Friday, November 30, 2012

Flashback Friday: Shauna from Shwin & Shwin

Welcome to Flashback Friday! Today we welcome none other than Shauna from Shwin & Shwin. In addition to blogging, Shauna is an incredibly talented pattern designer, whose creations are the perfect mix of modern and classic. I'm dying to make Lola a Maggie Mae Tunic... and dress :).

Shauna has two adorable kids, Jude and Abbey (any fan of The Beatles is a friend of mine), and is due with her third right away! She amazes me with all that she accomplishes, all while being as sweet as pie. I'm so happy to have her with us today!

Hello Sew Much Ado readers! My name is Shauna and I blog over at Shwin&Shwin. I was really excited when Abby contacted me about Flashback Fridays! 1: Awesome series I love the idea of going through the old. 2: I just inherited a box full of items from my Grampat. Most unfinished with needles still in them. It was the perfect time to go through the box and stroll down memory lane.

This is my dear sweet Grampat. (in 2007) She passed away in 2009 from ALS. The woman was amazing in a million ways but she was truly gifted at the craft of applique. If I could have an ounce of her talent, or patience, when it comes to applique I would love it. She made the most detailed and beautiful wall hangings, blankets, and in this one particular box, denim jumpers.

There were about 10 denim jumpers, some finished, some missing buttons, some only started. Not only did this remind me of my own state of unfinished and half started projects, but many of these were old, time faded, and likely been in a box for decades. The detail work blows me away, as I imagine her sitting at the machine and stitching every line in the the webbed feet, the gills on the fish, and the feather markings on the Pelican. The classic A line style jumper is something that will never go out of style.

It was fun pulling out the jumpers and finding some that fit Abbey. As an animal lover she was thrilled to have some cute little animals on her jumper.

The jumpers are so easily styled in a more modern way, so be a cool twist to the very styles I sported as kid. Maybe one of these days I will even get up the guts to try and finish some of the ones that were started. For now I can't wait til Abbey is old enough to fit into the L for Llama, which was made with faux fur, it may be my favorite :)

Thanks so much Abby for having me, it was fun, and emotional to go through the work of my Grampat, but I loved every min. of it.

Thank you for joining us, Shauna! Aren't those jumpers just adorable? And styled so cute (although I doubt anything could look less than cute on Abbey). Make sure to stop in and visit Shwin & Shwin! I have to say that I've been so appreciate of all those who've shared their flashbacks with us thus far. Isn't it fun to get a glimpse into each other's pasts?

Oh, and I know it's a rare occurance, but we have two posts today, so make sure to also check out my pattern review of Peekaboo Pattern's Skinny Jeans and a giveaway from Go To Patterns!

A Very Go To Christmas: Skinny Jeans Pattern Review

When Andrea asked me to be a part of A Very Go To Christmas and review one of the many patterns available at Go To Patterns, I knew exactly which pattern I wanted to review. I had been itching to make Peekaboo Pattern's Skinny Jeans, and was excited to finally have an excuse.

One worry that I think a lot of us share in sewing pants, especially jeans, is that they will look "homemade" (which us sew-ers know is very different than "handmade," right?), but with Amy's pattern you can erase that fear.

This pattern has such a great fit. Seriously. It's definitely my favorite thing about the pattern, and the reason why I'll be using it again and again. And the fact that it's a unisex pattern, makes it even better. To be able to make Wyatt, Weston, and Lola (in a few months when she's a bit bigger) pants out of the same pattern is pretty great.

I was really happy with the sizing, which is always tricky. I didn't need to make any adjustments at all. Wyatt turned 5 in September, and these pants fit him really simliarly to all of his size 5 jeans.

I really love all the details that the pattern offers. From an adjustable elastic waistband option...

To a mini front pocket...

To a button front and faux fly (which I re-stitched four, yes FOUR times to get perfect)...

The details in the pattern definitely do not lack.

I thought it would be fun to add some camo for the pocket lining. I figured it was insurance in case my husband thought skinny jeans were too girly for Wyatt :).

The pattern recommends to use stretch bottomweights, so I used a stretch twill. JoAnn actually has a great selection of stretch twill in fun colors. It was really nice to sew with, and is really comfortable for Wyatt to run, jump, and play in. Perfect for my not-so-little boy on the go.

Lately I wonder how he's grown up so fast.

Well, sometimes.

The instructions and photos in the pattern were very clear, even when I printed them in black and white. The pattern pieces were also easy to assemble, and overall it was a really fun pattern to follow! But the most important question... Does Wyatt like them?

I think that's a yes!

Ready for an awesome giveaway?

Enter to win a shopping spree at GoToPatterns.com and Sew Fine Fabric!

THREE WINNERS!

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{Although I received a free Skinny Jeans Pattern, I was in no other way compensated, and all opinions are completely genuine!}

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

We Did It! Wednesday

Welcome to We Did It! Wednesday! Can you believe it's almost December? I'm excited but already worried it will come and go too fast!

Here's how We Did It! Wednesday works:

1. Enter a link (specific blog post, not your homepage) using the Linky Tools below to something you made that you want to share. It can be something you sewed, crafted, painted, baked, or anything else you made that you want to share.
2. Try to check out at least one other link on the list (and I'm sure they'd love it if you left a comment too).
3. Post the We Did It! Wednesday button below to your post or sidebar to let others know your participating.

