Category: Blog

Sharon Holland Coastline Fabrics Blog Tour

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Hello and Welcome to the Sharon Holland Coastline Fabrics Blog Tour!!

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What is your sign? No I am not trying to pick you up, just wanted to share that I am a Pisces and naturally drawn to water. So it makes perfect sense then that I am naturally drawn to Ocean inspired fabric right?!?  Sharon Holland has been with Art Gallery Fabrics for a couple of years now and has 3 fabric collections with them, Gossamer, Sketchbook and now Coastline.  I had the opportunity to see this collection at October’s Quilt Market and was totally blown away by the serene blues and purples of the North Shore colorway and the vibrant coral and aqua of the South Shore colorway.

Sharon is also hosting a giveaway so be sure to read allllllll the way to the end for more details!

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What made the photo shoot for the blog tour more fun was collaborating with another creative mind, Sue Stone who is the owner of Needle In a Fabric Stash . She is also blogging today and sharing more photos of our collaboration on her blog. Click HERE.   Isn’t her Quilt and Bag STUNNING!!!??!!

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For this Blog Tour I used the Cosette Dress pattern by Violette Field Threads. I choose the Maxi Dress option with the pleated insert. I also left off the ruffles since this big girl no longer likes them, booooo! Why are you growing up so fast!!??!

Fabric used in the dress:

*Beachcomber Nocturnal

*Sand Bar Drift Wood

*Netting String

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Look who joined us!!! Yes, he was SO excited to join his Sister. He is usually in the background looking for sticks and pretending to be a stormtrooper.  Isn’t it awesome when you can choose fabric from a collection that can be used for Boys and Girls! Thank you Sharon!

I choose the ModKid Keagan Boy Shirt pattern which was a perfect fit for my Son!

Fabric used:

*Netting in Twine

*Trade Winds Port

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I think this might be the coolest pier I have ever seen and was quiet excited to shoot here in Sunny San Diego!

It was such a great day spending time with the kids and meeting new friends. I was a little stressed out making sure I got great photos but I know the kids had LOTS of fun!!

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Stunning Floral Halo was purchased on Etsy , through Little Lady Accessories.  

I added a crocheted trim I purchased from Joann.

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I feel so lucky Sue decided to open a fabric store only minutes from my house (My Husband may feel differently) that carries designer fabric. If you don’t live where I do you can still check her out online!!

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I can’t thank Sharon enough for having me join her on the Coastline Blog Tour! Click HERE for more inspiration and for the full line up of Bloggers!

Raedene from Chasing Mermaids hit it out of the park with her dress and beautiful coastline photos on Friday. Be sure to check out Jennifer tomorrow to see what beautiful creation she has in store for us!

Ok, so I mentioned earlier that Sharon is hosting a giveaway on her IG page @SHARONHOLLANDDESIGNS .  She is giving away a bundle of the Coastline Fabric but it is really important that your IG page is not set to private to join in on the giveaway.

Rules to enter:

  • Be an Instagram user (sorry, private IG accounts do not show up in hashtag pool)
  • Repost your favorite image(s) from the Coastline Blog Tour on your Instagram account and include the hashtag #CoastlineFabricsGiveaway in your post to qualify – enter as many times as you like – entries from outside the USA are also welcome to enter

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Goodbye for now…

-Alexis

 

AvantGarde Blog Tour

avantgarde-fabrics-blog-tourEH4A1606Hello and Welcome to the AvantGarde Blog  Tour!

Are you ready for a fabric with rich, saturated colors and bold geometric print?  Trust me, you want to say yes! Katarina Roccella has been one of my favorite fabric designers for years now.  I even used her last collection,  Wonderland fabrics, to help promote my first pattern, Genevieve.  Now meet Katarina’s newest collection AvantGarde.  This collection is full of stunningly bold colors that is simply pure visual bliss!

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Hello beautiful colors, am I right or am I right?!?!!!

My Favorite part of this collections is the perfect balance of geometric shapes, deeply  saturated purples and delicate butterfly prints.  They compliment each other so well in any combination giving you the freedom to play and create so many different looks.  Love it!

