Edit: March 11, 2017 Since the BundleUP sale is over, I have redirected the links to their Etsy shop.
Disclaimer: I received the pattern for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own of course! This post include affiliate links, if you purchase something after clicking on an affiliate link I may receive a small commission. Thank you for supporting this blog!
Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links. I did purchase the bundle in advance though with my own money 🙂 All opinions are 100% my own of course! Read the fine print about this bundle and read the answers to frequently asked questions about the bundle.
When I first heard about this bundle I was pretty excited. I have a thing for bundles, you see. I get excited about the possibility of a good deal. So when I saw that there were some patterns included I was even more excited. But.. BUT.. I need something to keep the kids busy so I can get to sewing the patterns included in the bundle (and, well, all the other patterns on my to-do list).
And looky! The Ultimate DIY Bundle includes the Make Believe book from Pattern Anthology.
The e-book includes a few different crafts that are great for kids to make themselves: felt cat mask, bean bags, tricorn pirate hat, crown, superhero doll and fashion designer activity. They’re mostly aimed at older children (of course you could make them for your kids) but the one I love the most is the Fashion Designer activity. Perfect for my nearly-5-year-old (wah!) who loves to play with my fabric scraps!
She was concentrating so much!
I printed out the girl and boy dolls onto cardstock to make it more durable. Handed over some fabric scraps, scissors and a glue stick, and set Silly to work.
and then my camera battery died so I wasn’t able to get any final shots of her finished dolls.
She had fun, it kept her occupied while I did some chores.
I’m thinking I’ll print some more up to include in the goodie bags to give to her cousins when they come to her birthday party in a few weeks.
..Now just to find something to keep Miss V occupied.
Here are a couple other ebooks that might interest your kids and keep them busy.
Doodle Art Alley includes 12 colouring book pages that would be great to keep your kids colouring for a long time.
How to Sculpt Miniature Breakfast Foods. OMGosh! So cute! Definitely for the older kids/teens and adults. I think I’m going to try these out myself.
Ooh and my favourite bonus that’s included in the Ultimate DIY Bundle is your choice of one 15 Craftsy classes (up to a $60 value!) Right now I’m following a bread baking course, Artisan Bread Making with Peter Reinhart and it’s great so far. (Yes, I know it’s not sewing related! I love making bread, my mom finally taught me how she makes her molasses brown bread -yum!- by hand and I was looking for something that explained a bit the science behind bread baking, and this does!) **I don’t know if that course is included, it’s just the one I’m currently watching**
If you’re interested click the button below to pick up your copy of the Ultimate DIY bundle.
But hurry fast! It’s only available for sale until January 26th!
Every so often I see a cute non clothing pattern I want to try and I just couldn’t resist this learning doll from Ruby Jean’s Closet. Marissa is just so sweet! Read to the end to enter the giveaway!
Disclaimer: I received the pattern for free for the purpose of this review. All opinions are 100% my own of course!
This was the most time consuming project I’ve done so far, but it’s oh so worth it. My girls just love her! They both want to play with her at the same time, so I need to make a second one now.
The only thing I didn’t do on this were the eyelet holes in Marissa’s top (for lacing the shoe lace through), I had forgotten to pick them up at the store on my last trip there, so I will be adding them on later.
But other than needing the eyelets I forgot to buy, I’m so proud of myself as I didn’t buy a single thing to make her. Or maybe I shouldn’t be so happy, because that means I have an excessively huge stash of stuff. So, yes, this was a stash busting project from start to finish!
Moving in for a kiss!
Little Miss V is a little young for this doll, but there’s something about her face that V just loves. She sees her and she smiles and hugs her, and gives her kisses. (Well, V’s version of kisses).
Marissa is a lot bigger than I realized. The finished sized is mentioned in the listing but I must have skipped that. She’s 22″ tall, she’s bigger than my girls from when they were newborns!
Button practice
Perfect bow!