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Monday, November 26, 2012

Cyber Monday Sale!

I just wanted to pop in and let you know that you can get 25% off our patterns today with code CYBER2012! Happy Cyber Monday!

Friday, November 23, 2012

Flashback Friday: Stacey from Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy!

Welcome to Flashback Friday!

Today's guest is Stacey from Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy! (isn't her blog name along enough to make you love her?!). Stacey is a mom to three little boys, and is always a help to us others with little boys, sharing boy-friendly activities and books with us. A former elementary school teacher, she has a great writing style, which is just one of the reasons why I love to read her blog.

I always admire that Stacey is so great at involving her kids in her sewing and crafting projects, like this Interactive Monster Shirt she made with her boys. I feel like I have a lot to learn from her in that way, and am so glad to have her with us today!

Hi, I'm Stacey (that's me in the red cape) and I blog over at Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy! When I sat down to think about what to write for Flashback Friday, it took me through my own sewing history. I remember the first time I ever completed a sewing project, a simple long sleeve t-shirt in my Home Economics class. I was so very proud of my accomplishment, especially since most of my classmates choose the pillow or pot holder option. Flash forward to three weeks before my first son was due. While looking through a magazine full of decorated nurseries, I came across a set of wall hangings that I decided my son MUST have in his first bedroom. Not realizing he'd decided to come that next week instead, I ran out that very day and bought the first sewing machine I could get my hands on. To be nice, let's say she was a very basic machine. I did eventually finish those wall hangings though it wasn't easy. Flash forward another three years, practically due with my second son (clearly I have a late term nesting issue), I decided I must sew this baby's crib bedding, complete with dust ruffle and patchwork crib bumper. It was at this time that I realized I needed to make room in my life for a creative outlet and began setting aside regular sewing times.

Which got me wondering where this passion came from. It didn't take me long to land on my mother. She, as far as I can remember, is the first seamstress in our family As my sisters and I were growing up she made all of our Halloween costumes and special event dresses.

I'll never forget the excitement of taking our annual trip to the fabric store to choose which costume we wanted. I can close my eyes and picture the piles of catalogues and white envelopes filed in long rows. Whether it was the devil costume, Native American princess, Wonder Women, or a giant blue crayon, my mother never failed to produce a well made garment. I know now how many hours must have been spent in making our dreams come true just for one night.

To this day, my favorite party dress was this purple, ruffled chiffon dress she made for Easter. Can you see the satin trim on each layer? I remember feeling so beautiful every time I wore it. I think that memory may have later gotten me through the years of glasses and long limbs, braces and always being the tallest one in my class. Being a mom of three boys, I don't get to sew things with ruffles and frills very often. But I know it's the memory of my own mother's creativity that drives me to seek refuge at the sewing machine. It is my peaceful place. She sews now to make beautiful things as gifts or for charity programs at her church and it is so inspiring. As my children grow, and no longer come running to me to make this or that, I know I'll move on to sewing for others and the creative spark that she's planted in me will continue.

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Thank you, Stacey! It's so fun to see all the cute costumes and dresses your mom made you! She clearly passed that talent onto you! And I have to say the "woman" with the hairy arms in the first photo gave me a good chuckle :). I hope you're all enjoying your Thanksgiving weekend!

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

We Did It! Wednesday

Welcome to We Did It! Wednesday! I hope you're enjoying your Thanksgiving week and are ready for a nice break!

Here's how We Did It! Wednesday works:

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Monday, November 19, 2012

Ruffled Burlap Table Runner Tutorial

Need to dress up your Thanksgiving or Christmas table?

This simple yet elegant table runner is a perfect addition to any table.

Even better, it's an easy project that you can have whipped up in no time!

Ready to get started?

Materials:
Burlap - 48" wide and the finished desired length plus 6"
Cotton - 45" wide and TWICE as long as the length of burlap - if you want to use your ruffler foot, it's a good idea to have a little extra length of cotton
*You'll have enough width to be able to make three runners out of the above amounts.*

Directions:
1. Cut the burlap to 16" wide and the cotton to 10" wide (it's easiest if you rip the cotton along the grainline). You can adjust these widths, but I'd recommend to keep at least 6" difference between the two to make sure you have a nice wide border of burlap.

2. Using a basting stitch, stitch along one entire length of the cotton, without backstitching at the beginning or end. Pull the bottom thread to gather the cotton to match the length of the burlap.

Right sides together, match raw edge with burlap edge and stitch along the entire length. I used my ruffler foot, and used it to gather the cotton as it was being sewn to the burlap. If you have a ruffler foot, use it! It's more than worth the few minutes it takes to figure out :). If you are using a ruffler foot, it's a good idea to sew a couple of test pieces to make sure the cotton isn't being gathered more than double - if it is, you'll come up short when you get to the end of the burlap!

3. Repeat step 2 with the remaining long sides of cotton and burlap. You can see that my gathered cotton ended up being just a hair shorter than my burlap, but since I started with a little extra length, it's no worry and will be trimmed soon!

4. Turn the runner right side out.

5. Keeping the ruffles centered in the middle, press the folded burlap edges flat, keeping equal amounts of burlap on each side. You can press just the edge of the ruffles, making them more billowy...