Polka Dot Peplum + giveaway

June 30, 2014July 5, 2014 ~ hungie gungie ~ 50 Comments

Hello! Today is a good day. Dana of MADE has released her much-anticipated First Day Dress pattern!

:::::APPLAUSE:::::

Caroline and I were excited to be testers for this pattern, because… well, duh… it’s Dana– need I say more? But, for me anyway, her blog was literally the FIRST sewing blog I had ever stumbled upon. Like, I didn’t even know about you people or your cool sewing blogs, or that this community even existed. I was googling sewing patterns late one night 4 years ago, and came across her Market Skirt tutorial and then spent the next several hours poring over her beautiful, bright and cheery site. I was amazed that a person could make these things at home! Not to go all cheese-fest here, but you could say that she changed my creative life! Aw….

Onto this GREAT pattern.

There are several options. I’ll let you hop on over to her site to read all about them, but for my version I chose to sew the peplum top. I’m pretty sure Caroline is with me here… we are not peplum people. I have seen them all over the sewing world over the past year, but haven’t jumped on board until now.

Something about my fun little Coco-girl inspired me to give it a whirl.

And I’m so glad I did.

I made a size 2 for my newish two-year old. Guys, the fit is PERFECT. I was nervous that this would be to small on her, but as soon as she got it on, I was just doing a crazy dance. Those little capped sleeves, the adorable swingy peplum skirt, the polka dots… this is a happy project.

I found this great charcoal/silver polka dot fabric at Joann, and snatched up three yards of it. Luckily, I barely had to use much for this pattern- since I might see a size 6 dress version in my future! The back closes simply with a single button and elastic loop. I used one of my favorite buttons from my stash, and I like you could have some fun with a colorful, bold, or special one that you love.

Like I said, there are plenty of options here. Even when it comes to the lining…you can choose to do a partial lining- just at the bodice, or a full. I fully-lined mine with some mint voile. I love the glimpse of color that pokes out when she’s boppin’ around.

Or balancing on her brother’s cute bum.

This pattern is very thorough, with great photos and detailed instructions. I think it is such a sweet tailored shape, and after making so many dresses with a gathered skirt, this top seemed to come together in a jiff.

I made one particular note to myself that I’ll share with you about this pattern: while this top really does fit peeeerfectly, it took some care to get off of Corinne without inducing a full on mid-removal arms-stuck meltdown. If your kiddo is well endowed in the noggin’ department, I’d consider cutting your back slit 1/2″ longer, or cutting the neckline a hair larger. Just in case y’all.

Now. Which one of you kind readers would like to win a copy of this pattern? Okay! Leave me a comment telling me which option is your favorite, and I’ll randomly pick a winner by the evening of Thursday July 3.

**Giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to #13, Jo! Hope you enjoy your new pattern!**

And come back soon if you don’t win because sister Caroline (!!!) will be back with a totally different look and another chance to win!

Thanks to Dana for the awesome pattern- it’s obvious to see how much work went into creating this one!

Goodbye and Good Luck!

-Erin

Modern Folksy Bunny + a giveaway

November 14, 2013November 13, 2013 ~ hungie gungie ~ 31 Comments

When Virginia of the Gingercake blog + shop emailed to see if we’d be interested in sewing one of her patterns for her Holiday Gifts Sewing Series, it immediately conjured up memories. Every Christmas, my mother tied wide red velvet ribbons around a few stuffed animals and set them in little wooden chairs on either side of our fireplace. They only appeared at Christmastime which made them seem extra special, and my favorite one was a small white puma.

I just loved it and every time the boxes ‘o decorations made their way from the attic down to the first floor, I would find it buried somewhere and call it my own- If only for the month of December.

So, when thinking about which pattern in Virginia’s shop that I’d like to sew up, I kept coming back to the Modern Folksy Bunny. It reminded me of those sweet little stuffed animals that my Mom put out, and something I thought my own children would love to see re-appear at every holiday season…

So this little guy is staying in the family.

I wonder who will call dibs?

The girl with the matching pants, of course!

Corinne was pretty taken with this bunny. She looked at it for a while, but then began to pick at the button eyes and the floppy bow. She hugged it tightly, threw it on the ground, picked it up, put it in her shopping cart and rolled it around the kitchen… you get the idea.

