I hope you have had a wonderful Presidents weekend! We have been lucky enough to have my sister Felicity in town visiting!

Our kids absolutely adore her and haven’t really given her a moments peace since she has arrived! The first night Sawyer informed her that the bed in our guest room was quiet large enough for all of them to join her ha! We took a quick trip to Williamsburg so that Daddy could speak at a lunch with Lawyers event about being in the State Department. Of course for the first time all season there was a winter storm warning and it snowed a good three inches ha! We still got to show Auntie Felicity our house and visit one of our favorite museums:

The Jamestown Living Museum:

No matter how many times we begged the kids to stay out of the snow they just couldn’t help themselves

Evie loved the “pirate ships” and kept telling me she was a pirate and screaming “arrrrrrrr” then followed by “Momma I’m so cooooooollllld”

It is always lovely having family in town. Especially someone as helpful as my sister. I have been able to do a lot of organizing while she is here and am happy to say there will be some changes on the blog soon that I think you will appreciate. I receive several emails every day requesting individual files and pattern pieces. I have talked about this previously and even mention it on my pattern page, that I cannot send every person who emails individual pattern pieces, it would just be WAYYY to time consuming. I felt bad about this though and thought there had to be a remedy. I am happy to say I am currently working on moving every pattern to my actual site so you won’t have to leave SINML to get your patterns. Woo hoo! I know it can be tedious downloading several pattern pages so I am compiling them into single compressed folders which you can download.

This will be a gradual transition as it is a fairly tedious process and I generally have to choose where to spend my “free” time, posting tutorials or organizing patterns ha!

In other news in regards to patterns in an attempt to continue offering the patterns for free SINML is now accepting sponsors!

If you feel like your company, store, site etc. would be a good fit you can find information HERE about becoming a sponsor. Having sponsors will allow me to eventually purchase the pattern making program I would LOVE to have to make my patterns available to my readers in a variety of sizes.

I have also received an over whelming request to offer more items in my Etsy store. I totally know how it is going to a site and seeing an outfit I would LOVE but just don’t want to have to make myself ha! Each week I will try to put a few items in the store that have been requested. These will be in extremely limited number (you guys know the crazy demands on a mommas time). This week in the shop I have listed a few of the much requested Taking Notes Toddler skirt

There are only 3 yellow available. There are also 2 red polka dot and 2 green polka dot. You can grab yours HERE if you are quickIt does come with one matching fabric rosette clippy

I have also listed a few Bali Bliss outfits

Again there is a limited number of the purple and then a few Navy and Black available. Click HERE to see them.

And if you want the matching headband

There are less of those then the outfits so if you love it snatch one up quick

I also have extremely exciting news about a new partner coming to SINML!!! But that deserves it’s own post!

Cheers!

Kelly

PS The logo and pincushion above was sent to me from the very talented Clare Owen, the lady behind this extremely popular print:

Ohhhh I have been dying to share this tutorial with you but wanted to wait until Valentines day! Here, on two of my favorite little models, is the Fitzgerald in Lace dress.

I stayed up many nights thinking about this shoot and this dress.

It was one of those dresses that I sewed in my head a few times, thinking of different ways I could make it.

I have wanted to make a lace overlay dress for-ev-er but just haven’t knuckled down and done it. This is almost exactly what I had envisioned in my head.

I wanted something that I could see Zelda Fitzgerald putting on her daughters (if she hadn’t gone a little crazy and actually had them)

The girls (who are best friends) were so excited to do a photoshoot together. One mom was a vintage collector.

She provided almost all the amazing vintage items you see in the shoot

And the other momma is a hair dresser and had the girls totally primped out before we headed out to the shoot

where it turned out to be just above freezing temps

and would intermitantly be lashing rain on the poor girls. Do you see how wet the slate is?

and do you notice the little hot hands bag she is clutching for dear life under the desk?

These girls were super troopers! We are going to head back again when it is warmer so we can get some of the shots we really wanted but thought the girls would turn into popsicles if we left them ha! Ready to go retro with me?

