Happy Hunger Games: Girl on Fire

Hey! It's Karly here posting about my Happy Hunger Games Tour look!

I am a HUGE fan of the Hunger Games. When the books came out I was very hesitant to read them because of the craze that kind of followed, and after Twilight (sorry, no Twilight fans here...) I really cringed at the thought of another series I wouldn't enjoy and would waste my precious reading time on.

Then my mum started telling me how much the main character reminded her of me (first book Katniss) and I could not resist reading them to find out. Then obviously I couldn't put the books down and a new fan was born!

Uptown/Downtown Expansion Pack Tour by Sew Straight and Gather

Hey everyone!  It’s been minute since we’ve posted- we’ve all been dealing with life stuff. Stupid life stuff!  We're back today as part of a pattern tour!  WOO HOO!  But not just ANY tour, this one's a little special; it's for an expansion pack for an existing pattern.  WOAH.  I just blew your mind, I know it.

I was feeling a little blog neglectful, so when I saw my chance to sign up for the Uptown/ Downtown Dress Expansion Pack Tour by Sew Straight and Gather, I was like “YES!”  It’s such an unbelievably cute dress- just the thing to get me out of my funk.  I’m so happy to be a part of this tour because of how cool the designer was about releasing her expansions.  Instead of charging for them, she offered them to her customers for FREE just because she felt like it.  How cool is that?!?!?  About a billion cool- that’s how much.  So here it is!

If you’ve been following the tour, you probably know what’s included in the expansion, but here’s the list: cowl neck, long sleeves, pockets, tank top, and maxi length.  With that many added options, you can get a plethora of looks from ONE PATTERN.  Value- yes!  I’m all over that like Miley on a wrecking ball...but less gross, not naked and I won’t be licking things.  Ok...bad imagery.  Changing the subject.  Changing the subject.  Oh!  There’s also an added BONUS tutorial for a color-blocked waist panel.  SAWEET.

For my girl’s dress, I chose to utilize the cowl, longsleeves and pockets.  The cowl is super warm and my girl loves pulling it over her head like a crazy person.  The long sleeves obviously also aid in the avoidance of bodily freezing, plus, they’re très chic.  Paired with boots this combo is super cute, but it also works with sneakers and leggings for the crazy superhero kapow kid who also loves wearing dresses.

The pockets are awesome because all kids love pockets.  I chose to do them in a yellow knit so they’d stand out and add a little more color.  I love color!

My girl is IN LOVE with this dress.  She’s in heaven when I sew with knit, because it makes for easy movement and let’s face it- it’s super comfy.  This dress is a truly fun sew and just what I needed to get me back into the sewing groove.  I can’t wait to try some of the other options when the weather warms up again, but I’m in no hurry for that to happen.  I’ll just sew a few more winter versions- oh darn.

-Crystal-

Don’t forget to check out the other awesome bloggers on the tour.  You can see the list on the image below.

Also, here’s a giveaway because free expansions pair well with a free pattern!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you choose not to wait to win it, buy it with the coupon code UPTOWNEXPANSION25 for 25% off!  This coupon also works on the Etage dress in the shop or Etsy, so stock up while the gettin’s good.   The discount is good through Saturday the 22^nd.

The Elsapocalypse and Annapocalypse are here

It's Halloween time.  I'm sure you know, especially since it's October 30th.  This year, my girl was SUPPOSED to go as Jack Skellington and I was so excited!  I even made her costume ahead of schedule...that's a big deal for me.  Then she said the dreaded words no parent ever wants to hear "I want to be Elsa for Halloween" NOOOOOOOOO!  My world shattered.  I already had an Elsa dress made and it's HER costume, so fine.  Whatever.  Stupid Elsa. She makes a lovely brunette Elsa, so it works. I'm still as bitter cold as Arendelle when it's Elsa's time of the month about it.

My little Elsa isn't feeling well, but she gave me 10 good minutes of photos and is now napping.

Upon hearing that sissy wanted to be Elsa, my boy said "I want Anna!" He's 2 and a half and has always loved Anna.  He has ZERO interest in Olaf or Kristoff.  He likes funny Anna and all of her songs.  It's HIS Halloween costume, so baby, you can be Anna.

