Paisley Roots All Spice Week!: Autumn

It’s Allspice week here at That’s What SHE Crafted.  Our very own Karly came out with her sophomore pattern “The Allspice” under her pattern company Paisley Roots.  We decided to spotlight this pattern because we are fine with shameless friend promotion.  It means more Christmas present for us when she becomes a millionaire and Crystal's broke and in prison for being sarcastic with the president or something.  Anyway...THE ALLSPICE!  Here's a pic of all 4 versions sewn by Karly, herself:

 

Here’s the description from her Etsy listing because we're too lazy to write a new one:

“The All Spice dress features a square-neck with 2 different closures for the front: Button or Zipper. Back is completely closed. It also comes with 4 sleeve options: Flutter, Sleeveless, Cap and Long sleeve. This dress is perfect for all seasons and has a size range that stands from baby to tween!

It comes in 11 sizes:

6-12 mos.
12-18 mos.
2T
3T
4T
5
6
7
8
10
12

Skill level: Advanced Beginner - Skills used for this pattern *zipper, *buttons, *pintucks and a lining.
(closure is optional depending on preference and pintucks are optional.)

Pattern comes with a full tutorial and color photos in an easy to print PDF."

Man, that was hard work to write....er copy and paste ;)

Since each sleeve option represents a season, we’re starting with Autumn.  The cap sleeve version is perfect for the Autumn weather. It’s great for layering with a pretty cardigan and pairs well with boots and tights (or, you know, tennies).  We would also like to point out that the Allspice is great for school.  Crystal's girl has worn 3 of them to school already on non-P.E. days.

    

They're easy to dress up or down depending on your girl's personality and taste. The lines are super classic and pintucks never go out of style.  Your kid will look fab while scarfing down a pumpkin muffin and drinking a pumpkin spiced cocoa while at the pumpkin patch full of pumpkins.  We really miss Autumn. It’s almost here, though, so get your Autumn Allspice on!

-The SHEs-

Back To School with Maggie Mae!

I’ve spent a lot of time the past few months working on school clothes for my first child in kindergarten.  I was not ready for my BAAAAAABY to be in kindergarten AT ALL.  Not ready to not have her all day.  Not ready for her to be more independent.  Not ready for parent homework.  With all the things I wasn’t ready for, I was determined to be ready for one thing: that child of mine was going to look fabulous.  I combed  all of my patterns looking for ones with sleeves (there’s a 3” strap rule which is basically sleeves on a 5 year old) and got to work.  One of my go-to patterns for a successful sew is the Maggie Mae by Shwin.  I made two for school and I love them both!

The first I made was a tunic length.  There’s also a “no leggings as pants rule”, so I had to make sure it looked good with jeans.   Seriously...these rules.  SO MANY RULES.  I had a rule of my own- I had to use my stash.  We do not have any disposable income right now, so stash busters were a MUST.  I had some of this leftover Cherry Print that I’ve used for a bunch of stuff and I found an old dress I hated and used the grey skirt for the yoke.   BAM!  One top down and my awesome factor is UP!

I decided to make a dress version as well.  Kids grow up and need to be “cool” so quickly.  I’m DEFINITELY not ready for that, so I’m keeping her young as long as she lets me.  I was given this AWESOME gnome fabric that I’ve been obsessing over for a year and I knew I needed it for something.  I paired it with a sparkle denim and YEP!  This one’s for all my Gnomies. This dress started out as a different pattern, but my daughter complained that the bodice was “too itchy”.  Whiner.  (But it totally was itchy).  I decided to go back to Maggie Mae and it was better.  Muuuuch better.  The only thing I changed , really, was the skirt.  I made a wider skirt and gathered it, rather than using the slimmer and pleated version that comes with the pattern.  I also made  a white sash and a denim flower for that Papow!  My girl even wore it to picture day!  Maggie Mae saves the day!  But I’m, at the very least, her sidekick.  But like a sexy sidekick that everyone likes and invites to parties because no one wants to be Robin...