(This would be the second bunny I made- I made an ear-error on the first one, but I may finish it up today and show you that one later this week so stay tuned for that…)

This little bunny takes a nice shape thanks to a couple of well-placed darts and a little boxed corner at the toe. Nice little details that I never would have thought of on my own.

The body is made of Essex yarn dyed linen in black. For the ear lining and bow, I used some red tartan that has been burning a hole in my stash for three years. This might be my new favorite fabric combo, fyi.

Those bell-bottoms that Coco is wearing, were made for my older girl back when she was a toddler. sniff sniff. I found them the other day in a box of Winter clothes and I knew we had to include them in this photo shoot!

My favorite part about making this bunny would have to be that cute pom-pom tail. It was the first one I’ve ever made and I could seriously get hooked! I used a basic white yarn and wrapped it around my hand old-school style- though I’ve heard there are pom-pom makers out there.

Would you like to make your own folksy bunny? Virginia has kindly offered up one Bunny pattern for one of you cool readers.

Leave me a comment below!

Giveaway will end on Sunday 11/17 at 9 pm and a winner will be chosen at random.

Be sure to check out all the other great PDF patterns in Virginia’s shop– tons of cute stuff there perfect for a handmade gift!

Happy (Holiday) Sewing!

-Erin

p.s. You can *like* Hungie Gungie on FB now and be up to the millisecond on any breaking news we may decide is important to share. j/k. you’ll be lucky if we ever remember to post over there.

… hittin’ the big time y’all.

Bimaa in the ‘Hood

October 19, 2013October 21, 2013 ~ hungie gungie ~ 21 Comments

I was so happy when Sarah of EmmylouBeeDoo and LouBeeClothing patterns asked if I’d like to join her Bimaa pattern tour. Maybe you have seen this little pattern showing up around blog-land lately? It’s a hot one right now! I’m the last stop on the tour (along with Skirt as Top– no pressure, right?), and I can’t believe all adorable Bimaas that these gals have been putting out.

Sarah’s blog is such a good one and quickly becoming one of my favorites- I LOVE what she sews for her cute daughter… like this Sally dress– so great! And this September tunic– I bought this pattern as soon as I saw her version. Plus, Sarah is a New England girl, and grew up a New England girl, so… maybe I’m just drawn to her New Englandy-ness? 🙂

Anyway, what I’m trying to say is, check out Sarah’s blog and pattern shop if you know what’s good for you!!!

Now. Onto my BIMAA!

The Bimaa is a slim-fitting sweater with 3 neckline options: hoodie, shawl collar, and cowl neck. There is no hemming in this pattern- just sewing a cuff band and waist band, which is quick and pretty fool-proof if you ask me… No folding up, no ironing… I love that I didn’t have to get up from my chair and iron a thing!

I made a 2T for my 18 month old and the fit is perfectly…though if you have any worries about the snug fit, just size up in the width. The only change I made to the pattern was to make a little puff sleeve at the shoulder… Just ’cause I love ’em. I widened the top curve of the sleeve piece, and added a little length to the top as well- gathered about 2-3 inches at the curve to create the puff, and attached! Easy.

This is like the 3rd thing I’ve ever sewn in knit, and I am just shocked that I didn’t have any trouble. I did use my stretch stitch which I never had before, and it went smooth as butter. I might try my next one on the serger though just for speed. Sarah recommends using a 4-way stretch knit for this- I used a stretchy white velour, and a thick gray sweater knit (from an old dress of mine) for the hood lining.

I love sewing hoods, so I decided to make Coco one with kitty ears. I made this before Sarah’s fabulous Add-Ears-to-a-Bimaa-Hoodie tutorial + template, so I used the instructions and pattern pieces for the Cozy Winter Hood out of the O + S Little Things to Sew book. Both methods are pretty much the same idea. I used a pink floral quilting cotton for the inside, and shaped my ears to create a point at the top. Although I wish they faced the front a bit more, I’m pretty happy with how they turned out. When they start to flop, she looks like a little lamb.

A twofer!

Sarah is kind enough to giveaway a Bimaa pattern to one of you readers! Just leave a comment below and tell me what your favorite Halloween costume was as a child- We’re still undecided here with the costumes this year, so I’d love some ideas.

Giveaway is open to all and will close at midnight on Tuesday 10/22. Good Luck!