And what a handsome Anna he makes!  I call this Prince Brawna of Arendelle.  He hasn't ever really enjoyed dresses, so I went with pants.  We added a crown and sword because he loves dress-up as much as the next kid and also, he loves hitting things with swords. I'll keep an eye on that.  He demolished that dandelion in the pics after I was finished snapping away.  It probably looked at him funny.

For the patterns I used the following:

The Ethan Shirt by Sis Boom (modified the collar)
The Festive Vest by Scientific Seamstress
The Nowhere Man Pants by Shwin
The Traveler Cape by Stitchwerx Designs (removed the side panels of the long cape and rounded and angled the capelet part)
This Clasp Embroidery File by XTPatterns

I hope you like my Arendelle royalty.  You'll no doubt see 100 Elsa and Annas but try to show each one how excited you are for them because they probably couldn't be prouder of themselves.  It's the one night they get to pretend to be someone else.  We're all so lucky they've chosen to be characters that love their siblings and stand up for the good in their worlds. Sparkly dresses and magical powers add to the appeal, but you know what I mean ;)

-Crystal-

CraftingCon Guest Post: Villains Month!

It's another CraftingCon look from Crystal today! 

 It's Villain month and things are getting dastardly.  Head on over to Friends Stitched Together to see more pics of this fabulous 90's  (And a little bit of 80's) Villain(s).

Also make sure to head on over to Mae & K to see what the contestants have been working on all month.  There's some really fun looks!

Project Run & Play Sewalong- Season 10: Week Four (Crystal)

It's Signature Style time over at Project Run and Play, and I totally decided to go nuts and have fun with this one.  Maybe a little too much fun...almost got myself into trouble with the amount of fun.  But don't worry, I was Saved by the Bell.  Smooth intro, Crystal.  Smoother than Mr. Belding's Balding head.

Now, I know what you're thinking:

"This is wilder than than one of Jessie and Slater's fights" 
"This is sparklier than the Zack Attack blazer."
"Holy Hot Sundae, this is bright" 

But, dude, it's so me!

I am ALL over color and crazy.  I'm a *bit* on the theatrical side when I sew and usually tame it a smidge for the sake of your eyeballs.  But since we're doing a signature style, I just couldn't leave it alone.  I let it flow, and I love it more than all of the Buddy Bands in the world.  I adore seeing kids dress in fun things because you can only do it for so long before you exit "adorable" and enter "institutional."  Kids don't need to dress as serious as a caffeine pill addiction.

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This dress looks like something Kelly Kapowski's barbie doll would wear.  The fabrics I used were: An acid wash print cotton I found at Joann's a year ago, some sparkle 2 way knit of doom, and the pink stuff I'll talk more about later.  The biggest Papow is all those ruffles.  I normally don't "do" ruffles.  They're hell to sew when you don't know how to use the ruffler foot you spent $35 on and when ruffling on the serger is something you just never got around to attempting.  So yeah, I hand gathered those ruffles...all of them.  Over 160" EACH ruffle (4 of them anyway), but it was sooooooo worth it.  The pattern I used to get my ruffle measurements was the Francesca's by Create Kids Couture.  I really do love Create Kids Couture patterns and I love the ladies in their FB group page even more.  They're just friendly. My daughter FLIPPED over this dress.  She can't wait to wear it to school....which brings me to the bodice.

I needed something with enough coverage for dress code (3" strap minimum), but the Francesca's bodice just doesn't have that. I decided to make the bodice using the Saffron Twirl Dress by Paisley Roots for the front.  For the back, I used the Saffron back piece for the arm holes, but layered it over the back of the All Spice (same designer) and added a little extra to create a button placket to close it up.  Then I used the All Spice flutter sleeve to make the cap sleeve. The Saffron has deeper armholes than the All Spice, so I knew I'd need the width of the flutter instead of the actual cap sleeve...so confusing, but it totally worked as planned.  The fabric is amazing.  It was found at the same yard sale the My Little Pony fabric was at and then was given to me.  Most people wouldn't have been so excited to receive this fabric, but I SQUEALED.  And it totally looks like it fits in with the Saved by the Bell opening credits.

