Fox Farm by Melissa Mortenson of Polka Dot Chair for Riley Blake Designs

Ahhh, the simple signs of Spring are all around us.  The beautiful flowers are in bloom all thanks to the incredibly rainy few months we've had.  While rainy days are a bit dreary in appearance, the rewards are well worth it.

At least someone created cute Wellies to get us through it, right?!

I am so happy to share my creation from one of Riley Blake's newest fabric collections:  Fox Farm by Melissa Mortenson of Polka Dot Chair.  Inspired by the English countryside, it's full of Spring charm: flowers, dots, stripes, doggies, farmscapes (probably just made up that word...) and wellies!

I am in love with ALL of  these prints.  It was so hard to narrow it down to just a couple to sew something for one of my girls.  I knew the stripes were a must, especially because the wide-set stripes are not as common or easy to find. I selected the bright red stripes - - Fox Farm Stripes Red I also kept coming back to the Wellies print - - Fox Farm Wellies Navy.  I just thought it looked so cheerful.

I chose the Augusta Dress by Little Lizard King with the simple bodice and elastic back.   It's a quick sew, but the results are beautiful.  Plus, I had been itching to try the simple bodice.  (The sweetheart bodice is gorgeous too, but not quite right for this project.)

I had fun playing with the stripes a bit.   I started from the shoulder strap and angled the front panel slightly towards the center all the way down to the waist.

The back is so simple and dainty and perfect for warm weather.  I love how the stripes look paired with the Wellies fabric.

My daughter's eyes lit up when she saw her new dress.  She had so much fun strolling and twirling through a local garden.

Stopping to smell the flowers (sort of....they're fake. You can't actually pick the flowers in the garden... and allergies...LOL)  True to all of our previous Riley Blake Designs fabrics, they wash up well with no bleeding, have minimal shrinkage and are super soft.

Skipping through the tulip gardens to place a penny in the fountain.  This place is simply gorgeous and has been tucked away in plain sight in our downtown area.  I guess I need to get out exploring more.  My daughter and I had such a fun afternoon looking at all of the beautiful flowers.

Thank you Riley Blake Designs for this fun little fabric package!!!  It's so fun to see what fabrics can turn into.  I hope I've captured the essence of Fox Farm 💗

Although rain was in the forecast, it held off long enough for our photo shoot.  I was kind of looking forward to some puddle pictures to try to capture a reflection shot.  Unfortunately, I didn't have that opportunity, so I tried my hand at creating it.  What do you think?

------- {Testing, Testing} ------- Lahaina by Little Lizard King

I simply cannot wait for summer!

As I write this post, we had an early release due to falling snow -- apparently snow in mid-March in NC means the world may be ending.... but I am sitting here dreaming of SUMMER as I write about Little Lizard King's newest release, Lahaina, which releases tomorrow March 14th.   Lahaina is a faux wrap dress with two different ruffle options on the knit bodice (single or double ruffle) and two ruffle options on the skirt (single or double ruffle option).  The skirt can be sewn in both knit or woven.  There is also an optional sash.  This pattern covers sizes 12m-14y!

As soon as I saw the call for testers, I asked my youngest what she thought.  "I WANT IT!!"  As I picked the options, I involved her in the process.  At 7, it helps her feel in control of what she is wearing and of course, I don't end up choosing the wrong options.  She did not want ruffles or a sash on the bodice, but she did want the double ruffles on the bottom.

I shopped my stash for the fabrics and came up with these whales for the skirt, a pink and white gingham for the ruffles, pink and white stripe cotton lycra for the bodice and navy cotton lycra for the binding.

If you haven't tested a pattern before, the majority of the test is perfecting the fit.  Before we attach the skirt, we post "in progress" pictures of the bodice.  My bodice fit well across the chest, but several of us were too small in the armscyes.   Mine was definitely wearable, but not perfect.    Jane quickly got to work updating the bodice.  While I waited to decide about using my first bodice, I moved onto the skirt.  As I finished the skirt, my perfectionist ways would not, could not allow me to use the original bodice.  Luckily I had just enough stripes left to resew.  I am so glad I did!!!  The new armscye is perfect and will definitely still fit my daughter in the summer.

I was able to use my coverstitch on my arm binding which made me fall in love with it all over again.  I seriously love that machine!!!  I also highly recommend using the clear elastic along the bottom of the bodice before attaching your skirt.  I have zero waviness and my bodice will always hold its shape.  It's seriously magical.

I will be writing a tutorial in the near future about "extreme" size blending.  My daughter wears a 3 width and a 6 height.  I have fine-tuned my size blending over the last year especially and noticed some mistakes I was making before.  Let me know below if you are an "extreme" size blender!

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{Blog Tour} Coming Up Roses by Jill Finley for Penny Rose Fabrics

Oh. my. squee!! 

I am so excited to be a part of the Coming Up Roses {Blog Tour} with Jill Finley for Penny Rose Fabrics.  The moment I saw this collection, Coming Up Roses, I fell in love.  This collection is simply stunning.  A mixture of roses, paisley, stripes, hexis, bees, buds, and vines, each print comes in 3 colorways making it easy to mix and match.

If you know me at all, even a little bit, you know stripes have my heart.  I love, love, love stripes and I love matching them even more!  Once I saw these Roses Stripe Blue, I knew I would sew the Amsterdam by Little Lizard King.  It comes with an option for a pieced chevron bodice, including a fool-proof method of cutting your stripes to perfectly match every single time.

For the straps, I chose the Roses Bees Blue to draw a bit more blue upward.  These little bees are adorable!  You can also see in this picture a pop of red peeking out.  I lined the bodice in Roses Hexis Red and carefully ironed a bit of the lining to show to mimic piping (without all the work!).

 These roses, though!!!  They are bold. They are beautiful and I am just smitten.  To pair with the blue stripes, I chose the Roses Main Red.  I love how the blue stripes compliment the red roses and help pick up the blue accents in the roses as well.

I also carried the Roses Bees Blue downward with the addition of pockets because... well, pockets are always a fantastic choice!  I turned to the Emory Dress by Izzy & Ivy Designs and snagged its pockets!  (Hint: Join Izzy & Ivy Designs Fan Group on Facebook and find the pocket template free in the files section!)  I lined them with the Roses Hexis Red that I used to line the bodice for just a hint of red at the pockets.

Be sure to check in with the rest of the tour stops!!

July 6:  A Bright Corner

July 13: Auribuzz

July 20:   Ameroonie Designs

July 27:  Beri Bee Designs

Aug 3:  That's-Sew-Kari

Aug 10:  Kimbery Einmo Designs