what?!"

The back panels wrap around to the front and connect to the triangle. It makes this A-line shirt nice and flowy.

 The back has a center seam. Ooooh, even more opportunities for color-blocking!

I am a little amazed that I was able to align my stripes given the other mistakes I made. The first, and the WORST, was cutting my neckband too narrow. I had to fold the neckband down far enough to cover my serger stitches, and in doing so the underside of the shirt was pulled into vision. You can see part of the damage it caused right up there ^^^ where the back center seam meets the neckband. Ugh!

Another, more subtle detail of the pattern is the shoulder gathers; a little girly touch. Also of note is how the back wraps over the shoulder just past center creating almost a faux yoke look.

This is also where you can see how damaging it was to cut the neckband too narrow - Eeeeks!

Now let me explain the two lines of stitching on the neckband. Well... I couldn't get my straight stitch close enough to the edge to hide all the serger stitches underneath. So I just sewed a wavy stitch over the top to tack the edges down. Problem solved!

Oh, another outrageous mistake I made was when I sewed the bottom trim on. I don't even know how I managed to do it, but the front center of the trim is almost non-visible. Perhaps it moved on me as I was sewing it down, but still. And, it was sewn on with my serger, which means the edge was cut off... So if I am going to fix it I would have to take the entire band off and cut a new piece. Geez! What was I doing?!

It was actually kind of fun making fun of myself. 

Nobody is perfect. We learn from our mistakes. In fact, I have come to love many of life's imperfections. There is beauty in the chaos.

I hope you like The Triforce Tee. I am fine tuning some of the small details and then I will be grading it out and putting the tutorial together. I am really excited about this one; there are so many fun things you can do with it!

Let's have a SALE!

I am trying out an e-shop for my patterns. Right now it is called Designs by Rock the Stitch (creative, huh?) and can be found on the Pattern Shop tab at the top of the page. 

It is a very simple shop at this point in time. This is just an interim look until I can make it all pretty. I am trying it out on the free version before I make any big commitments. There are just two categories. I have some of free patterns as well as my Fawn Lily in the shop. My thought was that it might be easier to pick up the free patterns if they were right there in the same spot as the rest of the patterns.

One of the nice features is that you can make an account, and all your purchases will be kept track of on your account, or you can check out as a guest.  Easy peasy. Your shopping bag pops up there in the corner so you can keep "shopping" without having to jump back and forth between screens.

Also, you can favorite the items you like best, or even share them on social media sites. That's kinda cool. 

The shop is also on my Facebook page in the new "products" tab. So if you happen to be visiting Rock the Stitch on Facebook and am so impressed you just want to buy my pattern right there, well, now you can! Hahaha! I know, it probably happens all.the.time. right?  ;)

So, before I commit, I would like to get some opinions about the shop. Which means SALE TIME! The Fawn Lily will be on sale for $6 - that's 30% OFF - until tomorrow night. 

Woot!

Here is where it gets better; submit a review, or shoot me an email telling me your thoughts about the shop, and I will send you a coupon code for my next pattern.

I appreciate any feedback you'd like to give me!

 My new pattern is in the works right now! Keep an eye out for a little preview soon. Actually, you've already seen it, but I will be showing you the fun, unique details! 

Free Raglan Tee pattern

Raglan tees are a classic staple garment. They are quick and easy to sew too. I actually made these raglan tees for my daughter for back to school but we weren't able to get them photographed in time to include them in my Sewing for Kindergarten post.

Well the free pattern I promised is finally here! This free raglan tee pattern is a size 6x/7.

 

Download HERE

 

This pattern requires 3/4 yard of 54" wide knit fabric. Or you can mix and match your fabrics and make use of some scraps you may have laying around.
Pattern includes a 3/8" seam allowance. 

Once you print your pattern tape together as below:

I wanted to get this posted since I left you all hanging for so long. Today it is just the pattern I am posting. It is pretty explanatory how the shirt goes together, but those of you who prefer a tutorial you will have to stay tuned. I plan to put the tutorial together soon ;)

The free pattern does come with a few option though :)

The first style you see here in pink. It is a cropped length with 3/4 sleeves. This is a perfect girly style!

 The other option are for full length body and sleeves. This style is versatile enough it could be used for a girl or boy. 

The purple version I sewed up below is full length with 3/4 sleeves because, well, I just love 3/4 length sleeves. Especially this time of year. They are perfect.

Are you ready for some action! No, really, I do actually mean action. I made the mistake of letting my daughter ride her scooter during the photo shoot. I thought, "Why not? It will be cute." But trying to get a non-blurry pic or convince her to stay still long enough to get a decent photo was a consequence I should have foreseen. Oh, well, it was fun!

Caught-ya! Yes! I non-moving photo! Haha!

Well, I will take what I can get. 

I did widen the sleeves just a smidgen since these pics were taken. But I think the only reason it bothered me was because on both shirts the knit I used on the sleeves wasn't as stretchy as the knit I used for the body.

Thanks for visiting! And don't forget to stay tuned for the tutorial portion ;)

the Marc Shirt - a pattern test

Those of you who are familiar with the pattern designer Filles a Maman may be scratching your heads right now - "Didn't the Marc Shirt pattern release months ago?" Well, yes, but somehow I never blogged about my pattern test. That surprises me though, because it was swoon at first sight with this handsome guy... the pattern that is. Of course I think the model is handsome too, but being his mom may make me a little bias ;)

Obviously this post is loooong overdue! So let me tell you about the Marc Shirt now.

As you can see the pattern features this great asymmetrical collar and button placket. It was what first caught my attention with this design. I love it! These simple and unique features are a trademark for patterns by Filles a Maman. And yes, I said simple. There is no reason to be scared of collars and plackets. The way this one attaches along the shoulder line makes it much easier to install than the traditional designs.

The pattern uses both knits and woven. The collar and shoulder accents are both from woven fabric. I took the opportunity to use more of this yummy gray chambray. Then I paired it with a super cool lightning bolt cotton jersey fabric. 

(Let me throw in this disclaimer here - I could not get him to change those shorts for these pictures. I even tried bribery. Ugh!)

The facings across the bottom hem and inside of the collar can be made with woven or knit fabric. I used the gray chambray in mine, but when I make this shirt again I will probably use knits. I know knits like to slide around more but I think it would flex with his body more too. As you can see across the back, along the bottom of the collar facing, the knit is flexing but the facing isn't. No big deal, but it might be prevented.

 Another awesome thing about this pattern is the size range. It goes from 12 months all the way up to a 14. And the keen eye may have noticed that the picture above is a different model. My boys are only 18 months apart in age and their sizes overlap a little. They are getting so big though that many indie patterns aren't made big enough for them anymore. So I get really excited when I see a pattern that goes to a 14!

My younger son was a little ambivalent about this shirt when he first saw it. But after wearing it I think it is safe to say he loves it as much as I do.