The Bowerbird Shift Pattern Review

I tested this cowl neck dress or top pattern back in October.  It is a lovely design, with a flowy feel, a flattering tie-waist, and pockets (even on the shirt version!). 

Lindsey from Sew To Grow is the designer. I have tested a few of her other patterns (The Bondi Top, The Noosa Shift), and once again, I was impressed.  Lindsey is thorough in her instructions, so that even a novice sewist could handle this construction. 

I made the dress first, and liked it so much that I decided to make a top as well.  Every time I wear this dress, I receive compliments on it. 

Did I say how much I love that it has pockets??

I used a light rayon print for this dress.  I found similar here and here. 

For the Bowerbird shirt, I used a synthetic grey knit (similar here).  When I make another dress or top, I will use a knit again. I really love the way the cowl neck naturally falls with the knit fabric. 

To purchase this pattern, go here:

Sew To Grow Etsy

or 

Sew To Grow (AU)

The Bondi Top Pattern Review

I have a friend named Lindsey Rae who designs patterns, and I have been a pattern tester for her in 

the past (see my Noosa Shift Dress Pattern Review). Her patterns are amazingly simple, well-written, thoroughly tested, and flattering on any figure. 

The Bondi Top was the pattern that really launched her career as a designer, so I have been excited to try it out. I finally made my first Bondi Top a couple of weeks ago, and I loved it so much that I made myself 2 more!

Why I love this pattern: 

• It is downloadable (available HERE from Etsy). Pattern downloads are super easy to store and replicate if you want to make new sizes. 
• It is adjustable for size AND length. I have a long torso, so I added 2 inches to the length and loved the result!
• It is a tad bit longer in the back than the front, which makes for a flattering fit. 
• It has a contrasting fabric option. Don't you LOVE the additional print design on each of the shirts?! 
• And probably my favorite feature: It requires NO notions. No zippers, buttons, ties, or hooks. Just fabric and thread. 

I used 3 different types of fabric for my shirts: lightweight cotton for the yellow and blue shirt above; rayon for the next shirt pictured; and a woven cotton/poly fabric for the third shirt. 

Similar lightweight cottons to those in my yellow and blue shirt can be found HERE.

 This silky rayon is dreamy to wear. It was more time-consuming to sew because I had to pin more since the fabric is more slippery, but it was worth every minute. Similar fabric can be found HERE. 

This was such a fun fabric. It has that Aztec/Peruvian blanket or poncho style, but is less heavy. Similar woven fabric can be found HERE. The contrast fabric is a woven cotton linen/twill; similar (but without print) found HERE.

My colorful and original jewelry is from one of my favorite charities, African Promise Foundation. I know the founder and can vouch for this organization's commitment to bettering the lives of the less-fortunate through beautiful hand-made jewelry sales. 

Kids' Hiking Gaiters Pattern

If you follow my blog or my social media feeds (or if you know me personally!), you know that I love spending time with my family, especially if we get to be out in nature!  You will also be very aware that I like to sew, especially when I get to use original creative thought in the process!

This Kids' Hiking Gaiters project has been a perfect marriage of my love of outdoor adventuring and creative sewing! 

WHY GAITERS? 

If the trail is muddy, dusty, rocky, wet, or snowy, gaiters are a hiker's best friend. They keep unwanted pebbles, dirt, ice, and anything else on the trail out of your boots. They add an extra layer of protection for your legs from thorns and scratchy underbrush.  No more frayed pants legs and scratched up shins! And if there is 2 feet of snow?? No problem!!

My husband and I have been working on fully outfitting our family for backpacking trips over the past 3 years. It has been a learning process that has taken time, research, money, and experience.  We have bought nice hiking gaiters for 4 of the 6 of us--the 4 who could wear adult-sized gaiters. However, child-sized gaiters are much harder to find. We wanted them to be as rugged as adult gaiters, but we needed them to fit our kids. So I told my husband I would design some.  I am SUPER excited about these. I used the pattern to make two pairs of gaiters for my kids, and it worked beautifully.

I designed these to be sewn using a standard home-use sewing machine. No industrial machine is needed. 

I have listed this pattern and tutorial, which includes a printable PDF of the pattern and an illustrated, step-by-step tutorial, on Etsy for an introductory price of $2.00 USD:

Kids' Hiking Gaiters Pattern

As an extra help for anyone making these, I am sharing here some places you can buy the materials to make these. Many standard fabric stores don't carry the sport utility fabrics required, but they can be found!

