Guest Contributor @ Sew Mama Sew

And just one more thing to share - I have a guest post up on the Sew Mama Sew blog today - Finishing A Garment Without A Serger. If you are interested in sewing but want results that look more handmade than homemade, take a peek at this article. They have tons of other fantastic sewing tutorials too and a shop full of beautiful, high-quality designer fabrics.

Thanks sew much for having me SMS :) It's such an honor!

The Strawberry Muffin Blouse + Free Pattern

Hooray!! I have a new free pattern for you today, modeled by the lovely Miss Leah!

So I really wanted to call this pattern the Strawberry Muffin Top. It kind of makes me giggle. But my husband, who is about as crass as they come, thought it was mean and that no one would want to make their little girl a muffin top. So I changed the top to blouse. Was he right?

The empire waist with the more narrow lining kind of reminds me of the way a muffin puffs over the top of the pan. And the colors are very reminiscent of a strawberry. A Strawberry Muffin. Top, blouse - hey even a dress if you lengthen the lower panel :)

The extra details on the bodice make this top extra special. What little lady doesn't get excited about a couple of ruffles and jumbo buttons?! None that I know!

The back has a pretty keyhole detail as well. And I love that no zipper or button panel are required.

The shoulders are quite simple to keep the focus on the other details, but add a nice pop of color in a contrasting fabric. Very fun to sew and I think she likes it too :)

Download the free pattern here in size 4/5T.
(And if you enjoy and appreciate the free-ness of this pattern, I would love if you'd consider becoming a follower of this blog - pretty please with cream and sugar on top?)

And view the video tutorial below.

Hugs and love, Sabrina

Boy's Vest

Today is a busy day in our house, so I'll make this post quick. Mr. requested a vest for his birthday and although I have never made any boy clothes before, this way actually pretty easy and fun. I created the pattern from a t-shirt and stitched it up in about an hour or so.

The outside material is flannel, which I did not realize to be so flimsy, so it is lined with some brown corduroy. Makes it a little more manly and rugged too :)

I think he likes it ;)

Have a great weekend!

Parliment Tiered Maxi Skirt

Finally! I had a chance to take a photo of the maxi skirt I made in December. It feels so elegant and was the perfect thing to wear to the ballet. A big beautiful column of winter white.

Of course I had to sneak off alone to take the pics so the 3rd column is flipped up in every photo unknown to me until editing. Buuut since it took so long to get any pics at all I figured I could live with it :)

This gorgeous embroidered fabric was sent to me by my lovely friend Jacinta of Model Mumma. The tag said it was made in Switzerland and it is truly the most luxurious fabric I've ever worked work. Thank you a million times over Jacinta!!

For the pattern, I layed out a maxi dress and traced the shape onto muslin, rounding out the hip area a bit and slimming down the width to make it more form fitting. Each layer of the lacy material (I'm not sure what you'd call it, do you?) is sewn directly onto the muslin and overlaps the next layer by about an inch from the scallop.

You can see in the second photo how the material bunches up at the top layer. If I did this again and if you try it, I def recommend ruffling the fabric for the top layer to give a little room for movement and so you don't get the same bunching. Or maybe just making the whole dress a bit wider. That might even work better!

The waist is cinched with a wide black strip of elastic which makes it easy to slip on and is great for keeping your top perfectly tucked in. I scored this grey silk beauty at a thrift shop, tags still attached!

So do you like it?! Cause I just LOVE it and it makes me feel so pretty.

Also wanted to mention how honored I am to have my Taking Flight top included in the Best of Burdastyle - Handpicked of 2011!! It's in there along with some really amazing designs like the Ruffled Trench and cute bow shorts. Definitly worth taking a look!

Have a wonderful week!

Sweet Sugar Plum Birthday Dress

Hey there. I've been MIA this week - but not for lack of material to post. The mornings are so busy if I don't preschedule a bunch in advance then I just never get around to it.

Anyway.... I want to share the dress I put together for my little miss' 4th birthday. She requested a purple dress this year and we picked out some very pretty pinky/purple lace from Ben Franklin. It took almost 15 yards to make a size 3T!

The shape is just a basic A-line - I taped together a bodice pattern with a skirt slip pattern and did a little snipping here and there to create the shape I was going for.  The lace is sewn right onto a good quality muslin without any ruffling - that might have been even cuter though!

I tried the keyhole neckline again - such an amazing alternative to sewing in zippers! The button closure was covered with a bit of scrap fabric that was that same shade of purple. For the dress lining I used an old ribbed sweater so it would be extra cozy and warm inside.

The sleeves are my favorite part of this dress!! I wanted the shoulders to be very poufy but the sleeves to be slim. I cut down a pattern for regular sleeves but still had to make a 1" seam to create the very slim silhouette. They could have been just a touch longer but it probably would have bothered her and gotten into her food - still a messy eater - so we compromised.

