Strawberry Jam by Lauren Brewer Design for Riley Blake Designs

I'm back with another fun collection from Riley Blake Designs.  This collection by Lauren Brewer Design is a bright and cheerful collection called Strawberry Jam.  It has floral, dots, stripes, a geometric print with floral, and of course, strawberries!! 

I really loved several prints so I enlisted my daughter to select her favorite fabric.  She immediately chose the cute strawberries -- Strawberry Jam Berries Blue.  I thought she'd pick the berries as strawberries are her favorite fruit. I had visions of sewing a sweet, summer dress.  Then I got the fabric and it spoke to me... lol (I know, I'm crazy, but my fabric talks!)  It said it wanted to be a cute little zip up jacket.  As I told my daughter, she got SO excited.  So then I had to make it happen!

I turned to the Ollie Bomber Jacket by Sew A Little Seam.  I had made my oldest a cropped version of this pattern a few months ago, and I was dying to try the full jacket.  This pattern has all the little details that make it professionally finished.

The pattern is actually drafted for knit (shh... ) but I had seen a few others make it in woven successfully so I gave it a go.  I didn't size down to her chest and simply sewed the size for her height.   The quality of Riley Blake Design's fabric really shines here.  The fabric is very soft which makes it comfortable to wear, even when the pattern should be sewn in knit.

As I was searching jacket zippers on Amazon, I came across these colorful zips and I hoped I'd get lucky that one would match.  I was especially giddy when they arrived and this blue/green combo was a perfect match!

Here are a few detail shots!  I am really impressed with how it all came together.  I especially love the welt pockets and probably the best welt pocket tutorial I've followed.  I even got to try out my new Quilter's Clapper, also from Riley Blake and it definitely made a noticeable difference when ironing each step. I even added a shop label, size tag, and little coat hook for her so she can hang it up in her cubby at school.  I lined it a light pink sweatshirting so it's super cozy inside and perfect for cooler mornings. I used white ribbing for the the cuffs, collar and waistband. 

Thank you Riley Blake Designs -- this jacket will get lots of use over the next several months!  It turned out exactly how I envisioned.

{Riley Blake Designs} Abbie's Garden

Have you ever made specific plans with fabrics and then before you got them sewn up, a new pattern comes along that changes your plan in an instant?  This just happened with these fabrics!

Abbie's Garden by Sue Daley Designs with Gabrielle Neil for Riley Blake Designs continues the story of a little girl named Abbie.  A mixture of pink, coral, aqua and gray -- this collection is full of charm with sweet pictures of Abbie's garden adventures and coordinating florals.

 When I first saw the collection, I loved the Main Print in Aqua and was equally drawn to the Garden Stripe in Black.    I also loved the Garden Bouquet in Coral and thought my oldest would like it too.  My original plan was to make a sister set, but as you can see, that plan was derailed.

The Eden Dress by Little Lizard King came along and the sweet scalloped overlay stole my heart.

 Immediately, my plans changed and I had to see if the drawings of Abbie were far enough apart on the main print  to feature just one on the overlay. I was so excited when I realized it was a perfect fit!

I used two of the smaller pictures to feature on the pockets and used the Garden Stripe in Black as accent.

The Garden Bouquet in Coral is a nice contrast to the light blue of the main print and softens the starkness of the Garden Stripe in Black.

My youngest LOVES her new dress and my oldest was a bit sad about not getting her outfit (don't worry, I made her something else to add to her closet).  I love the final project even more than my original plan.  Check your favorite online retailer or local store to see when these prints will be hitting the shops!! It should be very soon!!