Happy Creating!
Danielle Storm
www.whimsicalfabric.com
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Last Call - 25% Off All Digital Patterns!
Happy Creating!
Danielle Storm
www.whimsicalfabric.com
Modkid Kyoko & Kyoko Misses Pattern Reviews
Hello Whimsical lovelies!
Alyssa here, with some only slightly awkward pics and a pattern review of the Modkid Kyoko and Modkid Kyoko Misses. And for a bit of extra fun, I made both out of some adorable Riley Blake Knit Anchors.
Let's start with the Modkid Kyoko Misses pattern and the details:
• Sizes XS - XXL
• Shirt, Tunic or Dress Lengths
• Long, 3/4 or Short Sleeves
• Various neckband finishing options
• Optional Obi
• Knit or Woven
I chose: a knit short sleeved shirt with a neckband. When making the knit version, you may want to go down a size, because you'll have the stretch from the knit, that you wouldn't have with woven fabrics. My bust is actually outside range of the XXL (44"), so I went with the XXL and I really like the fit. It's not too tight where I feel uncomfortable, nor is it so baggy that I feel like I'm wearing a sack, which often happens with clothes at my size!
For my shirt I used the Riley Blake Multi Anchors. I found the fabric chart to be spot on for the size I made. I ordered a little extra to account for shrinking, easily had enough fabric to make my shirt, without having a bunch of extra left over. I did manage to eek out a strip for a head band for myself using the Whimsical Wraps Tutorial, though!
The pattern has elastic measurements in it, and instructions to customize the elastic to fit you exactly as well. I used the pattern measurements and found them to work well on me. I REALLY love the length of the shirt. The shirt has a nice a-line shape to it, that makes my hips look smaller and the length covers problem areas well (I think, at least?).
The pattern includes all pieces needed for bodice, sleeves, skirt, neckband, and obi. Since it is a paper pattern, the pattern pieces come nicely folded up with the pretty instruction booklet.
From cutting pattern pieces to trying on, this shirt took me about 2 hours to make (including breaks to make sandwiches for Connor, dance to our favorite songs, and solve random three-year-old-earth-shattering-emergencies), which I think is fantastic.
Now, let's move on to little miss in her Kyoko. Unlike the Misses version, the girl's Kyoko isn't written for knits, so I made a few minor changes as I went to make it work better for knits.
First, let's start with the details:
• Sizes 2T - 7
• Dress or Shirt Length
• Short or Long Sleeves
• Lined or unlined bodice
• Optional Obi
Since I made mine out of knit, I went with the lined bodice, because that was the easiest to modify for knits. For my bodice I used Riley Blake Anchors in Navy Blue. Follow the instructions up to step 3, and then take your bodice main and bodice lining and lay them right sides together and sew the neckline.
Then turn right side out and press well.
Now continue following the instructions for figure 9 of step 5 to do the crossover of the bodice. You can do the sleeves as written, but since you have a lined bodice, you can do the sides lined as well, which is what I did, by sewing the side lining seams, and then the side main seams, making them enclosed.
This means you will have to sew your sleeves in the round, so take your sleeves and sew the side seam of the sleeve. And then hem your sleeve 1/2" at the bottom.
Now take your sleeve and turn it right side out and put it inside your inside-out bodice (so right sides are facing) and sew the sleeve into the bodice. Note that the sleeves have a FRONT and and a BACK, so make sure you get them in the correct side. Then just sew the sleeve into the armhole.
From here on out, the instructions are pretty much the same, except I just hemmed the bottom of the skirt up 1/2" instead of using bias binding. For my skirt I used Riley Blake Anchors in Red and Red Half Inch Stripe alternating for the six paneled stripwork skirt.
I did consider leaving the Obi off of Inara's dress, but the dress is meant to be loose fitting, so if you don't want to do an Obi, then you'll want to consider sizing down TWO sizes from your child's standard size when doing knits, but remember to account for height OR doing an elastic strip like on the women's version to pull in the waistline of the dress. Inara is a standard size 8, and I sized down to a 7 for the knit change for this dress. This gives her a roomy dress, without it being too baggy on her, but without the sash it is definitely baggy (as it is intended to be).