What you will need:

2 yards “main” material (I used a silky satin)

2 yards lace over lay fabric

1/4 a yard fabric for your bow

One 14 inch zipper

2 small lengths of thin elastic

The 2T/3T pattern found HERE or the size 7/8 pattern found HERE

Once you have printed out your patterns you will need to tape them together to make complete pattern pages. The letters may not line up exactly, give me just a little wiggle room, I am no machine ha! Once you have the pages taped together cut out your pattern pieces. Now cut out the corresponding fabric pieces. Once you have all your pieces cut out we are going to start with the two main fabric pieces with right sides together:

Now repeat this with your lace overlay but DO NOT sew the shoulder pieces together, yet.

Set these two pieces aside. Now we are going to make our collar pieces. You should have four “main” collar pieces, 2 lace pieces and 2 pieces of interfacing. The key to the collars is making sure you have a right side and a left side. The first time I made this dress I made two left collar pieces. Take one left and one right collar piece. Attach interfacing to the wrong side of each.

Now we are going to make a collar sandwich. Lay your first collar piece (the one with the interfacing) right side up. Lay your piece of lace on top of that also right side up, finally lay your third piece right side down on the very top. Now sew along the arch

Once you have stitched turn the top piece right side out and press. You should now have a nice finished edge and a right side on top and underneath. Repeat with your second collar.

Now we are going to attach these to our Lace overlay layer. Turn your overlay inside out. Pin your two shoulder pieces together with the straight part of your collar pinned in between. Stitch across. Repeat on the other side with the other collar piece.

Now we are going to attach our “main” dress to the lace overlay. With right sides together slide your overlay on top of the “main”. Stitch all the way around the neckline. Flip everything right side out and topstitch around the neckline

Now is when I hemmed the bottom of both layers but you can wait until the end if you like. I also cut a slit down the back through both layers and inserted my zipper. I also made my “bow” for the front. I tok a long strip of fabric folded it right sides together and sewed up the side. I then turned it right side out and ironed it, tucking the ends in and topstitching them closed. But you can do it however you like. Once you are done find the middle of your length of fabric.

Now we will make our sleeves. Lay your main sleeve right side down. Lay your lace right side down on top.

Now sew up the bottom.

(please ignore the change in fabric I thought these pictures would be easier to see)

Flip over your sleeve and grab your length of elastic. Start on one side about an inch from the bottom. Back and forth at the beginning and then continue to sew across stretching the elastic as you go. This will make your sleeve gather up. Once you are done fold the sleeve in half and sew up just the side. Turn the sleeve right side out

Now gather up the top of the sleeve until it is the same circumference as your dress. Attach the sleeve. Voila!! You are done! Pretty simple right?

I LOVE it the sleeves and the bow. I decided to add a snap to the dress and to the bow so Evie actually has interchangeable bows, a red, mustard yellow and really cute floral pattern. The girls loved them as well and had fun modeling them. Even if it was two degrees while they were doing it

I hope you have a lovely Valentines!!

Cheers!

Kelly

The Fitzegerald in Lace dress is coming today, I promise. But I had to mention that the Baby in Red tutorial

is being shared over at La Petite Peach today!

If you haven’t been to La Petite Peach you should jump over there right now! I promise you will love it! I really need to make Evie a new Baby in Red shirt for spring… maybe in rainbow color?

Cheers!

Kelly

 

What are you up to tonight? Our evening was dominated by putting together Valentines that arrived at the last minute.

I had ordered them over a week ago and usually they come within two or three days.

But nope, this time it took over a week! I was sweating bullets this morning and finally decided to brave the mob and head to Target and see what dregs were left

Thankfully when I opened the door to leave the box flopped into the house. Woo hoo! I am sure the boys are incredibly disappointed that they are not Starwars themed

But those were gone from our store I swear the day after they were delivered! Tonight Sawyer is punching holes and writing his name over and over and over (getting progressively less legible as we go ha!) and hopping himself up on airheads!  I, on the other hand, am recovering from the embarrassment of wearing my shirt backwards ALL day (1 trip to Costco, 2 to Target, 2 bus stop conversations and a consultation with a client later ughhhhh). It is a boat neck shirt (this one to be exact) so I thought “the neck of this jumper comes up a bit high.”  C’est La Vie right?

Hope you find time tomorrow in all your love celebrating to learn how to make the Fitzgerald in Lace dress

Cheers!

Kelly