Red, White, and Pink Tour

February is known for the month of love and passion, so I took advantage of this theme to combine two things I am very passionate about, my love for sewing and my love for painting. My inspiration came from watching my Facebook feed which is loaded with post from both sides of the art world, and I started seeing more posts where people started making coin purses and such out of their paintings, and I had to try it at least once. I know I can print fabric from places like Spoonflower or similar sites, but I wanted to use an actual painting.

The moment I signed up for the tour I poured the paintings on two 16x20 Artist's Loft canvas that I purchased from Michael's. I used 2oz. of craft paint in each color  white, black, pink, red, silver, and teal for a bit of contrast, also purchased at Michael's. When attempting fluid art, you must add a pouring medium to make sure the paint flows properly. Normally I use Floetrol, which is not archival so I use it when practicing techniques, but in this case I wanted to make sure I started this right and used Liquitex Pouring Medium. I honestly didn't measure how much medium I used, but it was enough to make it the consistency of warm honey. I do not add water, but instead use a paint extender which is simialr to water but does not weaken the binders in the paint like water could.  The best tool I used in this process that helped most of all was a washable marker. I could mark directly on the canvas and it washed right off with the smallest bit of water.

In speaking with Canadian Artist, Lori Grondin of Creative Souls Canada, I should have used Golden's GAC900 instead, a fabric medium that can be heat set to maintain the integrity of the painting. Liquitex also makes a fabric medium too that does not require a heat set, but I am certain heat set is best. Now I know for next time. If you would like to check out some beautiful examples of what is possible in fluid art, and then some, please check out Lori's links. They are not affiliate links, but I want to share just what is possible and she has an amazing talent that must be shared.

With the paintings done a month in advance to make sure they cured prior to sewing, I needed to find a pattern that was simple enough for this challenge. I turned to my Pinterest collection and found a great little free lined tote pattern on Craftsy designed by The Inspired Wren. Renee from The Inspired Wren is found all throughout the sewing community, and she has an amazing pattern collection available all over. The size for this particular tote was perfect for the canvas I used in the paintings. The pattern itself is beautifully written with easy to follow instruction. I highly recommend this pattern if you are looking for a good tote pattern. I also loves that it was easy to change up a bit for little things like adding extra pockets inside the side pocket for example. I would have added another pocket to the inside but I wanted to keep this first version basic. 

For the construction of the bag, I followed the pattern instruction as they were written. I picked up some Duck Canvas Fabric in red for the pocket, straps, and bottom of the bag. I do recommend picking up a little more than the 1/2 yard to make sure you have enough for the straps as I almost ran out. I found a white basic cotton in the remnant bin that was perfect for the lining.  

My most difficult challenge with the pattern, and it was totally due to the use of the painted canvas and no fault of the pattern itself, was turning the bag. Sewing the painted canvas I expected to be a little hard on my machine, but it handled it like a champ. It took what seemed like 30 minutes of trying to turn the incredibly stiff fabric, most likely a result of using the incorrect medium. I had a few cracks and some small parts chipped off. Thankfully I was just able to cover those up with patches of paint so they are far less noticeable now. Once it was turned I had to add the lining, but knew I could not turn anything again so I had to alter the directions just for this part. I stitched they lining as directed, and then pressed the edges of the lining with my iron to form a clean edge. The canvas folded down easily without the use of heat. I matched up the edges and top-stitched around the entire bag, making sure not to sew the straps. It was a bit hard to keep it lined up since I could not pin the canvas as it does not heal like fabric would, and I did not have clips to use instead.

For those who paint and sew, I hope this inspires you to give it a try. Combining both my favorite arts has been a rewarding learning opportunity, one of which I intend to pursue further. These totes are perfect little gifts for anyone.This particular one is for my daughter who loves to read. I am not a professional painter, but I hope this helps answer some basic questions I have seen people have on the how to sew a painted canvas. My best advice is to just get some basic materials and test out what works best for you. Trial and error can sometimes be a great learning tool. 

