{Riley Blake Designs} Tea with Bea by Katherine Lenius

 

Spring has finally sprung here in NC and there's no better way to celebrate than with a new Spring dress!  Tea with Bea by Katherine Lenius for Riley Blake Designs is just right for the occasion.  It's a gorgeous new collection of Spring florals, cute tea cups, bumblebees and fun coordinates.  The color palette is full of coordinating shades that I really don't think you can go wrong with pairing them up!

I honestly had a really hard time narrowing down my choices this time.  I really wanted them ALL... hehe.  (Now I need to find the tea cups because I'm kicking myself for not choosing those!).  Knowing I'd be sewing it up with Spring in mind, I chose one of the main floral printss: Tea with Bea Main Off White and then a coordinate Tea with Bea Diamond Sky which is one of my favorite colors.

I had an entirely different plan in mind until I got hit with pneumonia and then it was too late to start my original plan (that's what I get for not starting right away!).  Lucky for me, Mackinac Island by Little Lizard King came out just as I was about to enter panic mode.    Of course, I had to get the go ahead from my daughter. HA!!  Thankfully, she absolutely loved the pattern!  This pattern has lots of options.  We chose the sleeveless, scoop back, ruffled skirt options.

While I decided how to use the coordinate, I decided to use it just as an accent.  I really love dresses that are primarily one print with just a pop of the other.  I used the Diamonds for the back bow here, pocket lining and for the bow in her hair.

We are so excited about the temperatures warming up around here.  Add in the lush greenery and fresh air and there's no way you can't smile.  I always add the ruffles to the skirts because all that gathering is worth watching her twirl to her heart's content!

 I couldn't help but add the extra large pockets! Every dress needs pockets, right?

She looks like a walking garden!  This collection releases this month so definitely make sure you are connecting with your favorite fabric shop to purchase Tea with Bea!  

{Raspberry Creek Fabrics} Forever Collection

 

The temps are finally warming up here and they seem to be here to stay!  YAY!  This also means my tween needs an update to her "warm weather" wardrobe.  Just after she graduated 5th grade last year, she hit her growth spurt and we're still playing catch-up with her clothing.  She likes casual, comfy clothes but also likes to stay on trend too.   The key is to find the perfect pairing of fabric and patterns.

We're back at Raspberry Creek Fabrics blog with our next installment of tween fashion.  For this piece, I conducted a little experiment.  I've always wondered (and agonized over) if picking the perfect pattern really changed how the fabric looks.  Maybe I've been wasting my time agonizing over choosing the perfect pattern?!  Curious?  Read on to find the results!

My daughter and I started with the fabric selection.   I'd been eying the Mustard Yellow Sage and Brown Sunflower Floral in the Forever Collection section in the shop.  My tween has declared a love for light yellow so when she saw it, she loved it too.  This comes on 3 bases -- DBP, CL, and FT.  We chose DBP as it feels like wearing a cloud!

The Forever Collection contains 15 of the most popular CLUB prints from the past!  Some are exclusively double brushed poly, and some are cotton jersey or French Terry.  And a few lucky ones are available on all 3 bases!

Once it came in, I started with my first pattern -- Benicia by Little Lizard King.  I had used this pattern for her RCF pink leopard dress last month so I knew it was tween approved.  She selected short sleeves and regular neckline this time.  When I finished, the result was a sweet summer silhouette and a comfortable fit without the fuss of a waist seam.  (An unintended result of this experiment was how different this pattern looks just by changing the fabric and pattern options!)

We love how lightweight double brushed poly is -- she was checking the twirl here and while it's not really a twirly dress, the fabric had some great movement!

She thought this dress was super comfy and loved the sweet sunflowers on it.  Her little sister loved it more though so she already stole it!  HA!!  

For our second half of the experiment, we searched for a boxy crop tee that is perfectly on trend.  We got lucky when Little Lizard King just released exactly what we were looking for last week!  This is Marin and comes with a variety of options, but we kept it super simple with no colorblocking, short sleeves, and crop length.

The short sleeves in the pattern are meant to be a little oversized, but I knew the intended longer length would bother my tween so I used the sleeve portion of the colorblocked sleeves and left off the colorblocked bottom piece.  Sewing makes it so easy to customize each piece!

She practically lived in this shirt for days until I took it to wash -- lol.  She loves everything about it!  

