~Flip Vest Pattern~ Review and Giveaway-CLOSED

A few weeks back Dana from Made asked me to test out her newest pattern.  I was so excited to just be asked and then even more excited when I found out it was for a vest.  Not only a vest, but a reversible vest!  I am a lover of vests and I've got 2 kids that love being cozy, how perfect.

Dana gives great tips and fabric suggestions in the pattern and in typcial fashion I decided to push the envelope. I upcycled a sweater for one side and used microfleece for the other.  The vest and pattern are great, but I wasn't thrilled with my initial fabric choices. 

 For my second attempt I used flannel and blizzard fleece.  Much better choices in my opinion. 

 The blizzard fleece and flannel are a little less floppy and gave the vest little more structure.

I cut a 3T/4T for the skinny 4 year old boy, and the sizing is just right.  He's on the taller side too, so I think next time I might make it longer.

 I cut a 4T/5T for the 6 year old, who is also a tall and skinny.  I added a few inches to the length and made the armholes bigger before adding the binding.

 She's all about the pink and was in love with this flannel.  I convinced her the green buttons would be a nice touch rather than pink.  And the fit is great too.

So overall, the pattern is great!  There's one pattern piece, awesome, and the instructions are really easy and clear.  I sewed both of my second attempt vests in under 2 hours!  Including cutting time!  It doesn't get much better than that.

Checkout some other great Flip Vests here and here.  You can read more about the pattern (and purchase a copy) HERE.

So, are you ready to win a copy of your own?  

Leave a comment with your email address to enter to win a printable copy of The Flip Vest pattern (pattern will be emailed).

Giveaway ends FRIDAY, MARCH 1, at midnight Eastern Time.

3 winners will be chosen at random!!

1 entry per person please. 

And, a huge thank you to Dana for including me in this recent pattern launch.  So fun!

Red Pants

Yesterday I went to 3 stores in search of a pink cardigan for the little girl and pants of any kind, that cost less than $15, for the boy.  I came home pretty much empty handed.

Last year's pants

So, I turned to Dana's kid pants tutorial.  I made a few pairs last year and decided to try it again.  All I had in my stash was some red linen-like fabric and though they do the trick, it's hard to come up with tops that work with red pants.

Guess I'll just have to buy more fabric :)

And if you've got a keen eye, you might spot a preview of a simple, stash-busting tutorial coming up.  Any guesses?

Another Beach Robe and a Tip

I have to confess, I'm a little addicted to making these beach robes! I made another for a gift for a friend....

My daughter's robe has been through the wash a few times and I noticed the last time she put it on that the bias tape was coming loose in places. Most likely due to my less than stellar sewing skills. So, when I made this most recent one, I decided to use a wide zig zag stitch for the bias tape.

I think it will be a little more secure, and I think it looks really nice as well.

Especially on the tie, where I like to add some fabric, so a little extra bulk.

Give it a try. Tell me what you think!

Robes for the Beach

Have you seen the new pattern over at MADE? It's for the cutest kid's beach robe made from a towel (or 2). Just in time for summer!

I made my daughter's first. I'm not in love with the towel color, but I'll be honest, I was being cheap about it. I needed 2 towels for the 4T size and these were $3 each.

I pleated the back a bit when I sewed on the tie. Made it a little more girly.

For the boy, I lined the hood with a cute Kaufman train fabric and added a matching pocket.
Perfect for a day at the beach.


Happy Summer!

Diaper Changing Set Tutorial - Part 1

On one of my many trips to the fabric store, I picked up this great green, sort of houndstooth, flannel in the remnants bin. 1 yard for $1.50....I just couldn't resist. Lately I'm feeling like the last thing I need is more fabric, so today I pulled it out and decided to make a diaper changing set. Lots of my friends are pregnant, and I'm sure one of them would love this little set.

Here's what you need to make your own:

Changing Pad
fabric 14" x 20", cut 2
vinyl 14" x 20, cut 1
2 yards of 1/2" double fold bias tape

Lay out the fabric rectangles with wrong sides together and place the vinyl on top. Machine baste along the shorter sides to keep everything in place.

Starting in the middle of one of the sides, sew on the bias tape by placing the fabric/vinyl sandwich in the middle and sewing along the edge of the tape. Make sure you are catching both sides as you sew. This is not the "proper" way to sew bias tape, but it works and is quicker than the "proper" way.

Dana over at Made just had 2 nice posts on making your own bias tape and the proper and "cheating" way to sew bias tape.

To miter the corners, sew to the end of the side. Turn your bias tape and fold over at the corner.

Continue to sew all the way around, finishing the corners the same way. When you get to where you started, fold under the raw edge and cover your starting point.

There you have it! A great, wipeable changing pad. Easy, peasy. I'm ready for bed, so I'll show you the diaper/wipes pouch in my next post.

Dana's Summer Scarf Tutorial

Here's a tutorial from another one of my favorite sewing blogs, Made. Dana has a great tutorial for summer scarf that is a simple addition to any outfit and also makes a great gift. I played around with different fabric and techniques and did 2 slight variations on her tutorial, mostly because I was feeling lazy and didn't want to turn and sew the sides of the scarf. For the first, I used a green light-weight cotton gauze and sewed a tube, turned it right side out, ironed the seam to the bottom center, and then shirred it up the middle. Very quick, no sides to hem. This only works on a very light fabric because the shirring won't gather up well on heavier fabrics.

For the second, and my favorite, I used a lightweight fuschia swiss dot and finished the edges with the picot edge stitch on my serger with contasting white thread. Then I shirred it up the middle and voila, another great summer scarf. Super easy and very cute. Thanks for the great tutorial!