The Whitney Dress from Grits & Giggles – Pattern Review

I was SO excited when Jenilyn of Grits & Giggles asked me to test her newest pattern.  I ran across Jenilyn’s blog over a year ago and have been reading it ever since, you know us South Carolina girls have to stick together!  Other than the SC connection I could connect with her in other ways: she is a working Mom, has a super cute little girl and is a crafter. 

Jenilyn had me test the Whitney Dress and let me tell you it is darling.  There are so many options that it is like getting 4 patterns for one price.  You can choose to make it with a halter strap or shoulder tie straps and have the option for a ruffle or fabric band along the bottom.  I chose to go with the shoulder tie straps and fabric band so that A can wear it to school and it would be easy for her to play in. 

This dress is made with elastic across the chest for a comfortable fit that stays in place for ANY type of play or movement.  I used the pink and white polka dot for the main part of the fabric and the pink and white damask for the top casing, straps and bottom band.  You could use 2 or 3 contrasting fabrics for a funkier look or use some of your scraps for the band, casing and straps. 

This dress would be a great beginner project for someone new to sewing and is an easy project to whip up for an intermediate or advanced sewer.  It took me about an hour from start to finish and that includes cutting.  I have a serger but decided to just pink the seams because I didn’t have the right colored thread on my machine.  I plan on making several of these for the summer months because they are so cute, comfortable and easy to make. 

Please go check out Jenilyn’s blog and watch for the Whitney dress in her Etsy shop soon!

Testing Testing - The Red Kitchen Panties Pattern

I was so excited when Katie at The Red Kitchen picked me to help test her Girl’s Panties Pattern. If you don’t know about Katie and The Red Kitchen you are really missing out. Her blog always has great ideas about sewing, crafting, kids, preschool, parenting and so much more and to make things even better her daughter Olivia is just darling.

This project has been floating around in my mind for a while now. I have one little that is fully potty trained and my other little is about ready to start the process. I’ve seen others sew panties and thought that it was a great project, especially to use up all of your old t-shirts. But, the problem was sewing with knits. I was a little nervous but I jumped right in and starting cutting shirts left and right knowing that they were headed for the donation pile anyways if things did not work out. I used some old onesies that both of the girls had grown out of, a long sleeve polo of mine that had a stain on the front and some shirts of mine that somehow shrunk after I was pregnant. ***Small tangent: any Mom's out there have this same problem that most of your shirts are now too short even though your body is mostly back to normal?***

Ok, so back to the pattern review. Kaite’s pattern is perfect for the whole spectrum of sewists..sewers…people who sew! Beginners, intermediate, advanced, knit phobic or knit lovers this pattern can be sewn by all. I read through the directions one time and then started sewing. I think the first pair took me about 30 minutes because I wanted to make sure I was reading and sewing everything correctly. For my first pair I used a cherry print onesie and the polo shirt for the leg binding. The second pair I used one of my old shirts and then added some elastic lace trim for the leg openings. I just stretched the elastic as I was sewing and then sewed up as normal. Both pairs fit great and my older daughter actually picked a pair out to wear the next day. It's always marked a success when the girls actually pick it themselves!

Watch out these are so easy that they might become a little addicting. I have about 10 more pairs cut out and ready for me to sew when I get some extra time.

This is a comparison of store bought panties vs. handmade with Kaite's pattern.

Go check out Katie, The Red Kitchen and her fantastic Girl's Panties Pattern.