So what makes Marissa a learning doll? Her starfish hairbow clips on and off; shoelaces to tie and weave through the holes in her top (if I had put them in); buttons on the skirt; a zipper on the back; snaps on the shoulders of her top; and velcro closure on her skirt. I’m thinking on the next one I’ll make her heart (under her top) out of minky to add some texture fun too. Pattern Details:
Pattern cutting layout, fabric requirements chart
I like how the tutorial separates out each section of the doll so you prepare the pieces for each section (upper body, lower body) before moving onto the next step. I found that to be a good help to keep from getting confused.
Clear, easy to understand steps with photos
15 pages to print
Glossary of sewing terms included
Would I make this again? Yes, definitely. It’s a bigger project with all the little pieces to cut out and the snaps, etc to install, but so cute and seeing my girls light up was worth it. I say it took me about 6 hours in all from start to finish. Keep reading, giveaway at the bottom of this post!
Zipper practice! Ignore the rice krispies on her shirt, ha!
Very huggable!
Do you want a chance to win this pattern? Ruby Jean’s Closet has graciously allowed me to give away the complete learning doll set! The 4 pack includes Marissa, Seabiscuit, Iggy and the fishy friends trio (included with each doll purchase)! Enter in the rafflecopter below. And if you just can’t wait to find out if you win, head on over to their Etsy shop and pick up your favourite doll!
AND for another chance to win, after you enter the Rafflecopter here, head on over to Sprouting JubeJube! She’s also giving away a 4-pack to her readers! 🙂
Hey this was another stash sew project! Most of the fabrics are leftovers from other projects, the felt I’ve had for a couple years, the snaps and stuff I bought a few months back. The shoelace I stole from a pair of sneakers I barely ever wear :p
Today I’m sharing my holiday version of the Kenzie dress! There’s a discount code so read on to the end!
Disclaimer: I received the pattern for free for testing it way back a year ago. This post contains affiliate links. That means if you click the link and buy through it, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. All opinions are 100% my own though.
The Kenzie dress is a cute dress from EYMM that offers two views (well, four really): a simple and flounce version in both skirt or dress. I tested the skirt flounce version way back a year ago and today I’m showcasing the simple dress. The main features are the deep V back, the full skirt and the ruched waistband (which I kinda messed up boo, easy fix though since it’s not attached!).
The simple skirt version is fairly quick. From cut to finish (including cutting the pattern pieces for the bodice) it took me about 3 hours. Modifications I made:
As per usual I mashed sizes slightly to fit Silly Bean better. The Kenzie pattern includes finished measurements as well as a size chart which made it a little easier to decide which size to do. I cut the 2T width with a 4T length. It’s the perfect fit!
I enclosed the skirt seam into the bodice by only attaching the skirt to the main bodice and then folding the lining’s raw edge under.
I used metal snaps instead of buttons
I chose to do the sleeveless version since she’ll need to wear a cardigan with it anyway. It’s just early November but the temperatures have been hovering just above freezing for the past week. (Also, boo no more outdoor pics!) Pattern details:
Two skirt styles: flounces or simple; dress or high-waisted skirt; sleeveless or cap sleeves
Big size range, newborn to 18; available in two size groups or get the combo
Includes 18″ doll version
Pattern pieces are nested
Cut chart included for simple skirt and waistband and sash, pattern pieces for the rest
Size chart, finished measurement chart
Both fabrics were purchased from FabricVille. The tree fabric was from a year ago, and it’s so pretty in person, it has glitter trees! (Of course the glitter fabric made a mess all over the place).
The bundle of the full size range is presently on sale for $14.95 (reg. price is $20.39) but use the code LITTLELADY to get an extra 30% off bringing it down to just over $10.00!!
Hi! I’m happy to be taking part in the Ansley pattern tour! This was the first time I’ve sewn up a pattern by this designer so I was excited to try it out.
Disclaimer: I received the pattern for free for the purpose of this review. All opinions are 100% my own though.
