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

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EYMM Anniversary Blog Tour: Back-to-School Maxi!

I'm happy to be participating in the anniversary blog tour to celebrate two years of EYMM patterns! I've sewn quite a few of Kymy's 43 (!) patterns already - our current favorites are the California maxi and the brand new Capsule Skirt - but have been meaning to sew up a Carlie's Dolman for Miss P for ages. This was the perfect opportunity!

The new school year is still more than a month away here in New Jersey (we don't start until September here!) but we've started to prep a bit already. Miss P is headed to kindergarten and her countdown has begun in earnest - she is SO excited! We're beginning to think about school clothes and my little lady asks "can I wear that to school??" about every new outfit that comes off my sewing machine. We don't have uniforms here so it's mostly anything goes, but it still needs to be school appropriate. She's had a serious obsession with maxi dresses this summer, and the California halter has been one of her favorites. As in, might not survive to be a hand-me-down that's how much it's been worn - that kind of favorite. :)

I thought this tour would be the perfect chance to mash up two of Kymy's patterns to see if I could come up with a maxi that would be great for back-to-school and slightly cooler weather. I used the Carlie's Dolman view D (crop top version) for the top, and used the size 3/4 since I didn't want the bodice of the dress to be super roomy. (I also made the neckline smaller using the tips included in the pattern - this worked well for my narrow-shouldered girl.)

For the skirt, I cut my California maxi dress pattern piece at the line marked for the elastic and used the bottom portion only. I cut the skirt with a size 4 width and a size 5 length to accommodate her height. The skirt was wider than the bottom of the bodice so I gathered it lightly before sewing the skirt to the bodice. I used a 3/4" seam allowance for this step and pressed the seam allowance up toward the bodice. I sewed it in place to form the elastic casing, and then threaded the elastic through. Miss P loved the finished dress and was happy to try it on. I'm not so sure she'll be able to wait until school starts to wear it, though!

Join EYMM and 24 fellow bloggers as we celebrate the first 24 months of our pattern shop with a huge sale and giveaway!  There is also a GREAT giveaway at the bottom of this post. Don't wait because you don't see sales like this often from EYMM and it will be over before you know it!

*NOTE* The links below won't show the tour posts until 11am PST on their day of the tour, BUT you are welcome to click through and check their blogs out at any time.

7/27
Connected by a Thread, Pattern Revolution, The Wholesome Mama

7/28
Climbing the Willow, Rebel & Malice, Hibbadoray

7/29
Pretty & Precious Clothing, Sprouting Jube Jube, Call Ajaire

7/30
Once Upon a Sewing Machine, Swoodson Says, Blessed X Five

7/31
Beri Bee Designs, Sewing the Seasons, Sew Outnumbered

8/1
Creative Counselor, Lulu & Celeste, Analog Bytes

8/2
Handcrafted by Red, Boutique Birdie, HattieLu Handmade

8/3
Capture, Craft & Cook, Welcome to Our Crazy World, Create 3.5

Not only is there an AMAZING blog tour going on but 1 lucky winner that leaves a comment below between now and 8.3.15 will win a FREE EYMM pattern of their choice!!!!  Which one would you pick?

Then hop on over to EYMM to check out the awesome SALE, and an even bigger celebration giveaway with over $1000 in prizes.  There will be 40 winners in all.