Twinkle Toes and Company

{Please note that some of these links are affiliate links.  If you purchase something I have recommended, sewn etc. through those links I will receive a small percentage of compensation.  It costs you nothing, but helps support my sewing "therapy" and the ability to review and test more patterns.} When you're plus sized there's A LOT of rules that are supposed to be followed so you can look thinner. Last month I joined other House of Curves bloggers to telling our stories of why we test patterns and how we got started.  As we discussed what we wanted to see from House of Curves and the plus size pattern testing community, we really wanted to see us blow the "fashion rules" out of the water.   Plus sized women don't have to be put in a box just to try to look thinner.   It's taken a long time for me to be proud of my body.   According to Medical News Today , the average American Woman is 5'4".  That shocked me a ...

{Please note that some of these links are affiliate links.  If you purchase something I have recommended, sewn etc. through those links I will receive a small percentage of compensation.  It helps me support my sewing "therapy" and the ability to review and test more patterns.} I could live in long tunic length tops and leggings.  Somehow though without some serious lengthening of a pattern I rarely get the length I love.  Don't get me wrong, I can lengthen a pattern with the best of them because I have come to face the reality that I'm half giant.  Go ahead and laugh, I'm either half giant or my parents fed me miracle grow when I was little.   Regardless of which is true, I have a REALLY long side waist and even longer legs.   So when I had the opportunity to make the Autumn Sweater by Halla, I jumped on it!   I'm a big fan of comfort and this absolutely falls into the comfort wear category! I have several ...

{Please note that some of these links are affiliate links.  If you purchase something I have recommended, sewn etc. through those links I will receive a small percentage of compensation.  It helps me support my sewing "therapy" and the ability to review and test more patterns.} It's Fall ya'll, and it's about time!  I am beside myself with excitement!  I love a good sweater or sweatshirt, blankets, cups of tea and cuddling with my loved ones.  And because it's fall, that means it's absolutely time to wear sweaters! So. FREAKING. EXCITED! Well, I am today because the high is 65.  Before today, it was a tad hot..but I suffered in silence because the brand new Essie Cardigan  by Halla is 100% worth every drop of sweat! As always, the options are outstanding!  Typically I add a cardigan when I'm feeling like staying home or not feeling well.   The Essie though makes me feel cute and dressed up! The different peplum option...

{Please note that some of these links are affiliate links.  If you purchase something I have recommended, sewn etc. through those links I will receive a small percentage of compensation.  It helps me support my sewing "therapy" and the ability to review and test more patterns.} Sometimes pattern testing pushes me outside my comfort zone. Who am I kidding?!?  It pushes me out of my comfort zone on a very regular basis!  Typically I don't wear clothes that are as form fitting as the Sunny Day Top & Dress.   That probably seems a tad funny because truthfully it's not that form fitting.   However, I'm a loose fitting hoodie and leggings type of a gal.   I LOVE how the Sunny Day...Dress in this occasion...fits me!   The fit is fantastic.   I added my typical 3" because the pattern is drafted for 5'5".  I added 1" to the top bodice and 2" to the bottom front; then to the back piece I added a st...

{Please note that some of these links are affiliate links.  If you purchase something I have recommended, sewn etc. through those links I will receive a small percentage of compensation.  It helps me support my sewing "therapy" and the ability to review and test more patterns.} I have SO many pairs of Knotty Pants.  I tried to come up with a word that describes just how much I like them and even looked in a thesaurus.  I finally came upon the word ENCHANTED.    That's how I would describe how I feel about the Knotty pants.   I am ENCHANTED by them.  They are comfortable, they look good and all I want to do is wear them.  I *may* want to wear them  ALL.  THE.  TIME! So, when it was announced that there was going to be Kids Knotty Pants my daughter was extremely excited! Look at how AMAZING these are!     They can be "shorts; full length, wide leg hemmed pant; full length, tied hem pant...

{Please note that some of these links are affiliate links.  If you purchase something I have recommended, sewn etc. through those links I will receive a small percentage of compensation.  It helps me support my sewing "therapy" and the ability to review and test more patterns.} We all have those outfits that we love.  The ones we feel amazingly beautiful in.   Halla's Kimono Top & Dress is one of those outfits for me.   It's not terribly abnormal for me to have random people stop and tell me they like my clothes, but somehow the Kimono surpassing how many times I've been stopped and told how much they like my dress. And, I don't blame them.  It really is amazing!  I'd say it's the flamingos, and while they're amazing; it's not them.  The drafting behind the kimono is flawless.  I am enamored with the ease of how it's put together.  It looks complicated, in reality though the tutorial is well done ...

{Please note that some of these links are affiliate links.  If you purchase something I have recommended, sewn etc. through those links I will receive a small percentage of compensation.  It helps me support my sewing "therapy" and the ability to review and test more patterns.} I wear skirts and dresses a lot, mostly because it's hard to hide the parts of my body that I dislike the most with pants.   The Knotty Pants have helped me step out of my firmly planted comfort zone. When I signed up for this test I didn't know what the pants entailed.  I just knew they were pants.  Thankfully I trust Halla designs though and knew they would be fantastic! I wasn't disappointed whatsoever.  In fact I'm so enamored with them that I've made FOUR pairs! For a girl that loves dresses, that's a lot of pants! These pants are stretch denim from Zenith and Quasar.  I sized up in these because the stretch wasn't quite enough for my nor...