Here are some of my sources: 

• FOR ONE-STOP SHOPPING: If you live in the Seattle area, Seattle Fabrics in Freemont is an excellent source for any and all the outdoor fabrics and sewing notions you will need.  I guess that is a bonus to having Outdoor Research and REI headquartered here. If you don't live here, no worries, Amazon (also headquartered here) ships everywhere and has many excellent outdoor fabric and notion deals.
• PACK CLOTH :  Amazon has some great deals on this tough, water-resistant fabric. It is what your child's backpack is made of and makes excellent gaiters. (And my daughter would have LOVED that hot-pink option! Too bad I just found it!)

• IRONING BOARD FABRIC:  I found this versatile fabric at Joann's. Although it contains cotton (which we generally avoid with outdoor gear), it has aluminum woven into the surface making it very tough and water resistant. It also won't melt if a hot ember lands on it (which can't be said of any of the nylon fabrics!).  In my gaiters pattern, I double up this fabric to give added stability to the gaiter. 
• RIPSTOP NYLON:  Many fabric stores are starting to carry a limited supply of ripstop nylon. Not all ripstop is created equal. If you are wanting to use it for the main body of the gaiters, I suggested holding out to find a heavier, coated ripstop so it will be water resistant.  Amazon has some--but be sure to read the reviews; some say they are water resistant but do not have a polyurethane coating.  For the front panels of the gaiters, an uncoated ripstop would be fine. 

• LADDER LOCK SLIDER BUCKLES and WEBBING: You might find these at your fabric store, but be careful of the quality.  You want webbing and buckles that can hold up to abuse since these will be right at the base of the boot. They will undoubtedly be scratched by rocks, get caked in dirt and mud, and get very wet.  Again, Amazon is a good source, but read reviews and go for the branded options.  Often REI and other outdoor outfitters will carry these where you buy rock climbing gear if you don't want to buy the large quantities offered on Amazon.

• COAT HOOKS: These can be found at fabric stores. They will come as "Coat Hook and Eyes." You'll only need the hooks for this. You can also order them on Amazon.  Be sure to get them large enough to hook around a shoe lace (there are some tiny hook and eye sets out there). 
  

• 1.5 INCH VELCRO: When designing these gaiters, I ALMOST went with a 3/4" Velcro. That was my original plan. Then as the design went forward, I realized that if I wanted my kids' gaiters to be as tough as the adults', they needed the fat, tough Velcro.  Call your fabric store before driving there to just buy this. It is not as in-demand as smaller width options and so isn't always carried. For me, it was cheaper to just order it than spend the gas to go searching. I bought this Country Brook Hook and Loop Velcro. It is EXCELLENT. No regrets on this purchase.

I snapped the photo above while making my kids' gaiters, testing out my original design. It was truly a rewarding process--knowing I was making something useful to my family, and that I could share for others to use.
If you get the pattern download, I'd love to hear about your experience making and using the gaiters! And of course, I love hearing about any family adventures on the trails!


Participating in some of these link-ups

Peter Pan Collar Ruched Blouse Tutorial

I have had this darling polka-dot chiffon fabric for over a year, waiting for the right  amazing inspiration to hit me. I considered a skirt (which would've been adorbs!!), but I have a TON of skirts, and I'm always wanting new, original tops to wear.

I am SO in LOVE with the Peter Pan collars that are popping up on blouses everywhere, and I am totally digging all the lace overlays and inlays being added to every kind of clothing.

SO... I decided to do a bit of both with this sensational easy-to-make blouse!

Whether you are an experienced or newly-budding sewist, this tutorial will be a surprising cinch. I'll walk you through each step!

You will need: 

• Chiffon Fabric:  26" wide x 60" length.  If you are shopping, one yard should be enough. Knits, silks, or other light-weight flowing fabrics would also work. 
• Lace trim, gathered: 3/4 yard of  1.5-2" wide. I used cotton eyelet lace.
• Elastic thread
• Scissors; Corresponding thread; Chalk for marking; Sewing pins; Sewing machine 

1. Fold fabric in half (wrong sides together) to make a 26" wide x 30" long rectangle. Find the center of the width and mark it at the fold with chalk. (I laid chalk here so you could see it clearly.)

2. Measure 4 inches on each side of the center and mark with chalk. Measure 3-4 inches down (depending on how low you want your neckline), and mark with chalk. Draw a line connecting the three marks to make a half-circle. This is your front neckline.