Looking for more inspiration, check out Art Gallery Fabrics Lookbook HERE

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For this Blog Tour I used Violette Field Threads , Loarlie pattern. The modern “V” shaped insert pairs well with the modern print of AvantGarde.

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The prints I used in this dress are:

Neo-Flies in Dense

Fluxus in Teal

Steps Above in Moonbow

Bauhaus in Dissection

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I am joined by so many talented seamstresses in this blog tour. Please take a moment to visit each one.

January 15th: Megan Jimenez from Quilt Story
January 16th: Svetlana Sotak of Sotak handmade
January 17th: Sharon Mcconnell of Colorgirlquilts
January 18th: Rachael Gander of Imagine gnats
January 19th: Ali Brorsen of Because of Brenna
January 20th: Laura Scaramella of Simple Life Company
January 21st: Alexis of My sweet sunshine
January 22nd: Marija Vujčić
January 23rd: Hema Malini of Malini’s quilts
January 24th: Kristy Sachs – Rockbabyscissors
January 25th: Paul Hallinger aka Evildemondevildog
January 26th: Erica Jackman
January 27th: Kathleen Quilts
January 28th: The Tattooed Quilter
January 29th: Nicole – Lillyella
January 30th: Sari – Sariditty handmade

January 31st: Lynne Goldsworthy of Lily’s quilts

Scroll through several pictures of my AvantGarde Dress:

 

Blooper… (The boy LOVES to get in pics-lol)

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Thank you Katarina for having me join your blog tour!

-Alexis

 

DARE by Pat Bravo

Hello,

Are you ready for bold prints and colors, well DARE fabric by Pat Bravo collection delivers! Bold print and geometric shapes are the base of this fun and electric collection!

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Before I talk more about the fabric and the details of the dress, I want to share with you how wonderful Pat Bravo is.  I had the pleasure of meeting her for the first time at the Houston Quilt Market this year.  It was such an honor to meet her and our conversation was so encouraging that I found inspiration to continue to push my creativity.   I kid you not I had tears in my eyes!  She was nice enough to ask if I was interested in sewing with her new fabric line, UMMM OF COURSE!!

Working with Art Gallery’s fabrics is always a pleasure so to be able to work with her design on top of that was a dream come true.

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I chose to use Wafting Plaid Traced and A Path Of Passion prints with the Genevieve dress pattern (my first pattern design with Violette Field Threads). Oh, that plaid is on point this season!! Eeek, perfection!!  The white and navy colorway are both great options. I also adore the tiny white flowers in A Path Of Passion print. Especially on the bright pink!

When I was designing Genevieve , Art Gallery Fabrics became my go to fabric because of the lightweight , flowy fabric for the flounce. 🙂 🙂

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That light, right??!! Amazing!! My favorite spot to take pictures, Myrtle Creek Botanical Gardens.

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Miss T. will be wearing the dress for all of our bright a festive Christmas parties.  I am also secretly hoping it still fits for Easter so she can wear it again.  🙂

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Again, I used the Genevieve pattern,  you can purchase and see more photos on the Violette Field Threads page. I am over the moon excited to see how the Genevieve dress looks with all the different fabrics. If you are not already apart of the VFT Facebook group, please come join us to find more inspiration to push your creativity!

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It was such a pleasure once again to work with Art Gallery Fabric and Pat Bravo, Thank you.

-Alexis

(Merry Christmas and Happy New Years everyone!)

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Violette Field Thread and my first pattern, Genevieve

Hello,

I hope you saw my Friday’s blog post on Violette Field Thread’s Blog! If you did not catch friday’s post, I shared my inspiration behind my VERY first pattern, Genevieve.

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So let’s jump into what makes up Genevieve…

Genevieve comes in sizes 2-9/10 and features a flowy flounce bodice. I adore the flounce and love the back of the bodice because of the way the buttons are running down the back. I’ve seen a lot of questions about the top construction in some of the earlier comments.  The sleeved version appears almost like a separate cropped jacket over the bodice, but it’s actually 3 connected layers.  This is where my Jackie O influence comes in.