And one more look at the front view :) I don't like taking photos inside with the flash but it has been so cold here there is just no going out without the heavy artillerary for even a few moments. We picked out some black sparkly tights to go with and she has been asking to wear both every single day this week and has thanked me about a million times. I am just so glad that she loves it. Every little gal needs to feel her very best on her special day.

Hopefully I'll get a chance to post my new skirt tomorrow. Night!

Halloween Costume: The Black Spiderman

Halloween costume #2 - the black Spiderman. I think maybe he is Spiderman's villainous alter ego but not totally sure. He costume is way cooler and that's all the matters to the young ones.

We made a half mask rather than a full face mask for easier access to candy eating.

The costume is all attached - I just used a pattern for a one piece pajama and added a belt. Still need to stop by the store and pick up some iron on transfer paper so I can add a spider to the chest area.

The back closes with a button. Pretty simple and he really likes it.

Off to do sewing for one final costume....

Halloween Costumes - Pretty, Pretty Princess

First Halloween costume finished. Actually make that two. I've been sewing like a mad woman this last week trying to get all the kids' costumes together and only one left and still a full week ahead of me! Phew.

All the kids have stuck with the same idea for what costume they wanted since summertime, which is quite a feat if you ask me. Leah wanted to be a princess, plain and simple, so we went with a pretty, girly version with sort of a Renaissance feel.

I think the hat really makes it. It was so simple to make with just two triangles of felt, a sheer scarf and a bit of ribbon to keep it on her head.

For the dress, I used Simplicity 2463 and 2460 for the sleeves. Had really wanted to add those long flowy sleeves but there just wasn't enough material in the dress I upcycled.

These sleeves are super cute though. The same one's I used for her 4th birthday dress.

Also added some trim to the middle section to give the look of a corset. Along the front neckline and sleeves I added some pintucked material from a thrifted silk top. And rather than gathering the skirt along the top, I added pleats.

Ooh and the skirt is my favorite part! It was just cut from the bottom of the thrifted dress so no need for hemming or anything! I turned the vent to the front so there would be a mountain of tulle piling out. There is also a large gathering right in the rear so she has a big booty bump like all the gowns in Cinderella. KWIM?

On the inside, I pinned up sections all around and just stitched a little pinch to give it this look that I'm not really sure is called - drapyness? If there is time, I'd be great to go back in and hand sew little flowers or beads at all the pinches. Am crossing my fingers for that.

And the before of the material. It was a pretty Vera Wang bridesmaids dress that I picked up for $1. Tags still attached. A shame really, I almost hated to cut into it, but it was the perfect shade of pale pink.

Check back tomorrow for a peek at the black Spiderman :)

Olivia's Party Dress

Last month a sweet girl I know emailed to ask if I could create a special dress for her little sweetie's 2nd birthday. The theme is Olivia the Pig so she wanted black/red and white and something classic but simple. She sent me a photo of a Jenni Bowlin paper pack she was using for the invitations and luckily I tracked down a print very similar in this etsy shop.

(Hope you don't mind her modeling this M. It was just for a few minutes and the dress just looks so much prettier on a person than a hanger :))

This was seriously the most gorgeous fabric I've ever worked with! It's a cotton/rayon blend and is the perfect sturdy weight. Easy to sew + beautiful! The pattern is a combination of Simplicity 2767 and the bodice from Simplicity 2460 and a few of my own additions.

The red material is this luscious stretch satin I found at Joann's. It is on the cuffs, neckline and sash and also the lining so it feels pretty on her skin. The lining is shorter so the hem pulls up to make a bubble shape. There is a little tulle sewn in there as well for extra poof. The wrists are elastic so she can pull them up when it's time for cake.

The best part of course being the backside! I skipped the zipper and instead added in a keyhole and button closure for a bit of elegance. The sash also buttons so she can wear it with or without.

And to pay homage to Olivia, we had to have the oversized red bow. So glad I could help to make a little girl's birthday extra special again this year!

Jailhouse Rock

Oh my golly am I ever in love with this satiny stripe fabric! But it was definetly the most finicky fabric I've ever worked with and snags easily. Guess that's why it was on the clearance rack : / The only thing I could think of while making this skirt was jailbird stripes and so took a little inspiration from Elvis's Jailhouse Rock video + Guess girl ads for the styling.

Yes, its super silly but try to enjoy my dance moves. ;) The skirt is made from Cynthia Rowley's Simplicity pattern 2512. Love the design of the skirt but it didn't quite work out for me. The waist is baggy and the seams are bulky. It may be the fabric or it may just be me. Will def try this one out again with a sturdier fabric.

Also love the tie in front but would prefer it to be long enough to make a bow. Or maybe even a built in bow, that's just there to look cute. This was my first time adding piping. Love it. Next time I'll buy two packs so I can add it to the side seams as well. It even has pockets but one was sewn towards the back. Oopsie.

The result is wearable, but only with a jacket. Not a success but not a total failure. Heh. I blame it on the fabric. Yep, it's all the fabric's fault.

Thanks for stopping!