Sew 'n Sew

Sent with Love is an adorable collection of fabrics from Moda.  It is perfect for valentines day outfits or just a preppy pink and green creation. 

The outfits above use the Children's Corner Lucy pattern shortened to top length with a pleat added using the instructions from the book "Ideas from Children's Corner".  Also the bias tube and bow were made using the fast turners. (thanks Lisa!)  You can make spaghetti trim to match any project.  I just used a sewline glue stick to hold the bias tube in place and just sewed down either side.  The pants are Jillian by Bonnie Blue.

This precious creation uses the Abbey pattern by Children's Corner.  The top fabric is from the Sent with Love collection and the pants are baby whale corduroy in the perfect shade of pink.

 The paisley print is again from the Sent with Love by Moda and would work perfectly for Valentines Day or for a cute spring/summer outfit.  The pant pattern in Jillian by Bonnie Blue.

Don't forget to be here for some last minute Christmas ideas...

Congratulations to the winners of the Christmas Fashion Contest.

They are:

Smocked Division - 1st place - Ruth Bello, 2nd place - Kelly Willis, 3rd place - Brenda Clarey

Unsmocked Division - 1st place - Danielle Mendini, 2nd place - Danielle Mendini, 3rd place - Leslie Wright

Adult Garment - 1st place - Sue Higgins, 2nd place - Pat Jones, 3rd Place - Kris Presley

Thanks to all who participated...as you can see from the slide show, it was a difficult choice.

We hope that you plan to join us for our Holiday Sewing Contest this month! The deadline is November 21st, so there's still plenty of time to join the fun AND get a head start on your Holiday projects!  If you are in need of a little inspiration...you've come the the right place.  Here are some great ideas for the un-smocked category.  We have put together some fabric combinations and pattern ideas that we have in the store right now. 

Corduroys in these bright, Christmas colors are a great place to start and have endless possibilities with trims and appliques.  A good choice for these might be the "Paulie" by Children's Corner. These empire waisted overalls button at the shoulders and include a girl and boy version.  This is a great pattern for ruffle bottom legs that are so popular for little girls.

 These red and green twills would be great with this Bonnie Blue "McKenna" pattern.  It features a button down back and can be adorned with bows at the shoulders and ankles for some added interest and color.  A monogram or applique would be an easy way to embellish this swing top.

 The pants version in this Bonnie Blue "Madison" pattern would look great with Fabric Finder's Christmas swirl and coordinating check.  We have a sample of this in Fall colors in the shop if you want to see this pattern up close! 

 The "Lucy," from Children's Corner, is a great staple pattern to have. It has button top shoulders and can be shortened to a swing top as well.  In this aqua corduroy, it would look great with pink trim and a white minky snowman applique. Penguins would also be cute with this color scheme and could be worn past the Holidays, as well.

 If you're in the mood for something different and funky, we think that this "Claire" by Portobella Pixie is a great way to use your quilting cottons.  Little girls love this comfortable style and the apron adds such a cute detail.

We hope you will join us in this Holiday Sewing challenge! We can't wait to see what you create.

Over the next couple of weeks we are going to try and post inspirational posts to hopefully get all of our super talented customers to participate in the Christmas Fashion Show Contest.  Remember items are due November 21^st. 

There is still plenty of time to start smocking to enter the smocked category.  However, if you don’t want to devote the time to smocking a whole bishop or insert then consider a pattern with a little smocked box.  It is a quick alternative that adds a lot of impact.  There are a lot of patterns out there that already have the smocked box included in the instructions.  My favorite is the Carol by Children’s Corner.  But also consider:

Lydia by Bonnie Blue-

Jordan’s Romper by Maja’s Heirlooms-

Will by Collars Etc.

If you prefer a different pattern that does not have the smocked box already in the instructions Children’s Corner put out a great book a couple of years ago called “Ideas from Children’s Corner”.  It has the instructions to add a smocked box to a Fanny pattern however these same instructions could be to add the same effect to just about any pattern.