Link Party #15

 It's Link Party Time! You guys have been at it again and I LOVE LOVE LOVE seeing your creations! The talent! (and the time) you guys are putting into your fabulous creations is just amazing! I love sharing time!
Here are some of my favorites from last week:

 Nest full of eggs made this dress refashioned from a woman's dress. It looks tailored perfectly for her daughter and she did an amazing job! So lovely.

Misguided Maiden shared this alphabet art wall for her son's room. The detail is jaw dropping and it was all hand painted! Way more patience then I will ever have in a life time but it is awesome! 

Then even though I only usually share 3 favorites I had to share both of these because not only are the ADORABLE but they are the maxwell shirt. (and I love that :) 

 Bluebird & the boy shared her version she made for her sone while testing the pattern for me. I love the little duck buttons that make it so charming for a little boy.

You&Mie shared the version she made for her daughter, who totally rocks it by the way. I love the "vintage" feel to the fabric. So cute!

Thanks everyone for sharing and linking up I can not wait to see what you have in store this week!

New to link parties? That's totally fine here's what you have to do:

Find a entry on your blog that you want to link up.

It can be ANYTHING (unless it's an ad or something let's keep it spam free)

Say it is a great new project you just made and have been dying to share it with the crafting world. 

the link should look something like this:

http://(your blog adress/website)/(the post you want to link).html

Linking to the post is the easiest way for people to get back to that post.

Then click where it says "click here to enter" 

follow the steps to link your post and create a title, and select your picture.

Keep in mind the picture will be small thumbnail so pick a picture that shows it off the best. 

Lastly if you were so kind to add our button to your page or post, or where every you store your link party things that would be super cool. You don't have to use the button to link up, it's just there for you if you can't live without it. 

cool? cool. Let's get the party started!

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Whimsy Couture Review and Giveaway!

Whimsy Couture contacted me a little while back asking me if I would like to review one of their patterns. Naturally I said YES! I was checking out their patterns and while drooling over so many of them. I decided to go with the easy peasant dress/top. I am a sucker for simple and so there is nothing better than an easy peasant top.   

 The dress was just that. EASY! The whole thing whipped together in about 2 hours. Which is perfect. I have made peasant dresses in the past but only by figuring out all the cuts and measurements each time, this pattern was so quick and so easy and now I have a go to pattern for sizes newborn to size 12! (so awesome) They make it soooo easy! The directions are quick and easy to follow and they share tons of ways to make your peasant dress (or top) unique.

 Which is honestly the most fun! I used some plain white cotton that I painted with some fabric paint. It was a fun little design inspired by spring that makes the top unique for Abbey. I also added a little ribbon at the neck for an extra pop of color.

 I liked the elastic bodice, only thing I "changed" is that I didn't have elastic thread on hand so I just made a casing for some elastic at the waist. Super easy still and the same great result.

I just love everything about this pattern and Abbey loves having another care free summer dress to run around in.

So want to know the best part?? Whimsy Couture is giving away a 3 pattern pack!

One lucky reader will get to pick out three patterns of their choice from Whimsy Couture's Shop.

All you have to do to enter is visit Whimsy Couture and let me know which patterns are your favorites.

Want an extra entry? (leave a comment for each entry)
Visit Whimsy Couture on Facebook and "like" them.

Giveaway will end Thursday the 12th at Midnight (MST) Winner will be announced on Friday the 13th (trying to make that day lucky for someone :)

If you just can't wait to get your hands on these lovely patterns you can get 30% off at their pattern shop, by using the code: SAVE30 (awesome)

Good luck!

Instagram Friday! {Strom trooper, super heros and sunshine}

Welcome to Instagram Friday!

A little glimpse of life beyond sewing and crafting...

We got a new recliner this week. The kids loved the box. I mean it's a box so who wouldn't love it? Jude used it to blast off into outer space for an afternoon. I am glad he returned back to earth :)

 Jude turned 5! I can not believe that my little baby is 5! He also hates being called my little baby. He got some dress up stuff for his birthday, we have been frequented by a storm trooper or Captain America at almost every meal since. (yes he even wore it out to dinner on his birthday)

 We went to a fun center for his birthday. (like a clean and grown up version of chuckie cheese) We played mini crochet, bowling, and arcade games. Jude thought it was the best night of his life.
Also this week...

 Merry-go-round rides were had...

 Super heros were on duty...

 Floors were scrubbed clean...

 Sunshine was enjoyed (scooter style)...