Be sure to check out the amazing other bloggers on this tour. You can find the entire list below. 

Let's get inspired!
February 1st: Sewing By Ti (intro),  Mahlica Designs
2nd: Sewing With D
3rd: Sewing With Sarah
Sunday, February 4th: Tenille's Thread
5th: My Heart will Sew On
6th: Kathy Kwilts and More
7th: Stitched By Jennie
8th: EYMM
9th: With Love In Every Stitch
10th: The Bear and the Pea Atelier
Sunday, February 11th: Our Play Place
12th: My Sewing Roots
13th: Margarita on the Ross
14th: Very Blissful
15th: Seams Sew Lo
16th: Sew Sew Ilse
17th: Aurora Designs
Sunday, February 18th: Sewing Scientist
19th: Manning the Machine
20th: The Fairy Dust Bin
21st: Hazelnut Handmade
22nd: Kate Will Knit
23rd: Lulu & Celeste
24th: Flaxfield Sewing
Sunday, February 25th: Twinado Alley
26th: Ma Moose
27th: Auschick Sews
28th: Oak Blue Designs

Right Skirt, Wrong Galaxy!

How many times have we gone into a project with high expectations, only for the final product not what we intended? This was most definitely one of those projects. I planned on making a new skirt for the new school year for my daughter. She picked out fabric and the Manhattan Skirt by New Horizon Designs. She is not a fan of woven anything be it ready to wear or mom made, so while the Manhattan is a pattern for woven I thought trasferring it into knit would not be that difficult.

I have often been told when using knit for a design intended for woven you should size down to account for the stretch. The problem is before doing that, I needed to actually grade the pattern up before taking it down because my daughter fit outside the size range. This would be my first time ever completely resizing an entire pattern. With the help of this tutorial, I was able to create the pattern pieces in her size. I took into account what size she normally wears in the girls New Horizon's collection, and also measured everything countless times. Short story long I ended up creating a skirt that fit me in the end. Thankfully my daughter was not as disappointed as I assumed she would be, and instead was proud that I had a skirt for me with fabric she picked out, that crisis was averted.

My daughter chose the galaxy print knit by Doodles found at Joann's. Worried it might be too much of a print for the whole skirt, I challanged myself to add a black stripe to the front breaking up the rather busy fabric. Thankfully I remembered to account for the seam allowance last minute or the entire front of the skirt would have been off.

I followed the clearly written instructions with one other alteration to the pattern pieces. Instead of cutting two back pieces, I chose to cut on the fold, also adjusting for the seam allowance for the center back seam that was no longer needed. I have a horrible habbit of cutting backwards, which I did with this skirt so my front diagnol is going the opposite direction. It worked out though because I even cut the solid black backwards too. Before piecing the skirt as directed I did attach the black stripe first. Since this skirt was intended for my daughter, I chose her favorite yoga waistband by simply using her measurements and adding it as you would any waistband. I did leave off the tabs and buttons in the end solely because this ended up a skirt for me, but had this fit her better they were cut and ready to add as well.

Once her Manhattan was all stitched up, she tried it on. To our surprise it was just a tad too big. I was afraid she would be crushed, but then she exclaimed, "Yeah, you don't get to take my picture." I guess she just was not feeling being my adorable little model she usually is (those with children know they don't always want to cooperate). She suggested I try it on and again surprised, it fit perfectly and once again was thrilled because she picked out the fabric for the skirt that I could now wear. I forgot to grab a photo, but it also doubles as a strapless top too.

Looking back, I learned a little on this adventure. I should have tried the largest size 10 in the knit vs.  resizing the whole pattern. Had I made a muslin first I could have avoided any fit issues for my daughter. This was a first for me, as far as adding sizes and I should have known better. I will head back to the drawing board though and work on another so we can have matching skirts soon.

