Jocoles Knit Pencil Skirt

I love knit and I love comfort.  

When I saw Jocole asking for testers for her new Knit Pencil Skirt, I put my name in.

I made two skirts.  Oh so comfortable!  

There are two styles of waist band: straight or wide yoga band.

Skirt length is unlimited! 8 different options from 

mini to maxi.  Awesome!

Bonus-it only takes about an hour to sew up.  

Dress it up or down, this is really a great skirt.

Did I mention it is comfortable?

Really comfortable.

Mouse House Creations Norah Dress/Tunic

The ever lovely Hayley from Mouse House Creations  or her Welcome to the Mouse House blog has released her first pattern, The Norah Dress/Tunic. Etsy link or Craftsy link.

I had the great pleasure of pattern testing for her!  I used a beautiful pink and yellow light weight wool to make Madeleine a winter dress.  

What I love most is the options:  sleeveless, short sleeve or long sleeve; Peter Pan collar; or collar with ties; and dress and tunic lengths.

The bodice is fully lined, making for a neat and professional finish.  The tutorial is easy to follow with clear pictures for each step. With no button holes or zippers, this pattern is perfect for beginners!

Also, any fabric material works for this dress!  Woven, knit, wool, corduroy...pick your fancy!

Swoon Patterns GIRLS Cardigan!

About 2.5 weeks ago, I did a pattern review for Swoon Pattern's Women Cardigan.  You can see that post HERE.

Well now SWOON patterns, previously known as Paco Bean, but not to be confused with the artist formally known as Paco Bean, as released the cardigan in GIRL sizes!

This pattern LITERALLY took me one (1) hour to sew.  Very fast, very easy, great diagrams on how to sew the pieces together.  

I found a knit XL twin sheet set at Target for $9 a week or two ago and used that thin knit for this cardigan.  I LOVE it!  And I must also say that my little blond child looks great in hot pink.

I think ANY kind of knit is appropriate for this cardigan.  Whether thin, double knit, sweater knit, rib knit, etc.  Remember, the heavier the knit, the more drape you will get.

I will let Ali Cat sell the pattern to you...

Halloween Costume: Ballerina

Last Friday, Ali Cat Co was featured on That's What She Crafted.  You can see that post here.

But here it is as well!

Heeeeyy Party Girls! I am Brianne from Ali Cat & Co.  I've "known" the TWSC ladies for....well, only about 6 months...BUT I'd totally bail them out of jail if needed.  They are rock stars.  Seriously.  I didn't wait to be asked to guest blog post, I begged and bribed for a slot. They are that cool.  I NEEDED to be involved with the TWSC awesomeness.

So here I am.

About 6 weeks ago, I began asking my 3 year old what she wanted to be for Halloween.
Response: "A ballerina with a big tutu riding a pink horse"  PHEW!  Something easy.  I feared she'd say something crazy like "a globe" or "a giant chicken nugget" or "you're cooking bananas".  Where do children get this random nonsense? Well, I know EXACTLY where they pull it from, but am I allowed so say it????

Over the past weeks, I have periodically checked back in with her to confirm she still wanted to be a ballerina riding a horse.  Lucky duck me, she has continued to agree.  Last thing I wanted was for her to change her mind at the last minute.  That's the best way to drive a mama crazy.

I had two goals with this costume.  First:  Make something that she will LOVE.  Second:  make it wearable outside of Halloween.

Step 1:  Find a pink horse.  SCORE!  Found a pink stick horse.  She then demanded to make it a unicorn.  Hum...I did my best. haha.  Ok, probably not my best, but the damn thing now has a horn.

Sis Boom/Scientific Seamstress Angie

Sis Boom and THE Scientific Seamstress hook up to create some of the best clothing patterns available.  They have women's, men's, and children's patterns.  Scientific Seamstress (This link will take you to the Etsy site to purchase any of the patterns) also has her own patterns.  I'm close to owning all of them. They are very well written with excellent pictures.  However, if you happen to get stuck, you can hop over to the Scientific Seamstress Fan Page on Facebook.  If you aren't a member, you definitely should be!  The women on the page are the friendliest and nicest group.  Seriously, they are drama free and a very supportive and helpful bunch.

I really like the way the Angie bodice is designed. There are three neck line heights and front and back darts.  The original pattern has a full skirt (with pocket option!) and a loose bodice for a easy slip on dress. 

We attend several cocktail parties each year and am always in need of nicer dresses. I took the Angie, used the highly neckline option, made the bodice more fitted by taking in the darts and side seams, inserting a 20-22" invisible zipper on the back and adding a straight skirt with sash and embellishments to jazz it up.

I can't take any credit myself. I took inspiration from these Angies HERE and HERE.  That's my friend Crystal at Ginger Dimples.  Isn't she gorgeous?  and really f-ing talented!

Enough of the blah blah blah. I know I'm boring.  Here are the pictures.

Daddy Ali Cat was acting photographer and kept saying "Do something with your hands".

I'm not a model; I don't know what to do with my long ass arms.

What do you think?  I like honesty.

Swoon Cardigan Review

The lovely Alicia over at Swoon Sewing Patterns has done it again!  Another beautiful and easy pattern.

But it gets better-it's a WOMENS pattern!  I can't describe how much I love sewing for myself.  

Presenting Swoon Cardigan!

Size range is S-XXL.  Two sleeve options:  long and 2/3 (elbow-ish)

Irregular hem line for fun and princess seams for a great fit.

Super easy and fast pattern to sew.  She gives sewing options for using a serger OR French seams.

This pattern should definitely take less than 2 hours cut to finish.  I'm embarrassed to say that it took me longer because my knit choice is so thin, it kept slipping out from my fingers.  THEN I sewed a sleeve 45 degrees off.  I took extra care to rip that serged seam.

The instructions are only 1 (ONE) page long.  Yep, that easy!  She also provides an assembly diagram.  

The thing I love most about this pattern is the sleeve length.  They are nice and long.  I admit, I'm a knuckle dragger, so it's rare for me to find sleeves that are long enough.  I was beyond thrilled to find that I did not have to lengthen the sleeves.  Remember! If you need to shorten/length sleeves, do so around the elbow on the pattern so that you get the correct sleeve structure!  Don't just chop off at the wrist!

Dixie DIY Movies in the Park Shorts Review

Last week, I participated in Selfish Sewing Week over at Made with Moxie. I reviewed the Dixie Movies in the Park Shorts.  You can see the original post HERE.  

But thought I needed to have the review on my own bog as well! Enjoy!

Hello fellow selfish seamstresses!  I am Brianne from Ali Cat & Co. (alicatco.blogspot.com).  Thank you, Jill, for having me over at Made With Moxie.  It's a pleasure to be here talking about selfishness.  I think we can all agree that a little bit selfishness is necessary to help us detox. 

I started sewing when I had my first daughter.  I mostly sewed for her with an occasional bag for myself.  Lately, thanks to some really fabulous friends of mine, I've become 75% selfish sewist. 

One day, it hit me like a bag of bricks.  WHY sew for my children?  They grow so fast; it seems like a waste.  My oldest daughter has become extremely particular about her clothes recently.  My youngest daughter wears the oldests' hand me downs.   So I ask the question again. WHY? 

We can all agree that store bought clothes rarely have a perfect fit and tailoring store bought clothes can be difficult.  What's the answer?  Make it myself.  Not only are there AWESOME women's patterns out there, but you can make pretty clothing that fits for less than the store.

Believe me, once you go selfish, you'll never go back!

Do I need to continue to twist your arm? I hope not, so lets get on with the beautiful shorts pattern from Dixie DIY Patterns.