#SewToShare - Personal Progress: May 2015

Been doing a lot of sewing around here and finally taking the time to sit down and do a little progress post. All of this incredible fluff is finished, tagged and loaded into my van for delivery next week.....we can't wait!!! Delivery days are always so much fun for our family! A great way to kick of the summer for sure! 

These little friends were made using the Little Love Bunny pattern from Jennifer Jangles. I was thrilled to win this pattern during an Instagram giveaway! And the best part.....when Jennifer found out that I would be using the pattern to sew for our FLUFF Project, she sent a box of stuffed friends she had made to be included with our next delivery!! Awesome, I know!!! You can find the Little Love Bunny pattern HERE, and be sure to check out the other creative inspiration on Jennifer's site as well....including FREE sewing patterns! 

This is the "Starla Starfish" pattern that I created and offer for FREE! I've added ric rac loops to the ends of each "arm", along with sewn felt eyes, so these friends can be perfect for even our youngest recipients! It also allows a way to connect this soft friend to a stroller or carrier to help keep close by. You can find the FREE Starfish Pattern HERE!

These playful pups are some of my favorites to sew! Simple and quick and absolutely LOVABLE in every way! They are made using the George the Puppy pattern in the book Girl's Word by Jennifer Paganelli of Sis Boom. You can find this pattern FREE here! I have truly lost count of how many of these pups I have sewn over the years!

This is another simple and sweet pattern to sew! This is the Henry & Helga elephant pattern offered as a FREE pattern & tutorial at Birch Fabrics. Find this pattern HERE.

I love sewing these sweet dolls and they are always well received! The potential for making each individual and personal is endless! These were made using the Matroyshka Doll pattern by Whimsy Couture. You can find this darling pattern HERE. I think this pattern has even been updated to include multiple sizes since I first bought it years ago, allowing for the opportunity to make these sweet friends in a variety of huggable sizes! 

And last to share are my beautiful ballerinas that I posted in detail about yesterday! LOVE THEM!!! This pattern is by Blue Whimsy and is a ton of fun to sew with! These little sweethearts radiate cheer and personality!!! You can find this pattern HERE. 

So there you have it! A peek into my sewing accomplishments over the past couple of months!
Learn more about the FLUFF Project and how you can be a part by clicking the image below!

Now.....where to start next!!! ;)

Beautiful Ballerina Dolls! Pattern by Blue Whimsy

 These lovely girls have been in the works for quite a while!

I tend to sew in "batches" when I'm working on items to donate, and sometimes....well, sometimes, I end up on a roll while I'm cutting and lose count on how much I'm going to have to sew. That kinda happened with these girls, so it has taken a bit of time to finish them, but I am tickled with how they've turned out!  

Each one has it's very own style and personality!

This is the Nora Ballerina pattern from Blue Whimsy.

I entered a giveaway that she had going on, knowing that these sweet girls would be perfect for our FLUFF Project. Before the giveaway was even over, she contacted me and told me that after reading about the FLUFF Project, she would like to offer me any pattern of my choice from her shop! Her kindness and generosity really touched me and I was so excited to get to sew this sweet pattern!

These are the ones that will be donated....

 And these I will be offering for sale to help off set the cost of time & materials...

You can find the ones available for purchase HERE!

The pattern also includes sweet little felt ballet slippers, but I chose not to add those due to the likelihood of them getting lost while in the donation shuffle.

The tutus are absolutely my favorite part!!!! They fluff up so darling!

This was a really fun pattern to sew! I loved watching them come to life through the process.

I made a simple change to the final assembly of the doll to make turning easier for me. The original opening for turning is on the dolls back, as you'll be able to see in one of the below pictures. However, I think I made my openings too small, and I struggled to get my first doll turned. And since I sew each step in an assembly line fashion when batch sewing, that meant they were all like this. So, here's what I did as an alternate way to finish....in case you find yourself in the same predicament! ;)

Adjusting the needle to the side, stitch 01 in the image, allows for an easier and more precise stitch along the edge. I used this stitch for much of my dolls assembly.

I attached the arms, and then sandwiched them inside the 2 body pieces, sewing from one bottom edge to the other, leaving the bottom open and legs unattached. 

 After trimming and turning the body, I turned under and ironed the bottom edge and pinned the legs in place. 

After sewing in place, I was then able to stuff the doll from the original opening in the back.  

This is a lovely pattern, one I definitely will sew again! The dolls are already drawing quite a bit of attention from all my friends and family who have seen them! 

You can find Blue Whimsy in all your favorite places....

Blue Whimsy website/blog

Blue Whimsy facebook page

Blue Whimsy on Instagram

Blue Whimsy Etsy shop

Oh....and if you'd like to try one of her patterns for FREE, she has a darling little mermaid pattern HERE so you can! :)

Be sure to tell her you saw her sweet pattern here when you drop by to check out all her other sewing sweetness, so she knows just how much I appreciate her generosity! 

Snug Little Snowman - Pattern Preview!

 It's been a good while since I've done any pattern testing, but when this little guy showed up in my email, I knew I couldn't resist! This is the upcoming Snug Little Snowman pattern by Sweetbriar Sisters. He does indeed melt my heart and goes perfectly with the special cross-stitch gift my neighbor made me several years ago. 

 He's a delightfully festive little fella that was a joy to make! From picking my fabric to tying his scarf in place was less than 2 hours, making him a fun decoration or perfect last minute gift for someone special this year. 

He would also make a darling stocking stuffer!

