LLK Library Cardi Blog Tour

What's not to love about the cool, crisp air, the crunch of beautiful, colorful leaves and pumpkin spice everything?! We are gearing up for Fall and savoring every bit of this beautiful weather before we experience nearly 6 months of Winter. Eek!

I love when the seasons change! It's a chance to sew up new clothes and stock the wardrobe for the coming weather. This week I got to make the new Library Cardigan by Cassie with Little Lizard King! LLK was my first PDF love, and it is always exciting to sew one of their patterns! This new pattern definitely did not disappoint!

Let's talk about the details. This patterns ranges from a size 12 months to a size 14 in girls.  You'll find detailed instructions, cutting charts, pictures and pattern pieces to use when sewing with knit fabrics to make this oh so cute cardi.

I chose to use Art Gallery Fabrics knits from the Skopelos line by Katarina Roccella.  The purple dot fabric is from Euro Girls Boutique.

 

 

I'm a ruffle lovin' girl, and I thought they would add a cute little touch to the Library Cardi. I multiplied the width measurement of the sleeve binding by two to get my ruffle width and I used a length of 1.5". I ruffled each of the sleeve ruffle strips with my serger. (Thank goodness for that ruffle foot!!)

I followed the "Alternate Method" of adding the sleeve binding on page 13 of the Library Cardi Pattern.  Next, I sewed the ruffle onto the sleeve, right sides together, matching the ruffled end with the raw edge of the sleeve.

Sew the binding onto the sleeve right sides together. Keep in mind the ruffle will be sandwiched between the sleeve and sleeve binding. Sew up the side seams of the sleeves and they are finished!

For the neckband binding, I cut my ruffle strips 1.5" long and multiplied the width of the neckband binding by two to get the ruffle strip width. After my neckband binding was sewn onto the wrong side of the cardigan, I clipped the binding to the right side of the fabric (page 19 in your tutorial).  I slid the ruffle strip in between the cardigan and the binding. The ruffle strip doesn't need to go to the end of the cardigan because of the way the pockets will be made. I did have extra ruffled fabric, which I cut off. 

Sew the binding closed, and you have added ruffles to your Library Cardigan! 

 

 







Big hugs and a huge thank you to Cassie and LLK for letting me be a part of the Library Cardigan blog tour!

P.S. Brylee is wearing her Road Trip Racerback by Little Lizard King under her cardi :)

Happy sewing!

Kimberlee

LLK Pocket Romper Blog Tour

The Pocket Romper by Little Lizard King is FINALLY here! This oh so cute romper went into testing int the fall, but with cold weather quickly approaching the team decided to wait to release until this summer. I'm always so excited to share my pictures and now I get to do that! Here are a couple I made in the fall:

Pocket-less version- This one is SUPER quick!

 

Version with Pockets

                       

The Pocket Romper is for sizes 0-3 months to 3t and includes a pattern for an 18' doll! It features real pockets, flutter sleeves, an elastic back bodice, and shirred or elastic leg openings.  The romper has a convenient snap tape crotch to make diaper changes a breeze! Consistent with all Little Lizard King patterns, you'll find detailed instructions and photos, and charts for fabric requirements, size measurements, and cutting measurements.  It's time to reveal the romper I made for this blog tour! I used Free Spirit's line of fabrics called Slipper Roses (Country in Blue) for this vintage-y, sweet Pocket Romper!

  Picture overload! Haha! Sorry I couldn't help it! This romper is just TOO cute! I LOVE rompers. If I could dress my daughter in a romper every day of the year, I probably would. After all, those little chubby legs are only going to be chubby for so long! I need to gush over them all I can!  The Pocket Romper is definitely going to be a staple in our summer wardrobe! Each day one lucky winner will be chosen to win a pattern from Little Lizard King! Woohoo!  Enter here:



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy sewing!