Front/Side:

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Back:

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The bodice has two sleeve versions:

Sleeveless version:

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Sleeved Version:

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I have also included three skirt options with or without pockets!! I adore pockets in skirts, don’t you?!?!

Regular length that finishes just above the knee.

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Vintage length that finishes 1.5”-2” above the knee

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BUBBLE skirt!!! Ohhhhh, you will LOVE the bubble skirt. It is so much fun! That bubble skirt is great for older girls just as it is great for the little ones.

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I need to pause for a moment and thank Art Gallery Fabric and Katarina Roccella  for sharing Wonderland Fabrics with me! I am so grateful to have their beautiful fabrics for all my dresses and instructions. It is always an honor to work with you and to sew with your great fabric!

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I am so grateful for each one of my testers and each one of them hit it out of the park. The testers used everything from tulle, sequins, velvet, dupioni silk and of course quilter’s cotton fabrics in their creations.  Just by changing the fabric up you can have the perfect dress for a party, church, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Eve and can even go out on a fun Easter egg hunt.

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I am so grateful to Ericka and Jessica for not only believing in me and asking me to join their team but supporting me more than I could ever imagine! They are both beautiful inside and out!!

Have you seen their absolutely stunning daughter???

FYI- They used snap instead of buttons due to fabric choice.

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I hope you love and enjoy making a Genevieve Dress for your daughter, granddaughter, niece, best friend’s daughter or whomever you sew for!!  🙂

See more on VFT Blog HERE and Purchase HERE

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More pictures…

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-Alexis

The Paneled Sunsuit “It’s not Just a Sunsuit” Blog Tour

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Hello,

I am excited to be able to join a fun blog tour today! This time I get to mash up and play around with The Paneled Sunsuit by  Call Ajaire . Oh Ladies, seriously you could make a new outfit everyday for a month and never look the same with this pattern. Thats how many option are included! What’s also great is it comes in a LARGE size range, newborn to 12yrs.

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I mentioned this on my last Blog post that I have been letting my daughter pick out the fabric and pattern for each Blog Tour I do. So with this one I let her pick out the Fabric and together we decided on how to play with the Paneled Sunsuit. She wanted a maxi skirt after seeing several from Jak& Pepper and also from a few maxi skirts that I have from Abercrombie & Fitch. I choose to pair the skirt with a cropped , blousy version of the Sunsuit Top.

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Here is what I did for the skirt:

  • Individual Maxi Skirt with elastic waistband
  • Made a size 10 but a 12 length so she could wear it over her waist to cover her tummy
  • Cutting- I cut the skirt wider then the pattern piece for both front and back (see picture below).
  • Flared the skirt out at the same point as the pattern piece
  • Finished look was a tulip shape

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Here is what I did for the Top

  • Individual Top
  • Made a size 10 overall
  • When cutting, I cut the top wider – 3″ wider, at the hem,  then the original pattern piece
  • I am also cut the hem at a straight line (see pic below)
  • I only used the front and back pattern pieces, no liner
  • Used bias tape around armhole- Facing method
  • Cut 2 Top Front and Back and sandwiched the strap between the two.
  • Straps tie at shoulder
  • Added trim-fringe Fun!!!

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(Don’t you love my Halloween Tape- that is what happens when your kids steal all your tape)

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  Call Ajaire is offering 15% off Paneled Sunsuit during the Blog Tour.  You can use the code SUNSUIT15 both at UpCraft Club and Etsy through the 7th of September. To sweeten the deal even more you can join Designs by Call Ajaire Facebook group to received a discount code for 20% off!!!

There also a chance you can win the pattern… Check out the Rafflecoptor

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Fabric:

Arizona Collection by Art Gallery and April Rhodes

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Thank you Ajaire for having me along the Blog Tour!! It was a pleasure to sew up one of your patterns!!!

Here is the full line-up for the tour.