The pattern comes in 2 sizes and made the larger. I would image the smaller one could make a really sweet ornament or of course you could sew a family of snowmen to match your own family!

This was my first time sewing a Sweetbriar Sisters pattern, and I was so pleased with how clearly the directions were written making it very easy to follow. I look forward to sewing more from their collection in the future. 

Be sure and keep watch on the Sweetbriar Sisters shop or social media outlets for his release....should be very soon!

Hugh Manatee PDF Pattern GIVEAWAY!

Today you have the chance to win your own copy of the adorable Hugh Manatee PDF pattern I shared yesterday. You can see the pics of the ones I made and read my review of this fun to sew pattern here. 

Open to all eligible. Simply follow the Rafflecopter prompts below for easy entry & good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Winner announced and emailed Saturday 6/28/14 and asked to respond within 48 hours or an alternate winner may be selected. For further details about giveaways at Hopeful Threads, see the GIVEAWAYS page tabbed at the top of the blog. 

Pattern Review - Hugh Manatee by Lindsay Sews

Couldn't wait to share this fluffy fella with you!

This is Hugh Manatee, the recently released pattern from Lindsay Sews. Lindsay generously sent him over for me to use for the FLUFF Drive and I'm so glad I got to make a couple! They were a lot of fun and turned out so cute!

 Mine were made from a blue-gray anti-pill fleece. I used pre-cut wool felt circles for his eyes, but you could also embroider them, use safety eyes or of course, cut your own from fabric. The sides of his mouth are stitched down to give him that pouty face of a Manatee. This is a large plushie and measures near 24" finished.

These guys got a good test squeeze from my Lil' Guy before making their way to our FLUFF Drive pile. They totally passed the test too, just so you know. ;)

Follow Lindsay on her blogs, Lindsay Sews and Craft Buds for lots of creative inspiration.

Find the adorable Hugh Manatee pattern HERE.

SUMMARY

Sewing Experience Level: Beginner

Size Range: N/A

Special Techniques: No real special techniques required. Very straight forward pattern with easy to follow photos.

Pattern Format: PDF

Materials Used: Fleece, embroidery floss, Fairfield poly-fil stuffing, felt circles for eyes.

Personal Notes: Fun & quick to make, and after my son got to test squeeze these, he decided that he need to have one added to his personal "for mom to make me" list. :)

See many more of my Pattern Reviews by searching "patter reviews" in the search bar to the right of your screen or my checking the (not yet updated) tab at the top of the blog. 

Monster FLUFF!!!! Free tutorial and pattern template!

I recently had the pleasure to work with the creative folks over at ButtonLovers.com. We collaborated on a few fun, button embellished projects, and this is one of them I wanted to be sure you didn't miss! 

Meet Fin & Polly, my Monster Fluff Friends! 

Download the FREE PDF Pattern Templates for both here.

Find the step-by-step, photo tutorial here.

While I welcome you to use this pattern/tutorial to sew for the children in your lives, if you do, I also ask that you please find a way to Give Back using it. One great option is to support children in foster care, just as our FLUFF Project does on-going. 

Thanks and enjoy! Can't wait to see your creations!

Sew BitterSweet Designs - Create H.O.P.E. Designs Sew Along Blogger Share!

Always love to have my friend Melissa from Sew BitterSweet Designs sew along with me! We have helped one another with a variety of stitching projects, all through email convos and pics. Today, she's sharing her Create H.O.P.E. Designs sew along projects. She used the Mommy & Me Totes pattern.

While this bag is super cute, you just have to jump over to her blog and see her adorable model...even cuter! ;) Melissa actually made 2 different bags using this pattern, so you'll of course want to see the others too! Good stuff!

 Today also starts the sew-along using the pattern over at Pattern Revolution, so another great reason to grab up this pattern and join us!

 Find the Mommy & Me Totes pattern in the Create H.O.P.E. Designs shop here!

 Remember, all Create H.O.P.E. Designs patterns are only $5 and the money raised by the sale of the patterns is donated to organizations providing care for some of the most vulnerable children worldwide. 

Sew with us and make a difference this month!

Sew Along details here!

Lucy's Little Flower Tunic - Create H.O.P.E. Designs Sew Along

Lucy's Little Flower Tunic is one of my favorite and most sewn Create H.O.P.E. Designs pattern. It's such a fun and easy pattern to make and looks absolutely adorable on my daughter.

My most recent version was made for her to wear for Lil' Brother's adoption day, and I think it's my favorite one yet! 

If you are new to shirring, this is the perfect little garment to practice with. It's just enough to add a sweet accent without being overwhelming to learn on. I do recommend a good quality elastic for shirring, like Stretch-Rite or Gutermann, it makes all the difference in the gathering results you get. 

I found the fabrics at my local JoAnn's and just love how they went together.

I embellished my band with a matching grosgrain ribbon and lots of coordinating buttons and flowers. 

She approved! :)

And she sure looked cute all dressed up too!

I also made matching leggings, a headband and a big bow and you can find the tutorial for them over on the Button Lover's blog here. They provided all the buttons for this sweet project!

You can see a couple of my other Lucy's Tunics here and here. 

You can find the Lucy's Little Flower Tunic in the Create H.O.P.E. Designs shop here.

Just with all the other high-quality Create H.O.P.E. Designs patterns, it's only $5 and the money raised is used to support organizations serving children in need worldwide.....just like China Little Flower who this sweet pattern is named after!

Won't you join us and sew along to make a difference this month!?!?
Get the details here.