First thing to know about the Ansley is that there are lots of options:
Top or Dress lengths
Hi-low or regular style
Two collar styles or none
Sleeves: regular, puff, 3/4 length with or without cuff, and flutter
Hem: regular, bias hem, ruffle hem
I decided to do the tunic length hi-low top with puff sleeves. (You may notice my sleeves aren’t puffy, I’ll get into that in a bit). The Ansley is a loose fitting style so take that into consideration when choosing your size. Silly Bean is tall and skinny so generally when sewing I need to mash sizes a bit. I forgot about that this time though. *sigh At a 20″ chest she fell into the size 2T, but she has the shoulder width of a regular 4-year-old (I’m supposing since she’s slightly above average height for a 4-year-old). Since I figured that the 2 would not fit her properly through the shoulders, I decided to do a 3 width, and was going to cut a 4 length but totally forgot and did the 3 length as well. So it’s a little short. I also changed the suggested hem length so it would have been even shorter had I not.
The opening for the top/dress is in the front and the back has slight gathers.
I totally messed up my gathers here. I only did one row of gathers, I know I know, bad me! In my defense I was sewing at 2 in the morning.
All in all the pattern is good although I had some issues. The sleeves didn’t puff. The designer has been informed so that little kink should be worked out soon.
The pattern is geared for advanced beginner/intermediate, mainly due to the placket I think. That part was confusing for me but mainly because it was the first time I’d done a placket that way. The instructions are minimal but fairly straightforward but it would be best to have some knowledge of garment construction already before tackling this pattern. More things to know:
Huge size range: 9m to 14
Size chart and fabric requirement charts are in both metric and imperial
The PDF has the layers printing option so you only have to print the size you need
Printing guide makes it easy to print just the pattern pieces for the pages you want
Instructions include diagrams, not photos
Anyway, even with the sleeve issue I’m not deterred from trying another pattern from them. I like the designs and the fit on this one was great (and would have been better had I cut the proper length for my daughter, ha!)
Did you see the graphic at the top of the post? There’s a coupon code to get 10% off in the Blaverry Etsy shop!
Check out the rest of the stops on the Ansley tour below!
Hey this was another stash sew project! I’ve had the fabric for over a year now and have already used it twice before but there’s enough left to squeeze out one more project!
Disclaimer: I received the pattern for free for the purpose of this review. Slight modifications may have been made to the pattern in the final version. This post contains affiliate links. That means if you click the link and buy through it, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Affiliate links are marked with an *. All opinions are 100% my own though.
Just in time for some last minute Halloween costume sewing, Kymy of EYMM* (Everything Your Mama Made) has come up with a superhero costume pattern bundle.
I really wanted to make a matching set for both my girls and for Silly Bean’s doll, but I didn’t have time to get to the fabric store and pick up enough fabric for all three capes so I raided my stash and made a cape for Miss V. Benefits of sewing for a baby, they don’t require much fabric!
And before anyone says anything, the pattern includes instructions to use velcro for the capes’ closures but I couldn’t find it in my messy craft room. The cape is tied on just for pictures, I’ll add the velcro on before I let her wear it again. 😉
Silly Bean did score a matching mask though!
Pattern Bundle Details:
3 mask styles, cape, wrist cuffs and belt, as well as appliques for different shapes (heart, diamond, circle, crown, and more) as well as the alphabet in order to completely personalize your child’s costume. (You can see official details with sizing chart here*)
big size range: Newborn to 10 PLUS 18″ doll
Includes sizing chart, yardage requirements chart; clear instructions with diagrams; and plenty of tester photos for inspiration!
I make masks all the time (Silly Bean is always losing the ones I made her), and I’ve found that felt is fiddly and likes to shift a lot. What I like to do is keep the mask pattern pinned to the two sheets of felt, fussy cut around the shape, slip the elastic between the two layers of felt and then stitch around the shape. Once it’s stitched I trim the felt close to the stitch line. It makes adding the elastic a little more difficult but I find it easier to sew in case the felt shifts.
The bundle is for sale here* at the low price of $4.95 BUT until October 21, 2014 with the code HEROSET you can get 40% of the purchase price (valid only on the Superhero bundle) making it just $2.97!! And I know there are lots of free patterns for capes and masks out there but most of the time they’re in one size only and haven’t gone through testing. I think this is a great deal 🙂