Anyway, I hope you like two of my school looks.  There have been a lot more and you’ll get to see at least 2 of them next week...ALLSPICE WEEK.  WOO HOO!!!

-Crystal-

Paisley Roots Saffron Twirl: Pattern "Somersaults"

Yo peeps!  I had my own blog and now I don't.  There were some pretty cool tutorials over there and now they're not available, so I'm slowly bringing them to this awesome blog.  First up, some Saffron Twirl dress mods!   I am so happy with the way these dresses came out! I'm going to share my tiny flips of this pattern- they're more like pattern "somersaults" actually.  We're quite a ways from the pattern Olympics.  You ready?!?!?

***Excuse the weird photo editing.  These pics were taken before I knew how to shoot well and edit like a boss.  It's a little painful, but it's all I've got right now.  Power through.  Just power through***

**********Somersault #1: The teardrop applique neckline********** 

 The only thing I added on my first dress was the teardrop appliques. You're going to need to print out this free template I put together for you. You're welcome. You know you thanked me. Make sure to print it at 100% or actual size...whichever you do normally for pattern printing. You can always increase or decrease these sizes to suit your taste, but my way is usually the best. As far as your method of applique, you can do it however you normally do it. I like to trace my shapes on to Wonder Under (write on the smooth side) and follow the manufacturers instructions for ironing it on.
 I measured out 5/8" from the edge of the raw neckline on the bodice front. Why? Because 3/8" is the SA and I gave myself 1/4" extra for any mistakes. I didn't mark on my fabric because I hate that. I just laid my clear acrylic ruler on my fabric. Then I placed my largest drop down on the center with the point touching the line (the edge of my ruler). Once I was satisfied with the placement, I ironed it into place (yay for sticky, wonderful Wonder Under). I eyeballed the placement of the rest of my drops, making sure the points all touched the line and were evenly spaced. Ironed those suckers down too. They were all like "what!?!?" Then I zigzagged around each drop. Once that's all done, you just sew the dress up as directed and it'll turn out PURTY.  

********** Somersault #2: Skirt band and contrasting ties********** 

 For the contrasting ties....I used two fabrics. Yeah, that's all. Tutorial over! For the Band on the bottom I just used math. THESE MEASUREMENTS WERE FOR THE SIZE 4! The math will be the same, but the final pieces of the larger skirt section will be larger or smaller based on the size you make. My skirt height was 16". I picked 4" for the band height because I wanted a finished band of 3.5" after the hem (hem is 1/2" total). Soooooo 16-4=12. Give yourself a sticker. Now add on SA to each piece since you have to attach them to one another.... and you have one piece that's 12 3/8" tall and one that's 4 3/8" tall. WHEW! All of that addition...making kindergartners sweat.

Now put your band on the bottom of your skirt RST and sew using your SA. Finish off that seam with a serger or zig-zag and press the seam up. Iron your seam up and top-stitch into place. Now you have a 16" tall skirt piece just as the pattern calls for.



Sew up your dress using these new skirt pieces and you're done.  WOO HOO!!!!  Winning all over the place.

You can get the Saffron dress HERE and make sure to "like" Paisley Roots on Facebook.  You can like her in real life, too.  She's a pretty cool person.  She's also one of the SHEs so, yeah.

-Crystal-

Crystal's Jenny: Craft-Off Day 2

Before we get started with Day 2's Competitor, we wanted to let you all know that on Friday we will be having a giveaway with an extra entry for participating in our linky party!  All you have to do for the EXTRA entry is make something for you!  Get your selfish sew on and link up on Friday.  You'll be able to enter the giveaway even if you don't link up, but linking up gives you one more chance at being a winner and not a LOSER!  Ok...onward to battle

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It’s my turn to compete, so heeeeeeeere’s Jenny! 

