Rabbit Rabbit Creations Endless Summer Collection: The Bucket Shorts

I am really excited about the new Bucket Shorts pattern by Rabbit Rabbit Creations!  As you know I am a regular tester for Rabbit Rabbit, but this pattern got the big thumbs up from my two boys and Mr 12 (my step-son) as well.  As a result my sewing machine was running that week. I did a couple of different colour combinations of fabrics so you can see just how different they can look

My first pair was for Mr 2.  I did a stash dive and came up with some lovely blue drill and a stripy remanent of cotton duck that really popped next to it.  I really liked the stripes, but haven’t used it so far as it the piece was too small for a pair of pants, but for shorts, awesome.  For this pair I used the stripy fabric for the waistband and side panels and the royal blue for the pockets and main panels.

Next came Mr 7.  There was never any doubt about which colour combination I was going to use.  He is all about green and navy.  I picked a heavy navy drill for the main parts, a lighter blue drill for the pockets and green for the side panels and waistband.  Mr 7 is in love!  He insisted on wearing them every day for the first week (lots of overnight washin

gs!)

Mr 12 proved to be a bit more of a challenge and the stash did not provide an easy solution, so off to Lincraft I went.  Luckily there was a sale on.  I really wanted to find something that a teenager (or nearly teenager about to start high school) would want to wear.  I was pleased to find some skull and cross bone camo that I felt struck the right note and paired it with some Khaki broadcloth.  For his pair I used the camo for the main panels and side panels and the broad cloth for the pockets and waistband.  My instincts must have been good, as when he saw them his response was “cool” which I think is high praise from a tweenager!

The two bigger boys both reported that the shorts were really comfy, and the little man didn’t want to take his off, so a win all around I think!  The Rabbit Rabbit Bucket shorts pattern comes in size 1 to 12 and is available now.

Happy sewing!  :)

Golden Rippy Calrose Skirt

I was recently chosen to help test the new Golden Rippy Calrose Skirt as part of the recent Aspiring Designers Challenge.  I have to say this pattern went outside of my normal comfort zone as ruffles aren’t really my thing.  I have never been much of a “girlie-girl” so they don’t make it into my wardrobe often.  I was willing to make an exception for this skirt.

 

I really like the simple line, the line of the ruffles and the fact that they are not overdone.  So many ruffled garments have large ruffles, which I find overwhelm the look of the garment.  I also love the flamenco feel given by the asymmetrical line of the ruffles. 

When I looked at the picture of the skirt, I could just “see” the skirt in an ombre theme and luckily my stash was up to the challenge.  I found some nice blues that toned in together (and even another lighter blue I will make into a matching top later).

 

The skirt came together well and looks pretty awesome!  I must of done something right as it is the first time I have been featured in a pattern listing. 

 

 

The Calrose skirt also has options for a penil skirt and a flared skirt and is now available on the Golden Rippy website and is currently on sale for $10. I hope yours looks as good as mine!

Happy sewing! :-)

Rabbit Rabbit Creations Komorebi Jacket

As the weather warms up here in the southern hemisphere, it is rapidly heading into autumn (or fall as you may call it) in the northern hemisphere. I have been happily sewing cold weather patterns while my northern hemisphere neighbours sweated away and thought I would share one of my favourites - the Rabbit Rabbit Creations Komorebi Wrap Jacket.

 

This is a great little jacket that I first made as something a little bit nice to wear to work.  I used some navy polar fleece I had in my stash and was astounded at how quickly and easily this went together. After taping the pattern together it took less than half an hour to make! How awesome is that? AND that included the time I spent unpicking one of the sleeves I sewed on inside out. Oops!  Did I mention that I often sew late at night?

I was lounging around in it on my couch one night when my big sister popped by.  Can you believe it is THAT comfortable? We were frantically planning for my little sister’s wedding and decided that this pattern would be perfect to wear with our bridesmaids dresses – her wedding was in May (nearly winter here).  

What a fabulous idea that turned out to be as the pictures were taken by a lake, in the drizzle when the temperature was 6^oC or around 42^oF and WINDY.  We however, were toasty warm (except for our legs).  As you can see, we looked fabulous even if the weather was freezing.  Credit for the wedding photos belongs to the lovely Erica and Erin at Margan Photography.

This has become my go to pattern for quick gifts – I have made them for about 6 people so far. 

The Rabbit Rabbit Creations Komorebi Jacket is available in women’s sizing XS to 4XL here and from size 1 to 12 girls’ sizing here.  I hope you love this pattern as much as I do!

Happy sewing! :-)

Pattern Review: Felicity Patterns Kieran shirt

 

I was recently asked to do a pattern review for an Aussie designer, Felicity patterns, so of course I said yes!  After perusing the many boy options on the site, I settled on the Kieran Shirt.  This pattern had several things that appealed to me.  

The first is that I was a woven pattern.  I have a sizable stash with lots of woven fabrics and…. well, I’ll be straight, my four thread overlocker was broken and I was avoiding knits!  The second was the neckline.  Both of my boys are, how shall I say it? Top heavy?  I like to say they have big heads to fit all the brains (it probably has more to do with the fact they are destined to be tall). I endlessly have trouble with clothes that simply do not fit over their heads.  The open neckline is fabulous for this.  Finally, (and probably the most important) I think this pattern is pretty cute.  Mr 2 and I are very happy with the results.

 

Initially I was planning to make one shirt with a pair of matching Rascal Pants, but as the weather is starting to get warmer, I thought he probably would have grown out of them by the time the weather is cool enough to make the most of them.  So, I decided to make two shirts using different options instead.

 

I raided my stash and came up with some aeroplane fabric and a robot themed fat quarter.  Luckily I had a blue to contrast with the robot fabric, but I had to make a trip to the fabric store (oh no!) to match the aeroplanes. 

The pattern itself has clear instructions with lots of pictures, so it is beginner friendly.  The finishes are simple and effective.  I enclosed the edges of the facing instead of just stitching it down.  This is a personal preference rather than a necessary change and I clipped the curves to ensure that it sat nicely.

I made the size 4 as Mr 2 is currently about 100cm or 40” tall (he is 2 ½ - I think he is going to be VERY tall).  The sizing is spot on for his height. He is a skinny boy, so it is a bit roomy, but that is not bad for an active boy.

The robot shirt was made true to pattern and I love that it the yoke, pockets and facings were all cut from one fat Quarter.  You may not be able do the facings in larger sizes, but it is handy to have a project to use some of my fat quarters and scrap pieces.

For the plane shirt I left off the pockets and added piping to the bottom of the yoke and arm scythes.  I think the effect was good, however, if I added piping again I would use piping on the shoulders and neckline.  There is a great tutorial for adding piping to sewing projects here.

You can get the Kieran shirt pattern here.

Happy Sewing! :-)