The Janie Dress

I am so excited to share this new pattern with you!! It is the Janie Dress by Mouse House Creations and was just released a couple days ago. I had the opportunity to be part of the testing group for this pattern and I think it is a great pattern! It comes in sizes 6 months to 12 years with several different options. You can make a cowl neck, regular neck, peter pan collar with ballet scoop back, long sleeves, half sleeves, short sleeves, circle skirt, gathered circle skirt, and peplum. There are even pockets!

I made a size 4 with a size 5 length, since Miss V is tall for her age. The fit is perfect! I was able to use fabric from my stash - the grey and white polka dots is the french terry from my Lane Raglan and the pink is a random knit from the thrift store.

I love the cowl collar - it will be perfect once the weather finally gets colder. It has been unseasonably warm for November, here in MN.

Circle skirts are great for twirling in!

The Janie Dress is a really quick sew. I actually made 5 within the last week. I may be slightly addicted to this pattern! I made 2 versions for Miss V and I also made a 3T for my cousin's little girl. I also made two 6 month sizes for my newest baby cousin and they are so adorable! I can't wait to see her wearing them.

This is the basic neckline version. The bodice is a stretchy interlock from my stash and the skirt is a mystery knit, but it worked well for testing this pattern! 

She loves her new dresses!

You can see more tester versions of the Janie dress here. 

Also, check out these blog posts: Crafti Mom, A Jennuine Life, Anna's Heirloom Boutique 

~Elizabeth

Lane Raglan

I may not be blogging much lately, but I have been sewing! A few weeks ago, I made myself this Lane Raglan. I received the pattern for my birthday in July and just now got around to making it. I had seen it around the blogosphere so many times and it seemed like a great basic T-shirt pattern to add to my collection!

The Lane has so many options to choose from. I decided to go with long sleeves and a curved hem. I used contrasting mustard color fabric for the sleeves and hem bands.

The fabric is from Raspberry Creek Fabrics, one of my newest favorite places to fabric shop. The grey and white polka dot fabric is french terry and the mustard is rayon spandex. I've never sewn with french terry before, but I will be using it again! It is easy to sew with and really comfortable to wear.

The Lane was very easy to sew and the pattern is very easy to follow. However, the day I sewed this, I was making so many mistakes. The first mistake I made was cutting the front bodice opposite of the grain. I wasn't paying attention, and the fabric stretches both ways. So of course I didn't notice until it was cut. I only had 1 yard of fabric, so there wasn't much I could do.

The next mistake I made was to sew the neckband on backwards! With the raglan style, it is hard to tell the front from the back. By the time I had sewn on the neckband, finished the seam and topstitched I realized the neckband seam was in the front! I wasn't going to seam rip out all my hard work, so I just finished sewing.

The front seam really bothered me, so I decided instead of starting all over I was going to add a contrasting square over the seam. It worked really well and I think it adds to the top!

Even with all my mistakes, the Lane only took about an hour and a half to make. It's a great afternoon project! I have another one cut and ready to sew.

What have you been sewing lately? 

~Elizabeth