CLOSED~Pattern Review & GIVEAWAY ~ from Pink Poodle Bows

Riley Dress & Ruffle Bottom Pants by PPB

I was excited to see what Pink Poodle Bows has been working on!  Alisha from Pink Poodle Bows provided her Fleece Aviator Hat and Ruffle Bottom Pants for big girls, sz 6-10, for me to review.  I had purchased a few of her patterns when the shop was brand new and she has come a LONG way! 

Ruffle Sleeve Top & Skirt by PPB

Her instructions were very good, there were many helpful photos and the overall design & styling are great.  I love the new Quick Pattern option, too.  For some of her patterns, PPB provides a single pattern piece for the pattern, like a crotch or arm cut-out that prints on one page, or you have the option to print the entire pattern and tape together.  I love my rotary cutter, so I prefer to cut rectanges and use the quick pattern pieces and save lots of paper by not printing the entire template. 

Aviator Hats by Pink Poodle Bows

 The Fleece Aviator Hat pattern is sized for 0-8 year olds, but I made one for a 10 year birthday party by adding 1/4" around the 8 yr pattern pieces.  My bigger-kid hat even fit me, so the pattern is generously sized.  I love the options you have with this hat.  She provides templates for making an owl hat (with ears two ways), aviator hat with goggles, or a plain fleece hat.  I used the owl eye pieces for a fun monster hat. Abby also wanted longer braids, so these were about 24" long.  I wish I had blue fleece, because it reminded me of Cookie Monster eyes.  This was an easy sew and a 1 hr project that I plan to sew again.  Highly recommended!

I also made the Ruffle Bottom Pants for girls sized 6-10.  I was worried they wouldn't quite be big enough for my 9 year-old who wears size 12, but the size 10 turned out a bit big.  Alisha provides finished measurements for the pants, so be sure to check those to your child or pants that fit well before cutting/sewing.  I was late night sewing and skipped this step, so it's my fault they don't fit perfectly.  The pattern fits large, though, so measure!  I bet having a fashion degree could be helpful.

Easy Ruffle Bottom pants & peasant top by PPB

These were also a quick, easy sew, taking about an hour.  I narrowed the bottom of the leg pieces by 2" and tapered the difference up to around the thigh (my girl prefers tight pants).  I also shortened the ruffle width by 4" to match the smaller leg bottom and added a small 1.5" ruffle to the top of the big ruffle.  I love how they turned out!  They look good with her (also big) Girls World Anna Tunic and is hippie-chic.  I'm anxious to see how often my big girl wears them...I think she looks darling!

Now for the good stuff!  Alisha has offered a giveaway for my readers!  One reader will get the pattern of their choice from her shop!  To enter, you must like Pink Poodle Bows Facebook page.  Leave a comment with your email on this post.  A winner will be selected randomly on Jan. 6th. 
For extra entries:
- Check out PPB shop and tell me which pattern you'd choose
- Become or tell me you're a follower of Mama Lusco Handmade blog
- Like Mama Lusco Handmade on Facebook

Find Pink Poodle Bows on Big Cartel here,  Etsy shop here, blog, and Facebook.  Thank you, Alisha!

Pattern Review ~ Little Lizard King Crown

Liz from Little Lizard King has released another quick, simple, fun accessory pattern - The Crown. 

"Make a princess tiara, birthday party hat, or super hero crown with our simple sewing tutorial! Make your own dress up/make believe costume accessory, Christmas crown, or birthday party hat, become a queen or king for a day, or create a Halloween crown. Includes sizing for 3m-adult. "



This pattern was a breeze to put together and sew.  It took about an hour from start to finish.  Choose 1, 2 or more fabrics, some stabilizer/interfacing, velcro and embelllish as you want.  I like the big range of sizes, so you could make them for babies or even adults.  I'm thinking one of these may find its way into a White Elephant gift this year :) 

I own many of her designs and really love her Tote Bag in 5 sizes.  I've made 4 so far as Christmas gifts for the kids teachers and need to make at least one more for a friend.  Her Tote Bag is extra-deep, giving it great shape and it's easy to dress up.  I added extra pockets inside, a key loop and magnetic closure, making the Medium tote a nice big shoulder bag/tote. 



 I highly recommend LLK patterns. Liz uses testers for all her patterns, so the directions are clear and the patterns will fit well. Find them on her website for instant download,  on Etsy as a top-ranked seller, her blog, or on Facebook.  I'm excited to see the coming Princess Dress!

Girls World Winner!

Congratulations, Kathy of It's Only Natural!  You are the winner of Girls World by Jennifer Paganelli.  I noticed that Kathy has some great prices on fabric in her shop, too.  Please reply to my email by Monday morning. 

Thank you everyone who entered and welcome to my new followers.  I have some projects to share with you all soon. I have some easy gift ideas in my Etsy shop if you're still buying gifts. Merry Christmas!

CLOSED ~ Sew, Mama, Sew Giveaway Day!

~Giveaway Now CLOSED ~ 

Giveaway Day is here!  Thank you for visiting and I hope you have time to enter many of the great giveaways hosted at Sew, Mama, Sew.  I mainly blog about sewing for my children & myself and offer pattern reviews from many e-patterns that I sew.  Hundreds of free tutorials are linked below my header if you need some inspiration.  I also enjoy frugal shopping, cooking, crafting, gardening & homesteading.

I'd like to offer a copy of Girl's World by Jennifer Paganelli. This book is packed with simple, beautiful patterns for girls clothing, accessories & home decor.  I've looked through the pages but the patterns are unused and uncut.  I own two, so this one is up for grabs!

Photos from SisBoom

To enter, simply leave a comment and link to your favorite free tutorial if you have one.  Followers of my blog may leave a second comment for an extra entry.  A winner will be selected randomly on Fri. 12/16 at 5pm PST.  Contest is open to US and Canadian residents only.  Thank you for visiting and good luck!  Head back to Sew, Mama, Sew for more great giveaways!

Camo Carseat in Action

I'm a great-aunt!  My oldest niece, Kayla, had baby Fritz on Tuesday.  I love the boys in their camo to match baby's carseat, blogged about here.  Congrats, Kayla & Willi!

Bethlehemian Rhapsody

A fun way to remember the Reason for the season!