Twinkle Toes and Company

2017 Holiday Freebies are still coming! I have been waiting for a new camera strap for years.   I’m sure I could have found a pattern, but they always seemed so daunting.  Nylon straps, sliders...if you don’t sew with those supplies on a regular basis it can feel a little overwhelming. Have NO FEAR!  It’s so much easier than you think! The tutorial calls for a 1/2” or 3/8” nylon straps.  My local Joann’s and Hobby Lobby didn’t have any.  So, I sent my husband to the dollar store.  That’s right, the dollar store.  It looks fantastic!   My daughter is 5’5” and it’s the perfect length for her if we shorten the straps a bit, and it fits me as well even though I’m 5’11”.   I have to say as a side note though, that I barely got the 1/2” nylon strap through my camera.  I really should have gotten a 3/8”. I found some nylon strap on Amazon in that size (sorry, no link).  And, I’m fairly certain you cou...

2017 Holiday Freebies continue! Day 3# So many times I hand someone in my family a piece of clothing I’ve just finished for them, and they give me a confused look.   So I get confused.  Is it ugly?  Do they not want it anymore?  Is it not going to fit? No, my paranoia is completely off base.   They just can’t figure out which way is the back.  I’ve taken to sewing in a small piece of fabric so they can ID which way is back.  It’s not terribly attractive, or cute.   And, let’s face it; sewing clothing is all about the cute factor! I don’t sew for someone to tell me it looks horrible.  So, I would rather the tag look cute too! Because I don’t sell the clothing I make, this is the perfect answer to my family’s backward clothing dilema. It’s also the solution if you have quite a few children who wear the same size and have the same shirt. I tried these labels out on my friend’s four boy’s shirts. ...

Patterns for Pirates has another great 2017 Holiday Freebie for you! Emoji’s....I love them when I’m texting. As pillows?  I wasn’t convinced.  Particularly the Poop emoji. Poop?  Really.  I thought it was ice cream until my kids told me it was poop. And then the magic was gone. When the option to make the emoji’s came up, I took one look at them and literally said “No”. I wasn’t going to make them. Of course, my family had other plans.   They ALL wanted them.  Including the stupid poop emoji. I wasn’t convinced until a friend found Bronco fleece in Joann’s remenant bin and called to ask if I wanted it.  I live in the Pacific Northwest, so it’s kind of a big deal to find Bronco fabric anywhere remotely close to Seattle.  And when you are born and bred Coloradans, you BLEED Orange and Blue, even if you don’t like football.   My kids convinced me they all needed emojis made from Bronco material.  E...

I am constantly on the watch for great headbands.   The funny thing is, I love them yet rarely wear them because I have a HUGE head. No really, 24” is humongous!  Particularly when the average head size is  21”. That being said, I have been handed THE BEST Headband/Headwarmer EVER!  And, I’ve worn this everyday since I made it!  That’s saying A LOT!! So, go grab your cutting mat, rotary cutter, ruler, and fabric because when I’m done telling you about it, you are going to want to make one (or 50 billion...whichever comes last!) I was pretty convinced I’d have to add to the 20” x 20” square when I made my first Headwarmer.  I may have been a *little* shocked when it fit.  NOTHING ever fits my head.  Seriously!  I see cute hats in the store and they never fit my noggin.  I had been late to pick-up my daughter because I wanted to finish it before I left to pick her up.  So, I handed it to her to try on.  I...

I have adored raglan shirts for as long as I can remember.  Back in the “day” (Read that to mean just a few years ago when I was in elementary school), girls didn’t typically wear them and I always wished I could.  They were cute!   Truthfully, one of the reason’s I decided to try Patterns for Pirates in the first place was because of their women’s raglan’s.  So, imagine my utter delight when the first pattern I have the opportunity to test for them is a raglan mixed with a dolman!   Be still my Fan Girl heart! To satisfy my somewhat geeky/studious side I did a tad bit of research on how the raglan came to be.  If your geeky side needs that kind of satisfaction, feel free to click HERE and read the post about the raglan and dolman! Now back to the main attraction.   I present to you the  Ragdoll It’s a fabulous combination of a raglan sleeve and the dolman batwing!  The ultimate in comfort.   Clothes t...

I can’t be the only person who wonder’s where clothing trends come from can I?   I hope not.   If I am, then I have done the research and have my answers.  If I’m not, then you’re welcome.   Raglan’s have been around a really long time.  Well, technically long is a relative term.  Relative being in terms of my life.  It’s been around since 1918, when during the battle of Waterloo a man by the name of Lord Raglan (also better known as Field Marshal FitzRoy James Henry Somerset. )  had to have his arm amputated.  His tailor wisely designed a fuller sleeve that allowed ease of getting dressed and movement. I’m sure the tailor didn’t think he was all that and a box of rocks, but I would venture a guess that he was proud of himself for coming up with something Lord Raglan could comfortably wear.   The tailor however was brilliant!  Seriously!  Raglan’s are so comfortable.  I want to live in them.  *I ...

Catherine...not only is it a beautiful name; it is a beautiful shirt, tunic and dress! I had the fantastic opportunity to test the pattern in two sizes!  Normally I'd say I was crazy, I still may be.  However, it was so fun to see how great it fits at a size 6 and a size 14!  (Please note that the flower on the blue dress IS NOT part of the pattern.  I added the flowers.) The first option I made was a size 6, length 8, curved yoke (the curve refers to the curve at the neckline), long sleeve dress.  The dress sits right at the knee or slightly above the knee depending on where the girl falls in height range.  We decided to pair Miss. Thang's dress with Bonnie Legs because it's starting to get cold out. The dress would look great with tights as well, she just wears a lot of leggings so it was easy to match the dress with the leggings.  It would also look fantastic with boots.  And, we're BIG fans of Bonnie Legs in this house! This v...

Sewing pants has always scared me just a little.   Not because I don’t think I have the skills, but rather because I’ve always heard that fitting them can be a nightmare.  (Note, I have sewn bottoms before.  However, never anything “woven with stretch.”) Let me tell you, that’s a MYTH! The Lazy Day Pants  are anything but difficult!   Miss. Opinionated Teen is not only short, but petite pants never fit her right.  They always drag on the ground no matter what size I buy her. So, after a lengthy discussion about fabric choices and whether or not the pants I would make would look “homemade” and geeky (she was assured they wouldn’t look either), I entered the world of sewing pants. I used the information from Closet Case Patterns  to help get them to fit her just right. I wasn’t too sure at first how she would feel about the pockets on the front of the pants.  As it turns out she has VERY strong feelings about wome...

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it’s off to sew I go! This test was..... Oh....So....COZY! That’s right folks, with fall setting in; it’s time to embrace the warmth of Hoodies, long sleeves, pants and everything else that comes with the season! So, without further adieu I introduce the  MEGA MEENA HOODIE . This hoodie is AMAZING!  Very rarely do I find a top that I don’t have to alter by adding length in.  And guess what....I didn’t have to add anything to this baby!  I know I’ve said it before, but I’m tall.  The Mega Meena with nothing added is long enough that I feel comfortable wearing it around with just leggings (and I’m not really a legging without a knee length dress kind of a gal).  Seriously, this thing is fabulous!   I know I have a tendency to like the patterns I test, and that could be because I test for the designers I like.  However, this pattern is so comfortable!  Just ask my dog Finn, he and I got a...