When the gals picked the Jenny for this craft-off I was a little nervous.  My fabric was just not speaking to me.  I was begging it to say something...anything.  But bin after bin and not even a whisper from my textiles.  I HAD to choose from my stash, ‘cuz I’m broke as a joke, yo.  I eventually picked out 3 different fabric combos as contenders and decided to go with the brightest since spring was in the air.  I wanted to make this one different from my last fabulously plaid Jenny, so I decided to do a 2-tone dealeo.  I love my retro dress wardrobe and this dress fits right in with the others.  BABABABOOM!  I win.  

The Frozen Effect

So there's this movie with a snow queen, a sister, a snowman, a funny-looking donkey, a reindeer, unnecessary trolls, and a severely neglected youngest child who turns into a treacherous and murderous throne stealing poop face.  Seen it? No?  Maybe this will help

LET IT GOOOOOOOOO! Let it go!  Can't hold it back anymore!

....and I bet you're still singing.  My child has become infected with the mother of all Disney brain freezes called "Frozen".

Fall is here: Perfect reason for new clothing

Fall is finally here!  Which means it's time to break out our hoodies, long sleeved shirts, and pants.  Though being in S. California some would say we are still having lovely "summer" weather; however, there is just enough nip in the air in the mornings that I feel the need to bundle my kiddos up a little more and sip hot tea or hot coco.

In any case, S needed some new shirts to brighten his wardrobe in some of his favorite colors, blue and green.  I chose to do a short sleeved option since we layer with baby legs for arm warmers or just throw on a light jacket.  Long sleeves seem to be an issue for him with hand washing for as soon as the sleeves get wet he wants the shirt OFF!

For his shirt, I used Figgy's Tee for Two, a pattern I have returned to time and time again.  S loves the softness of knit and I love how quickly these sew up.  I think I've now made 4 or 5 of them and eventually will do the dress option for V (not that she's hurting in the dress department, I've yet again run out of hangers for her!).  Next for these shirts will be a bit of stenciling, I think, but that will have to be a mommy/son project for another day, after he decides exactly what it is he wants on his shirt!

Pattern Anthology

I was somehow able to test not 1, not 2, but 5 of the patterns from Pattern Anthology's new Winter Wonderland release.  I think it was a stroke of luck, because I really love these patterns!

Pattern Review Halloween Style: My Little Plumcake- Cordelia

Halloween is my absolute favorite holiday.  I love dressing up and getting my kids dressed up and begging for candy.  I've always made our costumes, but since learning how to sew, things have gotten much more epic.  Aurelia and Obren's main costumes this year are the Queen of Hearts and the White Rabbit, respectively and can be seen here.  Well, she has a school parade and gets to wear a costume to school.  Here's the deal; I don't want her messing up her pretty dress.  She's crazy.  She is so crazy wild that I've already had to replace her new shirts that I bought at the beginning of the school year at the end of August.  She only goes to school 4 days a week and only  2 hours a day, so it takes some massive skill to ruin things that quickly.  I needed her to be able to be involved in the festivities, while still being in a costume that would allow her to be a crazy kid.  This is what I came up with:

Small FRY-Day Spotlight: Cautiously Crafty

It's small FRY-day and our last of the month! We've had some amazing talent showcased and we have one more!  Today we're featuring Paige  with Cautiously Crafty.  She's got some awesome inspiration for ya!  Also, at the end of this post, we're having a linky party!  Everyone link up YOUR favorite homemade Halloween costume...the one you're most proud of.  This is just for fun and I LOVE costumes, so you can bet I'll be checking out every.single.one!  Ok, now to Paige!

-Crystal-
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Small FRY-day Spotlight: Ali Cat & Co.

It's Crystal here and that means that it's time for our third Small FRY-day Halloween post!  This time we bring you the mind behind the goddess body of Brianne from Ali Cat & Co.   Seriously, it takes a great bod to rock the Spock out of an invisible boat.

Just so you know, we love this gal.  She's cooky and crazy and totally CRAFTY!  Check out her blog after you read this post; there's tons of great stuff on there.  Anyway, without further ado from me to you.......