Experiment results:  I really wasn't sure if pattern choice would affect the "look" of fabric, but I have to say in this case, it really did!  With the solid base of the a-line knit dress, the sunflowers really stand out and you see lots of them!  However, when placed on the crop tee, the sunflowers were more subtle, but appear larger to me.  She also felt trendier and more confident in the tee, but felt really sweet and girly in the dress.  So, I guess I will continue to agonize over perfect pattern choices for the time being!  I think I'll try this experiment again too!  You know, for science...

{Raspberry Creek Fabrics} Swimsuit Tour 2021

 

Beep, beep! It's my stop on the Raspberry Creek Fabrics "Suit Up For Summer" Blog Tour!  This is always such a fun and inspiring tour -- I've seen so many awesome suits this week!  

Raspberry Creek Fabrics has an amazing lineup of swim prints this year with 50 new prints!  There is literally something for everyone!  If you've not sewn RCF swim before, it's a nice weight (250 gsm), 50+ UPF protection, and is 58/60" wide with at least 60% 4-way stretch.  (I tend to order 1/2 yd cuts for my girls unless they request a 1-piece suit -- that way I can try more prints... HA!!)  Oh, and there are board short options too!!

You can save 15% on the Swim Fabrics with code SWIMTOUR (ends today!).  In the "swim shop", you can also find coordinating solids, stripes, dots and gingham.  Don't forget to add swim lining or power mesh to your cart too!  

This year, my girls picked out their prints and then I picked a coordinating board short fabric for a cute coverup.   My youngest picked the Red Light Blue and Green Striped Cherries!  I had a feeling she'd pick one of the fruits.  (This print is also available on cotton spandex, double brushed poly and French Terry too!)  I love the combo of the turquoise stripe mixed with the bright cherries.  The Solid Red Board Short is the perfect shade of red too!

I used the Bodhi Boardskirt from Bubby and Me Creations and then added the waist details again with the add-on from the Linden Shorts by Sew A Little Seam.  The tie is decorative because I cannot get enough of my new grommet toy .. er, tool. 

I love the little side pocket too.  Now she can walk to the neighborhood pool and not be walking in just a swimsuit.   This board short sewed up really easily too!  I used a microtex needle.  I used a pressing cloth on top of my seams to avoid putting a hot iron directly on the fabric.  I'm pretty sure she's going to request a matching board skirt to every suit I sew her this year!

For her suit, I knew I wanted something different than what I've sewn her, but I couldn't find a pattern for what I wanted!  I decided I'd use one of her favorite patterns as a "block" and then transform it (that's the beauty of sewing, right?!)  I started with the Antibes Rashguard top by Little Lizard King and chopped off the top of the bodice and then did the same to the sleeve heads as well.  To finish it off, I added elastic to the top, straps and finally a waistband with 3/4" elastic to keep the suit in place when she jumps in the water.

The bottoms are the High Waisted Vintage Bottoms from the Laguna Pattern by Little Lizard King.

I love the full coverage this suit offers but still looks so super cute!!  It's perfect for her fair skin and modest style.

... and then there's my tween whose style is not modest like her little sister.  Hehe.  She picked this fun Fuchsia and Black Painted Hearts (she said it reminded her of the watermelon suit I sewed for the RCF Swim Tour 2 years ago).  I paired it with Matte Black Swim and Solid Black Board Short.

She requested a pair of shorts for her coverup so I modified the Beaufort Shorts by Little Lizard King and added fun ruched side seams.  She always loves the little extra details.  To modify the pattern, I straightened out the hem so there would be fabric to ruche.  The construction steps were switched around too so I could hem the legs with the bias tape before sewing the outer side seams.  Then I pressed the outer seams open so I could stitch the tie channels. 

 

For her suit, I tried out a new-to-me pattern -- Panama by Striped Swallow Designs (this pattern was generously donated to me for this tour!).  I learned a few new techniques too!  I love when I can learn new tricks and tips.  On this suit. the waist elastic is enclosed between the main and lining fabrics of the swim bottoms and it gave a really nice finish inside.  I used the cutout detail, but I think I need a little work on the band because I lost most of the cutout when I attached it -- whoops!  My daughter still loves it though!

The braiding detail on the back is what sold me on the suit!  I'm really in love with this and it looks SO GOOD!!  The suit comes in both the two-piece and a one-piece option.   I omitted the pieced front, but will be trying it in stripes next time!!