Monday August 24th:  Max California | Filles à Maman | Hey June | House of Estrela

Art Gallery Fabric Sketchbook Blog Tour

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Hello and Happy Friday,

I hope you have enjoyed the Sketchbook Blog Tour so far!! Sketchbook Fabric is a beautiful Fabric line by Sharon Holland for Art Gallery Fabrics.  Yesterday Jessica from Izzy & Ivy made the most beautiful dress using not one, not two, but three pieces from the Sketchbook Fabric Collection. To see more check out her Blog HERE .

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Tomorrow, Sharon will recap the Blog Tour and announce the winner of the 10 yards of Sketchbook fabric giveaway!!! Wait, What!!!??? Yes, I said 10 yards of Sketchbook Fabric!!! All you need to do is repost your favorite picture from the tour to be entered in a chance to win 10 yards of Sketchbook fabric!!! Include the hashtag #sketchbooktourgiveaway when you REPOST the pic 🔁 Ends Saturday 9 a.m. EDT. So make sure you enter TODAY to find out who won TOMORROW!

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As my daughter grows so does her want for making her own decisions on what she wears (good luck kid, because Mommy has a lot of control in that area).  So in trying to better myself (I am trying!), I let her pick out the fabric and the pattern. She could not have done better, I love how the Rose Dress pattern, by Violette Field Thread, Peplum plays off the movement of the Tiny Dance Fabric.

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Have you ever worked with fabric that evoked an emotion in you? No, I am not crazy and I was not drinking when I was sewing 🙂 .  Seriously, I feel as though I am standing in a field with Dandelions flying all around me. Very peaceful and child like!

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Like I said above I used Tiny Dancer in Midnight for the main portion of the dress and for the middle insert of the bodice I used Doodle Meander. Doodle Meander is a beautiful light green with hints of peach and Navy blue.

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Halo is made by Little Sparrow Bows on Etsy

Sketchbook collection features gorgeous deep blue, pretty pink pistachio green, cozy brown and mustard yellow. All inspired by nature and of course made with the AMAZING Art Gallery “Feel” !

I attended Quilt Market this past Spring and had the opportunity to meet Sharon in person. Sharon was so sweet and I was really lucky to have her share with me The Sketchbook Fabric Collection. I knew this collection would be great as soon as I saw it!  So Thank you Sharon Holland and Art Gallery Fabrics for allowing me to be apart of the Sketchbook Blog Tour!!

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To see more inspiration Click HERE for Art Gallery Fabrics Sketchbook Fabric Lookbook!

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Don’t forget to Jump on Sharon’s Instagram page for your chance to win 10 yards of Sketchbook Fabric!!

Thank you for reading!!

-Alexis

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Brooklyn Pattern Company- Bedford – Blog Tour – Discount

Happy Saturday Everyone!

Henry Bedford blog tour

A few months ago I made my first trip to the Quilt Market in Minnesota and had such a great time.  Not only did I see a TON of new fabric but I discovered a new Clothing Pattern company that I had yet to learn about. Brooklyn Pattern Company had several dresses, including the Bedford and Henry Dresses, on display in the Cloud9 Fabric booth. I was jumping up and down after seeing the Bedford Dress asking where I could find the Pattern. One of my favorite design features in clothing is a Racerback and the Bedford has one of the prettiest ones I have seen!

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Features of the Bedford Pattern

-Top or Dress

-A-Line

-Size 18mnth-8yr

-Lined-Facing

-Small Straps

-Racerback

-Zipper Closure

-Size Chart- I made a size 8

-Finished Chart

-Very Cool Curved Hem

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I paired the top with Coachella Shorts by Striped Swallow 

Floral Halo: Little Sparrow Bow

Shoes: Joyfolie

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The Bedford Instruction are easy to follow as are the illustrations. I really like how easy the zipper instructions were. I know, I know, I said easy and Zipper in the same sentence, but it is!! I would say a confident beginner would feel comfortable with this pattern and will discover they can handle a zipper.

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Miss T. prefers Tops and Shorts so I appreciate a pattern that offers both.

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Fabric: Art Gallery Fabrics- Wanderer- April Rhodes

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Thank you Erin for asking me to join the Bedford and Henry Blog Tour

Lucky you:

Readers receive 20% any pattern in the shop with the code: SUMMERFUN15. The code runs from 12:01 am on July 6 through 11:59 pm on July 15.