Oh, and if you can’t wait that long to sew one up, you can purchase the pattern (along with Sarah’s other patterns) HERE.

(And be sure to check out my tour buddy, Kristin’s cowl Bimaa too!)

Happy Sewing!

-Erin

Another Debbie + A Giveaway

August 31, 2013September 4, 2013 ~ hungie gungie ~ 27 Comments

Hello there!

Remember the Little Debbie dress I made for Corinne earlier this month? Well, I’m back with another one, this time for my big girl, Ellery.

This is the Debbie’s Birthday Dress pattern from Suz of Sewpony.

I tested this pattern in the 18 month size, but I was really looking forward to sewing one up for my 5 year old! I made a size 6 and I think It’s pretty right on.

I love this little pattern. I really do.

I love how different this version is from Coco’s vintage-y one.

I love that it’s got a sort of Fall-Mod thing going.

But I think what I love most about it, is that it used to be my dress!

A shapeless shift dress that I wore a small handful of times, but has sat in my closet for almost 5 years.

I made a couple of modifications to the pattern: I chose to cut my front piece on the fold to keep the print intact. Also, since this fabric is very thin, I fully lined it, using the original lining from the old dress. That’s not hard to figure out at all, the pattern has a bodice lining already… I just extended it all the way the length of the dress.

Suz is offering up a free copy of the pattern to one of you sweet readers! Just leave me a comment here and I’ll randomly pick a winner next week.

~~:::Giveaway is open to all and will run until Tuesday at midnight EST.:::~~

giveaway is now closed! congrats to Michelle 🙂

-Erin

Roza pattern review + a giveaway

June 19, 2013June 23, 2013 ~ hungie gungie ~ 59 Comments

I think I’m ready to venture into more adult sewing, and there’s no better way to do that than by just getting a pattern and following it, right? So, about a month ago, I pinned this pattern to my Sewing for Me board. It’s the Roza blouse and dress pattern by Kate and Rose.

I think a sweet peasant top is a good staple in any girl’s wardrobe and this one looked pretty perfect. I did some digging on the web, but I couldn’t find many variations out there. So I emailed the pattern designer, Kati, and asked her if she knew of any examples out there in sewing blog-land to link me to. She explained that the pattern had just been released, so no, there weren’t many variations yet, but would I be interested in sewing one up if she sent me the pattern?

Um…why, YES I would!

The Roza is pretty much everything you’d want and expect from a peasant top – roomy, lightweight, casual but feminine. And guess what? It’s a super fast sew… no really, it is! Piecing together and cutting the pattern took the longest for me, but that’s usually the case with a pdf pattern in my house – it ends up on the kitchen table along with all the other junk and then I have to re-sort through all the pages, etc… you know the drill. But still, it’s pretty convenient to just print something off at your house and get working when you get a burst of creative energy (even if it lasts only 20 minutes).

There are several ways to customize the Roza- short or long sleeves, cropped or asymmetrical hemline, gathered or flat front…just check it out, guys. And if you have any interest in hand-embroidery (i love this Roza), you must visit her site.

The long-sleeves are bracelet length, and the cuffs are actually supposed to look like this:

But I loved the look of the wide cuffs, so I decided to leave them instead of folding them in as the pattern instructs. I believe that in most sewing patterns, there’s a little wiggle room to add your own twist. You just gotta go with what you’re feeling.

I sewed a Medium, but extended my pieces to the Large in length. I’m 5’11” and often things just aren’t long enough on me.

I mean, c’mon…Do you see that wing-span up there?

I really should’ve extended the length in the front another inch or so though… I like the cropped front, but on me it’s just a little *too* cropped.

I have never been sure about high-low hemlines- a look I feel that I’m too old for… their ‘business in front, party in the back’ attitude sometimes just plain confuses me. Oh wait, that’s the mullet. But, I decided to give it a go anyway. A high-Low that is. Not a mullet.

Getting time to stroll through the fabric store is a total luxury, and one that doesn’t happen often these days, so online fabric shopping it is! I have had my eye on this print for ages – Art Gallery voile in Praline in Honey . I love the colors, and it’s a nice yellow that actually looks okay on me (usually yellow is NOT my color!). The cuffs are solid voile in Seafoam.

I’m really liking the contrast.

Taking photos of yourself is a lot less awkward when there are kids in the room. Grant was my lighting technician, adjusting the blinds every 6 seconds.