So there you have it: Bayside Barbie. I believe Lisa Turtle would wear this to prom making Screech even screechier.  She'll have to take a number, though, because I don't think my daughter will ever take it off.

 

-Crystal-

P.S. One child + Mommy's Heels = HILARITY

Modkid Avery "Tuttle" Dress

Fall is the time for pumpkins, sweaters, and breaking out the long sleeved clothing.  We had a match made in heaven with some fall colored material, a long sleeved dress pattern, one little girl obsessed with dresses and turtles, and fantastic timing for a sew along: The Modkid Avery Sew Along that is!

This is Halloween "Hacks"

Hosted by

It’s our turn for the “Halloween Hacks” series over at Swoodson Says!  This series is about taking a non-costume PDF pattern and making a dope costume with it (yeah, I’m bringing back “that’s dope!”.  I’ll let you do it too).  Great idea, right?  It’s a good way to get our brain muscles flexing and thinking out of the box.  Halloween is my favorite holiday, so I was STOKED to be a part of this spooktacular theme. Every day for MONTHS, my daughter asked for a Jack Skellington costume. So after I MADE SURE SURE SURE that she was set on being the Pumpkin King (because kids are fickle like a pickle), I got to work.

 All patterns- PDF or Paper- are just shapes and measurements.  It’s up to us to pick out the elements we need from each to make the best look for us.  Sometimes a costume is made by mashing lots of elements from tons of patterns, but on rare occasions, one pattern and good choices about fabric and embellishments can be all you need to make a unique costume. For my costume, I used The Vintage Georgia by TheCottage Mama.  I embroidered a little Jack onto the bib so that it can be worn outside of Halloween.  Now I normally wouldn’t put a character ON the costume, but I wanted the girl to wear it more than once without going to school looking like Wednesday Addams.  The character had to be there so people would “get” it and not think I’ve got a cemetery in the back yard.

I used lace overlay and some hand-stitching to get those Jack elements in while still being super girly.  I chose some dark metal buttons because they were cool.  That’s my only reason, but it’s reason enough!  Don’t you argue with me, or I’ll hex you!  The pockets were another add-on.  I used the pockets from this pattern and added my stitching again.  I feel like the asymmetrical shape looks like it’s right out of Halloween Town.  And they’re great for hiding candy in case of an emergency.

I made the hat myself using this ornament pattern, but enlarging it, using different materials, and constructing it my own way.  Then I added more black stitching, an embroidered bat, a big bow, and a little netting for some fancy.

The mask was made using this embroidery file from Gracefully Geeky.  It was the final missing piece of the puzzle.

I was SO PROUD of this dress and was sooo excited for my daughter to wear it on Halloween...then she said she wanted to wear her Elsa dress. HEAD/DESK.  I’m out!

-Crystal-

Check out the other tour folks here:

Blog Tour!

Wednesday, October 1st: Rebekah Sews & Dog Under My Desk 

Thursday, October 2nd: Friends Stitched Together & Sew Pandi 

Friday, October 3rd: That's What She Crafted & Everything Your Mama Made & More 

Monday, October 6th: Shawnta Sews & Handmade Boy 

Tuesday, October 7th: Muse of the Morning & Swoodson Says 

Wednesday, October 8th: Call Ajaire & Sew McCool 

Thursday, October 9th: Once Upon A Sewing Machine & imagine gnats 

Friday, October 10th: The Sewing Geek & Feather's Flights 

Monday, October 13th: Get Your Crap Together & Needle and Ted 

Tuesday, October 14th: The Shaffer Sisters & The Inspired Wren 

Wednesday, October 15th: Pattern Revolution & Just Joshin

And make sure to participate in the Scavenger hunt, too!  

Scavenger Hunt!

Time to go trick or treating! Use the Rafflecopter below for a digital scavenger hunt. You'll be 

looking at each blog's posts for the month of September to find this icon:

  

 for a chance to win one of THREE awesome sewing prize packs! Three winners will be chosen randomly (and their form completion verified) and emailed within 3 days of the hunt's closure. A big thank you to all the sponsors who donated prizes! Pack 1 { $30 to The Ribbon Retreat +2 patterns from GYCT Designs + 1 pattern from Dog Under My Desk} Pack 2 {$30 to The Fabric Fairy + Kids Pattern Package from imagine gnats} Pack 3 {$30 to Fat Quarter Shop + 2 patterns from Everything Your Mama Made & More +Ramblin' Raglan Mega Pattern Pack from Muse of the Morning} a Rafflecopter giveaway

Knitting for a Knitter

Sometimes it takes another crafter to appreciate the time and effort (and many times love) a person puts into a crafty project- whether it be knitting, sewing, wood working, painting or any of the numerous crafts out there.