Click HERE

-Alexis

 

Summer Blog Tour Day 5- Brownie Goose Allie Oop Dress and Top

 

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Hello, I am over at Brownie – Goose Blog Today for the Summer Blog Tour. Excited to introduce the newest pattern by Brownie-Goose called Allie Oop! Check it out and see all the amazing fabric given to me by Art Gallery Fabric.

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Simple Life Pattern Company Mash up Blog Tour

facebook-freebieI jumped at the chance to join the Simple Life Pattern Company Mash Up Blog Tour. I have been admiring them for a while now but hadn’t had a chance to try their patterns. I know crazy, RIGHT!!??? I can blame that on a crazy busy life, right?? Anyways, with each pattern they release my mouth drops and my heart pitter patters with excitement.  So obviously given the chance to play with some of their patterns, I was ALL over it!!!

Ok so let talk about what patterns I picked and why…

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I choose Mia Pattern for the Skirt and Aydas Pattern for the Bodice. I wanted to make the deep dramatic “V” of Ayda and the long tiered skirt of Mia. I originally planned on making a maxi dress, but when I got to the point of sewing the top and the skirt together I tried it on my daughter for a test fit and decided I liked the fullness of the 2nd tier of the Mia Skirt.  I thought it worked well with the mood I was going for! I choose bold fabric prints to play off of the deep “V” of the Bodice and Full tiered skirt.

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Fabric for Boice: Black and White Checkered from Joann

Fabric for Skirt: Art Gallery Fabrics- London Red

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I purchased this GORGEOUS ribbon in a LA Fabric Store.It was the Perfect addition to separate the skirt and bodice.

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Bodice: I made no changes to the Bodice-Same Length and Width. I did add a small button (fixed) for looks and to close the back slightly.

Skirt: I used 2nd. 3rd and 4th Tier from the instructions. Also used a 1″ seam allowance for the Hem. I attached each layer using the ruffle foot on my serger. The skirt only took 30min to sew each tier together-CRAZY fast!

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I found both patterns easy to follow in both Illustrated and Written instructions.  I can’t thank Simple Life Pattern Company enough for asking me to join. I am also very excited to sew more SLPco Patterns!!!

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Outtakes… BOYS!  🙂

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Time to Catch Up

Hello and I hope you all had a great week. Also, Happy Mother’s Day to all you AMAZING Mommies! Alright, It has been way too long since I posted about what I have been up to in the Pattern Testing World. Well , here is a run down of the last two Patterns I tested…

 

First up is the Bateau Garden dress by Winter Wear Designs..

-Tunic, Vintage or Regular length Dress

-Scooped or Cross Strap Back

-Size Range 1-14 (That is HUGE)

-Invisible Zipper

-Pattern also includes Pettiskirt tutorial

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Fabric: Tula Pink-Elizabeth Collection

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I adore the Tent Stripes and The Elizabeth 16th Century Selfie Together! I was lucky to find these at a local Fabric shop that I have fallen in love with called-Needle in a Fabric Stash

Next up is Violette Field Threads Loralie Dress Pattern

-Size range 2T-9/10

-Two bodice Style

-Pleated option on bodice

-Double Layered Skirt

-Sash included

-Easily dressed up or down

-Button Back with placket

I actually made two versions of the dress- For the First I placed the insert on the outside of the back bodice and also used faux leather trim instead of the sash.

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I simple ADORE how this dress turned out! I used a Light Tan Linen for the double layered skirt, Gray/Blue Stripe Cotton for the bodice and to top It off Liberty of London for the Insert! This particular Liberty of London was used in the new Cinderella Movie.

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For the second dress version I made per instruction with sash and bodice insert placed inside the bodice. My Daughter was SO excited for this fabric. This one was her FAVORITE!

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For this version I used Art Gallery Fabric, Morning Walk by Leah Duncan

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So there you have it.  That’s what I have been up to in the Pattern Testing World 🙂

See you next time…

-Alexis/My Sweet Sunshine