Jumping parties took place...

It was a great week. So how was your week?

A Mini Maxwell and a video tutorial

 As you know I have been putting together a baby gift set for a friend who is expecting her first baby boy soon. They are a hip couple so I decided it was only fit to make a hip baby set, while staying baby friendly. (comfort is a must) I decided to shrink the maxwell shirt pattern down to baby size.

 I started with the 12-18 month size and then using an old baby shirt I had on hand I trimmed the pattern down to fit the 3-6 month size. Then I made the shirt the same way as the pattern using the button tab for the smallest size and the pockets for the 12-18 month size I just folded the sides in a little extra so it wasn't way to big. It was surprisingly easy to shrink it down, and everything looks cuter in a mini size. :)
I used fabric from the Curious Nature collection for the accent.

 I love the way the shirt turned out, the buttons make me smile :)

 It rounds out the "Urban baby set" quite nicely.
64 Square Baby quilt
Reversible knit baby pants (with PDF pattern)
Two Tone Baby shoes (with PDF pattern)
Simple dot onsie
Maxwell top pattern

Now quite a few of my testers said the most challenging part of the Maxwell Pattern was figuring out how the collar and front facing come all together. As with many things actually seeing something being done is 10 times easier than looking at a picture and reading about it. So I enlisted the help of my husband to put together a video tutorial walking you through the collar and facing.




Also making a video tutorial was kind of fun, so my question to you is do you love them or hate them? Is there something you wish there was a video tutorial on?

*Also please excuse the fact that a few parts cut out a little early we had a few filming glitches :)

Simple Dot Onsie

 Is there anything better then simplistic designs for babies? Ok I admit I am a sucker for them for myself as well (I would totally wear this... if it were a shirt in my size of course the onsie would look ridiculous on me) So in adding to my baby set this week I made a super quick onsie. (I also whipped up some of the bow tie onsies found here)

 I LOVE how it turned out and more so how easy peasy it was to make. And how cute would it look as a sibling matching set? Different colors for each kid... so cute. So here is the quick low down...

 1: Using freezer paper or vinyl (as I have been using these days) make a stencil. I used my silhouette machine to cut the circles but seriously a hole punch would do the trick and you could use the flower shaped ones for a super cute girl design... just saying...
2: Pick your paint. I use tulip brand fabric paint and I mix the colors together to get the shade I want.
3: Paint your circles. I used three colors two were the same color I just added a little white to one to make it a shade lighter, then the yellow really pops. It would be fun to do a rainbow of colors or anything you like really.
4: Peel away the stencil then heat set the design with an iron when it dries. Just place a piece of fabric over the painted design and press for a few seconds then you are done.

Now you have a cute little onsie to go with any little baby outfit.
Like maybe:
Reversible knit pants
and
Baby shoes

Tomorrow will be the last baby item to finish out the gift set. See you then.

Linky Party #14 {and some baby boy shoes}

 Before we jump into the link party and features this week I just wanted to share a quick little change up to the Baby Boy Shoe Pattern. It is all part of the baby set I am sharing this week. (the pants from yesterday was the first)So to get it all in this week I thought I would sneak the shoes in now.

 So real quick to change up the pattern and make the shoes two toned (one of the million ways to make the shoes) I just cut the pattern where the middle of the heel would be and I made it two different fabrics (add seam allowance) then sew the two pieces together. Easy.

 Also one quick tip. If you are having trouble with the two sole pieces slipping around as you sew (which I often do) Sew decorative lines through the two sole pieces which gives them a cute look and easier to sew.

 Then finish sewing up the shoes, following the tutorial. I can't wait to share the rest of the set! Shoe Fabric from my favorite "boy" fabric line Curious Nature.

Ok on with the link party! You guys linked up some absolutely beautiful stuff! I love looking through all the links and checking out all the goodness!

 Like this Amazing Pixie Tutu that Bugaboo, mini, mr.&me shared. Creative, beautiful and darling. This is a yarn project I know I can handle and I LOVE the colors of this tutu.

 Small Birdie shared these super cute bobby pins and paper clips. I think we all know I am a sucker for buttons so of course I saw these and was instantly in love. Time to make some!

The cleaver gals over at Simple Simon and Company made these cute little bunnies. Perfect for Easter, and it just so happens that I have two bunny loving kiddos in my house, so these are nearing the top of the list. 

Thanks for sharing all of your fabulous creations! Let's keep it going and see what you have in store for us this week!
I can't wait!