WEEKEND BONUS:  Save 15% in the entire SHOP!!

Use code: SUITUP2021

Find more inspiration here:

 

Sew Mary Mac  Merritts Makes  Wild + Wanderful  Call Ajaire

Made by Kates  Violet and Jewels  Sweet Mama Life  All Things Katy!

Intensely Distracted  Pins & Pinot  My Heart Will Sew On  The Petite Sewist

All My Spare Time  Kara Metta  Handcrafted by RED  Sincerely, Shantelle

Replicate Then Deviate  That's Sew Kari  Desert Blooms  Boo + Lu

A huge thank you to our sponsors and don't forget to check out today's giveaway!!
Again, you can find the tour on Instagram with the hashtag: #suitupforsummer2021

Titchy Threads  Sew A Little Seam  Simple Life Pattern Co.  Pattern for Pirates  Ellie and Mac  

Lowland Kids  Gingham Hive  Striped Swallow Designs  Honeydew Kisses  Little Lizard King  

Jennuine Designs  Greenstyle Creations  Made for Mermaids  Call Ajaire  Hey June  Boo Designs! 

  Sofiona Designs  Love Notions  Lil Luxe Collection  Jalie  Sweet Red Poppy

{Project Run and Play} Pantone Party 2021

 

Woo-hoo, it's my stop on the Project Run & Play: Pantone Party 2021!  I'm going to be honest, I've never really paid much attention to color trends in the past as I just sewed what my girls liked.  However, they are both getting to the age (especially my oldest) where being on trend is becoming important. I've really learned to pay attention to their requests and a lot of times, I give them full creative reign.  For this project, I turned to Pinterest to see how others were incorporating the two colors.  Over and over, I saw separates paired together to make an outfit.

Photo credit: www.pantone.com

Practical and rock solid but at the same time warming and optimistic, the union of PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray + PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating is one of strength and positivity. It is a story of color that encapsulates deeper feelings of thoughtfulness with the promise of something sunny and friendly.  (www.pantone.com)

 I teamed up with KnitFabric.com who was completely generous and supplied me with all of my fabrics for this project.  I've been a customer of KnitFabric.com for a few years now and I'm always happy with how quickly my order is processed, the quality of the fabrics and I've even gotten a few "Bonus: End of Bolt" surprises.  As I browsed the site for my fabrics, I realized I could select color filters so I chose gray and yellow which really allowed me to not get distracted by all the other fabrics.  HA!  I was originally planning to sew for just my oldest, but decided I couldn't leave out my younger daughter too.  There was quite a selection in the both colorways and I have to tell you a few of the chunky sweater knits were super hard to pass up.  However, we are heading into Spring and Summer here so I had to be somewhat practical and decided on Sporty Summer looks.

OUTFIT #1

My oldest has become a little obsessed with fashion which is to be expected as she enters middle school.  She also likes the sporty look which fits in with her classmates.  To pick my patterns, I headed to the Project Run & Play Shop.  She originally wanted a Journal Jumpsuit (but I really wasn't sure how it'd look in all yellow!) Instead,  I chose the Becky Skirt and then turned to her favorite, the Chromium Cropped Hoodie to complete her look.  

Both patterns are drafted for knits which has quickly become her favorite base to wear.  For the Becky Skirt, I found a Light Yellow Cotton Lycra Knit.  It's such a great color!  For the Chromium Cropped Hoodie, I found a Light Gray Bamboo Jersey Knit.  The colors for these were pretty spot on with the Pantone Colors.  I love the added softness of the Bamboo.  The Becky Skirt ended up being her favorite and both girls have requested more!  

I added a few grommet details at the side hems (see title picture) as well as the hood and skirt waistband.   She really loves little details added on and is already thinking about a long sleeved version.  Because this outfit ended up being my Plan B, my original gray knit I ordered wasn't enough for the Chromium.  Luckily I had ordered a little extra of the light gray bamboo and had just enough, except for the hood lining.  Instead, I made a facing which I think is perfectly lightweight for summer nights.