So when news came to me that a friend of a friend had received some low blows delivered by life my hands (and head) decided it was time to put my "talents" to work and make something this person.  Now I've never met this woman nor will I ever but I do know she could use a little bit of a lift and I can do that through a craft she also enjoys doing but is unable to do at the moment.  I picked up my knitting needles, asked some questions as to color preferences to my friend, and searched my yarn stash. 

Project Run & Play Sewalong- Season 10: Week Three (Crystal)

It’s week 3!  And this time I’m ON TIME with my post.  Applause welcomed.  This week is all about denim. Jay Leno would be ecstatic (that one’s for all of you Adam Carolla fans).  Denim is actually pretty versatile, and way fun to sew with. I thought a looooooooong time on this one and then stopped thinking and just started sewing.  This is what appeared from my chaos- The Denim Darlin’

We’re not really cowpoke over here.  We’re city slickers to the max.  As a matter of fact, a bee got into my house today and I swear to you it made me a wreck.  I’ll be hearing bees in my sleep.  Even though I may be the indoorsy type, I love the cowgirl LOOK- especially the whole “worker meets ethereal being” effect denim and chiffon make.  It’s just lovely.  Did you just picture Arwen Evenstar driving a tractor and feeding hogs?  Just me?  Ok, then.

I used the Jane pattern by Violet Fields threads and took off the sleeves. I added an extra column of buttons because the dress was just too loose for my taste.  Since I used denim from an old pair of pants, I couldn’t just make a new one.  BLAST!  But, I made it work like a hotty farm hand.  I think it turned out pretty sweetly.  I dig it like ...a piece of heavy equipment that...digs.

I added a few pickups, flowers, and some pretty rose trim to make it a bit more flouncy and girly since my little peanut likes things that pixies would wear.  Pixie cowgirl...Tinkerbell shoveling poo...

That’s it!  I kept it pretty simple and my little cowgirl is ready to go to the grocery store and ride a motorized horse.  Seriously, I’m afraid of riding horses- tried it once as a grown woman and cried like a baby as it moved.  I mean, it’s a ride that THINKS ON IT’S OWN.  Scary stuff, man.    I can’t wait to see what everyone else sews up!

-Crystal-

Guest Post: The Life of a Compulsive Crafter- Reusable Snack Bags

The school year is back into full swing. This post is for all the mama's making sack lunches for their children. While I think reusable snack bags are awesome in summer - you shouldn't pack them up when the weather begins to cool down. Reusable snack bags are a great way to lower your household's carbon footprint all year long. All those plastic bags we use for chips and cookies and carrots and... well you get the point. They can be replaced with a few of these, and they're really easy to make. Toss them into your child's lunch for a fun and environmentally friendly alternative to plastic bags. You can use either laminated cotton or use any cotton fabric + vinyl over the top (available at Joann's and many other fabric stores). 

There are so so many great tutorials on how to create these bags, so I'm going to link the one I used as well as some other options you may want to try out!

Snack Bags with Velcro

Snack Bags with A Zipper

Snack Bags with Snaps

I really love the ones with snaps and can't wait to give them a try- I feel like they'd be very easy to wash. BTW you may be wondering how to wash these little guys. I usually use a damp washcloth with soap and wipe out the inside making sure to really get into the corners, then I rinse them out really well, and open them up and place them on my drying rack. I'm leery about putting them into the washing machine, but you can certainly give that a try if you're braver than I am. 

I'd also like to mention that they make great gifts! I had a friends daughter turning 1- which is such a tough age to buy Birthday presents for. I needed something simple to give her so I whipped up a couple of these and grabbed a few boxes of her favorite snacks. Seriously, it was quick and USEFUL. 

- Mae 

(The Life Of A Compulsive Crafter)