The Manhattan Skirt is a girls size pattern created for woven fabrics. It starts at infant size 0-6 months up to a size 10. Now is a great time to grab a copy while the back to school sale is going on until 8/7/2017 on the site. The instructions are detailed and easy to follow, even for beginners. While designed for woven it is cut on the bias allowing for movement. If you decide to try this in knit I highly suggest a muslin to avoid the sizing issue I had, but if using woven the sizing tutorial mentioned above will help get a larger size if needed for your beautiful little angel. All around I would absolutely recommend this skirt for its ease and style. Happy Sewing!

Also join New Horizon Design's on Facebook.

Please note that this post contains affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase, I will get paid a small portion of that purchase

Not Everything New is Scary!

I am so excited to share my week two entry, or in this case entries, for The Monthly Stitch Indie Pattern Month Contest, New To Me Week. I meticulously thought out all my entries for this event, except this week. I was really nervous to go outside my comfort zone that I had already built up to. The designer's I use regularly are familiar and I know well any alterations I need to make as I am sewing. After staring blankly at the endless list of Indie Pattern Designer's, I settled on Little Lizzard King and 5 out of 4 Patterns. Fair warning this has to be my longest post to date and none of these links are affiliate links, this is simply my experience with both patterns.

I started with my top, the Elia by Little Lizzard King from their Bohemian Spirit Collection. I love the cold shoulder style that is all the rage now, and purchased this pattern what seems ages ago, but really only back in May during a sale when I first saw it posted in a facebook group. I had every intention of sewing it up right away, but kept getting busy and soon the Elia, all printed was collecting dust on my crafting table. I fell in love with the pattern right away, but I am alway leary of any pattern with a peplum, for some reason I feel it makes my hips seem wider.

This weeks IPM submission was the perfect reason to give this gorgeous top a try. I cannot only share my successes though, I orinionally intended to use a lightweight knit I picked up at Joann's specifically for this top. Turns out, I didnt think I would have any issues, but my sewing ego was quickly reminded why I still consider myself a beginner. No fault of the pattern at all, but my lovely knit stretched in the neckline while sewing. I tried to fix it by adding some clear elastic, it worked but not good enough for a contest entry. I do intend on adding the skirt and finishing this knit version, just after the contest. I may have found out why this happened, and address it again in just a moment.

While trying on the failed knit, I noticed I had a enough room to make the whole top out of a Nicole Miller Silky print I grabbed at Joann's months ago. One goal for the summer has been use the fabric I have first, especially since I have enough to open a fabric store, who doesn't? Another goal for the summer is to change every pattern I make, even just a little bit. While this was a new pattern and designer, I was going to keep this goal one way or another. I thought it could be made sleeveless, and that idea was confirmed when I saw a beautiful example of just that on the Little Lizzard King Facebook Support page. I knew it could be done so I decided to push myself and give it a shot.

I printed the pages for my size Large. There are only four pieces to tape, the front and back bodice, the back of the skirt, and sleeve. Since I took the sleeveless route, I didn't bother with the sleeve. What about the skirt front? There is a square piece you are given the dimensions to in tje instructions. I had an idea, and probably not the only one to have this thought, I folded the skirt back up making a rectangle that happened to be the exact measurements needed for the front. I cannot say this works for all sizes, but it did mine,  and saved me some cutting time. The instructions. Speaking of instruction, they are simple and clear. I love the details in the photos where arrows and lines is a bright visible color show exactly what each step in referring to. The instructions for the burrito roll necessary to complete the bodice and lining were a relief. Most times I have had to YouTube how each time, but the photos are so clear I did not need a video refresher.

I did learn one valuable lesson while writing this post. The Little Lizzard King has a 24 hour download policy. Somehow I lost almost all my patterns purchased that day, but have no fear there is a form that can be completed on their Facebook group where you can request the order again. It does take 7 to 10 days though. I found this out because, I noticed in the girls pattern that it refers to a zipper addition in the woven version. I did not recall seeing that mentioned in the Ladies version, but since I cannot find my downloaded copy anywhere, I cannot confirm or deny that I missed something important in the steps. It could even be why its a little loose in the neckline, it would totally make sense. This is still clearly operator error and absolutely no fault of the designer.

