One Thimble magazine, Vol. 8

I'm back with another One Thimble review - this time, I've gotten to try out two of the more than a dozen patterns included in Vol. 8, which was released today. One Thimble is an Australian e-magazine that is chock full of brand new pdf patterns and feature articles that are perfect for both the home seamstress and small business owner. After having the chance to review patterns from previous issues, I'm totally hooked. (Disclaimer: I was provided these two patterns at no charge for my review. All opinions are 100% mine, and I'm under no obligation to purchase the complete magazine. I will, though, since I'm always so pleased with the articles and patterns,)

The first pattern I picked to review was the Amber Swing Dress by 1 Puddle Lane, which caught my eye as a great back-to-school knit dress for Miss P. The swing style, with a more fitted upper bodice and flared skirt, is very trendy right now, and I knew that my girl would love this with a pair of leggings and bright sneakers. I was right - this is just her style, cute but comfy. I like to let her pick some of her fabrics and lately she's been wanting more black clothing. I'm not a huge fan of black clothes on little girls (she's not quite 6 yet), but the solid cotton lycra was the perfect blank slate for the lines of this dress. We picked a bright rainbow yarn dyed stripe for the sleeves, which I lengthened about two inches to be elbow length (the pattern includes multiple other sleeve lengths and a puff sleeve as well). I also freehanded a giant heart applique, which I fused to the dress front with fusible adhesive (Heat n Bond lite) and then topstitched in place.

This was a quick sew and the fit was great. I sewed a size 4 with added length (her chest measures 22" around and she is about 45" tall) , and got a cute mini dress that fit Miss P quite well. The pattern includes sizes from 1-10 and three different views - I sewed up the basic view but there are hem frills and ruffles included in the pattern as well.

For my second pattern, I opted to sew the felt flowers from Molly and Mama. I've made felt flowers in the past, and this pattern blows them all away. Hands down. this is the best assortment of flowers with clear and concise instructions to make assembly easy and painless. This could save you hours of Pinterest-ing through broken links and is a great base for so many other projects as well. The flowers and succulents included are recommended for use on a headband, hair clips, and a little wristlet (bracelet); I could also see using them as a brooch for a winter coat or hat among other things.

Wool felt is recommended over craft felt, and I tried various flowers using both. I had some wool felt on hand as well as a reasonably decent quality craft felt. The wool felt flowers definitely have more heft to them, and feel a bit more sturdy and stable. Some of my craft felt petals feel a bit fragile - which is not always the best idea in the hands of a five-year-old! Miss P didn't want a soft headband for these, so we added a few to a satin covered plastic headband (I like to buy them here, from Sunshine Shoppe Supply) and did a few on alligator clips as well.

I love how these turned out, and the sheer variety of flowers included makes this pattern a definite necessity. I know I'll get a lot of use out of both of these patterns, and Miss P loved them too, so it's a win all around.

You can buy and download the latest issue of One Thimble (along with back issues and single patterns) here, and please make sure to check out the rest of the tour, too. :) AND, there's a giveaway with a free copy of Vol. 8 below - good luck!

8/13 Pattern Revolution, Call Ajaire, Happy Okapi

8/14 Rebel and Malice, Handcrafted by Red, Lily Shine Boutique

8/15 Lady and the Gents, Horris and Deedle,  Bee Quilted Blog

8/16 Create 3.5, Lulu and Celeste, 

8/17 Beri Bee Designs, Finn's Door

8/18 Hibbadoray, HattieLu Handmade

8/19 Made by Sara, Snickerdoodle Stew

8/20 Stitches By Laura, That's Sew Kari

Rafflecopter HTML

a Rafflecopter giveaway