The Obi is really fast to sew and I think the ribbon detail gives you a chance to add a cute pop of color as well. The pattern calls for 7/8" ribbon, but I used 3 pieces of 3/16" ribbon on each side to give it a little bit of flair.
If you couldn't tell, little miss is totally thrilled with her dress. She refused to take it off even after pictures! From start to finish this dress took about 2 1/2 hours to make. There are pattern pieces for the bodice, sleeves and obi. The pattern includes a chart with measurements for the strip-work skirt pieces. Oddly though, the kids version pieces were like paper, and the misses were more like tissue paper, not a complaint, just something to note.
The instructions for both the Misses and Kids versions were clearly written and easy to follow. The instruction booklets that came with both patterns were very clear and in depth. I've already planned out my next Kyoko and I know Inara wants another one too, so these are definitely a hit in this house. I'm really impressed at how easily the girl's version was adapted to knits and how lovely the fit is with the lined bodice and a knit obi.
What Whimsical Fabric do you think we should make our next Mommy and Me matching set out of???
Pick up the Modkid Kyoko Patterns at 30% off. Hurry though because this sale is today only!
Happy creating!
Alyssa Carrion
www.whimsicalfabric.com
Alyssa here, with some only slightly awkward pics and a pattern review of the Modkid Kyoko and Modkid Kyoko Misses. And for a bit of extra fun, I made both out of some adorable Riley Blake Knit Anchors.
Let's start with the Modkid Kyoko Misses pattern and the details:
• Sizes XS - XXL
• Shirt, Tunic or Dress Lengths
• Long, 3/4 or Short Sleeves
• Various neckband finishing options
• Optional Obi
• Knit or Woven
I chose: a knit short sleeved shirt with a neckband. When making the knit version, you may want to go down a size, because you'll have the stretch from the knit, that you wouldn't have with woven fabrics. My bust is actually outside range of the XXL (44"), so I went with the XXL and I really like the fit. It's not too tight where I feel uncomfortable, nor is it so baggy that I feel like I'm wearing a sack, which often happens with clothes at my size!
For my shirt I used the Riley Blake Multi Anchors. I found the fabric chart to be spot on for the size I made. I ordered a little extra to account for shrinking, easily had enough fabric to make my shirt, without having a bunch of extra left over. I did manage to eek out a strip for a head band for myself using the Whimsical Wraps Tutorial, though!
The pattern has elastic measurements in it, and instructions to customize the elastic to fit you exactly as well. I used the pattern measurements and found them to work well on me. I REALLY love the length of the shirt. The shirt has a nice a-line shape to it, that makes my hips look smaller and the length covers problem areas well (I think, at least?).
The pattern includes all pieces needed for bodice, sleeves, skirt, neckband, and obi. Since it is a paper pattern, the pattern pieces come nicely folded up with the pretty instruction booklet.
From cutting pattern pieces to trying on, this shirt took me about 2 hours to make (including breaks to make sandwiches for Connor, dance to our favorite songs, and solve random three-year-old-earth-shattering-emergencies), which I think is fantastic.
Now, let's move on to little miss in her Kyoko. Unlike the Misses version, the girl's Kyoko isn't written for knits, so I made a few minor changes as I went to make it work better for knits.
First, let's start with the details:
• Sizes 2T - 7
• Dress or Shirt Length
• Short or Long Sleeves
• Lined or unlined bodice
• Optional Obi
Since I made mine out of knit, I went with the lined bodice, because that was the easiest to modify for knits. For my bodice I used Riley Blake Anchors in Navy Blue. Follow the instructions up to step 3, and then take your bodice main and bodice lining and lay them right sides together and sew the neckline.
Then turn right side out and press well.
Now continue following the instructions for figure 9 of step 5 to do the crossover of the bodice. You can do the sleeves as written, but since you have a lined bodice, you can do the sides lined as well, which is what I did, by sewing the side lining seams, and then the side main seams, making them enclosed.