OUTFIT #2

For my younger daughter, she really loved the Bodhi Boardskirt I made her sister last year when the Project Watercolor Beach Collection launched and boardshort material was on my list of substrates to try this year.  I paired it with the Banana Boat Tee and added a handcut rainbow in shades of yellow.  I ordered Yellow Boardshort for the skirt and used the Light Gray Bamboo Lycra for her shirt.  (I missed seeing the Banana Yellow Boardshort which is a lighter yellow and may be more in line with the Pantone color)

I left off the shoulder strap detailing on the tee, but loved the little cuff at the end so I kept that detail. For the rainbow, I used Yellow Cotton Lycra, Light Yellow Cotton Lycra and the center is a scrap of light yellow sweatshirting I have in my stash.

I used a lot of grommets on this project...lol  I added waist detailing to the Bodhi Boardskirt (thanks Kelly of Sew A Little Seam -- it's a free add-on to her Linden Pattern) and added grommets to the pocket too.  I topstiched all the seams in a gray thread.

We went to our local downtown and used their yellow tablesets as our background.  I do wish I had been able to finish these sets 2 days earlier because it was WAY warmer then.  Little sis was cold and cranky here so I didn't have my usual large abundance of pics to choose from this time.  They both love the outfits I sewed though so I'll call that a win!!  My oldest wore her hoodie to school the very next day!

Now it's your turn to join the party!!  See all the details HERE!!  

Two winners will receive $50 to Raspberry Creek Fabrics!

{Raspberry Creek Fabrics} Pink & Black Leopard Double Brushed Poly

 

A girl can never have too much leopard print right?!  I've always loved leopard print and my tween is obsessed!  I don't blame her either!   It's one of those prints that exudes total confidence.

I'm back over at the Raspberry Creek Fabrics blog sharing my tween's latest fashion statement -- a stunning shift dress out of the Tonal Dusty Pink and Black Leopard Print in Double Brushed Poly Knit.  Double brushed poly (also referred to as DBP) is a buttery soft knit with a polyester spandex blend.  It has fantastic 4-way stretch and its lightweight hand provides excellent drape.

 I surprised her with the new Benicia pattern by Little Lizard King.  This pattern is loaded with options, including shirt length as well as multiple necklines and sleeve lengths.  I chose the dress length, Bishop sleeves and cowl neck options.

This is the first cowl neck I've sewn her and she quite liked it!  I love that it adds just a bit extra detailing at the neckline. 

The Bishop sleeve in double brushed poly is total love -- check out that dreamy drape!  Also, a few months ago, I finally learned the magic settings on my coverstitch to sew those hems on DBP perfectly.  

I am so amazed at the variety of prints Raspberry Creek Fabrics offers and I really feel like there's something for everyone!  I know my tween's closet is getting filled up with so many great pieces using a variety of RCF bases.  Sewing for this age can be difficult, but she regularly wears her RCF pieces to school and it always makes me smile.  Thank you Raspberry Creek Fabrics for helping my daughter navigate her way through middle school in total style!

{Riley Blake Designs} Woodland Flannel by Ben Byrd

 

Flannel isn't normally a fabric I reach for, but sometimes it's fun to change things up a bit.  

Woodland Flannel by Ben Byrd for Riley Blake Designs is a cute new flannel collection inspired by the outdoors.  It comes in 3 colorways and features woodland animals, tree prints, leaf prints and coordinating mini plaid.

I couldn't pass up the Plaid in Mint.  The animals are super cute, but I knew I'd be sewing something other than pjs  -- I rarely sew up the same project back to back.

As soon as I saw the plaid in person, I knew it'd make a super cute jacket.  I turned to my favorite bomber jacket pattern - the Ollie Bomber by Sew a Little Seam.  As jacket weather is nearing an end here, I sized up for Fall (also because it's normally a knit pattern).  

This time I tried out the hood add-on and added a drawstring and grommets.  The flannel is super soft and was very easy to work with.  I found the plaid to be fairly easy to match up and cut evenly, but I did have to manipulate it slightly after washing/drying to keep the plaid straight with my pattern pieces.  I found it easiest to cut along the plaid for the straight edge of the bottom and then making sure the straight sides aligned evenly with plaid. 

I lined the jacket with a super cozy fleece.  Check out the color match with her favorite tennis shoes!! I definitely picked her favorite color!  (Also, peep the plaid line up across the zipper!)

Woodland Flannel should be hitting your favorite fabric shop at the end of the month! I'd love to hear what projects you have planned with it!