Kimberlee
Harper Creek Boutique
Blog

Cole's Corner and Creations: Dive into Swimsuits

Welcome to day 4 of the Dive into Swimsuits Blog Tour hosted by Cole's Corner and Creations! If you know anything about Nicole (owner of Cole's Corner and Creations) you know she LOVES sewing swimsuits and leotards AND she is amazing at creating ones that look like characters! Well, when I was asked to be a part of this tour, I knew I wanted to create something that would make Nicole proud. I used her All 4 One swimsuit pattern (which is on sale for a whopping $3!) to create Snow White! 

This was my third swimsuit to make. Although this is the "hardest" swimsuit pattern from CCC, I truly believe a beginner can do it! As long as you can sew a zig zag stitch and have some patience, dive in!

The All 4 One bathing suit has FOUR options. I chose the "Pin Up" and just moved the buttons on the waistband instead of below the waistband.  This pattern ranges from sizes 1-5 and include detailed instructions on how to pick out the correct materials and which needles and stitches to use.

 This was my first time adding a lining to a swimsuit. I usually just skip in since Brylee has to wear a swim diaper anyways, but I thought it would be fun to learn....and what a more perfect time than during this blog tour! The purpose of the liner is to give extra protection in areas where girls need it most. You can use swimsuit liner material or extra swimsuit fabric for this piece.

The trickiest part of sewing swimsuits is the binding.  An easy way to describe the way binding is folded on a swimsuit is like double fold bias binding is folded. The only problem is that you don't want to iron swimsuit fabric. I used Clover Wonder Clips to hold my folded fabric in place. I highly recommend these!  

It's time for you to go fabric shopping (who can turn that down?!), specifically for swimsuit fabric, and get started!! Cole's Corner and Creations has a swimsuit sewalong running from May 27 to June 3. You can also check out the other bloggers posts here. 

 Just for fun, check out the difference a year makes in my sweet girl's thighs! Haha! The left is a swimsuit I made last year. :)

Happy sewing!!

Kimberlee

PS: Check out the flyers below to find out more about the Dive into Swimwear sewalong and blog tour!

 

Little Kiwi's Closet: Bow Back Beauty Blog Tour

Hello friends and welcome to my stop on the Little Kiwi's Closet: Bow Back Beauty Blog Tour! I'm excited to tell you all about this gorgeous dress (or top!). Let's get started with the details!

Pattern Sizes: Newborn-12 years

Sewing Level: Confident Beginner

Fabric type: Knit (95% cotton, 5% lycra)

Bodice Style Options: Natural waist and hip length

Back options: Bow or plain

Onesie option with or without skirt

Skirt Options: Peplum skirt at waist or hip, double peplum, skirt + peplum, dress (below knee), or Hi-Low

Sleeve Options: Sleeveless, short, short with cuff, or long 

Lydia includes fabric requirement charts and cutting charts in both metric and imperial measurements. She also provides a printing chart so you can choose what pieces to print based on the options you are sewing. (Awesome!!)

For the Bow Back Beauty blog tour, I chose to make a bow back sleeveless dress. One Red Blossom sent me this awesome Robert Kaufman by Ann Kelle Laguna knit fabric! It's so soft, bright, and wonderful! (Go now and check out One Red Blossom! They have a fabulous selection of fabrics, are super fast at shipping, have great pricing, and are lovely to work with!)

 **I should note I made this one with a 12 month top (fits perfect) and an 18 month skirt. My daughter is quite tall and I want it to fit her all summer :) **

 That bow!! <3

 I chose to hem the bottom of my dress with a rolled hem, creating this lettuce edge. Isn't it fabulous! It was my first time doing a rolled hem on knit! Thanks for the instructions, Lydia!

The instructions for the Bow Back Beauty are very thorough in explaining how to sew with knits. They provide options when sewing the bindings and hemming the skirt. The PDf is full of pictures to go along with the detailed instructions. The pattern is a SUPER quick sew and SUPER fun too :)

Thank you so much to Little Kiwi's Closet and Lydia for allowing me to be a part of the Bow Back Beauty Blog Tour! It has been an honor and I look forward to making many more of these dresses and tops!

Oh! Don't forget to hop on over to the other blogs featured on this tour!

And finally, here is your chance to win a copy of the Bow Back Beauty pattern:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Much love,

Kimberlee