This means you will have to sew your sleeves in the round, so take your sleeves and sew the side seam of the sleeve. And then hem your sleeve 1/2" at the bottom.
Now take your sleeve and turn it right side out and put it inside your inside-out bodice (so right sides are facing) and sew the sleeve into the bodice. Note that the sleeves have a FRONT and and a BACK, so make sure you get them in the correct side. Then just sew the sleeve into the armhole.
From here on out, the instructions are pretty much the same, except I just hemmed the bottom of the skirt up 1/2" instead of using bias binding. For my skirt I used Riley Blake Anchors in Red and Red Half Inch Stripe alternating for the six paneled stripwork skirt.
I did consider leaving the Obi off of Inara's dress, but the dress is meant to be loose fitting, so if you don't want to do an Obi, then you'll want to consider sizing down TWO sizes from your child's standard size when doing knits, but remember to account for height OR doing an elastic strip like on the women's version to pull in the waistline of the dress. Inara is a standard size 8, and I sized down to a 7 for the knit change for this dress. This gives her a roomy dress, without it being too baggy on her, but without the sash it is definitely baggy (as it is intended to be).
The Obi is really fast to sew and I think the ribbon detail gives you a chance to add a cute pop of color as well. The pattern calls for 7/8" ribbon, but I used 3 pieces of 3/16" ribbon on each side to give it a little bit of flair.
If you couldn't tell, little miss is totally thrilled with her dress. She refused to take it off even after pictures! From start to finish this dress took about 2 1/2 hours to make. There are pattern pieces for the bodice, sleeves and obi. The pattern includes a chart with measurements for the strip-work skirt pieces. Oddly though, the kids version pieces were like paper, and the misses were more like tissue paper, not a complaint, just something to note.
The instructions for both the Misses and Kids versions were clearly written and easy to follow. The instruction booklets that came with both patterns were very clear and in depth. I've already planned out my next Kyoko and I know Inara wants another one too, so these are definitely a hit in this house. I'm really impressed at how easily the girl's version was adapted to knits and how lovely the fit is with the lined bodice and a knit obi.
What Whimsical Fabric do you think we should make our next Mommy and Me matching set out of???
Pick up the Modkid Kyoko Patterns at 30% off. Hurry though because this sale is today only!
Happy creating!
Alyssa Carrion
www.whimsicalfabric.com
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
June Tutorial Tuesday - Patriotic Flag T-shirt Tutorial
Hello! I'm Heather and I call my little part of the blogosphere, All Things Katy! Today, I'm here on the Whimsical Fabric Blog to show you a quick, simple Fourth of July flag T-shirt using a Whimsical Fabric Single Ruffled Short Sleeved Tee and some fun ruffled ric-rac.
Lil' Miss Fourth of July!
Okay, let's jump right in!
First, let's gather some supplies. For my size 6x, I used the following:
• 1 size 6x Whimsical Fabric Single Ruffled Short Sleeved Tee, color white.
• 9" of Ink Blue Ruffled Ric-Rac (cut into 3" segments).
• 40" of Red Ruffled Ric-Rac (cut into four 7" segments and three 4" segments).
• Thread to match
• Sewing Machine
• Walking Foot (optional)
Step 1
The first thing I did was divide my t-shirt blank into quarters. I ironed a crisp crease through the vertical and horizontal of the t-shirt . I did this so that I could easily find the center of the shirt.
Step 2
Next, using the center cross-hair mark as my starting point, I measured in 1" increments down, three times and three times up (from the cross-hair). You should now have a total of 7 lines. Be sure to make your marks in something that can be erased and/or the ink disappears. Personally, I like to use the Pilot FriXion pens.
Step 3
Before attaching the ric-rac to the shirt, I made sure to heat-seal the cut ends. I did this by quickly "kissing" the cut edges of ric-rac to a lighter. This will help the ric-rac to not fray after wear (and washing).
