Trinity Tee pattern release

I am SO excited to have released my latest pattern: the Trinity Tee. 

From Start to finish this has been such a fun pattern. 

Before I get carried away telling you about it, let me give you the link to pattern in my Etsy Shop - HERE.

All week long you can save 20% on all patterns by using the code "Trinity" at checkout.

The Trinity Tee is a swing tee pattern with a hi-lo hem and gathers at the front shoulder line. 

But let's not forget about what makes it special - that triangular accent panel. The accent panel can be made with woven or knit fabrics. This expands the possibilities with this shirt exponentially! The shirt seen here in these pictures has a woven accent panel. 

The other thing that accent panel does is allow for no side seams. Yep, you heard right; no side seams! Pretty cool, huh?

Now that we are seeing the design of the shirt let's talk options. The different options really let you make this shirt your own. There are 3 sleeve lengths: short, three-quarter, and long. The three-quarter and long sleeves are finished with a cuff, but the short sleeve has a binding. The short sleeve binding, the neck binding, and the hem facing can all be made with either knit or woven fabrics. Additionally they can be sewn to be visible from the outside and invisible from the outside. The tutorial goes into detail on how to achieve each look. 

And let's not forget the zipper option! The tutorial will guide you through a really easy  cheater's method of sewing an exposed zipper. This method is ideal for showing off those fancy fashion zippers. In the picture below you can see I used a pretty lace zipper. But if you don't care for exposed zippers there is a note on how to sew a more traditional zipper too ;)

Let's take another look at all those options. Here are some pictures from my awesome testers.

 

I wish I could show you all the tester pictures, but I don't want your computer to crash from trying to load them all!

So....Maybe just one more; from me ;)

Thanks for checking it out! I hope you love this shirt as much as I do.

Hello - would you like to test the Trinity Tee pattern?

Oh, hello again. 

I accidentally took the last year off from blogging. I really do mean accidentally. 

The first part of the year I was completely immersed in making the Aberdeen Jacket pattern. Then I took a "short" break to be more present with my family. Then we began the whole house buying process and before I knew it the Holidays were here and I was saying goodbye to 2015. So, no, I don't have any "Best of 2015" posts to share. Instead, I hope to make 2016 the best! And to start the year right I am getting ready to release a new pattern - the Trinity Tee.

This top may look familiar to some of you; I've been working on it for a while now. In fact, it was formerly referred to as the Triforce Tee. You can see a couple of early versions here, here, and here. 

 The Trinity Tee pattern is a modern swing tee with a hi-lo hem, a front accent panel, and gathering at the front shoulder. It comes with three sleeve length options: short, 3/4, or long. And you can choose to make it from all knit fabric, or mix knit and woven. It has a size range from 12 month to 14 years.

So, whatchya think? Wanna test for me? I am looking for 2-3 testers for each size. Testing will begin Moday January 18th and run for 1 week. If you are interested and can complete on time please fill out the testing sign up form >HERE<.

This one is going to be fun! I am looking forward to it!

Aberdeen Jacket pattern

Hello again! I am back to share my latest pattern - the Aberdeen Jacket. 

This pattern is part of the Willow & Co Patterns SS2015 collection.

The Aberdeen Jacket comes in sizes (UK) 6-26/ (US) 2-22. This is a semi-fitted women's jacket featuring a wide shawl collar, two piece fitted sleeves, welt pockets, and an asymmetric hem and closure. There is an optional back waist strap to adjust waist fit, as well as options for lined or unlined, 3/4 or long sleeves, cropped or regular length, and button or zip styles. The button style includes a single breasted button closure, buttoning flaps over the welt pockets, and straps on the sleeve cuffs. The zip style features exposed zippers at the closure, pockets, and sleeve cuffs.

Whew! That was a mouthful. I have been working long and hard on this one. I may have overdid it with all the different options :) Seriously, with so many options its like having multiple patterns in one. You can make it with suiting fabric for a modern work look. Or go with the zip style for an edgy moto-ish look. You can make it with light fabrics and skip the lining for cool summer evenings. Or you can use a sturdy wool and add a comfy lining for winter. 

The regular length hits at the bottom of the hip for a more classic look, while the cropped length hits at the top of the hip and has a more modern look. The 3/4 sleeve ends about midway between the elbow and wrist, while the long sleeve ends about 1/3 of the way down the hand. I guess I prefer my long sleeves to be, well, long. So of course I made sure the Aberdeen's long sleeves had a generous length.

Okay, okay, enough with the talking, right? Here are some Aberdeens from my awesome testers. Please note that some elements may have changed during the testing phase. But I still just have to share them!

First, I want to give a BIG special thanks to Amy and Emi for all their help. You ladies are amazing! 

 First round of testing: jacket by Amy

 First round of testing: jackets by Emi

Second round of testing (a much better fit!): muslin by Emi (IG -konalumimama)

Camelia

Alison

Vanessa

Hayley

Gloria

Joelle

Leslie

Lesley

Tessa

Cindy

Allison

Jen

Amanda

Thank you again ladies! I couldn't have done it without you.

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!