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!

Make Your Own Christmas Card with MMS

Our Christmas Card ~ Christmas Traditions kit

I made that!!!  2 months ago, I would have told you I am not creative or patient enough to scrapbook.  My Memories Suite has proven me wrong! 

Diva Kit

I won the program in a giveaway and have made about 8 pages so far.  MMS hosts a "Speed Scrap" every Sunday evening on Facebook and I've been trying to participate each week.  It's a great opportunity to build pages and learn new techniques. 

MMS offers many free page elements and mini-kits in their shop and on Facebook, as well as special offers from their designers.  Printing a photo book will cost approx. $1/page, so it's also much cheaper than traditional scrapbookings.  It's really a great value for a fun, easy to use program. MMS recently released version 3 and have been posting tutorials on the new features on their blog.  Remember to use code: STMMMS87580 to receive $10 off the software and get a $10 store credit!



To make a Christmas card, I started with a blank, landscape page in MMS.  After designing the page, export it as a .jpeg file to your computer.  Upload the .jpeg to a photo site, like Snapfish & Shutterfly and use it there on a blank card or postcard. Snapfish has a sale using code CYBER50 to get 50% off (expires 12/3/11).  I like that I was able to design the postcard exactly how I wanted it and not have to settle for designs I didn't really love.  I'd love to see how you are using MMS in ways other than for digital scrap pages!

SMS Giveaway Day is Coming!

Giveaway Day is coming!  Twice a year, Sew, Mama, Sew Blog hosts Giveaway Day, a day (or 4) when hundreds of bloggers offer crafty giveaways to Sew, Mama, Sew readers.  Head here for the details on how to participate.  It's great exposure for your blog or shop and fun to find new blogs.  I hope you can participate this year, too!  See you on Dec. 12th!

A New Jacket & Pattern Review ~ Lily Bird Studio

I'm in love with this little coat!  I've made several jackets for my Nugget but this one has more details than the others I've sewn.  The jacket is from Lily Bird Studio and called the Mona Coat.  It has a faux- double button front, storm flaps on front & back, big collar, a full lining and wrist cuff straps. The Mona Coat comes in sizes 12 mo-8 yrs. 

I love all the details Cecilia has added to this coat!  From the gathered sleeves to shoulder patches to double-stitching the outer seams, this coat is boutique-cute.  I made mine with stretch denim outer fabric and quilting cottons for the storm flaps and lining.  This would be darling in corduroy as well or just quilting cottons for a spring jacket.  You have endless options playing with fabrics for all the many pieces of this coat. 

I was surprised how easily this coat came together.  Cecilia did an excellent job explaining the construction proces step-by-step.  As she says, "it's not hard, just a long process."  I would highly recommend this pattern but plan on it being a several-day project.  I sewed 1-2 hours a night for several days to get this one finished.  This was my first collar with a stand!

My Nugget was not wanting to model this day...such a sad face!

Photo from Lily Bird Studio

Upcycled Shirt to Purse FREE Tutorial

Bugglebee Handmade

I've got bags on the brain!  I love a good upcycling project and a cute, handmade shoulder bag...this project combines both!  I found it over at Bugglebee blog.  She has many other great free tutorials there, so please hop on over & say hello!

I need to make two diaper bags for my nieces expecting in the next 7 weeks.  They both liked this Tohuku Tote from I Am Momma Hear Me Roar.  I plan to add extra pockets inside and may enlarge the pattern for a bigger Mommy Bag.  It looks like a quick, easy project!

Photo from I Am Momma Hear Me Roar

Dropped Waist Knit Dress FREE Pattern & Tutorial

My girls would love this cute, comfy knit dress!  Head over to Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom for the tutorial and free 5t pattern.

Pattern Review ~ Playtime Girl by Ellie Inspired

This was my first time sewing a pattern by Ellie Inspired.  I've purchased a few, but haven't actually sewn one until getting to test the new Playtime Girl pattern.  Playtime Girl is a comfy knit dress with single or double layer sleeves and optional bottom ruffle.  It comes in sizes 4-12 and is a quick, 2-hour project. 

While the construction process was a bit different than I'm used to, the results were beautiful.  I wouldn't recommend this as your first knit pattern but if you've sewn a few knit projects this should be no problem.  Laura's illustrations are very helpful and the sizing was perfect. 

Head over to the Ellie Inspired blog this week for Christmas Week with giveaways, recipes and holiday ideas each day this week.  She's also featuring a new pattern release & sale daily this week.  Check it out!

Featured Designer ~ Jocole & Crossover Tunic Review

Have you seen a Jocole PDF pattern? .  I think I'm in PDF pattern heaven!!!  There are many PDF pattern-makers that I stand behind but Jodi Jean would be the captain of my dream team.  I was very impressed with the helpful tips for working with knits, digitized pattern pieces, excellent instructions & photos.  Jocole PDF patterns also include a Quick Guide for sewing, providing step by step instructions without the photos.  This is very handy for more experienced seamstresses or those who don't want to print the entire PDF file. 

I recently tested Jodi Jean's newest pattern, the Crossover Tunic for my almost 9 year-old.  She loves it!  This top took about an hour from start to finish.  It is very versatile, including sizes  12mo-14 and options for hip, tunic, and dress lengths.  This pattern is made using stretch knit, so it is so comfortable your girl will be wanting to wear one everyday!  I've already asked Jodi Jean for a mommy-version. 

Along with PDF patterns, Jocole also offers custom women's clothing and modest undershirts perfect for layering.  If we weren't struggling to pay two mortgages, I would order one of everything!  My favorite piece is the Graceful Cowl Neck Dress with Obi wrap belt.

Photos from Jocole

Find Jocole patterns and place custom orders on Etsy and the Jocole website.  Keep up with the new patterns and specials by following the Jocole blog and Facebook fan page.  Tell her Angie sent you!

Abby & her new Aussie pup, Milly

Updated Tutorial Pages

Have you visited my Tutorial Pages yet?  I have them separated by category and provide picture links to each of my featured tutes.  I've recently added a few to the Bags & Purses page, including this beautiful one from Mommy by Day, Crafter by Night.

I'll be sewing up some diaper bags and totes before Christmas.  I'm also hoping to sew this convertible tote/shoulder bag from Studio Cherie for myself!

What will you be sewing for Christmas?

Little Pants LOVE and a sale at Lily Bird Studio

Cecilia at Lily Bird Studio has done it again...introducing the Ben & Mia Pants pattern!  These pants come in sizes 12mo-6yrs and feature front pockets with piping, belt loops and optional back pockets. 

These wide-leg, easy-fit pants are a staple in my kids wardrobe.  I really love the piping and belt loop details in this pattern.  As always, Cecilia's photos and instructions are very good, making this pattern suitable for beginners & beyond.

To celebrate the new pattern, Cecilia has offered a 20% off code: 'MAMALUSCO'.  Enter this code into the coupon code section at checkout to get your 20% discount.  She has so many darling patterns for both boys & girls.  Find Lily Bird Studio on Etsy, the website, blog (giveaway there!) and Facebook.  Thank you, Cecilia!