I needed bottoms to go with this top, but since this is New To Me week I had to find an alternative to what I normally would use. I stumbled upon 5 out of 4 Patterns and their Ninja Pants which would be perfect to go with this top. The Ninja Pants are a free design available at their site via a code from their Facebook Support page in the pinned post.

Immediately I was impressed with the options in this free pattern. You have multiple waistlines, multiple lengths, a gusset, pocket, and so much more. I had a hard time believing this was really free. On top of all the options in the bottoms, the no trim pages are printed in layers. Assembly was super simple with the use of a thick line used to guide placement.

I had to once again stick to my revise all the patterns theme and decided to add a little lace that closely resembles the print of my top. I had no clue at all how to do it so I did what I do best and guess. After deciding on the pedal pusher length, I folded the pattern in half using the hemline to help determine the halfway mark. I cut out each side and subtracted 1 1/2 inches from each side. It was at that point I realized I  needed to add back the seam allowances or this wasn't going to fit. I decided to just cut the difference when I was cutting the fabric. I took the two 1 1/2 pieces cut off each side and taped them together to make a pattern piece for the inset, again realizing I needed to include the SA wjen cutting to avoid fit issues. I purposely left the inset all the way to the waistline because I was only making these to be worn under long tops. Another first, the gusset, I have never added one before and was surprised how easy it came together. With the extra room, I probably did not need the high waist, and my next pair will be mid rise.

Obviously the fabric choice for my new Ninja Pants had to have great stretch and recovery. I used what I had on hand, a Cotton Lycra from Joann's. The inset fabric I have had for so long I can only say it came from Joann's, as does most of my stuff, during a half off clearance sale over a year ago. It has a little stretch to it also, not nearly as much as the CL does. I have a ton of tops and too short dresses I had this in mind for, but wanted this fabric combination mainly because it closely resembles the print in the top.

I am really impressed with both the Elia and Ninja and how they turned out. The fit test for me is always wearing it to my karaoke job because I am constantly moving, lifting, carrying vs just normal day wear. I has no issues. My Ninja Pants never fell down once, and the Elia top didn't pull anywhere along the night. I received more compliments on the combination than any one thing I have made to date. I need to go back and make each again as they were inteded. I highly recommend both patterns for beginner's or advanced alike.

Next weeks Hack It Up challange goes with my summer theme of revising all patterns. I cannot wait to share how cute this outfit turned out, but I have to be patient. In the mean time, make sure you vote for your favorites from Week 1 Dresses!

Bayside for my Mini

I tested the Women's Bayside a while ago. Ever since my daughter had been asking for one as well. She is big enough for the smallest sized woman's, but it takes a little alterations to the pattern to make it fit right. I am glad I postponed because New Horizons came out with the adorable Girl's Bayside. Perfect timing!

I can assemble the woman's version in my sleep, and the girl's is basically the same but smaller. You still need the clear elastic for the back and where the bodice joins whatever bottom you are making, or if you are feeling adventurous, you can try a banded waist and make a top like I did here.

I used a Doodles knit from Joann's for my fabric this time around. My daughter insisted on the narwhal print, I didn't even know she knew what they were, our kids never cease to amaze us! Any way, I made her a 16 shorts romper with a 14 length in the bodice and shorts. No other changes were made.

If you do not have the benefit of already knowing how to assemble this design, I have made several already. Rest assured this is a really easy pattern to follow. The instructions are clear and show the steps as described. There is even a little extra information available on how to do the casing, which by the way I use on any pattern needing elastic.

Make sure to take advantage of the Girl's Bayside while it is on sale. The Mommie and Me Bundle is also on sale. This is a great warm weather pattern, which I just realized I am actually wearing as I write this up in our 100+ heat.

If you have questions or need some inspiration, make sure to stop in to the New Horizons Support Page on Facebook.

If you missed it, the links to my Woman's Bayside, and my Revised Bayside are here.

Please note that this post contains affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase, I will get paid a small portion of that purchase