New to link parties? That's totally fine here's what you have to do:

Find a entry on your blog that you want to link up.

It can be ANYTHING (unless it's an ad or something let's keep it spam free)

Say it is a great new project you just made and have been dying to share it with the crafting world. 

the link should look something like this:

http://(your blog adress/website)/(the post you want to link).html

Linking to the post is the easiest way for people to get back to that post.

Then click where it says "click here to enter" 

follow the steps to link your post and create a title, and select your picture.

Keep in mind the picture will be small thumbnail so pick a picture that shows it off the best. 

Lastly if you were so kind to add our button to your page or post, or where every you store your link party things that would be super cool. You don't have to use the button to link up, it's just there for you if you can't live without it. 

cool? cool. Let's get the party started!

<br /><br /><a border="0" href="http://www.shwinandshwin.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x393/theshwins/tuesdayparty.jpg" /></a><br /><br />

Reversible knit baby pants {with pdf pattern}

 So everyone I know seems to be having a baby, and they all seem to be having boys. I LOVE sewing for babies, if I could I would always sew for babies. Now I do have my "go-to gift" that I have shared before. I had already made the easy baby quilt I thought I would mix things up a little bit with the baby gift set and share my most favorite thing I ever made my kids when they were little babies. Knit pants. So simple, so comfy and I always made them reversible, for two reasons really. 1. because it is a great two for one which is great for mixing up outfits. 2. the double layers help protect against baby leaking... you know how that goes :) So I whipped up a few pairs to add to the baby gifts. Today (in honor of my little guys 5th birthday) I am even offering a free PDF pattern for the pants. They are roughly a 3-6 months (ish) I would say they can fit between 3 months to 9 months if they are un-cuffed. So here is the link for the free pattern:

Baby Pants Pattern 

*Disclaimer the pattern is FREE so yes there are ads on the site where you download it from, please don't complain. Also don't get upset with me if you can't download the pattern if you send me an email requesting the pattern I do my best to send them out but I can't always meet all the demand. sorry :)

Now on to the sewing!

 Cut out the pieces as instructed by the pattern and also cut out a waist band piece, you will want that to be a rectangle that is 5inchesX15 inches (add a few more inches if your fabric doesn't have much stretch you want the waistband to be able to comfortable stretch to about 19 inches or the size of the babies waist)

 Then with right sides together sew two of the legs (one for each side) together at the bottom hem. Do this for both legs.

 Now just for a fun little (and completely useless) detail I decided to add a little pocket. So I cut a rectangle and I folded the sides in and top stitched along the top.

 Then I placed the pocket as a little cargo pocket on the side.

 I also added a little loop of twill tape (since it is cute) Stitch along the sides and bottom of the pocket.

 Then fold the pants so the right sides are together and match up the bottom leg seam. Then sew from one crotch to the other. (repeat for both legs)

 Then with one leg right side out and one leg inside out place the right side out leg into the other one matching up all the seams.

 (this is not the best picture of this step sorry) Sew the top of the "U" shape curve together to sew the two legs together. The picture shows one side but you want to sew down one side and up the other.

 Now you should have a very long pair of pants :) With the pants right side out tuck the un-sewn pant legs into the sewn pant leg. So the striped legs will get tucked inside the grey pant legs.

 Then pull the top of the striped legs up through the top. You will put the right sides together and then sew the same "U" shape that you did for the gray only you have to sew one side and then the other side making sure your seams meet in the middle. This way both crotch seams will match up on the inside (wrong sides together)

 Now you have a pair of reversible pants just missing the waistband...

 So for the waistband sew the top edge of the waist band under. This gives you a finished edge when sewing it in place later. Then fold the waistband in half width wise and sew.

 Then match the raw edge of the waistband up with the top of the outside layer of the pants. (the pants will likely be wider than the waistband.

 Then sew the waistband to the waist. Stretch the waistband as you sew so that it fits the waist of the pants.

 Then fold the waistband in and match the sewn edge in place with the other waistband. Sew along the bottom of the folded edge to secure. You will sew through all the layers at this point.

Then you are done! Not to bad right? You can also make the same pants with just a single layer by cutting only 2 legs and putting them together nearly the same way only you hem the bottom and then add the waistband just to on layer. See you back here later the week with more baby goodness :) All of it was made for a boy but really it can all be used for a girl as well.

Pocket fabric from my favorite new "boyish" collection Curious Nature.