Three Bonfire Hoodies // Sofiona Designs

 Happy October! It is my favorite time of the year for many reasons, including the cooler weather and changing fall colors! It also means I can wear all my favorite cozy cardigans and hoodies. I have a new favorite hoodie to share - the Bonfire Hoodie by Sofiona Designs. I might be wearing this all of the fall season because it is so comfortable!

Sofiona Designs actually has two separate patterns, the original girls Bonfire Hoodie and the women's Miss Bonfire Hoodie. It only made sense to sew both versions so my sisters could have a new hoodie too! I think they look so cute in their Bonfires!

One of my favorite things about this pattern is all the details! Yes, it does make it a fairly involved project and it is not a quick sew (especially if you decide to make three at once like me!) but the end result is so worth it. My 17 year old sister and I chose to have thumbhole cuffs on our hoodies, but my littlest sister wanted normal cuffs. I love how you can totally customize the details to make the hoodie of your dreams. 

Other options this pattern includes are an accent strip on the front and back bodice, a hidden front pocket, and drawstrings. The hood and bodice are lined as well. 

This pattern was released about a year ago and I knew it was a pattern I had to have right away. I even bought fabric from Raspberry Creek Fabrics right away too. The fabric and patterns sat untouched in my sewing room until these last few weeks when I decided the hoodies must be made immediately! 

I think all the little details really add to the quality of the Bonfire Hoodie. The eyelets/drawstrings took more time, but I am so happy with what they add to the overall finished look. I just used strips of leftover fabric to make the drawstrings because that way they matched the hoodies and I didn't have to buy anything else. 

Funny story, I was upset when I was cutting these out because it took all afternoon and I almost didn't have enough fabric. I had to play some serious pattern cutting jenga and even then it was close! I didn't quite have fabric long enough for the drawstrings and hood facings but I had enough smaller pieces. My husband is a welder and he suggested I "weld" smaller pieces together to make a piece big enough. I was being stubborn and didn't want to do that, but in the end that is what I did and it worked out just fine! 

We love the huge hidden pockets! 

The fabric is all from my favorite fabric shop, Raspberry Creek Fabrics. I thought I had ordered all French Terry but I ordered the floral in cotton lyrca by mistake. The pattern calls for heavier weight fabrics, which is why I wanted to use French Terry, but the cotton lyrca works just fine too. I love the pop of floral with the darker solid colors. 

I made the girls Bonfire for my littlest sister and the Miss Bonfire for my other sister and I. The Miss Bonfire Hoodie comes with cup sizes for the bodice and there is the option to print the pattern in layers, which makes blending sizes super easy. The size chart said I should have made a size 8, A cup bodice but I ended up using the size 8, B cup bodice because I felt the finished measurements were closer to what would work for me. I also blended out at the waist and hips for both my sister and I. For my littlest sister I used one size for the width and another size for the length because she is so tall. I love being able to sew my own clothes so I can make them fit how I want. 

Here's a detail shot of the thumbhole cuffs. I love how the thumbholes are hidden when not putting your thumb through. The construction is really unique compared to other patterns I've made but I think I prefer it this way! 

And now for some outtakes! My sisters are so silly and we had so much fun taking these pictures at our local apple orchard!

~Elizabeth

Sisters & Red Lace Christmas Dresses

It all started when I decided to make myself a Christmas dress when I found this tutorial from see kate sew. I loved the big collar, the lace, and the gathered skirt. The pattern was free and my size, and as soon as the idea was in my head I couldn't stop thinking about it. The dress had to be made! And in red lace with black lining!

I bought the lace and black knit from fabric.com. It was my first time sewing with lace, but it was easy enough! I basted the lace and knit together and treated it as one fabric. My belt is just a strip of leftover black knit that I twisted together and tied around my waist.

The collar is my favorite part of my dress! There is also an invisible zipper in the back.

There was enough fabric leftover to make matching dresses for my little sisters. I used the Peony Petal Dress from Ruby Jean's Closet for my 11 year old sister, K's dress. Since I was using lace for the whole dress, I left off the flower detail that the pattern called for.

It is a simple peasant dress with elastic around the neck, sleeves and waist. I used black cotton for the lining of the dress and lengthened it about five inches because K is so tall.

Sleeve close up

Finally, for my baby sister V's dress, I used the Junebug dress pattern from Craftiness is Not Optional. I used the lace and black cotton for the lining. I didn't think the buttonholes would work well on the lace, so I decided to only use cotton for the flap piece.

 I love the puffy sleeves!

She's such a little lady!!

I left the lace a few inches longer than the lining on all three dresses. I had so much fun making these dresses for my sisters and I! We were matching, but we still had our own style because they weren't exactly the same.

I hope you are all staying warm, where ever you are! The temperature is -15° F and wind chills are at -38° F, so we are definitely staying inside today!

~Elizabeth

Spring Easter Skirts

 

 

Over spring break, I decided that my sisters needed some new skirts. Then, when I had extra fabric left, I decided I needed a matching skirt too. I used the Simple Spring Skirts tutorial from Simple Simon and Company and some fabric from my stash. They are so easy to make! You only need two measurements - waist and length - and the tutorial is only 8 steps long! They don't take much time either - I made all three skirts in one afternoon.
 

The main fabric has Easter eggs on it! My mom and I bought it seven years ago when our local Ben Franklin store was having a huge going-out-of-business sale. I was just starting to sew and we thought it was so cute! It just took me seven years to finally use it.
 

 

The pink, contrast fabric is from fabric.com. I bought it two years ago, planning to use it in a skirt, but never got around to it. That's a good thing too, because it's the perfect contrast for the Easter egg fabric!

 

Spring hasn't made up its mind if it wants to come to Minnesota yet or not (it snowed in my hometown today!), but we braved the cold and went outside to take pictures. My 10 year old sister was being a goofball:

 

 This is one of the few good pictures of her from our photoshoot.

 

This is about the best one I have of the three of us.

 

Mostly, she just wanted to be silly!

 

 What's the longest you've kept fabric in your stash before using it?  

 

~Elizabeth

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