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Small FRY-day Spotlight: Diedelbug Handmade

It's our second Small Fry-day Spotlight of the month (and of "ever") and this one is going to knock your socks off, too! I'm telling you, there is some rockin' talent out there. This week we have Erin from Diedelbug Handmade showing off her "super" costumes that are guaranteed to turn you into a mega villain named Jealous Man.  She was even nice enough to share some how-to secrets with you.  Grab some candy corn and read on!  Also if you missed last week's Small Fry-day Spotlight, you can check that out here.  Thank you, Erin for joining us this week!

-Crystal-
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Well first off let me introduce myself. I’m Erin, the craftermind (inset evil laugh, well maybe it’s more of a cackle hehe) behind Diedelbug Handmade. I’ve just started to sell handbags but I mostly sew for my little monsters, umm I mean angels, 2 and 4 year old boys. Need I say more?  They’ve reached the constant picking and bickering stage. More recently I’ve started to dabble into sewing actual wearable clothes for me. I can only use so many bags you know? Ok, enough about me and back to the “angels.” The boys FINALLY decided what they each wanted to be for Halloween. I have to start asking in August because they change their minds daily. Who am I kidding? More like hourly. At one point I was going to have to come up with Optimus Prime. Really? I had no idea how I was going to make that happen for a 2 year old. Whew!

Last year Zander, my oldest, went as the Incredible Hulk, complete with crazy Hulk hair.

A Pixie Birthday Party

My little girl V is turning one on the 13th of this month.  It's so hard to believe that she's been with us a year while at the same time it feels like she's aways been with us.  At the end of last month we used part of Mr. Viever's paternity leave to travel to see friends and family and at that time through her birthday party celebrating her first year among our family members in Arizona at my in law's home.  We did the same for S when he turned one and it was so nice spending time with family and being with those who loved us most to celebrate the life of our child so we had to do it again for V.

V is a bit on the small side and I call her a little pixie, so a party theme was born! Now some random background, I'm not a fan of Tinkerbell.  Just plain don't care for her, her sass, or the fact that Pixie Hollow took over what used to be Ariel's Grotto at Disneyland- I know I'm a bit of a freak but Ariel's my favorite!  So when I was on my search for decorations, I wanted fairies but not of the Disney sort.  I found the perfect little cupcake toppers and matching garland on Amazon and suddenly two days before we were to leave for Boston for a week, (we're a little on the nutty side and planned travel to Boston for a week, one day at home, then drive to AZ for the weekend of party fun and a relay triathlon) I was struck with a NEED to make V a party dress to match the fairy decor.

Meet the SHE: Jenn

Hey All!

My name is Jenn. I love love love to selfish sew! (and thankfully have a job that encourages this) I also have 2 girlies that I love to sew for, a 3yr old and a 1yr old. I am trying to get myself to stretch some comfort zones and sew a little for the husband this winter and also some soft toys.

I started sewing when I had my oldest as I wanted her to have cute things but couldn't fund them all. I was soooooo bad when I started, mainly because I was scared I would hate sewing in the end and didn't want to "waste" money on patterns! lol. Don't worry - that ship has LONG sailed!!! I now know the value of a good pattern! You really should see some of that first sewing I did... I wish I had kept some of those pictures!

Meet the SHE: Karly

Hi! I'm Karly and I usually blog over at Paisley Roots. I have 5 little monkeys that jump on my bed (and everywhere else) and they keep me pretty busy.

 

Pattern Review- Deer&Doe Bleuet

As I mentioned in my introduction, I consider myself a newbie sewer.  I've been sewing on my current streak for about 7 months.  Prior to that I had made my first project, a skirt for myself, in 2007 when my mother in law took pity on me and agreed to teach me to sew using her sewing machine.  After that first project, there were many items that went unfinished and a few baby items I made as gifts, but my machine mostly sat lonely in the bottom shelf of my bookcase.

Meet the SHE- Vievey!

I'm Genevieve affectionately known by my friends behind the screen as Vievey or Viever. I have two rugrats, Little Boy S and Baby Girl V. They both keep me on my toes with all the new things they get into and activities they have going on. My craftiness currently revolves around them and honestly so does everything else!