3. Measure and mark 4 inches down from the upper left and right fold corners. 

4. Draw chalk lines connecting the side marks to the each end of the neckline. These are your shoulder lines.

5. Make a mark 1.5-2  inches down from the center point along the fold.

6. Draw a curved line from the ends of the neckline to the mark you just made. This is the back neckline.

7. Cut along the TOP curved chalkline through BOTH layers of fabric.

8. Cut along the BOTTOM curved chalkline through only the TOP layer of fabric.

9. Cut along the shoulder lines through BOTH layers of fabric.

10. Turn fabric to right sides together (RST). Sew the shoulder lines together with a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

11. Turn fabric to right sides out. Sew a rolled hem around the neckline. 

10. Pin the lace around the neckline. I left extra at the end because pinning around a curve with gathered lace is not an exact science. I had to do some re-positioning at the end. Fold the ends of the lace under and at an angle to make the "Peter Pan" shape to the collar. Pin in place. Sew a topstitch along the top of the lace first, then carefully topstitch along the outside edges of the entire collar. (I did this as my very last step for this blouse, but you may as well do it now since you'll already have the right thread in your machine).

11. Measure and mark 9 inches down from the corner of the shoulder. From there, draw a line 3 inches horizontally. From there, draw a straight line to the bottom of the fabric.

12.  Repeat #11 for the other side of the blouse front. 

13. Cut through both layers of fabric along the chalk lines you just drew. (It's starting to look like a shirt, huh?)

14. Draw a curved line beginning 4 inches above the bottom corner down to 4 inches along the bottom edge. Cut through both layers of fabric along this line.

15. Fold the blouse in half along the length, and use the curve you just cut to draw an identical one on the other side. Cut along this line through both bottom layers of fabric.

16. This is what your shirt should look like (folded in half) at this point. Unfold for the next step. Turn right sides together.

16. With RST, pin along the bottom of both sleeves and sides of the blouse, ending at the top of the  curve. 

17. Put ELASTIC THREAD in the bobbin of your sewing machine. This is the key to making this shirt "ruched." With a 1/4" seam allowance, sew along the bottom of the sleeve to the top of the curve at the bottom of the shirt on both sides (where you just pinned in #16). Tie off with a back-stitch at the beginning and end. 

18. Sew a rolled hem along the sleeve edges. 

19. Sew a rolled hem around the bottom of the blouse. 

You are done! 

Participating in these link-ups. 

The Noosa Shift Dress Pattern

I had the opportunity to test the pattern for this darling, comfortable and versatile dress. What a pleasure it was to work with Lindsey from Sew To Grow! I have only good things to say about this pattern.

The pattern fit true to the size requirements stated. It includes pictures with each step and is worded very clearly. I never used my seam ripper the entire time! 

I was able to customize the length of the dress to fit my long-waisted body with built-in adjustment lines on the pattern. This is a HUGE feature that too many dress patterns don't have. 

I made my dress from a printed linen, so it is light and airy for summer but not at all see-through--so no need to wear layers underneath. It is perfect for the heat of the summer! I am looking for a good deal on more fabric to make myself a second one. I like it THAT much! 

To purchase your own downloadable pattern: CLICK HERE.

Use code NOOSASHIFT for 25% off through June 19!

Participating in these link-ups.

Cloth Dolls for Children's Hospital

I was recently privileged to become friends with Lindsey from Sew To Grow. She told me about Project Made, in which she is highlighting 28 days of people around the world sharing kindness and goodwill through their creative endeavors. 

Lindsey invited me to share a project, and I immediately thought of a community effort I was a part of through my church. The Relief Society ( the women's charitable organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) in my little corner of the world was making cloth dolls to donate to the local children's hospital. 

These dolls are used by medical professionals as a communication tool for explaining procedures to a child or diagnosing a child's discomfort.  The child is then given the doll, and often a little hospital gown for the doll, as their own to hold and keep. 

As you can see, the pattern is extremely simple. The body and gown patterns can be found here: http://hopkinschildrens.org/Cloth-Dolls-Blankets-Pillow-Cases/

Dozens of women sewed the doll bodies from fabric scraps, fat quarters, and extra pillow cases. Then last Saturday we met together to stuff them and sew up the final seam. 

By the door of classrooms throughout the church building, women could pick up unstuffed dolls to stuff or stuffed dolls to sew. As we listened to messages on subjects such as family relationships and charity from wonderful speakers, we worked. 

I especially loved seeing the joy of the women as they worked. Charity is always like that: Efforts to bring joy to others inevitably makes the giver as happy (or happier) than the receiver. 

As the morning went on, it was so exciting to see more and more completed dolls!

The goal was to make 125 dolls.  We were thrilled to discover that this incredible group of women far surpassed our goal, making a total of 288 dolls to donate! 

These sweet, important dolls are used in hospitals all over the world.  This is an excellent way to serve individually, in a small group, or as a larger community to bring joy to children in need. The materials are inexpensive, and the sewing is simple.

Participating in these link-ups.