Step 4
I used the guide-lines that I drew in step 2 to help me attach the ric-rac to the shirt in nice, straight, even lines. I used my walking foot attachment, a ball-point needle and a longer stitch length (3.5 on my Brother sewing machine). I started with the red ric-rac and then moved onto blue (less thread changing ;-).
Step 5
Iron out the shirt and make sure that no markings from step 2 are visible. Go grab your cute model and *voila!* your little cutie is ready to celebrate the 4th in style!!
Ta-Da!
Happy Fourth of July!
Thanks for the great tutorial Heather and happy creating everyone!
Danielle Storm
www.whimsicalfabric.com
Monday, June 27, 2016
Weekly Deal - 25% Off All Digital Downloads!
Happy Creating!
Danielle Storm
www.whimsicalfabric.com
Monday, June 6, 2016
June Quilt Along Challenge
Hello, Sharon here! This month's BOM is the Broken Nine Patch.
Remember January's block? This is the very same but with a few more added steps. I made my daughter a quilt out of this pattern a few years ago and I still dearly love this block. With just the block being re-arranged and using multiple prints it gives the block a whole new look.
In case you missed the announcement in January, I will give you a little recap. On the first Monday of each month, I will teach one quilt block pattern. You have until the last Monday of the month to sew your quilt block(s) and enter them into the album in our Facebook group, Whimsical Fabric & Me, and/or blog about your quilt blocks and link up your blog post in our link party (see below).
Prizes
Each block that you sew and enter into the Facebook Album will count as one entry into our monthly drawing. If you make two blocks, that is two entries. Make four blocks, that is four entries, and so on and so on. There will be a prize drawing each month.
In addition to the prize giveaway on the Facebook group, we also have a monthly Link Up Party. Blog about your entry and link up your post and you will automatically be entered to win a second prize.
Note: You CAN enter both giveaways to increase your chances of winning!
 |
| This month's prize is a Riley Blake Medium Tone Dots Charm pack. |
Supply List:
cutting mat
rotary cutter
quilter's ruler
scrap fabric pieces
Let's get started!!
1. First we will need to cut out nine 2 ¼" squares. Mine are placed out in the order they will be sewn. I used four light colored, four dark colored and one bright block to make my block. (Refer to photo below with block color placement.)
2. Sew your squares together in three rows of three strips. Press the top and bottom rows with the seam towards the outside of the rows and press the middle row seam towards the center. Pictured below is the front side. The photo under that is of the back side seams.
3. We will now sew our three rows together to make our first block. (The block will not stay this way for long!) As we sew our rows together the seam pressed in the opposite direction will "lock" together to make for lovely squared points. Press you seams towards the outside. Square up your block by trimming up your edges with the your cutting mat, ruler, and rotary cutter.
4. This next step we will take our cutting mat, rotary cutter, and ruler and cut our block twice right down the center as shown below to make four new squares. (It's how this block gets it's name, Broken Nine Patch!)
5. Now, re-arrange your blocks with the dark colored strips into a pinwheel shape as pictured below. (It is easier to show than tell you how to lay them out.)
6. Sew the two top squares together and the two bottom square together. Be sure to press the seams in the opposite direction.
7. Sew your two rows together at the center to make your finished block. Once again, take your cutting mat, ruler, and rotary cutter and square up your block by timing the edges even.
Repeat and make as many blocks as you would like!
Facebook Group
After you have sewn all your blocks together for this month please go over to our Facebook group and share each of your blocks in our June Quilt Along Album for a chance to be entered into our monthly drawing! You have until Monday, June 27th at 12:00 pm (noon) CT to enter your blocks.
Link Up Block Party
In addition, if you blog, write up a short blog post about your quilt-along block(s) and link up your post in our Link Up Party. The button is located below. In addition,
1. Grab the June graphic, share it in your blog post, and link it back to this post here to let all of your followers know you are partying with us.
2. Share about your blog post on all your favorite social media outlets.
Note: We will be sure to visit and comment on your blog. We love interacting with our followers!
Remember, there is no required amount that you need to make. Make as many or as few as you would like.
Happy Sewing!!
Sharon